'Christianity is just a bunch of rules and regulations. Spare me the preachy do’s and don’ts.'

 
Jesus did not come to give us an 'abundant set of rules', but an 'abundant life'. His desire is to free us from performance and deliver us to joyful response. He wants us to stand out as leaders in our environment and be marked by a quality of life that is head and shoulders above the life offered by the world. And the world is really good about setting rules of its own. Each and every one of us is complying to some set of rules, even when we think we are largely free from them. The fact is that 'guidelines' are not necessarily a bad thing! Guidelines can 'free' us from the bondage of our own mistakes, and in this sense, they can actually set us free. And while Jesus DOES offer us a clear moral framework for living, it is not intended or designed to restrict us into a position of misery, but instead, it is designed to liberate us from our fallen human nature and the consequence of the judgment that must surely follow our actions!

 
'It just sounds like conformity to me.'

We all conform to something or someone. It’s foolishness to think that each of us is not influenced by the people and world around us. The question is not “Are we conforming?”, but “What are we conforming to?” God wants us to be part of a holy revolution that is responding directly to the world around us. God honors our rebellion, when that rebellion is directed against the worldliness that surrounds us. God wants us to refuse to conform to the ways of the world and be liberated by the renewing of our minds that occurs when we begin to see the world through His lens.

 
'So then you just end up conforming to whatever you think God wants from you.' 

 
Haven’t you ever played for a coach that you really loved? Someone you loved so much that it was a joy to be a part of the team? Someone who you never wanted to let down? Someone who modeled a life that you just naturally wanted to emulate? A coach like that is easy to play for. You just naturally find yourself submitting to his model for life, and it truly doesn’t feel like submission. It feels natural and rewarding and over time, you gain great joy from being part of his family. A life like that doesn’t feel like it’s driven by rules. Instead, it’s driven by love. That is the truest description of the Christian life. It is not a life of demands, it is a life of response. It's not a life of obligation, but a life of celebration...