Their blood cries from the ground

I was reading a shocking news story this morning. A baby survived an abortion, so the man doing the abortion (do they really deserve the title of doctor?) strangled the baby because "it wouldn't stop breathing". Some women (again, should they be called nurses?) stood by and watched as this man strangled the baby to death.

    Do you find that shocking? Any human being should find that shocking. Yet, we are no longer shocked by what happens to the babies inside of the womb during an abortion. It is much worse than strangling. Depending on the procedure, the baby is often ripped in pieces, sometimes something is inserted in the head and the brain vacuumed out first. Compared to what happens to babies in the womb, strangling isn't that terrible.

   We have become too calloused to sin in this country in general, but especially in regards to abortion. Christians have stepped aside and let the Democrats/liberals get away with calling it women's rights, a procedure, and other innocuous sounding words to make the butchering of innocent lives not sound so bad. Abortion would never be as popular and accepted if it was called what it is: murder, infanticide, and butchering of babies.

    There is no way American Christians have fought this hard enough. I firmly believe anyone who votes for any politician who supports and defends the murder of innocents needs to hang up their Christianity, and is also culpable in the murder of all of these babies.

    Think on this for a moment: One of the main platforms/issues of the Democratic party is the "right" of a woman to murder her child while it is in the womb. Let me repeat that: One of the main platforms/issues of the Democratic party is the "right" of a woman to murder her child while it is in the womb. Why is that not shocking? Why do so many Christians align themselves with the political party that celebrates the right to murder a child? A politician would get nowhere in the Democratic party if they didn't 100% support and defend the right of women to murder their baby. Any decent human, much less a Christian, should be completely horrified by that and run from voting for such a candidate.... but thousands, maybe millions of Christians regularly vote for such candidates without a second thought.

   I don't care if the candidate is Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or Donald Trump.....if you vote for a pro-abortion candidate, you may as well go out and give money to abortion clinics and stand by and cheer as they tear a baby apart limb by limb. (And no, Donald Trump is NOT pro-life. You're deluded if you believe that after his defense of Planned Parenthood).

   Imagine this: There's a building in your town where 2 year olds are regularly taken and killed.... and not in a quick and painless death. They rip the limbs from the toddlers, suck their brains out, and kill them in all sorts of barbaric ways. Could you turn your head and ignore that? Would you vote for politicians who defend it with all they have? What would you think of Christians who say it isn't a big deal and vote for politicians who support, defend it, and want to make it as easy for people to do as possible?

  You know the answer. The majority of Americans, Christian or not;  would be horrified. We'd advocate these people being overthrown and the horrible practice stopped by any means necessary. SWAT team? Of course! Those two year olds need rescued!

   But is it really any less horrible if those toddlers were still in the womb and suffering the same awful torture and deaths? Really? Is it easier for us to think that it isn't as bad, and easier for us to turn a blind eye since the babies are in the womb being ripped apart? If we had to watch an abortion, be able to see the baby pull away from the pain, be able to see it cruelly ripped apart... would we still run out and vote for the politicians defending and celebrating the right to do such a terrible thing? Or would we vow to never support and/or vote for a pro-abortion candidate ever again?

  Back when the Sandy Hook shooting happened and several small children were cruelly murdered by a madman, someone made an interesting statement I agreed with: the same Democrats weeping and crying and demanding more gun control....if you had turned the clock back to when those same children were in the womb, the same Democrats would have defended the right to kill those same children. They would have fought against anyone who dared to stop their killing.....ironic.

  I heard a statement once that I believe is true: If the blood of Abel cried out from the ground to God, then what is God hearing from the millions of babies we have slaughtered on the altar of women's rights? How much louder is the cry of their blood from the ground than one man's was?

   I am so against this horrible practice, that I cannot and will not vote for a politician who is not pro-life. If I as a Christian would vote for and support a person who defends, supports, and celebrates the murder of babies, and defends the largest abortion provider in America.....I may as well toss out the idea of serving God and calling myself a Christian. That is one of many reasons I cannot vote for Donald Trump. He was even for partial birth abortion at one point, and wasn't pro-life until he decided to run as a Republican..... and even while trying to fool conservatives, he still had to defend Planned Parenthood... a giant fail for someone trying to be pro-life.

    Jesus said in the Gospels regarding children, "It would be better if a millstone were hung around your neck and you be drowned in the sea, than to offend one of these little ones." Read that verse again. Think about that verse in regards to abortion. If what Jesus said is true for someone who offends a child, can you honestly think He wouldn't say a worse thing about someone who rips one apart? What if we stood by and defended the right of someone to offend a small child? What if we voted for politicians celebrating and advocating more children be offended.... would Jesus advocate that millstone for us for being part of offending children in that way? Then how much more could He require of us who are OK with murdering babies, of us who blindly vote for a candidate because he or she is on your party ticket?

  I believe we Christians need to repent. We need to repent for allowing abortion to be legalized, for turning a blind eye to the murder of babies, for believing the lie that it isn't a life until it comes out of the womb, for voting for candidates dedicated to keeping it legal and celebrating it.

  I'm including myself in this: we aren't serious enough about this issue as Christians or as a church. We look at Nazi Germany and wonder how people could stand idly by and turn a blind eye to the Holocaust, yet we do the same thing with our own Holocaust here in America. Harsh word for it? Is it any less horrible what we are allowing to be done to babies, than what the Germans allowed to be done to the Jews? Does being inside of the  womb instead of outside of it really make a difference in how terrible of an atrocity it is?

    And what about slavery? It was an awful thing and a blight on our country. I have read many books about it and have wondered how Christians could own slaves and support that terrible practice.....but not to downplay the atrocity of slavery, we Christians today have a more evil practice we are OK with and support.

  We need to speak out more, call our congressmen more. Preachers need to talk about it more and encourage people to vote pro-life. We need to pray more, refuse to vote for politicians who support and defend this horrible practice and have it as one of their political platforms.

   If these babies were out of the womb, we'd do all we could to stop the murder of them.......should we do any less when they are in the womb?

  It is NOT a political issue. I have seen and heard a lot of criticism for the "religious right's" political actions and voting, and abortion is one issue these people seem to think we should stay out of. Really? That sounds like a cop-out to me.

 If Jesus was here doing His earthly ministry, I cannot imagine Him turning a blind eye to the murder of innocents. I cannot imagine Him voting for those who defend, support, and celebrate it. He would have compassion on those caught up in it, but I cannot believe He'd react towards it as American Christians do. He'd act.

  This post may seem a bit harsh and extreme, but too many of us have gotten calloused to this murder of innocents. I believe God will judge America for it at some point, and I don't want to be complicit in any way of this terrible practice, and neither should any follower of Jesus.

 These millions of babies' blood is crying from the ground. How much longer can we ignore it? How much longer will God let it go on before judging America?

On the other side of faith

  I have never been too good at this faith thing. The Bible says if we have faith the size of a grain of  mustard seed, we can move a mountain. The same Bible also says without faith it is impossible to please God, so I would guess that faith is pretty  important to God.

  If you went back in Bible times and tried to convince some of the Bible characters that God couldn't do certain things after He had done them, you'd never convince them.

  Imagine telling Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego a few years after their fiery furnace ordeal that God couldn't keep someone alive and untouched in a fiery furnace. They'd laugh at you and declare they know He can, for He already did it.

 Imagine telling David some time after killing Goliath that God could never help him kill a giant.

Imagine telling Daniel that God couldn't keep the lions from eating him after the fact, or telling Moses that God couldn't part a sea and make dry ground to cross on after it had happened.

  These Bible heroes of the faith did have faith that God would do just what He did, and they are named in the well known faith chapter in Hebrews 11. Their faith was sure and unwavering beforehand, but afterwards it would have been even stronger.

  And yet so many of us do the opposite. When we are "on the other side of faith" and God has done something great and/or miraculous for us; many of us still doubt and struggle having faith the next time we need it.

  I would bet that if David had faced another giant, his faith would be even stronger the second time.... he had already had God help him defeat a giant. If the three Hebrew children had been threatened again with a fiery furnace, they may have laughed and taken some food in with them to get charbroiled.

  So why do so many of us quake and have shaky faith when God has helped us in the past? Once God helps us and we are on the other side of faith, the side where we look back and see what God did; it should make our faith stronger.... but I still doubt and fear. I still wonder if God will help me through this crisis. And I am sure others do the same.

   I am slowly learning how patient God is, and that His grace and mercy are so overwhelmingly far beyond anything I can ever understand. As the Bible says, He remembers our frame that we are dust; so I believe He would be even patient in this area of having faith.

 So the next time you are struggling to have faith that God will do something, answer a prayer, work something out.....remember you are already on the other side of faith. Look back and remember what God has already done. Remember He has come through many times before when you had faith, and have it again. He never lets us down.

Hot dogs, steak, Paul Ryan, and Donald Trump

  **Now for ease of finding them, all of my "Trump posts" are linked in the same post. Go here.

  I am really tired of this election. Donald Trump has divided and practically destroyed the Republican party, which could have been his and Hillary's plan all along. We finally had some decent candidates, and the majority of Republicans passed them by for the flashy and loud candidate with as much substance as cotton candy.....maybe even less substance than that.  People who are supporting the worst candidate to ever run on the GOP ticket, are the same ones foaming at the mouth trying to make the good candidate look at last as bad as theirs, if not worse.

  My first pick for president was Scott Walker. I have watched him, and was impressed. I think he would have made a good president, but he didn't make the cut. I liked a lot about Rubio, but never trusted him after the gang of eight bill he helped draft. After Walker dropped out, Cruz became my pick. I have also watched him, and have been impressed with him and his stance on issues, and his willingness to fight the establishment. Trump supporters try their best to make him look bad, say he us lying... all the while ignoring the truth about their own candidate. I myself have never seen anything true that is bad about him, so he has my vote.

   There is talk of a brokered convention, of the possibility of no candidate getting the required amount of delegates. I am at the point that I hope it happens. Yes, I actually said that. We have shown we are not intelligent enough to pick our own candidate. I am still 100% convinced that Donald Trump cannot beat Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, even if he truly wants to........I still wonder if it was a plan hatched up between Trump and Hillary to guarantee her the presidency. She wants it bad enough that she would do anything to get it.....even have her buddy run on the opposing ticket. You call me a conspiracy theorist, I call it being awake and aware.

  Funny thing about polls: People love them as long as they are in favor of who or what they want.But if they show what they don't like, for example that Hillary beats Trump and Cruz doesn't, than people say you can't go by polls....the same people excited when Trump is leading in the polls. Go figure.

  I am pretty frustrated and upset with the Republican party. It is beyond the scope of my imagination how any Christian, conservative, or just anyone with common sense could support and vote for Trump and think he is better than the other candidates we had to choose from. I'd have to be drunk, on drugs, insane, and have no concern for morals to support a man like him.

  Years ago, about 12 years to be exact; some of my family went on a vacation to Lancaster County, PA. We had found an interesting restaurant in a travel brochure that we wanted to eat at that had the dubious name of Cactus Willies. It sounded like a bar or strip club, but turned out to be what it was advertised as: an all-you-can-eat-buffet. It was one of the nicest buffets I have ever eaten at. They had about anything imaginable that you could want, even shrimp.

  One main feature was a grill where steaks and some other foods were being cooked to your preference. I can still remember standing in a short line to get a steak from the grill and watching a man bypass the steaks and get a hot dog. I am still amazed all of these years later......why would any sane person go to a restaurant like that, and get a hot dog.....especially instead of a steak?! And these were good steaks.

  It does seem crazy, but the Republican party is doing the same thing. The last few elections, we have chosen candidates who were not true conservatives. They were too liberal or moderate, whichever term you want to use, but they were not conservative. They were hot dogs. And a lot of conservatives came up to vote and didn't like hot dogs. They wanted steak, so they didn't vote.

 You'd think the Republicans had learned their lesson...... but nope. This election rolls around, and we are presented with a buffet of food. There were some nice cuts of steak on the buffet, and some hot dogs..... and not the good kind of hot dog like Ballpark or Coney's, No, these were the cheapest kind of hot dog that even your dog would turn his nose up at.

 Most of the steaks were quickly discarded. And then we have left the two main foods to choose from: A filet mignon, and a cheap hot dog...... and not just any cheap hot dog, but a spoiled one with mold growing on it. Of course any sane person that had taste buds would go to the filet mignon...... but nope. As I watched with disbelief and a bit of horror. the majority of diners went for the spoiled, moldy hot dog. They heaped insults on the steak, and said how bad it was, while ignoring the fact they were chowing down on a cheap, spoiled, moldy hot dog.

   Ted Cruz is a class act, who is conservative to the core. Oh, Trump supporters claim he is establishment, but that has become a word thrown at candidates people don't like. Cruz fought the establishment while Trump was supporting it and liberals.

  Sadly, it doesn't look like Cruz will win the nomination. Republicans truly have not learned from history and are trying to pull of a nominee that makes eating hemlock look like a sane idea.

  It is being said that if Trump doesn't get enough delegates - and I hope and pray he does not - that there will be this brokered convention and the party may pick their own candidate. It is being said that the Republican party doesn't believe we are capable and intelligent enough to pick our own candidate, and they may be right. One only has to look at Trump closely enough to realize that is true.

 The name of Paul Ryan is being rumored to be the choice if that happens...... and you know what? I am OK with that. Paul Ryan is not the choicest cut of steak on the grill... he is more like the cheap chopped steak you can get for much less the cost of a real steak...... but that sure beats a rotten and moldy hot dog any day. Do I like everything about him? No, but compared to Trump, he looks like a right wing conservative that is a cross between Mother Teresa and Ronald Reagan. We know pretty much what he stands for, whereas Trump flip flops so much I doubt his wife knows what he stands for. He is moral - no serial adultery or strip clubs with this guy.

 Is he ideal? No. Were he in the 2016 lineup we had, he would come in after Cruz, Rubio, Walker, Fiorna, and maybe Carson (I am still disappointed in his Trump pay off endorsement). But Ryan would not be out of the question for me had he been in the lineup. He'd definitely come in before Bush, Christy, and Trump.

  Does he line up with everything I believe? No, but he comes a whole lot closer than Donald Trump does. So if Cruz cannot win, than I say bring on the brokered convention, and bring on Paul Ryan for president 2016. He just might have a shot at beating Hillary.

The Trump posts

I am very concerned about what a Donald Trump presidency would do this country if he could win.....and I am also concerned that his wining the GOP nomination will hand the election to Hillary Clinton, as polls consistently show he loses to her, and he has a 63% unfavorable rating. I have done several posts about Donald Trump and my concerns.

 This isn't just another post about Trump, it is a post where I am going to link to all of the Trump posts.

1) Why I am not getting Trumped, December 31, 2015

2) I'm Tired of Trump, January 8. 2016

3) Can a Christian vote for Donald Trump? February 19, 2016

4) They aren't the Messiah,  February 21, 2016

5) Why I can't vote for Donald Trump, March 4, 2016

6) What is more important to us - comfort and freedom, or God? March 6, 2016

7) Rating sins, March 11, 2016

8) And God have them a king, March 12, 2016

9) The three C's of my voting, March 19, 2016

10) 2016....the year Sean Hannity's talk show died, March 22, 2016

11) Don't blame me, I voted for Cruz, March 30, 2016

12) Lowering presidential standards,  April 1, 2016

Tipping over the edge

 ** I think I blogged about this before, but it bears repeating.  

  This is a departure from my normal blogging topics, and is a topic that is a pet peeve of mine: tipping. Everyone thinks they deserve a tip nowadays. The days of just doing your job well and receiving pay and a thank-you are long gone.

   It used to be about the only people you tipped were waitresses, which makes sense. Most restaurants pay waitresses a very small wage, and they have to make up the rest in tips. Now you're expected to tip everyone from your barber to the person handing you your food at a fast food restaurant.

It is a big turn off for me to walk into a restaurant and see a tip jar on the counter. One of my sisters had an employee push the tip jar towards her as she paid... I would have pushed it back were it me. I am always tempted to write a tip on a piece of paper like "don't eat yellow snow" and put in, but never have.

   Could greed possibly be behind all of this expectation and want of tips? Shouldn't a paycheck, thanks, and the feeling of doing your job well be enough? Why should patrons of establishments have to supplement the workers' greed and sense of entitlement by giving them more money for doing what they should be doing anyway: providing good service and doing their job well?

And who decides who deserves a tip anyway?

You're expected to tip the barista for making your coffee, but not the mechanic for fixing your car.

You're expected to pay the barber, but not the cashier for ringing up and bagging your groceries.

You're expected to tip the fast food or pizza shop employees for making your food, but  not the mailman for bringing you your mail.

You're expected to tip the pizza delivery boy, but not the UPS or FedEx driver for delivering your package.

  Seriously, who decides these things? And what makes some of these people more deserving of a tip than others? Does anyone ever think about it or question it, or are we just guilted into doing it because it is expected and everyone else is doing it?

  I work in the Emergency Department of a hospital for half of my day. The other half is spent in the main lobby of the hospital. I help people into wheel chairs, help them sign in on the kiosks, look up patient rooms for them, give them directions to other part of the hospital, and various other duties. No one tips me, nor do I expect it. Well, I did have one lady insist on tipping me as I took her by wheelchair on the elevator.... but I like my job, I get paid for it, and I get a lot of thanks and recognition. But if all of these non-waitress workers deserve a tip for what they do, don't I? I do more for people than make their coffee or hand them their food across the counter. What makes them more deserving of a tip than me? And no.... I don't believe I deserve or need tips, I am just making a point.

  What makes the barber more deserving of a tip than the Walmart employee who changes your oil? What makes the pizza delivery guy more deserving of a tip than your mailman or UPS driver? What makes the pizza shop employees more deserving of a tip than the ticket sales person at the movie theater? What makes the hotel maid more deserving of a tip than the employee at the bank drive through?

  I don't like to tip. No, I am not selfish or greedy. I just believe that people shouldn't expect a tip for doing their job. And unless you can answer my questions above why some people deserve a tip while others in different jobs do not, don't judge me.

  I'm not even crazy about tipping waitresses. Since I have two sisters who have been waitresses, I know how important tips are to a waitress. They usually get half of or even less than half of minimum wage, so they have to make it up in tips. I also know a lot of waitresses are dishonest and don't report all of their tips, thus avoiding paying as many taxes on their tips. So maybe we need to cut tipping out even for waitresses and pay them what the other employees make. Just a thought. And I am actually a good tipper at restaurants if the waitress or waiter does their job well, and especially if they keep up with refills.

  There are people who think you should tip well no matter how the service is. I disagree. Case in point: I was at the Mexican restaurant I frequent a lot, and had a male waiter. After he brought my drink and meal, he sat over at the bar watching TV, I finished my drink and needed a refill, but he was over watching TV. I was almost done with my meal by the time he peeled himself away from the TV to check on me. I left him nothing. It was obvious that he wasn't too busy, but what he was watching was more important than doing his job, and a tip is basically a reward for a job or service well done.....so why should I reward him for ignoring me?

  Another time I was tempted to not leave a tip, but I did leave one: I was eating at am all you can eat buffet where you paid before you ate, and there was a receipt on your table saying what drinks you got. Our waitress came by, looked at the slip, took out her pen and circled something on the slip with a pen. I picked it up to see what she circled. She had circled "tips are appreciated".......uh, so are prompt refills!

  I will continue to tip waitresses for good service, but I refuse to tip people who are getting paid a full wage to do their job. I will not encourage greed or entitlement in people by tipping them for doing their job. I will thank them and tell them to have a nice day, and that is enough.

You Saved Me

One of my all time favorite songs:

You Saved Me by the Martins 

Verse 1:

As I look into the mirror

I know I wouldn't be here if not for You

When I caused You so much pain

And You could've turned away, Your faith held true

When my life had turned to ashes

And my dreams went up in smoke

You were the constant line

My only source of hope

Chorus:

You saved me at each and every turn

As I stood frozen on the bridges I would burn

You saved me when I was my own worst enemy

Your love is the key that set me free, Lord, You saved me

Verse 2:

When I look up at the cross

And consider all it cost, I stand amazed

Then I'm driven to my knees

'Cause my mind cannot conceive Your endless grace

You know the very number

Every hair upon my head

You loved me and You chose me

Before I took my first breath

Chorus:

You saved me at each and every turn

As I stood frozen on the bridges I would burn

You saved me when I was my own worst enemy

Your love is the key that set me free, Lord, You saved me

You saved me at each and every turn

As I stood frozen on the bridges I would burn

You saved me when I was my own worst enemy

Your love is the key that set me free, You saved me

How many church services should we attend?

  This is one of those blog posts that make me feel like I should put on my shirt that says "heretic"......if I really had one. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am politically incorrect and proud of it. I need to come up with a term to describe my nonconformity to church....well, maybe just "nonconformist" will work.

  Maybe it is just the religious and church circles I grew up in and have been in most of my life, but there is this idea that you should never question anything. Follow the church rules, go to every service the church has, and if you ever question anything or don't go to every service, then you are a rebel and don't truly love Jesus.

   I don't believe the Bible indicates how many services we should attend in a week, or how many services a church should have in a week. I have always attended churches that followed a similar schedule of services such as my church currently has:


Sunday Services Schedule 

Men's Prayer Meeting..................7:00 a.m.

Sunday School............................9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship........................10:30 a.m.

Adult Prayer Meeting....................5:00 p.m.

Youth Service..............................5:00 p.m.

Childrens Service.........................5:00 p.m.

Evening Worship..........................6:00 p.m.

Children's Chapel..........................6:00 p.m.


Wednesday

Prayer Service.............................7:00 p.m.


Monday - Friday

Men's Prayer Meeting...................6:30 a.m.

Spring and Fall revival services, usually Tuesday evening through Sunday evening. There is also a jail service some Sunday afternoons and a rest home service one Sunday a month.

But how much is necessary? What does God expect out of us as Christians and as a church? If you went to every service we had, are you truly resting? (Getting my t-shirt.....)

  After my parents became Christians, we were at church every time the doors were opened. I've heard preachers say if you love God, you'll be there for every service, and say if you don't go to every service; you are most likely having spiritual problems. I have even heard preachers say "If you go to church Sunday morning, you love the church. If you go Sunday morning and Sunday evening, you love the pastor. And if you go both Sunday services and Wednesday evening, you love God." That seems a bit harsh and a tad bit judgmental.

   It is rare to find churches nowadays that have a Sunday evening service. I don't know the reasons for sure, but I have a few ideas. The idea of no Sunday evening service seems foreign to me.... but I am going to try to tackle both sides of it.

For Sunday evening services:

  Keeping the Sabbath was a big deal in the Old Testament. That was one of the things God got angry with the Israelites about. There were a lot of rules down to how far you could walk. Then Jesus came along and healed on the Sabbath, and had no problem with His disciples picking some corn to eat as they walked through a corn field. When challenged, Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man; not man for the Sabbath. That statement has been used to excuse anything people want to do on the Sabbath from going to amusement parks to chopping wood.

  I was raised that the Sabbath should be a different day than the rest of the week. It was a day we did no unnecessary work or activities. No going to the amusement part, no laundry, no sports or loud activities, no going to the store or out to eat. We went to church, ate lunch, napped or took a walk or read, and went back to church. And I like it that way.

  So coming from my background, one argument I would make for Sunday evening church: If you are going to honor the Sabbath, why not go to church Sunday evening? What are you going to do to keep the Sabbath if you stay home: watch movies or TV with violence and cursing? Watch a sports team as they dishonor the Sabbath? Mow the yard, have a party? What does a Christian do to keep God's holy day if they aren't in church Sunday evening?

We need to be in church, and Sunday evenings is another great time to be there.

Against Sunday evening church:

  The Sabbath is a day of rest and to be in God's house, but can you have too much church on a Sunday that nixes the resting part?

  Look again at the schedule of services my church has. How much resting can a person get and go to every service we have, especially the Sundays that include a jail or rest home service?

  I have stayed home my share of Sunday evenings. Sometimes I wasn't feeling well, and sometimes I was just exhausted. The rule keepers would say I still should go, that being tired is no reason to stay home from Sunday evening church..... or is it? I can say I never felt guilty when I stayed home. I did worry what people thought of me, but I am getting further and further away from letting what people think or may not think of me be what rules my life.

 
 I personally do feel a church should have Sunday evening worship services. However, the way my church does it is a bit much. If I had the authority to do it, I would move the 5:00 children's and youth services to Wednesday evening and have a true Bible study for the adults instead of a mini Sunday service.

  The Bible doesn't say how often one should be in church. I don't know that God would care how many services a church has on a Sunday, but I believe He still cares about how we honor His day and that we truly observe it as a day of rest.

 Can church attendance be a sign of your spiritual condition? Maybe.....but I have become a firm believer that one does not have to be in church every time the doors are open. (See t-shirt) I don't go to many revival services for a few reasons, and don't go Wednesday nights for a few reasons also.....but I feel I am doing better spiritually than I ever have. Church is important, but you can be there every service and even be there to clean and help with VBS and have not one ounce of God in you. It is far more important what we do with Jesus outside of the church. That is what truly matters.