Jason.Brooks.Stansel

Well…I have made a decision about church. And it’s that I’m a butthole, need to get over myself, and get plugged back into a church.

My experiences at my last church hurt me in a big way, and it has left some scars that I guess I still carry around (like many people I know), but it has now been a year since all that BS happened and it is time that I quit having such a negative outlook, quit dwelling on every negative thing, and start enjoying life more.

So…about church…I doubt I’ll like everything about any church I visit, but I just can’t help but think about how important it is that I get involved in a larger community of people and worship, learn, and serve together. I decided I want to go to Trinity Vineyard in Atlanta (yes, I chose the farthest church I could!). By the way…I’m looking for people at TFC who want to go with me, so if you do…let me know so we can split the gas cost! We would go to a night service that starts at 7, meaning we would leave at 5:00 or so Sunday night.

So…at my last church, I learned a lot about myself and about other people. I disagree a lot with some things that were said to me and the way I was treated, but I can say that I was forced to learn where the leadership there was coming from. They really thought they were doing and saying the best things they could, and honestly that was probably true. The problem with that leadership is that they were not brought up in the same circumstance I was, did not understand where I was coming from, and jumped to some conclusions. At the same time, though, I had to realize that and work with it. I had to learn forgiveness and I had to learn how to love despite being in a situation that sort of ripped my heart out and made me feel very small and unable to trust. I think a lot of good (along with a lot of bad) came of all that, and I am still recovering.

What are some things you have learned after getting hurt by church leadership?