I Am Not Here

 Most of us have seen that little sticker on a map at the mall that says, "You Are Here".   Most of us realize that this sticker is very helpful when seeking to know where we are at and where we want to head. For much of my Christian life, I have felt very comfortable in saying I know exactly where I am at and I know exactly where I am going.  But today I am not so sure or certain. Let me introduce myself. My name is David Rawls and I have been friends with my co-blogger Jerry for over 30 years.  We met in Bible College when we both were ready to fight anyone who did not see the World as we saw it.  We had all the answers or at least were being taught all the right answers to combat the heathen and the misguided Christian. During those days I knew precisely where I was at and where I and others needed to head.  Today I am not so confident.

To be honest I have gone through a deconstruction process over the last decade or so. Things that I once cherished and thought were the bedrock of my faith I no longer consider essential or important at all. This might be scary for some including the church I pastor at in Terre Haute Indiana. I know that I have had friends from my past even wonder if I am still a Christian. The term Christian today is very loaded.  If you add the word "evangelical" in front of it can mean all sorts of things. The current state of Christianity in America is a jumbled mess. To be honest I have been a part of and even contributed to that mess. For that I am sorry. Maybe this blog will be an attempt to correct some of the messes I have made in my life. To be clear I have considered my deconstruction process not a loss of my faith but quite possibly a wild ride into the unknown of simply following Jesus. 

On many occasions, Jesus would tell would-be travelers to simply follow him. His invitation was not one of finding oneself but losing oneself. He literally was inviting people to stop looking at maps and start walking into the unknown. One of my favorite verses of late has been Romans 12:2.  In it Paul says,  "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will." Paul understood that in life we gather all kinds of cultural and tribal baggage that need to be thrown out so we might see Jesus clearly and know his will. My hope in writing on this blog with my good friend Jerry is not to try to convince you of anything but hopefully, as I write about Jesus and scripture to encourage you to be comfortable in not knowing where you are at but simply following a 1st-century rabbi who said, "come follow me"