about time to update . . .

So . . .

I feel and urge to write, but without really knowing about what yet. Usually when this happens, I rant about something, and usually it's got something to do with Christianity.

I wonder if Jesus would go to a church and call people there His. I get the feeling he would at Abundant Life, my community. I'm not saying this because I'm biased and think my friends and family here are so much better than everyone else I've met. I say it because it is the best example I've seen to date of a group of people honestly trying to be Jesus to the world around them.

Now, too often this looks like merely evangelizing. You know what? That word has been bastardized for far too long. Evangelism, evangelical, evangelizing - only sometimes does it require words. I mean, we all fully believe the adage that actions speak louder than words, right? So why the emphasis in certain circles of evangelical thought on making sure your presentation of the gospel follows these steps?

Are there actually steps to following Jesus? Did he really lay out the 5 principles of discipleship, the 7 steps to salvation, the 43 and a half marks or a true believer?

Or have we lost our imagination? Jesus says follow me, and we have no idea what that means outside of our own construct . . . or maybe we do, and it's too dangerous, and so we make a safe way to follow Christ where we can still buy $200 jeans and $100 shades without thinking once about the injustice of our extravagance. Hey, as long as we prayed a prayer once, our eternity is secure . . .

Well, that's debatable. But not here or now. Picture something with me - I'm dating this girl [which is actually a much easier picture than it has been. Her name's Alissa ;)]. I ask this girl to marry me. She says yes. I'm asked why I love her, and my response is this :

"Because one day we'll be married and I can have all the sex I want"

Well.

There are several things wrong with this thought, not the least of which is how unlikely I am to be able to demand sex whenever. What I really want to focus on is how unloving that is - I only love her for what she provides for me . . . not who she is, not what she is passionate about, not her laugh or her smile or her wit. Just her body. She is a means to an end.

When we focus so much on the belief that we will spend eternity in some form of better existence, and ignore what God is passionate about right here, right now, does He feel any less used?

And are we any less unloving?