Be a Provocateur

How many Christians do you know whose presence stirs you? 

Spending time with a provocative [intriguing, remarkable, compelling] person leaves you with a question:  "How will I live differently?"  And the question will not let you seek the safety of mediocrity or the tedium of dullness.

Provocateurs are "passionate change makers willing to be shunned if it is necessary for them to make a point" says Seth Godin in his book, Linchpin.  They are not willing to be cogs in a machine, or passive wallflowers.  They know their presence was sanctioned by God and that the effect of their life reveals something about God.  A provocateur's presence in your life is indespensible.

Provocateurs are not willing to yield their God-given splendor to false scripts and expectations, nor are they willing to keep quiet simply because it's an unpopular thing to say. 

Note:  Provocateurs are not unkind.  They proceed with humility and the power of gentleness.  If they expose something painful, they do so for the sake of restoration, not to wound.  If they provoke, it is to bring about a better day.  Inspiration and aliveness follows them.  They raise questions from which there is no retreat.

They do it because they love.

What is Jesus provoking in you?

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Related podcast:  "DEVELOPING THE HEART NEEDED FOR OUR CALLING"

Update on Monday, September 13, 2010 at 9:00AM by Jim Robbins

We're talking about what it means to be a provocative Christian over at THE GOOD AND NOBLE HEART page on Facebook.