"we can't help but speak the truth!"

my interpretation of the sermon. june 13, 2010.
question: what if the law told you that you had to take jesus out of the church? you could sing and you could gather, but you couldn't speak the name of jesus?
how irrelevant would that make everything that we're supposed to be about?
Acts 4 is about the power of the name of Jesus. when it threatens the pride of the "law" it usually ends in a war of powers. Jesus always wins in the end, but during the trial time...it tests the very will of humanity. we have a hard time not trying to play the preservation game.
so that brings up the question for me: why are we so scared of death or in most cases, ridicule? because it's painful? because we're not sure how we'll die? because we don't want to leave the people we love? because we don't want to be embarressed? i think it's because we [sort of] know how it ends.
as Christians, we know about heaven, and Jesus, and faith...but what about what we don't know. will i still be married to jeremy? will gus be there? will i recongnize my family and friends? what will we do all day? will we sleep? how long will i wait for my loved ones to get there? will there be a taco bell? will i be able to sing? can i have coffee with Jesus? what will i do here on earth before i die? will i have children? will i cut it? these are the reasons death scares me.
i don't want to be caught in the game of preserving myself and my comfort in place of being relevant to the people around me. i will not be the person who gives strangers a "Jesus loves you" tract, but i BELIEVE that we are called to keep each other accountable. we are meant to help each other. we are meant to tell each other in our deepest, darkest moments - that..."the Lord is with you, Mighty Warrior".
we are fighters. whether we like it or not. so fight for your family. fight for your friends. fight for your coworker that struggles with depression. fight because if you're not fighting for what you believe in...your wasting everyone's time (especially your own).
i am not the person that tries to be everything to everyone, but i will try to be everything that i can be for the people that i love.
honestly,
Tara