Church is a spiritual institution, a place
of worship. My experience with the church as a child was one of fire and
brimstone, discomfort and intolerance. I found myself connected with a God I
thought to be different. I visualized remaining outside of the church, peering
into the window, witnessing a pseudo-worshipping congregation, dissimulated by
the precepts of hell and damnation. I was not spiritually uplifted. Instead, I
felt demeaned and afraid. But, I also visualized, standing next to me, other
people who dared not go in, and among the crowd, there was always God. That is
when I knew my Church was elsewhere.
Years later, through decisions, hardships, and life, I truly
believe God answered a prayer that I made outside of that church window a long
time ago. There was no building, nor steeple, nor choir, nor hymns. My Church
started with friendship; a friend who was called by God to become a minister.
His movement in the community lifted my spirit and his compassion encouraged me
to find peace through worship and scripture. He introduced me to a whole new
way to connect with God, a way that fit every inch of who I am.
My congregation is friendship and fellowship, growing
every week. My Praises are within nature; hitting the trails, zoning
out, being thankful, coming clean, asking for advice, accelerating my heart
rate, feeling loved, feeling alive, feeling uplifted. My Worship starts
with hopping on my bike and handing out burritos to my friends on the streets.
My Worship never ends, now that I know I, too, can bring Church
to those who are looking for a home.
UBFM is a spiritual institution. Together, let’s educate one
another on love, movement, devotion, and being the light for others to see. Let
Church, wherever that may be, guide us to make the world a better place,
to connect one-on-one with God, or to just see yourself as a perfect mold in an
imperfect world. I love you all. Thank you for being a part of my family and my
home.
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting
away, our inner self is being rewarded day by day. For this light momentary
affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all
comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that
are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are
unseen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4: 16-18
