American Church

It's 1:58 am, and I wake to the message of a friend who needs medical care, but is denied because Medicaid drama has happened. If you have not dealt with them, you won't understand. It's complicated.

I finally fall asleep again, and then wake up earlier than necessary for a Saturday morning, because drama rolls around in my brain like unstoppable marbles.

Since my carrier was kind enough to give me 2 extra gigs this month, I turn on you tube, and tackle the Saturday tasks. And this comes up, and hits the nail on the head of exactly what I feel in my 2 world life. On one side, I live, work and love on people in a different language, sitting on the floor, and eating with my right hand fingers. This cross cultural has become completely normal, and I am even ok with the spice. On a very different front, not so far away, I go to church with people like me. People who have nice houses and little drama, who sing beautifully, and for the most part, lead good lives.

“It starts right here” by Mark Hall on YouTube talked about how less and less people are wanting to start ministries and more and more just want something to make them happy and entertained. Christians are going from being on the offensive to barely defending themselves in the spiritual battle.

Please listen and be called to more. Not condemned. Just invited to more passion, more life. Be challenged to live on the offense and not on the defense.

Let's back up to last night. God worked repentance in my own life, and then mere hours later, I get hit by a powerful cyclone of lies. They feel extremely believable, even though I know I have a choice in what I believe. I can think of people who I feel safe to reach out to, but they live on the other side of world. If I am really honest, there would be people closer, and my heart doesn't want to pour out.

A huge percentage of the reason I don't want to is because they are not involved in my second world. I am afraid if I say too much about the hard stuff of the broken hood I live in or the way it wears on me, even less people will be brave and courageous enough to enter the fray. It's beyond essential that someone shows up. I have more than what I can do. I don't want pity. I want understanding. People who get it because they are in the trenches, too.

I used to think that not every single body in the hood had a big ugly hard piece they have to live with. There is a family that I was convinced that they don't have abnormal drama. Then I heard their hard truth. And it happens to hit home.

I don't think everyone needs to move to a city, or the other side of the world. I just think we need more people who want to make a difference. People who dream, and reach out, offering hope. People who have enough passion to be on the offense, and not the defense. Individuals who believe God enough to serve Him with their lives as a love gift.

The lethargic mentality mentioned on this clip is what I struggle with. Church used to be for the broken, now it's just for us, too often. I would rather remain silent then sound like a whining prophet. But if we have slid to barely being able to defend ourselves from having a vibrant offensive team effort in previous generations, then I ask all of us to check our own soul. If you are not passionate, what is your destiny?