I am hopeful about what the future holds in a way I haven’t been in months.  I am excited about what God is doing in me, and what He is doing in communities around the world.  I cannot believe I waited this long to investigate the way He is moving.  I heard a few negative things about the emerging church and never considered it again.  I had no clue how big and fast it was rising.  A few weeks ago, my spiritual father, whom I hadn’t seen in months, gave me a few cds of Frank Viola, and Paul Vieira’s book when I went for a visit.  There was a set called, “rethinking the wineskin.”  It shook me to my core.  I spent a week fasting, praying, and repenting.  I didn’t know what to do with this information or how to respond to it.  I had no one to talk to about it, which was probably good--it is always better when I allow stuff to digest before I go and piss people off with my new revelation.  I was amazed at this teaching.  I couldn’t believe that as true as it rang, and as much scripture was used to prove it, that everybody wasn’t following it.  So I started looking on the internet for information about simple churches and the emergent church.  And I realized that the emergent church is huge, just hidden.  I also realized that the things that are important in the emergent church (conversation, community, the poor, missional living, etc) were the things that had been important to me for a long time.  It was a very exciting discovery for me.  So what if I am a couple years behind?  I am so hopeful now.  Instead of being against something, I can be for something.  I love the community aspect.  There are people out there who understand me or at least accept me.  This seems so simple, but in a matter of less than one month, my whole paradigm of church has been radically transformed.  I feel so free to just be me.

Galatians 2:19-21 (Message)    "What actually took place is this:  I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work.  So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man.  Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it.  I identified myself completely with him.  Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ.  My ego is no longer central.  It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God.  Christ lives in me.  The life you see me living is n ot "mine", but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I am not going to go back on that.  Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God?  I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace.  If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unneccessarily."