Scared to call myself a Christian some days.

Small favor:  Go to a city, walk around, and listen to people.

When did we (Christians) wake up to realize we're the minority?
When did Christian start sounding like a bad thing to be??
How can God be the only person we are allowed to offend???

"The United States is known as a Christian nation..."  I almost feel ashamed to call myself American or Christian with that logic.
Do you know that almost every country looks at the United States as an influence of the Christian-way. Do you know what represents the United States to most countries?? Answer: Cable Shows (MTV, HBO, Starz, etc.), the government and how that makes the news, singers/actors/artists, YouTube....

Have you noticed that a lot of the wrong people are doing things "in God's name", and most mature Christians are doing nothing in God's name. That's how our faith has been perverted. That's how it has become so hard to share love with people. People are so set to "not offend" that we are forfeiting and allowing the meaning of believing in God to become something bad. We are to be showing God's love to everybody. As my Pastor frequently reminds me- we are missionaries in our own home/backyard/job/etc. Some (I used to be one) think "really, right here in the U.S.?" Do you know that the most Christians live in Africa and Southeast Asia?!?!?!?  Let that sink in!

The United States... "the Christian nation" is possibly the least Christian nation in the world!
We can blame it on a lot of things. Government, economy, "these kids", that other country, the weather, modern times, technology... The main problem is this- someone didn't stand up when they had the chance. Look at the current Christian movies that are out: God's Not Dead and Do You Believe. (Spoiler:) They are basically about a person who is put into a position to either stand up and say something or look the other way.

There are a lot of people who look at Christians as hateful/judgmental people. I know quite a bit of that is from that persons' own issues and bitterness, but there's a lot of people who have genuinely witnessed that or that is what we have allowed to be presented to them. I cannot solve all the problems of the world, but it's upsetting to see lazy Christians or people who call themselves Christians but don't truly know what is in the Bible or what Jesus preached. It's our responsibility to hold those people accountable as much as it is to teach those who don't know. A contributing factor is that some churches today are about being a vertical church instead of a horizontal church. They want to build up (think Tower of Babel) instead of growing outward. "They get people, to get money, to get toys, to get more people..." {Paraphrased from Church Zero by Peyton Jones}

Confession:  I don't have a Jesus fish on my car.
Why?:  Flat out truth- because I know that I sometimes drive like a jerk and I don't want people to see that and think Christian. When I drive I try to work on myself in that situation, but truly I am trying not give someone another reason to be a Christian-hater.

A New Perspective...

Like many Christians, this day and age, I love my Bible app! One of the cool features in that they provide "Plans" which are varied from devotionals to schedules for reading through the Bible.  February being the "love month" I found a cool devotional that I've been reading through: Breathe Spiritual Passion into Your Marriage. It's only seven days so it's super easy.

I am going to share day one with you! I just love that one!!

 

“God as Father-in-Law”

     It came almost as a warning, and frankly, I needed one at the time. I was a young husband, and during an intense time of prayer, I sensed God telling me very directly that Lisa wasn’t just my wife, but she was also His daughter and I was to treat her accordingly.
     This was a moment of revelation for me, and the force of this insight grew once I had kids of my own. If you want to get on my good side, just be good to one of my kids.
Conversely, if you really want to make me angry, pick on my kids. Be mean to them. My blood pressure will go up if your name is even mentioned because I’d much rather you mess with me and with one of my kids.
     So when I realized I was married to God’s daughter—and that you, women, were married to God’s sons—everything about how I viewed marriage changed. God feels about my wife—His daughter—in an even holier and more passionate way than I feel about my own daughters. Suddenly, my marriage was no longer about just me and one other person; it was very much a relationship with a passionately interested third partner. I realized one of my primary forms of worship throughout the rest of my life would be honoring God by taking care of a woman who would always be, in His divine mind, “His little girl.”
     We often hear pastors contemplate the fatherhood of God, a wonderful and true doctrine. But if you want to change your marriage, extend this analogy and spend some time meditating about God as Father-in-Law. Because when you marry a believer, He is!
     * Have you ever thought of your spouse as the son/daughter of God? How does this change your relationship (both actions and attitudes) with him/her?
           1 John 3:1

           Galatians 3:26-29

 

(Taken from his new book "A Lifelong Love," Gary Thomas.)

My Goal

I was having an interesting conversation with a friend Friday about a debatable topic for Christians, and "what was the point". It gave me a startling realization of what I truly wanted to come about from my faith, witness, and the possibility of being a pastor. Then, Friday night I got to teach that same topic to some friends. I felt like I had accomplished something huge for God!

The past year has been like bang-bang-bang with my growth in my choices to follow God and figuring out my calling. I realized Friday what the point is. What MY point is.

     I want to break the stigma!

If I have to be a tattooed, female, purple-haired,street preacher to do it- by God's grace I will do it!
I want to show people that God loves them. I want to take God to people, not drag people to God.

"People" and "Christians" have put such a stigma and rules to being a Christian. That is so wrong!

^^This is what we have done to God.

We have put Him in a box. We tell people that they have to go to church to feel or be in the presence of God. "Sunday morning is your chance to experience Him."

That's a little too Old Testament don't you think?!

 

^^ This is what Jesus brought to us!

Jesus didn't preach in churches. He went to the people. He broke the stigmas of "religion."

He touched lepers and ate dinner with a tax collector.

Where exactly would we find Jesus today- this instant?!

In a church? Or in a hospital? At a rehab center?

Sharing a bench with a homeless veteran? Or eating 5star with the largest church donor?

 

That right there is what I want to do!!

You figure that people either don't believe in God because they either don't know about Him or have had a bad experience and it turned them away. I would guess to say that of those who have had a bad experience at least 60% of them was a bad experience with a church.

Sometimes Christians are the most judgmental of people. (Just saying.)

Instead of sharing the LOVE OF GOD they share "rules (tithing, attendance, appearance, etc.)."

 

It doesn't matter to God whether you have tattoos, read fiction, meet in a

bowling alley, or wear purple!! That is not the point Jesus taught us!!!

Jesus shared the Good News. The Good News is salvation of God's love!

Accept that He loves YOU! Teach others that He loves THEM!

God doesn't exist inside walls. He's everywhere!