Maybe that’s a good name for my church. A Big Leap.
eah. That’s right. I said my church.
I took a Big Leap today when I confessed my thoughts. I’ve been thinking for a few months that starting a church is really up my alley. And in the last few days I’ve dreamed of my church, but not like I thought about it.
This one’s in Pennsylvania.
Let me explain; my subconscious picked Pennsylvania because it’s someplace I know of. My church now, Lifepoint, is “planting” churches in all these destitute places like Brazil and stuff (shoutout to UbaUna!) and helping these drug addicted street kids in Bolivia (no more glue, guys.)
While rural Pennsylvania isn’t someplace you might compare to a village run by witch doctors, I have to say it’s pretty clandestino.
People in Pennsylvania know there are huge advancements. They know that they can improve their lives by getting more high tech. They know that they’ll have more time for fun stuff, and even for making more money.
But they don’t advance. They are so set in their %$#@$%#ing ways that they refuse to change even in the smallest way. Even in a way they would know is better.
I don’t want to count my chickens or ride a high horse, but folks in Pennsylvania are indiverse. They have their own ideas and refuse to consider each other’s thoughts, or feelings for that matter. They judge each other based on what religion the other is, and specifically what church they go to. They have a system of supremacy based on town, school, religion, church, and then race. Even though everyone is white. White’s not enough. People look WAY back to their roots to discuss race. (I’m one quarter Italian, one half native American, and one quarter… uh… Slovakian? And one third Japanese. And half welsh.)
But there’s really no racial diversity. There’s no diversity in the school systems. There’s no diversity in towns.
But boy is there religious diversity. and certainly religious animosity.
The Catholics have distaste for all other religions (ironic, I think. Have you ever looked up the definition of the word ‘catholic’?”)
cath·o·lic –adjective
| 1. | broad or wide-ranging in tastes, interests, or the like; having sympathies with all; broad-minded; liberal. |
| 2. | universal in extent; involving all; of interest to all. |
| 3. | pertaining to the whole Christian body or church. |
Baptists fleer at Episcopalians, Lutherans detest Catholics, Mormons ignore everybody else, but everyone loathes them.
And the Amish. Well. You know the Amish.
But I think it’s time to stop all that. It’s time for a truly “catholic” church.
A universal church, a church that follows Jesus and the message he tried to get across.
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
I know I want people to love me.
And I love them. All of them. And I want them to advance. And I want them all to meet Jesus. The real Jesus. The one who lived for them, and died for them. All of them. Regardless of what religion they are. How can any one religion think it’s better than others? Jesus was a Jew, anyway. And the Jews are the ones that don’t believe in him.
I thought I would be nervous. But I’m not. I’m excited.
It’s a Big Leap, huh?
