Avoid EVEN the appearance of Evil!

So I've been experiencing some blogger's block and somehow even though school has been out for 2 weeks, I've been working away at school about 1/2 of that time so blogging has been a little frustrating recently but there is nothing like a little salt water, beach breeze and sand in your face to clear the fog and refocus your attention.
Johnny got off work early today so I picked him up and we headed to the beach with the kids. As we sat there watching the kids be wrestled down by the pounding waves, enjoying the massive amounts of sand blowing into our face and doing what every native Wilmingtonian does at the beach - people watch, a conversation erupted about relationships.
The truth is we both work in an environment where there is a wide range of belief systems, philosophies of life and religion, and lifestyle choices...and our response is important. I realized the more we talked about a certain situation and discussed the heart of Jesus - what Jesus actually did, like eating dinner with a tax collector, asking for water and sitting and talking to the adulteress women at the well...we as Christians have been anything but a representation of Christ.
I grew up in churches always hearing "avoid even the appearance of evil" but I'm pretty sure some villager could have walked by, seen Jesus talking to the women at the well, and gone back to the city and raised quit a few eyebrows with his version of what he saw Jesus doing. "Hey, man I told you that Jesus wasn't the real son of God. I saw him today. He sent his disciples off on some errand and while they were gone He was hitting on Betty Joe. You know that girl down the street that's living with that guy. The one that has had a million husbands. He took a sip of her water and about the time he was getting ready to kiss her, his disciples walked back up. See I told you he wasn't the real Messiah!" Pretty sure that was not avoiding the "appearance" of evil.
I have a great friend. I dare say she is one of my closest friends but we have very different opinions about politics and religion. We had a few discussions about it when we first met that didn't end so well (when I didn't realize how stupid and religiously arrogant I sounded). Since then we have realized how much we do have in common and I love her dearly. We have gotten to the point that we laugh when she says "We are great friends, we just avoid conversations on religion and politics." The last thing she needs is another religious person shoving "Jesus" down her throat. She's heard it all, lived it all, and been hurt by it all. What she needs is a friend.
The truth is I've learned a lot from her. I've learned a lot about my profession through her challenging some of my thoughts. I've learned a lot about being a friend. I've learned a lot about life. I've realized how incredibly self righteous so many "Christians" are and how stupid and obnoxious we sound to regular everyday people.
I've decided to quit worrying about what "religious" people think...the truth is the only people that are going to care if I'm sitting down with a friend at the bar or going over to a super bowl party at a "sinner's" house are the crazy religious people that supposedly are already saved anyway, so who cares? We need to go and be a light, be a friend, let what they see be a loving, gracious, every merciful God who sent His son to die for them...who came not to condemn the world but save the world and loved us even before he "fixed" us.