Archive - March, 2008

religion

March 20, 2008 in Discipleship with 0 Comments

The Wildesign staff was having a conversation recently about the role of the Church in our turbulent society. Where is the line between relevant and Biblical? What do we do with the prevailing negative attitudes toward our faith? Vast questions to which there are no established answers.

Of a staff of 10, nine are Christians. One is Hindu. One of the Christians asked the Hindu what she thinks of “all this.”

I wish I had a recording that I could now, days later, transcribe word for word because her response was astoundingly depressing.

She talked briefly and awkwardly about how she believes some of the things we believe. And Christians in India? Their religion is influenced by Hinduism. Religion is more about geography and tradition than unraveling the mysteries of the universe. It’s more a facet of one’s existence – a relatively inconsequential one as long as you’re a nice person – than a foundation for one’s existence. She believes what we believe, she just believes more. Jesus was probably just one of many times that god manifested on earth … but whatever, “as long as you don’t hurt anyone.”

I sat there and three thoughts went through my head in rapid succession:

1. A quote from Seth Godin, “Religion is a tool human beings use to amplify faith … and eventually we often forget about faith.”

2. A statistic from UnChristian: Among young adults outside the Church, 84% say they know someone who is a committed Christian. Only 15%, however, thought the lifestyles of their Christian friends were different from the norm.

3. How do you communicate Christ to someone with that mindset?

Am I living like a disciple? Or is it just a job I do? I’m not a secretary when I go home. Do I leave my religion at church like I leave my inbox at the office? Am I in the 15% or the other 69?

Because it is important to live like a Christian. It is vital to build relationships with unbelievers, but as a pastor I admire once preached, “You build a bridge of love before driving a truckload of confrontational truths over it.” Sometimes the bridge is enough – not that the bridge is even easy. Sometimes people will see the bridge and walk across of their own accord.

Sometimes you need the truckload of confrontational truths.

decent

March 19, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

And in the midst of it all I think I’m supposed to be learning how to rest in Him.

Because there may never be rest in anything else. Until He comes back and He is all there is, there will always be turmoil. There will always be unrest. Wars and rumors of wars. Unsatisfied longings and vacant desires. Wars and rumors of wars within me.

Because there is a part of me that seeks harmony.
Between body and spirit, flesh and Blood.
Between me and Love. Wars and rumors of
wars within me, but do not fear, He says.

Rest. Watch and wait and rest.

Because we are to be like men who wait for their Master. We are not to grow weary. And in the midst of anticipation and hesitation, uncertainty and disharmony, I am to rest.

Because what greater faith is there than this? That the wind and the seas roar around me and I stand in the midst of it because my eyes are focused on Him. All He requires is my unwavering gaze and He makes the waves firm beneath me.

pause

March 11, 2008 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

It’s that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when a roller coaster just barely makes it over a peak. Not the first one, because that one you slowly clunk up to. The second one. The one that’s designed to get as high as it can get and the cars get slower as they get higher and with just a moment to really capitalize on the anticipation

it dives.

And you know the dive is coming, that’s why you don’t freak out.

Or when you think you’re at the bottom of a set of stairs but there’s really one more waiting. You probably pull a funny face because it catches you off guard but you don’t scream because it doesn’t last that long. By the time you’ve inhaled you’ve also arrived so it’s not a big deal. But there’s that feeling.

Or when someone who calls himself a friend but who really wants to see you dead finds himself on one of those big trampolines with you. You’re bouncing along, minding your own business: up and down and up and down. You know how long it will take to hit the mat again until your foe manages to time a jump just right and send you flying. You flail like an idiot and hopefully don’t scream like a little girl, but you come back down. There’s a moment, though, when you’re as high as you’re going to get and you just

stop

midair as gravity finally overcomes velocity and pulls you back down. And it’s in that moment that you get that feeling.

The feeling is fun because it ends quickly. It’s like a single hiccup, or the build-up to a really good sneeze.

But what’s really awful is when the sneeze doesn’t come. When you can feel it in your nose and you sniff and squint and rub your nose in all directions but it doesn’t come.

The feeling is fun because it ends quickly.

Usually.

I’ve been living in that feeling for the past few days. Every moment I have to sit still I’m suddenly aware that the roller coaster never dropped, the last step never came, and I’m still – somehow- suspended parallel to the roof of the house. I can feel it in my stomach. That obnoxious anticipation.

It’s everything. Yes it’s the house, but it’s so many other things – none of which I can or want to publish. I feel like my entire life got flung into the air and someone hit Pause.

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