my faith has never caused a riot / Sunday Aug 2

Another reason Facebook irritates me sometimes: I recorded the Braves / Dodgers game on ESPN, sat down to watch it, flipped on Facebook. Some dingdong posted the score of the Braves game during the bottom of the eighth. I flipped off the TV. I flipped off Facebook.

Ventured off to the early worship service at Cornerstone Church. 9a.m. I am not a fan of getting up that early on Sunday, but am glad once I get out and realize it's only 10 o'clock and you have the whole day to play sabbath.

My kids have made friends with a little boy and girl in our neighborhood. We invited them and brought them along with us; don't think their family is a part of a church. It felt sort of good to love on some people that live a few houses down; people who live right in front of our face. Too many times I find myself going to do ministry in far off places when there are people confused and desperate for life right in front of me. It irks me to think of walking over dying people to go to a distant land to help...dying people. Saves gas to love the people who live next door. I find there are plenty of "dying" people all around me; don't even need a car....just need to be aware enough to walk across the street.

Read Galatians today and Romans 12. Trying to understand what Paul is saying when he says not to conform to the world. It's so much easier to conform to the world, especially when so much of the world is conforming to the world. It's even easy to be a disciple and be luke warm; that won't be too hard either. I'm thinking that being lukewarm and conforming to the world are pretty similar; not much difference between 'em. I pray Jesus will transform me by changing the way I think, that he will renew my mind and make clear to me his will. And if he changes me enough, I won't be much like the world and I won't be lukewarm. Perhaps I'll be different enough to be like the disciples in Acts. There were always riots everywhere they went; people trying to kill people who had come to faith in Christ; opposition and enemies and riots everywhere they went. I don't think my faith in Christ has ever caused a riot. In fact I'm not sure I've ever seen a riot as a result of the actions of any church I've been to...people are trained to be too nice... not sure we're that much of a threat.