A new year, a new beginning

January 21, 2014 by DoneWithReligion

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.

—–

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

Posted in christian living | Tagged church, fellowship, new beginning | 19 Comments

19 Responses

on January 28, 2014 at 8:41 PM donewithreligion

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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on January 28, 2014 at 11:14 AM Liz

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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on January 26, 2014 at 7:02 AM John Morris

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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on January 25, 2014 at 5:27 PM oikoskrk

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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on January 24, 2014 at 11:59 AM my One Word 365 surprise | Simple Felicity

[…] Done With Religion – A New Year, A New Beginning […]

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on January 22, 2014 at 4:33 PM On Survival | josieanna

[…] Done With Religion – A New Year, A New Beginning […]

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on January 22, 2014 at 4:10 PM Bursting - Little Did She Know

[…] Done With Religion – A New Year, A New Beginning […]

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on January 22, 2014 at 6:48 AM Stefan Misaras

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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on January 22, 2014 at 3:00 AM Get some new thinking! - Limping into Truth

[…] 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 […]

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on January 21, 2014 at 11:48 PM When It’s Over, It’s Just Beginning | Religious Refuse

[…] Done With Religion – A New Year, A New Beginning […]

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on January 21, 2014 at 9:39 PM Publish your Book with Redeeming Press | Till He Comes

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on January 21, 2014 at 7:53 PM New Beginnings | An Aging Liberal Hippy from the Left Coast

[…] Done With Religion – A New Year, A New Beginning […]

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on January 21, 2014 at 7:14 PM The Otherside of Grief | Minnowspeaks Weblog

[…] Done With Religion – A New Year, A New Beginning […]

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on January 21, 2014 at 6:52 PM New Year New Resolutions - VisionHub : VisionHub

[…] Done With Religion – A New Year, A New Beginning […]

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on January 21, 2014 at 6:50 PM The New Year Resolution Dreamers - VisionHub : VisionHub

[…] Done With Religion – A New Year, A New Beginning […]

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on January 21, 2014 at 6:49 PM The New Year Resolution Specialists - VisionHub : VisionHub

[…] Done With Religion – A New Year, A New Beginning […]

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on January 21, 2014 at 6:46 PM The New Year Resolution Planners and Achievers - VisionHub : VisionHub

[…] Done With Religion – A New Year, A New Beginning […]

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on January 21, 2014 at 6:22 PM It’s a new year and time to make some new mistakes | Grace Rules Weblog

[…] Done With Religion – A New Year, A New Beginning […]

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on January 21, 2014 at 6:21 PM Link List – January 2014 Synchroblog: New Beginnings | synchroblog

[…] Done With Religion – A New Year, A New Beginning […]

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