To wear the uniform

I can remember it to this day.
I was handed the blue and white number 34 Martinsville basketball jersey.
And I had cold chills.
And not just any jersey, but the varsity jersey. The one I had seen others wear.
Now this may not seem like a bid deal to some of you, but for a tall, lanky introvert from the wrong side of the tracks, it was a huge deal.
And you have to understand, in the eighties, Martinsville basketball was something special. Other teams always had to look out for us, we may have not won every game, but we played hard, and we always won more than we lost.
Being on the team meant you were part of a special group of guys that was willing to give up a lot of time, sweat and sometimes blood for the good of the team.
And I was one of the "special" ones.
To wear this uniform however had costs. I spent a huge amount time in the gym. While some of my friends were doing stuff, I played basketball.
We had a strict code of conduct, which was good, but we had a coach that demanded perfection from us on the court. You might say he was kind of like Bob Knight, only not quite as bad.
My point?
To wear the uniform, it's going to cost you something.
Jesus said as much in the Bible, count the cost before you follow me. Understand what this will cost you.
And when I think of my life, God didn't deliver me from being a drug addict, an alcoholic or motorcycle gang member.
I remember reading amazing stories of ex-gang members being saved, drug addicts coming to Christ.
Great and wonderful stories.
But I wonder did anyone even notice the change in me?
I think as Christians we tend to put sin at different levels. My sin isn't as bad as your sin.
But remember, God doesn't see it that way.
I think we tend to find behaviors we don't like, then label it as sin. As long as we don't do it and we see others that do, we must be better than them, never mind what the the Bible says or doesn't say about it. I think the Bible calls that, the rules of men.
I've noticed 2 schools of thought on this from the church landscape of today.
View#1- The conservative approach, which I define as the don't smoke, drink or cuss approach. Those who label sin as what as seen on the outside. They have a very hard time with the thought of Jesus drinking anything but water. They feel that you can tell if someone is a believer by watching what they do or say. They just know God is against drinking and smoking and having church anywhere but in a church sanctuary.
View#2- The liberal approach, which I define as the do whatever you want since your never going to be perfect anyway approach. This group seemed to be the happier bunch, since they don't feel a need to change what they do. They love all the verses about God's grace and are content with themselves and their approach to Christianity. They want to have church anywhere but in a normal church environment.
Now these are the two extremes, and some people have a little of each. We tend to find the things we like and do those things and give up trying to do the things that are difficult.
I have problems with both views.
In the first approach I tend to find to many judgmental people who think they are perfect and make themselves feel better by pointing out sin in others. I want to state this very clearly, you are not without sin. The Bible makes this point very clear. You might have everybody fooled by your actions, but God knows your heart.
In the second approach I tend to find people who can't make up their minds who they want to follow. Since perfection is not going to happen, why try? The Bible makes it clear that we are a NEW creation. The old is gone, and we must put on the new. Does this make us perfect?
No, but I'd like to think people notice that we are a little bit different.
Should we at least try to live our lives better? If we have the uniform of Christ on, shouldn't we work as hard as we can to please Him?
As I see it, the Christian walk is a journey. Paul describes it as a race, a long race. We learn more about our Savior as we mature, and in that maturity we need to take on more of His ways. Nobody starts the race knowing everything, and we will stumble. The point is to continue running.
Jesus said in John that if we love Him we will obey Him.
Maybe we don't love Him as much as we say we do, since we can't seem to obey His word. I say this knowing that He loves me way more than I could ever love Him.
I didn't play basketball my senior year, I began to see that I just wasn't going to be good enough to start my final year. Younger and better players were coming up and it just wasn't fun anymore. You are much more willing to work hard when you know that there is a reward at the end of the tunnel.
Jesus knows I will never be good enough to approach God without His sacrifice, but the question is am I willing to sacrifice my life, all of my life, for Him?
I still have my high school basketball jersey at home. I laugh when I look at it, thinking I once could fit into it, but still I handle it with care, knowing what I sacrificed for it.
Knowing what Christ sacrificed for us, shouldn't we handle our relationship with Him with care?

NOT THE EASTER BUNNY!!!

This is a good one.
It seems that the city council of St Paul Minnesota has outlawed (gulp) the Easter Bunny.
What's really funny is the reason.
It might offend non-Christians.
I read this while looking at an article by Cal Thomas, who said, in a nutshell, that people just don't get Easter.
I would like to inform the fine city council of St Paul that the Easter Bunny did not die a cruel death on a cross, then rise on the the third day.
In fact, the Easter Bunny was probably created to make Easter more attractive to those who either deny Christ or simply don't want to think about it.
This really doesn't surprise me, in a culture that is so paranoid about offending anyone, except Christians of course.
But pick on the poor Easter Bunny?
Shocking.
Maybe if I'm offensive, the city of St Paul will outlaw me.
Well it's not like me, but I'm going to try it.
1. I want to be offensive to those who only come to church on Easter and Christmas. The church and the sacred holidays were not created so you can dress up nice and show up twice a year. I really think some of you think your doing the church a favor by showing up. Your always welcome however, and that welcome goes for all the other Sundays as well.
2. I want to be offensive to Sunday morning "tippers". You know, the people who throw God a dollar every Sunday. I mean they have been giving God a dollar for thirty years. Doesn't God deserve a cost of living increase? You probably got a raise, shouldn't God get one? Look if your REALLY that poor, just keep your buck. You must need your cash more than the church does.
3. I want to be offensive to all of you legalistic Christians. I have actually witnessed, at a former church I attended, the women of the church accuse each other of wearing make-up and having finger nail polish on. I only wish I was kidding. When you start focusing on "rules" and stop doing ministry, it won't be long and you will be the only one sitting in your church. Nobody else is going to be able to live up to your standards. Remember, Christ had his harshest words for those who "appeared" to be following the rules, but Jesus knew better. No one is without sin, so stop acting like you haven't even heard of the word.
4. I want to be offensive to those pastors who are bad mouthing other denominations from the pulpit. Can't you come up with something to preach about besides the church across the street (usually the one that has more cars parked in the parking lot)? Aren't you to lead your flock and let the pastor of the other church lead his? Maybe your jealous, maybe you think that your denomination is the only one that is right. If your leading your church in the right direction, God will bless you. Concentrate on that.
Man that felt good.
You will notice I was offensive to some church going folk.
Why?
Because a lot of people don't attend churches for the reasons I listed above (I'm sure there's more, but I'm kind of new at this offensive thing). They see the church saying one thing and doing another.
Look, I'm not perfect (you can ask my wife about that one) and I hope I'm not making anyone believe that I am. I am a poor excuse for a follower of Christ. I sin every day with my thoughts and in my heart. I am nothing without the Grace of God, because I will never be "good enough".
And I hope your not offended by that.