A Finger Pointing Society

I don't know if it is the political discourse our country is pissed at, or the fact i was yelling at terrible referees at the Highlands Ranch soccer game, or the Anti-abortion bumper sticker next to the Beer is Freedom bumper sticker i saw this morning that set me off but i have come to a concrete conclusion. As a people we are doing far to much finger pointing and not enough self evaluating.

We do it every day if we mean to or not. When you are driving down the road mumbling, "this moron is going to slow!" or "look how fast that MANIAC is driving!". If you are arguing who's fault the shutdown is, or who is to blame for the education system in this country for being a steaming pile of crap. Someone else is to blame because obviously you have all the answers. FUN FACT - YOU DO NOT! Ever person does have the right answers for themselves. unfortunately we live in a world of diversity and individuality. No person will learn, speak, sing, dance, play, write, cry, or fart like anyone else on this planet. Christ knew this and made sure everyone he talked to knew about it. "When you pray  do it in a dark room so it is between you and your father in heaven" He knew life is about personal relationships not outspoken acts of self righteousness. Lives are changed in the quiet moments when relationship is valued over righteousness.

I guess what really got my goat this morning was the Anti-Abortion bumper sticker. It stated - If your fetus isn't a baby then you ain't a mother. i laughed first at the Ain't because using that kind of verbiage on such a sensitive issue made the driver not only seem like a moron but also someone who deserves no voice in such an intimate and personal issue, and the fact there was a BEER IS FREEDOM bumper sticker makes me think, "before you talk about someone else "murdering a baby" maybe you should work on your alcoholism and domestic violence issues." But what do i know, i am not in their life, or do i know the circumstance of the placement of that bumper sticker. Just like owner of the sticker has NO IDEA what a woman having to make such a difficult decision has to go through.

So here i am standing on the wrong side of the cross asking Christ what are we to do about things we truly and deeply believe in! The answer is simple, LIVE THEM OUT. Christ calls us to lives of actions not lives fighting against others, instead an internal struggle of self improvement. Not an external struggle of "BE LIKE ME OR GO TO HELL" because if i had to be like you i would hate myself, mainly because i hate assholes. We are to reflect and judge our own actions, because those are the only actions we can change. Looking down at others and judging them creates division when we should have celebrations. If you think you are ok judging because you got it right, remember what Christ said in Matthew. "Judge not lest ye' be... justified by something said earlier in this book, I'm not sure, i didn't read the whole thing its really long, but is probably in there somewhere, look in Leviticus."

Here is what the solution to our finger pointing society boils down to -
1) Stop thinking your way is always right, because you will always be wrong about that.
2) When you love one another as Christ loves us, we don't always have to like each other and that's OK .
3) If you believe in Anti or Pro something then live it out in your own life, and support those making difficult decisions without passing judgment. Because in those moments you can be Christ for someone else. Yelling at someone because you think YOU ARE God's voice is a disgrace.

The Well Dressed Misunderstanding

Driving to work this morning I was listening to k-love and a listener wrote  a question that really awoke something from my past. The person who wrote to the radio station was new to the faith. A person who was just begging their walk with Christ and had a little bit of a problem with something they were told at their new church. So their question was, “Why do people think that I have to dress really nice for church? I mean I though God wanted a relationship with the inward me and not the person I look like on the outside?” That hit me pretty hard and brought up an experience had in Pennsylvania.

When I was younger I was also confused about why people wore such nice cloths to church, or why we had church clothes all together. I finally got an answer from one of the older congregational members. He simply responded, “We are always supposed to bring our best before god. Do you think a t-shirt and shorts is really your best?” He was right, we are supposed to bring our best before God, and even though his comment about "is a t-shirt and shorts really your best'' was supposed to be condescending, that is, and most likely will be my best for a very long time.

Not saying that those are my best cloths, but they are what I can do my best in. I will even take it a step further. If God wants my very best to show up on Sundays I will arrive as I have for years.

1)Chaco Sandals

2)Funny T-shirt

3)Athletic shorts.

4)Baseball Hat

Now for the Suit and Tie crew this might seem completely unreasonable but allow me to explain. The Chaco Sandals are because I will be able to travel anywhere I need. I will be as comfortable on trail talking to a youth as I am enjoying a coffee with a concerned parent. The Funny T-shirt makes me approachable and allows me to speak freely about any topic I wish including, but not limited to my faith journey and my relationship with Christ. The athletic shorts will allow me to PLAY and PLAY HARD! For when we can drop the façade of being adults all the time and play something amazing happens. We become most like the people God wants us to be, Joy filled vessels of love. Finally a Baseball Hat because half way through the year my hair gets pretty long.

When someone asks me am I bringing my Best before God. I can smile and say yes without a single moment of hesitation.  Bringing your best before God will never have anything to do with what you wear. As batman says, it’s not who I am, but what I do that defines me.

Now I do believe we a have a responsibility when it comes to our clothing in church. For example we should always keep what we wear in the construct of living a Christly life. For example Modesty/Humility should be considered when dressing. We aren't at church to show off the Guns (boys) and we aren't at church to pick up a boy with a high/low cut shirt (Ladies).  We shouldn't dress with flash and expensive jewelry that shows wealth and success. We shouldn't wear something dirty and three days old. There is a proper amount of respect to be given to God’s houses.

Yet I stand here on the wrong side of the cross looking up at a man who wore sack cloth and sandals. I look at the ideas he stood for and the life we hear preached. I believe it can all come down to this. When we start focusing on Rules over Relationships we have missed the point. If our lives are truly focused on relationships the rules fall into place. When focusing on loving our neighbor as our selves the rules are fulfilled. But when you use the rules to lord over someone else’s head you have sacrificed relationship. So I pray for those of you who are reading this that you wear bright Hawaiian shirts, Shorts, Jeans, polo’s, suit and tie, or whatever you feel helps you bring the Best of what you have to God. Never forget that we are nothing more than Shadows and Dust. Vessels of the pure love of God, and that we can do no great things without the help and love of God. Dress for your journey and not the journey of someone else knowing God loves the heart that beats inside the shirt and not the s

My Maundy Thursday Moment

So I was headed to Maundy Thursday service excited to watch a couple of my youth read the gospel to our congregation. Jokingly I walked into the narthex talking to the kids about how they should read their roles. They young man reading the part of Jesus thought I would be a good idea to do it with a Middle Eastern accent, the only flaw in that plan was that he sounded like he was from India and was more Apu than A Jew.

Yet I digress, the reason my heart called me to write was during service we had a moment were our community washed each other’s feet. A remembrance of the moment Christ knelt before his disciples and in the second greatest act of humility was a servant. Showing the world that, though he was the king of kings and lord of lords, he must serve before all the world. My heart yearns to do exactly as Christ asks me, but I don’t always remember that.

So as I was preparing to serve someone by washing their feet a little hand grabbed mine.  A blond haired pastors daughter looked up at me and smiled. I gestured towards the chair and said, “Would you like to have a seat?” She shrugged her shoulders and hopped into the chair with a thud. As I knelt on one knee and slowly poured the warm water over her tiny feet I felt my heart jump. I living the life God called me to through the gifts he gave me. This moment was perfect. I am called to serve the youth of my congregation and the world. In this moment I felt complete, I felt whole. When God has strengthened you with gifts, no one can feel complete or whole  until you actively use those gifts to better the world.

That wasn't even the best part. After taking the beige towel and drying her little feet something unexpected happened. She jumped up out of the chair with a big toothy smile and said, “your turn”.  I have to admit I was caught off guard. I wasn't expecting these little tiny hands that gripped mine only moments ago to attempt to lift my giant, pro basketball-esk, feet and pour water over them. Yet that is exactly what happened. I sat in the chair watching these tiny hands lift me up and wash the feet of the one who thought he was called to serve. It is a very powerful moment when a servant is treated like a king by those whom they love and adore. The moment hit me in the chest like a cinder-block.

So here I stand, simply at the foot of the cross. Remembering the King, who washed the feet of those whom he loved. I can only imagine what must have been going through the hearts of those who were being served in such a humble way, by the lord our God. There are very few things in this world that can change a heart. A sunrise upon a mountain top, finding forgiveness for a grieves offence, but of all the moments of this world. Finding one who is King, whom is worshiped, looked up to, idolized, powerful, and willing to kneel before others, is the most powerful person on the planet. Christ is the standard to which we attempt to live a full life. If this is truly a calling then we are all called to serve, to give of ourselves to the world that may not thank us, may not accept us, or even respect us. In turn we also have to allow ourselves the humility to let others serve us. When our feet are dirty, when our heart is breaking, when our will power is not enough, allow the lord and his servants help. Allow yourself to need someone else. It is not weakness to be served, it is weakness to deny that you need help. So when I saw those little hands lift my feet I was reminded that no hand is too small to serve and no person is too big to be humbled. 

The Facebook Privacy Delusion

So I have noticed a trend on facebook lately that has mostly gone unnoticed by myself until a conversation with a concerned mother. The fear I see running around facebook and through the heads of many parents is, “My privacy is ultimately important and I don’t want anyone seeing my facebook pictures, updates, ect. That I don’t know, and somehow using those against me at work, church, ect.” I have seen updates saying please switch your privacy settings, and please don’t like or comment on my statuses because I don’t want other peoples friends to see them. Well after the onslaught of these things I have come to a very important conclusion.

PEOPLE YOU DON'T KNOW DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU!  (Pardon my French)

Listen, If you find yourself worrying that one of your friends, friends, friends might see a picture of yours or an update you put on facebook and that might embarrass you, then you need to re-evaluate your ENTIRE LIFE. If you are putting something onto facebook that you would be ashamed if someone you didn’t know would read or see, then it is something you should be ashamed you did or said in the first place. Also, if you have an EGO that is so large that you believe complete strangers or “friends of friends” really care about you, your picture, your life moments, you are WRONG. I have seen in my feed people I don’t know because my friends are tagged in their pictures. Like most of you I see my friend, say “that’s nice” and move on without a second look at anyone else in the picture. I am sorry to burst your bubble but unless it is your friend, no one cares about what you look like or have to say. You need a big cup of Humility and a second helping of humble pie.

MORE IMPORTANTLY…

I am an Evangelical Christian. I believe my life should be a testament to my faith and my God. There for I would want the whole world to see my updates and my photos. I don’t care who likes, comments, shares, or tolls my postings. The more recognition the better. If I spur conversation about the validity of creationism v. evolution v. inelegant design I am doing something right. If I am presenting the message of Christ which is love your God and love your neighbor, I am doing something right. It was St. Francis of Assisi who said preach the gospel at all times and use words only when necessary. Since facebook is mostly words I think we could amend it to say Facebook the Gospel at all times and use verses when necessary.

That is what we are called to. Using any means to preach the gospel. Facebook is an amazing way to show how the gospel is alive and life changing. So for me the idea that “anyone can get to my updates or pictures” isn’t really inciting fear but opportunity. It is a way to show how my personal relationship with Jesus Christ has changed who I am in a very real way. I have heard “what if you’re a role model for young kids and there are pictures of you smoking and drinking”… Well I am a role model for kids, and If you look back in my facebook, which you are free to do, you will see in the past I have picture of my socially drinking with large groups of people, the hip would call it a party. How can I justify trying to be a “role model” and be ok with pictures of DRINKING! Because I am not a hypocritical tool box who thinks the only way to help kids is to show a holier than thou life style. I will give you a minute get some water for that burn, it’s cool I’ll wait!

In those pictures I was 21, in a social setting, and drinking responsibly. Three things I would hope to instill in my kids. Knowing there is a time to party and celebrate, but God calls us to lives of moderation. Moderation in drinking, moderation in language, moderation in everything except love. So instead of asking who can see your facebook, maybe you should be saying what am I saying with facebook. Once our hearts are turned to what we are saying, that questions changes. It changes to I wonder who else can see my facebook? Or Who else can gain from my facebook?

So here I stand, on the wrong side of the cross wondering if I am shouting God’s word loud enough. Am I a big enough mirror shining light into the darkness? Am I a bright enough candle flickering against the imposing and overwhelming shadow? If I can take anything away from peoples fear about who can see their facebook information it I would be this. First, Less people want to know about you than you think. Second, Maybe you should refocus what you are putting into the world as life giving so that people should care about what you say and do. Finally, If we are truly living the life God calls us to then we should not be afraid of someone finding out who we used to be, because the person we are now is a reflection of Christ in the world, and that should not be hidden like candle under a basket but put on a stool to give light to the whole room. Mathew 5: 14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.