Process

Why I thought masks and pretend games only existed in a life outside of church, i'm not quite sure. But with my own experiences I should've known that people hide...even at church. The appearence of strength when there's nothing but weakness is something I'm sure everyone struggles in their life- and especially with Christ. If you're "strong", then you don't need anyone to depend on...

My good friend, Phillip Yancey, who wrote a book called "Church: Why Bother?" pointed this very fact out to me when I was reading a section called 'God's Twelve-Step Group'. Comparing Alcoholics Anonymous to the Church...something I probably wouldn't have done, but I guess that's why I have a blog instead of a book. But the qoute that really got to me, and related to what I have been spending a lot of time thinking about..: "Mostly, the members seemed to enjoy being around people who could see right through their facades. There was no reason not to be honest; everyone was in the same boat."
and then another one, "...humility, total honesty, and radical dependence-...these qualities seemed exactly what Jesus had in mind when he founded his first church."

Wow. It's funny how until something it spelled out for you, you never TRULY understand it. Same here- I mean i always knew the church was supposed to support each other- but that COMPLETE DEPENENCY on one another and the Lord- now that's something that had never made a dent in me. How many of us can say that we completely depend on the Lord...let alone anyone else?
I suppose I really liked that part of the book because it something that has been on my mind for a while now...that to be real in this world is a gift...and a talent. Not to conform and not to be the same as everyone else out there- is hard...coming from someone who struggles with it!...but as Mr. Yancey says, "I don't need to sin, I need another sinner."