18 Things You Loved If You Were A Church Girl In The '00s

If you only spent your weekends at church during the years of '00 to '09, you totally loved these things.

1. Turning your radio up super loud when "Meant to Live" came on

Switchfoot had a monster hit on their hands with "Meant to Live" around 2003. You know this because you turned it up until it almost burst your eardrums every time it came on the radio.

2. Wearing super ironic but religious t-shirts

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You probably had some of these. Maybe it said "Gospel Girl" in the Gossip Girl font, or maybe it looked like the Reese's logo but instead it said "Jesus." This was a great way to show that you loved Jesus, but you weren't uptight and old-fashioned. Or at least, that was the idea.

3. Thumbing through your mom's subscription to CCM Magazine to find your favorite Christian rock band

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Then you probably stole it from her when she was done to clip that picture of Relient K from it to tape to your bedroom wall.

4. Reading your Frank Peretti book in class while your friends gushed over Harry Potter

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His Hangman's Curse series provided a great alternative to the sci-fi/fantasy inspired teen novels your friends were reading, and bonus points because your mom wouldn't give you a lecture about representing God in every life decision you made if she discovered it in your backpack.

5. Inviting your school friends to a lock-in, so they could see how cool your youth group was

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Obviously they would be swayed to your side by the late-night pizza, hardcore volleyball games, and passionate praise and worship sing-alongs, complete with older guys wearing promise rings playing the guitar. How could they not be?

6. Asking for an acoustic guitar for Christmas, learning four chords, and being able to play every praise and worship song

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It totally paid off when you got to perform "Open the Eyes of My Heart" with the church praise band, in front of the whole church.

7. Finding the perfect devotional for you, and actually sticking with it every day

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It had to be tailor-made for your interests, or else you'd stop caring after a few weeks. But that feeling you got when you woke up early every day for months to do your devotions before school? Priceless.

8. Rationalizing your lack of romantic activity with "I'm dating God" or "it's not God's plan"

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It was super cool to date God. It still is. God was your boyfriend. What's cooler than that?

9. Going to Ichthus Festival and headbanging until your brains came out of your nose

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You don't need drugs and raunchy rock music to have fun.

10. Scouring Brio magazine for dating tips and trying to avoid the temptation to steal your friends' copies of Seventeen magazine instead

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Brio offered totally spiritual tips for how to be a Christian teen girl. Plus, it was the only teen mag your mom would let you subscribe to.

11. Picking out the perfect cover-up to wear on swim day at church camp

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The boys could just wear their trunks, but girls had to bring a t-shirt to cover up, whether they had a one-piece or not. But which of your pop-culture-meets-religion shirts would be most enticing?

12. Arguing with your friends over which member of DC Talk was hottest

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Toby Mac, duh.

13. Debating over which purity ring was best for you

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This was basically a ring symbolizing your engagement to Jesus. It had to be special.

14. Scouring Focus on the Family's Plugged In website to find a movie your parents would let you see during the weekend

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It had to have very little cussing, sexual content, and violence. And you totally didn't want to see The Princess Diaries for a fourth time.

15. Partially praying for your unsaved friends and partially praying for your own safety at "See You at the Pole" every year

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You'd read She Said Yes. You loved Jesus, but you weren't sure if you could die for Him if someone started shooting up your prayer meeting. Not yet, anyway.

16. Finally being old enough to act in the parable skits or lead a class at Vacation Bible School

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You were totally so responsible now, and everyone knew it.

17. Desperately praying for God to let you know your "calling" when it was time to send in your college applications

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What if I'm called to be a missionary? Do I even need college? HURRY UP AND TELL ME NOW, GOD!

18. Having a crush on your youth pastor, but being spiritually conflicted because his wife was so cool, too

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They were both so cool, and so young. How could you be expected to deal with this kind of turmoil?