So what

bad week last week. i really hate being sick. sinus congestion kept me from wearing my glasses for longer than ten minutes at a time. couldn't focus. couldn't read. couldn't write. doesn't make for a great week of study and preparation! it's good to be past all of that.

i was reading a review of a recent television show this morning and it made me think about our reputation as christians. the media, more often than not, paints a pretty crummy picture of christ's followers. whether it's a character in a drama or a participant in a reality series or a report of someone in the news, the person is usually a narrow-minded, ultra-conservative, uneducated fanatic. i suppose it bothers me, but it got me to wondering whether we have any right to expect otherwise.

i heard about a new church that said within their first seven years, they wanted to do something regularly in the community that would be missed if they ever stopped doing it. what a great goal! it makes me think about north point.

would we be missed in our community if we decided to fold up shop? the brutal answer is no. i'm sure we would be missed by our members. but the community...no way. so here's the challenge:

i'm not saying we're a bad church. far from that. we are strong and resilient. we are good people who work hard and serve well. we care about each other. we worship. we give. we are committed to truth and believe that jesus is the way. what i am saying is that in order to be the kind of people we are truly called to be, we have to take all of that "good" and give it away to those who don't know us and don't understand us and aren't one of us.

it's astounding to me that sinners and prostitutes and tax collectors and disillusioned and forgotten people were drawn to jesus. when he was gone, i'm sure he was missed. when the disciples dispersed, i'm sure they were missed. we're not going anywhere. i want to know we would be missed, tho.