So I was on twitter the other day and came across a very funny story from a guy named Jeremy Bell. I don’t know anything about Mr. Bell but he was writing a blog about a little incident that occurred with him, legos, and the SWAT team. You see, he had just purchased a lego set that was a realistic replica of a semi-automatic handgun. Someone must have spotted him through his window putting it together at work, because several hours later he hears his name being screamed down the hall and SWAT men tackling him and cuffing his hands.

In the end Mr. Bell shows them the lego gun and they let him go, but after I got done reading his story and looking at the cool lego set I starting thinking about something I read in K Magazine called, Redefining Maturity (by Sam Luce).

The fact is kids can spot a decoy a million miles away. If we are telling kids that Christ is amazing and that life committed to Him is awesome - it needs to be evident in our lives. In the article mentioned above it reads:

Perhaps [practicing the truths we teach] is the greatest gift we can give the kids under our care and ministry - a real life example that growing in Christ, indeed our spiritual formation, isn’t a plate of facts and knowledge but a dynamic relationship with Jesus that transforms and finds expression in the relationships and world around us.

Living examples - that is the key. All the teaching in the world is like a fake lego gun when it is not applied to our lives. But unlike that lego gun, a hypocritical life can do tremendous damage. The article goes on to mention that an important part of spiritual maturity is being able to feed oneself and includes a list of examples of ways to do this:

Read Your Bible - this seems like a big duh, but many times we get even too busy to read the very words of God. We all need to make sure this is priority in our lives.

Listen to Podcasts - I would also include getting into service or picking up a CD so that you have a steady diet of good biblical teaching encouraging and challenging you. As a servant in CM I know sometimes we have to double up & end up missing service, so make sure you get the podcast or CD .

Practice Transparent Faith - While we don’t need to air all our sins in front of everyone, being transparent about our faults and humanity helps bridge the gap between others. After all, it is only the grace of God that has saved us...not our super-spirituality.

Stay Connected - fellowship with like-minded believers who will encourage as well as inspire new ideas. This means beyond the walls of the church (ie: real life groups, servant fellowships etc).