a reason to trust

We need to demystify this use of the word "religion." Webster may define it as something filled with spirituality, but you and I both know what it means; the very mention of the word instantly triggers certain imagery: pews, temples, rituals, boring, conservatism, confusion, hypocrites, etc. My point is that the colloquial usage of the word "religion" is ironically mutated into a meaning devoid of spiritual substance and life (or at least, it is not the main focus of the term). instead, it is used to refer to a lifestyle or belief set which you can tailor to your likes (for which there are many "religions" to choose from). but since when does God serve man? no, God created man. not to be his slave, but to be his child. therefore, "religion" is an illusory term; it is used to refer to many beliefs in an effort to be politically correct when the essence of spirituality is that there is room for only one deity. the word "religion" has been robbed of its core 'raison d'etre': truth.

For that reason, i lose my "religion" in search of something real. less glitzy, no more hocus-pocus. I need something organic and alive and daily and relevant. Not for the sake of being different or even happy, but from the core of my being, I shut out the daily static from this hectic living and say confidently that I want to know God. I want to search him out.

I consider myself to be a deeply intellectually-guided person (don't laugh!), but I could not use those tools in my head to decipher something that was not made from the hands of man. I had to reach deep within my heart and use something that is a bit more embarrassing by logical standards, but still second-to-none when all else falls away: faith.

So how do I know that Jesus is the one? How is he trustworthy? my choice is not due to personal preferences. it is because when i call out to God, he responds in a way worthy of disbelief. It is almost as if he finds me...and thats the beauty of God whom I know and love: he responds and he never changes.

For a moment, forget all the Christian culture and icons associated with Jesus that casts him in an unrepresentative image. the world thinks that God doesn't exist because they don't see how the bible is relevant to the lives of Americans today. in fact, the world labels him and his followers as old-fashioned, conservative, close-minded, violent, bland, and unintelligent. But God doesn't have to be "trendy" to be justified as relevant. He doesn't change based on whether I worship him with a guitar or a Jewish harp in a modern church building or a Vietnamese hut. God is God. If you strip it all away, the problems of today are the same as yesterdays: greed, lust, selfishness, hatred, etc.

It's the same problem but in a different vessel. The universal stage and setting for mankind has only changed in appearance, but when you scratch the surface and read into the yearnings, celebration, and laments of our most human moments, its still the same. Culture is constantly changing. God is constantly constant. His authenticity is so great, that not even incessant droning of today's sometimes-crazy, flashy culture could drown out his relevance in every single one of our lives. He was here before hip hop. Before Caesar. Before language. Before life. And his message continues to resound today: He wants you to know who He is because He loves you and He'll let you pick what you want, but there will come a time when it will be too late to change your mind.

Therefore, i do not merely "believe" in God. I fellowship with Him. I fellowship with Him not because He appeases my needs or curiosity, but because I have a living ,breathing relationship with Him.

and there's no logic that can dismantle our relationship. boggle.