Consider this

The title of this article may seem strange, but, in our most honest moments, I think that we would admit that it accurately describes us. The great majority of our thoughts are about us. Generally, we do what we want when we want to do it. We think in terms of “What will make me happy?” and see almost every situation through the lens that asks, “How will this affect me?” Most of us spend a lot of money, time and effort in order to keep ourselves feeling good about who we are and what we are doing. To a "self-obsessed” world (which includes many Christians), Jesus has some very odd sounding things to say. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:34-35). “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers...

This past weekend, I asked the congregation to name someone who had helped them in their spiritual walk. I also asked them to tell what that person did that made them so memorable. One of the things that quickly became obvious is that you do not have to be a “Leader” to be a leader. In other words, you do not have to have a spotlight or an official position in the church to make a difference. In fact, of the approximately 20 people mentioned, only one of them was a preacher. Most of them were simply neighbours, friends or co-workers. The second thing I noticed was that “little things” were big things. When people recalled what really helped them, they remembered things like kind words, encouragement, friendship and time spent together. The answers that I received confirmed what I had already suspected. Too often, we make Christianity too hard. In our efforts to be useful servants of God, we impose rules and expectations that...