Since my brother Rick and his family saw fit to flee to Florida around Christmastime, we held our family Christmas on New Year’s Day. When we got together with Pam’s family the previous week, I made a vegetable soup for the first time, and it turned out great. I repeated the vegetable soup, and added a successful attempt at my first crockpotable cheese dip. I’m getting adventurous.

My niece, Paula, told me that she and Tom (right) are planning to become foster parents (something in which Paula has had an interest for many years). They live in Convoy, Ohio; Tom is an electrician, and Paula manages a Christian bookstore in Van Wert. Paula valued my opinion about the idea, and that made me feel good.

Having taken in Allen and Carolyn and Connor for a year, I suppose, gave my views some credibility. I told her I thought it was a great way to make a huge impact on some kids’ lives. But I said it would definitely change their lives. Gone is privacy. Gone is a lot of freedom and spontaneity. Gone is…self-centeredness?

But the Christian life isn’t meant to be convenient. If your life is lived in such a way that you don’t have to be bothered by stuff, that things don’t get in your way, that you don’t have extra demands on your time and money, that you don’t need to be unduly troubled by other people’s troubles, that your discretionary time and money is at your own beck and call, that you can do what you want when you want–well, then, your life is very convenient. Congratulations, it must feel nice.

But Jesus talks about having no place to lay your head and all kinds of other unsavory demands of being a disciple. Your life, as a Christian, is not supposed to be convenient.