Pew Sitter or Follower?

In tomorrow's Gospel reading, Jesus has some tough words for those who will call themselves his followers:

If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

What would it look like to take up our crosses and follow Jesus? In his book, Discipleship David Watson writes,

Christians in the west have largely neglected what it means to be a disciple of Christ. The vast majority of Western Christians are church members, pew fillers, hymn singers, sermon tasters, Bible readers, even born again believers or spirit filled charismatics—but not true disciples of Jesus".

The move from pew sitter to cross carrying Christ follower probably does get precisely to what Jesus calls us to do in this passage. What would that look like in Camden County, Georgia circa 2009?

You don't have to look for ways to carry the cross.
Just chose love, truth and justice and suffering will come.
—Lindy Black