"I'm madly in love with Jesus; it's Christians I can't stand."

When I was three years old, I was best friends with an older girl who lived next door. When I moved from Florida to North Carolina, we kept in touch and she eventually ended up living with us for about a year to sort out some family issues.
After high school, she ended up going into the Navy and we lost touch.
Yesterday, she sent me a text message and we spent a couple of hours catching each other up on all the things we'd missed.

Somewhere in the conversation, she asked me who my favorite author is. I told her about Donald Miller, saying something along the lines of, "I guess he'd be considered a Christian author, but not the way you're probably thinking of one."
So, she asked me if I'm "really into the Christian thing." To be honest, I had no idea how to respond. I think I said something like, "Well, I don't consider myself religious... but I love Jesus."
Something like that.

It was so hard for me to form coherent sentences to explain my thoughts on the subject, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since then.
Am I "really into the Christian thing"?

It's one of those things where I need time to come up with a sufficient answer. I know what I want to say, I just can't get it to come out right when I'm put on the spot.

I guess the answer boils down to a simple "yes". But I can't leave it at just that. The word "Christian" has so many negative connotations that my answer just can't go unexplained.

I do not want to be labeled a Christian the way the world thinks of Christians.
I want to be labeled a Christian the way that Jesus intended for us to be.

When someone hears that word, I want them to think of someone who accepts others without hesitation, not someone who judges or compares others to themself. I want it to conjure up thoughts of people sleeping on the streets instead of in fancy houses with eleven car garages, of people who put God (instead of themself) first ALL OF THE TIME, not just on Sundays.
When people talk about church, I want them to think of people instead of buildings. I want them to think of people who will accept them, rather than shunning them because of their religion or sexuality or appearance or whatever.
I want Christians to be people who are followers of the Way, not the government or the media or corporate America.

I want to be crazy in opposition to the way the world has gone crazy.

I wish I had been able to voice this when I needed to.
I guess now I will know for next time.