Non-Jesusy Reasons to Be On the Journey

You don't have to be a Christian to be a good person.

"What!?" (That's right, I hear you gasping.)

Oh, yeah. You see, A Journey of Reinvention, though faith-based, is not on a mission to shove Jesus down anybody's throat. We do what we do because we love people, and (in our minds) we love people because Jesus loved people. But there are a fair number of atheists in our lives and -- spread the word -- they're not evil. They're human beings just like everyone else and deserve love and respect, friendship and companionship. Put aside any agenda to 'save' someone (since, ya know, we can't save anyone anyhow...) and just love people. All people.

So, you and I might believe in God and Jesus and Heaven and all the spiritual stuff that we align ourselves with that is integral to who we are. If that's your paradigm, then doesn't it stand to reason that the God we believe in loves people who don't believe in Him? Since He created them in His image just like He created us? And have you ever wondered what keeps atheists being atheists? I'm sure hypocrisy doesn't help. It certainly didn't help ME when I renounced my faith in Jesus and God for a decade. If we're claiming there's a God out there that loves everyone equally and then WE don't love everyone equally, surely that's not helping us plead our case.

But I digress. A Journey of Reinvention is about helping and loving people, yes.  Do you have to be a Christian to love and help people? Nope. (Stop gasping, it's throwing me off.) Do you have to believe in God to love and help people? Nope. Do you have to be a Christian or believe in God to focus on sustainable living solutions, or to feed hungry kids, or to teach interview/cleaning/hygiene skills to those in need? A resounding 'NOPE' once again.

We're on a mission, yes. We're living missionally, yes. We're trusting God, having faith, loving people, yes. But no one ever becomes part of the Journey until someone else invites them, right?

We're a safe place with no judgment and no exclusion here. Be sure to tell that to your friends, whatever their beliefs may be, when you invite them to be a part of something bigger than all of us.

Stephanie Jean