August 18, 2018Erin Nicole
I grew up in the church. When I was a baby to about 5 years old we went to this small Baptist church in Tacoma, Washington. My mom was really into singing and wanted to have a chance to use her operatic skills. Her friend invited her to audition for this big famous church choir. She made it into the choir so we switched churches. This church was really the foundation of memories for my childhood.
Every Thursday evening mom has choir rehearsal (year round) and my middle brother and I would go with her and hang with all the children that had their parents in the choir too. It was a really fun time because I had my best friends I got to see weekly. As a home school child I was used to being at home slightly isolated. It was a nice change of pace to hang with kids my age. I even was asked if I wanted to sing also. Of course I did!
My neighbor was one of the pastor assistants, Penny. She heard me sing one day and asked me if I would want to sing in front of the children’s church. I didn’t really know what that entailed being 5 years old but I knew since I was a little girl that I wanted to sing. I said “YES!” So I had my first solo performance at 5 years old. I was asked to sing a song for the children’s church service called “Super church.” I sang the song we learned for the 4th of July services a few months prior.
I remember the day so vividly. It was Christmas Eve and my parents told me right before we got to the church that we were going to go Christmas shopping afterwards and to not sit down in the bleachers after I finished. I was in a daze after I sang, I went and sat right down in the first row next to Penny! This was the start of my love of performing.
From that point onward I knew I loved church and I knew I loved performing. I participated in every show the church put on until we left the church for a closer one. I was 10 when that happened. I was sad we made a switch but the new church had a great children and youth program that helped to sculpt my mind and social skills.
(This is me from the children’s portion of the Christmas show. I was 5 or 6. PS: I hated this outfit)
I met some kids that I am still friends with today! I even sang with one of the girls in All Northwest Choir my junior year in high school. Samantha Ottoson Reynolds. She got into performing herself and was even a Seattle Seagal for a few seasons. She performs or rather helps to lead worship for her church now. What a great example of both professional leadership as well as spiritual.
(Samantha singing her soul out for Jesus)!
I recognize not everyone grows up going to church every Sunday like I did and that’s totally fine. I have lifelong friends that grew up in the Mormon faith and Buddhism. I did not have too many friends that claimed Atheism that I can recall. The friends that grew up in some sort of faith/church/worship setting on a regular basis have demonstrated great adult leadership qualities that are hard to ignore. I wanted to see if there was a correlation between church/religion and health. The following points are from the perspective that church/religion can positively impact your social health and beyond.
#LifeHack 1: Benefits of attending church regularly- boosts immune system and lowers blood pressure.
Say what?! For realz yo! Read it here in the NY Times Article .
Comment below ⤵️⤵️⤵️ where you attend or where you plan to this coming week!
I’ve visited a few since moving down here to Tennessee and I LOVE Mt. Zion Baptist sermons and music 🎶.
#LifeHack 2: Kids of regular church attenders have lowered risk of drug use, being involved in violence or theft!
Read more here.
Comment below ⤵️⤵️⤵️⤵️ a positive memory from a church or religious experience.
For me, I visited a lot of different kinds of churches for 🎶 reasons, funerals, weddings 👰 etc. I had my first solo in my church kids program growing up. I was 5years old and sang for an audience of 300. It boosted my confidence in performing 😊
Tell me your church experience 😘. And share this with a friend!
#LifeHack 3: Church can strengthen the bond within your family.
According to the Advocates for Youth Article, a Family that learns together through church and other means has a stronger bond. Read more about it here.
Church doesn’t have to mean in a building necessarily, but with a body of people that have similar values.
Comment below ⤵️⤵️⤵️⤵️ “YES” if you would like your family bond to be stronger.
#LifeHack 4: Most churches regardless of belief system encourage love and help provide a moral compass.
In this article, Rich speaks of 99 reasons why you should attend church today.
Comment below on one that sticks out to you!
#LifeHack 5: Application of Lessons Is Key!
Author Lori Deschene writes in this article about ways to apply what you’ve learned.
Comment below ⤵️⤵️⤵️⤵️ with either a church you’re thinking of attending, a place you plan to practice your religion this week, or a lesson you learned from faith-based teaching you plan to implement.
Whether you’re new to church and religion, an expert or somewhere in between, there is always room for growth. Being connected to other people in your faith system can strengthen your social health. Remember the key is in regular attendance and connection. If you have children, you can help decrease their risk of violence and drug addiction by going as a family. This in turn can strengthen the bond within your family. Regular attendance of some sort of church/religious gathering can help encourage love and provide a moral compass. Lastly, none of the previous benefits will happen unless you apply the lessons you learn through weekly connection.
If you are not currently connected to a church or religious affiliation, we at Move Happy encourage you to get plugged in. Bring a friend or family member and boost your spiritual and social health.
As always, we welcome your comments, thoughts, questions and concerns below. If you found value in this blog please share with a friend.
PS: Don’t forget to tell someone you love them today…
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