It seems as if my recent conversion to Christianity has rankled a few feathers. In fact, at a recent Impact Men’s Group I was asked about why I sign off my emails with “In Christ.” When I shared about my recent submission to Christ, let’s just say the energy in the room completely shifted. I even heard the word “betrayed.” On another occasion, during a recent talk show, I was interrupted on the break, and was asked in a contemptuous way, “You’re not a Christian, are you?” So what’s going on and why are some of us “spiritual” folks, so turned off by Christianity or organized religion?

        Before you stop reading this, or ask to be taken off my mailing list, hear me out. The reaction in the Men’s Group did not surprise me at all. In this day and age it seems that whatever exposure we have to “Christians” comes through the media in which they are portrayed as judgmental, hypocritical, intolerant, mean-spirited, right-wing whack jobs. There are scores of people who say that they are Christians, but as Dr. Martin Luther King once put it, “many people falsely represent themselves as Christians, they are rich in their creeds and anemic in their deeds.” In the case of organized religion, I understand that some of us have suffered and been hurt deeply by religious abuse. I for one, have for years talked about my disdain for dogma and have often used analogies like, “religion is the ladder, and spirituality is the roof.” So what happened to me?

         Here is the short of it. I began to realize around the end of 2009, that what I called spirituality was an excuse to justify and rationalize what was easy and workable for me. You know, playing it safe. Almost all of the spiritual work that I did was centered on myself and what little time I had left over was dedicated to “God.” I also began to see that the personal and self-development movement, that I guess I could have been loosely categorized with, was part of the problem, in that; once again it is mostly centered around “self.” In my many years of public lecturing I have often referenced many of our great teachers and prophets as a source of inspiration. Jesus Christ was on the top of that list. I have now decided and committed to truly investigate who he was/is and what part he plays in my life.

        In my more than two decades of service and public talks, hundreds of you have shared with me how “inspiring” my message has been. I do appreciate your kind words but in truth, my role in life has now turned to telling people that it’s time to be first and foremost inspired by God’s message. For me that message is to be spread through his son Jesus Christ, my savior and lord. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Please know that I am Yours In Christ,

Frank