The Revolution

I consider yesterday, September 1st, to be my 3rd anniversary of the day that I came to the Lord. I was getting a massage yesterday afternoon and it dawned on me, that I could have very well not even be alive. Had I not reached out to God in the late afternoon of Sept 1, 2005 I think that maybe I wouldn't even be here today. I count it as such an incredible blessing to be alive, to be here with my husband and kids and friends and family. I am overwhelmed with gratitude to the God that accepted me into this relationship with him after a lifetime of my choice to live apart from him. I want to live the rest of my life on purpose, deliberate, ever aware of the fact that I have a second chance to do this thing right, not for me, but for the Lord that I love and serve. He has done a mighty work in me in just 3 years, it's incredible. I am 100% certain that life with God is THE ONLY WAY!!!
I am about half way through the best book, and yesterday felt the sense that I needed to go back to the beginning and start over because I was craving the power and greatness of it all over again. I commit my life to this philosophy and to the "revolution" that I am following after.
Some excerpts from "The Jesus of Suburbia" by Mike Erre...
"I think we may have lost sight of Jesus among all the trappings of the Christian religion. Amid all the hype about the growing poltical power of the evangelicals, the growing numbers of mega-churches, and the booming, billion-dollar Christian subculture industry, I wonder if we have left Jesus behind?...My primary contention is this: Much of what passes for modern, western Christianity isn't of Jesus. We can (and do) lose Jesus right in the middle of prayer meetings and worship services. We can miss him in the bible and in the church...We may think we worship the Jesus of Nazareth, but in reality we worship the Jesus of Suburbia...The suburban Jesus would never be so offensive as to demand that we do what he says; he is more interested in the security, comfort and prosperity of his followers. In short, much of the message of American Christianity presents Jesus as the purveyor of the American Dream...Jesus birth was was revolution. It changed everything...If we understand his birth as revolution, ten we may glimpse the revolution that his life will bring. Jesus has been, and always will be, a threat to the established order of things...Our world doesn't want to be reminded of Christ-because he forces us to choose. In our just do it, have it all kind of world, the revolution of Jesus forces us to choose: Who is King? Who is Lord? What empire do you serve? What god do you bow down to?...We must be reawakened to the fact that the birth and life of jesus directly opposes the power and authority of this world. He has been and always will be a threat to everything...Not only did Jesus's birth turn everything upside down, so did his life and what he taught. You must die to live. You must lose to gain. Weakness is strength. Joy exists in the midst of suffering. Power is restraint. Love those who persecute you. Pray for those who hate you...This is revolution...Two kingdoms war on this earth...One is built on war, oppression, wealth, power, self-interest, and control; the other on love, faith, hope, freedom, grace, compassion, and truth...Will we choose the Jesus of Suburbia who exists to provide us with health, wealth, comfort and happiness? Or will we press on to find the Jesus of Nazareth, the most dangerous an radical man to ever walk the face of the earth? I want the real thing."