JFZ
What if the church was more like PLANET FITNESS and less like “church”?? If when you walked in you were greeted by a few friendly faces, told where things were and found your “spot” in the room. As you get situated in your space you look up and bigger than anything else in the room you see this enormous sign:
JUDGEMENT FREE ZONE
What if the church was a Judgement Free Zone?? If we were free to come in as frail human beings and see each as we truly are…broken, un-done, needy, not “put-together”, poor (thus the $10 membership fee), poor in spirit, too loud, too quiet, too raw, too un-kept, too large, too small too White, too Black, too Spanish, too Asian, too African, too European…just too….
What if we were allowed to let down our guard, put away our masks, undo our mindsets and step into “The Zone”…disregard our misgivings our differences and our short-comings and have a moment to unveil our hearts in truth and reality before the ONE who came to save …and rescue:
Jn 3:17- God did not send His Son into the world to condemn or judge the world, but to be its Savior and to rescue it.
Don’t get me wrong…there are still a few mirrors and membership- a quick glimpse of yourself and others and a commitment to the process…it’s still earth and we’re still people…we are still “working out our salvation”. But right above the mirrors there’s another sign:
NO LUNKS
*At the “PLANET” that means no dropping huge amounts of weights on the floor to make a loud sound so everyone will look at you! *At church it simply means *no primidonnas showing off their bulging “spiritual muscles” while looking down on those who are weaker and less “spiritually developed”!! No Lunks.
Is it possible to lose the old ways of looking at someone and instantly deciding/judging “who” they are or “what condition” they are in?? Instead, can our arms be open as w i d e as the Loving Arms of Jesus as He welcomes each one of us into His Heartbeat…no matter what our condition, strength (or lack thereof), background, abilities or even beliefs? Can we get past judgement??? Can our walls read:
COME AS YOU ARE…YOU BELONG HERE
What if next week you’re the one who slipped back into your “sin”, your “addictive ways”, your rotating problems,…what if you’re the one who doesn’t speak the right language, who feels like giving up and ending it all…what if you’re the one who is weak and staggering into your seat…what if in your moment of utter collapse and despair you look up and you see:
JUDEGEMENT FREE ZONE on the wall… on a visitor card…written on the heart of the girl/guy sitting next to you.
I WANT TO GO TO THAT CHURCH!!
by joni miller
*pages from my journal 2/4/19 , ©Joan Miller, UBP
Joni Miller is from West Chester, Pa where she is the Dir. Of Worship & the Arts at Cornerstone Christian Fellowship. She and her husband, Dr. Robert S. Miller (Bob) founded Cornerstone in 1991. In 2015, Bob died after an exhausting battle with prostate cancer. Her writings are actual pages from her journal from 2015 through to present day as she continues the journey through grief, loss and hope.