Barneyisfat

I had an interesting experience reading a book last week.

I was reading "Church for the Unchurched." I was at Asbury College in Wilmore, KY. While I was reading about creating a service for pre-christian people. About half way through I started thinking ... "yes, but these principles aren't appliable everywhere. What about a place like Wilmore where there are only 2000 people when college is out for the summer?"

The last chapter of the book was about a church that started a church service for pre-Christians in WILMORE, KY! The author, I found out, was from the seminary - and he told of when seminary students started a service in Wilmore based on his principles. It was very successful, too. So I have come to the realization that if there are enough pre-Christian people in Wilmore "Christian Bubble" Kentucky ... well, there must be enough pre-Christians in Toccoa, Warren, and Kane to start new seeker sensitive services, too.

In Toccoa - the largest town in the MOST CHRISTIAN COUNTY in GEORGIA only 30% of the people go to church on any given Sunday!!!! If everyone decided to go to church there wouldn't be room. The same is true in Kane. What if our churches could reach out to the other 70%? Why can't we? What could possible be holding us back?

What if this summer my church planned 10 different neighborhood block parties in places where 3 or 4 families from the church lived? What if we really got to know our neighbors and invited them to church - or better yet introduced them to our savior?

I have so many grand ideas ... and yet so little energy. I have been trying an experiment. It takes about 4 times of being around a person I disliked before I can tolerate them enough to not dread hanging out with him or her.

It has taken 8 times of being with one person before I could call him a friend. Maybe that's a big investment ... it would be so much freaking easier to just say screw it and live with the fact that I don't like them. But, I know Jesus wouldn't do that. I know I do a lot of things that Jesus wouldn't do ... but I want to try and be more like Him. (So freaking cliche!)

I was with my youth group last night. It was a big hang out thing. There were 70 people there and most wouldn't be there if they were being preached at. Some were high, some came drunk, few are Christian, and the F-word was used liberally. For some reason I saw Jesus in it all. A lot of the adults - if they cared enough about the youth to show up - would be really pissed off at the whole thing. But, that's where Jesus was. That is where Jesus went. He would be with the drunk, high, non-Christian, and those who use the F-word. That's where I want to be.