tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12999951.post8745487467049700894..comments2023-03-30T02:49:08.074-07:00Comments on the overflow: LIVING ETERNALLY TODAYbrian c. berryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15221115935758929750noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12999951.post-36746140037255073452012-01-04T14:51:24.132-08:002012-01-04T14:51:24.132-08:00Brian, I fully agree with your statement that, &qu...Brian, I fully agree with your statement that, "I don't think he meant in like 70 years after a long happy life. I think he meant now." It's hard to accept that in the church, though.<br /><br />I don't really know you. I've never been to your church. Hopefully I can express this without it feeling like it's personal or an attack.<br /><br />For many of us who are unchurched or simply reject the "churchy" behavior that we see there, church fails to be a place that even remotely resembles the ideals the church presents itself as. We want to imagine that the church is full of Christ-like fellow believers who will help us on the journey, but often the people there abuse Christianity the way the pharisees and teachers of the law abused Judaism in Jesus' day. It's not that we think we "don't need this community of faith." It's that we can't handle it. We're tired of being gossiped about because we don't measure up to someone else's churchy expectations. We're tired of working our hardest to be Christlike only to be criticized by the people we expected to be encouraged by. The church may love me if I sit in my pew and remain disengaged and seemingly accept what I hear, but they seem to reject those who dare question the pat answers, who try to work within the church to better reach our community, or who might just be weird.<br /><br />It's not that we aren't interested in following Jesus in this life. We want heaven before we die. The problem is, sometimes going to church feels a lot like hell.<br /><br />Of course, it's not like that in your church or mine, right?Mike Lyonshttp://blog.themikelyonsshow.comnoreply@blogger.com