Muddied tracks.

The more I love Jesus, the less this becomes about rules.

The more it becomes about sinking into His Word on the couch in my office, blanket on my lap, tea in my mug.

It becomes more about knowing that the next steps for me may look different from my neighbor’s and not to worry so much about what my neighbor thinks.

It becomes less about what we’ve turned Christianity into and more about what it is–the roots of the tree that keep me watered and growing in God’s great light.

It becomes far less of everything “Christian-adjacent”: a rock band playing on stage, a manipulative leader at the pulpit, a place where sharing anything in your heart feels unsafe and wrong.

It harkens back to what is true: that the Church is the people, not the faulty practices people cling to because they’re scared of actually baring their souls to Christ and His people.

And it’s far better for me to skirt that trap and follow my Shepherd’s lead than the muddied tracks of a misguided flock.