Normalcy

I got to speak the other night at our local community college. It was pretty cool... they brought in a band and asked me to speak at the end. At first they wanted an altar call... I was reasonably uncomfortable with that merely because I don't like the bait-and-switch deal, but when I got there they agreed that I just should close it out and pray and be simple and offer up a chance to talk and all that.. but the more I listened to the band and watched the kids, the more I knew I needed to talk... for some reason, I needed to talk.

Haha, I know.... I'm a preacher... and I blab whenever I can. :) but I got up there and talked. I'd been to a concert a few weeks previous, and as those guys talked, everyone was so impressed cause the guy'd been to prison and had gotten off meth and attributed it all to God. It's exciting--I'm not trying to take away from that--but the thing is... my non-Christian friends have tons of friends who've come out of prison never to commit another crime, and who've fought their way out of the trappings of drugs. This testimony really speaks to one crowd: the Christians who need something spectacular to believe that God still works wonders. I believe God still DOES work wonders, but I'm not convinced all the simple things we focus on are the wonders.

I've found that my friends who don't believe in Christianity are far more impressed when we simply live our lives without excuse in such a way that it's impossible to explain away. You see, being polite is easy... being successful happens across barriers. Getting off drugs and out of a harmful lifestyle happens all over. But everyone knows what jerks most people are... and when we simply LIVE our lives as God directs, we'll find people will be amazed.

I'm not talking about always referring to God did this for me or that for me... but the simple peace that God can bring: let it Shine!! Admit your wrongs and ask forgiveness freely!! Know your strengths and use them to benefit others often!! Pray. Read scripture. Attend church. Do so unapologetically. Invite your friends, but never let a "no thanks" response cause you to stop association. Even a "never in your lifetime" response shouldn't stop us from loving our friends in real, tangible ways that mean something not just to you, but to Them!!

This guy tonight said this: "I didn't say anything about church cause I figured if God's not working on him, nothing I do will make any difference." I thought that was so right... live with people and care for them and be with them without making them a PROJECT!! Too many of us view our friends merely as someone to "save" to put up another notch on our Christianity belt.

Whatever man... Be normal. Love. Live. Let Live. and let your LIFE be your light, your words, your witness... Let God be God and let Him use you as He will... of course, you gotta be ready when He sets it up... cause if you live this way... people start asking questions about why. And that's when, in the most loving and uncritical way you can, you get to tell them it's cause of God.