the City should be different

It's been bothering me.

As I drive around my city, it's been bothering me that i don't think that the Christians here, and the churches here...

Well, it's not that they don't make any difference in the city. I know that the people who are connected to Jesus here and the churches of those Jesus-followers are real and meaningful to those people, and to the people they love on.

But, really, can the city tell there there are people here who love Jesus?

I was with my friend Willie a couple weeks ago. He's talking about a city-changing plan to place mentors in every 5th and 6th grade classroom in our area. He's got the school board's blessing. (He got that because Willie has been, legit, serving others for a long time!)

I asked him where the churches were on the radar screen as he is looking for the right people to fulfill this critical, life-changing role.

Guess what his answer was?

Not even on the radar. He's worked to get churches involved in other things serving the youth, and only a tiny bit of progress. His business friends are much more engaged in serving the youth in such desperate straights as he works with.

So this though has been possessing me for a few months:

The City Should Be Different

The city should be different because there are Jesus-followers here, and churches full of Jesus-followers. Our influence and impact, if we follow Jesus and take as our own His radical mission to make disciples, to Love God, and to Love People, would be unmistakable.

The city should be different.

(photo credit, pjchmiel on Flickr)