HT to Johnny Laird for passing this along (from his archives):
Stop talking about Jesus. Just stop. If we loved the people around us half as much as we say we love Jesus the rest of this manifesto would be entirely redundant.
Live a secret life. Invest the time, effort and vulnerability necessary to delve deeply into the scripture and prayer. Spend long periods of time in stillness. There is no shortcut to this, there is no other way. Without a deep and secret life we soon find ourselves talking about Jesus instead of being like Jesus.
Stop pretending. I’m a Christian, and I suck. So do you. Let’s get that out of the way, shall we?
Give more than you get. There will always be more than enough.
Be present for those around you. Following Jesus has nothing to do with your work, your resume or your income. In fact, nothing that matters does.
Treasure broken-ness. Our broken places are sacred spaces in our heart. Honour them. Value them. In doing so you love the unlovely, publicly declaring the beauty of God’s image in everyone. Greet the broken with comfort and cool water.
Throw a party.
Know Jesus well enough to recognize him on the street. This is rather important, because he can always be found on the street – and he usually looks more like a pan-handler than a preacher.
Accept ingratitude and abuse as a fixed cost. Embrace them, and then go the extra mile.
If you follow Jesus, you will anger religious people. This is how you will know.
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As a note – I lean more towards Carl Medearis outlook on speaking of Jesus… just speak about Jesus. Don’t get sidetracked with all the other stuff. Speak about Jesus, love people and the Spirit will take care of the rest.
If reading isn’t your thing, you can listen to Carl’s story on the something beautiful podcast.
