Having Faith

My blog today will probably garner up some pretty strong opinions, so feel free to give me all your feedback ... no offense will be taken.
While I was waiting for T.J. (my son) at the eye doctors recently, I picked up a very out-of-date Prevention magazine as one of the stories on the cover caught my eye ... it was about how 3 overweight women lost all their weight by turning to faith. Each one changed their life by opening their hearts and souls back up to God. It was actually a great read, and one that struck a chord for me ... here's why ...
I have really been feeling like something has been missing in my life lately ... big time. I'm in a very happy marriage (most of the time hee hee), I have 2 beautiful children whom I adore, a lovely home, pets I love, an amazing extended family on both mine and my husband's side. Tons of love, friends, joy, etc. etc. But it just feels like I still have a hole in my life.
I grew up in a religious family, my parents dragged me to church just about every Sunday, and at the time I hated it, but now I have amazing, fond memories of those years of Sunday School, Youth Group, choir, and friends I met there. I have always been a "believer" ... I have always prayed, always feeling that there IS someone listening and answering them. I grew away from the church in my later teens and even though my hunky hubby and I were married in that church I grew up attending, we have hardly been back inside it since. When we moved away, I had our children baptized in a church in the new town we moved to, and I also became a member of this church. We began to attend regularly but weird things started happening in this church over a minister retiring and a new one replacing him that no one liked. Long story short, things were happening that I just had a really hard time dealing emotionally with ... I found myself questionning "is this how God would want a place of worship to be?"
So I left the church. I have attended a few services at another local church, but do not attend regularly. I have always kept my faith, and brought my children up with the understanding of it, but have allowed them to make their own choices in their faith as they've gotten older.
Lately, I have felt that maybe this is what is needed to fill that hole in my life ... this is what's missing. I seem to be getting little signs or messages quite often ... I see bible passages that will really hit home ... or I come across an article like the one in that outdated Prevention magazine (it was from 2007!) I have discussed it with my hubby, and even though he has no interest in attending church with me, he fully supports my interest and thinks it's a great idea, if that's what I want to do.
So I have decided that I will begin another journey ... alongside my weight loss journey, I am on a journey of faith so to speak. I have some very close friends that I know will help me, who are very knowledgeable about the Bible and can no doubt steer me toward the passages that will boost my faith and help me on my journey. Now don't get all worried about me, I'm not about to become a "bible-thumper", I won't show up at your front door insisting that you join me on this journey. This is for me and me only. I believe that everyone has the right to their own faith and their own opinion of religion (or not), and I certainly won't try to force mine on you. Believe what you want to believe ... I'm just having some faith in something I think can help me.

Thanks for reading!
Janet xo