Being a Christian

In my last post I gave reasons why I didn't want to be a Christian. I want to clarify that it's not that I don't want to be a real Christian, I just don't want to be the type of Christian that today's society sees as the majority. (see my Why I Don't Want To Be A Christian) With this post I want to express what I do want to be as a true Christian.

Real - This spurs from my thoughts on hypocrisy in the Church. Now I realize that there are hypocrital tendencies to all of us and that many times we act on this. However, I want to limit these occurances to few and far between. I see this as especially important in my job as a youth pastor. Saying one thing and doing another just doesn't serve well when you have middle school and high school students paying attention to everything you do. With this being said, I would like to think that even if I wasn't working in a local church, I would have the desire to be real.
My other point to this is that I want to be myself and allow my self to be somewhat vulnerable. For those of you who know me, you know that I'm pretty open about who I am. I don't hide things well even if I try really hard. I wear the same face in most circumstances although I'll admit that I talk differently depending upon the audience. But overall, I think it's important for me to be the same at church, at work, at home, and everywhere else.
Living in the now and in the future, while remembering the past - One thing I think a lot of Christians have done is lived only for the afterlife. Although this is something that we should always be conscious of, I think we too often ignore the present. To me it's very important to be always aware of how God is working in my life now so as not to miss something that reveals who God is. The other problem I see with always thinking in future terms is the thought that "I know where I'm going after I die and that's really all that matters." Then we begin to ignore how we can grow in our faith and we miss the opportunities God places in front of us to help others.
Let's also remember our past. Just as the Jewish people always remembered how God brought them out of slavery, we too need to recognize how God has worked in our entire life. Look back and think of the times He brought you out of a rough patch or how He answered prayer. This I think is why journaling can be so beneficial. If you're like me, you go through this cycle where you hit a low, you depend on God, then you're super close to God, then you begin to forget, then you it another low and the cycle continues on.
Simple and Smart - The more I begin to learn about hermaneutics, exegesis, eschatology, entymology, evangelicalism, fundamentalism, and other big words that I don't really know the meaning of, the more I worry about becoming too intellectual and not relational. I'm a pretty simple guy, deep thinking is not something that comes real easy to me. I have to think heavily to become a heavy thinker. However, I do want to be a smart Christian. I want to be someone who continues to learn about God, Jesus, and the Church. I want to gain knowledge that will strengthen my faith and help my relationships grow. But I've always felt that I just need to K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid!)
Praxis - This word is new to me in the last 6 months. Praxis is another word used for pracitices or actions. How I live my life and the things that I do, even thought they don't grant me salvation, still serve as a telescope into my heart. This does go back to my idea about being real, but with one important addition. I think we've placed SO much emphasis on faith and grace that we've forgotten that Jesus did stuff and what he did showed who he was and where his love was. It wasn't for himself, it was for others. May my life be the moon for the Son. I want to be a reflection of who Jesus is.
Loving God and My Neighbor - Like never before Matthew 22:37-40 (Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”) has become more like the mantra I speak through my words and actions every day.

I'd be interested to hear of additions you would give to this list. What do you want to be as a Christian?...or maybe the better way to put this is, what does God want out of us as a Christian?