Friday Morning Coffee

This morning I went out to coffee (at the same cafe where I work, because I roll with the employee discount hollaaaa) with two of my good friends, Chelsea and Ashley.  We've known each other since middle school and I am constantly amazed at how wise and loving (and hilarious) they are. It's fun to grow together and have people to talk to who are wading through the same time in their lives as you are.

That is a sausage and cheddar muffin and it will make your life complete.

We talked about a couple of rather heavy things today, and a few stood out as things that others may be dealing with, so I thought I'd write about them.

Changing churches: There comes a time for everyone where you have to go and look at different churches, because you grow up and change and what was good for you before (or, what was good for your parents) might not be what you need. Basically everything in your life changes when you reach college, and its an age group where something like 60% of people who used to go to church just... stop.  It's a difficult group to minister too, and lots of churches tend to neglect people in that area.

All three of us have changed churches in the last 3 years because we felt like it was time and we needed something a little different than what we were getting.  For the most part, its not a huge deal and people understand. However, one of us had the experience where people she had know her whole life stopped speaking to her after she stopped attending their church.

There's lots that can be said about that. Churches aren't clubs. They also shouldn't be in competition with other churches. Someone changing churches shouldn't be taken personally by members of the church that was left.  It's not meant to be a personal affront, its just that the individual felt that they were getting more from another church.

I also really have a problem with the "getting the numbers" mentality that seems to be in so many churches, which might be a factor in people being upset when someone leaves. As long as people are getting the true Word, I really don't think where it's happening should be an issue, and we should be rejoicing that people are coming to Christ rather than upset that it happened at another church. Numbers at a youth event don't matter if the people coming aren't being discipled after the fact.

Being 20something and single: I'm the first of my friends to tie the knot, but its something that we're all thinking about.  I have a beautiful friend who hasn't dated the whole time we've been in college because she doesn't want to waste her time with someone she can't see herself marrying.  And I think that is extremely commendable.  I don't think its worth risking hurt and bad decisions for a person that you are dating just because you want to be dating someone.

Here's the thing: when the time and the person is right, you will know. And it will happen when it's meant to happen. May sound hokey, but I firmly believe it.  God's timing and our timing rarely coincide.

I also ate a cupcake. Hate on me hater.