the church and houdini

This weekend I had the chance to hang out with some of the most amazing girls I've ever known! Their passion for the Lord is unbelievable. Perhaps what I love most though is the fact that they think outside the box. Actually, it's much more than they themselves thinking outside the box. I think what draws me to them is the fact that they serve a HUGE God and they refuse to put Him in a box labeled "Church norms". Isn't that what we do so often? We say we understand how huge God is and His amazing power, but then we proceed to put God in a box, duct tape it shut, and then put that box in a steel container, hoping that God won't get out and actually shift, change, and/or completely shatter our happy little norms. (Not that norms are a bad thing all the time, but so often we create these norms just to stay comfortable.) See, God is like Houdini (roll with me on this). He can and WILL get out of any box we as puny humans try to put Him in. Because God's thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways! Hallelujah! Imagine what a puny God we would serve, if He weren't able to break free from our definition of "right" and "wrong".

I heard not to long ago from a pastor that the reason so many college freshmen don't continue to go to church is because we don't pursue them and so they get entrapped by liberal professors at school. Perhaps a good thought, but I disagree. I think often we pursue people in general (not just college freshman) so much so that we completely turn them off of this "Christianity" thing. Not pursue them with God's love, but rather with a list of "do's and don'ts". For instance, there is a girl who is in 9th grade at my church who is developing a hatred for "the church" - not for Christ - because she doesn't fit the norms of looking or acting "right" and therefore receives condemnation from so many.

God is God and I am not! Remember that today...