Joy covered all the major points of Erwin's message on her blog. One thing that really stuck out to me and has been mulling around in my head was this uniformity thing.

"Christ didn't die to clone us all," he said. "People who have spent time being in Christ seem to have lost their instinct to what's authentic."

And it's true, isn't it? He said so many things that received nods and grunts from the crowd. I'm not sure if this was one of them, but it rang loud and clear to me. We have become cookie cutter Christians. We get saved and then want to be just like this person or that person. And the people have changed for me as my walk has changed. The people have been Bible characters, post-modern individuals, people of the emergent persuasion, preachers, unattached free spirits, worship leaders... the list goes on.

I'm sure this is a barrier with those i talk to about Jesus. Because the people I come in contact with, and really me at the gut level, just wants to be ME.

(insert Stuart Smally voice) "I'm good enough and I'm smart enough and goshdarnit, people like me!"

Why have I been leaning so hard on these examples of what other people possess and display and exude? Sandra told me not to be so hard on myself b/c we've always been fed these examples of Christian living. But that's no longer good enough for me. God can actually use the things that make me unique to edify the body of Christ.

There was a short film shown at Catalyst about a girl that had recently come to Christ. One of the things she said pierced my heart.. maybe now as well as in my past was this:

"Go ahead, God. Use me.. everybody else has."

posted by Kelly @ 3:29:00 PM