Why so very few into-Jesus and this our number one? Reasons get personal. Our disposition, prejudices, and ideals -- all go toward the influence. Baggage carried into the exchange. God -- might be at, "could be there and Jesus-like?" stage -- is reaching to us and we move unto, or back off? Two directions, we're all, always moving in. All the time.

God likewise, on the move.

Grab, let go, grab, let go etc. etc. we go. God pursuing and seeking, nudging and signs leaving, is present and on us. The mysterious exposure but restrained and our faith needed.

A list and what would put me off?

Assuming Calvinism and make sense of supposed Loving God. Any theology claiming the future is set with God outside time and therefore... etc.

OK let's rattle a few off in no priority order and quicko:

Homophobia, sexism, 'my-lot' aka ' version of Church' is 'the' one and -- "all the rest are pants". Ideas about all-everlasting and all but 'my-lot' writhing in endless agony. Rather than the Biblical more evident. A final cease consciousness for all but can be hopeful about. For conditional/somewhat wide-reaching and ranging mercy.

No room for reasonable doubts and debate. Open sounds good or mess-up. Draws in, or sends scuttling off. This with a "rightly-so" echoing inside.

Calls that seem to make or break and how I live? Now, this one's tricky to explain but in essence, the notion 'grace' follows, not proceeds and the must-dos. Backward thinking.

Depending on circumstances, another big not-going-God's-way is it challenges percieved freewheeling living. Again, does, but... miss-overstood and the image and reality of God gets warped into who-not.

More no-no's and have us running? Well skipping over onto the ones about this post and two: 'Boring church services and the boring Bible'.

The first isn't without merit, the second 'bore' is where at and this short seed of a post.

To say it in a swing and cop-out myself, in wanting this soon written and over:

God has what said in mind. There's something about years and decades of holding to having 'decreed'. Looks to see this happen. Taking general strategy and getting specific and tailored for people, couples, and groups. Plans. While some are new and born out of nowhere and made in response to the contemporary, many held -- by God -- from way back. Some from the womb and childhood, some as a promise to come and offspring.

Chiseled out and looking for fulfillment. The words recorded/Bible verses are conduits and God gets what God wants -- some of the time. Confidence in overarching and fixed so will be, but in the midst and mix are variables.

How works and at best? We should see the Bible words as the way to seed and reap what God wants. Get the language and literal text in us like medicine. If must swallow and pull a face. Not about oh feels oh so sweet inspiration. Be it or not -- gotta get it in us. Somehow. Any-how.

How it goes. We take in. Look at, in reading repetitive and how-ever we can. Pick up read-out, speak -- go audible, mumble if need be. Dig about for a sense of life about. Etc.

DO. That all and it.

And God does ...with. This how it goes. We take in, and the putting; God does the writing with. Future shaped by. Present imbued and comes the power -- because of 'the word'. The cycle and momentum complete when faith exercised.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Back to why not a lot of saints go marchin' in?

Like in the latest moves in China (ongoing but a new purge on) -- gotta stop access to the Word or else..?

On a tangent and to end. The bit of Church worth a look gets hidden by said-Govt. In North Korea, there's a church-seen, that live in cells and gets bashed about starved and they die a lot. All 70,000 of them under the club and bullies.

The tangent: OK, a combo. Read the words, go past the moody barriers and prevailing culture-struggling put-off. And if are to consider church -- try and find what can about the right in calling 'suffering' one.

God isn't asking first believe and do, this somehow becomes us. God is asking we sow the word and on the back of this God'll write in us and this is our Lovers, loving, intent. To fulfill plans made and new ones making.