Stop complaining and Start doing

Many times in churches today, we let our stylistic differences make a BIG deal.

I like when he sings.

I like when he talks.

I like when she/he prays.(My favorite)

We all have certain stylistic bends to the way we prefer everything.  My girlfriend loves where she gets her haircut. She HATES when I go to Great Clips.  My Dad loves the tv show, “Walker Texas Ranger.”  I think it is quite possibly the worst/corniest tv show ever to grace the boobtube. My good friend Brandon (who has great musical taste I might add) loves the band Tool.  I cannot for the life of me get into any of their music.

Everyone has specific tastes to the way they want everything.  That is one thing we have in common.

As I grow up in age and in faith, I can see how this is a dangerous thing when added to our local communities of faith (churches).

“Well, I don’t get relationally connected because I don’t like the way small groups are structured.”

“I don’t read the Bible much, because my church doesn’t feed me”

“I don’t reach out and care for the poor because my church doesn’t have a “program” for it.

I had the pleasure of going to a conference with some friends of mine a few years back and Francis Chan rocked my world with a very profound and poignant thought.

(Joel paraphrase) “Many people complain in churches today about a lack of opportunities, systems, or programs to study the Bible, reach their non-church friends, and serve the poor.  I really wonder if St. Peter at the gates of heaven will say,

“Oh, the Big Guy will give you a pass because your church leadership didn’t “catch the drift” and fit every chasm of preference that you had. And don’t worry that many of your friends won’t be here for eternity because your church didn’t set you up with a program to evangelize. And don’t worry that you scoffed at the poor and destitute, because your church didn’t have a community service program where you helped out the “least of these.”"end quote”

NOT.

It is foolish for us to think that God is cool with us passing the buck to our churches saying,”they just don’t get it”

I 100% guarantee all of you this; Churches will let you down. They are an imperfect organization because they are run by imperfect people.

Friends, if we are passionate about who Jesus is, what He has done, and what He is doing, we must individually take the task of following Him to heart.

I pray that I become someone who stops complaining and starts doing.

Now may you fight for a world that Jesus felt was worth dying for, and take up your cross and follow Him.

It’s too late to start thinking…..but here it goes

Sorry its been awhile but summer school just started and things have been a lil hectic.

I have been thinking lately about God’s attributes. Not just the ones we love to talk about in church services, but the ones that maybe don’t get as much press.

God is a judge.

God is a hater of wickedness and injustice.

God is a jealous god.

What? Is this the same God who sent his son to tell us, “Don’t judge; or you will be judged.”

We learn from the Ten Commandments; Do not covet your neighbor’s wife or possessions. Do not be jealous of people who have what you don’t have. We learn from experience in life that jealousy does not play out well in any type of relationship.

We are taught to forgive everyone that does wrong to us, but doesn’t God have people go to hell if they do not follow and love Him?

How does this make any sense? Does God hold us to different standards to us than He holds for Himself?

The easy answer is that there is no problem with God being jealous and judging because He is the only perfect, holy one who can do it without messing with his righteousness. He can judge people because he is the only perfect one. He can be jealous because we rightly belong to Him.

I think that there is some validity to that view but I also think if we look a lil deeper, we might grab something of value…..excuse me. I am still in process of thinking this out, stay tuned for more concrete (or lack there of) answers and ideas………

Crash

I am on some prescription pain meds right now, so I don’t know how this is going to sound, but I just watched the movie Crash for the 3rd time today. Everytime I see this film it moves me in a different way. I don’t know if I have ever seen a movie that is so powerful and TRUE. The movie portrays:
* Human brokenness
* Humanity’s loneliness and dire need for soul connection
* Humanity’s diversity and stereotypes that lead to pain
* Humanity’s cry for an unconditional love

Crash is interesting because it is probably one of the more vulgar (language mostly) films I have ever seen, but at the same time God works on me everytime I see it.

Some of you might not agree, but I think God loves moving and working through the dirt and through the trash of our lives. How much brighter does a light shine when its in the presence of pure darkness? How awesome is resurrection in light of Jesus’ horrid death? God’s great love and salvation is so incredible and indescribable because sin is so awful and leads to nothing but destruction. I think its in humanity’s lowest places where the world really reaches out for a something. They reach out for something that repairs brokenness and lifts up the brokenhearted and the hurt.

Its the job of the church (universal) to be Christ’s hands and feet on this earth. Let us shine a BIG light towards the ONE who renovated our broken and lonely hearts. Let us reach people where they are in their messiness, because we are all messy. Life is messy. Peace

Any lack of coherence in this post is being accredited to drugs. hha

Believe

If you know anything about my musical tastes you will know I am a sucker for the power chorus. I completely get sucked in by a BIG catchy chorus with BIG guitars behind it. I just stumbled across this song by The Bravery called, “Believe.” Its right up my alley. The lyrics seem to be about searching and longing for purpose beyond just filling up space on the earth.

My prayer is that the churches in our country start leveraging pop/secular music like this to connect with people on their own level. People are searching and longing, so lets speak the people’s language and show them that following Jesus is the best way to live. (Thank you Tim Stevens)

Check out the song/video on youtube (click text)

The church you know

A friend at school showed me this…..man ya gotta love the church…..I will never get enough wwjd. (Click on text)