Fluff and fold

That's what I call some of the Christian writers on the market today. Wear it no matter where. Calvin, Luther and the Puritans--now that's starch and iron, pull it out of the closet to look and think your best. Straighten up and look 'em in the eye. Neither are wrong. All are saved. But I hear or read so much of the Fluff and Fold I get bored and put the basket away for another day. Often there is little about Jesus or grace. Just a new way to write a "to do" list as if the cross never happened. At Bible study on Saturday I watched a video for 30 minutes of a dynamo, well-known pastor from Chicago who didn't mention Jesus once in his Bible thumper about "faith" driving out "doubt." It was 99.9% Old Testament.

Here's a blend--a little starch, a little lycra. The authorship is uncertain, probably from a black preacher, but I found it in Anne Graham Lotz' book, My Heart's Cry this morning. When I googled the final phrase, I found another blogger using it today.

I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith in Jesus Christ, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go 'til He comes, give 'til I drop, preach 'til all know, and work 'til He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me--my banner of identification with Jesus will be clear.

"I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ."

Now that's worth hanging a blog on.