Chapter 4--Shifts

I'm really excited by the conversation that we had in class today--not to mention the fact that we actually got through an entire chapter for a change!
I've really been thinking a lot this week about Donald's friend Penny and how she is probably about as liberal as a person can get and yet she still knows and loves God. I love that she was shocked that Nadine, a Christian, "cared so much about her past and her story." I'm sure there are an awful lot of Non-Christians out there who have felt the same way--that we Christians could give a crap less about who they are or where they come from. I have to admit, I can see why. Honestly, I am frequently guilty of staring right through or around some people. Even though there's not much more that ticks me off than feeling like the person to whom I am speaking is totally zoned out and not paying attention to a word I'm saying, I know I have done it to other people. But, I love that Nadine stopped and listened to Penny and, above all else, cared about Penny and what she'd been through, how she felt, where she was coming from. If she hadn't first treated her with that kind of dignity, Penny would likely have never broken down some of the presumtions she had about Christians. And, if she hadn't done that, she likely never would have come to know Christ. It gives me great hope that Nadine was patient with Penny, that she loved her exactly where she was and she didn't have to shove Jesus down her throat to show Him to her. I'm not equipped to be a door-to-door salesman for Jesus, and I know that I don't have to be. I can show people Jesus without "selling" him. It seems so much more real, so much more authentic that way--and about ten thousand times more effective.
And, I love that when Penny read the gospel of Matthew at face value, without reading anything into it or getting anyone else's interpretation of it, she saw Jesus for what he really was--a humanitarian that loved EVERYONE! And, for the first time in her life she thought he might actually like her. So, here's my challenge to you this week. I would like to challenge you to sit down sometime this week (it will probably take about an hour) and read one of the gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John--all the way through. Don't try to read anything into it. Just take it at face value, read it for what's there. I think you'll be very surprised by the Jesus that you find when you leave your experiences behind you. Let me know how it impacts you. I'll do the same.

Chapter 3b

Ok, so prior to reading this chapter I probably would have vehemently argued with anyone who told me I had made assumptions about Jesus. I'm pretty sure I would have said that everything I had ever been taught about Jesus was "the gospel truth" even if I had never taken the time to examine it for myself. But, the more I reflect on a lot of this stuff, the more I realize I may have been wrong.
I'm pretty sure Jesus would not isolate himself from people because they had a different background or different life experience or different set of values--in fact, he CHOSE to hang out with the downtrodden, the vile, the angry, the defeated. He loved the tax collectors, the adultresses, the Roman soldiers who eventually crucified him--he even continued to hang out with Judas when he knew about his ultimate betrayal.
Not to beat the old political horse to death, but I'm pretty sure Jesus would not agree wholeheartedly with either political party or with any candidate we have had an opportunity to elect, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't bash whoever we had to choose from. He even instructed the Pharisees and Herodians to "give to Caesar what is Caesar's"--an emperor who claimed to be the son of God!
I love the story Donald Miller uses about the Navy SEAL rescuing the hostages. It REALLY captured what I'm pretty sure Jesus was all about--about snuggling up to the dirty and the broken to show them He is trustworthy. What about you? Was this image of the Navy SEAL a more appealing hero than what you know and believe about Jesus? Why or Why not?

Chapter 3a

So, I didn't have you guys read anything for homework this week because I was really hoping that some of the things we talked about in class on Sunday would resonate with you this week. I know there is a LOT in chapter three that has stuck with me since the first time I read the book a few months back and it seems to stand out to me even more as we read it together.

I want to let you guys in on a dirty little secret...sometimes, I'm not sure what I believe. As someone who has always prided myself on being very sure of myself, this is a very big deal. I don't mean I don't believe in God or that I'm not a Christian. I know where I stand on the big stuff--the Trinity, Salvation, etc. But, I think I have become distracted by a lot of the things I have been taught (even by other Christians) and I neglect Jesus' teachings. As far as Christianity goes, the more I step back and REALLY examine things, the more I find I really don't know and the more I question what I always thought I knew. I think that Jesus is probably frequently offended by some of the things we taut in his name. I think that he would probably point out to us that we have trivialized so much of his message and missed the most important part--we were CREATED to be in community--with God and with one another and we are really great at fouling up relationships up because we don't take the time to pay attention to the people around us. I think that Jesus cares more about how I treat the guy sitting across the aisle than he cares about what songs I sing on Sundays.
When Donald Miller says, "In order to believe Chfristianity, you either had to reduce enormous theological absurdities into children's stories or ignore them," that also really speaks to me. I think I am pretty good at ignoring the things I don't know what to do with. But, I know that pretty much everything Jesus said boils down to how we treat one another and I need to work on that.
I have really been thinking a LOT about you guys this week. I hope you're having a good one. See you Saturday if you're going to Six Flags. See you Sunday if you're not! K

Chapter 2--Problems

I am the problem. I’ve been a Christian for a while and I’m pretty sure that early on I realized I was MY problem. I don’t know that I would have willingly admitted to being a global problem until I read this chapter. It’s kind of hard to swallow at first, but I see it. I know I am not responsible for carrying out some of the atrocities that are out there—I’m not raping anyone in the congo…I’m not slashing anyone to bits with a machete…I’m not kidnapping, torturing, robbing, yada, yada, yada. I get that. But here's the thing. I'm not doing a darn thing to change any of the evils out there and, what's worse, I can't even be bothered to THINK about such atrocities most of my day. And it's not just the global issues, I've got people suffering all around me, EVERY STINKING DAY and I don't even take time to notice.
See, here's the thing, this world is full of all kinds of different people--people I like, people I love, people that, given the next 50 or 60 years I can learn to tolerate, people that will irritate me until the day that I die--but they are all people. We all have a story. We all have hurts, we all have needs, we all have wants and dreams and desires. We are all created in God's image and, as such, are worthy of dignity and respect--EVEN if I don't agree with them, EVEN if they bother the heck out of me, EVEN if I KNOW THEY ARE WRONG.
I was really hit hard by a lot of things in this chapter, but perhaps the most prolific to me was:
I talk about love, forgiveness, social justice; I rage against American materialism in the name of altruism, but have I even controlled my own heart? I overwhelming majority of the tiem I spend thinking about myself, pleasing myself, reassuring myself, and when I amd done there is nothing to spare for the needy. Six billion people live in this world, and I can only muster thoughts for one. Me.
OUCH! So, I have seen the "needy beast of a thing that lives in my chest" and I don't like it. I know I cannot bring an end to poverty, starvation or disease. I cannot bring about world peace, but I can take more time to be more aware of people around me, to treat them with dignity and respect, to try a little harder every day to be a better representative of Jesus. That's pretty much The Gospel as I see it. Now I just need to start living it.
So, what about you? What stood out for you in chapter 2? What have you been convicted by?
Have a blessed week. Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday!