Messy Christianity Part2

It has been a couple of weeks. With Christmas being crazy and my phone dying halfway through December. But I am still here.

I don't have any cute stories of cool object lessons today. These last couple of weeks have left me struggling to find closer on an issue for which I fear the is no closer.

How should we (the church) live. As a Christian and one in leadership within the church I have agressively fought aggainst any kind of "professional distance" I have believed it to be counter to christ's model and teaching of how ministry should be done.

Christ got dirty. He broke taboos and taught that Love should be our number 1 priorty. Love for God, our neighbor even our enemy.

That kind of love borders on impossible. It requires a balancing act that I don't think I am capable of.

The more I open myself the the hurts of the neighborhood of my church. The more unbearable the seem to become.

This is not the first time I have felt like this in South Africa I became attached to several infants with AIDS at the orphanage where I was serving and one of them died. This death bothers me to this day. But in south Africa I fell in Love with little lucinda. I had not ment to become so attached.It was accidental.

On staten Island where I currently serve i have tried since day one to become a part of the neighborhood. To be come linked with my neighbors. And while in theory that is still a concept I believe in. Practically it seems an I'm possible task.

Everyday someis getting jumped, or pregnant, or evicted, or thrown out of their house, or losing their or dieing and leaving loved ones and on and on.

When this is happening to namless faceless people who happen to live in your neighborhood even use the progams that you run. Than you can feel bad and move one. But when they are people you know and care about then every incident hurts.

I find that hurting with a couple of square blocks is unbearable. I can't imagine how Jesus felt know the hurts and fears of all he encountered and more.