christian bubbles

a while back, i walked away from a staff position at a church. i assumed a few of my relationships would survive my resignation, but to my dismay, they really didn't. i understand on some level. we all move on, but i so hate leaving relationships behind. i felt like i didn't exist in their bubble anymore. maybe it's my imagination, but i think most of my lost relationships have been church relationships.

i'm disappointed that so many churches live in a bubble, and if someone is not in that bubble, they don't exist. my heart breaks everytime i lose a relationship to a church. here's what i mean: i make a friend. they start getting involved in church. good, right? well, before long...no more phone calls, no more texts, no more fb or twitter comments. i cease to exist. they have new friends inside the church and no more time for those outside of it. i've even attended churches in which members were discouraged from having outside relationships. seems a little cult-ish, if you ask me.


it's ok to have services and activities at church, but am i obligated to attend EVERY time the doors are open, which in some churches is every night? and what about outside relationships? when do i get to make and nurture those? i wonder if this is more of a southern phenomenon. when we lived on the west coast, we didn't see this kind of thing as much.



christians, i hate to burst our bubbles...sorry, that's dishonest...i would LOVE to burst our bubbles! GOD has called us to GO! JESUS himself associated with tax collectors, women of ill-repute, the uneducated...the sinners. if the only people we associate with are church-goers, we're living in a bubble.



i'm not going to be hypocritical here. i confess. i have a bubble, but i've become aware of that bubble recently, and i'm venturing out. yes, i have fear. i've been in church my entire life so this can be a daunting undertaking. i get that. you get used to being around people who are a lot like you, but i am very aware that there are people in this world that need GOD. if i stay inside my bubble, i can't touch them.

i've been considering some churches to attend. i must admit. i'm a little concerned about this church bubble thing. yes, i want relationships at church, but i don't want my world to revolve around only those relationships and only that church. i want to be encouraged to have outside relationships. i don't want to get sucked into the bubble, only to neglect those outside of it.

may GOD take a needle and burst our bubbles. i know that's my prayer for me.