I recently had a conversation with one of the wisest women I know. We are starting a Bible study with what has become the most diverse group of women you will probably ever find gathered in one room, which is exciting.
But as we have been searching for a study, we have been more than frustrated.
The words that keep coming up are surfacey, shallow, fake, fluff, polished.
These are words that should never be found regarding anything referencing my Christ, and it's ticking me off a little.
And it's not just in the Christian literature. It is an overall theme within our culture. Why is there so much striving to make Christianity seem easy, comfortable, clean and safe?
In a nation full of Christians doing the doggy paddle in the shallow end, I want to do more than simply stay afloat.
I want to go deeper.
Immersion.
More of Him and less of me.
I don't want to live the easy way or the clean way.
Gritty. Grimy. Dirty. Bold. Uncomfortable. Untamed. Wild. Radical. Crazy.
And I sure as heck don't want to be safe.
I want to lay hands on lepers and dine with outcasts. I want to live outside the camp.
Because my Savior died for my freedom. And freedom means more than a comfy pew and air conditioning in my Sunday best.
In a church culture that tells us to be careful, let us pray for reckless abandon.
But as we have been searching for a study, we have been more than frustrated.
The words that keep coming up are surfacey, shallow, fake, fluff, polished.
These are words that should never be found regarding anything referencing my Christ, and it's ticking me off a little.
And it's not just in the Christian literature. It is an overall theme within our culture. Why is there so much striving to make Christianity seem easy, comfortable, clean and safe?
In a nation full of Christians doing the doggy paddle in the shallow end, I want to do more than simply stay afloat.
I want to go deeper.
Immersion.
More of Him and less of me.
I don't want to live the easy way or the clean way.
Gritty. Grimy. Dirty. Bold. Uncomfortable. Untamed. Wild. Radical. Crazy.
And I sure as heck don't want to be safe.
I want to lay hands on lepers and dine with outcasts. I want to live outside the camp.
Because my Savior died for my freedom. And freedom means more than a comfy pew and air conditioning in my Sunday best.
In a church culture that tells us to be careful, let us pray for reckless abandon.
"Woe to the person who smoothly, flirtatiously, commandingly, convincingly preaches some soft, sweet something which is supposed to be Christianity." - Soren Kierkegaard
6 comments:
Amen! Amen! Our small group is doing a study right now "In the Dust of the Rabbi" it's a 5 week video series, but it really makes us ask the question on what it means to be a follower and what it means to have community. It's transforming our lives in a radical way.
Very well said! It seems like now a days it's easy for a Christian to just glide by & not delve deeper into Him and fully know him. I know it's something I struggle with.
@Cat- I will look into that Bible study....
@Mark- Thanks :)
@CourtCourt- Sometimes I find myself slipping into the "comfort zone" as well...it can easily sneak up on you!
@Everyone- If anyone else has a study they really like, you can leave it here in the comments. We still haven't settled on one! We have a diverse group of new and long-time believers, well-educated and uneducated, so we want something with good substance but also language that is not too difficult. (And most of the group are either unemployed or in ministry, so cost efficient would be nice as well :)
Thank you for your boldness! I needed to read this today. De
Well said! Who wants a safe, easy life anyway? Certainly not me!
thank you for this. I love it!
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