call me johnny cash.

I walk a lot of lines. Some of those are good lines to walk, others are not. The majority are only ever in my head (and sometimes on the blog). These lines that I vacillate between, over, and around normally go something like this:

"Well, point A has some great points that I totally agree with; but point B also has some really good points that make a lot of sense. Neither of them seem to be wrong, they are using the Bible to back them up after all. But they can't both be right, as they are opposites."

I am pretty sure I'm not the only one that goes through these types of debates in their head (at least I really hope I'm not, because I usually answer myself back- does that make me mentally ill?) and they normally follow good books or discussions over a cup of coffee, glass of wine, or a great beer.

I could go through a list of these debates, but I think the point is more about the discussion/debate itself. I often wish that life was more cut and dry, that this line was a mile wide rather than razor thin. But life doesn't work that way. Life is a lot of and/or/if. I don't want to say that life is all about discovering which side of this line is "right" and which is "wrong" because if it was all about this, I would spend much more time on the "wrong" side if just out of sheer laziness. There are rights and wrongs, but the important part that I am learning is that it isn't a list, a rule, or always the same.

I love this idea that the New Covenant expresses in the Bible. For those that commit to follow God through Jesus Christ will be guided by the Holy Spirit who will "write these things on [our] hearts." What this means is that life is about following a line that the Holy Spirit shows us as we go. As we seek God's will and take the step (and engage that internal debate) we have the knowledge and hope that the Holy Spirit will lead us in paths of righteousness. No longer can I draw a line in the sand to stand on one side or the other; I'd rather follow that line being drawn to the One who is drawing it. This is my latest internal debate.

what to do with passion.

I am really a big fan of John Eldredge and his writing. If you haven't read any of his works, you really should. He promotes our relationship with Christ, the battles of spiritual warfare, and how our passions and desires fit in to this faith we call Christianity. I got an update from his blog today and it truly resonated with what I believe some of my motives have been in launching Riverbend Community Church. Take a look at it here:

http://www.ransomedheartblog.com/john/2009/02/finding-church.html

I believe that what the church is lacking, at least in America, is a passion for life itself and all it has to offer. As Eldredge states, we are called to live life to the fullest, and you can't do that by supressing your passions. One of the precepts of Riverbend, is this thing called the New Covenant. Jesus talks about this in the gospels, but in essence, it is God giving us passions and desires that match His. But sometimes it feels as if the North American church is paralyzed by this idea of "passion" and "desire" of anything that isn't a praise song or Bible reading. I am glad that Riverbend is not one of these types of Churches. God has given us his Word, his edicts, his direction to help guide us, yes, but more so, to point us in a direction of knowing Him in relationship. That is the purpose of a church- to experience life (with all the passions God has given us) with others who are pursuing a relationship with the Maker of All. What's your purpose for Church?