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I had an interesting phone call at home early last week. Like many households, Caller I.D. allows us to screen out many unwanted call center calls. But this particular day I was expecting an insurance adjuster (yes we're still having issues with hurricane damage from last year) so even though I didn't recognize the number I decided to answer anyway just in case it was the insurance company. It wasn't.

It turned out to be yet another credit card company with a great deal that was just too good to pass up, so the caller thought. When he told me who he was, I responded by telling him that we were debt free except for the house and truck and that we didn't use credit any more. His response was priceless; ìYou don't listen to Dave Ramsey, do you?î (You'll remember the Dave Ramsey course, Financial Peace University, that we ran a few months ago.) I laughed and told him that as a matter of fact I did. It was the best credit card call I've ever gotten.

"You don't listen to Jesus Christ, do you?"

Isn't that something, a simple statement by me automatically connected me with the philosophy of Dave Ramsey in the mind of a third party. I don't mind being associated with someone like Dave Ramsey who is attempting to help families get onto better financial footing. But that call has made me wonder about something else.

I wonder why no one has ever asked, ìYou don't listen to Jesus Christ do youî? In our day and time that might be a rather unusual interchange and I really don't expect that situation to come up in a normal circumstance. But I do wonder if people I encounter notice or can tell overtly by my lifestyle, the words I use or my angle on life that I am a Christian. Can I as readily be spotted as a disciple of Jesus as I was an adherent to Dave?

Does the cashier at the grocery store have any reason to automatically connect me with Jesus? Is my attitude a dead giveaway that I operate under the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Do my work associates ever have cause to say, ìWell you can certainly tell he has spent a lot of time with Jesusî? That happened to a couple of the apostles as the crowd noticed the way they handled an unfavorable situation. When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

Christianity is much more than trying to escape the flames of judgment when Jesus returns. It is more about being in the world while not being of the world . It's about being different so I can make a difference.

I've seen enough of Dave to know he gets a kick out of making a difference in people's lives so much that others notice and make the connection. I'll bet Jesus likes the same thing. That's one reason we were Called.

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