Don’t worry, this post is not even remotely about religion. Although, I would like to talk about the concept of attending church for a bit.

Let’s look at church in a slightly less than modern context, say in the 1800s. Unlike today, there was no television, radio, for the most part no telephone and certainly no internet (unless you believe in the Illuminati).

People lived their lives in a slower, more disconnected way. They were inspired, supported, and educated by the people in their immediate world; their family & friends, their neighbors, their coworkers or books they read.

On Sundays, if they attended church, they received their main dose of spiritual teaching for the week. The sermon may have provided inspiration, or a reminder to be more disciplined in their faith or given them a new way of looking at the world. Attending church provided a framework for learning and a support system for their faith.

Now let’s think about this in a more modern, secular light. I believe that we need a similar framework for anything we are trying to accomplish in our lives.

I propose a church practice. A practice of mindfully putting together materials and activities that educate and support you in what you are trying to accomplish so that you can access them when you need them. 

There are two pieces to a church practice: Content and Frequency.

Let’s start with content. The content of a normal church service is meant to be instructional and inspirational. It is meant to nourish the parishioner and prepare them for the week ahead. To shore them up against the trials and tribulations that will come their way.

We need to do this for ourselves. We need to provide ourselves a buttress against what life throws at us. Whether this is in the form of an inspirational lecture, a visit to an local art gallery or museum, or reading a book that educates us or reinforces our faith in our cause.

No man (or woman) is an island. We need support in our endeavors, but we need the right kind of support.

There is probably not a local church or even a support group that caters to “I will do a creative project daily” or “I will eat healthy and lose X pounds”. The good news is that you can make one yourself. One that is perfectly suited to your needs.

If a person attends a standard church service, the sermon is delivered to the parishioner regardless of what that person actually needs. It is a one to many medium, there is no personalization.  As this is your church (framework), you can build it so that it meets your individual needs.

Let me tell you about my church practice.

For the most part my church exists in my car (on my cell phone really). I commute to work. This time can easily be lost time, spent listening to the radio or lost in thought. It doesn’t need to be, with the advent of podcasts and audiobooks, this time can instead be transformed into something that teaches and inspires you.

The key is that you do it on purpose, you need to prepare ahead of time.

When I am in Church-mode, I listen to the same books and podcasts over and over again. Once I have found something that fits the bill, I stick with it. What I am looking for is something that consistently makes me think and inspires me. That is a very personal thing, what works for me might not work for you.

I usually listen to something related to projects or practices I am working on at the time. For example, I recently restarted my Intermittent Fasting practice.  About a week ago, I found myself questioning if it was worth the time and effort. Instead of questioning it further, I found a couple of the podcasts that made me want to experiment with IF in the first place and put them in the rotation. By the end of the first episode my questions were gone and I was looking forward to seeing the benefits of my practice.

Finding what works for you will be a personal journey. Look for books, podcasts, videos, and movies that have inspired and educated you in the past. The internet provides an almost unbelievable embarrassment of riches on demand. Download videos, audiobooks, and podcasts to your phone or bookmark them for easy access. I use the Kindle App and the Pocket Casts app on my phone to store most of my books and podcasts.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

My all time favorite “sermon” is the book The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (more on this book in an upcoming post). It helps me remember what is important, what is stopping me, and how to overcome it. Since I  purchased this ebook/audiobook combo I have read/listened to it 15 or 20 times. It is quick read or listen, clocking in around 2 hours total.

Another favorite is an episode of Tim Ferriss’ podcast where he interviews Seth Godin. You can find the podcast here: (Episode / MP3). Again this is a podcast that helps me think through what is important, what I should be doing and what is stopping me.

Each person needs to find things that work for them. I know some people whose practice is to watch a TED Talk video everyday, for others they may read a specific book. You need to make the practice your own.

Listening to audiobooks and podcasts is not the only thing I do in church-mode. I love to visit museums. I always feel like I am treading on hallowed ground when I walk the marble halls of a museum. It can help me get inspired about a project or think through an issue in a different light. I recently had the opportunity to visit The Art Institute of Chicago while on a business trip. It was amazing and a strong reminder that I need to “attend” in person more often.

Which brings me to frequency, how often should you “go to church”? In the end, this is, of course, up to you. My personal preference is at least weekly if not daily. I think there is probably some ancient wisdom in the fact that church is traditionally once a week.

Many times I practice daily, specifically, I reserve my morning commute and any time spent out walking during the day for material that is shoring up my other practices.

While having a regular church practice will help support you in your endeavors, don’t overlook the power of quick spot of inspiration or support to help get over an obstacle or a particularly tough day. If you have thought this out and prepared beforehand, when adversity hits you can simply say,

Take me to church!

Featured Image: Brown house near mountain by Janez Podnar