Paulicus Maximus

Welcome to my blog - land of the free and home of the brave!!
I'm definitely on a journey right now. For the better part of my life I thought I had it all figured out. I was walking along, enjoying life. Then about two years ago everything started to fall apart and now I have no idea where I'm headed or how to get there. I realize more each day just how little I really have figured out.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Kill the Beast

There has been quite a bit of press in the last few weeks over a recent decision of the IMB. For those that don't know IMB is short for International Mission Board. It is the overseas missions arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, of which I am a card-carrying member. I believe that the good people of the IMB are accomplishing many great things for the glory of God, however I don't think that means that they are without their faults. For some time I have been cautiously questioning their actions and I have seen no shortage of hyprocrisy.

Two fundamental aspects of Southern Baptist philosophy and practice are the priesthood of the believer and the autonomy of the local church. In other words, each person is responsible for their relationship with God. They don't require a priest or any other intermediary. They can go to God themselves, and presumably in their own unscripted way. Additionally each church is responsible for determining their method of ministry and even their teaching. More and more it appears to me that the IMB is sidestepping those centuries old foundational beliefs.

The recent flurry of press came when IMB trustees voted to disqualify any missionary candidate who practiced speaking in tongues in any form, including a PRIVATE prayer language. They also voted to disqualify any person who didn't meet their strict guidelines for baptism. Those guidelines included post-conversion baptism in a church that believes in baptism as a symbol and no more and also ascribes to eternal security.

In each issue I think we see the IMB overstepping their bounds. First, in regards to the use of a prayer language, it seems that this is clearly a private matter between a believer and God. I don't and to this point have never had a private prayer language but I know several Godly people who have. This isn't an abuse of the tongues gift and seems to fall in line with Paul's discussion of tongues in 1 Corinthians. Note that the IMB isn't talking about disqualifying people based on their character or any questionable, immoral behavior. They are disqualifying people based on a personal issue. They argue that it is not normative of Southern Baptists to practice tongues in this form and for that reason it should not be practiced by our representatives on the mission field. Well, I hate to bring this up but "normative" for Southern Baptists could easily include spiritual apathy, an indifference towards lost people, a lack of financial commitment to the works of God, and so on. Are these the normative characteristics they want to use to judge their missionary candidates by? Candidates should be men and women of humility and character. Whether they use a private prayer language has no bearing on that.

The second issue, that of baptism, flies in the face of the autonomy of the local church. Each missionary candidate has ALREADY been examined and approved by their home church. Their character, commitment, and spiritual maturity have been attested to by those who know them best. They are active, participating members in their Southern Baptist churches and if they are deemed fit and their baptism is deemed in order by their home church then that should be all that matters.

All of this is compounded for me on top of the decision by the trustees several years ago to begin requiring missionaries to swear allegiance to the Baptist Faith and Message of 2000. Baptists have always been a non-creedal people. It goes back to those two foundational principles I mentioned earlier. Now we're making IMB personnel, who again have been approved and attested to by their home churches, sign what amounts to a creed. Their beliefs must rigidly adhere to the majority opinion in order to qualify.

Based on these things I can only conclude that the power has gone to their heads. I like what someone posted earlier on another site regarding the pendulum swinging too far after the conservative resurgence. Our leaders have built themselves a fine box and now they are doing everything in their power to defend it. Any disagreement or divergence from the accepted way or the "normative practice" of conservative Baptists is a threat and could signal the destruction of our way of life.

The IMB was begun as a way for Baptists to pool their resources in order to more effectively share the love of Christ with the world. To that end I think it is a worthy cause. However, what it has become is an entity that supersedes it's authority and keeps godly people from being able to fulfill their calling. That's when it's gone too far. I wonder if it's not time for local churches to re-assert their autonomy and stop feeding the beast.

Beware of Poison


As I think I've mentioned here before I'm a sermon junky. I don't necessarily agree with everything that people say but I love to listen to them say it. As a result when I'm not listening to NPR or Sports Talk I'm usually listening to our local Christian talk station which will remain nameless (they're in the air for good). I just so happen to be listening today and had the distinct (dis)pleasure of hearing one of their (dis)service announcements. It was one of those thirty second blurbs where they boil down some immense truth in to some trite sound byte. Needless to say they didn't disappoint.

Fortunately I don't remember exactly who it was but this is how it went. They start off by appealing to the common sense of all parents. Surely you would never let you child knowingly have poison. Any good parent will protect their kids from this awful stuff that will kill them. But, as it turns out there is some poison out there that your kids are ingesting that you don't even know about. (I'm sure it's part of some evil, sinister left-wing plot). Anyway here are the poisons they claim your kids are ingesting:
  • Pluralism, which by their definition means "all roads lead to God." Apparently your kids are being taught by the bad men that others may find God without going the same way you did. Apparently you should teach your kids to be close-minded and arrogant in order to protect them from any unapproved sources of truth.
  • Diversity - Yeah apparently the fact that we're not all carbon copies of one another is a bad thing. Diversity is a dirty word. Defined by them it means that they are being taught to tolerate other people's different lifestyles, heavy on the homosexuality insinuation here. I guess that the appropriate response in light of this danger is to drill into your kid's head that if they don't look, think, or act like us it's because something is wrong with them. To ensure absolute protection from this evil you should probably arm your kids with stones to throw at those diverse, evil sinners (for further instructions see the Pentateuch).
  • Multiculturalism - I kid you not. Multiculturalism is a bad thing. And here's why. Apparently there is some movement out there trying to remove or discredit or diminish anything related to western culture and specifically to the Church in western culture. Yeah, I wish. Apparently even though we keep marching into countries, toppling governments, and setting up regimes in our Western-American image, we're losing the cultural battle. Suburban, white, middle-class culture is apparently on the decline. I'm sure it's because kids can't pray in school and abortion is legal. I guess the only possible defense is cultural imperialism.
It's a shame that this is what people do with the minds God gave them. Somebody actually took three complex, multi-layered issues and reduced them to this drivel. Not only did they oversimplify the incredibly complex, they mutilated the true definition of these three things in the process. Could we possibly sell people any more short? Is the average Christian talk radio listener so ignorant that they can't possibly handle a thorough and thoughtful examination of issues affecting our lives? Is the "battle" so fierce and so much in question that we have to keep raising up these straw men so that we can make ourselves look better? And don't we care about the people who get judged, alienated, and rejected in the process?

They say these things in the name of God, a God that by my observation values each one of these three characteristics.

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Right Where I Need to Be

I find myself in a really "interesting" place. It's certainly a unique position for me but not for many people in the world. I am currently without a job. Now, I have a "job" per se, but not really a full-time permanent job and while I have the potential to make money where I'm at, it certainly hasn't happened in the three months that I've been here. So, as you can imagine that creates a little bit of unrest in my heart. At the moment things are okay because we're able to pay our bills and eat, but that situation won't last forever and we've got to find a permanent solution.

For the past two years I have been asking God to open my eyes to the suffering of people, things that, as a white, middle-class American I know nothing about. In that time my heart has been broken by the genocide in Darfur, the AIDS pandemic in Africa, and the gross poverty that exists in our country and around the world. So many people suffer so needlessly. And while I can sympathize with them, I have never been able to empathize with them. Cerebrally I have accepted that many struggling people make less money than they need in order to live. I realize that they are confronted with choices about whether or not they will go to the doctor when they are sick, or whether they will turn the heat up or keep the lights on. I have recognized those things, but having never experienced them myself or the fear that they bring I can't say that I feel their pain.

And I just wonder if I'm where I'm at specifically because God wants me to feel their pain. I want to feel their pain. I want to be so broken by their circumstances that I look for ways in my own life to have less or sacrifice more so that I can help even just one person. I want their need to be a continual distraction to me enjoying my plenty. Now, my current situation isn't even remotely close to theirs. I have been abundantly blessed by God and even if I were to lose everything and my middle-class world came crashing down around me, I am surrounded by people who would ensure that I never missed a beat. And I have to wonder if that's a good thing.

It seems to be that one of the greatest causes for us missing God in America is that for the most part we don't need him. I've got a good job, a nice home, plenty of food. I've got insurance for when I get sick and retirement for when I can no longer work. I don't need God to come through for me because anything he can do for me I can do for myself. I want to be dependent on God. I want to need him every single day. I want to understand the pain of so many people who we judge and look down on because they need him to do the things they cannot do for themselves.


I think of Phil. 3:10 where Paul shares his desire not only to know Jesus in the power of his resurrection, but also in the sharing of his sufferings, and in conforming to his death. So, it's my prayer that rather than spend this season of my life anxious and agonizing over how to get out of it as quickly as possible I will, instead, seek to become more like Christ through it. Lord, let me share in your sufferings today.

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Take the Land

This morning my wife and I visited a church with some friends of ours. One of these friends had recently taken a church-planting course at one of our SBC seminaries. Following that class he met with some people from the BGCO (Baptist Mecca of Oklahoma) to find out about newer church plants in the OKC metro area. He was told of one in particular, the one we visited today. He was told that this place was "it" in regards to SBC church plants in OKC. Needless to say we went with relatively high expectations as we were interested to see what this "it" church plant would look like. I assumed that it would be a place striving to be relevant and reach lost people in their community. I expected something far different from what I had become accustomed to in 29 years of Baptist church membership. Unfortunately I was quite disappointed.

The pastor and associate pastor were both very nice people. They greeted us at the door and entered into conversation right away, answering my friend's church-plant questions with great enthusiasm. But while the pastor was very nice, his answers were quite disappointing. First, it seems that very little of their growth has come from lost people being reached. Instead the vast majority were life-long church people who had, as of late, been forced to drive an extra 15 minutes to find a suitable church because they had gone through some bad experience in their previous church. While I'm excited that these people have found a church in their community that they can be a part of, I was hoping that far more would have come from people experiencing new life in Christ.

Further, hearing the pastor talk I felt like we got the usual church as a "business model" that you typically get when asking about church growth. He talked about key influencers and those with money, etc. Church was spoken of in terms of a Sunday morning gathering. That was clearly the focus with little thought beyond that to real ministry in the community. The service itself was fine for the most part. They had a children's special which was cool, just because it involves children and I think that's great, especially on Sunday mornings which are usually reserved for the "slick" presentation which kids struggle to pull off. There's a realness about it. Anyway, they also had a 13 year old kid who led one worship song. He was great. He had this Taylor guitar that was as big as he was. Apart from that it was absolutely your typical Baptist service (meaning there were hymns, a choir, and an offertory special).

Anyway, all these events led to sadness for me. As someone who imagines a new kind of church being birthed it's sad to see that those on the frontier (as frontier as OKC can be in regards to church plants) are often just re-creating what I consider to be a broken-down, insufficient replica of what we already have way too much of.

My greatest pain though came from the fact that this particular church is on the cusp of a building campaign. They are three years old, run about 225, and are about to build their first building. Right now they meet at an old Food Lion that serves as several other things throughout the week. Now, I'm not necessarily against building campaigns but the way that people approach them often makes me vomit. This one was a typical Baptist building fund. The pastor preached a marathon run through Joshua, of course equating it with the building they were about to build. He alluded to similarities with the children of Israel as they stood on the edge of the Promised Land. They were going to receive the promise, conquering any who stood in their path, just as the Israelites had done. The even called it "Taking the Land!" THAT is the part that frustrates me. Comparing your million dollar building to their entering into the Promise Land? This particular group of people had waited more than 600 years to see that day come. They had endured 400 years in slavery and another 40 wandering in the wilderness. Up to that point none of them had every truly known what home was. How in the world does that compare to a 3 year old church who has a pretty nice place already? It doesn't at all! So why compare yourself to that?

I think its Bible abuse in the worst way. You've got to pump the people up so you might as well use the Bible. It comes from the notion that no truth can be found outside the Bible, a popular Baptist opinion. If it's true it's gotta be in Scripture. The answer for every situation in life is founded somewhere within it's pages. In light of that anything you do has to be justified through some random verse or some totally unrelatable Bible story. You bend and manipulate and warp Scripture to justify what you're doing and to get people "fired up."

Please just say, "We want to build a building." Say, "We spend hours each week setting up and tearing down and we want to take that time to spend out in the community serving others instead." Say that no self-respecting church would be caught dead in a Food Lion. Say whatever you want as long as it's true. Please please please don't abuse Scripture in this way just because it must be "justified."

Next week we'll be visiting another SBC church plant in the city. Apparently it's not nearly as "with it" as the one we were at today. That's a terrifying thought. I still dream of a new kind of church where we are truly the salt of the earth and the light of the world and I hope that is who we become. In total contrast to my experience today, check out this experience from a fellow blogger. Reading it was so encouraging.

Friday, November 11, 2005

Killing Time....

Well...it's 4:36 on Friday afternoon. I'm sitting at work waiting for a customer to come by. I know that no ones coming by. I should consider myself lucky to have seen one person today. But...ethics and integrity bind me here until the clock strikes 5:00...and so I wait. As I wait I think I'll treat you to some random thoughts.

The weekend's coming. Usually that's a good thing but I work both Saturday and Sunday so nothing really to look forward to. And then there's the dreaded church search that will commence on Sunday morning. Will we end up somewhere? And if so, where will that place be? Only time will tell.

I've always wanted cool hair. My hair sucks. No one has EVER in my life ever come up to me and said, "Wow, nice hair." Just once I would like to hear that. I would know it's a bold-faced lie, but I'd like it anyway.

Have you ever noticed how nice people are hard to trust? I mean, there's this underlying notion that everyone's in it for themselves and with not-nice people you get what you'd expect. They may put on a smile for you but in their eyes you can tell that they're sharpening the knives with which to stab you in the back. With nice people you're always waiting for the catch. You're waiting for them to pounce on you like a crouching lion and yet they never do. Could it be that there really are selfless, servant-hearted people out there?

So...I'm filling out job applications lately. My question is, on the section where I'm supposed to list my valuable qualities can I put cynicism? I mean seriously, it's a gift. You either have it or you don't, and I definitely have it. And let me just say that it does wonders for office dynamics. Cynicism is an underrated commodity in our crazy world.

Okay, well I've stalled enough for now. On a happier note, I'm off to Ken's Steakhouse in Amber where I'll be gorging myself and most likely committing the sin of gluttony. But at least I'll feel bad while I do it. And don't forget, it's Veteran's Day so if you see a veteran make sure you shake their hand. The price of freedom is much higher than many of us will ever realize. So despite your feelings on the current fiasco in Iraq make sure you give some props to the guys (and girls) on the wall.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Full Disclosure

I recently came across this particular blog entry by Michael Spencer. It is one of the most soul-bearing exercises that I have ever seen and I'm so thankful that he shared it despite it's personal nature. I actually found it at by going through this post by seratoninrain who got it from this post by Randy McRoberts. The original post might possibly end up being one of the most linked posts in history and here's why, so many people can connect with it. It's like it carries along a train of broken-down, disenchanted ministers, those battered and beaten by years of false expectations and bitter disappointments. I encourage you to read each post linked above for perspective and then read the following post...

It's time for a radical transformation in the way we view ministers. For anyone out there who's struggling and feels the need to throw on a happy face in the midst of so much discouragement I say - It's not supposed to be this way!!!! I'll be the first to tell you that following Jesus isn't meant to be easy, or a light-hearted endeavor, or a profitable venture by the standards of the world, but I will tell you that I believe it's supposed to be accompanied by an overarching assurance that you are exactly where you're supposed to be and that you're doing exactly what God desires you to be doing.

That assurance is rare these days. I don't believe it's because today's ministers are fake or phony, hiding a mountainous life of sin behind a plastic smile. Don't get me wrong, that is most definitely happening but it's not the source of the problem. It's more of an effect. It's the effect of ministers being held up to a standard that no one should be held up to. The source of the problem is that we have so warped the expectations and job description of a minister that they are forced to shoulder a burden they were never meant to carry. This is what we expect of our ministers:

-They must be perfect. Verbally we would never say this but we certainly expect it. In a world where just about anybody has a license to fail, implode, self-distruct, be all over the board, be manic, be wishy-washy, be non-committal, we expect our ministers to be perfect. We expect them to be a source of stability and sanity even though everyone else gets to check their brains at the door. So pastor, you better never have a bad day. You better never have a doubt. You better never have a discouraging moment. If they're going to expect this of us then they darn sure better foot the bill for plastic surgery so we can be sure and have that stupid smile plastered to our faces.

-They must have unlimited time for "ministry." Somewhere along the way there was this notion developed that pastors don't really have a "job" per se. Since all they have to do is pray and read the Bible they should have plenty of time for the other 6000 peripheral things that get dumped in their laps. For me, as a youth pastor, I needed to be at the extra-curricular event of every student at one point or another. I needed to attend 8 graduations, 3 on the same night. We need to have time to sit at the hospital, visit all the people who haven't made it to church in the past two weeks, write letters, set the course and vision of our ministry, plan events, and still have time to do all that "preacher stuff" like pray and study the Bible, or heaven forbid just sit and ponder the savior!! Let me just debunk that for the load of crap that it is. Can I just say that as a recent ministry drop-out I have more "free" time then I've ever had in my life. So much so that I've been working as much as 48 hours in a week, taking 15 hours of college classes, and still having more time to watch a random TV show or read a blog than I ever imagined while locked in the bondage of full time ministry.

-They must be CEO's in addition to being pastors. This one is fueled by pastors as much as it is by the flocks they tend. The idea of a minister as a humble servant has been replaced by the Fortune 500 pastor. We've got to have marketing skills, communicating skills, administrative skills, fund-raising skills, humor, good looks, and the like. Pastors have either ignorantly or unwittingly set themselves up as the be-all, end-all of the church. Someone once said to me that a successful minister is one who works themselves out of a job. Now, that might be overly simplistic and full of flaws but its still a beautiful picture of humbly raising up disciples. However, it certainly doesn't describe our cultural thinking. Our pastor is our indispensable guru. He is the single-most important person in our church, the point-man for every action, every good idea, every task in need of a leader. Our priorities are out of whack as well as our measuring stick.

I can't tell you how many times I've sat in my own home church and heard them talk about things are going good and we are very healthy. What is the determining factor in that health? It's not the number of people coming to Christ because there have never been less. It's not the addition of people getting involved in ministry because that's a continual battle. It's not the people who are willingly forsaking things to follow Christ more fully, we've just come to expect they'll love their big homes and comfortable lifestyle more. We know things are good based on the bottom line - giving is up! We're healthy because there's plenty of money. Now how silly is that as a determination for health. From what I understand the pornography industry grows substantially every year on the bottom line - does that mean they're healthy? If we were honest how many people give what they give so that they can feel good about the materialistic choices that they make or because they get to put a gold star in the righteousness box? We talk about how our giving is a sign of God's blessing and anointing. Giving is up in the LDS church, are we going to say the same thing about them? Certainly not as Southern Baptists we wouldn't. And what's even more funny is that we never take the reciprocal of that notion. If giving is down we don't say it's God's cursing or a lack of God's anointing. We say its "spiritual warfare" or "a test of our faith." Our mentality is so messed up. It's funny, we're commanded to be in the world but not of it. I think that the church of today is of the world but not in it.

I could go on but I'll save it for a later time. My point is that ministers are hurting because they're not really fulfilling the roles that they've been called to. We've created this image in our minds of what a minister looks like and we measure ourselves and other pastors by it. I've been reading the Sermon on the Mount lately, really trying to see those things that Jesus would seek of his disciples. I've also been pondering the "fruits of the spirit" as well. How many ministers are chosen or dubbed successful because they meet the standards of those two lists? Not many. We measure them up based on the standards of successful business leaders or military figures or politicians.

How many times did I prove myself a hypocrite by standing on stage and compelling teenagers to do things that I wasn't doing in my own life? How many times did I put on a mask that said "Real Christianity looks like this?" How many times did I put on a fake smile and act like everything was okay when I was crumbling on the inside? I couldn't even begin to tell you because it's far more than I could count. I did it with students, I did it with parents, I did it with other staff members, I did it with friends. And why did I do it? Because, spoken or unspoken, it is what was expected of me. I think that in truth, ministers ought to be more open and honest than anyone else. Their wrestling with Christ ought to be a display that is seen by others as an testimony and an example. Now how foreign is that idea?

Our churches are hurting in part because our ministers are hurting. No word more aptly describes the church of our day than dysfunctional. I think maybe the best thing we could do for ourselves is to stop the preaching, stop the teaching, halt the pot-luck dinners and the Halloween carnivals, and just go get ourselves some counseling. If a family exhibited the signs of dysfunction that our churches do that is the first advice I would give. Why should this situation be any different?

Monday, November 07, 2005

Getting Back on the Horse

I guess some wise person said somewhere back in the annals of time that the best thing you can you can do if you fall off a horse is to get right back on. It sounds like good advice - face your fears, refuse to be defeated, and all that stuff, but really I think the guy who said it was a moron, or more likely a Baptist preacher.

Anyway, here's what's going on in my life. Up until very recently I was a youth pastor at a local SBC church. Things were going well, life was good, but then I began to really try to critically evaluate the way I've always accepted that ministry is done and what we pass off to people as the gospel. The more I studied the more sure I became that most church-work is nothing more than an exercise in vanity and a drawn-out, glorified self-help seminar. I became particularly convicted by statistics that showed that students were graduating from high school and leaving the Church (universal) in staggering numbers, more than half and quickly approaching three-fourths. These students are leaving and they're not coming back. As I saw it, it didn't matter how great of a time kids had during their six years in our ministry or how great it was; if it wasn't impacting their lives for the long-haul then it didn't matter. We weren't really accomplishing our stated purpose. In light of that I set out to change the way we do youth ministry at my church. I'll be the first to tell you that I had no idea if those things would work but I thought that anything was worth a shot if it meant we could have a lasting impact on our students. Surely what we were doing and had been doing wasn't working. Well we changed some things, tried to become more others-focused instead of self-focused. We tried to move the focus from flashy services to small groups where real discipleship, prayer, and accountability could take place. It was all met with mixed reviews.

Anyway, while all this was going on I felt more and more isolated and alienated from the rest of the staff. Their vision for ministry was far different from the one that was shaping up inside of me. I don't think I'm right and they're wrong or vice-versa...it just seemed like we were going two different directions. In August it all came to an end. I lost/gave up my job and decided to end my membership there. It was my first turn at full-time ministry and the effects were devastating to say the least.

All of that to say my wife and I are currently "church-shopping." We've been visiting our local mega-church-mall - Lifechurch. Its fine there, the worship is nice and the teaching is sound, even if a little shallow. But we know we need something more than the 1 hour a week that's available there. We know we need people around to encourage us and hold us accountable. We know we need some sort of small group, the very thing that was always missing for us while we were too busy "ministering." But we're just having a hard time getting back on the horse. It's hard to get excited about finding a church and investing your energy and emotions there. Especially when you come from a place that you believed in so much and it crashed so hard.

So...anyone who takes the time to read this, if you wouldn't mind just dropping a prayer for us, that we would get connected and really begin to recover, I would really appreciate it.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

We're living in a paradoxical world and I'm a paradoxical girl

I think coming up with the titles for these blogs is the funnest part. You just never know what you're going to come up with. I'm in a reflective mood today and I'm taking stock of my life as it currently exists and I have to say that I feel like I am completely defined by paradox. My actions defy my beliefs, my actions contradict other actions, my words contradict my actions and so on and so forth. I guess you could possibly use the term "hypocritical" to describe my life. Let me give you just a few examples:

  • I'm completely turned off by the materialism of modern American Christians. It disgusts me that life revolves around the Benjamins. I think we're called to shun that attitude and I even contend that we should strive to live simple lifestyles, seeking to give as much of what we get as we can. That's certainly a noble idea. Contrast that however with my actions. I'm currently in search of a job. In my search for said job one criteria that I am using to determine my interest is the amount of money I will make. In fact in some regards thats a make or break criteria. The jobs that are most appealing are the ones that pay the best. Now how does that work with my grand ideals?
  • I am disgusted with the state of so many churches. Nothing is asked of people, no level of commitment or sacrifice is expected. We don't ask people to change, we don't compel them to become more like Christ. Church in our culture is the most worry-free, no strings attached institution in our country, or so it seems. How does that affect me? I'm currently without a "church home." So where am I visiting? Only the most user-friendly, easy-going, ask little of you church in this quadrant of the galaxy (okay it's not THAT severe, but it's definitely not a place where I find myself counting the cost).
  • I lay awake at night pondering what can change the church. I spend countless hours pondering the prayers, attitudes, and actions that will lead to a church more in the image of Christ. I think of the sermons to be preached, the action to be taken, the personal revival neceessary in the hearts of God's people. And yet I'm probably at one of the more apethic, complacent places I've ever been in my own walk with Christ.

I could go on, but I think you get the point. My life doesn't make a whole lot of sense right now. I want to be continually becoming more like Christ, and maybe I am in the grand scheme of things, but it doesn't really feel like it in the here and now. Anyway, welcome to my paradox.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

It's Beginning to Look A lot Like...

Well, hard as it is to believe, Christmas is just around the corner. I've got to confess that I'm an avid lover of Christmas music and I chomp at the bit all year long waiting until the appropriate time to be able to listen to it until I'm so sick of it that I can't stand to hear any more. For some people it's sacreligious to even consider playing it until the day after Thanksgiving. I call them the "Holiday Equality Patrol." They want to make sure that Thanksgiving gets it's due. That's all well and good but since there's no quality Turkey music I have determined that it's okay to start playing Christmas music the day after Halloween/Reformation Day. That, my friends, means that today is my lucky day. I've already begun filling my head with great Christmas music, from the old favorites to the newer tunes. It's a great time of year!

Ironically, I don't really enjoy the season. I went so far last year as to say that I "hate" the season. I'm thoroughly disgusted by what it has become in our culture. It's all about what I get and what I want. We hardly have any time for the Savior who we celebrate or seeking what it is that he wants. My wife came up with a great idea last year that really helped to change my perspective. I was a youth pastor and each year our youth group holds a Christmas Banquet. It's an excuse for our kids to dress up and come together for some fun. In general I'm not opposed to that. In fact, I think it's a pretty cool deal, however each year it seems the bar is raised on how you have to dress or the date you have to bring or the money you have to spend. It got so bad that we started calling it the "Church Prom." Anyway, like I said, my wife had the idea that we should play it down somewhat and instead of it just being a night about us we should use it as an opportunity to raise money for the One Life Revolution that exists to help AIDS orphans in Africa. I challenged our kids to take the money they would normally spend on dressing up and give it to this cause. I even challenged them to give up one or more of their gifts that they would normally get and have their parents give that money to the Revolution. I don't know how much we raised but it was somewhere around $1000, which was just incredible.

Somehow we want to translate that concept into a new pattern in our own lives. Rather than coming together and giving each other material possessions as gifts we want to just appreciate the gifts of family and friends that God has already given us. We are already so blessed. The last thing that most of us need is more stuff. What we need to do is be thankful for the stuff we've got and give out of the abundance of our blessings to those who have next to nothing. That's the Christmas spirit and it's my hope and prayer that the people of Christ will eventually live that out. I heard a Christian talk show host yesterday complaining about how non-Christians have distorted Christmas and it's true meaning. I think that is untrue and completely irrelevent. As I contend time and time again..."lost" people are going to live and act like "lost" people. Why do we expect them to do anything different? I think that it is Christians who have distorted Christmas and it's true meaning. We're the ones who are supposed to understand it's sacredness and it's holiness and we totally blow past all that for the pageants, presents, and gluttony. I'd like to say that it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but I'm not really sure that I've ever truly seen what Christmas looks like.