Thought for today - 08/27/2011

BE A DIFFERENCE-MAKER

"No wonder the early Christian church was known as the Way. It was a way of life that stood in glaring contrast to the world. What gave the early Christians integrity was the fact that they could denounce the empire and in the same breath say, "And we have another way of living. If you are tired of what the empire has to offer, we invite you into the Way." Even the pagan emperors could not ignore the little revolution of love. Emperor Julian confessed, "The godless Galileans feed our poor in addition to their own." And the Way had little cells multiplying all over that ole empire. Of course, everyone was forewarned that in this kingdom everything is backward and upside-down -- the last are first and the first are last, the poor are blessed and the mighty are cast from their thrones. And yet people were attracted to it. They were ready for something different from what the empire had to offer."
     ~Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical