So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore: An Unexpected Journey

by Wayne Jacobsen

“And that’s wrong?” “I wouldn’t say it’s wrong. I’d just say it’s not going to help you walk in this kingdom. When we’re looking to the future, we’re not listening to Father. Anything we do to try and guarantee stability on our own terms will actually rob us of the freedom to simply follow him today. We’ll resort to our own wisdom instead of following his. The greatest freedom God can give you is to trust his ability to take care of you each day.” “That’s where it always gets confusing for me, John. I do have enough for today—enough money to take care of our needs, enough fellowship to encourage me onward, and enough grace to endure the rumors of others. It’s when I look further down the road that I get worried. I don’t see how this will work out over time.” “We’ve all been there, Jake, and I certainly understand. But that’s because we can’t see yet what God will do. We can only see what we can do. You think exposing Jim’s affair will fix everything when, in fact, it will fix nothing. People who can’t see his arrogance won’t be convinced of his moral failure. If he has already been unfaithful, he’ll think nothing of lying about it.” “I never thought of it that way. But I hate it that people think he’s so righteous.” “But they only think he is. It’s an illusion, and while illusions can be powerful, they are still illusions.” “But most people live by those illusions.” “Only because they want to, Jake. I don’t want you to. You appear to be the bad guy when you know it isn’t t...