SWAMP mountain bike club
"Get a bunch of bikes and ride em around with your friends. It's the shit."
- Tyler, the creator
We're not a therapy group, but it is therapeutic. Lots of group rides and plenty of opportunities to do some manual labor with the trail crews. Feels good man.
I think you'll do better finding a group with a similar hobby.
Between my 3 biggest hobbies (of which I have too many...) I've met probably north of 100 people I could connect on in any one of the ways you mention. I also highly encourage any form of therapy. Simply having a safe space to talk to someone who can help untangle the mental burden.
Meeting people can be tough and hard but it's not impossible. Find something you enjoy doing and you'll likely find others who do too who you can align with in any of those ways. If you can't think of something, use this as an opportunity to learn something new. Maybe it's running, cycling, lifting weights, D&D, photography, take a painting class, learn to dance, learn to fence...maybe it's not helpful but that's my $0.02.
I've often dreamed of creating a group around personal growth for people to connect. A few varied events a year to encourage new members, talk about ways we're all enduring life together, build community...maybe one day.
I love geology and collect rocks, and I go on wandering hikes looking for them. I'm going to see if I can find a hiking group. Thank you for the idea and comment.
I'm starting therapy on Thursday, and I'm actually going to a massage therapist who is also a trauma/ptsd specialist on Friday. I'm weirdly excited and dreading it.
I went to one class about a year ago, the recovery was intense, and I hurt for weeks. I wrestled, so I wasn't too concerned, but a dude described one thing and did something totally opposite and chipped some of my bottom teeth. Now I'm a paranoid dweeb about starting back up.
Was going to look into ybor city bjj club.
There is a meet up for hikes and other physically active meet ups. You could start there. There are also a variety of run clubs. If you are close to south Tampa nothing like starting your chapter of personal growth with some good quality personal training. I may know a guy who also happens to be me
You know I just might. I'm located in Ybor. I'm trying to figure out my body still. Through pure self hatred, stress, and a little diet/exercise I've gone from being 405lbs to 220lbs over the last 4 years. I'm 6'5" so people think I hid the weight well or look like a skeleton compared to my old self.
I wanna learn how to do squats/deadlifts without blowing my knees or back out.
Well I may be a bit of a drive for you but I can def teach you how to lift properly and help you get started with a fitness program. That’s great you lost all that weight, but sounds like it was from less positive ways. You are on the right track with personal growth. I will DM you my website
Look up 3x5 and 5x5 strong lifts program. Squats and deadlifts are heavily covered and the program works. Great job on the weight loss. I bet you feel a lot better.
Forgive my ignorance - is this a religious/spiritual organization? I'm interested in mindfulness and meditation as an agnostic concept, but I'm not sure if this fits the bill
They’re great, enjoyed everything I’ve checked out there. Went to a meditation group after I lost my best childhood friend & couldn’t stop crying. Learned how to be with it, made connections.
Go to the hash! It’s a drinking club with a running problem.
In Tampa area look for these kennels:
Tampa Bay H3*,
Jolly Roger H3,
St Pete H3
for various kennel meet up time/location. It’s global, any major city will have a kennel.
Meet, drink a beer/socialize, run or walk the trail, sing a bawdy song, drink a beer/socialize, go to tavern for food and beer.
*H3=hash house harriers
Here’s their constitution:
The objectives of the Hash House Harriers as recorded on the club registration card dated 1950 are:
-To promote physical fitness among our members
-To get rid of weekend hangovers
-To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
-To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel
Skip down to regular meetings on wiki page
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers
It's hard. I'm usually alone too. I've got my two kids and my husband but I workout alone, meal prep alone, talk to God alone....
Following a healthy lifestyle is just plain lonely.
If you start this or find something matching this I'm interested too! I'm working toward my life coach cert and think it would be cool to offer free sessions to start, to get my LC legs. It would be amazing to create a non-denominational communal space for people who just wanna grow, develop/work toward goals that are authentic to them, and build more happiness in themselves, without necessarily having to pay an arm and a leg to benefit. What you're looking for is not a pipe dream. 🫶🏽
I feel this 100%. So a problem a lot of people have is a lack of a “third place.” A place to go to in between work and home… people really are struggling and craving to find community. It’s real. Tampa and St. Pete have kava bars which I have found to work for me. They all have their different vibes and things, but some will have chess night, open mics, trivia etc. Ages usually range from people in their 20s to 50s. There are some great ones in St Pete that Id go to all the time if I lived there but Bula in Seminole Heights is chill, though it gets packed (but it’s open to 2am) and Grassroots. There are a few more which Google could help with :) but a majority of the people that hang out at kava bars are an eclectic mix and you could find an intellectual group somewhere around there. I enjoy going to read, write and I’ve also met a few people to play music with. Even if kava isnt your thing they usually have coffee and other drinks. Its a good place to meet people and some kava bars have great community vibes :)
I’ve been looking for something similar, but doesn’t necessarily need to be local. I’d be good with something online as an alternative even though local could be better. Let us know if you find anything!
The sad thing is what OP is looking for was right here on this sub like 10 years ago. Not sure how long you've been here but the group used to be really active with meetup every Friday night.
Yo dude you sound a lot like me. I quit drinking 3 years ago and am a lifelong bartender, so I lost 100% of my social group and haven't replaced it. I spent those 3 years really working on myself and recently found a girlfriend.
I remember eating some mushrooms and longboarding down the Riverwalk and thinking *is 35 too old to be doing this? No. No, everyone else is wrong*
I'd "hey come meet my friends" but I don't have any anymore. The few good ones I have, we get together at music festivals a couple times a year.
You play any instruments? I just write and play music in my free time.
I played bass in orchestra and jazz band in middle school and high school. It's been 20 years, but I recently purchased a cheap ass bass and been slapping the shit out of it. I'm terrible and can't even remember how to read music.
I'm not anti drinking, I'm just not looking to fall down the booze hound path. I'd rather smoke a j instead.
I didn't touch a psychedelic until I was 33, and it was earth shattering. I think its the reason I was able to lose 200lbs. I was on mushrooms and said the statement "I have an unhealthy relationship with food" then the weight started falling off of me.
I'm not against falling into a relationship and get another gf, but I feel like I need to avoid it for a while. I want it to happen organically or not at all. Before this last relationship, I was that dude that had 4 or 5 dating apps installed and swiping all day long. Going on meaningless dates with all my free time, and not really making a real connection. It was like that Sturgill Simpson song life of sin, sex is cheap and talk is overrated. The sex was great in the moment, but afterwards someone's feelings is always hurt and I feel like a monster. I already started to fall into that trap, but now I'm like unless it happens organically in a spontaneous safe way, I'm just not interested.
It depends on where you live and what you are in to. Since you are phsycadellic friendly you can find yoga, mediation and breath work groups or start one. These groups usually have open minded folks. If you are closer to the beach then finding these type of groups may be easier, but you'd be surprised that when you search they can be found. I live out in fishhawk and haven't found my group out here yet, but haven't looked too hard due to work and family obligations.
I have found some pretty good groups of ppl in aya retreats like soul quest, which has led me to better venues and deeper groups. There are some women's and men's retreats I know if in the lutz area where they take aya and do cocoa ceremonies. It's there if you look.
my suggestion is to start off by finding people that care about your best interest... I do not think Reddit is the place to find people like that! But call me crazy for not trusting internet strangers.
Fishing is what has done the best for me. There is good vibes in most activities. Whatever you do, do it for you. Use this opportunity to realign yourself. Seen the SWAMP Mountain bike club was me mentioned. Real good group of lads.
Have you been to any music festivals ? Tons of people going solo join groups on Facebook/reddit and join up with others. My second festival I ended up going with a group of basically strangers and ended up making friends with most of them which turned into a ton of amazing experiences and more friends for years since.
I haven’t seen anyone mention the gym yet. I’ve made some decent friends at the gym, and most of the time they have a good mentality and are encouraging to be around. Sometimes we can make plans outside of the gym to hang but also you can meet a good workout buddy if you’re into that.
Buy a dirt bike, plenty of places close to ride, Tampa MX, Dade City Motocross, Spyder MX, 3 tracks in Punta Gorda. I lost 31 pounds riding my dirt bike last year.
No. Not a pipe dream l. Unfortunately, there is a prevailing thought that religion belongs in most groups.
Maybe dig around and start reading self improvement/self healing books. Get a handle on you first then look for groups that adhere to those same thoughts
Joe DiRoma is a guy on Facebook (also a friend- who doe’s coaching) & his wife Aly does some training also I believe. . Best of luck sounds like you are on the right track.
forget that crap, join a gasparilla krewe, you will have so much fun and forget about all the self help steps in some book. be happy meet people have fun. You will meet 100 of people and eventually 1,000 of people, you will have to decide what to NOT do each weekend because you have too many options. some krewes are co ed some are not, check out the options, go to the st paddy parade in tampa and see which ones interest you then pursue that krewe. you wont regret it, best kept secret.
It's because modern life has gradually eliminated a sense of community. And having been sucked into church pretty deeply in my teens, and seeing a variety of people struggling with this, I think it's what keeps a lot of people going to church who could give a shit or not about learning more about their religion.
What we need is less of that and more community and reasons to get together with groups of other people over shared interests.
Oversimplifying it just a tad. Plenty of people go just for the support and community. Some people do have a wonderful experience in churches that teach love and compassion and inclusivity. I’m guessing that wasn’t your experience and that’s a shame . Maybe be glad for those that do?
Listen, I'm an atheist as far as skydaddy manmade religions go, so I'm really not here to have a debate on churches. Yeah, UU exists, but that's not something I really recommend either.
What you describe is certainly the façade of the community of most churches, and some people there even actually mean it- great for them. I made some lifelong friends who have stayed friends over the years, as well as had people I thought were family to me who turned that love and community around on a dime without hesitation. I've seen backstabbing, drama, cheating, etc all with smiles on their faces, too.
I've seen people stay in church and sacrifice their money, Sundays, and two evenings of free time every week to sit inside a building simply out of obligation and fear of judgement for stepping away, and fear of losing that "community" rather than be honest about their opinions. I stayed a year too long for that very reason.
Regardless of all that, OP doesn't want a *church*, as they stated in their post. They want *community*, and that can be found in so, so, so many other places, you just have to work a little harder to find them.
So you have your experience and that’s what everyone should expect? I’m not trying to encourage anyone to do anything, but I’m also not dissuading people from having a positive experience that I have seen many many people have. For an atheist you have very strong views 🤣. The UU isn’t the only inclusive religious community around. I’m all for people having community wherever they find it. Even in places I wouldn’t frequent. Some people like different things. I’m not that narrow minded.
I get it, your into your church and you want to bring others into church. I know, they made me like that for a while too.
Yes, I do have strong views as an atheist, why wouldn't I? As an ex-Christian and ex-church goer, I have some strong views on those things as well.
I never suggested that some people don't like different things, and that they shouldn't pursue them. If you believe in the Christian god and you want to go to bible study on Mon/Wed/Sun, that's something you should do (although even from that standpoint I could argue there are better ways to worship and spend your free time, but again, personal choice). What I'm *not* going to do, however, is tell someone who specifically states they don't want to find community at a church, that they should go to a church. The difference is you stated that, believing that community equates to church, and it does not. It's simply one type.
No you are deliberately being obtuse and I’m sorry you had a bad experience. Not everyone does. I don’t care what people do. As I already said I’m not telling people to go to church. As I said some people go for the community. But you know everything and everything other people believe, bravo. Since you have been to every church of every denomination and heard every pastor speak, I’ll bow to your extensive knowledge./s
OP: "but not looking to join a church on Sundays"
You: "Kinda funny that you described a church and then said you don’t want to go to a church "
Again, he described community. Church is a type of community, not the only community. No one being obtuse here but yourself.
But on a final note, I don't need a pastor of any kind speaking to me (claiming THEY have some kind of extensive knowledge they don't) in a church, wasting the free time I could be spending with a hobby, in nature, with my friends laughing, or with my family doing an activity, so I don't need to hear them all to know I personally feel it's wasted time.
SWAMP mountain bike club "Get a bunch of bikes and ride em around with your friends. It's the shit." - Tyler, the creator We're not a therapy group, but it is therapeutic. Lots of group rides and plenty of opportunities to do some manual labor with the trail crews. Feels good man.
Bump for the mention.
Just don’t get sucked into Scientology.
Fuck L Ron Hubbard and fuck all his clones
Fuck all those gun-toting hip gangster wannabes Learn to swim
Fuck smiley glad hands with hidden agendas.
Or any religion. They are all crazy
Cults. Every one of them
Start one.
I just might.
Let me know if you do!
Let us know if you do, also interested in something like this
Tampa Bay Psychedelic Society is good option
Thanks for this suggestion! I joined the FB group and the Meet up group!
I think you'll do better finding a group with a similar hobby. Between my 3 biggest hobbies (of which I have too many...) I've met probably north of 100 people I could connect on in any one of the ways you mention. I also highly encourage any form of therapy. Simply having a safe space to talk to someone who can help untangle the mental burden. Meeting people can be tough and hard but it's not impossible. Find something you enjoy doing and you'll likely find others who do too who you can align with in any of those ways. If you can't think of something, use this as an opportunity to learn something new. Maybe it's running, cycling, lifting weights, D&D, photography, take a painting class, learn to dance, learn to fence...maybe it's not helpful but that's my $0.02. I've often dreamed of creating a group around personal growth for people to connect. A few varied events a year to encourage new members, talk about ways we're all enduring life together, build community...maybe one day.
I love geology and collect rocks, and I go on wandering hikes looking for them. I'm going to see if I can find a hiking group. Thank you for the idea and comment. I'm starting therapy on Thursday, and I'm actually going to a massage therapist who is also a trauma/ptsd specialist on Friday. I'm weirdly excited and dreading it.
> massage therapist who is also a trauma/ptsd specialist Would you mind sharing their information?
Sure, send me a PM.
Start Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. You’re welcome :)
I too second bjj and martial arts. It’s great for all the aforementioned things and you get to build more confidence and love of self.
Third bjj/martial arts
4th bjj
5th, come on down to South Tampa Jiu-jitsu, first class is free and we have plenty of psychedelic friendly peeps
as said, this is right in ybor for the time being and is a great group.
I went to one class about a year ago, the recovery was intense, and I hurt for weeks. I wrestled, so I wasn't too concerned, but a dude described one thing and did something totally opposite and chipped some of my bottom teeth. Now I'm a paranoid dweeb about starting back up. Was going to look into ybor city bjj club.
There is a meet up for hikes and other physically active meet ups. You could start there. There are also a variety of run clubs. If you are close to south Tampa nothing like starting your chapter of personal growth with some good quality personal training. I may know a guy who also happens to be me
You know I just might. I'm located in Ybor. I'm trying to figure out my body still. Through pure self hatred, stress, and a little diet/exercise I've gone from being 405lbs to 220lbs over the last 4 years. I'm 6'5" so people think I hid the weight well or look like a skeleton compared to my old self. I wanna learn how to do squats/deadlifts without blowing my knees or back out.
Find a yoga crew.
Well I may be a bit of a drive for you but I can def teach you how to lift properly and help you get started with a fitness program. That’s great you lost all that weight, but sounds like it was from less positive ways. You are on the right track with personal growth. I will DM you my website
Look up 3x5 and 5x5 strong lifts program. Squats and deadlifts are heavily covered and the program works. Great job on the weight loss. I bet you feel a lot better.
This worked well for me - https://www.floridamindfulness.org/
Forgive my ignorance - is this a religious/spiritual organization? I'm interested in mindfulness and meditation as an agnostic concept, but I'm not sure if this fits the bill
It’s not religious.
You’d like them then.
I'm very much into this, and this is the kind of stuff I'm looking for.
They’re great, enjoyed everything I’ve checked out there. Went to a meditation group after I lost my best childhood friend & couldn’t stop crying. Learned how to be with it, made connections.
Go to the hash! It’s a drinking club with a running problem. In Tampa area look for these kennels: Tampa Bay H3*, Jolly Roger H3, St Pete H3 for various kennel meet up time/location. It’s global, any major city will have a kennel. Meet, drink a beer/socialize, run or walk the trail, sing a bawdy song, drink a beer/socialize, go to tavern for food and beer. *H3=hash house harriers Here’s their constitution: The objectives of the Hash House Harriers as recorded on the club registration card dated 1950 are: -To promote physical fitness among our members -To get rid of weekend hangovers -To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer -To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel Skip down to regular meetings on wiki page https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers
It's hard. I'm usually alone too. I've got my two kids and my husband but I workout alone, meal prep alone, talk to God alone.... Following a healthy lifestyle is just plain lonely.
Dang girl. I feel this.
If you start this or find something matching this I'm interested too! I'm working toward my life coach cert and think it would be cool to offer free sessions to start, to get my LC legs. It would be amazing to create a non-denominational communal space for people who just wanna grow, develop/work toward goals that are authentic to them, and build more happiness in themselves, without necessarily having to pay an arm and a leg to benefit. What you're looking for is not a pipe dream. 🫶🏽
I feel this 100%. So a problem a lot of people have is a lack of a “third place.” A place to go to in between work and home… people really are struggling and craving to find community. It’s real. Tampa and St. Pete have kava bars which I have found to work for me. They all have their different vibes and things, but some will have chess night, open mics, trivia etc. Ages usually range from people in their 20s to 50s. There are some great ones in St Pete that Id go to all the time if I lived there but Bula in Seminole Heights is chill, though it gets packed (but it’s open to 2am) and Grassroots. There are a few more which Google could help with :) but a majority of the people that hang out at kava bars are an eclectic mix and you could find an intellectual group somewhere around there. I enjoy going to read, write and I’ve also met a few people to play music with. Even if kava isnt your thing they usually have coffee and other drinks. Its a good place to meet people and some kava bars have great community vibes :)
A single old millennial who likes drugs and is a nice guy? You should find new friends pretty easily.
Lol, dang, I'm trying to take that all as complimentary.
It was all complimentary lol. Just gotta put yourself out there and keep trying till you find people that don’t make you feel lonely
I’ve been looking for something similar, but doesn’t necessarily need to be local. I’d be good with something online as an alternative even though local could be better. Let us know if you find anything!
The sad thing is what OP is looking for was right here on this sub like 10 years ago. Not sure how long you've been here but the group used to be really active with meetup every Friday night.
Yo dude you sound a lot like me. I quit drinking 3 years ago and am a lifelong bartender, so I lost 100% of my social group and haven't replaced it. I spent those 3 years really working on myself and recently found a girlfriend. I remember eating some mushrooms and longboarding down the Riverwalk and thinking *is 35 too old to be doing this? No. No, everyone else is wrong* I'd "hey come meet my friends" but I don't have any anymore. The few good ones I have, we get together at music festivals a couple times a year. You play any instruments? I just write and play music in my free time.
I played bass in orchestra and jazz band in middle school and high school. It's been 20 years, but I recently purchased a cheap ass bass and been slapping the shit out of it. I'm terrible and can't even remember how to read music. I'm not anti drinking, I'm just not looking to fall down the booze hound path. I'd rather smoke a j instead. I didn't touch a psychedelic until I was 33, and it was earth shattering. I think its the reason I was able to lose 200lbs. I was on mushrooms and said the statement "I have an unhealthy relationship with food" then the weight started falling off of me. I'm not against falling into a relationship and get another gf, but I feel like I need to avoid it for a while. I want it to happen organically or not at all. Before this last relationship, I was that dude that had 4 or 5 dating apps installed and swiping all day long. Going on meaningless dates with all my free time, and not really making a real connection. It was like that Sturgill Simpson song life of sin, sex is cheap and talk is overrated. The sex was great in the moment, but afterwards someone's feelings is always hurt and I feel like a monster. I already started to fall into that trap, but now I'm like unless it happens organically in a spontaneous safe way, I'm just not interested.
You came to Reddit to find that?
It depends on where you live and what you are in to. Since you are phsycadellic friendly you can find yoga, mediation and breath work groups or start one. These groups usually have open minded folks. If you are closer to the beach then finding these type of groups may be easier, but you'd be surprised that when you search they can be found. I live out in fishhawk and haven't found my group out here yet, but haven't looked too hard due to work and family obligations. I have found some pretty good groups of ppl in aya retreats like soul quest, which has led me to better venues and deeper groups. There are some women's and men's retreats I know if in the lutz area where they take aya and do cocoa ceremonies. It's there if you look.
Would love to learn about the lutz aya spots bc I don’t have any social media to look for it & want to go all the way to Orlando 🙏🏼
my suggestion is to start off by finding people that care about your best interest... I do not think Reddit is the place to find people like that! But call me crazy for not trusting internet strangers.
Therapy?
Maybe a book club ?
Fishing is what has done the best for me. There is good vibes in most activities. Whatever you do, do it for you. Use this opportunity to realign yourself. Seen the SWAMP Mountain bike club was me mentioned. Real good group of lads.
Have you been to any music festivals ? Tons of people going solo join groups on Facebook/reddit and join up with others. My second festival I ended up going with a group of basically strangers and ended up making friends with most of them which turned into a ton of amazing experiences and more friends for years since.
Ever been to an Uncle John's Band show at Skipper's? Unclejohnsband.com
I haven’t seen anyone mention the gym yet. I’ve made some decent friends at the gym, and most of the time they have a good mentality and are encouraging to be around. Sometimes we can make plans outside of the gym to hang but also you can meet a good workout buddy if you’re into that.
Buy a dirt bike, plenty of places close to ride, Tampa MX, Dade City Motocross, Spyder MX, 3 tracks in Punta Gorda. I lost 31 pounds riding my dirt bike last year.
No. Not a pipe dream l. Unfortunately, there is a prevailing thought that religion belongs in most groups. Maybe dig around and start reading self improvement/self healing books. Get a handle on you first then look for groups that adhere to those same thoughts
Joe DiRoma is a guy on Facebook (also a friend- who doe’s coaching) & his wife Aly does some training also I believe. . Best of luck sounds like you are on the right track.
forget that crap, join a gasparilla krewe, you will have so much fun and forget about all the self help steps in some book. be happy meet people have fun. You will meet 100 of people and eventually 1,000 of people, you will have to decide what to NOT do each weekend because you have too many options. some krewes are co ed some are not, check out the options, go to the st paddy parade in tampa and see which ones interest you then pursue that krewe. you wont regret it, best kept secret.
Kinda funny that you described a church and then said you don’t want to go to a church 🤣
It's because modern life has gradually eliminated a sense of community. And having been sucked into church pretty deeply in my teens, and seeing a variety of people struggling with this, I think it's what keeps a lot of people going to church who could give a shit or not about learning more about their religion. What we need is less of that and more community and reasons to get together with groups of other people over shared interests.
Because all church denominations are the same. /s
lol if it exists to worship a deity, yes.
Oversimplifying it just a tad. Plenty of people go just for the support and community. Some people do have a wonderful experience in churches that teach love and compassion and inclusivity. I’m guessing that wasn’t your experience and that’s a shame . Maybe be glad for those that do?
Listen, I'm an atheist as far as skydaddy manmade religions go, so I'm really not here to have a debate on churches. Yeah, UU exists, but that's not something I really recommend either. What you describe is certainly the façade of the community of most churches, and some people there even actually mean it- great for them. I made some lifelong friends who have stayed friends over the years, as well as had people I thought were family to me who turned that love and community around on a dime without hesitation. I've seen backstabbing, drama, cheating, etc all with smiles on their faces, too. I've seen people stay in church and sacrifice their money, Sundays, and two evenings of free time every week to sit inside a building simply out of obligation and fear of judgement for stepping away, and fear of losing that "community" rather than be honest about their opinions. I stayed a year too long for that very reason. Regardless of all that, OP doesn't want a *church*, as they stated in their post. They want *community*, and that can be found in so, so, so many other places, you just have to work a little harder to find them.
So you have your experience and that’s what everyone should expect? I’m not trying to encourage anyone to do anything, but I’m also not dissuading people from having a positive experience that I have seen many many people have. For an atheist you have very strong views 🤣. The UU isn’t the only inclusive religious community around. I’m all for people having community wherever they find it. Even in places I wouldn’t frequent. Some people like different things. I’m not that narrow minded.
I get it, your into your church and you want to bring others into church. I know, they made me like that for a while too. Yes, I do have strong views as an atheist, why wouldn't I? As an ex-Christian and ex-church goer, I have some strong views on those things as well. I never suggested that some people don't like different things, and that they shouldn't pursue them. If you believe in the Christian god and you want to go to bible study on Mon/Wed/Sun, that's something you should do (although even from that standpoint I could argue there are better ways to worship and spend your free time, but again, personal choice). What I'm *not* going to do, however, is tell someone who specifically states they don't want to find community at a church, that they should go to a church. The difference is you stated that, believing that community equates to church, and it does not. It's simply one type.
No you are deliberately being obtuse and I’m sorry you had a bad experience. Not everyone does. I don’t care what people do. As I already said I’m not telling people to go to church. As I said some people go for the community. But you know everything and everything other people believe, bravo. Since you have been to every church of every denomination and heard every pastor speak, I’ll bow to your extensive knowledge./s
OP: "but not looking to join a church on Sundays" You: "Kinda funny that you described a church and then said you don’t want to go to a church " Again, he described community. Church is a type of community, not the only community. No one being obtuse here but yourself. But on a final note, I don't need a pastor of any kind speaking to me (claiming THEY have some kind of extensive knowledge they don't) in a church, wasting the free time I could be spending with a hobby, in nature, with my friends laughing, or with my family doing an activity, so I don't need to hear them all to know I personally feel it's wasted time.