"Oh, a storm is threat'ning
My very life today
If I don't get some shelter
Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away" The Rolling Stones

Why are Christians often seen as sheltered? I think that many Christians do seek shelter because they can identify with the lyrics above. The storm that is often seen as threatening is the pop culture of the increasingly secular world in which we live. There is a tendency among Christians to avert from experiencing life in the "City of Man" (St. Augustine wrote about this in the 5th century!), because there are many elements of pop culture that can easily lead us into self-indulgence, which can be seen as an equivalent of sin. At some points along the path, it may be necessary to withdraw ("transcendent spirituality") from a culture that threatens to pull us into such selfishness. At other points on the path it is probably important to dive fully into life ("immanent spirituality") with Jesus Christ welling forth from our hearts. If we try to take shelter from the "real" world for most of our lives, our capacity to connect and empathize with others can be seriously diminished. I think that people outside the church are reacting to that diminished capacity when they describe us as sheltered.

Jesus seemed to live a life of full engagement with those around him. In at least one point in the story of Jesus' life, Jesus seemed to be enabling others to "party it up". He turns the water into wine at a wedding, and there is a clear reference to the "pop culture" of the day, a reference which indicates that most of the guests would likely already be drunk ("have had too much to drink") at the point when Jesus provides more wine (John 2:1-10). I have often thought that this story is quite shocking (and maybe a bit exhilarating), because in it Jesus reminds me of the guy who leaves the modern day keg party when the keg is empty, and he brings back another keg in the back of his truck, at which point everyone goes "YEAAAHH!", and the party continues into the night.

Jesus is our example of how to live, yet often we feel confused about how to follow his example of "full engagement" without lapsing into selfish behavior. I think most Christians take very seriously the words of Jesus such as "Things are bound to come that cause people to sin, but woe to that person through whom they come" (Luke 17:1). I know that I have struggled with reconciling such words of advice from Jesus with participation in life's pleasures (or even in writing that last paragraph!), some of which have clearly drawn me into actions that were selfish.

I think that one key to dealing with this issue is for me to be sure that I am connecting with God on a daily basis. When I do this, through centering prayer or turning my attention to God's presence within my heart, I am often freed up from the fear-driven wish to seek shelter, and I can fully dive into life's experiences, without fear.

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In this series, we've tackled some pretty tough topics. Today I want to talk about how people outside of the church believe that Christians are sheltered. I will start by explaining why they believe this. Often a Christian's first response to someone's problem is "Just pray about it". Often a Christian's first response to a tragedy is "Everything happens for a reason". Although these answers could be correct (prayer may be what someone needs to overcome a problem), I believe that we should do more than just tell them to pray. We need to actually be there for that person and even pray with them. Perhaps that should be our first response. The word of God shows that Jesus was passionate in His believes and understandings of God. He was also passionate about other people and getting the word of God to them the way God intended. He invested His life in people, shouldn't we do the same?

I believe that we as Christians should live our lives everyday intentionally. What I mean by that is this; we should be aware and ready at all times to share Gods love when the time is right. I believe that when an intentional Christian is confronted with a person who is seeking help, that Christian should dedicate time to helping that person, weather that means praying with them, praying for them, or taking action to help them. I believe that a Christian can only live an intentional life if that person is disciplined and in sync with God. This means we need to start with ourselves and let God mold our hearts first, so that we can then be a light for those who need the Lord. Psalm 119:105-112 speaks of Gods word as a light for our paths. The writer of these verses knew that in order for the path to be lit, his heart needed to be centered on God, otherwise he would stray. This is why it is so important that we continually grow in our relationship with Christ, so that we do not stray or lead others astray by being unintentional and just telling them to "pray about it".

I pray that throughout this series our minds are opened for change and more aware of the actions that we do that may lead others astray. I pray that we begin to live with an intentional mindset, and understand that it is worth it to dedicate our time to help others. I pray that the world could see Christians as images of Christ.

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Through the course of time and all my life
You've been my place of shelter.
Here beneath Your love I will remain
I will sing that You are my refuge
In you alone I place my trust
Here in the shadow of your wings,
You are my refuge
The Maker of the stars above still You make Your home inside of me
You shelter me ~Sonic Flood~

Are Christians sheltered? Maybe some are, but I think that many, many of us have come to the Cross only after having struggled with the realities of the world. Substance abuse, familial and relationship struggles; at some point when we reach out for help, we come to see that through Christ we can be healed.

God, I stepped away from You for a while. I thought I could step away from You and handle my life on my own. Silly me.

I wasn't sheltered from the world; I was lost in it. I am fully aware of the greater community around me; I live in it. I don't live within the walls of the church; I find my refuge there. My solace. My hope. My shelter.

2 Samuel 22: 21-25 (The Message)

God made my life complete
when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I cleaned up my act,
he gave me a fresh start.
Indeed, I've kept alert to God's ways;
I haven't taken God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works,
I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together,
and I'm watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life
when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes


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