Where’s the reality for the rest of us?
Those for whom purpose-driven has petered out?
When life seems like an accident,
Filled with tears, confusion, stress and doubt.

Has God somehow abandoned me?
Maybe I’m a victim of deception?
My life seems like a ricochet,
I guess I’m a purpose-driven exception.

Some say I haven’t figured it out just yet,
Others stereotype me as odd.
Particularly those purpose-driven Christians,
The one’s who claim they have all the answers about God.

My life’s been filled with ups and downs,
A mosaic of contentment, yearning, achievement, doubt, joy and fear.
My life experience doesn’t match up with the formula,
Espoused by the purpose-driven Christians around here.

They say I’m doing something wrong,
I must live their formula to be effective.
When their well intentioned advice hits my heart,
I feel like I’m defective.

They sell promises of peace, prosperity and love.
Yet the reality of their lives seems to diverge from
this trite description.
Divorce, pre-marital sex and depression,
They stand in line at the local pharmacy to fill their
next prescription.

Yes, I believe in God.
To inquirers I respond; “Me? I’m a Christian.”
You won’t find me in your church,
I can’t stand the backbiting and the bitchin.

One thing that I know,
God has a solution to my strife.
He loves me beyond the confines of purpose-
driven,
He loves me and my Porpoise Diving Life.

He loves me when life sucks,
When it’s rocked with the unexpected, the disappointments and the fear.
He loves me when life’s awesome,
The lift of the warmth, joy and peace that confound my ability to steer.

He’s present when it gets murky,
Confused, bored, tired and an inability to understand.
He’s O.K. with me when I’m not feeling driven,
Always there to hold an exhausted hand.

He’s on board when I’m submerged,
Overwhelmed with the elements of daily strife.
He’s with me when I surface,
Gasping for air in my Porpoise Diving Life.

Man relentlessly pursues Him,
Countless attempts to put Him in a box.
Every time we think we’ve done it,
He pops out and walks and talks.

If your life doesn’t seem to fit their formula,
If within mainstream Christianity you feel like an exception or excluded.
Don’t run away from God,
There’s another possibility to which I’ve alluded.

Some people tell a story about the life of Jesus,
One with no strife, disappointment or confusion.
This story has no basis in reality.
It’s a man-made fairy-tale illusion.

There is more to God beyond the net,
Don’t let artificial boundaries make you stall.
Jesus lived your Porpoise Diving Life
Dive in with us, beneath the surface of it all.

written by Bill Dahl