I just had my first experience using an AI fast food drive-through.

Not a fan.

There was no way to verify what was in the wrap I ordered. Then was told I couldn’t get an iced tea; but I gave up soda for Lent. It was nowhere close to being interactive.

I have a book that a parishioner gave me by Craig Groeschel titled “Not a Fan.” Its’ purpose is to dispel the “Jesus is My Homeboy”, bumper sticker kind of faith. Rather to be a disciple, a true follower of Jesus, is much more difficult

Faith. Not fandom.

I’ve thought of an acronym, a mnemonic – “CHINO”. Christians in Name Only. This blog post may be as far as that gets. I do believe that it checks me and my faithfulness, or oftentimes lack thereof. Am I just taking Jesus for a test drive, or am I okay being a passenger on the wild ride? Asis from analogies on play-on-words devices, I get in the bad habit of thinking that it really doesn’t matter in the end. I may not be a fan of AI just yet, but it does have its usefulness. Figuring out solutions. Saving time. Giving impetus to our creative processes. Improving quality of life.

Faith.

Following Christ, who is Lord of all, despite present-day evidence to the contrary.

Hebrews 11:1, which has served as our mid-week Lenten verse for the theme “By Faith”. Look it up and memorize it. That’s your “homework”! It will help you be more than a fair-weather, “gimmie” kind of Christian. I’m not a fan of churches that don’t observe Lent because it’s “too depressing”, or doesn’t lend itself to “homeboy”, bumper sticker praise choruses. We confront, apprehend our need for God’s grace. I pray that the Holy Spirit will help us be honest with ourselves, to do the difficult yet necessary work of repentance. Don’t be a fan, be a follower all the way to the cross. It is where, first and foremost, we see God’s unconditional love.

Pastor Art