Dan Russell

There’s something to be said for consistency.

Consistency, but not stagnation. Consistency, but not status quo.

Everything I said in yesterday’s Catch was, and to an extent is still true about me. That’s how I know all about the pitfalls of being an “Always Christian” — in case you haven’t guessed — I am one. I couldn’t have written so easily about it if I hadn’t struggled with keeping my faith meaningful for most of my life.

I remember when as a college student I dedicated my life to Christ and to ministry, I made a deal with God. I don’t necessarily recommend making deals with God, but this one worked. (Actually, it’s not too uncommon in the scriptures: Moses, Jacob, and Hezekiah, just to name a few.) I told Him I would follow Him and give my life to serving Him as long as it could be real. I’d seen too much phoniness — too much hypocrisy.

He has been true to His side of the bargain, but I have also come to see that my side takes some fight. You have to struggle to keep it real — something this Catch blog and now radio show is dedicated to doing. We are fighting to keep our faith real. To be clear: we’re not fighting to earn our faith; we’re fighting through all the stuff that can crowd it out or make it lie down and go limp.

Faith is always fresh and vital, but it’s not going to stay that way without us being alert and awake to what can stand in its way, and stagnation, status quo, ease and comfort are some of the biggest hindrances to a vital faith.

I think there are a lot of you who are now a part of the Catch who may be “Always Christians,” and my guess is that you are with us because you, too, are fighters. You see that there is a version of Christianity rampant right now that does not require a fight. It asks for very little, in fact, beyond a commitment to a certain code and set of socio-political beliefs, many of which are extra-biblical. It requires conformity.

Here at the Catch, we’re a bunch of non-conformists, and it is my joy to be able to expose you to a lot of other non-conformists who are struggling to keep their faith vital. Last night, our fourth BlogTalkRadio show was no exception. Our guest, Dan Russell, was raised in a fundamental Christian home and has struggled all his life to keep his faith real.

Last night’s show was amazing. I am going to make it required listening for all of you. It’s an hour that will go by like a few minutes. If you have to, put it on while you fold your laundry or iron your clothes or paint your woodwork or put on your make-up, as long as it’s something that doesn’t take a lot of brain cells to do because you will need all available cells reporting for duty to keep up with this. Click on the BlogTalk link below to get to a

Dan’s wife, Alison, some guy, brother Joel

recording of last night’s show, and then let me know what you think.

Consistency is the name of the game, but not blind consistency — not following the prevailing Christian suppositions without thinking or without continually checking the word of God and the Spirit of God in you to see if these things are true.