Going to the chapel

That's right, I actually went to church this morning, and no it didn't burn down and the roof didn't cave in. It was the first time I had set foot in a church in over a year.

When I was attending church, before my "I'm an atheist" revelation, I had attended one of those mega churches for several months. It had a latte stand and doughnuts for sale in the lobby. People would drink their lattes and eat doughnuts during the sermon (personally, I was a little appalled by this).

The attire was "come as you are" and people actually wore jeans to church. The music was almost hip-hop that sounded like secular music. The words were projected up on the wall, and there weren't any hymnals. It was a "modern" church where the pastor never spoke of hell, not once. Only of the rewards in heaven. I never liked this church. It never felt "right" to me.

My intent this morning was to go to another mega church near my home on the recommendation of a couple coworkers. I couldn't find the hours or their website, and I arrived too late for the 10 a.m. service.

As I was driving back home, about 1/2 mile from my house I saw the Faith Baptist Church, and people were walking into the church. I grew up attending a Baptist church so I knew I'd feel comfortable. I was right on time for the 11 a.m. service.

I loved this church! The people were amazing. Friendly and kind and they really made me feel welcomed. Having attended a lot of Baptist services as a kid, all the "Amen!"s and "Praise the Lord!"s were totally normal to me.

The congregation was probably about 150 people, which seemed really small compared to the mega churches I've become accustomed to. They even had actual hymnals, something I haven't seen in years. They used the King James version of the Bible. All the churches I've attended in the past several years used the NIV version. I need a new Bible.

The pastor was incredible. He was a very gifted speaker and the sermon seemed to be written specifically for me. It was about sinning and pulling away from God. One thing he said that really hit home with me was "Misery loves company and sinners love sinners." He talked about when we pull away from God we can justify any action. We reason with ourselves that anything is okay. Basically, if it feels good, do it. He spoke for a full hour, and I was mesmerized by his message. I felt like he had written this sermon with me in mind.

The entire experience was positive, but a little strange. I had no intention of going to this church. I stumbled on it accidentally. Or did I. And yes, I will be returning next Sunday.

Movie Review
This is probably a strange movie to review after my churchy post above, but I LOVED The Hangover. I laughed so hard my jaw was cramping up. I was literally doubled over with laughter, complete with tears. I can't remember the last time a movie made me laugh that hard.

I had to drag my husband to it, and surprise, he loved it as much as I did. If you haven't seen it, go see it!

Exercise & Food
OP all weekend. Woohoo! My goal was to stay out of the gym Saturday and Sunday, just to see if I could do it. My gym obsession has been a little out of control.

I biked for an hour yesterday (to and from Weight Watchers), but no gym visit either day. It was difficult, but I feel so much better. I was feeling sore and achy all the time and just wore out. I needed a break. I'll be back at it tomorrow morning. Stronger and better than ever. I'm also limiting myself to one hour of gym time per day. Any more than that is bordering on an obsession.