why i stopped going to church.

in no particular order...

1. gossip - its become such a 'normal' form of conversation even among christians
2. 'serving' being a core value but all the serving being done w/in the church walls
3. not forming genuine relationships w/ people [probably due to not living out life with those people but rather just being in the same place at the same time]
4. formulaic sermons [i.e. '5 steps to be a good prayer'; '10 ways to improve your influence'...why the need to make every sermon fit into this format?]
5. lack of actual bible study/too many 'personal examples' and man's interpretations/take on the subject - during the service, at community groups, at young adult meetings, everywhere
6. to give God His rightful place in my life - to turn to Him when I'm struggling; to spend any time in His word; to stop sinning, going to church and just forgetting about what happened-as opposed to confessing directly to God & experiencing true forgiveness. i decided this one needs a little more explanation. nowadays, when i find myself missing church, its easy to realize that what i really miss is spending time in His word. when i went to church, that really would be like my pill for the week. very, very rarely did i look back at or even think about what was spoken of or read that sunday
7. the attempts to grow the 'church' [not the Church] - bigger buildings, more activities, life consumption through what the 'church' has going on - not sure, but perhaps might be one of the most deceiving things i think..
8. right now i'm glued to God's Word - I just want to read it, write it out, read it aloud. i dont know where that and church come together.
9. i've talked to people about Jesus more since I stopped going to church.

okay...that's about all that's coming to might right now. there may perhaps be a follow-up.