The 10 Not-So-Much Commandments (for the Non-Churched of Saint Miriam)
Non-Church Principle 1: Spiritual growth does not happen instantaneously!
That’s right. It takes years and even then, it’s never done. After many years of trying to find Jesus, we know he is in there – somewhere – but it is difficult to find him and know we have it right. The haze of all we have to do in a day doesn’t help either! So relax. Live into your shared ignorance with a joy you have never felt.
Feel free to admit you don’t have the answers, because none of us do! But, know that God is there, and loves you for trying (even part-time)!
Yes, Saint Miriam is a place for the rest of us!
Non-Church Principle 2: Spiritual Growth looks different in each person!
There is nothing uglier than rejection. So stop it. You have no idea what is truly inside another person. You have no idea the depth of their pain, or the extent of their experience or own rejections. We, at Saint Miriam, live our lives on two fundamentals: (1) No one is absent all goodness, and (2) No one is beyond God’s redemptive love.
So, we don’t know what spirituality looks like from the outside, because we can’t see the inside. Therefore, love everyone and anyone; you may just be talking to Jesus!
Non-Church Principle 3: In today’s busy world, you can’t give God 100%, so try for 50%!
We get up with the kids and try to eat a healthy breakfast (Okay, well maybe skip the healthy part!). Then we are off to carpool, our jobs, soccer camp, lunch, employee meetings, car appointments, that physical with our physician we need to get to, trainings, and the gym (Again, okay, maybe we skip the gym again!) The bottom line is there is no way we can give 100% to anything or anyone. God knows this. It’s okay. Relax and give God whatever you can and he will enjoy the effort which will motivate us to give that much more!
Non-Church Principle 4: Broken people are loved by God just as much as those who think they have a lock on it! (Maybe even just a tad more!)
Ever meet someone who acts as if they know everything? Well, that is not us! Spirituality is not a test. It’s a relationship. And, it takes place between us and God. All of us. Even those who don’t quite get it! So, take your broken life, and all your broken moral values, and raise up your head!
It is okay, the journey is far from over!
Non-Church Principle 5: God’s love is annoying!
Ever meet a teacher who wouldn’t give up on you? No matter how badly you did, that teacher was always there smiling back at you? Well, that, my friend, is God! It doesn’t matter what you have done –all of us have a past – and we are all in the present now.
Look, folks, we all have scars of abuse, weakness, failures, hurts, and haunting memories. We also all have God. These “pasts” do not diminish the love God has for us. There is grace. There is unconditional love. And all of us at Saint Miriam want to help you see that for yourself!
So stop running from your past and bring it with you. You – and all of your past – are welcome unconditionally.
Non-Church Principle 6: A community of faith must not exclude anyone, even those you may not like, EVER!
Saint Miriam is a place for losers. Yes, that’s right: losers. If you are a winner, you should probably go someplace else. (There are many churches that will have people just like you. You will know it when you get there because there are always just a few of you left.)
So, for the rest of us, there is Saint Miriam. We honor those who have messy lives, have broken some rules, have lives of moral disasters, and who gave failed more times than they can imagine. Yup, losers. Wow, what a fun place we will create!
Non-Church Principle 7: God’s grace is unfair, ridiculous, and always, undeserved!
God loves odd and broken people. (Ya, we can’t quite figure it out either!) But, that is the way it is. Yes, it may seem unfair to those perfect people who have it down pat. But, sorry, as ridiculous as it is, God loves us broken and strange people!
Our world is not kind to those of us, who are often labeled as odd, or broken, or sinful, an offender, or divorcée, or gay, etc. But, that’s okay because God loves the oddballs! How wonderful.
Okay, so to some of you this seems unfair. Well get over it and begin to embrace it. Most people would choose to run the other way, not Jesus. Not us. (If you have not read the story of the Mary and the barking pig in a book by Daniel Taylor called, Letters to My Children – now is the time!)
So, when people say to you, “Christians don’t act like you!” Just turn back and say, “Well, they do now!" And invite to YOUR church, Saint Miriam?”
Non-Church Principle 8: The love of God is persistent and can be found in the most unlikely places (like in us.)
Voices are all around us. Some are yelling, some are mean, some are joyful, some we recognize and some we don’t. They take all forms, too; our wives or husbands, or partners; our bosses and co-workers, our children, and some are strangers and some, too, are friends. Sadly, we often comply with much of it even as our world flies past us at lightning speed!
Slow down. The bottom line is that we are all stuck with God’s love whether we want it not! Saint Paul says that nothing can separate us from the love of God; nothing. God just keeps loving us no matter what, or who, we are. So, take a moment at Saint Miriam, and see if you can hear the persistent love God has for you. It is there. We promise.
Non-Church Principle 9: Our modern lives are a mess, are demanding, and are often unfair, and, therefore, you need friends to help no matter how well you think you have it together!
Ahh , friends. We need ‘em! And, if you don’t have ‘em, you need ‘em even more. When life is tough (and it often is) it takes a friend to remind us that God is there and life is still worth living. Remember, God uses all of us as his hands and feet in the world today.
Somehow, in our ruins, in our sadness (and badness?), while living in a state of rejection, God keeps his conversation heard by chasing friends into our arms to remind us to just listen!
Non-Church Principle 10: True spirituality is unfinished, incompetent, desperate, ignorant, and unpretentious!
Oh ya, and comfortable, too! That’s right. It is a 'come-as-you-are-I feel–right-at-home' type of comfortable! It’s a “let’s kick off our shoes and listen to this crazy pastor” type of comfortable! It amazes us how many people say that God loves them, but only when they are perfect and good.
Well, folks, we have news for you: that is a pretty small group that God loves then. What actually disqualifies us from being seen as clean and worthy is actually what qualifies us to be chosen by Jesus.
Saint Miriam is an unpretentious place where broken people gather together to try to find a deeper meaning to their brokenness. It is a place where desperation meets Jesus and is embraced. It’s a place where these broken people realize that they will be broken for a long time! And, that they don’t have all the answers, but that is okay!
Our souls will be under construction for a lifetime so why pretend? We are a mess and our lives are broken and a mess, too. But, we are loved and can learn much from others who are just as much a mess! No one can live a holy life very well. No matter what the theologians may tell you, we just really don’t know how to live out our lives for Jesus in a way that makes us unbroken.
So, stay clumsy, look for Jesus, and know, our church expects (and embraces) incompetence!
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