How I found Christ leaving Christianity (Part 1)

I bet all my super conservative followers just read the title and went "OH MY GOSH. God save her life, she's a deceiver and she has no idea who you are!" ::de-friend::

Oh ye with little faith. Read this and hopefully by the end of it you'll begin to see differently.

With Your Love and Sight, my heart sings your praises and walks in light of all you've done. May your graces be on us and give us your shadow that we may seek after it all the day long. Open our eyes to see your glory and may these words stem from a pure conscious mind and soul.Selah. 

For those of you who barely know me, here's some quick things you should know about my spiritual background. I feel it is very important to know my history to understand my mind:

1. Was raised in a Christian home
2. Went to a private christian school my entire life
3. Was in several different worship bands in high school
4. Did state side &global missions trip starting at the age of 14
5. Raised mostly Baptist, but I've attended several different denominational churches
6. Was SUPER into knowing anything and everything about scripture. Always did extremely well in Bible classes, spent time outside of class studying the context of scripture
7. Didn't really "know" God or meet Him until I contemplated suicide my freshman year of HS. Crazy supernatural experience we can talk about another time.
8. In college I was part of Campus Crusade for Christ & worked at a dingy coffeeshop with a unique crowd of folk
9. I've seen demons, I've felt angels & have seen some pretty out of this world stuff
10. Never went to seminary

So over the last 24 years of my life, spiritual things have always played a huge role. Lately, my heart has been stirring and righteously angered over the ignorance some people have when it comes to living life as a "Christian" in America. [I say in America because it is a drastic difference in my eyes from the Christianity I've seen outside the country. It's a dynamic we will not understand for a while to come. We don't know persecution for faith. We've got no idea.]

When you hear the word Christian what do you think? Do you think Jesus?

Cause to be quite honest...He's not the first person I think of. [I can hear people rolling out of their chairs now and in their head yelling BLASPHEMY!]

But seriously, when people say Christian my mind immediately goes to this:
-Westboro Baptist Church
-Majority of Republicans/Tea Party
-Megachurches
-Brother Micah & other campus crazy preachers
 -large signs with words "BE SAVED OR GO TO HELL"
 -Homosexuals being shunned from the church
-the extreme and common "I LOVE GOD SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU" tweeters/social media people who make it a point to tell you how much more they know & how much closer to God they are than your heathen soul (and yes they do exist, and yes they believe these things without even knowing you)
- Youtube videos of "christians" bashing other religions and reinforcing once more "Repent or BURN"

PEOPLE, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO JESUS?! WHERE IS HE IN AMERICA? WHY CAN I NOT FIND HIM?

Don't you think something is wrong when there is a rising of youth and adults leaving the church and finding more comfort in believing there is no God?

Don't you think it's wrong that people are starting to get angered and disgusted by Christians?

Maybe if we took a step back and actually examined who Christ is more folk would start living like Christ! We've become so brainwashed into the do's and don'ts of this religion that we sometimes forget the core of what it's based upon.

"But I know Christ! I asked him into my heart at church. I go every sunday. I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I didn't have premarital sex. I mean, I know him" -average christian person in America

NOOOOOOOOO. It's not about ANY of that. Jesus said "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" One of the most popular "repent or burn" verses people toss out, but have we read that verse?


"I AM THE WAY" 
"I AM THE TRUTH" 
"I AM THE LIFE"

 If CHRIST is saying he is the life, why is it so damn hard for us to actually LIVE His life? SERIOUSLY?

Jesus was:
a) Born in the most humble of places
b) Was always moving about (sounds homeless to me)
c) Had little materialistic values, He treasured people
d) He hung out with the lowliest of people
e) He was a rebel to the temples/pharisees
f) He sought after people more than His own good
g) People were so enamored with him that they SOUGHT AFTER HIM and did about ANYTHING to see him
h) He performed miracles so people would see/feel the glory of God and their lives be changed
i) He told parables and told those who were closest to him what they meant when they were alone with Him
j) He was always giving
k) " Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." - John 21:25

 ^a.k.a. Jesus is freaking awesome.

I used to see the Bible one way. I used to see Christ only as salvation. But there is SO MUCH MORE to it. There is a LIFE that goes with it.

One that should be full of glorious things.
One that should be taking initiative in helping other see Christ for who He really is than how he is portrayed here in the states. 
One that is giving hope to the broken, and understanding to the confused.
One that is providing solutions to global issues and not just sitting back condemning it.

Really, Wouldn't it be awesome if you heard more stories of miracles being performed in the name of Jesus?

In the next chapter of this conversation we will dig deeper into why it's so difficult in America for us to understand living out the Gospel. But for now, just reflect and think deep within: How do you view Jesus & is your life reflective of that?