Did He really die on a cross just for us to be nice people, with cute clothes and a whole lot of money??

What would be worse than waking up in the morning, rushing through an entire day, and laying down to sleep again only to stop quietly before drifting off into the night, not knowing the purpose of why you awoke in the first place? I simply cannot imagine. Truth be told, I fear this almost more than anything else. The difference between a life Paul calls, “selfish ambition and vain conceit,” and a life lived for the Kingdom seem so many worlds apart, and yet I wonder if such a distinctiveness is ever that clear.

I live in the Bible belt. With no exaggeration, I think about this question every day. How do Christians have nothing better to do than what everyone else is doing? No higher thoughts, no more sacrificial decisions, no less racism, no loser grip on their money, no more hope, no deeper-rooted desires, nothing greater to worship beyond self. Left almost speechless, I was in a two-hour conversation with a man today who also lives here. He owns a coffee shop and is quite the perceptive observer of people who come in. I am often taken by his descriptions of the “Christians” who enter his shop. There are those who make him want it, and sadly he can name them on one or two hands. However, there are many more who have made him truly question if Christianity is anything more than a label to hide behind and an image to decorate. I agree wholeheartedly. The mega church, which has the loudest voice around here, oftentimes doesn’t help. Signs, shirts, flags, colors, videos, big sound, big names, high tech equipment, blogs, bumperstickers, and tweets...Somewhere along the way, we felt like we needed to help Him make His name great. We all look good, feel good, and live good. We all love being Christians and rarely think about the call of the gospels that would split us open if we let it. Jesus on my t-shirt, or Jesus piercing my soul? We prefer the former all too often it seems.

I’ll say it straight up and wonder all the while if I should. I am lost in a world of pointless Christianity. I am discouraged by a lack of everything in every area of life. There is more. Let’s hope the cross was worth more than a title for us to claim. Please let it be that a sacrifice so great wasn’t just for us to look like nice people with neat ideas to discuss over coffee. Do we need a Savior, or do we need an image?

My brother Mark is teaching me a lot about living for this Kingdom. He is doing it in a way that hurts. He is walking the path of death to self. I am humbled by his choices, inspired by his story and embarrassed with my own shallow faith all at the same time. He is in Peru with his family, picking up his newly adopted daughter. If you read his blog, you will know what I mean when I describe him as I do. He looks more and more like Jesus each year. I’m thankful to call him brother.

Oh, and just so you know....the only reason he started this blog, was to recount the story of the power of the Kingdom. That’s what I love. He doesn’t even have a TV. Here it is if you want to be inspired to something higher than a new phone, a new car, or new pair of cool jeans.

http://rosamariacecilia.blogspot.com/