some of it is AWESOME! Like the instrumental stuff. Most of it is trash. Stop it. Please.

I’m not a scrooge, but honestly, when else would you listen to this crap and like it? Never. I know some of you will say “all year if they let me!” No, you wouldn’t. Case in point: How many non-Christmas CHIPMUNK ALBUMS do you have? … ZERO! (and if you didn’t know they had other albums other than Christmas, than you just proved my point, thanks)… but during Christmas it’s suddenly good? no it’s not.

Stop it… please.

I wish I could remember which retail store has been pushing this line through my radio non stop in the last few weeks. I’m sure I’ll hear it several more times before the holiday season is over. The blatant selfishness doesn’t surprise us at all, but have you noticed the subtle narcissistic adverts invading your tube and airwaves? The most cunning has to be Best Buy. They start you off with a real life employee telling stories of seeming selflessness… “This is their one shot” to make an impact on the spouse who is in on leave from Iraq, so it’s got to be perfect! Or the wife giving a husband a new phone in a creative way. The older parent who wants to see his grand kids open their gifts, but they’re missionaries in Africa… But their new holiday slogan really says it all, doesn’t it?

“You, Happier”

Yes indeed… ME happier. After all, _______ (retail store of choice) brings happiness.

But we expect this from advertising, don’t we? I know they’re just trying to make a buck in this down trodden economy, and I guess you can’t fault them for that. But I wonder what the Church and Christianity is supposed to look like in comparison? Do we look that much different? Do I?

The early church was communal for several reasons, not the least of which was need… not need as we see it, but survival mode “if we don’t live this way, many of us will die” type of need. I know we don’t need a communal type life, and I’m not looking for one. But the juxtaposition of our society and theirs brings up an interesting aspect that makes it difficult for us to live truly as the hands and feet in the way that I believe we’re called to.

Individualism - This is our creed. This is the American way. This is our battle cry.

In our marriages, our jobs, our relationships, our giving, our receiving, our celebrations, our conversations, and unfortunately our faith. This is what defines us… “Me… happier.”

Those within our faith who have or are reversing the trend are still far outnumbered by those who embrace this American way of life. And then there are those in between, sacrificially giving or serving from time to time and trying to make a difference, but subconsciously sucked in by subtle materialism and individualism.

This is one of those “speck / log” relationships. “Mine is a speck, yours is a log” … We want to do more, but I believe most of us (that is inclusive of me) fail to realize just how steeped in individualism we are. I know that I could use some help.

How can we do more than just our quota? How do we move beyond “yes, we did something to help someone this year… now, let’s finish this wish list”? How can we turn gorging ourselves during our Thanksgiving feasts into satiating the bellies and (more importantly) the hearts of the less fortunate?

Will you do something with me? Thanksgiving is next Thursday, it’s not too late is it? I challenge you, especially if you have a blog, share your ideas over the next few weeks / months, lets look at solutions together and enable each other to move beyond ourselves in spite of the individualism which has inundated our lifestyles.

Thank goodness I base very little of my existence on who is leading this country. Barack, Biden, McCain, Palin, and the Balance of Power (which if you didn’t notice is now completely Democrat, which I’m not sure that’s a good thing either) does not affect the outpouring of who I am and what I do with what I’ve been given.

I strongly believe, as some of you can attest, man does not grant authority nor determine who is a leader. God grants us our leadership and qualifies us for His work regardless of our social status, economic standing, education level, degrees obtained, or your “I Voted” sticker. Usually I spout this off when church “leaders” try to exert misplaced power over people in ministry, but it applies to country as well.

A few weeks ago, Margaret Feinberg asked “Are you a November 4th or November 5th Christian?”

Are you more concerned with who wins on November 4 or how you can be a part of rebuilding and healing our nation on November 5 and the years to come? I’m all for voting, please don’t get me wrong, but it’s going to take all of us–together–to turn our nation around.

It’s simple to say, important to hold to, and difficult to live out. Don’t get me wrong, I think we should be responsible with our freedoms, including the freedom to (not) vote, but after months of one of the nastiest political scenes I can remember (I don’t remember too many of them (’88-present), i’m young okay), here we are… whichever side of the fence we land on, we must move forward and live our lives to the fullest of our ability for Christ.

If we as the Church become the hands and feet we are called to be, we wouldn’t have to concern ourselves so much with programs, “socialism,” and big governments. I’m the guiltiest of them all; I see things that I am moved to take action for and yet the action follows slowly or not at all. It’s time for me to stop talking and blogging about submitting to His service and actually doing so - beyond serving in church on the worship team (where everyone gets to see me), beyond dropping the check in the offering bucket, and beyond the encouraging words that I try to offer to friends and coworkers. Not in place of these things, they have merit and should by no means be abolished, but certainly in addition to.

So, lets move on together; become men, women, and children of action, not out of obligation, but from the outpouring of the Love that has been gifted to us.

Don’t let me make excuses.

So in March, I will be outnumbered 4 to 1.

We can’t agree on names at all.

In case we’re staying in this time around, this past weekend we carved our pumpkins and i just finished making two delicious batches of roasted pumpkin seeds. The girls like them crisp and brown through and through; i’d prefer a bit soft in the center and still mostly white; we all want ‘em salty! But of course, the most fun is in the carving itsn’t it? Oddly enough, the youngest wanted a scarey face and shapes, and the 8 year old went with a goofy face and crosses. Forgive the blurriness, but you should get the idea.

Those who I share my most intimate struggles with know that I don’t believe in myself… and i’ve said it a few times on this site before… so really, any of you who stop by regularly should know it… but there are a few who get to dig deep into the reasons behind the doubt. In spite of my doubt, God continues to prod me and push me forward, but I still lack a knack for action. In A Pit (Mark Batterson) has been on my radar for nearly two year as a tool to possibly help me defeat my doubt and inaction; after all, it’s supposed to be an inspirational-motivational-get up and go take on the world type of book…

Did it work?

Well, each chapter certainly had something to offer from either a spiritual or motivational perspective. Several passages are underlined or starred and there are at least two major concepts that I am already trying to put into practice that up until now I had either ignored or forgotten. However, I wouldn’t say the book was life-altering for where I am now, rather it reinforced and encouraged me to continue my current pattern of growth.

yet… …

if you remove the cliches, repetitive nature, fluff, and (at times) misrepresentations, the book would whittle down from 170 pages to about 25. Don’t get me wrong… those 25 pages would be motivational and go-get-em! But i would be remiss if I wasn’t honest about the full content (literary and spiritual) of the book that took all of two sittings to finish… I am grateful for the areas where I was challenged through In a Pit, I enjoy reading Batterson’s blog and hearing the amazing testemants of faith that occur in the life of his church members, but his book lacks supporting substance.

I understand why it’s written the way it is. I respect that the book has inspired many. I admit that there are concepts in the text that I hope to put into practice. From a strictly literary standpoint, all you need to know is I plan on sharing this with my 8 year old and I fully expect her to understand the majority of the reading.

If you want a quick read that will give you some nuggets to spur you forward… (or if you really want to brush up and expand your cliche library)… it’s worth the read.

Probably the best feature of the book is the quotes from other Christian leaders at the end of each section along with the extended “reaction” section at the end of the book. Most of these guys and gals I’ve heard of, but their perspectives gave varying insights other than Kinnaman’s and also enabled me to get to know a bit more about other perspective authors I might want to read. Two particular individuals -one of which I’ve heard of for years but never bothered to read, the other I had never heard of- continuously challenged my soul to move beyond hearing and into the doing aspect of my faith: Chuck Colson and Margaret Feinberg. The names and insights do not start and end with just these two, and I appreciated David’s willingness to let others from a wide array of backgrounds speak on the issues.

Bottom Line: I think it’s a healthy read for all Christians. For some it will not have a major impact because you’re already living in such a manner reflective of Christ, for others it will serve as a good reminder and self-check of your walk, and for many it will challenge you to change (for the good) deep within your faith. But, you may want to have another book to read along side of it for entertainment purposes.

So now I’m a bit behind on “In A Pit,” but I will get started momentarily during lunch. It’s only about 165 pages, so knocking it out in a week won’t be a problem at all, even with my Lit Survey due in less than a week.

p.s. - I’ve added Just Generosity to my list, and The Shack. The first was like 4$ at Mardel’s massive book sale this past weekend, and my bro-in-law is gonna let me borrow the Shack. By all accounts, the Shack will change my life forever, so I can’t wait!

We Make A Great Team

“Did you turn it up?”
I lie and say “I did not”
we make a great team

“This song should not rock”
“Well, I rock it anyway”
we make a great team

“Your guitar seems loud”
“I haven’t even played yet”
I just lied again

“Sometimes less is more”
Sometimes I flip you the bird
When you turn your back.

“Did you flip me off?”
“no”… why do i lie so much?
We make a great team.

Did Obama have a blue pen bust in his mouth or something?

That’s all

unChristian (David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons) is NOT one of those books.

Your imagination will not be captured, your spirit will not soar, and your soul’s craving will remain unsatiated. What you will find is a challenging, thoughtful, practical look at what a growing number of outsiders (The author’s term for those outside of the Christian faith) aged 18-30 perceive about our faith, and more importantly, an analysis of our execution of the faith we so strongly profess.

… in 2007, we found that most of the lifestyle activities of born-again Christians were statistically equivalent to those of non-born agains… Over the last thirty days, born again believers were just as likely to [gamble, lie, steal, fight, become drunk, badmouthed others, sought revenge, et. al]… Here is what all of this boils down to: amoung young outsiders, 84 percent say they personally know of at least one commited Christian. Yet just 15 percent thought the lifestyles of those Christ followers were significantly different from the norm. - p47-48

The book is choke full of similar statistics, highlighted by personal stories and quotes from those surveyed, presented in such a manner that does not bog down nor overwhelm the brain. While the results provide necessary context to the discussion, the real strength of the text is in David’s ability to show fairness concerning where and how we’ve failed coupled with a straightforward approach towards change, specifically as it relates to six areas.

Concerning Hypocrisy:

But it is easy to miss the fact that so much of our lives is made up of the simple conversations and interactions we have with people - what is said in the hallway after church, the tone of voice someone uses, the parties you are invited to (or not), the genuineness of people’s concern, how people respond to you and your child. - p59

Halfway through the work and this is the sentence that stands out the most. When I originally read it, three things immediately came to mind: how we talk about homosexuals, how we talk about abortion, and in these southern parts at least, how we talk about hispanic immigrants. The conversations we have are often heard by ears who have deep feelings towards one of these subjects which might not align with our offensive spewing of words. We are often so passionate about abortion and homosexuality that we fail to grasp or refuse to recognize that they are real issues that people struggle with, even within our church walls. To the girl who has struggled in silent depression in the five years since her emotionally gut-wrenching decision to abort, words “abortions is murder! how can anyone stoop to that level?!” are not words of love and healing.

Concerning the “Get Saved!” mentality:

Out of ninety-five million Americans who are ages eighteen to forty-one, about sixty million say they have already made a commitment to Jesus that is still important; however only about three million of them have a biblical worldview… We have probably contributed to that by giving people a superficial understanding of the gospel and focusing only on their decision to convert… Our enthusiasm for evangelism is not matched by our passion for and patience with discipleship and faith formation. - p75-77

Concerning the anti-Homosexual mentality:

We must acknowledge that everyone has sexual baggage but also has the potential for sexual wholeness… gays and lesbians should not be surprised to find us working side by side with them to address HIV/AIDS and to end workplace discrimination in nonreligious settings. You change a country not merely by bolstering its laws but by transforming the hearts of its people. -p104, 106

I will visit the final three discussions and leave any parting thoughts upon completion of the book…

What do you think? Is the perception problem real or just blown out of proportion by the liberal media? How concerned should we be with our image as Christ followers?

Let’s discuss.