Just A Follower

I attended a men's event Saturday conducted by the Man in the Mirror organization.  It was refreshing to find that many of the thoughts put forth in my blog do not live in solitary confinement.  The message of God's amazing grace versus performance Christianity is playing well in other places.

I heard Wayne Jacobsen say in a recent podcast that we should "experience God 'as-is'."  Stop reaching into some ambiguous place that religion compels us to strive for and learn to live, love, and relate to God as we are today.  He knows you better than you know yourself.  He knows that you are going to sin before you sin.  He knows the reason why you sin.  He know the wounds in the deep places of your heart that lead to sin.  And, He still loves you!

The effect of religion is insecurity.  An insecurity about our relationship with God.  IN our heart, if we would admit it, we find that we cannot trust God.  How can I say this?  Because we are always trying to earn His favor thru our dutiful actions.  We have His favor,it's called grace, and we cannot lose it.  We must come to a place of peace and rest by simply living in His love.  Yet, we do not come to Him, and foster that necessary intimate relationship, because we believe that we are always in level of disfavor.  You see, religion seeks to affix responsibility or blame for one's actions.

This is so contrary to the God of the Bible.

This whole idea of "performance Christianity" has been working thru me over the last six months or so.  I was raised in the church with a father who's been a pastor for 43 years so I know the church intimately.  Due to the course I have been on I seem to have a heightened awareness of "performance Christianity" when it rolls of the tongue of a preacher.  I cringe inside and wanna stand up and scream "take that back!"  Why?  Because I have seen, and lived with, the damage done to well-meaning Christians who are trying to live to this misguided ideology  I have lived under the guilt, condemnation, and fear that God is once-and-for-all going to wash His holy hands of my busted self.  That I have crossed the line one time too many for redemption, that I have failed once again with that recurring failure in my life.

After a lifetime of failures to live up to this standard many just give up, fall away, stop showing up for church.  The transformed life they want to live seems like a distant and painful memory.  Trying no longer seems worth the effort because the end result is the same.

On the other side is the population found in the church that have mastered, sorta, this life of performance.  They are dutiful, committed, and, on the outside, look like a decent representation of a Christian.  But if you could ever get them to honestly assess themselves, many would admit that there life is miserable.  They live under the illusion that their misery is self-inflicted and thus they must take action to fix the situation.  They must try harder.  Volunteer more, give more money, teach a Sunday School class, be at church every time the doors are opened, be the first to arrive and the last to leave. So...

You have a pulse but are you truly alive?

The church sings an edited version of John Newton's hymn  "Amazing Grace" and what gets left out is :

The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

more...

The last three weeks has had me on the road for the company.  Week one was Philly, week two was Denver, and week three was back to Philly...with stops in St Louis to say 'hi' to the wife and boys.  While in Denver weather moved in from the mountains bringing cold temps rain and the threat of snow.  I heard that that Vail received a lot of snow.  I left Denver for home, St Louis, and two days later that same weather arrived bring cold and rain.  After spending the weekend at home I jumped a flight for my second trip to Philly.  You guessed it...a couple days later that same weather front showed up bring cold, rain, and snow.  I was chasing the wind...or was it chasing me?

Have you every felt that trouble was following you around?  No matter where you went or what you did trouble and distress seemed to always land on your doorstep.  I've been there many times and it leaves you questioning...  What have I done wrong?  Where did I go wrong? 

In church circles the questions go something like this:

Have you got hidden sin in your life?

Are you attending church faithfully three times a week?

Are your paying your tithes?

Are you harboring un-forgiveness towards someone?

Have you spent enough time in prayer?

Are you reading your Bible daily?

So, what's with this line of questioning?  Those of us steeped in the ways of the church don't even question the questions.  We have heard them for so long that they are expected...normal...we are thoroughly indoctrinated to this line of thinking.  But are these questions reflective of the life and love of God?

Hardly, these questions are totally in line with "performance Christianity" which boils down to 'God is good, I am bad, try harder." more...

Back in Philly this week for Microsoft.  Cold, rainy weather which hindered the Phillies inevitable World Series Championship.  For me it is the fourth straight day sitting in a conference room in meetings.  Useful but not exciting.

I realized that last week I was in Denver and we got hit with weather.  i flew home to St Louis and that weather showed up two days later.  Then I fly to Philly and that same front arrives a day later.   This particular storm chased me across half of the country.

I admit to not knowing a ton about the history here but there are some magnificent stone buildings.  It would be nice to have some free time to be a tourist and check this place out.  I guess the most well-known feature is the Liberty Bell.

On the upside I do go home today...one day early.  After three straight weeks of travel I expect to be home for a respite.

On Monday this week we formally announced "Spring Training 2009" which is a weekend men's event based on John Eldredge's Wild at Heart book.  We are expecting a good turnout so if you are interested I recommend registering soon.

After a few days in Philly I managed some nice days at home to celebrate my oldest son's 11th birthday, some camping, and a rush to get home and pack a suitcase.  Now I sit here a Mile-High for a some training in Denver.  It is nice to catch up with colleagues are we are a virtual team but even nicer to be in Saint Louis with the wife and kids.  Three more days. 

I have a new web site that everyone should check out.  www.counterpointonline.net There is a significant announcement coming in a a day or so on that site.