organic christianity

different? prove it!

Instead of wearing the "sin police" badge as Christians our job is to not conform to the evil desires we had when we lived in ignorance but to strive to be holy in everything we do.  To be holy means to be "consecrated" or "set apart".  Unfortunately I don't always behave that differently from nonbelievers.  Do you?

I believe that most Christians are in the same boat as me or maybe even worse off.  Here are some statistics by the well-respected researcher George Barna. 

Who serves more-Christians or non-Christians?  If you guessed Christians you are right.  27% of non-Christians give their time to non-profit causes, compared to 29% of believers.  Christians out shined non-believers in serving by a whopping 2%.  Not exactly a convincing difference. 

48% of non-Christians said they gave in the last month to charitable organizations, compared to only 47% of Christians.  Over half of American Christ followers didn't give any money to missions, to their church, or to the poor.  This is a colossal tragedy.

The exact same percentage of Christians and non-Christians (36%) read their horoscope daily. 

27% of Christian adults have been divorced, compared to 23% of non-believers.  It seems that more people who promised God not to get divorced ended their marriage than those married by the justice of the peace.

It is time to stop spending our time scoffing at non-Christians and their lack of morality and start living differently.  The next time I hear a minister use words like "the world" or "the culture" in a derogatory way I think I will probably chuckle because chances are the church is just like them.  I don't blame non-believers who think church is judgmental and full of hypocrites because often times we are.

God calls us to be different.  Sometimes we are...in the wrong ways.  God make us different in our actions.

dissect

There is gut wrenching feeling in my stomach lately as I strive to figure out what God has in store for me.  I spend hours thinking of all the endless opportunities, plans and things that will come my way in 2008.  But it doesn't ever do anything for me except make me more anxious and confused.  I feel like I am trying to reduce an irreducible God, which is absolutely frivolous.  It is like cutting up a corpse to figure out what it is like to be human-sure, you'd end up with identifiable body parts in formaldehyde, but the wonder of pulsing human life will elude you.  Do you think you could find in the human brain clues to love or friendship, or what it means to be a child of God?  At times I feel like I am dissecting God, putting Him in jars, labeling His parts, breathing a sigh of relief because I have figured Him out, there is no more confusion and now God fits in my little box. 

God was never meant to be put into jars or explained by theological terms but to be a mystery that captivates our hearts.  I am discovering that following God and living in suspense of what the next day may bring is what is so fun about being in a relationship with Him.  I hope that we all can learn to let God be unexplainable and mysterious and learn to worship Him because of who He is rather than what He does or doesn't do for us.  Lay down our scalpels and Greek lexicons (maybe I am the only nerd who uses them) and spend some time  reflecting on God's beauty and awesome presence and let tomorrow worry about itself. 

soul cravings

I am currently reading Erwin McManus' book, Soul Cravings.  It is an awesome look at those deep feelings/cravings/urges that we all have but often attempt to passify and short cut without really looking and examining why they are there and what they say about us. The book is broke out into three main areas, Intimacy, Destiny and Truth. Erwin approaches each of these topics and really looks at them from all angles.

One thing I really apreciate about this book is that for each section the text is broke out into 'entries' almost like you were reading a journal. This allows you to read a couple pages and then really 'digest' what you have read rather then trying to plow through a huge chapter and not really taking the time to think through the implications or applications of what you have just read.  Don't do what I always do and take the recommendation for a good book and say I will read it later or add it to your amazon wish list.  Pick up this book and read it, it will encourage you.

 

great faith

This year has the potential of being one of the most interesting years in my family, church and life.  When every new year comes around there is always a sense of expectation that this year will be awesome.  It doesn't always work out like that but you still have faith that it will happen.  I really want to have a great faith coming into the new year.  That no matter what good or bad things happen I can have an assurance that God will work them together for good.  But what is great faith?  Is it always having a smile, believing in the best, never having fear or doing great exploits for God.  I believe that the size of our faith is not the issue.  I look at faith like a clutch on a car.  The clutch is what connects the power of the engine to the wheels.  If someone admired your clutch on your sports car they would be considered an idiot.  They should be admiring the power of the engine.  Faith is that which connects the power of God to our humanity.  I really don't have great faith but I do have a great God.  We shouldn't admire the size of our faith but the greatness of our God.  If you were to look at my faith you would probably be alarmed that a minister could deal with so much doubt, insecurity, fear and have such little faith.  But when you have a great God you don't need a lot of faith-just enough to take Him at His word.  There is no power in faith itself.  The value of faith is found only in its object.  So I guess coming into the new year the question isn't do I have great faith, but what is God saying?  I only need to respond to His word.  The Bible says that faith the size of a mustard seed can do amazing things.  When you simply connect to the inexhaustible, extraordinary God power will flow through your life. 

The is one thing that I can be assured of in 2008, my God will be great this year no matter what happens.