As my regular readers are acutely aware, I grew up in an Italian-American family.  We attended a church (Mass) every Sunday.

As a small boy I thought services were extremely repetitive and boring.

But as I got older I became fascinated with the homily section of the service.  This
is where the talents and gifts of a clergy member really shine . . . or not.

Our lead pastor was named Father Mychal (Mychal Judge, who died on 9-11 attending to victims in the North Tower).

He could take a reading that seemed so ancient and immaterial and make it relevant to a late 20^th century world . . . my world.

He avoided judgment, fire and brimstone, and most importantly he was open to the variety of interpretations that could be made by words translated innumerable times and passed down through the generations.

He helped all of us find meaning and purpose in our lives.

In short he made The Bible sing.

As an adult I stopped attending church for a variety of reasons.  In fact I got very judgmental about the entire process.  Regardless of my legitimate justifications for doing so, I walked away from faith.  It felt like I threw away the baby with the bathwater (such a silly expression!).

You see, I am not an atheist else I would not pray to my dead mother or grandmother.  It is interesting though how I have avoided going over their heads.  I used to joke that one or both is seated at the left-hand of the Father!

For sure I have missed the community, the contemplation, and the rituals associated with church (plus those candles smell delish!).  No doubt I replaced them in my 20s and 30s with other sources of community, contemplation and my own rituals.

Recently I started to explore services again.  Luckily I have found a quiet and inclusive church where the pastor challenges the flock to explore meaning and purpose in our lives, the kind that makes life worth living at the beginning of the 21^st century.

Church is not a requirement for exploring or for finding anything, even faith.  God knows I would never make that argument.

It is just helping lead me down a new path that is, in fact, very, very old and revealing.

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If you have any questions about coaching please feel free to contact me at scott@kineticcoaching.co, and remember I always offer a complimentary 30-45 minute session to prospective clients to determine if we want to work together.