Quote: “Nature is my church.  Love is my religion.” – Anonymous

To church or not to church, is that really the question?  I know; the word church can be a trigger.  But take a breath and open your mind. What is the true meaning of church vs. what you were told?  When I was growing up, I learned that church is a place where I connect with God. It was a space where I experience community. In the traditional sense of church, it became a learning tool.  I received a foundational understanding of God and how to feel connected to a greater force than myself. As I began to open my mind, I outgrew my Baptist upbringing.  I became aware; the church is anywhere I deemed it to be.

Today, I continue to use this understanding but in a more expansive paradigm. I can commune with Spirit every moment of my life.  God and community are everywhere present, never  absent; therefore, my church is where I recognize the divine. Church can be in the garden, having lunch with friends, in a fitness class, driving down a busy highway, and even on the dance floor. Church is anything sacred; it is without walls and cannot be contained in religion.

I believe the sole purpose of our human life is to wake up to our divine selves. Our spiritual communities are created as a way to fellowship with like-minded individuals. Creating the new definition for the church is understanding the Omnipresence of Spirit, and we can activate the feeling of connection anywhere.

In our New Thought movement, we consciously use the word ‘center’ because of the baggage church carries, but I invite us to requalify and bring new meaning to church.  Webster calls it “a place of worship.” Where is your church today? Where do you worship?  Where do you connect with God?