When I began to see my life through the new understanding I had been given, I realized all the times I had believed I had been worshipping - I hadn't at all! (or at least not nearly as often)  I learned that in order to worship - I needed to draw on my own relationship with my Father - the adoring relationship that develops through life experiences and the deeper realizations of who He is.  This adoration is not limited to a special time of the day nor a particular place.  I began to see that I had really been living more of a life of temples and high holy days rather than the life and relationship that Jesus was sent to model and provide through his sacrifice.  What did his life and death accomplish if I was not living his statement to the woman from Samaria "There is an hour coming when you will neither worship on this mountain or in Jerusalem worship the Father. . . . the hour now is when true worshippers will worship in spirit and in truth."  

As this understanding continues to deepen in my life, the magnitude of worshipping God as an adoring child has touched every aspect of my life.  God is not limited to certain days of my life.  My life is his. It changed the depth of my understandings of many verses. For instance,  God has given me the desires of my heart.  HE has given me my heart's desires. My desires are His.  Wow.  Jesus' modeled for us that God's desires are for us to serve others.

This realization has led me away from the religious world and church systems. Those manmade belief structures have no room in a relationship between a Father and a child.  Make no mistake though - it has NOT led me away from His children.  As my relationship with God has deepened, the same has happened with my spiritual family.  We are all here to encourage one another to seek Him in deeper and deeper ways. We truly do that - in the realness of each of our lives.  Just as God created such wonderful diversity in his animal world, his plant world, etc. I am always thrilled with the diversity of his children.  It was a huge step to move away from the sameness - the 'rightness and tightness' of typical religious organizations into the freedom of being who God created each of us to be - very different.  We live for Him individually using the gifts and personality he lovingly and purposefully gave each of us - not trying to become a cookie cutter of those around us.  I believe God has modeled his love of differences in every aspect of his creation.

I have written a few pieces that illustrate my journey and share some of my wanderings and wonderings. I'm a pretty practical gal - so these are not deeply spiritual. They are just things that I have seen and learned about how I am really living this life here - not just constantly studying and learning about it. I love reading and learning from God as He teaches me through his other children. I  thought some might like the same from me.  I realize that for those who are attached to a church system these thoughts might seem strange and confusing - but as you read, pray for God's desires to become yours.  Pray that you want to know HIM more than you want to be right about doctrines.  He always comes through. :)