I’m finally home now after a brief stay in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It was a short stay. Only actually about one whole day there.

After driving around for hours the first and second night, I finally found a clear overlook of the Gatlinburg main strip; the image to the left is pretty much the whole deal. Exciting right?

I don’t make it down to the South very often—or anywhere else, really. So when I do make it out of my back yard into other parts of the country, I always find myself observing the culture and comparing it to what I experience on a day to day basis. I am especially hyper-sensitive things in the Christian realm.

One thing that I observed down in the Tennessee area was what appeared to be a strange kind of devotion to Jesus (well, strange to me anyways).

Up north, people will regularly put the little Jesus fish on their car, or slap the Christian bumper sticker on. But people also tend to hold their spirituality with a kind of reverence; like, they see it as the “holy” part of their life. Of course, few live with much concern for the Lord beyond that reverence.

But down in Tennessee, and presumably most other parts of the south-east, that kind of public fare devotion comes across different. It looked more (to me) the way people might be devoted to a beloved football team. A vehement supporter and enthusiast. Wearing all the apparel, slapping the stickers on everything, whooping and hollering at a good play—but ultimately, allowing it to have little real influence in their day-to-day lives and decision making.

I don’t mean this to sound judgmental. I’m not claiming the feigned devotion up north is somehow better than the feigned devotion down south. And, I’m sure that some of what I saw was genuine. It’s just an observation.

On the way home, we listened to the first eleven chapters from the book of Romans. Romans 2:28-29:

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

This verse reminded me of what I’d observed and reminded me that “believers” are not believers when they are so merely outwardly. But we are believers when we are truly transformed inside.

We all must to look to Jesus to ease our guilt and calm our conscience. No matter how reverent or boisterous we may be in our faith, it is Jesus who saves, by grace through faith.