But didn’t Jesus encounter corruption and depravity 2,000 years ago? Absolutely. He spoke with whores, thieves, murderers, and outcasts. And those people loved him. They weren’t repelled by his message. That’s right. They were drawn to him. Jesus was and is a friend to sinners.

So what makes 21st Century American Christians so different? What is so different about us that the secular world ridicules and rejects us?

In one word: LOVE. God IS love. Jesus IS love. Jesus walked the earth for thirty some odd years and deeply loved the people he encountered. He was moved with compassion for them. He longed to see them restored. He only said what he heard the Father say, and he only did what he saw the Father doing. And that was always, always, always love.

You need to understand what love really is. It’s not a concept. It’s not a Platonic ideal. Love is real, active, and experiential. Christians recite the verses about what Love is because they’ve been trained to memorize and repeat. But the lives of those who teach us these truths deeply impact our understanding of their meaning. A man who reads the passion of Christ in a monotone voice does not convey to the hearers the wondrous transforming power of love. Faith comes by hearing, and I believe that includes the tone and understanding of the person who is speaking. We become like those in the faith that influence us.

We’re NOT rejected in 21st Century America because of our moral purity. We’re ridiculed, rejected, and scorned because we do not love. Our goal is to do what we’re supposed to do, and we think that is to tell people about Jesus and try to get them to join our side. And we’ve missed the first and foundational precept of Christianity:

For God so loved…

Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. Love is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

The Christian life is to be walking by the Spirit, with the Spirit, full of love ready to be expressed. And all of these come from the Father. He is the source. We do not strive to love. We do not push ourselves to love. We love because we are loved. This means that if we are not loving, we have not received love. To taste and see the love that God has for you is to in turn be moved with His love that now dwells in you and to desire to love others.

I’m sharing this post not because I need to lecture, but because I need to learn. These are the thoughts God is leading me to.

“Seek Me in the Word, Daniel. Meditate on Me and My attributes, My actions, and My words. You were led to believe falsely about me through the lives of men who taught about Me when you were a child. Now is the time to restore the Truth to you. Know me as I am, not as men have said I am. Know my love, and you will be transformed. Give yourself time to think of me and talk of me. I am better than you ever dreamed. You have nothing to fear. Come closer. Draw closer. Find rest for your weariness.”

Lord, I am coming.

You don’t have to wait until there’s “Free Time” – whatever that is. Do it now. Do it today. Write a paragraph. Write a sentence. Publish it.

The purpose is to practice the art of consistency. Use the talents and gifts God has given you. If there’s a special message on your heart, share it! If you like to tell stories, break them down into daily installments. Just use what God’s given you and be faithful to practice it and hone it into something beautiful.

This all goes back to Gary V, and how I believe God put Gary’s message in front of my eyes at just the right time.

There comes a time in our lives when we discover passion for something. Then comes the time when we choose to surrender that passion and pursue more conventional methods of earning, so that we can be good providers for our families. Then comes the time when we question the validity and eternal worth of what we’re doing.

There are passions, and there are callings. Not all passions are callings, and not all people are passionate about their calling.

How did I end up here discussing callings? I started out talking about blogs. This is how my mind works.

So to get back to my point, I’m looking for awesome blogs to read. Something you’re really passionate about. Someone who writes in such a way as to inspire you. Not just tips and tricks. Not just news. I want unique personality with a passionate purpose. If you know of such a blog, please recommend to me in the comments.

It is my goal to weed out the dross. Not that people are dross. But I have too much noise in my life. I don’t read enough quality literature already, so the content I read online has to be superior. Looking forward to your recommendations.