Jason & Susan

Last weekend (11/4/05) Jason and several other guys in the community here got together to listen to a message on leadership, share, and pray. The gist of the message is that we Christians have become too “civilized” and have lost the kind of “barbarian” approach to living out our faith journey that we see portrayed in the good book, epitomized in the man of whom Jesus said “among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist…” We were challenged to stop worrying about pleasing others and impressing man, and to stop being motivated by fear of losing society’s approval, and rather boldly do what we know the still small voice of our heavenly Father is nudging us to do through his word and Spirit. Too often, outsiders looking into the ch’rch today see lives that are no different than the world outside because we have become too civilized by tradition and dogma, and have lost our ability to hear His voice. As the speaker aptly put it: the good news is not at all unfair or narrow-minded — Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, and Christians all need to come to JC!

So what did this discussion mean personally? It was a challenge to do as Paul writes in Galatians: “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else…” (Gal. 6:4). It was a wake-up call to look within and test whether it is the fear of G or of man that motivates…