Being a Constant Presence

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." Hebrews 13:8

In a world that is constantly changing, knowing that Jesus's presence will always remain can be a rock. To know that I always have Him to go to, to talk to, makes me think of how truly gracious He is. I have been wondering about which church denomination would best tie my beliefs with Jesus' teachings, which church keeps Jesus' teachings without being worried about what society will think of them. I'm still at a loss!

I feel like some pastors might have the same views as I do, but the church as a whole is mixed, making it hard to get a good read on the groups belief system. Some are more liberal. Some are on a "pick and choose" basis. Some are not restricted in any way from beliefs to dress code. I just don't see how you can maintain a solid group if not all in the group believe the same thing.

Now there are things that I believe that might not fit into some churches. When looking at the Catholic church, I think there is a different between prevention and termination when it comes to the family. I don't think I would be accepted there very well with that state of mind. In the ELCA Lutheran church, they are getting to be too liberal for my liking. E-free is just out in the open. It's great to be accepting and all, but I feel like the lack of structure, of a solid group thought, makes the church more vulnerable to societal rules.

There are days when I wonder, "Do we really need all the rules?", and there are other days where I think, "Why don't you follow these rules?". For some reason I feel really torn with this decision and yet my husband is so nonchalant about it. He doesn't see why I make such a big deal of things and some days, I don't know either. I just really do not like it when I see churches conforming to what society decides is "normal". I don't think the churches should be bending their beliefs just because society thinks they are being too harsh. Christianity is harsh. From the moment it began, it has been nothing but harsh.

The fact that Jesus is the same now as he has always been, why are churches changing so much? I feel like there is a piece, or many pieces, missing when denominations pick and choose what practices they will be doing and how they will be doing them. In all honesty, the Catholic church should be praised and acknowledged on how they have not turned to society for evolving but how they have kept the same practices and beliefs since the beginning. In most cases. The whole allowing an annulment still puzzles me.

The more I think about my search for a new church, the more I do think of the Catholic church as being the better option. My husband and I have talked about it but just don't know if we want to jump into that quite yet. As most know, the Catholic church is not one you can just try out for a few weeks and see how you like it. It's one that you need to do your research on and be fully committed, otherwise you just don't get the whole experience. Let the search continue....

Dear God, Again, thank you for giving me free will to test my beliefs and to think for myself on what it means to be a follower of Christ. Help guide me to Your home and be free to talk about it with others, especially my family. In Jesus' name, Amen.