I really don't like it when my Preacher is right:)

Hopefully you know that my title is dripping with sarcasm and has a good bit of truth in it. You ever have those times when someone says something that you know to be true and it drives you nuts. I have that experience most Sundays and Wednesday nights. The crazy thing is that I keep coming back for more:)

I am not saying it is just our Preacher but rather a confluence of him, our age (when did we get this close to 40), our children and the Holy Spirit. So I don't want our previous Churches to feel like they fell short. I believe that no matter how good the deliverer is or how good the message is the receiver has be ready to receive it. Funny how everything comes back to God as the Father and us being his children. But right now I feel challenged every time I go to Church, read the Bible (I still need to do a lot more of that), pray (ditto), interact with others, or take time to think about things.

As I tell people, it would be MUCH easier if I could just go to Church and not pay attention or if our Preacher would stop using the Bible so much:) Probably the thing I like most about him is that he does not pass judgment on others. Not to say he hasn't done that, we all do and have, but rather that in his message each week he just talks about what Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit are saying through the Bible and how he has struggled with what they are saying. I say "saying" and not "said" as I believe the Bible (His Word) is alive and not dead. Our Preacher leaves us to make our own convictions and discoveries. Doesn't that cut deeper? If someone tells you that you are wrong it is easy to get mad at them and forget about the wrong. But if you have the ah-ha moment and see the wrong... well that just SUCKS! Mainly because then you either need to change what you are doing or keep doing it knowing it is wrong. Side note, I do believe that only God can truly know right from wrong. See why this is frustrating? :)

Many of us say we want to grow spiritually but when you see what it takes to make that happen it gives me pause. Not that I won't do it but MAN, is it going to hurt! Sort of like it would be REALLY cool to run in the Boston Marathon until you figure out what it takes to get there AND then finish it. The biggest challenge with growing spiritually is that we never actually get "there." If someone thinks they are there and they have it figured out then I can guarantee they are not there and they don't have it figured out. Remember God wants our heart not our actions. If we give him our heart the actions will follow. Funny how giving God or someone your heart is an ongoing process (day to day, hour to hour and minute to minute) and not a one time thing.

I hope you are not living by a checklist of "right" things that God wants us to do to determine who is naughty and who is nice, God is NOT Santa:)

Al