Blogs - Chief of Pray Blog

Burned and Bored by Religion

Bold. Inclusive. Relevant. That’s the tagline for a new spiritual community I was invited to join today. I got an email from a guy named Trey that said: "Burned or bored by religion in the past? We're starting a new community on Sunday nights this fall in the heart of Wicker Park."

I was immediately curious and wanted to know more, not because it spoke to me personally. I’ve had the opposite experience. I’m interested and inspired by religion, but I’ve spoken about spirituality, to enough seekers to know, there are way too many people who can relate to this messaging.

There’s a new way of doing things in my religion, Judaism. Leaders have taken a critical look at why Jews look outside of our mainstream communities for spiritual fulfillment. We see that with the rise of inter-marriage, Christians have brought more “God” into blended Jewish families— like other religious reform movements. Before, our synagogues stressed social action over worship. We’re now putting prayer back on the agenda. We’re offering diverse worship experiences designed to appeal to different groups of our members. Jewish innovator Ron Wolfson coined the phrase Synaplex. This is where youth, music, and traditional prayer services take place within a building all at the same time. There are countless examples of other religions adding hip to their program. Like the one that reached out to me: Urban Village Church ,a new community of people trying to do church differently.

Good riddance to the stuffy preachy organized religions of our childhood! Our kids and grand-kids don’t need to grow-up with sour memories of iron-fisted disciplinarians ala

Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? and A Serious Man. Welcome to communities, online and off, that speak to a person’s soul, challenge their intellect and create a common bond among like-minded people and beyond.

Have you found your spiritual home yet? Do you have a place to go to that brings you comfort, uplifts you, and gives you the opportunity to connect to others? Kiss some frogs. Visit my house: BJBE, Trey Hall’s new church or any one of the thousands of really good places you can come home to. Observe the Sabbath, celebrate a life cycle event, participate in social projects, study, and pray.

This place is not quite home,
but soon enough it will be.
And it all begins with You.

Come inside.
Live with me here.
Surround me in these walls.
Guard me with this roof.
Support me with these floorboards.
Be in the food that I eat.
Sit among the guests I entertain.
Let me lie down beside You
at the end of each day and
wake to your perfect light each morning.
Be part of every board and rafter,
every knob and faucet.
Knowing You are here means knowing I am home.

-Abigail Wurdeman