Jesus was smiling

i don't know if he is still smiling...i hope so but Sunday night I know he had a big ol' grin on that scruffy face.
Imagine. Chili cook-off, John Wayne's The Cowboys, Dominoes, Football and spiked Hot Apple Cider. I can die a happy man for I have achieved ministry's apex, climbed the summit of youth ministry and seen that it is good.

It doesn't even bother me that I didn't win the Best In Over all. It was just like a typical family get together, of course without the drunken fights, shotguns and my grandpa saying "I hope you can use it" every five minutes. Other than those minor failings, it was perfect.

It was great to be at a church gathering where people just enjoyed each other's company. No game show host to tell people what to do next. No contrived ways to trick people into talking to each other. Just an extended family having fun being with each other.

When was the last time I felt as comfortable at church as I do around my family? why is that? am i guarded against people seeing the real me because it won't live up to the fake images of myself I have shown them? how true is this for other people? Is the church walking around being completely false with each other?
Christ gives us unity through his death and resurrection and through the Holy Spirit we are united with all other believers. But how are we supposed to live that unity when no one but our family members even knows who we are? How can Christ transform lives that are already "perfect"? It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick.