… i don’t know if i’m much of a toys ‘r us kid anymore, but back in the day, it was on! i’m feeling a little nostalgic tonight. sure, today i’m all about mac, ipod, blu-ray, wii, blackberry, and hd… but it wasn’t too long ago when it was all about…
“this be the realest thing I ever wrote for sure, after this a lot of folks wont like me no more…” - lyfe jennings
the dictionary defines ‘jaded’ as “tired, bored, or lacking enthusiasm; typically after having too much of something”.
yep… i’m jaded, alright. this is going to be a mind dump, so bear with me…
“i wonder if the gospel of love has become the gospel of being right” … dan merchant (author/writer/director of ‘lord, save us from your followers’)
i grew up in a horribly dogmatic and legalistic abomination, i mean denomination. =) i spent the first 25 years of my life surrounded by people who had a warped view of the salvation experience and who were quick to send a lot of people to hell if a strict religious code was not adhered to. they were so concerned with being convinced they were “right”, that in the process they weren’t really loving anybody. i left that church a little over 8 years ago, but in a lot of ways, and for a lot of reasons, i am still coming to terms with various aspects of that whole experience and continue to try to reconcile it with where i am in my life today. religion sucks.
before i go any further, i want to say that i am not angry, and i am not bitter… but if you will indulge me being totally honest here on my blog… i am tired.
i love Jesus and i want my life to reflect the character of Christ to those around me. i want to be an instrument of the grace that I so desperately need every day of my life. the ‘body of Christ’ is beautiful, man! i have been blessed to travel extensively and have met some of the most amazing and beautiful disciples of Christ all over this country and all over the world. so don’t get it twisted… i love the church… but “church”? yeeeeeaaaah… i’m pretty much not feeling it at the moment.
i’m not the only one. i often have these conversations with a few close friends of mine who are also on the same page. “church” isn’t cutting it for our generation. we desire to be a part of a thriving faith community that is making a difference in the lives of those in our respective spheres of influence.
to be fair, i do know that there are churches out there who are doing it… they are doing exactly what I am talking about… they are the hands of feet of Christ, love and justice in action that is the heartbeat of Jesus. but sadly enough they are few and far between.
i believe that the heart of God is for real live faith, love and community in action. however, in my life, i have seen a lot of people whose lives revolve around the sunday morning experience as if it were the apex of what it means to be a christian in america… who are satisfied to be “church people”… but outside of their sunday morning gloriously euphoric spiritual expression, they are having zero effect on the world around them once they walk out the doors.
the great christian paradox seems to be this… that we are quick to go to great lengths to profess our christianity, but yet do so little or nothing to act on that profession. i must wonder, when did we trade in being disciples of Christ for being “christians”? when did we trade in talking with people for talking at them? when did we trade being the church for doing church?
i am not a pastor, a priest or a theologian. i am simply someone who loves Jesus and who legitimately struggles with whether or not my life is a consistent enough reflection of the new life that i have been freely given. i don’t have all the answers. in fact, by comparison i probably have very few of them. i’m just saying something’s missing… i love Jesus, i’m just not sold on all the stuff that we’ve put in between him and us… so yeah… jaded.
i just finished watching an advance copy of “lord, save us from your followers”, a documentary by dan merchant and it got me on this page tonight. it releases june 13, and i am sure you will be hearing a lot more about it very soon. i watched the last 30-40 minutes of the film through tears, thinking “my God, people are hurting, and we’re… in church…”
you can stream the entire film online for $6.99 now. if you are a pastor, show it to your congregation. if you are a parent, show it to your children. challenge those around you… get the dialogue going where you live. be the catalyst to get the people around you off their ass and into the real world… living, loving and looking like Jesus. part of me was a little afraid to post this, but you know what? i’m tired of acting like i don’t really feel this way… tired of acting like i’m not tired. so, let the discussion begin…
if there is one thing i love (and when i say love, i mean love to hate) if has to be cheap, knock-off christian versions of just about anything. among my favorites are the t-shirts that blatantly rip-off trademarked logos, but with a christianese twist… they are the worst!!!! that being said… here’s the latest…
you’ve got to be kidding me…
from engadget.com… “good lord. no, really. good lord. the two mp-301 mp3 player from icetech usa crams 1gb of media storage into — as you can see — a very Jesus-friendly form factor. the $49 player features a built-in microphone with voice recorder, mirrored front panel, and even a little speaker. according to reviews, the player has some serious interface issues and a weak screen” (and why isn’t that a surprise?!?)
i cant help but wonder “why”!?!? sadly enough, this isn’t even the first one… even more sad, folks are going to eat this up… geesh…
i’ve been actually blogging for close to 5 years. from xanga to myspace to wordpress… blogging for me has been a series of one great mind dump experiment after another. i’ve enjoyed it, but i’m not sure how good i’ve actually been at it. as i am always seeking to become ‘better’ in general, i am working toward being a better blogger and becoming more involved in the blogsphere as a whole.
if you’re in the same boat and desire to become a better blog citizen, here are a few resources i’m tapping into that may be of use to you, too.
chances are if you are reading this, you are likely to be a blogger. what are some of the things you have learned about the blogging world through your experiences? how have your blogging chops gotten better? and what are some of the resources that have helped you develop your blog into more of an interactive community?
i am blog jacking tonight. props to my homey brewster for this one (even stole your title!). it is a social experiment in real-time community networking based on twitter. want to know what people love, hate, think, believe, feel or wish? in real time? go to twistori.
as brewster puts it “twitter may be the new window into people’s soul”. i would have to concur.
“those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. strength is for service, not status. each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “how can i help?” - romans 15:1-2 (the message)
of course paul was writing this to the christians in rome, and the focus was a matter of how people position themselves as it pertains to their faith. but the principle is much broader and covers a lot of ground, even today.
i never cease to be amazed at those who are looking for ways to use their influence, ability or position to get something for themselves or to build their “little kingdom”. that is not a kingdom principle.
we live in a “look out for #1″ and “don’t stop, get it, get it” culture that tells us we should “get ours” at any cost. everybody is trying to be “stuntin’ like they daddy”, but I would ask… “for what!?!?” this hedonistic and self-centered world view is diametrically contrast with how the word tells us we are to live. we are not empowered for the sake of being empowered or being powerful. we are empowered to turn around and empower someone else. we are not given abilities, influence and position (strength) to be able to stand and say “look how strong and influential i am.” rather, those things are given as tools to serve those around you. i pray regularly that i continue to keep a hold on this concept and stay in a place of service, no matter where the Lord takes me in life.
are we asking ourselves how we can use what we have been entrusted with to turn around and serve those around us? so yeah… you have it. but what are you doing with it?
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