It's hard knowing which bandwagon I want to jump on. So many Jesus worshipers, so many opinions, so little time...so little patience. Everyone is a revolutionary in their own mind. In the end, we all wind up being smudged portraits of Christ.
I have a friend who doesn't believe in evangelizing, per-se. She believes one should share their faith only by their actions. There isn't any real need to come out and say, "Let me tell you about Jesus." It's about stained-glass windows and reciting incantations and creeds. Tradition. Delicate beauty. Hymns that say more than Stellar Kart could ever dream of. But that's not for me. Anyone can follow a tradition. I know lots of tradition followers who sit behind stained glass windows, but they don't exude God's love. I'm a breed of Mormon, Episcopalian, and Catholic. Trust me here.
I have a friend - actually, many friends - who believe that God still performs miracles today, that we should embrace and explore all art forms as types of worship, and when they talk about the Holy Spirit, I picture candy cotton clouds and unicorns prancing through gumdrop rainstorms.
Incidentally... this is one bandwagon I really do like the idea of riding. It's OK to cry around these people. I like churches that let you cry, even though I'm not terribly in-touch with my own feelings right at this moment. They're the people the Nightly News makes fun of - hands in the air, kids waving flags, people yelling "AMEN!"
I know a guy who is completely religion-free... supposedly. I don't think anyone is religion-free. We're all asking each other to conform. Telling the more buttoned-up believers to be more free isn't any different than telling them to conform. It's still conformity, in a round-about way. There is no church building, no authority, no hierarchy for these Christians... they're kind of like hippies that are high on Jesus instead of LSD. But I think they're off-base, too. They're big on moral relativism and I don't get the impression that anyone is accountable to anyone else. That's not good, either.
And yet... I wouldn't mind living that way myself sometimes.
(Excuse me. I've had a lot of coffee today. I have a point. Really. I'm almost sure of it.)
But all of these groups have one thing in common: they wouldn't ever want to be like any of the other groups. They're predictable. Watch.
Group One: "Shoving the Bible down somebody's throat is not the way to lead them to God...which is why I never talk about my faith unless someone spots me pulling out of the church parking lot and directly asks me about it."
Group Two: "Group one is too concerned with religion. They need more of a relationship with Jesus. That would make them WANT to talk about their faith. If you don't wear your faith on your sleeve, where DO you wear it?" (Group Two's favorite method of "hearing from God" is to point to a random scripture and "claim" it as their "word" for the day.)
Group Three: "How can you live an abundant life with so many rules and regulations? Fellowship is everywhere. Authority is for Presbyterians. Look, I painted you a picture of the Grateful Dead Bears! Would you mind handing me my Baja pancho?"
OK, maybe this isn't entirely accurate. That's the picture from where I sit. Where do I fit? I'm in Group Two, but I'd like to ride a unicorn and I think some tradition is beautiful. I'm a church octopus - my body is in Two, but I have tentacles in One and Three.
Jesus, I'm guessing, is in all of these. Or none of them. When I want a truly authentic portrait of Jesus, I read the Bible, but guess what happens? Everything I've ever been taught by anyone of faith clouds the picture. Don't you wish you could wipe all of that out of the picture and separate the wheat from the chaff? The Bible tells us to "test the spirits." Spiritual maturity helps us pick out the weeds and water the beautiful things. Those dandelions, though - they just keep coming back, proving that sometimes things look pretty, but they're dangerous weeds that want to choke you.
Tell me I'm not the only one?!?
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I have a friend who doesn't believe in evangelizing, per-se. She believes one should share their faith only by their actions. There isn't any real need to come out and say, "Let me tell you about Jesus." It's about stained-glass windows and reciting incantations and creeds. Tradition. Delicate beauty. Hymns that say more than Stellar Kart could ever dream of. But that's not for me. Anyone can follow a tradition. I know lots of tradition followers who sit behind stained glass windows, but they don't exude God's love. I'm a breed of Mormon, Episcopalian, and Catholic. Trust me here.
I have a friend - actually, many friends - who believe that God still performs miracles today, that we should embrace and explore all art forms as types of worship, and when they talk about the Holy Spirit, I picture candy cotton clouds and unicorns prancing through gumdrop rainstorms.
Incidentally... this is one bandwagon I really do like the idea of riding. It's OK to cry around these people. I like churches that let you cry, even though I'm not terribly in-touch with my own feelings right at this moment. They're the people the Nightly News makes fun of - hands in the air, kids waving flags, people yelling "AMEN!"
I know a guy who is completely religion-free... supposedly. I don't think anyone is religion-free. We're all asking each other to conform. Telling the more buttoned-up believers to be more free isn't any different than telling them to conform. It's still conformity, in a round-about way. There is no church building, no authority, no hierarchy for these Christians... they're kind of like hippies that are high on Jesus instead of LSD. But I think they're off-base, too. They're big on moral relativism and I don't get the impression that anyone is accountable to anyone else. That's not good, either.
And yet... I wouldn't mind living that way myself sometimes.
(Excuse me. I've had a lot of coffee today. I have a point. Really. I'm almost sure of it.)
But all of these groups have one thing in common: they wouldn't ever want to be like any of the other groups. They're predictable. Watch.
Group One: "Shoving the Bible down somebody's throat is not the way to lead them to God...which is why I never talk about my faith unless someone spots me pulling out of the church parking lot and directly asks me about it."
 |
| "Excuse YOU, but people know me by my LOVE." |
Group Two: "Group one is too concerned with religion. They need more of a relationship with Jesus. That would make them WANT to talk about their faith. If you don't wear your faith on your sleeve, where DO you wear it?" (Group Two's favorite method of "hearing from God" is to point to a random scripture and "claim" it as their "word" for the day.)
 |
| "SHE'S HEALED!!!" "What? Ouch! I tripped over Burt's foot!" |
Group Three: "How can you live an abundant life with so many rules and regulations? Fellowship is everywhere. Authority is for Presbyterians. Look, I painted you a picture of the Grateful Dead Bears! Would you mind handing me my Baja pancho?"
 |
| The family that prays together stays together...but not because some pastor says so. |
OK, maybe this isn't entirely accurate. That's the picture from where I sit. Where do I fit? I'm in Group Two, but I'd like to ride a unicorn and I think some tradition is beautiful. I'm a church octopus - my body is in Two, but I have tentacles in One and Three.
Jesus, I'm guessing, is in all of these. Or none of them. When I want a truly authentic portrait of Jesus, I read the Bible, but guess what happens? Everything I've ever been taught by anyone of faith clouds the picture. Don't you wish you could wipe all of that out of the picture and separate the wheat from the chaff? The Bible tells us to "test the spirits." Spiritual maturity helps us pick out the weeds and water the beautiful things. Those dandelions, though - they just keep coming back, proving that sometimes things look pretty, but they're dangerous weeds that want to choke you.
Tell me I'm not the only one?!?
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