“I’m about to break down, searching for a way out”

“Joe, you sound like this Christianity thing is serious stuff.”

Yup.

And yup, it’s the third day in a row that my blog title’s from one song, albeit carefully edited to maintain my Family Friendly status.

Serious stuff.

This following Christ Jesus really is. Things are expected of us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it The Cost of Discipleship. If you haven’t read his book by that title, do. But brace yourself, because it’s not fluffy summertime reading.

Serious stuff.

Amy Noel Green, whom I cited here yesterday, continues (highlight are mine) —

“This call to interdependence is repeated throughout the New Testament in many verses that talk about the followers of Jesus forming a body. (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:27, Ephesians 1:23, Ephesians 4:16)

“The biblical picture of a healthy community of believers is a single body. Each part of the body is unique and vital, but all the parts are completely dependent on each other. Loving God well means accepting our dependence on Him and His body, the church.

“You may feel uncomfortable as you begin to think of yourself as interdependent rather than independent. We tend to think of independence as a sign of strength and dependence as a sign of weakness. But as you shift your thinking to embrace the biblical standard of interdependence, you will grow in love and compassion.

“It may help to remember that interdependence doesn’t only mean that you resign yourself to your dependence on others, but it also means that you choose to become a person others can depend upon.”

— May we realize this…in every sense of the word “realize.”

Amen?