As 2013 came to an end, my wife and my participation with the organized church also came to an end.
After so many years of feeling dissatisfied with organized religion, we decided to make a break from the traditions, rules, regulations and doctrines we each grew up learning.
It can be a scary decision to stop attending something that has been part of your life since you can remember. So many friends don’t understand why we made this decision. So many people who feel we are wrong and have fallen from grace.
Now let me say, neither of us think there is anything wrong with participating in organized fellowship. We do think we need to call it as it is, church is not a building or place we meet God. The Church is made up of each of us followers of Christ and it is a life-style that goes on day by day, anywhere, anytime.
God says we are now His temple and He lives within us, not a building made by hands.
Looking to the new year, we see it as a time of new beginnings with our walk with God.
We see this as a new start away from law-living and following man-made religion. It’s beginning a path walking with Jesus as our friend and partner in the grace and freedom He provided.
It is a walk consisting of loving God and loving others. Accepting all those we come in contact with each day. It is not a set of rules to follow, or things we need to do to be a better Christian.
It is coming to realize that what we do or don’t do, does not make a difference in our relationship to God. It is letting Christ live through us and letting His love touch people. It is knowing that Christ paid the price for our salvation and learning to live by grace, and grace alone, not by adding law and works.
After so many years of ‘going to church’ each Sunday, we don’t know for sure where the path will lead us in this new walk, but we know that we both feel closer to God. We feel a new dependency on fellowship with our Father and with fellow believers. We also feel a renewed sense of excitement now that we are out of the box of organized religion.
We look forward to see where God takes us and how He will touch people with His love as we walk with Him day by day.
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We are starting the year off with the theme of ‘New Beginnings’. Here is the list of links for this month:
Jen Bradbury – Enough
Abbie Watters – New Beginnings
Cara Strickland – Bursting
Carol Kuniholm – Acorns, King, Beloved Community
Done With Religion – A New Year, A New Beginning
Kelly Stanley – A Blank Canvas
Glenn Hager – Overcoming The Biggest Obstacle To Reaching Your Goals
Dave Criddle – Get Some New Thinking
David Derbyshire – Changed Priorities Ahead
J A Carter – The Year of Reading Scripture for the First Time
Damon – New Beginnings: Consider These 5 Questions Before Tying The Knot
Jeffrey Kranz – Where To Start Reading The Bible
Joanna990 – On survival – my one word for 2014
K W Leslie – Atonement
Happy – my One Word 365 surprise
Michelle Moseley – Ends and Beginnings
Matthew Bryant – A New Creation
Liz Dyer – It’s a new year and time to make some new mistakes
Edwin Pastor Fedex Aldrich – Foreclosed: The beginning of a new dream
Jennifer Clark Tinker – Starting a New Year Presently
Loveday Anyim – New Year New Resolutions
Loveday Anyim – New Year Resolution Dreamers
Loveday Anyim – New Year Resolution Specialists
Loveday Anyin – New Year Resolution Planners and Achievers
Jeremy Myers – Publish Your Book with Redeeming Press
Amy Hetland – New Beginnings
Phil Lancaster – New Beginnings
Mallory Pickering – Something Old, Something New
Margaret Boelman – The Other Side of Grief
Kathy Escobar – One Image
Sarah Quezada – Which Comes First: The Beginning Or The End
Doreen Mannion – When It’s Over It’s Just The Beginning
Done with Religion 
thank you for the tip, we obviously need our brothers and sisters on a daily basis. its interesting to see how our Father brings others across our paths during the day
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As someone who has been away from the organized church for several years now I encourage you to find other ways to build community as I’ve discovered that my relationship with God is so much richer when I am in relationship with others.
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You are in a good place brother. Your walk ahead may be exciting and abundant at times. At other times it my be a bit dry and lonely. Either way, continue to seek Christ, as only He can satisfy what your heart desires.. May He bless you this coming year. John M.
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Way to step out in faith Mike! You have an amazing journey ahead of you. I have been following HIS voice moment by moment for many years and HE has never disappointed me even once. It is all about a living relationship, not a dead religion.
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May the Lord be your life and your living map in your new journey, and may you find your home in the church, together with those who seek the Lord out of a pure heart and call on His name in sincerity.
Recently I was in fellowship with a brother very much in the situation and seeking you’re in, and oh, the peace and the joy when you find the real church life where the brothers and the sisters enjoy Christ, eat Him, drink Him, speak Him, and learn together to bear the cross by the power of resurrection that Christ may be manifested in them! How wonderful!
May the good Shepherd lead you out of the fold in a full way so that you may enjoy the rich green pastures of the all-inclusive Christ!
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