There are a lot of things that can throw a seeker off course in pursuing a relationship with God.  Unfortunately, most of them have to do with other people.  As in every other area of life, people can really make or break our experiences.

Church: boring?

Yes.  Church has often been very boring; but it doesn't have to be.

·        When God created us He made us in His image; there is no greater example of creativity and variety than our Maker!  All through the Bible we read about His attention to detail and beauty and music and poetry. 

·        We read about Jesus, who was a master story-teller!  When people heard him speak they hung onto His every word, sitting for hours, forgetting lunch! 

·        At the launch of the early church, countless verses describe how people's gifts should be put to use to make the church community something to see and something to be a part of!

The Bible is fascinating, and we can be fascinated and changed by its truth.  At SunRidge we want to put every effort into making our learning experiences rich with color, creativity, and variety.  We want our children to look forward to being at church; and we want people to feel fulfilled as they apply their gifts to make the church a welcoming and captivating place.

We hope to change the adjectives describing church from "boring" to "loving, meaningful, interesting, and life-transforming."

Christians: hypocrites?

The book of Acts, chapter two, describes the first church.  The church was never a "building" -- it was people.  It was people coming together and genuinely loving each other, sharing with one another, carrying each other's burdens, encouraging one another, spurring each other on in their spiritual walk and challenging each other to grow.  It's an amazing picture and it reflects God's heart for how He wanted Christians to be: community.

God's desire for the church community was that it would be a light on a hill, offering hope to people, sharing the Good News of His gift of forgiveness and reconciliation and friendship.

Well, in many ways and over long periods of time, Christians in the church community have failed.  Often the church community has either been lazy and comfortable.  Many times the church community has been exclusive and hurtful.  Too often the church community has forgotten its calling and identity.  And yes, Christians, like all people, can exemplify bad and hypocritical behavior.

You may have experienced this first hand. 

Our plea is that you don't let these experiences throw you off track in your genuine search for God.  God is perfect, and people are not.  Some people, Christians or not, let us down but others really shine.  Christians are the same: some hearts are growing and are more loving this year then they were last year; some hearts won't change.  God is a God of free-will and He will let us choose the state of our heart.

We are all imperfect, but some of us are on a journey where God is able to transform our character to be more and more like Him.  We encourage you to keep seeking after God and keep your eyes on His character as the goal for how you want to be.

God: Distant, Narrow, and Legalistic?

People often form opinions about other people without ever knowing them.  It happens all the time.  A friend describes someone they know and that influences our impressions.  A magazine at a supermarket stand claims to have some inside information on a movie star and people buy into it.  A television clip shows 30 seconds of a speech and that politicians career is made or broken.

A lot of seekers base their knowledge about God on what their peers have said.  Some seekers have read this and that about God and they buy into it.  Some less-than-reputable preacher catches one's attention for a minute and God doesn't have a chance.

The question is, have you ever really met Him?  If you are a seeker and you have formed an opinion about God, what is that based on?   In order for you to honestly reject God, you have to honestly know Him first or you don't really know what you are missing.

Pick up Bible and start in the New Testament in the book of Matthew and read about Him. Ask God to reveal Himself to you and help you understand what He is like.  Then decide.