Steve is not a dweeb. Most of the time.
Pastor Steve’s Full Blog Posts
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Humanizing our Welcome
Is our welcome reflecting Jesus? Jesus doesn’t seem to think so…
“Hello, this is Wonderful Redeemer Baptist Church.”
“Um… my name is Angie and I need to feed my children.”
“Well, we don’t have a food program here.”
“Could you recommend someone…”
“I’m sorry, but we can’t help you. Why don’t you try the government?”
“I can’t get any help from them now. I used up my opportunities.”
“Well, if they can’t help you, then we certainly can’t.”
“Could you give me a reference…”
“We don’t have any. Sorry. Goodbye.”
“But—“It is unfortunate, but conversations like this happen in churches every day in every city. Of course, we can only give what we have, but the real issue comes with how we speak, not just what we give.
Our technology has given us the ability to communicate to more people than ever before. But our use of technology has given us the ability to forget that at the other end of the phone or the internet is a real human being with real needs and desires and hopes just like we do. Our technology has given us a greater opportunity and excuse to dehumanize more people than ever before.
“Dehumanize” is kind of a technical term, so allow me the opportunity to explain it a bit. The Online Medical Dictionary defines Dehumanization as, “Loss of human characteristics; brutalization by either mental or physical means; stripping one of self-esteem.” Dehumanization is simply the reaction we have when we forget that another is a human being, and to treat them as a thing instead of a person who loves, struggles, dreams, sacrifices just like us. It is forgetting that just as we need respectful conversation, so do they. It is neglecting the fact that their needs are the equal of our own to be met. And most of all, it is forgetting that our Lord loves them just as much as He loves us.
There are two basic ethical principles by which we respond to others. The first is the one our Lord taught us, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We are to give others the mercy, respect, forgiveness, grace and assistance we ourselves need. Not that which we deserve, but what we need, even as the Lord gives us grace we do not deserve. We all know this.
But the second principle works against this. This is the principle of security: “Protect your own against all others.” By this principle, we define some people as “neighbors” whom we love and some people as “others” whom we separate from, revile, spew hatred and, if they seem to be attacking our own, destroy.
We recognize that our churches are not to be in the destruction business. But what we don’t realize is how we can destroy people’s spirits or humanity because we see them as the “other.” We may see someone as a reprobate, one who is hard of heart, one who is helplessly foolish or who simply isn’t as loving as we are. We may see the “other” in the one who takes or who desires what we have: our money, our possessions, or our time. We know this principle is at work when someone questions our actions toward another as too harsh and we respond with, “They deserve it.”The principle of Jesus to love gives no place to any principle which excuses dehumanization. We are never to think of another human being as the “other.” Our churches are constantly to represent the ministry of Jesus to all people, no matter who they are, no matter what they have done, no matter what they need. Should the worst child molester in the world show up at our doorstep, even if we were unable to help them, we should be kind to him, and refer him to someone who can help him.
Certainly, not every representative of our church is a counselor and not every church worker has time for everyone. A church secretary should not be required to listen to every story that takes him or her away from the work they are to do. The pastor should not have to take every phone call. However every church should be prepared to be kind and helpful to every need that walks in the door.
- The one who responds to people who are seeking help should have a list of resources that the church provides, including a person who will pray, a person who knows local resources, a person who can give wise counsel, and a person who will simply listen. And the pastor should not be the only person on this list.
- Every church should have access to a list of organizations that helps a variety of needs in their local area with ready access to phone numbers.
- We should all be asking the Holy Spirit to give us words of humility, comfort, encouragement and mercy, in accordance with the love of our Lord Jesus.
- We should all learn not to answer the phone or get on the internet when we are overly stressed or likely to lash out.
- We should all take personal retreats (even if only to our bedroom) when needed so we can be better ready to respond in accordance with the Spirit’s leading.
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The God Who Sees
The very first recorded appearance of an angel is to an abused slave.
Hagar learned that God sees the plight of the oppressed and suffering and does something about it.
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Looking Like the Bride of Jesus
When we first started living in community, we invited our friends who had just moved in the area to come to church with us. One of our friends, Marcy, gladly accepted a ride to church, and attended, hoping to have a community she could connect with. That hope prevailed, although she attended the church for years, and reached out to many and got involved, yet she didn’t have the friends, the community she desired. She was smart and articulate and funny, but many people couldn’t see that because she had a lazy eye and thick glasses.We of the church recognize that we are supposed to be a unique people. All too often, though, we misunderstand what that strangeness is supposed to be. Often we consider our uniqueness to be holiness (although it is difficult to find a uniquely holy congregation, honestly), or perhaps our love for one another. And while these aspects may be significant, the congregation Jesus had in mind was even more unique.
When talking about the make-up of his people, Jesus said that his people are to be “poor” “mourning” “persecuted” “meek” “hungry” and even hated and ostracized. These are the blessed of God, the recipients of salvation, the ones in need of deliverance. A couple of these terms Jesus is borrowing from the Hebrew Scriptures, which are translations of the word “anawim”.
Anawim is a term that is used frequently in Psalms and Proverbs and the prophets to speak of the lowly and poor who are seeking the Lord for deliverance. The anawim are those who face the most difficult social crises: poverty, rejection, hatred, and can turn to no one but the Lord for deliverance from their problems. The anawim are the outcast, those hated by society, yet still they do all they can to remain faithful to the Lord.
Not the church of Jesus
But our churches are often monuments to those who are socially accepted, to those who have it made. We are not seeking to cater to a particular group, necessarily, but since those who have the power and wealth to make a community have… well, power and wealth, then the outcast and hated and poor aren’t so much rejected as neglected. We find that without thinking about the anawim, we have created no place for them. We put our churches where public transportation cannot go. If someone admits that they can’t afford to go to the church retreat, we will treat them like charity, making them give personal information we might not require of others. Church business is done at meetings in restaurants the poor aren’t invited to and they couldn’t afford. Our worship focuses on the functionally literate, those who sing well, or who can see the words on the screen. We dress well, not thinking about how uncomfortable we will make those who cannot dress as we dress.
And so the anawim don’t feel comfortable in our congregations. It isn’t anything we said. We may have tried our best to be welcoming. We may have given them a central spot and asked them to stand up and tell everyone in the church who they were. But culturally, we are giving a message that they are welcome IF they become like us.
More congregations—not all, but more—need to consider how to best welcome the anawim of their neighborhoods. Perhaps some would rather have a church service that wasn’t located in a church sanctuary. Perhaps some would come, if a meal was offered before the service. Perhaps a number of people in the church could “dress down” to reflect the people Jesus said were blessed.
In order for us to welcome the anawim, we must change culturally to be like them, not assume that our cultural standards are everyone elses’.
If we do welcome the anawim, we may find our culture changing more than we like. We may find that we are driving away others who can’t deal with the stress of a cross-cultural congregation. We may even find our congregation sounding like this, but this is the cost of having a Jesus-like church. I’m sure it wasn’t the most orderly meal when Jesus ate with the sinners and tax collectors, either.
If you would like to take a test to see how close you come to being Anawim, or if you would like to find out more about Anawim, please check out this article
*These terms are all taken from Jesus’ beatitudes, found in Matthew 5:3-12 and Luke 6:20-24.
**The term “poor in spirit” used in Matthew 5:3 is borrowed from Proverbs 16:19; The phrase “the meek shall inherit the earth” is from Psalm 37:11. The words “humble” “poor” and “meek” in these passags are all translations of the Hebrew word “anawim”.
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Draw Me Into You
This is an original song we sing at Anawim:
Jimmy Pardo’s baptism this last Sunday
Chorus:
Lord, lead me out of me
Draw me into You
Help me set aside my wants
Draw me into You
Free me from depression
Free me from apathy
Free me from obsessions
Free me from all my pain
Free me from deception
Free me from speech untrue
Free me from frustration
Draw me, Lord, into You
Chorus
Make in us humility
Make in us holy wills
Make in us your mercy
Make in us pure clean hearts
Make in us your unity
Make in us faithful truth
Make in us your charity
Draw us, Lord, into You
Chorus
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Building Blocks
Forty thousand dollars is a decent amount of money, but not huge.The median salary for a family of four in the United States is about $42,000. A family of four can live pretty well on $40,000, if they spend wisely. Just a bit of care, and one can do pretty well.
You can send two kids to college with $40,000. A kindergarten teacher makes a little more than $40,000, and so does a basic graphic designer. It’s not shabby, but it isn’t excessive, either. A pretty basic amount. You can’t live excessively on $40,000, but you can survive.
Did you know that Anawim’s budget is about 40,000 dollars a year? Our total budget. Some years we get that full amount in donations, some not. Not sure you believe me? Look at how much we spent last year.
For that amount this is what we do:- We provide a staffed day shelter, warehouse, gardens, mail, worship for the homeless in Gresham.
- We provide about 20,000 meals a year all over Portland.
- We provide hygiene items, clothes, and sleeping gear to over 300 homeless around Portland and Gresham, even if their items are stolen or taken away.
- We provide about 4000 pairs of socks and about 2500 showers a year for the homeless.
- We provide housing for up to 10 homeless individuals at a time.
- We providing caretaking and management for a three acre property in Gresham.
- And we are open at our regular hours every day of the year, no closing for holidays, because the homeless don’t get a holiday from being homeless.
Mind you, this 40,000 isn’t miracle money. It means that our staff don’t get a salary, even if they work up to 60 hours a week. Some get housing from Anawim, everyone gets at least some of their food from Anawim.
We aren’t whining. But we wanted to let you know a couple things:
- Our ministry isn’t able to do all we can because we have a lot of money. Helping the poor doesn’t require tons of money, just a lot of heart and a lot of commitment. And some friends who are poor.
- We’d love to have a larger budget. We’d love to provide a salary for our staff, or at least a regular stipend. We’d love to give everyone breaks and perhaps a staff retreat. We’d love to have a day shelter in St. Johns. We’d love to reopen in Southeast Portland again. We’ve got lots of plans. We are just waiting for the Holy Spirit to stir some folks to give us the finances we need to do it.
- You don’t have to be wealthy to help us financially. You hear about those organizations that say “any little bit helps.” Well, we mean it. We are so close to the edge all the time that we literally praise God every time someone donates a bit to the kitty. Occasionally it means that we get to keep the electricity on. Really.
- The average pastor of a congregation in the United States makes twice as much as our whole organization does. I’m not judging, I’m just saying. You draw your own conclusions.
Please feel free to donate to Anawim so we can do more with a little.
Fahim
Hermie Bockhorst’s Sunday school class ctllecoed items for a local food pantry in August. We have decided that this will be an ongoing ministry of our class. A plastic container is being placed in our classroom to place items in and as it gets filled, we will deliver to a food pantry.
SteveKimes
That’s great. I wish more believers would do that. Keep loving everyone in Jesus’ name.
Auth
Well, I learned sotenhimg new. They must have changed the parameters for GenX, because I was born in 1980 and always thought I was a GenXer.. used to go to 1981… anywho… seriously? Only 4% of my generation believes the Bible!? Praise the Lord for Godly parents! Thank you Jesus! The kids need to be in Church… not youth group, not children’s church, but Church. I don’t me do not have these things, but a saved child, no matter what age, needs to be in “big” Church in my opinion, and the youth can STILL have their own group and attend regular services. Also, we HAVE to teach about having a RELATIONSHIP with our Maker and Saviour. If you are best, best friends with the God of our salvation, it won’t be so easy to walk away:) I pray my kids stay in Church…
Kevrell
A pleasingly raiontal answer. Good to hear from you.
SteveKimes
Well, thank you. I try to remain rational. Except when I’m having one of THOSE days. You know, those irrational ones. :)
Laquisha
Such a deep awnser! GD&RVVF
Ali
Their understanding of the great comossiimn is that each believer is commanded to preach the gospel to everyone they can. Some denominations take this to the extreme of interrupting people in the privacy of their homes. I am a believer but I don’t think this is what Jesus had in mind at all. One way I can tell is that it irritates me when people interrupt me in my home to sell me something or preach something at me. So the golden rule won’t allow me to do that to other people. I also don’t answer the door unless I look through the peep hole and see someone I know or who has legitimate business standing out there on my porch. I ignore the doorbell otherwise and they go away.
Mano
- Mind you this is an unsalvational issue, But, in senieg that, God so loved the world that He sent his only begotten Son, . . . . . . If there’s several Calendar days of the year, that remind the Earth’s people that the Father did send His Son, then good for the Calendar, the People, the Father, & His only begotten Son, Cause He would, that NONE would perish, but, all would have everlasting life . . . God would never hate an event, or day, that causes People world wide to acknowledge His own love He has for us . . . PS By the tone of your question, I’m surprised that you didn’t end your question with Bah Hum Bug . . .
Stamroe
This post has really got me tiiknhng. First let me say I completely agree with you Trey about what Jesus would do. It brings me into the next thing I have been wrestling with. A dream, a revival dream I have been having where there is no Church building, or organization no names, no denominations, no positions just loving Christ and helping each other out (like Jesus commanded). I have a dream where the church is going out doing basically what you guys are doing (dump days), feeding the poor, helping the sick, etc. I feel the same thing is being said week after week in church, making ppl comfortably numb (please excuse my pink floyd reference lol) with fancy rhetoric that doesnt fill missing hole, while people are suffering on the streets .. and ill be the first to admit that I am guilty of being comfortably numb. Just thoughts I suppose.
Magui
I wish New Way church the type of suscecs that only the Lord can grant. Not worldly, numeric, financial or celebrity suscecs. The Lord can offer you peace walking on the path He has planned. I certainly hope that New Way blooms and provides a sustainable and stable place of worship for the people of Austin. But most of all, I hope that all of you can give the work up to the Lord and accept with peacefulness whatever happens, however people in the area respond to your invitation. Warm wishes,Brian
Zoila
(This joke was sent to me a couple of weeks ago, funny, yet I feel thuogh this is too true in our society.One Sunday morning during service, a 2,000 member congregation was surprised to see two men enter, both covered from head to toe in black and carrying submachine guns. One of the men proclaimed, “Anyone willing to take a bullet for Christ remain where you are.” Immediately, the choir fled the deacons fled and most of the congregation fled . Out of the 2,000 there only remained around 20. The man who had spoken took off his hood He then looked at the preacher and said “Okay Pastor, I got rid of all the hypocrites Now you may begin your service. Have a nice day!”) I think that today we have the wrong interpretation of what is the church, it was never a building, althuogh today, that’s the most common definition. The church is the body of Christ. I really don’t believe he would go to church “building”, but instead would be hanging out with the poor, the orphans, the widows, the crippled, the sick. I think that is where we will experience Jesus and the Church.
Pamella
I definitely agree that tares are the issue. Wheat will work for the kiongdm in one accord, or at least come to one accord eventually–misunderstandings are bound to happen on this side of eternity. Divisions with the pastor and within congregations usually come because of a lack of focus on the most importance thing, Jesus Christ.I’m very happy with my current church as the pastoral staff love getting behind their congregations’ ideas and running with them, offering suggestions and corrections along the way, empowering the people of God rather than ruling them. It’s very refreshing to have that kind of environment.
SteveKimes
I think one of the issues happen when church leadership determines who the “tares” are before the end and to tear (pun, heh) them out of the church. Jesus himself said that this tears (hee) the field apart. If we give grace to all, while still proclaiming the truth, then we have a vision of what Jesus has in mind, I think.
Pao
, Having served smelalr churches in communities with larger churches, there is a tragic, but undeniable distance between the two. Large churches don’t need the help of smelalr ones or have time to invest. And smelalr churches sometimes falsely label large churches with an if it’s big, it’s bad mentality. What you are doing bridges that gap and serves as an example to churches everywhere we’re in this together! on 07 April 2011 / 5:20 PM
Danny
Amen, Brian. I have actually been quite moved by how much peace I have found in just leittng go of outcomes and trusting that the Lord will bring spiritual good out of whatever natural circumstances I find myself in.I’m praying that New Way has a long history on this earth as an authentic community that is led by the Lord. And I am trusting that however things go, good will come of it.
Prithvi
I think it’s really easy to get skceud into those kind of situations, sometimes unaware, and its only when you’ve extricated yourself that you realise how spiritually dirty it made you feel. It’s not easy, though, especially as for instance you might have to work with these people or they might be your relations. I am trying to work on setting boundaries, and truly believing I have the right to express these, but it can be difficult!
Reginald
, I hate him, the pastor said, Now, you don’t hate him. You’re just upset. I hlsitay retracted my words, of course. How dare anyone tell me what I feel or don’t feel? Never mind that I really was deeply wounded. I was just told by implication that I was not allowed to speak freely. I think it would’ve been far more productive to acknowledge what I said without making a judgement, because at that point I still loved my husband and wanted to make things work. Instead, I learned to squash what I felt and to paste on a happy face on Sundays. I grew increasingly disgusted with it, and with my husband’s repeated trips to the altar in repentance, and eventually stopped going to church altogether.I was lovingly embraced and supported by a different congregation so much so that I relented from my previous vow never to step foot in church again. (I knew the pastor socially and her compassion and nonjudgmental counsel won me over.) The church helped me in practical ways one Christmas I received a basket that contained over $1000 in gift cards for groceries and clothes and gifts. And not a single comment not even a look of judgment. Just love and a helping hand.
Ike
(Please understand that I am gneiralezing and that I am not implicating ALL churches.)My opinion is that the reason these statistics exist is BECAUSE of the church. If the church wants to keep kids, it needs to learn how to encourage them in Christ rather than discourage them from the world. There is a difference. We need to be more accepting of kids rather than criticize their every wrong move. I’m not saying overlook blatant sin but I am saying not to put expectations on what Christianity looks like. Kids with purple hair and ripped jeans aren’t all bad and they might have a heart for worship if we could get past their outer layer.I’m a married grown-up and I sometimes feel like I am not “good enough” or that I don’t measure up in some Christian’s eyes. If I feel that way, imagine what some impressionable teenager must feel like.Sorry for the long answer…you just touched on a topic that is very, very close to my heart.
Jonathan
This is actually shiotemng we have been addressing at our church in the past few months. We have been incorporating more activities for our youth, such as– on a specific Sunday night, the youth conducts our entire service; our music director has incorporated some of the new Contemporary Christian music into our services, which the youth absolutely love. We have also brought a young youth minister in which has been such a blessing!Honestly, I think one of the main reasons the statistics are what they are is because a lot of churches are too set in older ways– not so much catering to the older members, but pacifying them by not incorporating newer ideas and technology into the service, etc. It is absolutely critical that we do all we can to make our young people feel a part of the church because they are the future of the church, and they need all the guidance they can get in this harsh and cruel world!!
Takayuki
- Fantastic story Terry. I, like so many others have often wkeald by the homeless wondering about their lives but not willing to spend the time to find out. Barry shows us that they are real people with real feelings. I certainly hope he is getting the care required at this stage in his life.
Ponkiya
, As a pastor of a cchruh in a small town (Shippensburg, PA) my jaw dropped as I read this blog post first because of how Brand New Church is ministering to this cchruh down the street and secondly because they are a cchruh in the denomination I’m affiliated with as well. Thanks, Shannon, for loving The Church and for reaching out in this manner. What an example you are setting! Blessings. on 07 April 2011 / 12:20 PM
Setareh
Well if we are talking about lost kids that don’t have godly pnraets… as a missionary (now SAHM and wife to a missionary) with Child Evangelism Fellowship I must say you (the church) must go to the kids. It’s not good enough to teach sunday school classes of kids “About” Jesus. You MUST share the Gospel with them! Most of our churches teach Bible stories to children… which obviously I have no issues with… but I bet the reason these kids end up leaving is because they never became Christians! As someone who taught kids sunday school for a long time I can tell you most of the curriculum DOES NOT share the gospel… or it does once every 5 weeks or something like that. That isn’t good enough! You can’t expect kids to stay in church if they never accepted Christ as their personal Savior. For kids outside of the church? Go to where they are. Schools (yes you can do it, visit cefonline.com) community centers, parks, wherever kids are and tell them why Jesus came.Kids should know Bible Stories but if they don’t know the Gospel then they can’t be saved and won’t stay in church.
Jose
Okay, next to my family and my kids, this is my Passion topic! It’s what gets my jceius flowing.First and foremost, I believe that those statistics are proof that the church has fallen asleep. The church has narrowed itself into a corner and unless willing to adapt to some change, this statistic I fear will grow. Churches have been doing what they do because that’s the way it’s always been done. Some churches hold tight to Tradition. The church can never compete with culture. They will never win. Its just the way it is. But the church can certainly change from “doing” to having a strategy.If You read my “About” section on my blog, you’ll see a line where I wrote, “I bleed Orange.” I encourage you to check out http://www.whatisorange.com to learn more about that and to see where my firm stance on what the church should be doing.We (as in Us, Moms, Parents, etc) put So much responsibility on the Church for those poor statistics. I see it as a 50/50 deal. Parents need to wake up and realize that they are the primary spiritual leaders in their kids lives. The church is a “Partner” to you as a Parent. Or at least it should be. There in lies the problem. Churches are failing to see that they need to come along side of us as parents and support us and understand that what happens at home is far more important than what happens at church. I am a product of Christian parents, christian private schools and church all my life. I saw friends come and go within the church. From my experience, The leadership within the church are all on different pages. Nursery, elementary, youth and “big” church are all doing their own thing. There is no strategy. They are silo’d. I beg of the church to align themselves together with parents and have a strategy for how to get a child from birth through college not ever wanting to leave the church! It is possible. It just means people are going to have to adapt to change and let some things go. Sorry for the rant. I warned you that it was a Passion area for me. I could say so much more…. : )
Verdell
Trey, I can tell you what I think would happen at our chucrh. The elders would think he was too radical, and in their best pharisitical way would have him thrown out. The nerve of him to want to feed the poor, if they have any connection to sin or worst yet profess to be a christian and follower of Jesus, just not from our congregation, if someone is hungry from a denomonation they will just have to starve! According to our elders, we would go to hell if we were to lift a finger to help them ..
Eliseu
I have a private prtaicce for and have found that I’ve had a lot of success with offering chair massage services at apartment complexes for the office staff and residents. I’ve gained a lot of new clients, and also helped the apartment complex by providing a new amenity for their community. Thanks for all of your awesome articles that help all of us to build our prtaicces! Love your blog! -Corey
Antonio
I love these pictures, baecuse through them I see LOVE,HOPE, TRUTH and EVERLASTING LIFE WITH MY SAVIOR. The pictures of his CRUCIFICTION tells me that if he could endour all the pain and humiliation, then so can I. You are not worshiping the pics, but seeing what our LORD went through for all of us. We were made in HIS IMAGE and COLOR HAS NO MEANING IN HIS EYES. I am Native American and in our language that He gave us, HE is Wanka Tanka, The Great Spirit, Our Creator. All he wants EVERYONE to do is LOVE ONE ANOTHER and TELL OTHERS ABOUT HIM. Thank you Great Spirit for your Unmerciful Treatment, I am waiting for you to return. God Bless Everyone.
Nick
, Wow I started redniag you book today. The 1st 3 chapters seemed to just happen to our family @ the end of last year. To city for their country church after almost 4 yrs. We started a new church 14 miles down the road in the rural town we live in. I’m excited to see what He is going to do there at Highland Wesleyan Church. Praise God your church is willing to do something different & bless another church instead of yourselves!! We will be praying for a mighty move of the Holy Spirit on that whole community!God Bless!PK on 08 April 2011 / 9:15 PM
Bung
As a pastor’s wife- this topic is near to my heart!First of all, I have to say that I do not bleeive that the “Church” is at fault!! The Bible is very clear, that it is to be us PARENTS that are to be training our children in righteousness!!! Sunday School & Youth Group were started many, many years later & really were started for the “non-churched” kids! Those statistics are sad, but I think they are a lot due to the fact that parents have been relying on the church to teach their children about Christ- instead of taking an active role themselves (& actually living what they bleeive)!A couple things our church does that I LOVE are… when children turn 4, they join their parents in “big” church- children younger than that are certainly welcome, but there is nursery & children’s church provided for children under 4. Although I do understand how difficult it can be for some kids to sit so long (we are all about wiggles at our house), we bleeive that having children in the service, plants seeds in their little hearts! :)We also have just started a curriculum (our pastors & elders & teachers have created) that lasts 7 years & walks everyone through the Bible… all Sunday School classes of various ages as well as the sermon are focused on the SAME topic… are memorizing the same verse, etc. In this way, children (along with their parents) will go through an in depth study of the whole Bible twice.Sorry, this is getting way too long! ;)Great question!Jessica
Aslam
Thankyou very very much for the wonderful job you have done. May God Almighty Bless you alyaws. Seeing the picture of Jesus just tells my concious to be good because I have received the immense Graces of Jesus Christ in my whole life and espesially when participating in the retreat that was held in Vettucaud in 1993 conducted by Divine Retreat Centre. Images alyaws influence our mind and body in a very big way and have been proved by scientists and doctors. Thankyou once again.
Cristian
Oh my word we are SO on the same track!! I think my view of Jesus makes some a bit uncomfortable, too-but I think that is good I think He would tell some of us that we have mssied the point that following Jesus is not all about DOing Church, but BEing the Church-not only to the world, but to each other. I have been ruminating lately about the original Church in Acts, and how they truly were community, family-living among each other, sharing all the had and how extremely different that looks today. I believe that much of our mentality and theology has strayed far away from His original intention and the true meaning of Church.Anyway I could stay on the soapbox awhile about that glad we are on the same wavelength!