"Nice christian girls and boys"

warning: read it all the way thru or you'll get the wrong idea...it's long, so really, if ya want to skip it be my guest.

I've been a nice christian girl my whole life ( debate this to your hearts content) but latley i've been doing a lot of thinking, and mulling about ideas in my mind .And i have come to the conclusion that i don't want to be a "nice" christian girl any more.

You see i'm sick of being a "nice" christian girl, Christianity has become so watered down and mellow and i hate it. I have been what is discribed in Revelation 3:16 ...luke warm.

"But since you are lukewarm and not hot or cold, I'm going to spit you out of my mouth."Revelation 3:16

That dosn't sound all that hot. So not for me. I refuse to be luke warm! i don't wanna be spit out.

I found this guy's blog about this very topic and he said this:

we need men and women who are madly and passionately in love with Jesus…who have a Philippians 3:10-11 mindset, who take Hebrews 12:2 view in life, who realize Philippians 2:5-11 was the BOLDEST move ever made and who want Matthew 22:36-40 to be true in their own lives.

That's what i want for my life! I want to be a women who is madly and passionately in love with Jesus…who has a Philippians 3:10-11 mindset, who takes Hebrews 12:2 view in life, who realizes Philippians 2:5-11 was the BOLDEST move ever made and who wants Matthew 22:36-40 to be true in their own lives.

And for those of you feeling a little lazy here are those verses:


10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.



36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[a] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[b] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."


I guess that this isn't really a new thing...it's been mulling around in this nogan of mine for ages now. It's one of the reasons that several months ago i changed my "Religious Views" on my facebook page from Christian to Christ Follower. Somedays i am compleatly embarassed and ashamed to be called a christian because i see what my fellow " Christians" are up too. Somedays i wish that i could rid myself of the Title christian for ever and just go by some other title that for the time being is still acceptable, Like Christ follower, Jesus follower.Although i know that eventually Sin will destroy those titles as well

Those titles seem so much more friendly and inviting to me with out all the negative connotations of religious brodcasting and crusaides.So what if they make me sound like a dirty hippy trying to go against the system.

Maybe i'm to sensitive. Every time some one refers to be as the religious one ( which happens a lot) i am quick to correct them. Not because i have a problem with people knowing the i have faith and stick to it ( thats a good thing and i hope that people will be able to tell) but because it brings all kind of images in my mind mostly about people on TV asking for money or fundamental religious fanatics that just want to "win your soul for day Lord , allulia!" REally what i want to tell them is “but I’m not THAT, kind of ‘religious’ person”. Often i say " well i'm not religious but i'm SPIRTUAL" but really this may have the exact same impact on the person.

Really what i would love to be is title free.Titles limit us as much as the define us. The problem is that the world is so focused on titles for everything "what do you do?" "what religious ideas do you subscribe to?"

What ever happened to that old annoying song " they will know we are christians by our love" i wish that The term christian could be stripped down and people could understand what it's all about.

Christian means Little Christ. As christians we are supposed to strive to be more and more like Jesus Christ. Maybe it's just me and the reason the i have been labled is because i'm a "nice christian girl". Well That What i'm kinda getting at i guess As I strive to be a passionate lover and follower of Jesus i want people to know what i belive in and stand for by my love,my nature, and through Jesus himself reflecting through my life.

Now of course this is going to take work, and it isn't going to be easy but it't definatly worth it. I think that i really need to examine my life, What am i doing that i shouldn't be, what i should be doing that i'm not, and if there is something more that God wants be to pick up and bear like a cross.

Then comes the Guilt... I feel as if i'vr failed my fellow Jesus lovers by blackening the name and bringing apon shame. so here goes.

I Am so sorry to all of you.
to the christians: i'm sorry if i have done to you exactly what i have ben dicribing, embarrased and brought to shame.
To the non christians ( that just made me cringe ) i'm sorry that i have given you a false representation of Jesus. Jesus is not who i have made him out to be through my behaviour. Sure Jesus is edgy and certainly not a "nice jewish boy" but he didn't do things like gossip and make rude gestures behind his mothers back.

Sure it's not just Christians that do this other religious have their titles that they must be ashamed of, or groups that they don't want to be associated with. I'm sure that there are musilims out there that correct people and say " i'm not that kind or musilim."

So more on love...I think that Love is what it's all about, and to quote the beatles " love is all we need" which works pefectly in the christian sence because GOD IS LOVE 1 john 4:16 ( oh dear i'm going to have the song stuck in my head all night as i had to sing the beginning of the song to remember the reference)And that religion with out love is religion with out god...which to be sounds pretty foolish and pointless. So there you go. My religion is now the religion of love. As a side note the word christian is mentioned only 2 times i think but the word love is mentioned around 610x in the KJV. So you tell me what's more important.

Now hold on one sec! does this mean that you are going to drop every thing that you know and have grown up knowing, stop going to church and be all like " oh love is all you need and as long as you have love and believe in some higer power then your golden?"

NO.

I think that as a passionate Lover of jesus i am obviously called to Love all people, but not to agree with them. in the words of brian mclaren in " a generous orthodoxy" : of course as a follower of Jesus, you will learn to love and draw near to everyone, whateve religion or lack there of, including christians. in so doing , you will exemplify what a Christian should be.

One more passage from brian ( it's my favorite book) : Jesus didn't want to create an "in -group" he wanted to create a " come-on-in group", one that sought and welcomed everyone.such a group camenot to conquer, not to badger, not to canqishnot to eradicate other groups, but to save them, redeem them, bless them, respect them, love them, befriend them, and embrace them.

or , put it another way, Jesus threathen people with inclusion; if they were to be excluded it would be because they refused to accept their acceptance. If people rejectedhis acceptance, he did not retaliate against them, but summitted himself to humiliation, mistreatment, even crucifixtion by them. it is like this: it is when we are weak that we are strong. so, the word taht perhaps best characterizes that christian church is vulnerablity...the people who are to be won and saved should, as it were, alwats have the possiblity of crucifying the witness of the gospel"]
you might object: but Jesus said he didn't come to bring peace but a sword. He spoke of families being divided because of him and his message. imagine these senarios: imagine you're the white son of white, racist parents. one day you come home and say " as a follower of Christ, i think we should love Africian Americans and Hispanics." As a peacemaker in the way of Christ, you will creat division.
As Chesterton Writes: "any man who preaches REAL LOVE is bound to beget hate...realy love has always ended in bloodshed"

...
( there is a bunch in between but this is still Brian)

I am saying that because we followJesus, because we belive Jesus is true, and becaue Jesus moves toward all people in love abd kindness and grace, WE MUST DO THE SAME"

Ok back to me now. Honestly I wish that All of you could read this book and particuarly the chapter " why am i incarnational"

So well i guess all of this has been a Long explaination of what mulling around this nogan of mine.And it also will and explaination as to why once again i'm changing the facebook "religious views" to "Lover of God, The world, and YOU".
pS I'm not that clever..other people all ready have that as there "title" . Who know's someday i might Leave it blank. Let them know we are "Christians" by our LOVE".

SIGH. that was a long post. and there is certainly more where taht came from.