Angie and I went up to Family Camp at Diamond Arrow earlier this week to see some friends and share in that night’s service with some fellow believers. The speaker, Steve Campbell, gave a message on our identity as children of God and a little bit of what that looks like and doesn’t look like. As he talked about what it means to be a child of God and as he spoke I could not help but hear Tyler Durden speaking to me.

You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your khakis.

But more than just this, I heard a different, more hopeful, voice ring through Steve’s message. Some might say the voice of God. Instead of denying our worth as human beings, like Tyler did, this voice reinforced it. As the message was preached I was told us of our worth as children of God.

You are special. You are a beautiful and unique snowflake.

I was reminded that being a child of God is an identity that is beautiful and holds meaning. Being a child of God is a blessing beyond anything I can truly grasp. As the message went on I was hit yet again with a Biblical truth told by Tyler Durden. A truth that keeps so many of us, myself included, from fully assuming this identity.

It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.

We need to lose the need to please people. We need to lose the desire to look respectable in the eyes of the world. We need to lose the identity we find in our job. In our bank account. In order to fully live as children of God we must lose our identity that the world holds as our end and purpose. We need to lose the identity that the world loves so that we are free to to assume the identity God has for us. An identity characterized by love for God and love for people and true stewardship (Mr. Webster: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care) of God’s creation. An identity that loves God thus moving in us to care for the orphan, widow and stranger. An identity that yearns for justice and always demands mercy above sacrifice. An identity that is truly worth reaching for.

Lately my beautiful and highly intelligent fiance and I have been talking about the power of the words. How words can be utterly destructive, bringing death, or contain the miraculous power of life. At our weekly bible study slash Sunday School class yesterday we watched the final installment of a series done by Life Church called Zip It. This last message was called The Prayer Request Gossiper and had so much to say about the power of words which prompted me to finish some previous thoughts I had on speaking life.

Within our words are the power of life or death. For those of us familiar with the creation narrative this should be making huge connections. In the first chapter of the Bible we are told that G-d created man and woman in his image. Jewish and Christian theologians have debated what it means to be made in the image of G-d for centuries. I would argue that a part of what it means to be made in G-d’s image is that we have the power to speak life. Much as G-d spoke creation into life we have the ability to speak life over people, and possibly over all of creation (I recommend the Everything I Have Said to You sermon from Mars Hill Church). We can choose to uplift one another or we can choose to tear one another down and leave others with a pain they may feel for many years to come. The degree to which we reflect G-d properly and realize we are made in G-d’s image is our choice. From there G-d can work in us to perfect us and further form us in G-d’s own image. Luckily for us creation was not a one time event, it is continually happening every second of every day.

Lately I have been reading about the discussion of health care reform. I find it odd that Christians can get so worked up and mixed up in political lines and battles. Jesus clearly says that if we are his disciples people will know because of the love we have for each other. Maybe there is a difference between being a Christian and being a disciple of the Christ. If we desire to be disciples of Christ maybe we should leave politics to those who’s king is someone other than Christ. Where politics has the ability to separate us because of our differences, Christ can reconcile us to Him and one another.

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:35 (NASB)

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Jesus echo’s this verse in Matthew 9:13 pointing out that we all sin, but instead of sacrifices to atone for the sins we have already committed he commands us to love and have mercy because in that command there is no longer a need for sacrifices and burnt offerings. In a life of love and mercy we are living as G-d would have us live, we are living in the way that G-d desires and dreams for us.

A friend and fellow blogger is taking a trip through one of Shane Claiborne’s recent written works titled Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals. Shane Claiborne is an author and follower of Jesus who has worked with Mother Theresa and currently lives in a community in Philadelphia which seeks to reach those who are ignored by mainstream America (and Christians, unfortunately). My friend Jaymes will be writing on his blog, Dear Theophilus, about what he is reading and thinking as he is going through Jesus for President. If you are wondering about this book, whether to read it or not, check out Jaymes’ blog posts on it.

This is exciting for me because I loved this book, because of the challenges it poses to those of us who are leading the average life of a Christian living in the US of A, and because of the new eyes it has given me to read scripture with (eyes that see things that make much more sense now). Jaymes’ posts have also inspired me to go through the book again. I would encourage anyone who is serious about following the way of Jesus to take some time to read through this book. The reading of the book is the easy part, trying to live like Jesus is significantly more difficult.