God plays football and cleans fridges?

I was about to write a little something about God and a navigation system in a car, how he directs us when we don't know where we are. And tonight I heard that we need to pass the ball to God like we would in a football game, and sometimes I think we treat God like Santa, always watching and if we do something good, then we get the new video game or computer that we "need". I know I've compared God's redemption to a dirty fridge being cleaned, and when it boils down to it, I feel like I compare God to everything and anything. Sometimes I compare God to some relationships that are in my life, projecting negative consequences from those relationships on God, assuming that God acts in the same manner. What God do I know? Because the navigation system God and God-the-fridge-cleaner and God-the-football-player and God-the-present-giver isn't a God filled with grace and eternal acceptance.

I just feel like sometimes God gets lost in the metaphors.

something has got to go.

Jameson's, or something like that.

We went to Jameson's Charhouse tonight. I think it was called Jameson's, I can't really remember. Anyway, we were sitting in a booth munching on steak, of course, and I couldn't help but hear the man at the table next to me. He was flipping through a photo album and said, "wow thats a great picture of Jesus." My first thought was, "wow! How'd he get that?!" But I'm sure he was just looking at a picture of a painting or a statue.

So we were sitting in a booth at Jameson's, or something like that, and I got to thinking about what it would take for followers of Christ to look like a beautiful picture of Jesus. What would it take for those that don't know Christ to see the church and His followers, and be able to get a glimpse at the love of Christ?

I just read Lizzie Callen's blog, and I couldn't agree more. I am one of the followers of Christ that she speaks of, and I am also the first to judge and act like I have it all together. Somewhere along the line Christians have become a clique that assumed it was right to tell the "outsiders" that they are broken, but act like they themselves have it all together. I've got a pretty good feeling that many churches and Christians don't look like a beautiful picture of the love of Jesus. I've got a pretty good feeling that I don't look like a beautiful picture of the love of Jesus.

I must remember who I am. Yes, I'm a follower of Christ, but I'm by no means perfect or in a place to judge others. I don't drink or smoke, but I lie and offend and judge.

Maybe stepping out of our little cliques and getting rid of our Christian shirts, turning off our Christian radios, and peeling off our Christian bumper stickers isn't where we need to start. Indeed these things need to go, but maybe we should start with tearing down our high and mighty walls, and start loving instead of judging.

I've been thinking about Christmas quite a bit lately. While I was looking at my iPod today, I realized something.

We don't need the things on our Christmas lists. We don't need them, because if we did, then we would've gotten them already. Right?

Also, many of the things that we want are a newer version of what we already have. Think about it. Uggs. iPods. Cameras. Computers. Cars. Clothes. The list could go on and on and on....

Every single year, we get wrapped up in wanting the next best thing. We anxiously await Christmas morning to unwrap a new laptop, oh...and to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

How does the way we celebrate Christmas show the love of Christ? And what needs to change in order to accomplish this?

I don't know the complete answer, but I do know that it will take a lot less giving to those that have, and a lot more loving on those that have not.