AuburnChick's Adventures

I just got back from my Wednesday night Bible study.  I do so enjoy these evenings, even if, quite honestly, there are days when I’d rather be lazy and sit at home.  Now that Chicky drives, it can be difficult to extricate myself from the couch cushions.  Yeah, it’s nice to have a child who drives.

God is so good, though, and always rewards my obedience and desire to learn more about Him.

Tonight, we continued our two-week discussion of The Shack.  We discussed the typical arguments made by other reviewers.  How theologically correct is it?  Can it lead people astray by less-than-clear dialogue?

What I love about our group is the range of perspectives and life experiences we all bring to the table.  I always walk away from these get-togethers with a fresh outlook.

Tonight, we got into a discussion about how people are turned off by “Christianity” and the church.  Often, this comes as a result of so-called “Christians” and their duplicity and seeming “goodness.”

Maybe you’ve encountered people who seemed to have their act completely together…always sporting a smile and an air of “all is right with the world.”  This may have made you feel like you didn’t belong in church because you weren’t good enough.

How can we combat this?  The ladies in my group agreed that Christians need to be transparent…show our vulnerability.  We shouldn’t be afraid about admitting that maybe our day is kind of crappy (we didn’t use this exact word), and no, everything is not hunky-dory.

By not elevating ourselves above the rest of the world, we acknowledge that we are just as bad off as everyone else.  We lose our jobs, and we worry about paying the bills.  We argue with our kids, and we might even – gasp – raise our voices and yell hysterically at them.  And yes, we yell at traffic and the slow drivers ahead of us (some people should not be issued licenses).

We’re human.

By living our lives as an open book, we make ourselves approachable, which creates opportunities for relationships to develop…which can ultimately lead to a presentation of the gospel.

It is my prayer that my blog…my public diary, is as transparent as if I were talking to you face-to-face.  I pray that as you see my life unfold here (and I don’t hold much back), it will ultimately point the way back to God.  I am not perfect, and I don’t lead an idyll life.  Yes, I have been richly blessed, and I thank the Lord every day for this undeserved graciousness.  But even in the midst of the struggles I face, everything ultimately boils down to the fact that I DO have a relationship with the Lord, and it’s because of that relationship that I’m still able to praise God at the end of each day.

It is my sincerest desire that if you don’t currently attend church or have strayed, you will return.  Or maybe you’ll just start by opening a Bible and reading a few verses every night.

We do not have to be perfect to come to God.  In fact, it’s because of our imperfection that we CAN and MUST come to Him.  He’s not going to thumb his nose at you.  In fact, He’ll welcome you with open arms.  Nor will the people at church thumb their noses at you…not if it’s a Christ-centered church.  They, too, will welcome you with open arms.

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: Christianity, God |