Ready, Fire, Aim

The earth shattering shock had barely dissipated before the next wave of responsibilities pull me away from fixing the error I so desperately desired to mend... A flowery apology and weighty blame on my jam-packed schedule is all I can offer as an excuse for not blogging for two whole weeks. AHHH! An apology is not really an effective way to pull readers in, I better get rambling. 

With more than two whole weeks to think and stew and observe life, I have PLENTY of things that I could write about. The economy, SOPA/PIPA, the upcoming election, strife in the middle east, deteriorating moral concern across the globe, post-modernism, theology, current events in the life of Jonathan David, how weird girls are, why rainbows are so awesome, etc. All I'd have to do is pick one and then you would be entranced in the heightened level of critical thought applied to whatever topic was chosen. 

But I haven't made a choice. In fact, all I've been thinking about is how often I choose to criticize. I've mulled over the fact that I will choose something, rip it apart intellectually and point out to the entire world how wrong and fallible the concept, ideal, motive, or attitudes are connected to **insert stupid idea here**. This motivated me to ask the question, "Is this really who I want to be?" Really, do I want to spend all of my time irritated because there are a multitude of people out there who just don't GET IT?

If you're looking for a topic to hang your hat on, then you could just say I'm critiquing myself today. Self reflection is important. 

There's a razor thin line between offering intellectual/constructive criticism and just being a cantankerous jerk. In case you're still unsure in which territory I've been residing, it's the latter and I feel all shades of ridiculous about it. 

Is it really worth it to be right? Is there really a point to presenting the exact truth in every subject and tearing down everyone else's thoughts and opinions until the right opinion is the only option? Is intellectual certainty really the top priority for a given subject? People tend to disagree on everything and don't seem to find contentment until they've locked into mortal combat against every opposing thought. Regretfully, I've fallen into this crowd.

The plague-like habit is this: Somebody says something erroneous about *blank*. Maybe it's not even erroneous, just an unpopular opinion or something from a completely different view point. But this doesn't stop those who feel the need (myself included) to correct this opinion and bash the the brain of this person (through the kindness of the written word) until they have no choice but to accept defeat and the correct conclusion that they would have come to if they had been thinking clearly. Obviously this is the only way that conversation should be conducted and is the only real way that truth and knowledge can be distributed...

This needs to stop. There's more to life than being right. I've been dwelling on 1Corinthians 8 this week. Paul talks about how his knowledge in Christ enables him certain freedoms (specifically to eat meat sacrificed to idols) but since there are believers who are under the belief that it is wrong to do so, he takes the higher road. He beats these "weaker brothers" over the head with the correct knowledge and chastises them for being so ignorant! Right? NO! Paul says that if eating meat causes his brother to sin, then that person is destroyed by his knowledge. 

Destroyed by his knowledge...

There is more to life than being right. The right knowledge is just not enough because there needs to be a right action in love. Paul knew what was REALLY right. Education of those who believed eating meat was wrong was not on the agenda, putting intellectual/theological correctness on the back burner to promote unity and love was. This wasn't a make it or break it area. It didn't matter as much as Paul's reaction to the situation. 

I don't want to be the person who takes the head off of anyone who offers a weak argument or wrong point of view. They have convictions that they will have to answer for. But they don't answer to me. I need to be concerned with the battles that are truly important and learn to argue with respect as my mode of operation and love as my banner. 

Paul put it this way in 1Corinthians 13:2 "If I If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing."

Does the world need more knowledge? Oh, yes, please! But more than knowledge, it needs to know love and what that word truly means as it's expressed. The world needs Christ's love and some people will only see it if it shows through me.  

Let's give up the pointless debates. Major on the majors, minor on the minors. Let us learn to love AND learn how to argue/debate without becoming enemies in the process. Let us be able to express ideas without vitriol and contempt for others. Let us reason together in love, growing into the fullness and holiness of Christ. 

I end with another apology (seem's fitting since I began with one). From the bottom of my heart, I'm truly sorry and ask for forgivness from anyone whom I have offended or bitten the head off of in an effort to throw around my unwarranted righteous indignation. 

How will you spread love for people not love of knowledge?

A small note on Cen******

I'm actually for censorship of the internet and other mediums.

Ok... that didn't fly. So let's try this...

Let me try to put this as gently as possible while sharing with you a point of view you all may possibly be missing. 

The issue as I see it concerns censorship of internet content. No one is concerned primarily with content of disturbing natures. Most people agree that there are some disgusting things on the internet that simply don't need to be there. But when it comes to the realm of ideas, thoughts and concepts, people get touchy when they're told "DON'T SAY THAT!" As if some paramount freedom has been infringed upon. 

The issue at hand is indeed freedom of speech. Now, before you think you know where I'm coming from and label me a moron for being FOR censorship you need to understand that I highly value and support the freedom of speech. It's what allows me to write this blog. It's what allows me the opportunity to tell millions of people they are wrong. It allows me to challenge the current ideas, ideals and philosophies of the general public and our government without fear of severe legal repercussions.

But let's talk freedom of speech. Forget the economy. You cannot juxtapose the love of money with the civil liberties afforded us from our forefathers. They bled and died to ensure and establish the freedoms we enjoy. To hell with the almighty dollar. It's not relevant to this discussion and I simply won't allow such a petty subject as economic health determine the direction of thought when such an important and intangible concept is being discussed. We're talking about liberty and freedom. Money has no bearing on these sort of ideas. Or, at least they shouldn't. If money runs your ideology, then you have bigger problems than censorship. I pray for you. 

Here's my issue with this much supported and hotly debated "Freedom" of speech: We Americans claim it as our default privilege. We use it as our excuse to say whatever we want. We have free expression. If I want to cuss someone out or use the most subversive, intolerant and inflamatory language to prove a point, illustrate an idea, or just because I want to express myself, then that is my God-given right and no one can say "BOO" about it. (No one has the freedom to criticize or determine what I, as an American, have to say.)

That's the mindset held by the majority of Americans who misunderstand this freedom. Not everyone takes this point of view, and I'm grateful for the minority who actually understand the principle behind freedom of speech, or even the principles governing what freedom actually is. 

You see, we've brought this on ourselves, America, because of our attitude governing our view on freedom. Our freedoms and liberties are NOT privileges afforded us by the founders of this nation. They are liberties which require effort to maintain, and the utmost responsibility in order to preserve their integrity.

Responsibility. A word that sends a dark shudder down the spines of most people nowadays. The connotations attached to that word turn a bitter taste in so many mouths. What does responsibility have to do with freedom? 

Everything.

Freedom is the power to live. A wise person once wrote "with great power comes great responsibility." (Hey, Marvel wouldn't risk turning that concept out to millions of kids if it weren't true, right?) 

Case in point. If what you write is intended to be influential and impactful, you would be acting very irresponsibly to communicate lies and terribly destructive concepts to impressionable people. We have abused our freedom by absolving ourselves from responsibility. 

Our mouths have gone out of control. Our use of blogging to rant about every single aspect of life has cultivated a generation of complainers bent on gaining agreement without presenting solid, intelligent solutions. Anyone can see the problem, but it takes a real leader to see solutions. If you can't see a solution, don't bother complaining. 

Seriously, the deterioration responsibility in the area of our freedoms stems from a growing aversion to God's word. Proverbs has multiple warnings in regard to what comes out of our mouths and all of them have been ignored along with the other principles found in Scripture. There is no other book which offers profound wisdom and no other book so concerned with the freedom of man than the Bible. It pains me that more people cannot see that and embrace what is taught. But perhaps that's largely the Church's fault in embracing this "separation of church and state" idea.... which is also misinterpreted by today's culture... But that's a story for another time. 

No, we've still abused this freedom of speech. We hide behind the freedom when someone doesn't like what we say, absolving responsibility. We've been flippant with our ideas and concepts and vivid use of language. We've lacked thought, integrity and failed to ask the question "is this REALLY worth sharing with the world?" before spurting off in maniacal rants determined to rock the boat. We spew venemous dissent while abandoning any sense of morality and justice... and then we whine when we're in danger of losing the freedoms WE'VE abused?

I love freedom. I value the responsibility attached. Because of this, I say "Thank you" for reading and allowing me this freedom. But because I also hinge my faith and moral center on God's word, which offers grace while demanding justice, when I see the government preparing to crack down and heavily monitor and censor our thoughts and opinions, I have to tell you all;

"We deserve it!"

We've forfeited our rights by continuously allowing the government to take the responsibilities that should be our own. WE should be taking care of our neighbor, not wellfare. WE should be good stewards of our finances, not waiting for bail-outs from Uncle Sam. WE should be standing in the gap and operating morally, not bickering over which law affords the most financial gain. WE should be careful with what we say, now we're losing that freedom too... 

When you forfeit your resposibility, your freedoms aren't far behind.

Momentus Momentum

Today I awoke up before the sun. It's 6am and my eyes are uncharacteristically bright and prepared to accept the daylight that is still an hour off the horizon. As I lay in bed bracing myself for morning to initiate, I ask myself the question that always begs to be answered whenever I'm up early: "WHY!?"

Why am I up so early? Perhaps it has something to do with the crisp January air in Florida calling my senses to experience its brisk energy as the sun burns the midnight sky into an explosion of red and yellow light. Perhaps it has something to do with the opportunity to be productive and take this Monday by storm before it even has a chance to drop a ball of lethargic procrastination on my mind. Perhaps it has something to do with the roasted, creamy temptational coffee waiting for me at Starbucks. But, perhaps, it has more to do with the 3 boxes of candy and vanilla coke I used to drown my sorrows from  having witnessed my beloved NFL team clinching defeat during the first round of the playoffs...

OH MY! The intense sorrow that filled my heart last night. The team that showed up at Lambeau Field last night was not the Packers I know and love. The team that strong-armed every game and claimed victory 15 times. The team that prevailed. No... sadly, the team that showed up last night was barely equipped to stand a chance for a Rose Bowl much less a Super Bowl run... Wat a disappointing end to a GREAT season. 

But life goes on (I guess...). And there are more important things to think about and pine over (I mean, it could be worse... I could be a Bears fan). 

Case in point; there is a certain video going viral right now that demands some intense thought and attention. The video is titled "Why I hate religion, but love Jesus." If you haven't had a chance to check this video out or you just want a refresher, you can view it HERE. 

There's literally a hundred things I could say about this video. I honestly am not sure what to pick on first. There's the ambiguous use of terminology in describing religion as part of Christianity and separate from. There's a sincere lacking of ecclesial and theological maturity. There's the broad-stroking of definitions which serve as inflammatory fuel for anti-church views. There's even a few poorly constructed rhyming structures... Ok, now I'm just being too critical. 

I'll put my thoughts on content aside and let the discussion brew before bringing scripture to the table (if such a discussion should formulate here on this blog!) But what I will say, I hope, will be helpful for future attempts to take an objective look at Christianity, the Church, and what the "right" way is/should be. 

1. Don't polarize your intended audience. Look, I know the whole point of this video is to make people think, but when you make enemies of the people you WANT on your side, then you've missed the point. I figure there are probably more people on the side of "I hate Church" that will enjoy and click "like" on this video than those on the inside of churches. But that's probably just my imagination taking hold based off my overarching perceptions. 

This makes me think, "Who IS the intended audience?" "What IS the purpose of this video?" If you're trying to make an appeal to those who are in the wrong, you must convince them that you are right. I'm not saying he's not (In fact, there's quite a bit that I agree with in his little poem), but his delivery is not the best in terms of theological correctness or in communicative accuracy... such is the drawback of the rhyming medium...

2. Focus on the focus. I could blast this video all day with the inappropriate polarization of saying "Republican does not equal Christian." Political slant or label claims are NOT the main focus of this video's message. Is it part of it? Sure. Could be. Yes. But it definitely didn't need to be said. It violated rule one and immediately turns off half your audience. If the focus is how religion and legalism detracts from the Gospel of Christ, focus on that. Leave politics out of it (I mean, c'mon. Jesus did it!).

3. Make your message clear. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see a well thought out point expressed through vivid and precise communication. I also can't tell you that I felt refreshed from this video... No, sadly, this video, while it has some compelling quotes, doesn't fully articulate the point (I surmise) the author intended to get across. Muddled within the rhyming, I could barely distinguish if he was bashing Christianity, the Church, other religions, or Facebook. Ok, I'm a little smarter than that. And maybe he meant to bash them all. But then to say "I love the Church" and in the next breath say "...the other is the infection." (meaning, religion), what am I supposed to think? He mentioned no other religion. No other example other than alluding to Old Testament and Church failures is given. So... Yeah. Make your message clear. WHAT ARE YOU AGAINST?

(Additional note: The CHURCH is not a manmade invention. It was established by Jesus Christ... just saying)

4. Preach the FULLNESS of the Gospel. This is my major irk with this guy (and any person who proclaims to be preaching what Jesus intended). While the emphasis is indeed on grace and Christ's amazing gift of forgiveness, there was no mention on repentance, holiness, or any of the other requirements demanded by God. The very same problems mentioned in this video result from an "I'm saved, now I can do whatever I want" perspective (coughcoughCalvinismcoughcough). It's being a Christian in name only, not in lifestyle or relationship. Is redemption a gift? Oh, yeah. But is that it? No. Paul says "Should we continue sinning so that grace my increase? BY NO MEANS!" Is it enough to simply say "Thank you, Jesus for forgiving my sins!"? No, Jesus calls for repentance. If there is no cessation of the very action that damns us in the first place, then how can we do anything else than spit in the face of the Christ who gave his life for us? I will not boast in my weakness. I will not boast in anything except the blood of Christ which is not only able to forgive sins but to transform lives!

"If grace is like water, then the Church should be an ocean it's not a museum for good people, it's a hospital for the broken" - If you happened across a hospital where the sick people never became well or whole, you would probably label that the worste hospital ever.

Keep these things in mind before you attempt to criticize. There are lots of things that can be fixed. But the main thing isn't in the organization or structure of the Church. The biggest thing that needs to be corrected is the petty and wordly views of individuals acting in ignorance against what God has established. Don't bash the Church, correct ideas. Christ didn't come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Ask "How can my love for Christ empower me to extend Grace AND fulfill the law required by God?" Someone seriously needs to reread Romans. 

That said, I apologize to anyone who really, truly enjoyed this video. It's not my aim to discourage you from being excited over theological truths that may resonate within your heart. But be reminded, we are not lead by emotions. We are lead by the truth and knowledge revealed to us by the Word of God. It's his Spirit that testifies, not our disgust from certain people's failures (widespread as they may be). 

Protect your hearts. Embrace Christ's Mind. Enhance your understanding of God's word. THINK!

Thank is all. Happy Monday.

One Down... Fifty-one to go...

It's hard for me to believe that we're already in the second week of 2012. This last week has blown by with Roadrunner like speed but without the cheerful "Beep beep!" that should be there. If life could just be more like a cartoon, I think I wouldn't mind. Although, then life would only happen in half hour installments and there are already enough commercials as it is... 

Change of channel: It's a new year and with that freshness comes a tradition that is as old as self-discipline itself.  I'm talking, of course, about New Year's Resolutions! This concepts plagues our generation as we waste no time picking out the easiest and most generic resolutions. Almost everyone will have "get in shape" on their list. Everyone will have their "must quit _______" to cut out the bad habits. Most will desire to be more adventurous and try new things in 2012. If you have any of these at the top of your resolutions, it's ok, I'm not going to bash you over the head (too hard...).

But why do we have to resolve to do the things we SHOULD be doing in the first place? Has the self-discipline of our current culture lapsed so far into oblivion that we have to have something as momentous as the advancing calendar year to encourage us to make the concerted efforts for health and well-beaing that should be commonplace? Oh, my commentary on the decided apathy of basic human function could go on and on for a while. Just think about it before making resolutions for 2013. 

Well, while some people are content to stick with the classic resolutions, I've decided to improve dramatically and perhaps have a little more fun with mine. Here's my resolutions for 2012. I'm sharing them with you with the intent to have you HELP hold me accountable. I find that community encouragement is the strongest motivator when it comes to reaching goals. Also, you may have full permission to tase me if I fail to meet these resolutions. The threat of minor electrocution being the second strongest motivator when it comes to goal reaching.

1. Say "THANK YOU" better and more often. There are literally dozens of awesome and fantastic people in my life who continually bless me through their actions. They make life easier, they give of themselves without thought of glory or attention or to get anything from it. They sincerely help. Too often I don't have the opportunity to thank them or show them the grattitude they deserve. My effort this year will be to make those opportunities happen. I've already invested in a box of thank you cards and have read up on how to write a legit thank you note (thanks to Google for being an awesome search engine! And thank you, Leslie Harpold for writing that exquisite article!). 

While I'm on the subject of saying "THANK YOU!" I need to take a moment and sincerely thank ALL of you who have endured my spamming status updates on facebook asking you (begging you) to read my blog, submit your thoughts, and suffer my thoughts. My goal for 2011 was to reach 500 views; not impossible in 3 months' time, but still a tall order for a fledgling writer. I'm so happy to say that, with your help, that goal was reached! Thank you for viewing. I promise to talk about more interesting things if you promise to keep lending me your eyes!

2. Read 26 books this year. Look, I'm a fledgling writer, a youth pastor, a 20-something young adult who has a passion for digital media (code for video games). Who has time to read? I need to make time for that. I'm not a power reader. It took me about as long for them to film the Lord of the Rings trilogy for me to read through the books (actually... I don't think I ever finished Return of the King... BLAST!). So this is my meager goal to read a book every 2 weeks. 

Currently I'm engaged in the thrilling and very well written Hunger Games. That'll knock out my first 6 weeks of my goal. If you have any spoilers regarding the Hunger Games... please don't post them; I will find you and hurt you. BUT, if you happen to have any suggestions for books that might keep my attention for 14 days, please feel free to post them below!

3. Study a foreign dialect. Ok, so this one may seem weird to you. I assure you that no matter how intellectual or academic this resolution appears, it is most definitely just for fun. I would like to study the coloquialisms and slang from some different areas of the English speaking world. "Why?" you ask. It keys into my resolution for 2013 - Talk for the whole year in a different accent! (Told you it was purely for fun!) Life's som much more interesting with a British accent, doncha think? Any suggestions for a dialect to study? Leave your thoughts. 

4. Change the world. Right. Yes. Doable. I'm under the conviction and determination that one man CAN change the world. Can it be done alone? Of course not. A leader without followers is just a guy on a walk. This year I will endeavor to pour into people and use my power of influence to help change the world for the better. One small part of this plan is to share my (sometimes) coherent thoughts and different viewpoints on this blog. I will challenge the way people think. I will challenge the way we challenge the way people think. I will present truth that, when followed, causes explosive things to happen. Monumental changes. It can happen. No, it's not my political platform. I'm not running for office. I want nothing more than to see the world change or at least improve beyond its current condition. And that won't happen unless we start changing. 

So this year help keep me accountable in these areas. You can do it! I empower you with the ability to call me out on any lacking AND you have the right to taser me in the leg if I fail come 2013 (please, no practicing on me beforehand). Do the things you're supposed to be doing already and let's accomplish the spectacular together. Only 51 weeks left. Fifty-one weeks to accomplish the incredible. Fifty-one opportunities to realize change, improvement, transformation. Join me. 

What's your non-traditional resolution for this year?