Personal ... And not so much

All of us, at one time or another, could probably be found guilty of being attached to something just a little too much.  You know the kind of attachment that I mean ... The kind that becomes annoying to most everyone else around you who doesn't share your passion.  The kind of obsession that makes it hard for others to relate to and, honestly, makes it difficult for you to relate to their obvious cluelessness.  I mean really, who couldn't appreciate being part of a competitive duck herding association?  It seems as if there are associations for those rabidly passionate about just about anything ... From extreme ironing to sailing, from beetle fighting to model airplanes.  If you are passionate about it, chances are that you can find a group that is too.  Somewhere in the collective goals of practically any group who are passionate about something is the desire to see the group grow, unless of course your group is the "passionate about introversion" association. The reality is that individuals of certain affinities will form groups, while it is the power, influence and critical mass of groups that create movements....and don't we all want our passions to become movements? Consequently we want those not yet sold out to our passion to get a clue and get on board.  When they don't, it can leave us discouraged, and worse yet, disillusioned.  Questions form ... What's wrong with me that I'm the only one who sees the importance of this?  What's your problem? What's his problem?  What's their problem?  What's our problem?
Today, if I were honest, I'd have to say that I'm just about there with my passion.  My passion, it seems, is the church.  The living, breathing, organic, socially challenging, relationally taxing, beautiful mess known as the local church.  I've given my life to this "group".  I can't really explain why anymore than someone who collects stamps can explain the why of their obsession, even though it makes perfect sense in their minds.  My group certainly has its flaws and its detractors.  So does NASCAR.  The difference is that I believe in the depths of my soul that my group ... the local church ...truly is the hope of the world.  I don't think that even the most deranged Seahawks fan really thinks, in their heart of hearts, that salvation comes through the Legion of Boom.  It's not only my personal church, little "c", but also the bigger Church that consumes me.  For 2000 years this flawed and faulted institution has survived and in many places flourished.  It's immortal origins and mission have carried it beyond mortal and moral shortcomings.  People, especially in other lands, still continue to struggle for it and sacrifice even life itself to belong to it.  Collectively, it is Gods instrument to carry out the eternal mission to convey His grace, love and offer of redemption.  It is still, and always has been, the hope of the world.
The problem is that I live in a land where countless people, including followers of Jesus, founder of my group, feel that they individually are the hope of the world.  There is no need to be in a group who believe as they do.  For those of you outside of this corner of the country, what you need to know is that, while we are now known as the land of the religiously unaffiliated... the "nones", we are not a land devoid of people claiming to "follow" Jesus.  There are plenty of those here.  They just choose to do it individually.  It's a sort of Jesus based anarchy.  Everyone gets do follow in their own individual way.  The thing is, individuals do not create a movement.   Groups do, formed by individuals, critical mass and momentum.  If my unaffiliated Jesus loving friends could take a page from the legalizing marijuana playbook, there would be no stopping us.
I still have faith that one day this will change ... that people would realize that we are not as strong as we think we are ... that people in the group would be passionate enough to care about those not yet in the group and that they would long, as I do, for others to get as excited about gathering to worship and encourage and to serve as we do about a home game.