Blackwasp19, I really like what you said about why church is important. I agree, and am very grateful to have a church/fellowship that helps those important things happen for me, with God and others. I also think you are exactly right about this: "I think the slight guilt you felt was guilt not from God, but residue from being socialized to see Christian fellowship as a Sunday morning stint." It's important to undo some of that socialization from time to time, I think. (I'll have to check out the book you mentioned.)

TJ, I feel like my church is a very important place, too, but I have been at other churches that leave me feeling empty and distant from God, and there are moments when the thing I need most seems to be something very much *not* church. I guess what I'm realizing is that we each need different ways of connecting to God, at different times, and I think he is happy to work with us in that. I worry that I've always connected God too exclusively to Sundays in a particular building, and I want to become more comfortable meeting God in many different settings, any day of the week. 

Arathi, yes, the walk on the beach definitely fed me spiritually. Now that I think about it in that context, along with your husband's runs, I realize that I feel most comfortable and focused talking to God when I'm walking, rather than sitting. Hmm...interesting, seeing as how church is definitely NOT about moving. Let me know what you think of The Shack. :)

Mark, I love this story about your Sunday at the nature center. It's beautiful, and is a perfect illustration of what I was trying to get at. By stepping outside of your usual Sunday morning routine, you opened yourselves up to beauty, magic, the unexpected, and even a new friendship. (I also really appreciate your honesty—sometimes people don't go to church because they want to drink their coffee and be left alone. So true.)

Trina, the world is our church, indeed! Or at least it can be. I suspect it depends on how we view it and work to transform it—what we bring to it, and how open we are to what it has to offer. And maybe that's why I go to a church/fellowship most Sundays. It helps me recalibrate and align myself/God/the world. (I'm not sure exactly what I mean by this, but I'll think on it more and fill you in if I come to any realizations!)

Genevieve, you really nailed it with this: "I do have a hard time believing that any being that is all good would care more about a ritual or a rule than about our response to it." I so agree! The rituals *can* lead to important responses, but not always, and it's the response—the change within us—that should matter. 

Emma, I love the image you create, of God "...celebrating and refreshing the marriages and hearts that seek Him." Getting away together for the weekend was definitely therapeutic. Thanks for your comment and for the songs—I don't think I'm familiar with them, but I will definitely give them a listen!

Dave, ha! I love that perspective. My idea of God is very often misguided, I'm afraid. He must grow so weary of the "God stereotype" traps and the boxes I put him in. Bit by bit, though, I'm learning that he's so much outside of my narrow understanding of him. Thanks for helping to shift my perspective a little bit more.