Quotes that are relevant to me right now

Here are some quotes from an old journal I found, some have sources others have been lost to time.

"We subscribe to false gospels that are troubling our souls. Because we live in a constant sales environment where we are told a certain car will make us sexy or a certain dish-washing detergent will be a miracle for our dishes, we assume the gospel of Jesus works the same way, that is, if we invest something, we get something more back. But this is not the case. To understand what the Bible explains Jesus' gospel to be, we must look to each other, to the way a father interacts with a child, a bride to a bridegroom, a doctor to a patient. When we let go of the idea of Jesus as a product and embrace Him as a being, our path to spiritual maturity begins."

"Having met the enemy, I discovered the enemy wasn’t who I thought they were. They were flawed, even as we were flawed, but they were no less patriotic, and no less good. And what’s more, they weren’t out to get us like my conservative friends had told me. I began to see, honestly, the far conservative right, the radical right (not the balanced, objective right) as being paranoid. The advertisements on conservative radio talk shows were about guns and alarm systems."

-Donald Miller

"We should not be arrogant victims who seek vengeance, but wounded healers willing and ready to forgive."

-Unknown

"All scripture is equally inspired but not equally important...All scripture is not equally aplicable for every stage of life"

"Our church is not sacred, our mission is."

"Are we the church of the loving father (in reference to the parable of the prodigal son from Luke 16) or the older brother...How would the story have been different if it had been the older brother waiting at the doorstep?"

-Reggie Joiner

"Leadership is a stewardship, it is temporary and I am accountable."
-Andy Standley

"The story already has a star and it is not you or I... We have a supporting role in the greatest story ever told"

-Brian McLaren

"Notice how many places in the accounts of Jesus’ life he gets frustrated with his disciples. Because they are incapable? No, because of how capable they are. He sees what they could be and could do, and when they fall short it provokes him to no end. It isn’t their failure that’s the problem, it’s their greatness. They don’t realize what they are capable of....God has an amazingly high view of people. God believes that people are capable of amazing things. I’ve been told I need to believe in Jesus. Which is a good thing. But what I’m learning is that Jesus believes in me....God has faith in me."

-Rob Bell

"Born again is an overused term that really means we should rethink our position, start over and be fully dependant on God as if we were born again as infants"

Christmas in the Carribean

Spending this week in Vieques (a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico) with my family, I have started to realize how much the media and society pushes the commercial view of Christmas. As I woke up this morning, no snow on the ground, no Christmas tree, no exorbitant pile of needless crap wrapped in gaudy paper and it made me feel like this was... Thursday... nothing more. Nothing is different from any other day here, the waves are still playing tag with the shoreline, the birds still float in the air like kites and the sun continues to play peek-a-boo with the clouds. Other than the "Contemporary Holiday Hits" playing on the Sirius XM Radio there is no sign of Christmas, no sign of commemorating the birth of Christ, no Three Kings, no Angel of the Lord appearing to shepherds watching their flock, no plastic nativity scene with Joseph wearing a pink sash. Nothing.

I have always been in a setting where Christmas (well, the commercial representation of it anyway) dominated everything from Thanksgiving until the we discard the season on the curb with the rest of the trash on December 26th. This year is different, strip away the glitz and hubbub drummed up by societal pressures to buy into yet another superficial season and all you have is life. Unchanged, unfazed, unabashed life.

I have never felt closer to the true meaning of Christmas.

Although I hate cliche's like that, I will stomach it for this example. Life goes on uninterrupted, God goes on as He always has, since the moment in the Mountains of the Middle East where Moses' inquiry elicits a response from God. "Tell them 'I am' has sent you". God tells Moses to tell his people that the One who has always been and always will be has sent him.

Amazing.

God always has been and always will be. Just like the waves on the beach, a seemingly endless ebb and flow. A constant song in the background, a timeless reminder that like the movements of the ocean, God is. God was. God will always be.

Little Chocolate Crosses

Everyone probably asked the question at one point or another we all reach that moment in their young lives where we question what colored eggs and confused rabbits have to do with the resurrection of Jesus. Even the name "Easter" probably derives its origins from the Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility, Eostre.

During the consumer driven Christmas season you probably also questioned the relevance of a fat man in a red suit delivering presents around a dead evergreen tree littered with lights. Yes, the secret is out, most of the holiday traditions we hold near and dear to our hearts have pagan (or simply, non-Christian) origins.

But what does that mean?

So far it seems skeptics have decided to use theses holiday add-ons as a basis for their contempt for Christianity as a whole. Since we paint eggs and pass out chocolate bunnies, Christ was not raised from the dead, right? Or since we decorate dead trees with lights and top them with a "pagan" pentagram, God did wasn't born of a virgin as Jesus here to save us from our sins.

I digress...

This leads me on a journey of perspective... Hundreds of years from now, I wonder what the modern skeptics will say about the state of the church in 2007. Maybe they will see the addition of the "devil's music" to popular Christian worship services the same way we now see the Easter Bunny and Santa. After all, it wasn't too long ago that the official position of the church was to discourage individuals from reading the Bible.

Luckily, Christianity has been trying to find ways to stay relevant to the culture of the time. All of these elements were added to make the transition to following Christ easier for believers of different (mostly pagan) religions. To me, its only natural to draw the conclusion to Christian rock. Using rock/pop/rap (whatever) to appeal to the current culture is just our generations way of adapting the secular culture to the church.

Note: I said "adapt" not "change"...

The basic precepts of Christianity do not change, but the way we present Christ to people needs to continue to evolve and adapt to new generations of people. Sure, Easter peeps and the Christmas season's slow assimilation of all other winter and late fall holidays may be taking it too far but I never said all "Contemporary Christian Music" was good either...

Throwing Stones

I have been really thinking about this subject lately, in fact it was the topic of my rant in the most recent episode of Element: C3, which, if you haven't heard it yet, you should. Its awesome...


Anyway, I've been really struggling with this idea of people who throw stones and run away.

What I mean to say is, these people who are all about dominating you with their belief and wanting nothing to do with what anyone else has to say. I fall victim to their trap all the time, the stone thrower is looking for you to engage him (or her) in conversation so they can continue to play the broken record over and over, trying to convince you that you're wrong.

I really respect Rob Bell's response to criticisms that he's received from various people over his views on Christianity:

"Some people, no matter what you say, have a hardness of heart and aren’t going to change. Please be very, very careful who you engage with. Some people simply have questions, and simply want to discuss. Wonderful. But some people are miserable, and they use religion as a crutch to avoid dealing with their misery and their pain. And what gets masqueraded as Christian faith is not. And we need to be careful spending all sorts of energy engaging with people who don’t have any interest in coming along on the journey with us. I would ask you before you engage - and there’s nothing wrong with engaging - to perhaps ask, “Could I redirect the energy I’m about to spend towards somebody who’s never, ever heard that God loves them?” And let us be the kind of community who engages in the right kinds of discussions, but otherwise we’re too busy loving people with the transforming love of Christ to engage in the mudslinging that goes on. You are too valuable to me, and your time and your energy, you’re too valuable in our community to end up in some sort of theological kung-fu with somebody who ultimately thinks they’re right. There will always be Pharisees. God’s on the lookout for disciples.”

"There will always be Pharisees. God's on the lookout for disciples" I think that's awesome... Am I using religion as a crutch or am I using it as a powerful tool to discover the deeper meaning of life with others and within the teachings of Christ?

40 days of nothing (new).

I have decided to take Lent seriously this year, not because I believe in the cerimonial act of half-heartedly "giving up" something that we can otherwise live without. I remember as a non-Christian kid, not knowing what Lent was all about, claiming that I would be giving up homework for the 40 days and furthermore I would be giving it up for the entire school year. I was so humble and self-sacrificing, infact, that I offered to give up chores, bathing and strawberry-banana bubblicious (my least favorite flavor) as well. In later years, still not embracing the true meaning and devotion of the lenten season, I vowed to give up watching women's basketball... both College and the WNBA. You could tell I was serious.

This year I have decided to raise my own personal awareness to the hold consumerism has on my life. Sarting today (Ash Wednesday) I will purchase only necessities for sustenance, health, community and business. I am not trying to preach the gospel of poverty or minimalism, I am not trying to condem others for their spending. I have no illusion that forgoing this DVD or that new article of clothing is going to bring down our consumer culture and I don't even know if I want it to be brought down.

Consumption is social, it happens in a much larger structure than just one individual or community. But it is also personal, once we've met the lowest and most basic of human needs (thank you Maslow), shopping is emotional. For me, the art of purchasing is an emotional experience. At work for instance, if I'm having a bad day I will be drawn in to buying a Mt. Dew Code Red from the vending machine that becons me from just outside my office door. I don't need the Mt. Dew, but I make the purchase anyway. In my mind, the slow and ominous process of a dollar bill being devoured by the machine and the brief pause before the it produces a robust thud gives me pleasure. Usually the cost of consumerism ammounts to a dollar in a vending machine here and there but there are times when I feel phsically depressed if I don't have an ebay purchase on its way to my house. The spending frenzy was very appearent on Monday night, I was on the computer while two of my friends (Jered & Sara) were talking about how cool Nightmare: The Video Board Game was on VHS and how they wished we had it now. Of course I did what any other rational, frugal human being would have done in that situation: I found it on ebay in DVD format and made the "buy it now" purchase... and in an instant, I felt better about life.

I am not sure of the actual "rules" for this purchasing fast but hopefully it will become more appearant as the days go on. Starting from this moment I am going to face the marketing machine head on and uncover a hidden addiction in my life. Starting now I am not going to give into my impulse-buying habits...right after I buy that Mt. Dew.

How to scare people with your doctrine! (Part. 1)

Here is the first part of a recent article from wayofthemasterradio.com which I find interesting and I respond to below. Some of these questions are good and some are out right ludacris (my responses are in Orange:

Questions that will save you a lot of Sundays [pdf]
Looking for a good church? Church-shopping can be a long and painful process. To shorten your search, call the pastor of the church before you visit and ask the
following questions. This might save you a lot of Sundays.

1. What is man’s biggest problem, sin or self esteem? Seeker sensitive and felt-needs churches focus on man’s hurts and problems. The Bible says that man’s biggest problem is sin.

I agree here for the most part, although I would argue that man's biggest problem is a separation from God in general and not just "sin"

2. What must a man do to inherit eternal life? Repent and trust is the Biblical answer. If the word “repent” is never used, say, “Thank you.”

Actually Luke 10:25-28 says simply:

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" “What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live"

Then Jesus goes on to explain about how everyone is our neighbor etc. etc.

John 6:53-54 explains that we need communion to inherit eternal life.

John 8:51 says that those who obey the words of Christ will "never see death."

John 12:25-26 talks about self-denial and servanthood will have eternal life

And those are just the scriptures where Jesus mentions "eternal life" directly. I find it interesting that the author of this list chose to emphasize REPENTANCE above all...

3. How do you deliver the salvation message? Ask the pastor to describe specifically what he says. Does he encourage people to simply say a prayer? Does he tell people to ask Jesus into their hearts? The salvation message should include: God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness, God’s response (hell), God’s kindness (Jesus on a cross), man’s response (repentance and faith).

I could go on for hours on the "salvation message"... "Ask the pastor to describe specifically what he says" does that mean that we need to have a scripted "salvation message" for the heathens and the unchurched? Is there a magic word? Do you think that the right words will woo them over to the Jesus side? And how do you think that conversation will go with said pastor?

I love the 5 "universal" steps to salvation... Jesus was right in the middle of planning his nationwide book tour when that darn crucifixon ruined that idea...

I would say that this question, itself, in our modern context, tends to indicate/emphasize ‘the age to come’, or focus only on the eternal. It seems, at times, like some of us would be content to just lock ourselves up in our churches and wait for Jesus instead of bringing the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth. Jesus didn't tell us to "go and make disciples of all nations" so that we could all sit around idle until the "rapture".

4. How hard is it to become a Christian?The “formula” is
simple, doing it is not. It is not easy to believe.

This is one subject that I'm torn on... If by "formula" they mean the steps outlined in #3 then you know what I think about that situation. Otherwise, I think this is the first one they have on the right track. I agree its simple to make a decision to follow Christ but the act of following Christ is a long, tough journey.

5. How often do you talk about sin, righteousness and
judgment? Balance is key. This should not be the only emphasis, but
it should be a regular emphasis.

Right, balance is key... If Jesus were here today in our time, I wonder if we would be more likely to see Him standing with a megaphone on the corner , telling people about the fire and pain that awaits them, emphasizing sin, righteousness & judgement or would we see Him passing the jacket He was wearing to the homeless, crippled man on the corner, with no thought of thanks, and offering to buy the man a meal as He cultivated a relationship with him. I believe that Christ loved people first and addressed sin, righteousness & judgement on a personal level with them.

Which is more of an honest response from a person of free will?… 1. To “convert” to Christianity out of fear of Hell. Thus reducing the loving relationship we were CREATED for, to a shallow, eternal quid pro quo agreement. 2. To SHOW them the love of Christ, to let them know that they are a special and unique creation of God, and that God LOVES them so much that He came in human form to suffer through the same temptations and struggles as the rest of us so that all who believe in Him, and follow His word (and repentance is necessary for that to happen) will spend eternity in the presence of God.

Stay tuned to part 2 of our series...

Socially Conservative (w/out the suppressed antisemitism)

I remember growing up liberal, I was in 3rd grade and I decided that I was pro-choice. I also decided at 5 years old that Michael Dukakis should be our next president over George H.W. Bush. Later in life I was caught in the grip of Christian Fundamentalism and took a radical "right-wing" agenda.

A quick aside: Why is it that those who are strong believers and subscribers to the church of evolution and "survival of the fittest" are most often liberals, who by nature, advocate a lesser form of socialism rather than capitalism which leads to social Darwinism or an economic "survival of the fittest"? And what about the "religious right" claiming to be on the side of the Savior, who's first-century followers practiced a communal living style that was reminiscent of socialism, while at the same time exploiting all that capitalism has to offer, comfortably seated in their mega-churches shouting damnation at the masses the whole time seeming eerily pharisaic.

I guess that wasn't such a "short" aside...sorry

Slowly over the last 5 years I feel like I stepped off of the conservative train to take a look around and it left me at the station...

I'm now struggling in the middle of "no-label land"

What I mean is, I don't see my self heading back the other way to "liberal" and I'm not sure that I can keep going to my "conservative" destination. I still inevitably vote for the Republican even though its more like the lesser of two evils. I guess I'm a mixture of parties, a political mutt if you will.

I consider myself pro-life ever since the addition of my adopted sister who's biological mother, if given the same "choice" in her native Russia, would have probably chosen abortion. In the same breath I used to say that I supported the death penalty. Which never seemed to be a contradiction at the time but now (after taking my departure from the "Conservative Express") it seems that I should be against capital punishment.

Now its not as easy as it seems... Am I sad that Saddam Hussein was put to death....yes and no. I am sad that a human being, created by God lost his life and I know deep down inside that his sentence was probably not in line with God. But did I do my fair share of thinking that he deserved it... yes.

My guess is that God doesn't have a political party, as Rick McKinley says the best form of government is a benevolent dictatorship. We really can't imagine that, can we? How refreshing would that be to have someone with ultimate and supreme power in control that loves us enough to send his only Son (I'll skip the rest, there will be an alter call later to the tune of "Just as I am", but make sure you place your offering in the box before you come up)

Seriously though, imagine a world under the rule of someone who's main concern is our well-being, who always acted in our best interest, and not just our frivolous wants and material desires.

Man, that would be cool, but until that happens I'll be over here struggling with my labellessness

It's the end of the world as we know it...and I feel fine

What is the world coming to?  Taking "under God" out of the pledge, removing "in God we trust" from our money, not allowing the Ten Commandments on federal property, outlawing prayer in school.  It seems Christianity is under attack.



Good.



Maybe that's the way it needs to be.  "Christianity" is mainstream now, its a part of pop culture.  Its so mainstream that now "Christians" are getting up in arms over this Congressman Keith Ellison taking his oath on the Qu'ran instead of the Bible (Story).
"Conservative radio commentator Dennis Prager stoked the flames this week by writing that "America, not Keith Ellison, decides what book a Congressman takes his oath on."

Prager challenged Ellison to either take his oath using the Bible or "not serve" in Congress. He said swearing on the Qu'ran, "undermines American civilization."

The American Family Association issued an electronic action alert to its members across the nation, calling attention to Prager's article. The organization also urged its followers to write their members of Congress, demanding that a bill be passed naming the Bible the only book that can be used in oaths.

Ellison's transition team has been bombarded with e-mail messages, most of them hateful in tone, attacking Islam, the Qu'ran and especially Ellison. The Ellison staff forwarded some of them to KARE 11 News.

"You worthless human being," began one. It continued by saying, "Your actions will play well with your terrorist buddies."

Another declared, "the devil is ruling."

"Shame on you!" said one writer, who added, "I think you want to serve the Muslim call to destroy our nation."

"You are using political correctness to push down the heritage of America," said one contributor.

"This country was not created on religion but on Christianity.""

Is this really what its all about? Is this what the message of Jesus has been reduced to?  We've taken a message of "love God and love everyone else" and turned it into a justification for prejudice and hatred.  We have used our "religion" as an excuse to hate people who aren't like us.  After all Jesus was a white, middle-class suburbanite who voted Republican and was a card-carrying member of the NRA, right?   I don't think so...  It's like the popular Christian bumper sticker:

"Christian's aren't perfect... Just forgiven"
(and smug, apparently) 

Maybe the decline of Christianity in this country will lead to the rise of Christ followers.  It's so easy to be a "Christian" here in America, try going to China or a Middle Eastern country and professing your faith.  As Rick McKinley says, suffering isn't in our western vocabulary.  Sure, we are inconvenienced by set-backs here and there but our experiences are nothing compared to people who live in war-torn areas of the world or in nations where owning the Bible is grounds for capital punishment. 

Often times I get caught up in the idea that its all about me and my feelings, I know all of the answers and it's my duty to be the morality police.  I can be a real prick sometimes...well most of the time.  I see the quotes from the haters who are bashing this Muslim man and I think "I would never say a thing like that".  But I have and, in some situations, I'm sure I would.

I think there is an underground Christian movement that's behind the scenes trying to right the name of Christ followers, and I want to be apart of that Christianity.  Not the one who would persecute a man for standing up for what he thinks is right and true and good.  The truth is, we are bombarded by the worst caricature of Christianity.  When there is a hot moral/religious issue (like this one) who do the reporters go to for a reaction?  Who do the talking heads in the mainstream media bring on their shows?


No seriously....


Is it the guy who says "Hey, there are many sides to this issue and it might take a long time to get things all sorted out and in the end we may never really have the answer".  Of course not, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Rush, Franken, Hannity and others want to bring on the psycho-Christian wack-job who will say that God hates "those people" and Christians don't want anything to do with them.

I say bring on the popular decline of Christianity, and let's continue to support the idea that people are a unique and special creation of God.  It's our job to love them and help them through the process of following Christ.  I want to support the idea that Christians are a group of people getting together to make lives better.  Its not my place to judge whether this guy's "saved" or going to hell.  Yes a sin is a sin but a sinner is still a person.  I am a sinner and my sin is no better or worse than theirs. 

Bring on the revolution!