It strikes me that the above is precisely the world Jesus came into to transform: A world filled with people who, while still living, have already committed suicide. A world where the living dead walk around with deep bootprints on their hearts, the unholy laughter of evil ringing in their ears and an oppressive sense of having deserved all of the above.

It’s called shame…

The message He came to deliver? It’s simple: “I can see you, I love you and I can heal you if you’ll let Me. It’s time to bring your heart out to play in the community of all the other people I’ve already raised from the dead.”

And yes, they are out there — mostly in coffee shops, pubs and living-rooms where people gather in His name. They are found where hungry hearts seek to love and be loved and where those who have given up on the rules seek to know and be known by others anyway. They hang out with the broken, the humbled and sometimes the tipsy in places where the, “Righteous,” rarely dare to tread for fear they would look anything but. They are found with the outcasts, the free thinkers, the lovers and the mystics — with the people who would rather dance before Him then seek to quantify Him.

Yes, they are difficult to spot — but can always be found by heart for, in their presence, judgment fades away. They are people who know they are absolutely perfect, holy and infinitely lovable — and see you that way too.

Rarely, they may even be found in the bricks and mortar church. But, it’s easy to spot them there — taking heavy fire as they fight to change it….