Yes… I am a pastor so I kinda “have” to go. But even if I weren’t… I would.

A few years ago I wasn’t actively preaching, so I decided to skip church for a few weeks.

IT WAS AWESOME!

I slept in… puttered around the house in my underwear for a while… cleaned the garage… played with the kids… took a nap… put some pants on… took another nap… ate… went to bed.

After living six days of busy it sure felt nice to have one day of NOTHING TO DO!

I started going to church again and realized I had missed a few things…

• Happy people. Sure there are some knuckleheads at church… but there are knuckleheads at the bar, work, and neighborhood events too! What I’ve found is that at most churches there are a lot of happy people working on making their lives better, and somehow just being around them made me feel better.

• Helpful information. I’m a preacher so I know this… not every lesson is a homerun. I’ve struck out a few times and went home thinking, “Geez, if I were my pastor… I’d find something else to do on Sunday!” Having said that, most pastors work real hard to present God’s ideas in a way on Sunday that will be helpful for living on Monday! Sometimes it is new information, sometimes just some inspiration. Sometimes it is a kick in the pants, and other times it is an arm around the shoulder. What I find though is that I need all of these things from time to time and church on Sunday is a pretty safe place to get it!

• Holy moments. I know you can have these on your own, BUT there is something unique that happens when a group of people are singing to, talking about, and trying to hear from God! It’s the difference between watching the Super Bowl on TV in your living room and actually being there! I’ve had some amazing moments with God alone… but I can’t deny that I’ve had some equally awesome moments with God surrounded by friends and other people who are listening to Him as well!

I understand why people skip church, but my experience showed me that getting up, putting my pants on and going to church usually has a payoff that makes the sacrifice worth it.

What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know.