(I like brackets)

I've discovered a trend in the titles of my posts. My way of getting out of that habit is to make fun of myself for it...

Anyhow, as of about two months ago I started taking every monday off to work for my church, SEMA community, as the worship coordinator. It's been stretching to be in charge of something, to get people exctied about the things God has excited you about...Nonetheless, mondays have become quite the blessing for me, time to just sit and 'be', time to plan and pray, and get away from the busyness of juggling work and other responsibilities, and the tendency I have to create worries and problems for myself. This morning I talked with my pastor friend about joy, celebration and the responsibility that comes with being a recipient of salvation. 30% of Canadians, according to a recent study, would opt out of meeting someone new if they knew that that person was a 'born again christian'. 18% would opt out of that meeting if they knew that person was muslim. We talked about how and why, the message or believers themselves have lost the attractiveness; why people would rather take a step away from us than a step towards when they realize who we are. Granted, you could argue that the natural response to the gospel is polarization; people either reject it or embrace it, and those who reject it make up the statistics. Here's the thing, though - there is nothing unattractive about the heart of the gospel. There is joy, life, and life beyond the grave in it. Sure it's not easy, and not attractive in that sense, but at the core it is something beautiful, life changing and life giving. Here's the question then. Have we forgotten how to live and 'wear' that joy in our lives? Have we managed to miss the celebration of life that comes through knowing Jesus and expecting life beyond the grave? Especially during Easter, it's really hit me, that Jesus beat out death on the cross. I'm pretty sure thats worth celebrating. It's not our job to attract people to Jesus, it's His. But if we are a people who walk in light of what he's done (and i'm not just talking about being 'happy' all the time); people will be attracted. Ever found yourself wanting to hang around with people who 'have it'? Think about that.

On a side note, my girlfriend Dayna and I celebrated our one year dating anniversary on Saturday... for those of you who don't know her, I put a pic up to prove that she actually does exist. She's the bomb.

Jonny