So this is where I am.........

I have searched over the summer for clarity on what it means to live a life centered on Christ. I've heard from the mystics of Christian culture trying to introduce things of the spiritual past (sometimes sadly mixed with occult teachings), from the traditionalists in the middle just trying to hold on to church as they know it, and the almost gnostic new counter culture of the emergent church. Wow are there a lot of opinions of where the church is and where it's going.
So where have I made my line in the proverbial sand? That's complicated. I think they all have a piece of it. Each position, in my opinion, carries some truths but must face some misdirections in their current formation. What I have found most in my search this summer is the older generation and the traditional form are holding on to something comforting yet not fully relevant to how we communicate today so they throw out the new in the hopes of keeping the known. The younger generation in similar fashion finds the traditional (and for these folks contemporary is included here) to be obtuse, unengaging, and just does not speak to their current life situations. In the need to make a comfortable style, they begin to throw out the old to "make room for the new". The "super spiritual" new mystics are doing neither. The are attempting to strategically pick from scripture to produce a new Christianity entirely! They have deceptively amalgamated a mixture of true Holy Spirit gifting with occult concepts to produce a new spirituality.
This leaves me in a place to believe in spite of all the far reaching extremes, there is a primary conclusion I can come too. The main focus of this Christian life is this...........Christ. My response to an aging generation unsure of this next generations "way of doing things" is can you say it centers Christ as the fix point from where everything comes from? If yes, then add wisdom to their energy and creativity. We need a unique and current model of how to engaged a generation very different from the one Billy Graham faced.
For the younger generation so bent on fordging a way of their own, stop and take stock of the rich history of the church. not that it will all be something that will function in current culture, but you'd be amazed what still does. Realize that your church history didn't start when your Pastor started the church in your city, but 2000 years ago (roughly LOL) and that the discussions, councils, disagreements, and grand achievements are all valuable to us today!
For the Mystics, there is a great reality that we are gifted by the Holy Spirit and empowered to see the Glory of God impact lives. We can believe in the idea that we can see His kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven without taking dominion of a world by what every means necessary. We can study the Word of God and be filled with all it has without studying from a conference the color and type of Angelic armour. We do not have to make it bigger than it is..........God is big enough on His own merit and word :-)

So I have found we need to:

• Live a life of honouring the moves of God from our history without being held captive to yesterdays methods.

• We can press forward to what God is doing today without losing perspective and the wisdom that came from our yesterday.

• We can live a life of miracles, signs, and wonders empowered by the Holy Spirit without distorting or drawing from imagination without biblical foundation.

Most of all if one thing could be made most important, I would choose LIVE OUT THE LIFE OF CHRIST IN EVERY BREATH, EVERY STEP, AND EVERY THOUGHT. If we are to engage this world, they must see Christ first and then see a person honestly living that life out daily with integrity and compassion!

Be blessed,
This is still just the beginning :-)