It wasn’t long ago that I took a stroll down memory lane with my daughters. We pulled out my old yearbooks and read the autographs to see what my friends had to say about me. A sampling of them would read: “You’re a weird kid” and “To someone who is different.” We got a big laugh out of it, but it reminded me how much I wanted to fit in back in my school days. I never set out to be weird back then.
But when I started following Jesus, I realized that being a Christ-follower meant marching to the beat of a different drummer. I discovered that I didn’t mind being different if I was different for the Truth!
And then God led me to the Weird capital of the world, Austin, Texas, where we pride ourselves on “Keeping it Weird.” Austin got this reputation in the late 70s because of its diversity and the way you could express yourself any way you wanted to and still be accepted. That weirdness is what people love about Austin.
The fact is: being normal today means being stressed out, broke, and lonely. God has called us out of the normal kind of life to a life of peace, freedom, purpose, and connection. It’s a life that’s just plain Weird! This weekend, we’re kicking off our new series: “Weird: Because Normal Isn’t Working.”You know what would be really weird? Bring a friend with you and find out!