Aha! Moment...

So I've just been thinking about some things lately and taking in different peoples opinions on the church I currently go to and as I'm brushing my teeth tonight w/ the intention of going straight to bed my thoughts all fell in place.

Walnut Creek generally speaking from the perspective of non-believers who go to Drake is considered to be: pushy, judgmental, radical, weird (lol i loved that one), "all about getting the numbers in the church" and sometimes referred to as a cult. And in all honesty before I made a strong commitment to Christ and he guided me right back to this church I thought some of those same things as well.

When these people I've recently talked to told me how they felt about WCC I didn't know how to respond, at times I would half-way agree and say "yes some people at the church can be blah blah blah, but its like that anywhere." But after a recent email I received from a friend doing mission work in Prague and thinking back often on books I've read and conversations I've had w/ some of my brothers and sisters I finally realized something and know what I would say to those people next time they said something like that to me.

I would tell them yes people at WCC are pushy, but its because people matter to them. And not just some people, ALL people matter to them. The reason they are so pushy, the reason they don't back off, the reason they make you get uncomfortable is because YOU matter to them. They understand the importance of people dying to their sins and coming to know and have a personal relationship w/ Christ. They know and understand that Jesus is salvation, that a committed relationship w/ Him is the only way to our heavenly father. And they do it not to put you down, not to tick you off, not to please themselves, but they do it because they care about YOU...and the cool thing about WCC is they don't just leave you out to dry by yourself after your saved...those same people that were getting on your nerves before you finally decided that they may have a point, are right by your side encouraging you, holding you accountable to your commitment and goals and just flat out loving you.

They're pushy because they care and you matter to them, they're radical because this world needs change, they're weird because who wants to be normal anyway (Jesus wasn't normal!! he was extraordinary!!), and if they're "all about getting the numbers" its only because they want people to experience a relationship w/ Christ and receive the salvation promised to us through Christ dying on the cross for our sins...and lastly WCC is not a cult, its a very large family working as one to serve our God and His people.