Misc.: Kierkeegard's Fear and Trembling: for a book that I ended up skimming in certain sections, it made an impact on me. A beautiful expression of awe at how terrifying the faith of Abraham must have been.
Unraveling the End by John Noe: I strongly recommend not getting caught up in endtimes nonsense. My personal belief is that if we were intended to be knowledgeable about what is to come, God would have seen that it's explicitly laid out. That said, this is an interesting primer on various endtime views.
A lot of what I find insightful is because of my own deficiencies growing up in an American Protestant environment, where Biblical scholarship is rather unheard of. If you don't have the same background, you may not find all of this stuff as mind-blowing as I did.
Good luck out there, brother. Let me know if I can help.
Also, recognize how the modern "church" ritual functions.
Find a church that feels right. No female pastors, no fags. Ideally, the pastor should have a large family and the church should be involved in the community. The music service should be enjoyable and not forced, akward, or prerecorded. The awkwardness of going to a new church doesn't count as "feeling off."
The church service is for music and receiving a surface-level message. Sunday school (or whatever your church calls it) is for learning. It's unfortunately up to you to find out what your church offers that could help you grow. It probably won't be 'in church.' Which is fine, church is your time to praise God. But odds are you won't be taking notes. Realize that going in.
Misc.: Kierkeegard's Fear and Trembling: for a book that I ended up skimming in certain sections, it made an impact on me. A beautiful expression of awe at how terrifying the faith of Abraham must have been.
Unraveling the End by John Noe: I strongly recommend not getting caught up in endtimes nonsense. My personal belief is that if we were intended to be knowledgeable about what is to come, God would have seen that it's explicitly laid out. That said, this is an interesting primer on various endtime views.
A lot of what I find insightful is because of my own deficiencies growing up in an American Protestant environment, where Biblical scholarship is rather unheard of. If you don't have the same background, you may not find all of this stuff as mind-blowing as I did.
Good luck out there, brother. Let me know if I can help.
Also, recognize how the modern "church" ritual functions.
Find a church that feels right. No female pastors, no fags. Ideally, the pastor should have a large family and the church should be involved in the community. The music service should be enjoyable and not forced, akward, or prerecorded. The awkwardness of going to a new church doesn't count as "feeling off."
The church service is for music and receiving a surface-level message. Sunday school (or whatever your church calls it) is for learning. It's unfortunately up to you to find out what your church offers that could help you grow. It probably won't be 'in church.' Which is fine, church is your time to praise God. But odds are you won't be taking notes. Realize that going in.