THERE IS ROOM TO BE WRONG

Music has been monumental in my life, my faithful assistant while I sort out, wrestle with and clarify all of life’s mysteries. Because of my heavily spiritual makeup I confess that I often listen to music through bias lenses and project into songs spiritual meanings that were probably never the intention of the songwriter. Whether listening to Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android”, Coldplay’s “Fix You” or almost anything by Arcade Fire, I regularly interpret lyrics with some sort of spiritual bent to it.


In our spiritual lives, just as in music, we often misinterpret the lyrics. Whether we are confusing aspects of Gods character, reading our own agendas into scripture or building theology through what feels right to us. Just as it’s difficult to listen to music through a neutral filter without prejudiced from our life experiences it is near impossible to read scripture or view God through unbiased eyes.

The truth is that men, women and people from various social backgrounds, upbringings and ethnicities all digest their relationships with God and their understanding of the scriptures differently. The way we live out our faith or perceive the character of God is effected by so many variables, which is why I believe that it’s okay to have questions, to doubt and at times, to even be wrong!

I have always admired Mother Teresa as an incredibly amazing, selfless person who dedicated her life to serving the rejected and forgotten people that God so dearly loves. Therefore I was stunned by the revelations from her personal writings unearthed after her death in the book Come Be My Light that she struggled through periods of great doubt and spiritual dryness which caused her to question her very faith and mission.

Martin Luther is another revered name within the faith who also struggled throughout his life to get faith “right”. Long before he supposedly nailed his Ninety-Five Thesis to the door of Castle Church in opposition to clerical abuses within the church thus setting off the Protestant Reformation, Luther’s early life was one filled with spiritual turmoil. Luther toiled tirelessly to earn Gods favor through prayer, fasting and other “spiritual” acts. He was often so incredibly overcome with the guilt of his sins that he made many attempts to atone for them such as self-flagellation or laying out in the snow throughout the night.

Both Mother Teresa and Martin Luther served God whole-heatedly yet at times in their spiritual journey they got it wrong. They heard the song, but misinterpreted the lyrics. We all do this, from the greatest theologians down to the lowliest pew dweller.

In fact, the Biblical Scholars of Jesus’ day along with His very disciples misinterpreted the scriptures, believing them to prophesy a messiah that would arise in political power and overthrow the oppression of the Romans. What they never foresaw was that their deliverer would die a shameful death of execution upon a cross. These were a highly educated people immersed in the scriptures from a very young age and yet despite their scholastic fortitude they still got it wrong.

Throughout church history, right to this very day our understanding of God and thus our very faith continues to grow, be reproved and evolve. For instance experts in ancient languages and archaeologists continually make discoveries that help us better understand the culture and background of various Bible passages. Such “scientific” probing of our Holy Book doesn’t cast shadows of doubt, but actually enriches the scriptures, allowing us to better understanding what we are reading.

Despite this fact, many people and church denominations fervently protect their doctrines and theologies often to the point that their beliefs must never be questioned, doubted or put to the test. It makes me wonder if we are really that insecure about what we believe. If a certain creed or belief cannot hold up to scrutiny than perhaps it should not be held in such esteem in the first place.

This country is filled with hundreds of different denominations and thousands of different churches that believe in the same God and the same redemption story yet practice that faith in very different ways. Despite each of our sincerest declarations of beliefs, every one of us cannot be completely right. In fact, a lot of us must be wrong, therefore we must remain flexible, receptive and honest enough to confront our misgivings and embrace the truth.

Pride and fear are the obstacles that hinder us from questioning, testing and approving our beliefs. Our understanding of God is forever being revealed to us. Can we really comprehend the vastness of our creator who holds the edgeless universe in his hands? If you were to combine all of our knowledge of God it still would only amount to a grain of sand on a vast shore. As the Apostle Paul wrote “we know in part and we prophesy in part” or as Tony Campolo summarizes it, “what you believe might be partly correct, but it is certainly not completely correct”.

Case in point are the Biblical teachers and authors throughout church history that have written and lectured quite convincingly with the support of tons of scripture on every hot topic and theological question (whether they are proponents of Predestination or Free Will, Creation or Evolution, a worldwide or local flood, traditional or same sex marriage, etc.) and actually fall on either side of the debate. Apparently not everything is as “black and white” as we would like to believe it is.

Although it is extremely important to us, I don’t believe that God is as concerned with our different ideas (insecurities) about how to “properly” pray, worship and live as long as we don’t use those beliefs to abuse anyone or attempt to force it on others.

As in all things, we must extend grace and understanding to those whose beliefs might differ from our own. They might be wrong, however they might be onto something or God forbid they could possibly even be right.

Let me be clear, I believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God, however, man is not. Frighteningly, with very mixed and sometimes even devastating results God has left his word in our hands to interpret and instruct. It has been used to subjugate woman, races and classes of people. Its sacred passages have been used to defend horrific acts of ungrace and even hate. I don’t need to go into a history lesson of such atrocities, because we know our history is a checkered past of men behaving badly, evidence of the fall at its worst. We need to be careful that we don’t grip too tightly to our beliefs and doctrines that we are unable to serve, to greet, and to show compassion. A clenched fist screams of selfishness and is only good for striking out in anger and violence.

I am thankful for those authors, pastors, speakers, script-writers and bloggers who ask tough and sometimes troubling questions about our faith that many of us are afraid to admit to thinking ourselves. They confront the oftentimes weak, misinterpreted and often times skewed things we believe. We are then forced to think, evaluate and question what it is that we believe in and why. The truth is that if God is who He is then we will arrive at a pretty secure and safe place. If we dig for answers and pray for clarification our faith will become only that much stronger.

So embrace the possibility that while striving to get a nicely sanitized and picture perfect faith that somewhere along the way it will get messy. While working so hard to get it right, keep in mind that some things will go wrong. I have faith that our mistakes won’t change who God is. He remains the same no matter how badly we butcher the song…uh, I mean the message.

LIFE IS MORE SPIRITUAL THAN YOU THINK!

            As superficial and selfish as this is going to sound, much of what I recall from my childhood friendships is associated with the “it” toys my friends owned, the pantries filled with Coco Puffs and Coca-Colas, the cable television that allowed us to watch MTV for hours on end and those few friends who had sisters my age. Obviously I hesitate to say that I “used” my friends; I’d prefer to view it as simply reaping the full benefits of their friendships.

            This trip down memory lane actually relates to my recent reading through the Book of Genesis where Abraham, Jacob, Joseph and at times even the Israelites themselves were so blessed by God that it overflowed into the communities they dwelt amongst. Their neighbors reaped the benefits of their blessings simply by living in proximity to those who were faithful to God. As God protected, made the land fruitful and prospered their chosen trades those blessings extended to their neighbors as well.  

            As unfathomable as it may be, that same grace and mercy is upon believers today us just as it was on those hallowed and revered Old Testament characters. We similarly bring God and His blessings with us into our place of work, schools, families and social circles. As a result, we don’t have to tirelessly strive to force our faith, our God or our spirituality into every nook and cranny of our lives; God is already there with us.

The truth is that “Everything is spiritual”, as Rob Bell so aptly titled his recent lecture tour, in which he explained, “to label one area spiritual, is to label other areas not spiritual” which he goes onto argued cannot be done. Everything and ever arena of our lives has spiritual implications. It is then our choice whether we allow God to be an active participant in our daily lives through actions and attitudes that are ripe with sincere empathy and compassion.      

We don’t have to exhaust ourselves creating “spiritual environments” by legislating God into our world, because we already carry Gods presences wherever we go.  

Case in point is the controversial court decision in the 60’s that prohibited prayer in schools. I question whether prayer was actually removed from our schools and surmise that they only did away with what was becoming a mundane and routine ritual, recited every morning without much meaning. My hope is that although going unseen and unheard, prayer in school is more prevalent and impacting than it has ever been before!

We may be asked to remove religious statues, tablets, crosses and quotations from public places, but that does not remove our faith. Our spirit remains intact. Those things are merrily symbols; we carry what is really important within us. Should we really be concerned that “they” (whoever “they” are supposed to be) will be able to silence Gods voice and His actions as it so undeniably emits from our lives? People of faith are a heck of a lot more influential than some religious relic!

Instead of sulking, more than ever, Jesus followers need to allow the principles and ideologies that we say we believe in to be apparent in all avenues of life. So often we who call ourselves Christians employee the ideals of forgiveness, longsuffering, tolerance and loving our enemies within the “church family, clique or club”, however, we act as if those same principles do not apply within the realities of the ruthless world of work, school and life in general. We cannot separate or compartmentalize our world that way. Everything is spiritual; everyone deserves the same grace…I would argue that those that have not been exposed to Gods incredible favor and love are even more deserving.  

Let’s not become so concerned with the world around us conforming to our faith; we need to allow our faith to transform those around us. That we bring God into all of life’s equations frees us from having to strive tirelessly to make something spiritually powerful and profound happen. It will happen, graciously in Gods will and time.  

            Churches spend extensive amounts of time and resources planning evangelistic outreaches, carefully scripting perfect opportunities to “introduce God into peoples personal atmospheres” and rightfully so. However, we must understand that the most powerful witness and evidence of the Devine is a life lived within the grace and mercy of God where hope radiates like a fragrant perfume.     

            Now, in no way should we arrogantly assume that “believers” somehow have the market corner in terms of Gods favor and blessing. Jesus says in scripture that God “causes the sun to rise on the righteous and the unrighteous” or as the Message translation puts it “(God) gives his best to everyone, regardless: the good and the bad, the nice and the nasty”. Point is that God doesn’t play favorites. He might just as well choose some down in the dumps, dirty “sinner” with a humble and selfless soul to accomplish his will than a clean-cut, faithful follower whose hoarding his blessings.

            When Jesus challenged His followers to be a “Light unto the World”, he warned them not to become “misers” of what they see and hear Him do. Jesus then concludes, “Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes” (Message Translation). Stinginess impoverishes…I like that! A convicting statement for all of us blessed as the wealthiest people on the planet, while much of the world remains ignored and in extreme poverty. It is even more of an admonishment when our lives have been graced with peace and hope while co-workers, family members, friends and neighbors spirits remain impoverished.

The intention of God’s blessings is that they be shared, not stored.

            Unfortunately blessings are so often measured monetarily, blame that on the “prosperity Gospel” that promises fat wallets, flashy suites and Mercedes Benz’s. Money is fine and great, we could all use financial security, but what everyone truly needs is something more practical in dealing with the drudges of this trying life. We need hope wrapped in the embrace of a friend when we have experienced lose of health, life or love. We need the impacting words from the compassionate heart of someone who truly understands our situation. We need people who selflessly share their God given gifts even if it is as simple as their smile, sense of humor, skill with a wrench, warm hospitality or neighborly kindness.

            People exuding the blessings of God, your family needs this, your world needs this…we all need this!  

THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!

             I’m not sure if the same is true where you live, but out here amidst the outlaw mentality of Arizona the whole Photo Radar thing is a wildly controversial topic. I have heard reports that in the Phoenix area alone less than a third of all traffic fines are actually paid as most people simply refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of this technology. Apparently we like to drive fast, but we don’t appreciate having our picture taken while doing it and we’re especially not fond of the ticket we receive in the mail in 7 to 10 business days.

            Somehow having a “beef” with photo radar brings to mind Adam and Eve. When I think about Adam and Eve I think about fruit, or more specifically the fruit they were forbidden to eat (which didn’t dissuade them for too long). So when God confronts Adam about partaking of that fruit, Adam quickly attempts to pass the blame onto Eve (and God) by replying, “you know that woman you gave to me? Well, she gave me the fruit!”

            Now this whole business with fruit gets me thinking a bit deeper about things like the various selfish reasons many children are forced to grow up without the full love and support of both parents, politicians who blame one another for our nations economic woes, celebrities who check into rehab when they have done something controversial to skirt the blame and athletes who conveniently “misremember” certain details about what performance enhancing drug they were taking…uh, I mean not taking!

At their core, photo radar, forbidden fruit and finger pointing is really about responsibility, or the lack there of.

            Which brings us to Christendom, where there are two statements that make me cringe, (actually there are many more, but just play along) the first being "The Devil is attacking my life!" and the second is "God is blessing my life!"

Now, I do believe that there are spiritual forces at work in our lives whether we are aware of it or not and both statements do carry with them an incredible amount of truth that we can hardly hope to understand. God is hardly given enough credit for his merciful interventions, protection and blessings that we are so often oblivious to. Whereas, I think most of us choose to remain in ignorance to the actual amount of influence and involvement the devil has in our lives. 

Its just that all too often in my lifetime spent within the “friendly confines” of the church I have heard such statements thrown around quite frequently and flippantly as God or the Devil has been credited with everything from God having a hand in providing a parking place to the devil striking with pimple outbreaks before big dates.

I don’t pretend to know how the spiritual realm works and to be honest those Bible passages informing me that my battles are actually against the “forces of evil in this dark world” sound a bit creepy and a tad overwhelming. I am pretty sure however that when my car runs out of gas on my way to the store it doesn’t mean that somehow the devil has taken an upper hand in the spiritual arm wrestling match with God. And vice versa, when I trip while walking down some stairs and miraculously catch my balance before a disastrous fall, it doesn’t mean that God has just “put it” to the devil either. 

            These statements bug me so much because it is just another avenue for people to deflect responsibility. I have seen too many people pass the buck of responsibility in their lives to either God or the devil depending on the circumstances. Most recently I was reading a story about a popular Christian musician back in the 80’s who was arrested for possession of cocaine. Years later it seemed that he had learned little about personal humility and responsibility, simply chalking it all up to “the devil (doing) his number”.

A friend of mine who was going through a divorce also skillfully attempted to evade blame with his comment on the dreary situation that "the devil is really working hard to tear us apart". My first thought being "is God on vacation or something? The Devil is wreaking havoc on your life and God isn't doing a thing?" The truth was that he was simply refusing to acknowledge the years of mistakes, hurts and unforgiveness within his crumbling marriage. Oh, but we can throw all that practical thinking out the window and blame it on the ole’ devil!

            Besides the fact that it is a cowardly way of attempting to dodge personal responsibility, there are other issues with the emphasis on the devil being associated with every negative and God being credited with every positive thing that happens in our lives. First of all, when it "hits the fan" (oh, and it will!) it causes us to wonder where God is in the midst of the devil laying waste to our lives, despite His great promise that He will never leave nor forsake us.

Sure, it would be nice to be able to credit the devil with all the uncomfortable and painful moments in our lives, however, more often than not those difficult chapters in our story are actually sacred moments in which God is carefully and gracefully putting the defining touches on who we are.

The truth is that what we may want to believe is the devil may actually be God trying to get our attention.

            Another problem with the (positive = God, negative = the devil) approach is that the devil, crafty as he is, can manipulate situations so that they appear to be positive, like an answer to prayer even, when in fact it is of no benefit to us at all. We might be tempted to believe that because an answer we have been seeking drops from the sky all nicely packaged with a bow on top that it is a blessing from God, when in all reality it may be nothing more than another empty promise from our enemy. 

Now, God isn't immune to having a fair share of blame directed at him either. The biggest problem most people have with the whole idea of the existence of God is that they cannot fathom a loving God allowing all the pain and suffering that ills humanity. As if its Gods fault that humankind has made bad decisions, as we slowly destroy the planet, engage in war with one another while often ignoring the needs associated with the spread of sicknesses, disease and hunger. We seem to forget that God originally created all things good, beautiful and complete, while it was humanity that made a mess of it.

If we aren’t placing the blame on spiritual forces than we are not too proud to pass it along to someone or something else. We’d rather accuse our spouses, mothers or fathers, our depression or addictions, our boss or work situations, the economy and even the President (need I go further?) than lay claim to our own mistakes and troubles. I was even talking with a pastor who blamed alcohol consumption as a factor in many occurrences of infidelity. I don't really buy that, alcohol doesn't "make" anyone do anything, (besides act stupid) it is simply an easy excuse.

The fact is that we are reckless with our money and our time, our bodies and our birth control, our emotions and even our very souls. Heck, because of our unreliability and negligence the very planet that God so lovingly and deliberately designed for us is slowly being destroyed. From within our dire circumstances we cry out “why God?” while ignoring the fact that our actions have consequences.

Without responsibility and accountability in our lives there is little hope that our co-workers, friends, significant others or even our children will hold us in any measurable amount of esteem. In fact, it may very well erase what little character we might have had and remove any clinging fibers of integrity. A lack of responsibility has cost us in our marriages and has done damage to our relationships with our children. With only finger pointing and no one willing to shoulder the blame our country has been driven into unimaginable debt. Irresponsibility and at times an unwillingness to admit its wrongs the churches reputation and effectiveness has been eroded.

            All of us (myself most definitely included!) need to begin taking small steps of responsibility within our lives and own up to our faults and failures. Seek forgiveness from God and those around us for our weaknesses and our shortcomings. We make our own decisions and we need to be accountable for them. Like the old saying goes, “we must lie in the bed we make”.

           

Lost in Translation

Take it from a guy who has been married for ten years, works in close quarters with a handful of diverse personalities and has had friendships rocked by divorces and pride fueled disagreements, communication is an amazingly complex entity that can exude life, growth and camaraderie one moment and then miserable misunderstanding the next.

It is often messy, uncomfortable and misconstrued, however, judging by the current popularity of social networking sites, cell phones and text messaging, communication is also a highly sought after and valued thing.

Now when it comes to communication, I truly believe that those who put their trust in Jesus have the greatest message of hope, redemption, forgiveness and love. We are in fact, (frighteningly) Gods primarily messengers to the rest of a weary and broken world that longs for good news. Our every action, word and even our subtle body language continually sends a message to those around us of who God is and what He looks like.

So what message are we presenting? Hopefully it is one of redemption, grace and, to borrow from Brennan Manning, the “furious love of God”. Sadly, however this great message is often lost in translation.

Case in point was a pastor I recently witnessed leading new “converts” in a prayer to “accept Christ into their lives”. To those uninitiated with church life and lingo, think of it as a swearing in ceremony in which people are “sworn into” the faith. Perplexingly as it may seem being that it is such a monumental spiritual moment, it is rarely scripted or rehearsed by preachers who are apparently more focused on brushing up on the impeccable timing of their one-liners. Which may excuse this particular preacher for exhorting “newbies” to pray to God imploring Him “to forgive them for the way they have been living their lives thus far”.

Sounds pretty harmless right?

Except when you consider that such an unclear and seemingly vague statement forces people to draw their own conclusions as to what they are really being told. Which may be where all the confusion about superficial lifestyle changes like being a person of a particular moral code while avoiding the dangers of “sex, drugs and Rock n’ Roll” is birthed. What we are left with is churches full of people who are not exactly sure what their salvation really means in relation to their lives.

Despite what we might interpret the message to say, the fact is that initially putting ones faith in God has little, perhaps even nothing to do with the life someone has lived or the things they have done. I know some of the most loving and kind people who do not consider themselves Christians, while on the other hand I have been acquainted with some of the filthiest and rotten people who call themselves Christians. The way in which someone lives his or her life is not always an accurate indicator of ones salvation.

And not to pick on this poor pastor alone, because we send similar messages to the world around us when our salvation story consists of what amounts to merrily outward “surface cleaning” (“I used to smoke, drink and cuss but then I found Jesus and now my life is completely different”). The bumper sticker that reads “Born fine the first time” is the world’s jab in response to such shallow testimonies that drip with the underlying message that “life is better here”. On the contrary, life usually gets more difficult (which was what Jesus warned his followers) when one chooses faith.

You see, despite the confusing messages to the contrary, God’s primarily concern is not with the kind of life we lived yesterday. He simply desires to be the center and focus of our lives today and on into our future tomorrows.

Furthermore, asking those who are newly acquainted with God to seek forgiveness for the way they “lived their life” pre-faith sends a dangerous message that the church, and God for that matter, is only concerned with what they do instead of in whom they trust. It causes churchgoers to tiptoe around each other on Sunday mornings concerned and fearful that they will be exposed as a fraud (which, in a way, we all happen to be).

Sadly many people “join” the church, subscribe to the “corporate” brand and immediately begin exhausting themselves by jumping through all the “spiritual” hoops trying to please the others and please God while hoping to quiet the lingering voices spewing words of doubt and guilt. However, despite the commitment, effort, hard work or perseverance we cannot will ourselves to live a better “Christian life”. Such futile striving will only leave us feeling unfulfilled, frustrated and disappointed. We cannot make life, character and moral changes that are deeply ingrained into who we are with “good ole’ fashion” hard work and determination.

All this fruitless striving saddens me because it really is as simple as living in the grace of God and enjoying the spiritual journey without getting caught up in our failures, disappointments and guilt. Unfortunately such messages are a rarity.

Honestly, the most important thing missing from all of our lives is truly knowing and experiencing God, there is no other ingredient required. God, knowing every little nuance, trait, characteristic and aspect of his creation, knows perfectly how to effectively weed out, mold and shape our lives. He is much more patient and long suffering than we could ever hope to be in seeing us unto completion. If there are things in our life that need to be changed or ways of living that need to be tweaked, you can be sure God will inform us of it and will work patiently and with purpose to accomplish it in our life. In this progression our character blossoms to its fullest potential.

The salvation experience is not solely about making people better human beings. But for the grace of God, all of humanity is on a level playing field in such regards. It doesn’t matter what someone’s political affiliation may be, what their sexual orientation is, what religion they subscribe to or anything else, if there be any good deed, word of encouragement or characteristic within them it is simply the illuminating grace of God shining through a putrid soul. And we are all putrid souls, however God can use ANYONE He desires to be a blessing! As Aaron Weiss puts it so simply and yet poignantly in song “It’s (God) in everyone we meet”.

Despite what we would love to believe about ourselves, without God in our lives there really is no good within us, our natural inclinations are selfish and sinful. We should take no pride in our efforts to be “good-people” (our righteousness is like filthy rags after all) but should humbly thank God that He is hard at work patiently perfecting us hardheaded people.

With this in mind, perhaps it is time we reevaluate some of our ideas and perceptions about sin. You see, from the time Moses come down the mountain with those two imposing tablets to today where Sunday school children across the globe are singing, “be careful little eyes what you see” there has always been this underlying belief that God doesn’t want us to have any fun.

One of my favorite writers on faith, Anne Lamott reminds us that we are “punished not for the sin but by the sin.” I believe this is a much healthier way to approach Gods distain for our sins. God wants us to avoid sin, not because He wants to remove all the fun from our lives, but because sin is something that is destructive to a healthy life and healthy relationships. We should desire to live a “better life” not solely because it pleases God or makes Him love us more, but because it is a better way to live and will save us much heartache and pain.

Remember, entrusting God with our lives has nothing to do with pledging our allegiances to the handiwork of man nor does it have anything to do with keeping up our appearances. Salvation is hope that through God’s grace we can overcome yesterday’s struggles. It is hope that beginning immediately God will join us in our battles. It is hope in knowing that life won’t necessarily be easier but we will be guaranteed that we don’t have to go it alone. It is about accepting an offer of “life and life abundantly”.

In a world full of unclear and mixed messages, those of us with the greatest message of hope need to get it right.

WARNING! Contents may be hazardous to your life!

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." Paul the Apostle

I have become tired of the lethargic church and of empty Christianity. It saddens me that the world does not see a true representation of Jesus when it sees His supposed followers. I am dismayed that we continue to build extravagant homes (churches) for God and yet don't take care of those without homes. I am concerned that we have merrily built for ourselves a fortress and now reside within its four walls as if protecting ourselves from the "evil" world around us.

Though I am saddened, angry and tired of these things, I am even wearier of just simply talking about it. I have to guard myself and watch that I don't become too cynical, judgmental and frustrated that I become useless to God, to Christianity and to humankind.

Sure, I can write blogs about Christianities issues until my hair turns gray and my fingers become arthritic. I can sit around at coffee houses discussing the problems of the church with friends until every stone is overturned. I can read as many books and articles about what the church is supposed to look like or how its inhabitants have grown overfeed and lazy. But all the while the world turns, time passes and I grow older. I have to ask myself whether I am simply becoming a clanging cymbal? Am I nothing more than a noise that is pounding like the neighbors stereo at 2 AM annoying all those around me?

Yeah, we have done a fine job messing up Jesus' image throughout history. I feel a responsibility to tell people "no, this isn't who Jesus is". This is not the Jesus I have grown up to know and live for. He is not like those who angrily condemn the gay and lesbian communities while inconsiderately shouting hateful things at them at protests and rallies. He is not the one who hangs "No-Smoking" signs outside churches so that those who do smoke feel even more alienated from the “saints” inside. He is not the one standing on street corners shouting "Turn or Burn!" He does not send hurricanes or fly airplanes into buildings to punish or scare us into getting our act together or repenting. And he is not the one on TV asking for our money while promising us prosperity because of our generous contributions. He is far from any of these things, unfortunately however, their bullhorns are loud and they draw all of the attention.

It all makes me wonder if the world has ever actually gotten a glimpse of the real Jesus? Sure, people can know about him, know a little about religion and spend some time in church but all of that means very little. Those of us who are Christians are supposed to represent the incredible love and grace of Jesus to the world, not send them running away, causing them to despise Him.

Don't get me wrong; there are some of the coolest Christians, churches and people who are doing and being everything they are supposed to be. I am thankful for them because they encourage and challenge my faith and give me hope that all is not lost.

It was because of a somewhat stagnate faith that I began writing blogs and talking to people about my frustrations with religion and church. I was hoping in the very least to encourage and inspire them to think a little more critically about their own faith while at the same time desiring to ignite a little life into my own. I was also hoping to find people that may have experienced or witnessed some of the same things I had, to see if my feelings were legitimate or unfounded. I guess what I really was hoping to determine was if I was crazy, "backslidden" or if I was on the right track.

Thank God I found that I was not alone. There are many people out there who are just as tired and frustrated who desire to see some positive changes within their church and faith. This is where we need to be cautious however. If all we do is sit around complaining, writing and talking we will begin to hear a distant clanging in our ears. We need to follow passionate discontent with action.

God has designed all believers to play significant roles in something incredibly spiritual, powerful and effective, called the church (which is simply a term meaning the collection of all believers, not to be confused with a building). And as much as it frustrates me to no end and tests the level of my patients I cannot remove myself from it nor can I renounce my place from within it. It is a part of me and I am a part of it. So when I find myself nitpicking all of its flaws and inconsistencies I have to ask myself am I doing my part? Is it the churches fault or should I share in the blame because I have taken myself out of the game and stand on the sideline judging it to pieces?

Too many of us have allowed the hurt, the abuse and the neglect we have experienced within Christianity render us ineffective. We can sulk and lick our wounds for a time and point out all the things that need to change, but until we do something proactive it all eventually just becomes noise. The church may be a mess, but its our mess, so what are we going to do about it?

This might sound crazy, egocentric, or as John Lennon put it best "you may say I'm a dreamer", but its time to be true representatives of what we believe. I know it sounds cliché but we need to be the change we want to see. Instead of shunning the soiled, misused label of Christian, perhaps we need to begin redefining it through our lives and actions. How do accomplish such an overwhelming and seemingly impossible task? Well, may I suggest we begin not by beating down the doors of neighbors, handing out evangelistic tracts, or inviting people to our church (though those are tools that sometimes work)…but let’s start somewhere simple, humble, often ignored and almost always undervalued. Let it begin with us living out our faith, loving others, serving and being hope. If we can accomplish this quietly without all the fanfare and hype it will speak the loudest and our message will be heard.

"Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.' St Francis of Assisi.

Alien Nation

You probably wouldn’t guess it by my easygoing demeanor, but I actually have a bit of a rebellious streak in me. When you’re a Christian all this really means is that you wear jeans and Converse to church, smuggle snacks into movie theatres, and occasionally disagree with the politics of FOX News. Oh yeah, and you listen to David Bazan.

To those uninitiated, David Bazan is a critically acclaimed solo artist in the indie music world whose songwriting is heavily influenced by his Christian upbringing while also being beautifully interlaced with the darker aspects of life and faith. The result is songs containing such hefty topics as infidelity, murder, alcoholism, suicide, lust, and doubt. Not the kind of tunes your apt to hear on your local “always upbeat” Christian radio station, nevertheless real and honest topics found scattered throughout the Holy Scriptures within the lives of our spiritual heroes.

On his latest album Curse your Branches, Bazan boldly dares to take God to task on the disconcerting aspects he wrestles with in the Christian “story” or at least mans best interpretations of it. No stranger to controversy, Bazans new album has ignited some pretty heated, albeit predictable debates, especially within online forums and blogs.

Which is precisely where I encountered a comment that began by clarifying that although he liked the album he didn’t “agree” with Bazans particular commentary on the Christian faith.
Despite his “fringy” songwriting, I had honestly never really given much thought to whether I should agree with Bazans theology or not, I just simply understood. What I understand is the places of questioning and doubt from which he poses his questions. So I never necessarily felt compelled to pronounce whether I agreed with him or not as much as I felt obligated to at least attempt identifying with him.

Whether its simply clicking like/unlike or airing our views in 140 characters or less, we love to make ourselves heard don’t we? We especially enjoy interjecting our own personal “critiques” into any and all conversations. Honestly, isn’t the most entertaining part of American Idol watching the judges argue and disagree with one another? The fact is many of the most popular shows and personalities on television (Pardon the Interruption on ESPN, Glenn Beck and The View) simply offer us their highly opinionated views on varying topics.

Can, or maybe a better question is should every component of life be thoroughly scrutinized (or judged) before being so simply classified and categorized into being either agreeable or not, good or not, beneficial or not? And although my young, brash generation of disgruntled churchgoers would love to spotlight all the ways in which the church arrogantly does just this, I have to humbly confess that we are (I include myself) equally as guilty as we nit pick every nuance of the Sunday morning service.

Obviously utilizing a healthy amount of discernment is wise, however, when we consider that most everyone’s value systems vary whether the subject matter is family, religion, education, the arts or politics, sometimes the things that we believed could only fall into a neatly packaged category of either black or white actually begin to merge into a more complicated gray. What we are left with is not always universal truths, but simply many unique and varying personal convictions.

Take the Christian church for example, which has such a wide range of differing beliefs, ideas, doctrines and theologies about how God, the church and believing people are supposed to function. And the varying views go beyond simple doctrinal matters and into childrearing, women’s roles, birth control, marriage, divorce and so on. My point is that even within Christianity there is a divide on many spiritual and practical life issues. If a faith with common core beliefs can be so messy, how are we to come together civilly when the topic is seemingly something more complicated?

Interestingly enough many religious and political people approached Jesus with questions hoping to identify where he stood on “the issues”. More often than not, however Jesus skirted around the questions being posed refusing to give in to their games. On occasion he actually offered an alternative viewpoint altogether which threw a wrench into the whole idea surrounding “two-sided” debates.

Sure, there is a time and place for debate; however, we also need to have moments of peace from all the noise of dogmatic chatter. We need to have moments of understanding and if nothing else discover some harmony within our “sacred beliefs” to level enough common ground upon which to stand together. It is imperative that we have such places of safety where we can relate to one another and come to understand each other as people and not just as puzzles to be solved.

Mark Driscoll in his book Religion Saves + nine other misconceptions, writes that there are a few nonnegotiable doctrines within our faith that we must hold tightly to with a closed hand, while in the other hand there are those doctrines that are important but secondary that we must hold more loosely and graciously. Although Driscoll is addressing differences in spiritual teachings and beliefs, I believe this advice can be applied to varying areas of dissention. However, it is counsel that is, sadly, unheeded as we often hold stubbornly with white knuckles to certain beliefs that we are convinced are so important even at the risk of alienating ourselves from friends and family.

If we look to the scriptures we find that the Apostle Paul selflessly focused much of his energies into finding ways in which he could relate to others in THEIR world, on THEIR turf and where THEY were comfortable in order to make meaningful relationships. Jesus was a perfect example of this as well, spending much of his time seeking out relationships and accepting invitations into other people’s homes and worlds, many of whom were cast out from “important” religious circles for being “unagreeable”. Jesus asked questions, began meaningful dialog and most importantly he listened.

Listening is essential to understanding. When we give someone the opportunity to speak while also attentively listening it affords him or her the proper respect they deserve. In effect, we validate that person by listening. Nothing turns (or ticks) people off quicker and sours their opinion of you more than if you are someone who talks without listening. All too often various matters escalate from simple conversations into debates and arguments because both sides would rather speak than listen and empathize with one another.

Although perhaps our family, friends, church or pastors cannot come to grips with the ugly circumstances surrounding our life we can rest assured that God does understand. And not in a shortcut kind of way being that He is a God of infinite wisdom. God took no shortcuts or easy ways out when He sent Jesus to this earth; He in effect put himself in our shoes and in our situations. He faced everything we have had to face and more, rejection, temptation, betrayals from friends, false accusations, sickness and death. The real miracle of Jesus’ life on earth is not just that he accomplished it without committing a sin. The real miracle is that God would choose to experience this life right along side of us, forever making any accusation that He doesn’t understand sound rather foolish.

The scriptures also reveal that on several occasions Jesus was moved with compassion for people. This compassion was not a matter of pity, but a sincere concern for people’s well being. Which stings because most often it is not compassion that stirs us when we offer our judgment…uh, I mean, advice to those who may or may not have come looking for it in the first place.

Having our own convictions and beliefs is important, however we need to remember that is all they are, our own. Each one of us needs to decide for ourselves how much of the surrounding world we wish to weigh according to those convictions and beliefs. More than anything else I encourage you to humbly make an effort to understand and relate to those you interact with on a daily basis. Maybe then we might begin to see people as more than simply those we disagree or clash with, perhaps we might begin to see them as God does, as His precious creation who are just a little misunderstood at times.

Faith like an elf

As far as movie genres go, the holiday classics perhaps more than any other have much to say about life, especially when it pertains to spiritual matters. It’s a Wonderful Life for instance, sets out to show us just how intricately interlaced and important our lives are in relation to one another. Through Ralphie, A Christmas Story encourages us to pursue our hopes and dreams despite circumstances or the discouragement of others. The numerous versions of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol warn us against cold-heartedness, greed and misplaced priorities. And finally, A Charlie Brown Christmas puts the whole materialistic and consumer crazy season into the proper perspective.

Another movie that looks to creep onto the holiday classic list is Elf. It is the story of Buddy (Will Farrell) who upon finding out as an adult that he is not an elf but a human, (despite the rather obvious clues) decides to return to New York City in search of his true identity.
Early in the movie the elf that has raised Buddy informs him that Christmas spirit is waning because less and less people believe in Santa. Buddy responds quite befuddled, “What? Who do they think puts all the toys under the tree? The elf replies, “there are rumors floating around that the parents do it”. To which buddy retorts with certainty, “that’s ridiculous! I mean parents couldn’t do ALL that in one night. What about Santa’s cookies? I suppose the parents eat them too!?” Here Buddy has turned the age-old arguments against the existence of Santa against itself, while wonderfully exemplifying the childlike faith, wonder and innocence it takes to believe in the jolly old Saint.

Countless theologians, writers and preachers over thousands of years have undertaken the task of explaining what it might look like to obey Jesus’ instruction to have faith like a child. Although I find myself a bit hesitant to apply the sacred to a Will Ferrell character, this is kind of what I imagine childlike faith to resemble.

Jesus used children to illustrate to us what genuine trust, faith and hope can look like without all of the hang-ups and hurts that plague adults. Jesus command to have a childlike faith wasn’t a trivial or a simple request. In fact, I would argue that there is not a single discipline that Jesus instituted that is easier than another to obey or inaugurate into our lives, they all require a great amount of faith, deliberation, sacrifice, devotion and obedience. Nevertheless, child-like expectancy, excitement, wonder, dependence and freshness are imperative to our spiritual lives.


Sure, we might have faith, but the faith we have comes with stipulations. We know how to work the “religious systems” to fit our needs and you can be certain that we will walk away if we aren’t satisfied with the results. And our version of faith can be very rude, inconsiderate, hurtful, demanding, competitive, and angry, in short, it can be very adult.
In a sense, all of our life experience and, as the lyricist Aaron Weiss put it in song, “the things we think we know”, handicaps our faith in God. Slowly the sense of amazement at those Sunday school stories of our youth is replaced with skepticism and doubt as we simply rationalize them into being something more symbolic than anything else.


So here we have the example of eager to please Buddy, with his childlike innocence and wide-eyed with wonder enthusiasm and passion for life. He faithfully believes in Santa, adamantly defends Christmas and makes a point to expose any imposters. He believes in Santa because he has seen him, spent time with him and he knows him personally. In Buddy’s world no other reality exists besides the Santa reality. How nice it would be to somehow operate this way within my own life, where the God reality is the only reality. However, it is only possible if we are willing to go through the painful process of shedding all the extra weight associated with our “mature” faith and humbly become like a child.

Buddy’s character challenges my oftentimes uninspired and lifeless faith with how unnaturally joyous and happy he is all the time even in the face of hardened New Yorkers. The truth is that we are missing a substantial ingredient to our spiritual lives if we don’t have a childlike joy. I’m not talking about a naïve, “ignorance is bliss” happiness, but a true joy at the knowledge of who God is and what he has done for us. Our faith may give us hope, strength and aid us through this life, but do we delight in it?

In scripture, King David has a moment of childlike joy and excitement as he casts his inhibitions (and most of his clothing) aside to dance before the ark as it was returned to Israel. When his wife Michal sees him making a fool of himself she becomes furious with embarrassment and ridicules him when he returns from his joyous rumpus. I humbly admit that my actions in this scenario are more likely to resemble that of Michal’s than that of David’s.

In fact, when it comes to my spiritual life, I find that I relate to Buddy’s skeptical father who is horrified that he is going to be embarrassed by his high-spirited, long lost son. Sure, I suppose we all have to come to terms with being ridiculed for our faith in God. I realize that, in the opinion of many, such faith is as outlandish as an adult who still believes in Santa Clause. Eventually were expected to grow older, experience the cold, harsh realities of this world and put to bed such ridiculous ideas as Reindeer, Easter Bunnies and Jesus.

When considering the significance that Jesus placed upon having a childlike faith, I find it interesting that we demean certain actions or characteristics in other people as childish. Perhaps it is out of our own envy that we make such brash judgments. The truth is we live in a world that demands us to “grow-up”, “be a man” and “stop kidding around” when in reality we might just be touching the surface of truly understanding our faith.

The greatest tragedy of all is if we allow ourselves to lose that spirit of wonder and awe at the incredible works of God. Perhaps this is the greatest lesson to be learned from the film. Despite all of the ridicule, discouragement and negativity cast at Buddy, he still manages to maintain his faith in not only people, but also the spirit of Christmas itself.