Church Nerd Hobbies/Globalization

Maybe this should be entitled "Church Nerd Hobbies". I don't know when I became a nerd about church, but I love church. I was the typical kid who thought they had won the lottery on days when we couldn't stay for church, just sunday school, or, which seldom happened: we didn't go at all. Those were big days, because I might just get to sleep more (doubtful). What changed? What flipped the switch for me to see the beauty in the service? A lot of it had to do with, I'm sure, my senior year of high school getting a new, permanent pastor who truly cared for me, my softball games, how I was doing in school, life, etc. But I think most of it had to do with Massanetta Springs Middle School Conference. Wow. I could write a book about that. The long and short of it is that I realized, as a high school counselor (Enabler, but that always confuses people), that worshiping Christ could and should be fun, and that showing others that was something that I loved to do.

So...fast forward to me now, at 24, and am the girl who looks at church websites for fun. Marie makes fun of me, but if I find out someone is from a certain church or is from a certain area but grew up in a church, I'll google it. Why? It's interesting! Some churches have websites, some don't. Some have good websites, some don't (at all). You can tell a lot by a churches website. The language they use, what they deem to be so important that it's on the front page, what's not important and takes you forever to find, etc. I like church, I like churches, I like knowing the things that churches are doing, whether they focus on preaching, worship, outreach, mission; whether they're inward focused on their members or outward focused on the world that we are called to serve.
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On another note, class started today for the Spring semester...Thursdays are obviously going to be ridiculous and full, but at the same time my favorite class will most likely be on this day. I've got a lot of globalization going on, with taking "Sacraments and Globalization" and "God and Globalization". My night class, the latter, is going to be incredible. The professors are great, knowledgeable, and willing to learn right along with us as this is the first class of its kind offered here. I can't wait to talk more about globalization and what effect the church has had on it and what effect it has had on the church. Realizing, too, that we are part of the globe, part of the solution, and part of the problem. We buy, sell, trade, anything that we can get our hands on yet don't always stop to think about the implications of where it came from, where it's going, and where it's been. Who has it affected? Was it in a bad, harmful way? Were there serious consequences to this making it to my hands? I'm stoked to talk about these things. It's funny, because I'm not even upset that it's a Thursday class that meets for three hours at night...Let the games begin...