This is a guest post from Glenn Hager.
Glenn encourages free-spirited people of faith through his writing, speaking, consulting, and one-on-one relationships. He lives in the Chicago area with his amazingly patient wife, Patty, a spoiled beagle, and a crazed cat. He enjoys spending time with his kids and grandkids, bicycling, traveling, reading, writing, playing guitar, trying new restaurants, and chatting with friends.
Glenn writes at GlennHager.com and you may connect with Glenn on Facebook or Twitter.
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What if I really followed Jesus? If I think about it in daily life, nitty-gritty terms, it would look something like this for me.
If I really followed Jesus…
I would stop worrying about the church and would not confuse it with Jesus or his kingdom. I would realize that following Jesus is a personal matter and it is my responsibility to live in his ways as I go about my regular daily life. Community is important, but how I follow Jesus is up to me.
I wouldn’t be afraid to “speak truth to power,” whether the “power” is the church the government, the corporate world, or politically correct ideologies. I, also, wouldn’t be surprised if it makes some people really mad.
I would make it a point to seek out those who need a little help, a little love, and be their friend. It would be an intentional daily focus, as I become more aware of the people that I meet in the normal course of life.
I would become an all-out people-person who is highly interested in individuals and their stories. I would become a better conversationalist, a great listener, a good asker of questions, and I would be honest about my own failures.
I would become a big time partyer and attend and host lots of parties and gatherings. I would know how to have a good time and how to help people have a good time.
I would figuratively and literally embrace people.
I would help make their day a little brighter and I would be with them in their darkest moments.
I would become a better storyteller because of the sheer power of a good story.
I would heavily invest in the most important people in my life.
I would look for chances to surprise people with grace.
I would look for new opportunities to connect with people who take me outside of my comfort zone.
I would believe that Jesus is who he said he was and not try to earn his favor, but would bask in his love and grace.
I would devote my life to learning to love people like he did.
(Note: The previous post is an excerpt from Glenn’s soon-to-be-published book, An Irreligious Faith: How to Starve Religion and Feed Life)
What areas in your life might look different if you really focused on following Jesus? Let us know in the comments below!
In the previous posts in this series (sign up at the bottom of this email to receive all the posts for free) we have discussed methods for getting acquainted with our neighbors, building relationships with them, and having group events that will help all of us to get to know each other better. In order to avoid some of the common problems that can occur during this process, let’s look at some pitfalls to avoid.
This is a guest post from Randall Burgess on how to understand Scripture in context. He uses the specific example of Matthew 6:25 where Jesus says “Do not worry.”
While it is helpful to memorize scriptural passages to discipline our mind, to have encouraging things to remember, and to have passages to meditate upon when we prepare to pray, it is also important to be aware of and understand the context from which the passage comes.
The adults of the village filed into the community meeting house and found their usual seating locations, which identified their rank within the tribe. Everyone was dressed in accordance with the customary dress for such occasions.