I was thinking yesterday about a cool video idea.

I thought it would be important to illustrate how we can sit in a church seat on Sunday and receive the Idea

develop the Idea

but never share or implement the Idea.

Jesus becoming humble in humanity, showing us how to connect with God and dying to bring us reconciliation to the Father, that whoever believes in Him will be changed and have reconciliation with God; LIVING (doing) the abundant life of faith, hope, and love. Healed. Restored. In shalom*.

* Jewish word for peace, derived from the root meaning: peace, wholeness, completion, perfection.

Yes, the IDEA. The Soul-ution. (haha, funny typo) That was bad...anyway...

(draw arrow back to video idea) This video I had in mind would be somebody sitting in their church seat (picture the gray chairs at NewSpring, or wherever you go to church).

Now see yourself

in the chair

just sitting.

You and the chair. In line at the supermarket. At work. The breakroom. In school. The gym. Everyone is is living. DOING. But you,

just sitting.

I have the funny feeling, mostly 'cause I am guilty of it too, that we do this.

We sit in our mindset of being at church when we ARE the church. We should be LIVING.

DOING.

How other people live, and what other people do...it is normal. It is ordinary.

But how Christ LIVES, what Christ DOES...that....that is EXTRAORDINARY. That LASTS. That is WHAT MATTERS MOST.

Are you...Christ? Are you LIVING + DOING like Him?

I think sometime we miss the point.

Like when was the last time you made a friend just for the heck of it? No agenda. No "I have to get them to church somehow...".

No partiality because of their "potential" to be another member of the club.

But just to be. Because that person is cool. Or not cool, but you just happen to get along...the situations could be anything.

Just because. Just because their path happens to intersect with yours.

And the whole sharing the Idea thing?

It's not a lecture, or tricking them to going into church, or FCA, or your youth event. It's NOT forcing other people to do something or live a certain way. It is NOT a process or procedure...

IT IS seeing them as they are; meeting them as they are.

and LOVING THEM FOR IT. It's letting them discover for themselves what Jesus is.

Good way to think of this: You are a Discovery Channel for the world.

They don't want to watch it 24/7, but they may be flipping through the channels...

and if you are LIVING, DOING, LOVING as a Christ-follower, it won't be hard for them to be captivated

intrigued, interested, filled with hope

and people will WANT to know more.

and THAT is FUN. It brings...

JOY.

For everyone.

( And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY that will be for ALL THE PEOPLE. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"GLORY to God in the highest, and on earth PEACE (shalom) to men on whom his favor rests." -- Luke 2:8-14)