Reflecting Christ

Matthew 28:19a
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations..."

Julie got home from Poland late last night. Today, she and David just kicked back and let Tammy soak up some of each of them. I know it did Tammy a lot of good to have both of them by her side. We'll post some pictures tomorrow.

Tonight, the kids and I had a great opportunity to hear Dr. Tony Evans speak at the "What If The Church?" worship event. Dr. Evans is a well-known speaker and writer, and tonight he spoke about the difference between being a Christian and being a disciple.

Let me try to summarize his words. The difference between a Christian and a disciple is that a Christian knows Christ and follows Him while a disciple reflects Christ and imitates Him. Christ desires for all of us to know Him. It's through that relationship that we gain entry into Heaven when our days on Earth are over. But He wants more than just followers. He wants disciples, people who will demonstrate that relationship to everyone around them.

Dr. Evans asked the congregation, "If you were accused at work of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" There was a lot of "amen-ing" around the auditorium, but it made everyone think about their own situation.

There's only one other person in my office, and my co-worker is a Bible-college student, so that's an easy one for me. But what about my other situations? I'm in a business networking group that meets twice a month with about 60 in attendance on an average Tuesday. I'm in a district with about 30 other insurance agents. I'm on a local board of about 12 people, and I'm often seen in the press box or on the press row at local sporting events. Do those people know that I'm a disciple of Christ? Would they say I'm different from the others in those situations who don't claim a relationship with Christ?

I believe so, because that is my constant goal. I have had people tell me they have been watching me to see if my faith is real. I know in Tammy's most recent work situation, where she was one of a couple hundred employees in the same building, that she was known by her faith. People she didn't know very well came to her before she left for her transplant and told her that her demonstration of faith through her struggle was an inspiration to them.

We've all heard the metaphoric question, "What is the meaning of life?" Tammy's and my answer is always the same: "to bring glory to God." That attitude and goal pervades everything we do, including this blog. If you've been following us for a while, you'll know that Tammy's prayer since childhood has been to "be used in a mighty way." Through this journey, both in 2009 and this year, our goal has been to use the circumstances of her illness to bring others into a closer relationship with Christ. If we reflect Christ--if people look at us and see Christ--we have done what we intended to do.

It is our constant prayer. We want to keep you up to date on how Tammy is doing, and we will take the opportunity to do that when there's something to report. (She continues to improve daily, but there's nothing different to report today.) But we will always try to take each day and look at everything through the lens of our relationship with Him. We hope that's all you see.