It seems that often I find myself at 30,000 feet, trying to understand my purpose and where I fit within this world in which God has placed me. Journey with me as we center on the Radical Center of living in a way that emulates Christ in ourselves and to others.
Subscribe in a readerMonday, June 04, 2012
Naked in Portland
I was preparing for a trip to Portland, Oregon when LeAnn, my wife, was on the phone to a relative. She mentioned my trip during the conversation and heard an interesting reply, “Be careful, you know, they all go around naked in Portland!” LeAnn could barely stifle her laughter at this response. After further dialog, she discovered that her elderly relative had read something in a conservative Christian publication about someone going naked in that far-off, sinful city on the West Coast!To put it in perspective, LeAnn’s relative lives in a small town in the South, thousands of miles away from Portland and to my knowledge, she has never been near the North West. For many in the South, or any “Bible-Belt” type of area – even West Michigan, the perception is that the cities on the West Coast or the East Coast are filled with heathen and there is a dearth of churches proclaiming the Word of God!
While it might be true that the percentage of those claiming to be Christians is lower in the North West and North East, this type of generalization indicates a lack of understanding. It’s much easier to think that anything or anyone different from us or our way of doing things is somehow bad and evil. It’s easier to see other’s sins rather than worry about what’s happening around us. Easier to point out what’s crazy or wrong with them…..in that wicked place.
Sometime ago I heard about a lady who had been ostracized from her Christian family and friends and shunned because she was “evil” - she had begun living with her partner out of wedlock. Now, 23 years later, her parents are divorced; her sister has had two bad marriages and lives a life of addiction, while she and her partner are still together. Sometimes it’s easier to look at other’s faults and forget about our own.
Didn’t Jesus say something about that in Matthew 7? "And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own?
This incident has reminded me, that before I criticize someone else, I better first take a look at my own actions, thoughts and lifestyle.
I’ve now been back from Portland for a few weeks. It was such a beautiful and clean city. I met many wonderful Christians, living in ways that would make Jesus proud and would draw others to this life we claim – and you know what, I didn’t see a single naked person!
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