Is there a church for everyone?

Yes and no.  I believe in the one (small "c")  catholic church.  All Christians are able to agree on the "major" items like the divinity, Jesus death on the cross, and that he will come again.  The "minor" items like infant/believer baptism, ordaining men/women ministers, communion, purgatory, indulgences, etc. I don't believe we should be splitting hairs over.  Some people may have the theological background to decide for themselves one way or another, but I myself choose to focus more on having the "personal" relationship with Jesus and living it out.  I have learned recently that this aligns well with the "Pietist" movement that has influenced the style of Newsong church so for now it seems like a good place for me to be, especially since it's roots come from the Lutheran church, which also happens to be the church I grew up in.  I will continue to study theology and church history, and if I feel called to make a stand on any of these issues, then I may have to choose another church.  But for now, I pray that I can both grow in my faith through the Newsong community and continue to serve with them on efforts like the burrito project (http://community.newsong.net/group/burritoprojectfullerton) among other things.

My Walk finding a Church

Born and raised, baptized (Holy Cross) and confirmed (St. Paul's) in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).  St. Paul's Lutheran in PB was where I attended 1st-8th grade and where my family went to church after we transferred membership from Holy Cross after some "pastoral issues". Coming to UCI for college I struggled finding a church home.  For some time during freshman year I went to Concordia's service as I had a friend (James Wilson) going there at the time.  At some point during that first year I found a church that some of my dormmates were going to called Newsong.  Although not Lutheran, it appeared to share the same core beliefs.  The style of worship was very different to me - what I call ultra-contemporary.  St. Paul's had a contemporary service (at least for a while) but Newsong was at a whole different level.  Incorporating video, lighting, song, dance, and skits among other arts - seemed to speak to the college-age generation very well.  I attended their regularly for some time and eventually went through the "Connections" class to become a member.  I became involved in ministries like "Front-line" helping with ushering and parking.  I also joined the mountain bike ministry where I met my friends like Ted and Edgar.  I soon met Travis and started a surf ministry with him also.  With my newfound community I felt as though I really made this church my "home".  I felt energized and "on fire" for Jesus, singing and dancing undignified. Within the past few years I became introduced to the (Roman) Catholic Church and am now realizing that I had many misunderstandings of the Catholic Church.  I have been going weekly to "Inquiry" sessions where I can ask questions I've had regarding the church.  Many of the church's teachings regarding Saints, Mary, Purgatory, Confession, and even Indulgences make "sense" although maybe not necessary and at times even seem a little "scary" in the sense that I feel they might detract from that which is at the root of our faith, Jesus. But in the words of an old friend "However you get your Jesus on".  So now I come to the final question: "Who has ultimate authority".  I feel that if I can be convinced that Peter was truly given this supernatural ability to bind and loose and that the Pope and bishops have attained this also through Apostolic succession, then I would be need to become Catholic.  At this point however, I am not convinced, and I am in regular discussion with members and leaders within various other churches including Pastor Bill from Christ Lutheran Costa Mesa and Ed Salas from Newsong to ensure that I do my due diligence and am able to make a knowledgeable decision.  My prayer is that God can lead me to the church where I can best grow in my relationship with Him and serve him here on this earth.

Geese

Cool intro to the church sermon yesterday...Ever seen Geese (or other birds) flying in the "V" formation?  Did you know that they can go over 70% further because of this?  You probably would see a similar percentage if you studied road bikers...My point is - we are made to live in community.  We can be so much more effective with others by our side.  Ok, it gets better, when one goose gets sick, shot, etc. and goes down, 2 geese go with them to the ground and stay with him till he either gets better or dies.  Then they rejoin another group and go towards the common goal.  Beautiful, isn't it?

The Trail 70

Here's a picture of the Trail 70 up next to my roommate, Tiger's monster of a bike (recently sold for lack of use).  Exciting news!  I passed the motorcycle exam yesterday so now I have my license!  I also got the Trail 70 registered and insured so now it is technically legal to ride on the road - no freeway though with a top speed of 45mph (which is pretty hard to get to!).  I've only taken it on a few local streets so far.  My goal is to ride it to Ted's in Fullerton after the weather clears up :)  I need to find some local trails that allow motorized vehicles so that it can be on the trails that it was made for...

Take up your cross

A friend asked me recently "Why would such a loving God allow us to suffer (and some seemingly more than others!)?"  I also just recently had a dream of being nailed to the cross - I could almost feel the pain, but I'm sure not even close to what Jesus endured.  I feel that we all have our crosses in life and that we all suffer in our individual ways.  Some physically, some mentally, some spiritually.  It is up to us to get through the "suffering".  God is there for us through it.  It is indeed most times a mystery as to why we suffer in the ways we do.  Sometimes I feel it is through our suffering that we can grow closer to God and even bring others closer to Him.

Joy comes in the morning

Woke up this morning 5am.  Couldn't get back to sleep.  Figured there must be a good reason why I'm up at this hour.  I pray.  God speaks to me.  Sometimes I think it's easier to hear God when it's quiet all around.  Maybe it's because everyone else is sleeping so he can focus on me - just kidding :)  I look out the window and it's dark.  I ask God "Where am I suppose to go?" thinking that I want to go out biking, or to the beach, or something but I realized I was actually asking Him where I am supposed to go "with my life".  I'm currently looking at the Catholic church to determine if it might have "the fullness of the truth" that it claims to have.  That would be a big move for me so I'm taking my time to learn the differences, and most importantly pray - I believe God will lead me down the right path.  For whatever reason, he just hasn't fully illuminated that path to me yet.  Or maybe he has and I just haven't fully opened my eyes :)  My eyelids are getting a little heavy after getting only 5 hours sleep :(  But overall I thoroughly enjoyed my morning spending some time with God, praying, reading, walking, singing, and dancing.

Eat your vegetables

Parent's tell their kids to eat their vegetables because they know it is what is best for them even if the kids don't know it yet.  I've heard of indulgences being the Catholic church's way of essentially telling the "lukewarm" of how to live a more holier life: praying, fasting, charity, etc.  This certainly seems better than the indulgences of old that (among other disagreements) ultimately caused Luther to post his 95 thesis in an effort to reform the church.  Back in the 1500's when the Reformation took place, the Catholic church was using indulgences as a way to raise money - through telling folks that they could purchase these indulgences granting their dead loved ones passage out of purgatory.

As I mentioned, it seems like the Catholic Church has definitely made forward progress in their use of indulgences (among other things), however I am still not convinced that it is the best way.  As a first step yes, we must tell our children what to do, but then very quickly we must explain to them the why so that they will not grow to be resentful but rather have the correct posture - desiring to do these "good works" as an outpouring of the love that we have already recieved from God as a free gift in the form of His son.  

It is my opinion that largely the Catholic Church has fallen down in it's attempts to ensure the correct posture but rather has primarily resorted to "scare tactics" to ensure that it's members do the right thing.  It is my opinion that we can do the right thing, for the wrong reason.  We do not actually benefit from the "good works" that we do unless done with the correct posture - and that is not that we would desire any reward here on Earth (like the prideful Pharasees) but rather seek that which is eternal.