Wuddaya Wanna Be?

When I was a kid playing Little League Baseball I dreamed of playing for the Mets (pre-changeover to the Yankees in '74).  I knew what I wanted to be:  the catcher for the Mets, and batting clean-up.  It never dawned on me that that dream might not come true.  I never had a doubt that one day...  Guess what; I am not, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be a catcher for the Mets (which after this season sure isn't a disappointment).  I'm okay with that.  A long time ago, so long ago in fact that I have no idea when, why or how, my dream dissolved and disappeared.

No, this post isn't about broken childhood dreams.  Quite the contrary actually!  I was thinking today (like I occasionally do) about who I am.  It's kind of a fun exercise from time-to-time.  I am a son, a husband, a father, a friend and so on.  It's interesting all the things we are - have you ever tried it?  Anyway, as I was thinking about that I got to remembering my childhood dream and thought - okay, what do you want to be when you grow up?

So I thought about the different aspects of my life:  personal, family, career, etc, and got to thinking yet again - "how would you describe the kind of Christian you would be if you could be one?"  Sounds weird at this point in my journey I know, but hey - I know the concepts and lingo... so I have the "head" knowledge of what it's all about.

Drum roll please!  Here it is, the kind of Christian I would want to be:

I would want to be Christian first.  Whether one believes in God or not, you'd have to agree that the Christ was a pretty impressive and good guy.  I would want to be like him.  But I have another meaning here.  I would want to be Christian first in the sense that denominations, theologies and so on would never get in the way of the fact that other people too, love the Christ.

Next I think I would have to consider myself Evangelical.  You know, that middle road between the harsh, over-reactionary line of the Fundamentalists, and the ultra-theologically liberal. As in most things in life:  moderation!

Then, I should desire to be Missional.  Now, I don't know if "works" is a part of salvation or a result of it, I'll leave that to the Calvinism vs. Arminianism debaters, but this I feel is right:  if the Church doesn't take care of our neighbors, then what's it all for anyway?

That's all I can think of right now.  There's probably a bunch of other labels I could attach to myself, but I'll cross that bridge when and if it ever becomes necessary!