I don’t know…this may be right along the lines of “us versus them”…but there still needs to be room for parody and self deprication, which the PC “Christian” really is. I believe it’s self deprication because the PC Christian is my brother, no matter how he comes off. We’re sharing the same life, so to point out his goofyness, I am indicting myself along the way.
Anyway…I still thought it was funny.
Seth Godin wrote a book called Purple Cow “Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable”. In short the story of the purple cow goes like this.
Seth and his family were on a road trip and his kids were in the back doing what kids do, fight, and his wife was zoned out. As the road stretched on they came across some cows and suddenly the fighting sounds ceased. Seth looked in his rier view mirror to see his children starring at some cows. Then just as quickly as the punchfest ended it began again. Seth then asks the readers why this happened and what would happen if those cows had been purple instead of normal old cow color. He says not only would the kids stop fighting and stare, but he would have pulled the car over. The whole family would have gotten out and many photos would have been taken. They would have most likely jumped the fence and petted the purple cows. Those cows would have been remarkable. In other words they would be worth speaking about again (re: marking).
What about our faith, our church are they remarkable? Are you a purple cow? If you take the whole marketing thing away and apply it to our faith it really does take on a whole new meaning. Our faith is worth discussing, it seems our “leaders” are remarkable as of late, unfortunately. Eastgate is remarkable! The people that fill the big room and corner every Sunday are genuine and loving, and that, to me, is remarkable. You are remarkable, if you choose to love others more than yourself. If you don’t think Jesus was remarkable consider this, more books, songs, poetry, and speeches have been written about Him than anyone else who has ever walked this marble. I would say that makes Him ultimately remarkable.
What about Jesus, Christianity, Eastgate is remarkable to you?
We are coming to the end of a study I have been participating in centered on the book, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. It really is a great book and has some wonderful insights into the journey a follower of Jesus is on. There have been a few things that I find myself wondering about though. One of the things is in chapter 38, titled “Becoming a world class Christian”. In this chapter he encourages readers to go on an overseas mission. He goes on to say we should shift our thinking from local to global and from making excuses (lack of money, language barriers ect.). to thinking of creative ways to fulfill our commission. Is it really our commission to go on overseas mission trips? He uses the verse from the book of Acts;
Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power, the Holy Spirit coming upon you. And you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
He then interprets the verse as Jesus giving the command that we should be witnesses in all theses places as individuals simultaneously and not sequentially. Maybe I am wrong but I don’t interpret that piece of scripture to mean that at all. What do you think?
Maybe Jesus was telling us to go hold the hand of someone who is alone and scared, growing old in a nursing facility down the road from our own home. Perhaps He was talking about visiting and encouraging someone who is recovering from drug addiction in the local jail or serving food and cleaning rooms at the local rescue mission. Maybe He meant to be a witness by just loving our neighbors, coworkers and everyone we come in contact with in our own daily lives. You wouldn’t even need to raise any funds for this type of mission. One thing that I see consistently throughout scripture is that when Jesus gives a command to us its always something that all of His followers can do. I don’t think He expects someone who is economically incapable of going overseas to do so. I look at it this way; this is not my home anyway so I am on a mission trip wherever I go.
K.P. Yohannan of Gospel for Asia is an advocate of native missionaries. His view is that the best way to reach people is with believers who are a part of the culture they are trying to reach. That makes a lot of sense and if we support missionaries like that we are after all thinking globally and perhaps using our resources in the best possible way.
Anyway you look at it the needs are great everywhere. Should we make a point of caring for the needs of our own community first and then think globally? Has Jesus called everyone of His followers to overseas missions?
I’ll admit it right off the bat…I’m a Christmas Junkie.
I love Christmas. At 45 years of age, I still slow down to look at cool displays of exterior holiday lighting, and run through the house in my pajamas at random moments shouting “It’s almost Christmas!”.
I think my love for this holiday is two-fold. For one thing, there were eleven or more years of my life spent without Christmas. According to the belief system of the church I was a part of when I started following Jesus, Christmas, as with all popular holidays, had a pagan origin and should not be indulged in by God fearing Christians. Even after I left that church, I still struggled with my participation in the holidays. I just remember one day, walking through a department store alone, trying to avert my eyes from the beautiful decorations, and it seemed to me (you don’t have to believe it) that the Lord spoke to me.
“What are you afraid of?”
“Well…I’m not supposed to be afraid of anything….perfect love casts out all fear.” Slowly, my tight resistance to the holiday began to loosen.
For some reason that little exchange woke me up. This was no different from eating meat sacrificed to idols. Paul made it clear, those things mean nothing, it has everything to do with our own conscience (Romans 14, 1 Cor 10) and what we do with it. I could celebrate this holiday and let it be the warm, wonderful family holiday I wanted it to be.
(By the by, John MacArthur has written a really good article about the origins of the Christmas tree which I think puts to rest any worries about pagan connections to our dear tanenbaum.)
I think the other reason I’m a Christmas Junkie is the way it transports me back to a different time in my life. A time of innocence and ardent anticipation of good things to come. I believe there is a place for that sort of thing in the Christ Follower’s life. In so many ways, the childish rush of Christmas joy is a foretaste of what can be found in a life centered on Jesus. That’s the way I put Christ into Christmas…by seeing this holiday as a point of reference.
How about you? Are you in to Christmas, or is it a drag? Got your holi-dizzle in full effect, or do you think this is a heapin’ helpin’ of pagan stew?
Hollywood has been pimping people for a hundred years. They have chewed up and spit out hundreds of thousands of wanna be actors and actresses and then wiped the corners of their collective mouths and let slip a satisfying burp.
Now they are ready to pimp the church.
You see it’s the job of film execs to make sure that a film will be well received by the public. They want sex, and they want violence because that is what sells! There has never been a consorted effort to advertise to ‘Christians’ because the truth is, Jesus lovers all over the world sit in movie theaters chalk full of scenes we are supposed to abstain from just like everybody else … so why advertise to us any differently? Enter Mel Gibson and the The Passion of the Christ, and everything changed.
Exec on Rocky: “I want to pimp the Christians, and make them put our banners on all of their blogs and websites, but how do we go about that?”
Marketing Guy: “Just add one line about faith and they will jump all over it”
Exec: “BRILLIANT”
It’s not that I am not excited about this movie coming out … I am, as a matter of fact I almost got into a fist fight earlier in the week when a friend of mine started making fun of Sylvester’s age, but c’mon. You can’t add some clever tag line and think we will jump all over it, oh wait yes they can, and yes we will. CRAP .. I want to be Buddhist.
(disclaimer: Rocky execs: I am sure you didn’t use the word pimp | Everyone else: please remember this is my knee jerk reaction. I will be back, at some time in the future, (probably after seeing the film) and I will bust out my thought out, prayed about thoughts.)
Ok, so I was reading a blog, and it was an article on Steven Baldwin’s activities to “cool up” Christianity. The article is found here….and you need to read it before you read my post.
Here’s the thing….at first I was all “you gotta’ be kidding me, this is stupid, Christianity will never be cool”, etc. My usual tirade. But then I started really thinking about it…about how Jesus would react to my reaction (so to speak). So I wrote a little story. Enjoy.
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John and another disciple were out of breath when they finally found Jesus. They stood before him, huffing to get air into thier lungs after what appeared to be a long run.
“Jesus….puff, puff….we….did something….huff…..for you.” said one of the disciples.
“Yeah!” exclaimed John, bending over and holding his side, “we….fixed a real……problem!”
Jesus squinted his eyes, and let slip a barely perceptible “yikes” through his lips.
“What?”
“Nothing,” said Jesus, “what problem did you fix?” he said, making quotation marks in the air at his last word.
“We found this guy…and he was setting people free from the devil, but he wasn’t one of us! He was using strange terms, like gnarly and awesome…and we knew those weren’t words that we use.” said the one disciple, his face aflush.
“Yeah…and they had skateboards and ramps and….well….what in the world does that have to do with what we’re doing? Anyway, he’s not one of us, so I told him to knock it off!” John said, with a flourish of his hand.
“You told him what?” asked Jesus, furrowing his eyebrows.
“I told him that in order to use your name, he had to be like us, and part of our group, using our words and our approved methodology.” John was beaming.
Jesus groaned, and began rubbing his temples. “Guys….John…you can’t do that. John, what did you say this guy was doing in my name?”
“Trying to set people free from bondage to evil…but don’t worry Jesus, we made him stop!”
“Were people being set free John?”
“Well…yeah, I guess, but that’s not the point, is it? He isn’t one of us! He was doing stuff that we should get to do, we’re the ones who’ve made the sacrifices to follow you. Who does this guy think he is, just coming on the scene and doing things like he was part of your plan?”
Jesus took in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. “How much evil do you think there is in the world, John?”
“I don’t know….lots?”
“Yes John, lots. Do you think there won’t be enough evil left for you to fight against if this guy fights evil too? There is plenty of evil to go around John. There are plenty of demons to cast out, everyone will have more than their fair share of work to do, you don’t have to worry about that. John, those who use my name for good are not your enemy. You only have one enemy, and this guy aint him. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
John had the look of someone who was slowly coming awake. His head began to slowly nod, like an engine starting to chug and a smile emerged on his face. “I get it Jesus! You want us to go and make him one of US! C’mon guys, lets go get this guy!”
The disciples raced off down the road, arguing about who would be in charge of training the new guy.
Jesus called out after them, waving his hands for them to listen to him, “He who is not against us in ON our side!”. But the disciples couldn’t hear him.
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You can read the real story in Mark 9:38-40
******SPOILER ALERT******* This post exposes the plot of the movie Happyfeet.
I went to see a movie the other day with my son Patrick. The name of the movie is Happy Feet. It’s about the Emperor Penguins and about one penguin in particular named Mumble. You see in this movie each of the penguins has a song and it is through this song that the penguins attract their mate thus fulfilling their life’s purpose. Mumble is a bit different though as he doesn’t have a song and can’t sing at all. What gift he has been given is the ability to dance. His father believes that the reason his son is different is because he allowed the egg to get cold while it was waiting to hatch. You see Emperor penguins mate in the summer and then the fathers are left to cover the eggs and keep them warm through the sub zero winter while the mothers go back to sea to gather food for when the egg is hatched in the spring. Mumbles father allowed the egg to slip out from under him and get cold. The elders of the penguins (a committee who are portrayed as puritan religious types) believe Mumble is an omen and a warning from their god The Mighty Guinn and is ultimately the cause for the food shortage all the animals in the region are enduring. They instruct Mumble that Guinn is in control of everything and if Guinn wanted them to have fish they would but because their god is mad at them they don’t. Mumble refuses to accept their theory and goes in search of the real cause of the food shortage only to find it is caused by over fishing and big business.
I felt in some way it was a crack at religion and putting our trust in God, but what I really started to wonder about was our responsibility to the environment as followers of Christ. Should our stance be something like “ well this is the last days or end times why should we worry about the environment?” or should followers of Christ take a stand on environmental issues? Should we see the earth and all the animals as a treasure God has entrusted us with stewardship over? Perhaps we should look at it like “ well when Jesus comes back this whole place is gonna get a re-boot anyway, so why worry about it?” Does it really matter whether or not some penguins die out or the rain forests and everything in them are depleted? When I read the Bible I see that Jesus’ followers thought the end times were near almost two thousand years ago. What if He delays His coming another two thousand years? What would the Earth look like at the rate we are going? Just wondering what others are thinking. Thanks for your reply.
Giddy. That’s how I’d describe it.
Obviously, the term “giddy” doesn’t seem right, but it’s the only word that comes to mind which is even close…but it’s really more than giddy, it’s deeper, this sensation that I feel.
There is something about those Burning House meetings that I haven’t experienced in any other regular meeting of the church since I first began hanging out with the church. It’s not something connected to our order of the service. It’s not the songs we sing, even though there certainly is a lot of passion expressed during those songs. It’s something else.
As I stand in the room, and catch glimpses of all the different people, I almost feel like I need to avert my eyes, the reverence I feel for God is so strong in those moments. I feel like Moses before the burning bush. The atmosphere is not what is usually associated with moments of awe and reverence…people are talking, laughing, chewing and sipping from plastic cups. Almost without exception, there are smiles stretched across every face in the room. Here and there, I witness glassy eyes that are barely containing tears from a torrent.
In those moments, no one would know it, but I start trembling. It’s involuntary…but it begins in my knees and reverberates all through me. I look at the smiling faces, the joy, the bread, the cup; all I can think about are Paul’s words to the Corinthians “…he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” If I understand Paul correctly, my sense of reverential awe is coming from this brush with Jesus Christ Himself, present in His body, the church.
We’ve been accused in the past of doing a disservice to the communion service in our Burning House meetings. I couldn’t disagree more strongly. I understand that it’s very different from a traditional approach, and I understand it requires a loosened grip on our former definitions of “reverence”. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea…but I believe with all my heart we are on a good heading with it.
I wish I were a poet, or at least someone who is good with words, then maybe I could articulate what I experience at those meetings. I watch a young man, a teenager, laughing with his friends, sharing torn bits of bread, handing a cup to one of his peers. I watch him, his eyes closed, head held high, mouthing words of prayer for the one he holds hands with. I see him, his face aflame with passion, his hands outstretched to heaven as he sings about his Great Redeemer.
He’s not alone. His passion is repeated all over the room, and my knees want to buckle because I’m in the presence of the body of Jesus. The abyss of His love is like a vortex we’re drawn into.
Burning House keeps me alive. There are a lot of things in life that I’m convinced are designed to kill me…at least emotionally. I battle discouragement and depression on a daily basis, and sometimes I just don’t win. But at Burning House I tremble before that Something So Much Bigger than myself, and I find strength…vitality, inspiration, motivation…to press ahead in the journey. I can smile, remembering that none of this is dependent on me. I’m too frail, too flawed for that. It all rests with Jesus, present in His body.
The facts are these. 1. Our purpose is to love God + 2. Our purpose is to love others. Everything else that comes with our faith are just details. You may be a Christian who chooses to live in the details or you may decide your life is better spent just trying to master the first two purposes. If your like me loving others ‘as much as I love myself’ is about as difficult a task as they come. I believe that God knew how difficult it would be for us to love each other, but He also knew that His beautiful sacrifice would be the example that would stir men’s hearts to action. His love for me, the King of the unlovely, has stirred my heart. It is now my hearts great desire to love those that the world deems unworthy, unspecial, and unlovely. Today I was able to speak to the ministries director at the Panama City Rescue Mission about having our youth ministry help with some of the programs that they are providing. I pray that the youth of Eastgate will see through clear eyes the love that God saw when He looked down at us from His heavenly perch.
You are who you are for a reason.You’re part of an intricate plan.
You’re a precious and perfect unique design,called God’s special woman or man.
You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb, you’re just what He wanted to make .
The parents you had were the ones He chose,and no matter how you feel,they were custom-designed with God’s plan in mind, and they bear the Master’s seal.
No, that trauma you faced was not easy.
And God wept that it hurt you so;
but it was allowed to shape your heart, so that into His like-ness you’d grow.
You are who you are for a reason,
you’ve been formed by the Master’s rod.
You are who you are, beloved , because there is a God.
This poem by Russell Kelfer is a fun poem that always cheers me up when I feel down about myself. Knowing that God had us in mind before He laid the very foundations of the world changes the way I look at everything. We may come from a home where we were dubbed a mistake. We may not have been accepted by our parents or peers in our childhood or even now, but knowing that we are the special objects of God’s love changes everything.
Ephesians 1:3-6
| Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, |
| just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, |
| having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, |
| to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. |
WONDERWHAT 