I’m guest blogger on Jason Clark’s blog today. These are the questions I’m asking on there.
Have you ever noticed there’s a gap between how you think you should behave and how you actually do behave?
(To put this another way for followers of Jesus: do you ever feel that you’re not following Jesus closely enough — that the gap between him and you is bigger than it ought to be?)
If the answer is no, then I’m afraid none of the questions I want to ask will apply to you. (At least I saved you some time commenting on this :-))
If it’s yes, what have you found is effective in narrowing the gap?
Please be as specific as possible. For example, if your answer is “I pray”, please say as much as you can about how and why that helps you.
Do you ever narrow the gap by rethinking how you think you should behave (i.e. changing how you judge yourself)? Do you ever narrow the gap by reassessing what following Jesus should be like (for you)?
Or do you always seek to narrow the gap by looking for effective ways to change your behavior (and/or facilitate God changing it)?
03-01-2007 |
10 Comments »Note: the current sidebar poll goes with this blog entry
Andrew recently expressed some concerns about Conversation at the Edge on his blog, Moved Mountains. Andrew specifically mentioned the comments discussion on Giving God a second chance as concerning him. Here’s part of what he wrote:
[M]ost of my struggles with OTM relate to the stuff being “dealt with” at “Conversations”. I think I understand what is being attempted there, but I guess some of the postings really do just grate against my good ol’ conservative background. It is easy for me to forget that there is a whole lot of life and interaction and talking and thinking going on beyond the posts I read on the blog. But I seem to find myself worrying, at times, that in some places the gospel ends up falling through the cracks in an effort to accomodate “everyone’s” views. And this concerns me because I am concerned for those who might get the wrong end of the “relativity” stick and be “graciously” encouraged down a path that leads away from relationship with Jesus rather than toward it.
11-24-2006 |
47 Comments »In comment #68 of Class #1 David H posted the following insightful comments.
I think [super-imposing 'belief' over 'Christ' as a foundation for the Christian faith] is a far-too-common “Christian” practice. Were you to read a denominational doctrine statement you might be able to compile a point-by-point list of other examples. Even biblioatry — worship of the Bible — has become a huge American Christian phenomena.
Obviously it occurs, the bigger question is why? I have a few thoughts on that. Read the rest of this entry »
10-11-2006 |
11 Comments »David H wrote the following in comment #7 of Meeting Rev. Lueking:
Eliza: This is just an unchurched atheist’s observation, but it seems to me Rev. Lueking’s responses to your “situation” were more like what I’d expect from someone who is “following Jesus” than the responses you have received before. (Jesus said “love thy neighbor” not “badger thy neighbor”; he was inclusive and accepting of everyone except those who followed the letter of religious law not the spirit of God-love; that sort of thing. I’m not meaning to offend anyone, & realize I may have just put my foot in my mouth…but that’s what it looks like to me.)
I have mixed feelings about reading Eliza’s description of Jesus.
On one hand, I feel affirmed that a self-professed unchurched atheist sees something similar to me in what Jesus should be (based on what we are told about him).
On the other hand, it is really sad that many self-professed followers of Christ can’t seem to see past cultural issues, religious traditions and personal prejudices to anything resembling that same Jesus.
Maybe God is so big he can’t be understood. But my reading of the things that Jesus said and did makes him seem a pretty simple and straight-forward guy. Why don’t more Christians get it?
09-14-2006 |
37 Comments »In Helen’s long-running thread Why I Don’t Go to Church Anymore, Andy M suggested recently that:
The Jesus following life is always lived out in the context of a community. For sure there are lots of communities out there who say they represent Jesus, but, by our own observation we can see that they do not.
As to the signs that some one knows God well, I would say the signs are a life with marked similarity to Jesus’ life, an honest pursuit of him, a desire and an honest attempt to do what he taught, and not just what feels good, easy or convenient, but the hard stuff too.
08-21-2006 |
26 Comments »