A Light in a Dark Place

Last weekend was the annual Gym Show at Planet Gymnastics, the gym where Allie's been the Preschool Director/Special Events Director/Camp Director/Personal Coach/Interventionist/Counselor/Planner/Employee Extraordinaire.

The Gym Show is simply a short program providing the kids a chance to show their parents everything they've learned from their coaches. I snuck in and took a couple of photos at two shows. What they reveal is something incredible:

Allie's last several months at the gym have been incredibly trying. Very few people would stand strong in the midst of all that she has been enduring. The trials and struggles at the gym came to a head the weekend of the Show. Anyone of lesser quality would have simply gone through the motions and done their duty, but not my wife. Her acceptance and continual encouragement of the kids put in her charge was reflected on the faces of the kids as she helped them all through their routines. I was awestruck by her love, strength, and Christlikeness.

I can remember very few moments that I saw Jesus being tangibly reflected in someone's life. I suppose that we all have moments of kindness as we stop for someone crossing the street or say a nice word to someone in the checkout line, but to live out Christlike love and grace in the face of incredible opposition is something else altogether. Allie showed me what that looks like last weekend.

It's something that I will never forget and always admire.

A Church Saga Part 1 (Written One Year Ago)

It’s now 10:29am on a Friday in June. I am still attempting to come to grips with my current disillusionment with the church. Alarmingly, I have felt my anger towards God’s people turn to an anger directed to God Himself. I see and hear “Christians” treating others with blatant disregard for the Name they carry and I am angry. I am angry that God does not smack His people up-side the head and tell them they are making a mess out of Life. I am angry at the lack of grace. I am angry at the religiosity. I am angry that I used to be so prideful in my representing of Jesus Christ.

Jesus did not command us to go into the world stingy with love, grace, acceptance, and gentleness. Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe and Lover of mankind desires that His people live with extravagant grace! Sadly, we have set a guardrail of religiosity around our lives keeping us safe from things that make us uncomfortable. The irony here is incredible! The Freedom revealed for us, as Followers of Jesus, has become a stain-glass prison. With our lists of does and don’ts, committees, and aimless traditions, it is no wonder “outsiders” have no interest walking through the doors of a limiting and restraining idea such as Christianity.

We’ve got it all backwards. We should not ask people to come to church. The onus is on us to go to them! If others see Jesus’ people coming to them with open arms, engaging them on their turf, not attempting to reform them or change their behavior, the foundation of the gospel becomes realized once again. Isn’t that what Jesus did? Jesus walked through the red-light districts of His day with open arms and a smile on his face. Jesus ate dinner in the homes of “mob bosses.” When the people did come to him, he loved them even when they cut a hole in the roof of his house.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a church meeting in Sonny’s Bar? Not a church preaching sobriety or one that rents out the space for a worship service, but a group of Believers willing to rub shoulders with the hurting, confused, and tired. Can you see it? Sadly, most cannot and will not entertain an idea of the church existing beyond the steeple.