When I say I am a Christian,

I don't mean that I go to church, keep all the commandments perfectly, or tithe to my local congregation. I don't mean I subscribe to the latest teachings from the pop-church culture. I don't mean I follow an evangelical superstar, that I read the latest best seller in the Christian book club, or listen to CCM. I don't mean that I don't swear, don't enjoy a drink, have never smoked or tried weed. Hey, I don't even mean I have no "unbelieving" (or as they like to call themselves sometimes in jest "pagan") friends.

What I mean is I fell in love with Jesus. (I know people are debating if he's real or not. That never seems to bother me. Maybe that's idealism.) I am in love with the way he loved the untouchables in his society, the way he stood up to the bullies that had done everything right and had forgotten how to love the poor and neglected. I love the way he let the excluded in, the way he wasn't afraid to go where the establishment said he shouldn't. He wasn't afraid to give all he had for love.

So many of the evils I see in the world around me (and in myself) have only one answer: love others the way you want to be loved. Do you want shelter? Love others by giving them a place. Do you want to eat? Love others by feeding them. Do you desire a fair wage? Pay your employees something they can live on. Do you crave friends and family? Learn to be a friend and create family. This is what I love about Jesus. This is what I mean when I say I am a Christian. This is how I want to live my life. Yes, I fail. No, I'm not going to stop striving for this.

He's real to me. I'm not playing games. This is life and death. And life comes from these little deaths. They're tied together. This truth is in every meal you eat and each season you behold. He came that we might have life to the full.