Get Real.

I can't remember the exact moment that this 'urge' entered my spirit, but some time during my college career I started feeling like I needed to break out of the 'box' that churches and church-affiliated groups were creating. Being on UT's campus, there were plenty of opportunities to get involved with groups or clubs that claimed a Godly foundation, or to make Christian friends. And Lord knows that city has its fair share of churches! But, I felt very confined in all of it, so I stayed away. I tried out several churches. I felt a lot of rules and religion, but not a lot of heart. And when I thought I had actually found one I liked, the leaders of the church turned around and shunned a girl who had gotten pregnant, setting, what I thought, was an un-Christ-like example for the church body.

Fast forward to December 2004. We were uprooted from our home and moved two and a half hours away to a new town, in a new state, with a completely different atmosphere. At first, I did good just to find a sitter before I had to return to work. It was at this point, that I stopped looking for a church. During that time, slowly slowly, I started reading the Bible, studying, listening to teachings. Reconnecting to God. And over the next year and a half, I learned more about God, who He is, what He wants from me, and how He operates, than I think I can say I had ever learned in all of my years going to church. He began to open my eyes to what it really means to be a Christian; to what it really means to give him my life; to what it really means to walk in love. And most importantly, I began to understand who I am in Christ. It's not about going to church every Sunday like clockwork. It's not about dressing just so, or talking 'holy.' It's not about memorizing the Bible or underlining it a hundred times over. It's so much deeper than that. It's much more personal. I think, for me, that was something that I needed to discover in private - out from under the watchful eye of the others in the church, and out from the confines of others' expectations. I now know, without hesitation, what God expects from me. And I know it because I have learned how to know him. I have learned how to talk to him. How to listen to him. (And this is not to say that I don't have tons more to learn, but this past few years has really been a time for laying a foundation to grow on.)

Now, I have found a church that I enjoy - I love the power behind every lesson taught. I love the time that I get to spend worshiping my king. But I am able to be there now, while I may not have been able to be there 2 years ago. Because now I am standing on solid ground. And I know that if that building should cease to exist, I would still have what I have with God. And I could continue to worship him and grow with him. Because God is no longer boxed up in the church building for me to go and visit every Sunday morning. He is my life...Monday through Sunday. He is my constant companion. He is my source of comfort, my guardian, my guide. He is my friend.

And I am beginning to realize that what I want most to see in my lifetime is to see a change in the church so radical that there is no more box to put God in. I want people to KNOW him...to know that they are not confined by laws and rules and expectations that others have put into place. I feel like there are so many people sitting beside me in church every Sunday (and in every church across the nation) that are more concerned with doing the right thing (dressing the right way, saying the right thing, sitting with the right people, sitting or standing or clapping or whatever else at just the right time, so that everyone else can see how good they are) than they are with spending that time with God. And if those of us in the church body aren't in it for the right reasons, how are we EVER to make anyone else feel welcome? How will we EVER convince others that this is the one true way to live life? People aren't looking for a RELIGION. They are looking for a redeemer, a savior, a friend. They want to feel loved (not just by Jesus, but also by those around them). They want acceptance. They don't want to walk into a building for the first time, just as I have done so many times, and feel judged or excluded. And mostly, people aren't looking to buy into something phony and superficial. If they're going to give their lives to it...if it's really going to change them...it's GOT to be REAL. It's got to be DEEP. It's got to be Monday through Sunday, no matter if we're at church, or at the grocery, or at home.

I heard this quote today, and I think it's worth thinking on: "Religion is man's idea of God's expectations." Will our 'religion' really matter when we find ourselves standing before Him? Or will he care more about our hearts, our intentions, our motivations? All throughout the NT, the people Jesus continually struggled with the most were the religious leaders. Those who were so sure of themselves - certain they were doing all the right things, and acting in just the right way, so as to be righteous (right with God). But Jesus says time and time again, DO NOT BE LIKE THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS. You cannot DO enough to make yourself right with God. Only a relationship, and a dedication of your life to Christ, can do that.

So, this is what I think- I believe that this MUST be the direction of the church. I can see it starting to move under the surface, just in the small circle that I am in, as well as through the teachings I've listened to, etc on a more global level. I think we need to shake off the religious spirit that has infected our churches and put on Christ - in every way. Stop making people feel like they have to meet OUR expectations to be included, and start celebrating when someone new or 'unlikely' walks through the door. Take time to get to know people and love them for who they are instead of seeing them for who we think they should be. And go to church - live our lives - for the purpose of worshiping God - for who he is, because He is AWESOME! I have such a passion in my heart about this - about Christians really getting REAL and really GETTING it. The path I've walked with God over the past 2 years has brought me here. I believe that He is desperate to stir the heart of His church.

It's time for us to get real.