Why my spiritual views are "evolving.."

So, if you read my previous post, you'll see that I had some time to think today. I took my book by Tony Jones, The New Christians, with me so I could read while I waited at the Dr's office. (Glad I did, because I did a lot of waiting!)

I became a Christian about 6 years ago (I say "about," because, silly me - I didn't take not of the date!). I can say, with every cell of my being, that the moment I asked Jesus into my life, everything changed. I truly understood the new wine into new wine skins parable from the bible. I felt a real, physical lifting of burdens from my shoulders. It was a spiritual, emotional, and physical event that I recall as if it was yesterday.

From that point forward, till about 6 months ago, I walked around, very oblivious to a lot of things. I saw all things through rose-colored glasses. I made many monumental mistakes, but I also grew so much. (at times, you might have said, like a weed!) I attend an evangelical, non-denominational church with very strong community roots, whose members became my family and nurtured me as I grew (and continue to).

About six months ago, my rose colored glasses lost their tint, and I began to see things through the brightness of reality. My innocence was lost, so to speak! : ) I began to understand why people were put off by "the church" (***please do not read this as the church I attend, but as the church in general***). I started to do a lot of reading and researching, praying and thinking, conversing and observing. I am learning about issues of politics, social justice, environmentalism, missional, emerging, emergent, post modernism, progressive, and so on. I feel like a newborn in this rich, beautiful, respectful, conversational, loving movement, so I don't know that I can find the words to accurately portray the way I feel about it, but I do know that this is where I need to be heading, where I need to be.

I am learning that the church needs not be a structure, it needs to be a community, a life lived in the pursuit of loving God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and bringing glory to Him in all that we do, say, think, and feel. And very importantly, loving our neighbors - wholly, openly, without judgement. This is so much easier to say than do, although we must do all we can to live intentionally.

I pray that I can apply all that I am learning to effectively live my life and pursue my Jesus.