My Journey Back To Faith, Part 3

I am so thankful for Philip.  We have both been helping each other rekindle our relationships with God.  He grew up in the church much like I did, he strayed from the church much like I did, he was searching for a way back much like I was and we openly discussed our faith and our struggles.  I had never been with someone with the same background as me when it came to the church.  My ex had always denounced going to church and dragging him there even for special occasions or if I was performing with the choir was like pulling teeth.  It made me sad because for most of the time we were together, my faith had been growing and evolving and he, indirectly or not, stunted it.
When Philip and I started dating I had already been toying with the idea of going back to church.  One Saturday night as we were getting ready for bed he asked me if I would like to go to church with him the following morning, as if he had read my mind.  Thus began our Sunday morning ritual of attending Gateway Church in Parkesburg.  And I love it there.  It's based on the same principles of the church I used to attend, but it lacks the pretentiousness I was so accustomed to.  The congregation as a whole has a sense of genuineness that I missed so much, and the teachings are applicable to real life as opposed to ones that could only be so if one lived in a bubble.  When I walked in the door for the first time, my fear of being judged or shunned melted away.  Shit, I walk into my own church still feeling that way regardless of the fact that most of the congregation there has known me since I was five years old.  I've only been attending Gateway for maybe two months and already feel at home.  The pastor is a warm, openly emotional, approachable guy who one can expect a bear hug from in the foyer on Sunday mornings before the service.  My first time there he seemed genuinely delighted to meet me, as did the other members I was introduced to by Philip - and to see the look on their faces when he would announce that I was the inspiration for him coming back, well, I can't really describe that feeling.  It was as if someone had returned their lost puppy after months of searching for it.
It doesn't matter if we walk in there wearing the same clothes from the night before or me in yoga pants and flip flops, no makeup and hair in a messy ponytail, Philip in the shirt he probably slept in, his giant septum ring proudly on display - no one bats an eye or turns to the person next to them, whispering judgement.  They're happy to see us there.

To be continued...