Whats the Point ?

Alright fellows... Please feel free to take this wherever you would like, as long as you answer the question.

My wife and I went to Harvest's evening service on Sunday which gave us the opportunity to stay home Sunday morning, something we haven't done often since we got married.

As we were cooking breakfast, one of us had the brilliant idea of inviting our neighbor, Eugene, to eat with us.

We've attempted to have him over a couple of times, but he's a vegetarian and he has a weird work schedule, so I think this was only the third time he'd come to eat with us. He happened to be home and he accepted our invitation.

Let me stop here and explain some things about Eugene.

Eugene is a devout Catholic.

To catch him home on a Sunday morning is about as rare as catching us home on a Sunday morning.

Eugene is not only devout, he lived in a Monastery for 10 years as a Franciscan monk. He took vows of poverty, solitude, and silence (I think those were the the three), so to that he is a devout Catholic is a bit of an understatement.

As the three of us gorged ourselves on some traditional Mennonite breakfast fare (Eugene abstained from the sausage), I posed the question to Eugene of his absence from church.

He explained to me his dissatisfaction with the church he was attending, a mostly traditional catholic church.

He said he wanted something with a little more life, something a little more lively.

He said that he'd visited another (catholic) church that was more lively and upbeat, but after talking with the choir director and hearing what she had to say, he felt like it was mostly show, that there was no depth there.

Diana and I talked about it afterward and found it amazing that this man, a former monk, was searching for the same things we're searching for. his background and church experience is completely different from ours, but he's looking for the same things. He's looking for something that has more life than meaningless rituals and more meaning than the show.

God is wooing not only the young and restless, but middle-aged monks as well.

Hey Guys,
It's been a while since I last posted . I miss you all and hope your holidays were as pleasant as mine. I got to see all my family ,and that, is always really cool.

So.... "Whats the Point?" ..... A poet once said " I still haven't found what I'm looking for " . I think the point is , Looking. Seeking. Searching. Following... Jesus said " Seek and you will find" . Finding Him is the easy part . Finding our Way is were the waters get muddied. How do I , as a Jesus loving ,People loving "new creation" co-exist with the rest of these earthlings. It seems as though the church has remained infantile and awkward in its 2000 year attempt to affect the world for the better. If my view seems a bit dark , I'm sorry. I know there are those that would argue the point....and maybe win. I am in fact refering to the traditions of the church(the church in general), you know , All those do's and don'ts , can and can'ts. Everyone has "Doctrinal" issues with everyone else. So, The Point I think is to first toss out the idea of co-existing . Our Traditions have allowed us to do That(co-exist) to a dismal effect. Jesus has called us to be a Light , The salt of the earth. When Jesus said to "be in the world but not of it" , I think He meant " You're there now, so get in it and get dirty. Spice it up , Let your life mirror Mine to the point of utter enlightenment for those around you.Love People. Love Me and know that your citizenship is in Heaven now! ...Somehow we took it to mean , -Build a bunch of huge churches wherever you go , Get as many people as you can inside them so that the people outside the church know that you are christians.-
So what needs to change ?
2 Peter 1:5-9 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
It's not so much the Act as it is the Way,the How, the Why, the Reason we Act . Will Christians look different ? Yes . Will we all look the same ? No. God has called us to be complete. Complete christianity is an active christianity , actions and activity that may not all look the same but will be colored more and more by the same Faith, Virtue, Knowledge, Self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love.
And the greatest of these is...........