so how are you, really?

A huge portion of my life of my life was spent acting. Behind the scenes, life was out-of-control - relationships were strained, finances a mess, and I was struggling simply to survive. On the surface, everything looked normal; friends even sought me out for advice because I seemed to have my act together. But that's all it was... an act.

Perhaps that's why this Cross Point Church sermon series appeals to me so much; it addresses that gap between who you say you are and who you really are. For those of you who frequent Angie's blog, you might recognize the introductory video:

The audio for the first sermon in the series HERE, just click on the link and scroll down to find it. In the sermon, Senior Pastor Pete Wilson addresses the gap between "the current you" (who you really are) and "the imagined you" (the scriptural definition of who God wants you to be), focusing on ways people try to bridge that gap (i.e. faking it, working it, switching it, or quitting it).

Interestingly enough, the Backseat Jesus series seems to go hand in hand with what's taking place at our church. We are reading Faith & Doubt by John Ortberg (pictured above along with my one of my new bookmarks in action, as promised :-). Ortberg really digs into things, shining the light of truth on the fact that our behavior calls into question what we really believe about God. For instance, if your mom were in the room watching, you would likely choose to avoid all sorts of negative behaviors. Yet many who claim to believe God is always present and watching, seem to push aside such beliefs as a matter of convenience. Here's an excerpt:

When someone claims to believe one way yet acts another, we call this bad faith. Good faith, on the other hand, is congruence between what we claim to believe and how we actually live. If someone intends to buy a house, the down payment is a gesture of good faith. Good faith means not deceiving others (in our public convictions) and not deceiving ourselves (in our private convictions). Good faith means loving the truth more than we love ourselves.

Both cry out for authenticity and transformation, deep desires of mine.

As part of our Reservations Accepted sermon series, you will also have the opportunity to participate in a community-wide effort. First, check out THIS amazing ministry (specifically, the KARE 11 video). Then if you are interested, click HERE to join in.