Oh, The Distractions

For starters, I've been reading Jen Hatmaker, Shane Claiborne, and the Bible.  I highly recommend all of them (especially the last one!!).  If you don't want to expose your thought process to change--don't read them (but really, do read them--because change is good!).

My life is full of distractions--this is nothing new.  This is also not good for this ADD guy!  Getting the job completed has never been an issue for me, but staying the course has.  I often get sidetracked, and then realize that I'm off task.  Distractions.  They get me every time (as I'm writing this, I've answered two phone calls and responded to someone at the door).

As I've read the above books, I've come to the conclusion that we, the Church (especially in the U.S.A.), easily get distracted.  We tend to get WAAAAAY off course--a lot!  We put our focus on building projects, stewardship campaigns, membership numbers, curriculum selection, bad preachers (like the one's that talk prosperity or universalism all the day long), programs, defending our faith against homosexuality or defending it for certain businesses (like that all chicken restaurant, or that craft store), and distraction after distraction after distraction...

Not that some of the above aren't necessary, but none of them is the task.  They are all distractions that keep us from the task (this is why I say the devil has an easy job in America--we get distracted too easily).

The task: Jesus says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."  He also says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations." 

"Love" and "Go."  That's the task.  So simple, so pure.  Yet, we would rather fill our lives with so many distractions that we don't have time to build loving relationships that could possibly produce salvation-like fruit, and we definitely don't have time to "go" anywhere other than where our overloaded schedule says.

I'm all for slowing down, for unplugging, and all that--but that's not the world we live in.  My challenge to you is to simply stay on task, Church.  Among the busyness--1) love God and love others (BTW: "others" includes everyone.  This does not mean you condone all behavior.  It does mean that you love--all people).  2) Be willing to "go" in a different direction if God directs you.  This also requires that we listen to HIM.

So, Church (believers, Christians, Christ-followers, whatever we call ourselves now), do that!

Go love, before you get distracted.