Zip it! And Live it!

One aspect of Christian living I am finding a deeper appreciation for in these days are the people who intersect my life who have simply chosen to zip and live it! You can call them authentic disciples, emergent, the real deal, whatever...the point is that as my life intersects these lives I am more prone in my own life to just zip it and live it! Now I know there are two things that need clarification here. One thing is the definition of "it." When I mean "it" I mean the life of Christian faith that authentically mirrors that of Jesus. A life of humility and power, a life of love and hope, a life of healing and friendship, a life of sacrifice and grace. These attributes are those most notable and identifiable to people in this world as the core tenants of who Jesus was and is. That's what I mean by "it." Not playing Christian games and calling people ungodly Christian names.

The second thing I've come to enjoy about the fresh movement of Christian faith - emergent - is that these folks are the real zip it and live it crowd. It's not so much that talking cool about Christianity is the thing to do, I think just living authentic Christianity is the thing in this crowd. And so, I'm all for emergent Christian faith if it means that by example I am shown that it's just about time we Christians just zip it and live it! That's all I gotta say.

Walk with me...

A People of God...

This last week it was unfortunate that I took a bit of a detour from my Gutsy Faith reading because I had the privilege to "hit the road" and be at the Nazarene Black Ministries Conference in Dallas. I had a terrific time and learned to love the broader scope of my Nazarene family in a greater way than ever before. I walked away refreshed by people who are favored and highly blessed and challenged to see myself as such also. The preaching was out of this world as the afro-homiletic always inspires me to evaluate who I am in Christ, who I am in my community, and who I am in the Kingdom of God.

In some unique way this wonderful group of Nazarenes exemplify the gutsy faith ideal. Trusting God in the storms of life, trusting God for his 'yes', trusting God in His silence, trusting God in the struggles of home, community, and socio-economic challenges. Truly I can say I loved every minute of this conference and the people I met, hugged, prayed with and laughed with were a true delight and example of authentic faith and optimism that love, hope, and joy in Christ wins the day and the battle!

Thanks be to God!