Basics

I think we’ve all seen plenty of artsy, or at least wanna be artsy, photos of people with their books and coffee.

This isn’t meant to be that. For me this represents simplicity. It’s all I want right now. We can make life and faith so complicated, and I’ve had my fill of complicated.

If you walk into a Christian bookstore today, or the Barnes and Noble religion section, you will find thousands of books written by Christians. You can find entire books written about topics that only receive slight mention in Scripture.

You can find polar opposite views sitting side by side on the shelf. You can find books written with the express purpose of refuting other’s Christians’ books. Everyone has their own “revelation,” and sometimes they don’t all line up. Oops?

This really should not be, but because we are human, this is what we do. We complicate simple things. We choose pet doctrines and develop tunnel vision for those things. We expect everyone else to agree. We call them heretics if they don’t. We question their salvation if they come up short in our own eyes. We exchange the words of Christ for some guy’s interpretation.

We give up meeting together as a family of believers, because we’re too busy, or tired. Relationship takes time and effort and some of us just won’t do it, or don’t feel that we can right now.

The things that would make for our peace are the first things to go. I want to enjoy my family, make memories and have adventures together. I want to love them well.

I want a church family who will “spur me on to love and good works,” with people who actually want to see what Jesus had to say – what mattered to Him?

What is life supposed to be about, since He established His Kingdom? What does it mean to live in a now-but-not-yet reality? What ought we be doing? I know people are afraid of that word, “doing.” “We’re human beings after all, not human doings,” they’ll say.

I know. I get it. I’m not talking salvation by works. I’m talking about the good works that are actually very important in the eyes of God, as evidenced throughout Scripture.

But now I’m rabbit trailing.

Back to the point: I’m tired. I’m craving simplicity. Just me, a cup of coffee, prayer, music, the words of Christ, a notebook, an open heart and a question:

“Teach me. What really matters to you?”

In my life?

In my family?

In my world?

In the world at large?

I want to get it straight from Him for awhile.