Faith

Christian Job Description

While reading several of Henri Nouwen’s books for one of my classes recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the “Job Description” of a Christian.  I think we often feel that once we become a Christian, we need to prove this to others (and maybe even to ourselves and God) by DOING.  Often that Doing leads us to accepting a position as Head of the Sin Police where we go around issuing citations to others for their offenses.  We also try to get involved in as many “ministries” as possible so that we can do our duty of impacting others for God’s Kingdom.  The problem is that it’s not part of our Job Description (so to speak) as Christians to go around writing tickets to others for their transgressions.  We also aren’t capable of doing ministry ourselves and aren’t following our job description either if we aren’t abiding in our Father first and foremost.

Henri Nouwen really states it best when he says:

“Over he year we have developed the idea that being present to people in all their needs is our greatest and primary vocation.  The Bible does not seem to support this.  Jesus’ primary concern was to be obedient to his Father, to live constantly in his presence.  Only then did it become clear to him what his task was in his relationships with people….Perhaps we must continually remind ourselves that the first commandment requiring us to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind is indeed the first.  I wonder if we really believe this.  It seems that in fact we live as if we should give as much of our heart, soul, and mind as possible to our fellow human beings, while trying hard not to forget God….It is in God that we find our neighbors and discover our responsibility to them.  We might even say that only in God does our neighbor become a neighbor rather than an infringement upon our autonomy, and that only in and through God does service become possible.” Henri Nouwen, The Living Reminder.

I think we as Christians need to stop DOING so much and thinking that WE are making such an impact by being involved.  I’m not saying to stop volunteering or doing our ministry-related jobs whatsoever.  What I am saying is that we need to seek God first and foremost and constantly abide in His presence.  Only there (through solitude and a prayerful walk) will we truly be capable of ministering to others and only there will we receive our job description.  Otherwise, we are often getting IN the way, instead of being the way.

I apologize to all those who have fallen victim to our mistaken job requirements…often we know not what we do.

Would Obama Die For You?

With Easter coming up tomorrow, I’ve been thinking about the whole idea of Jesus and His death on a cross.  One of the things that really blows my mind when I dig into the idea deeper is that this man was the King of the Jews (that was even inscribed on the cross on which He died).  He was a King, but a King like no other in history.  He didn’t order people around and beckon them to follow His demands…He didn’t wear a Purple Robe and Crown and require people to entertain him and serve him…He came to serve others and save them, particularly those who were “sick” or sinners.  He wasn’t there to hang out with the righteous or those that had it all together.  He didn’t come to earth for His own fame, to be followed around by an entourage of Holy Rollers, or to make a few appearances here and there and sign some autographs.  He came to reconcile people with their Creator and bridge the gap that sin had caused between people and their God.

Can you imagine?  I mean seriously…stop and think just for a second…why would a King ever come for the purpose of serving and saving those who were acting against him?  How could a King ever love His people so much that He would lay down His own life to save those that were the very ones demanding He be killed?  I mean forget a King…why would anyone want to help someone out that’s against them or trying to get them killed…much less die the most painful death known to man in order to give them the opportunity to have eternal life in paradise in the presence of God?

This is something that I cannot even fathom.  I can’t possibly begin to understand the Humility it takes to lower oneself to a level that is below those that are supposed to be the ones following and serving you as the King of Creation.  Lowering yourself to the point that when your life is threatened by the very people who were created by your Father, you don’t just snap your fingers and have Heavenly lightening bolts shot down and fry their sorry butts…you just allow them to take your life in the most brutal way possible (Crucifying someone on a cross is proven to be one of, if not the most horrible death one can die) because that’s what your Father has commanded you to do in order to save those people.  I’m sorry but WTF??!  That is CRAZY!  I also can’t understand the level of Love it takes to desire to do something like that.  If I was God…I would straight up ANNIHILATE my “people” if they had turned against me and wanted to kill my only son that I sent to help them.

Despite the fact that I cannot fully understand and appreciate the amount of Love that God has for us and the amount of Grace He has shown us…I am very thankful that I have Jesus as my Savior…a Savior that understands that we aren’t perfect and have many flaws, but was willing to give His own life in order to save us and free us from those sins and give us eternal life.  This Easter season, maybe consider what Jesus did for us…

This is by no means a political question, but one just to put it all in perspective…Do you think Obama would die for us?

Vitamin J

I was working on a t-shirt design the other day and I was kicking around the idea of Vitamin J.  I looked it up on the ole Urban Dictionary and found that Vitamin J was a reference to Jesus.  When BigSwirl looked up Jesus, it had several things to say about Vitamin J, the top three of those being this:

1.  Man who was nailed to a plank for saying how nice it would be if everyone was nice to each other.  Had his message misinterpreted by millions who now think it is their job to persecute certain groups of people (Christians).

2.  The dude who mows my lawn.

3.  A pretty cool guy whose reputation has been run down by his horrible fan-club.  Used by the said fan-club as an excuse to do whatever they decide is “right.”

Dude:  “Hey!  What the hell are you doing to my car???”

Other Dude:  “Jesus’ will”

Now I know that these definitions are written by us (the general public) and aren’t technically the true definitions.  I also realize that a lot of them are just meant to make people laugh.  However, there always seems to be some element of truth involved when it comes to sarcastic statements.  I found it very interesting and alarming that 2 out of the top 3 definitions for Jesus involved the mishandling of His instructions for living by His own followers.  And the fact that it’s the public that writes these definitions doesn’t make it less of a concern but rather causes it to require much more attention.  45,000 people either gave these 3 statements a thumbs up or down…mainly up.  So if the majority of 45 Thou think that Jesus was some dude that came to give instructions on how we should treat each other and then the people he entrusted those to have screwed it up…it’s a serious problem that I think we (especially us Christians) need to take notice of and do something about!

We Minus Me would like to start by apologizing to those who have been hurt by a Christian to whatever degree and say that it wasn’t supposed to be like that.  God never intended for that to happen and Jesus never instructed us to treat you in that manner.  We apologize for that hurt we’ve caused you and would like for you to know that Jesus isn’t what we’ve made him.  Please don’t base your view of Him on what we’ve done to you.  Please know that we are all flawed  and that’s why we need Jesus in the first place.  We would encourage and urge you to look more into what Jesus is really like and who he’s really called us to be…despite what you’ve seen in the Christians you’ve come in contact with over the years.

Sex, Drugs, & Rock ‘n’ Roll

Something I’ve been thinking about lately…especially after just coming off of Spring Break (which is like the biggest College Party in the Country)…is the whole deal with Alcohol, Drugs, Sex, etc…the list goes on.

Christians often solely focus on these issues as if they are the be-all/end-all problem. Christian groups and organizations are so concerned with things like drinking and cussing…as if THAT was the enemy. I’ve been thinking about this a lot and it doesn’t make sense to me. I’m really starting to believe that these are mainly just Symptoms and not the Root Problem.

I would compare this to Western Medicine. In Westernized Medicine we tend to treat the symptoms and not necessarily the root cause. We live in a have it now society and it is the same way with our medical care. We want these symptoms gone cause we don’t have time to be sick with all that we have to do. Just get rid of the symptoms cause we don’t wanna deal with it. “Oh, I’m gonna have to take these 8 pills for the rest of my life? That’s cool…as long as I don’t have to take time to exercise or deal with the inconvenience of eating healthier.” What we are doing is treating the symptoms and the root cause never really goes away. It continues to exist and thus will continue to cause problems. In fact it may get worse and worse and as long as we are “masking” the problem by getting rid of the symptoms, we won’t know it until it’s too late. Often, dealing with the root problem takes a long time and is much more painful and we don’t like that.

This is the exact same way with life. We ALL have problems and issues in life. Many of them are deeply rooted and don’t go away easily. They are painful and require much attention. Some of them take a long time, if not a lifetime, to deal with. So what do we do? We try to deal with them as quickly as possible, treating the symptoms that come along with these problems such as the painful thoughts in our minds or the hurt in our hearts or the sleepless nights. We don’t want to deal with these things and definitely don’t want to dig deeper to target the source or root cause because that would just make it worse…so we Numb It Out. Even though we know that it doesn’t take it away, we just want to temporarily forget about it.

The best I’ve heard it said so far was in an interview we did last year at Spring Break where a guy was telling us that coming down there was to forget about his problems. He said that all the drinking/drugs/sex was basically like taking an Aleve. He said the problems are still there when you’re done, but you do that stuff so that you don’t have to think about it and deal with the pain…it temporarily makes you feel better…except it’s worse when it’s over.

At We Minus Me we have run into so many people that are hurting deep down. They have some serious issues in their lives and have dealt with some real pain. They often don’t know what to do with that pain and so they just try to numb it out. We get a lot of flack from people, Christians in particular, who claim that as Christian Organization, we shouldn’t be around all of this drinking and debauchery and that we aren’t living right by doing so. It’s not that we think it’s perfectly fine to do a lot of this stuff…it’s that we see past it. To us, all of that stuff isn’t the issue..it’s not the problem or root cause…it’s merely the symptom. We try to look past what’s on the exterior to see what’s really going on inside…on the interior. We care about the Root…the Source…what’s ailing someone…what makes them hurt…what they are dealing with. Jesus said in Mark 2:17 “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” That’s the same way we feel at We Minus Me. We want to Love people and help them with what’s really going on in their lives. We aren’t here to judge and condemn people for their symptoms…that’s not our job. Ultimately we want to help them with their root cause because we know that if we do…the symptoms will fade away as a result.

So I have a couple questions for you…Have you talked to God about your problems? Have you considered Him as a cure for your root cause?

My Wife is Awesome!

For the sake of keeping this blog shorter than the entire Twilight Series…I’ll only list one reason why my wife is awesome!  She genuinely cares about the lives of students and pours everything she has into them in hopes to make a difference in their lives.  I admire her and she inspires and challenges me everyday to strive to be a better person.  She is truly a living representative of Jesus’ Love for the world!  Check it out here:

http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-02-25/blog/good-blog/san-diego-teens-go-hungry-to-help-haiti-quake-survivors

Lessons from Taylor Swift

Being a Soon-to-be-Dad and also working with H.S. and College Students I do a lot of thinking about “situations” and observing how they are handled.  I’ve noticed how Teenagers and College Students deal with issues in their lives and how they often go to their peers for support, rather than their parents (or other authority figures).  Now considering we are having a baby girl, the thought of her not coming to Daddy for help and protection scares the crap out of me!  But before I flip the switch to “I’m Dad now and I don’t get it anymore,” I want to really try to understand the reasoning for this.

I was working on a paper and wasn’t paying attention to what channel the TV was on.  As it turns out, it was on TeenNick (don’t ask me how) and a Taylor Swift video came on in between shows.  The song was “15″ and part of it talks about how a friend of hers “gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind.”  What ensued from there were the coping mechanisms of 15 year-old girls.  In the song it says they “both cried”…in the video they embraced and just held each other for like 15 seconds, not saying a word.  This demonstrated that the one girl was there for the other when she needed her.  She understood that what she needed at that moment was not to hear that she had screwed up…she didn’t need an “I told you so” or “You shouldn’t have been there in the first place”…what she needed was someone to say “I love you, I know that it hurts, I’m not going anywhere, we are gonna get through this together…and my shoulder is water resistant”…all without saying a word.  As is often the case with young adults (partially due to mere lack of life experience), they don’t necessarily have the perfect words or advice for the given situation…nor do they know the best way to fix it…but what they are incredibly good at is just “Being There”.  This is a perfect example of what I’ve noticed while observing young people in their element.  They are incredible at understanding their friends’ situations and empathizing with them.  They do this without passing judgment or any condemnation.  They are often able to help each other without saying much at all, demonstrating a genuine sympathy and love that is apparent through their actions.

After considering this, there’s no wonder why young adults prefer to seek help from their peers than from an authority figure.  Who wants someone that doesn’t understand them (that can’t even fit into their “shoes” anymore) to offer them insensitive advice, telling them that they are doing it all wrong and need to change their lives?  Who wants someone to come down on them before they even know the full story?  No one right…people don’t want to be told they are wrong…they don’t want to be told they need to change…they simply want to be understood and loved.

This story sounds all too familiar when it comes to interactions with Christians.  People often leave feeling extremely judged and condemned after a run-in with a Christian.  They don’t leave feeling loved.  And how often do Christians find out someone’s life story…the full story…before they begin slinging advice around left and right about how that person is living wrong and needs to change?  Not very.

As a future Dad I aim to remember these lessons for when I have a daughter…and the days when I was young myself.  I also vow as a Christian to do a better job of loving people right where they are in life, despite what they’ve done.  I think we could all learn a lesson from our Teenagers and College Students…and from Taylor Swift.

“This Sh_t is Awesome!”

Now that I have your attention…check out this blog post by Pastor Perry Noble:

www.perrynoble.com/2009/12/14/this-sh_t-is-awesome/

This is exactly how we feel about College Students.  We love you right where you are in life…regardless of what you’ve done in the past or are currently doing…flaws and all!  Why?  Because so does Jesus.  You don’t have to already be "Cleaned Up" or have your Life Straight before Jesus will have you…He wants to meet you right where you are in life and begin a relationship…and so do we!  Regardless of who you are and what you do…you belong with We Minus Me and you belong to Jesus!  

Happy Christmakwanznukah!

The biggest deterrent to Christianity is often Christians themselves.  So during the season that is in fact all about Jesus, it wouldn’t seem like a very effective roster boosting strategy for Christians to be fighting those in the world around them over mere semantics.  As history would reveal however, Christians often pick the wrong fights, focusing too much on the "Don’ts" instead of the good they could be doing. 

Fortunately, there are some Christians that get it and understand there are some battles better left alone and instead they choose to focus on the actions of love that can transform the world and people in it.  Check out this article of people doing just that:

news.yahoo.com/s/time/20091215/us_time/08599194759000

I think there’s a lot we can learn from this article.  We’d all be better off if we focused on loving others in radical ways instead of picking petty fights over the choice of words.  In fact, I dare say more people would want to keep "Christ" in the Holidays if Christians lived their lives as if He was in them!  Just a thought.

BALLS…They’re for More than Beer Pong!

Some might wonder, what the frick does the Russian Police have to do with College Students?  On the surface, not much…unless of course you’ve recently studied abroad and found yourself suspect of smuggling Vodka back through Customs.  However, as I was reading this article, I started to think about how much the underlying principles apply to many collegiate situations.  Check it out:

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091113/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_youtube_cops

In College, as was portrayed by the officers in the article, students often find themselves in many compromising situations.  The norm is to act according to the persuasive social pressures that will seemingly lead them to personal gain; making one popular, earning them proverbial “street cred” with whatever group they deem it necessary to fit in with and/or providing instant gratification for them.  Students often give in to these social pressures, i.e. alcohol and drug related instances, sexual endeavors, vandalism, hazing (physical or mental/emotional abuse), etc., and underneath their bravado lies a voice of reason and conviction that just isn’t quite loud enough to spur on the courage to take the road less traveled.

That being said…I want to encourage all of you students who have recognized that voice at one point or another that YOU ARE NOT ALONE!  You are not the only one.  There are others.  There are students who feel the same way, who don’t necessarily want to give in and don’t feel right about making certain decisions.  There are other students who deep down want to take a stand for what is just and pure in this world.  You are not alone in these feelings…but you may be the only one with the Cahones to take the first step.  DO IT!  Trust me others will follow! It’s scary, I know…I’ve been there.   You have a lot to loose…at least you think…but you have far more to gain!  Your courage will spur on others to take the stand with you…whether it’s just saying no or breaking away from a destructive group, whether it’s being looked at as an outcast or finally standing up for your personal rights and respect, whether it’s confronting someone that needs to hear the truth about the destructive path they are heading down or telling the proper authorities about illegal activity or abuse that’s been going on…it’s far more important in the long run to step out and be an example for others to follow.

These are the types of decisions that shape who you are.  They shape your character and your integrity and lay a foundation for how you are going to life your life.  So go ahead…Take a Stand.  Step out in Faith.  I think you’ll be surprised at the outcome and who might respect you more because of it…and who might follow you down the same path.

And just know this…whether you believe in God or not…that He created you, loves you, and is on your side.  He wants you to succeed and backs you up when you make these tough decisions.  He will not leave you hangin’, despite how lonely it often feels to step out…but you have to trust in Him and often take some pretty gnarly steps of faith.  If it’s of any comfort to you, I’ll leave you with this thought that comes straight out of the book of Romans (Chapter 8):

“If God be for us, who can be against us?”

“Double Baco Cheeseburger. It’s for a Cop.”

Today I watched a Cop Car drive through a Red Light as it was Beeping and Saying ”All Pedestrians May Cross”.  He didn’t have on his siren or lights and had no regard for all of the people crossing the street from all angles…He just wanted to get through.

This kinda pissed me off…not that I wanna chuck a lit pack of Black Cat’s at him type of pissed off…just enough to get me thinkin’.  I had just had a conversation with a girl named Taylor that works at a retail store downtown about “Profitable Religion” and how it makes her so mad that churches use their money to build Million Dollar expansions/buildings when there are starving people in this country and world that don’t have clean water and are dying daily.  This was part of the reason for the upside-down Cross she had tattooed on the inside of her bicep.  I too share the same fury when it comes to churches and how they often misuse their budget.

So back to the Cop.  I started thinking about why Cops frustrate me.  It’s not the Cops themselves, nor the duty or job responsibility of a Cop…it’s the misuse of the power that they have and the often crooked nature in which they handle their influence.  They seem hypocritical by nature…they tell us what to do, what the law is, when we break it, what our rights are, gimme your skateboard punk, etc. and then they often don’t adhere to it themselves.  They act as if they are above the law by breaking the very rules and regulations they are paid to enforce.

Then it hit me.  This is the exact same way many people feel about Christians!  Christians often judge and condemn people.  In fact, these are 2 of the top descriptive characteristics of Christians seen by the general population…along with being hypocrites.  Christians are notorious for telling people how to live and what they need to change and then not adhering to the same principles themselves.  Now I realize that everyone makes mistakes and we all need grace…TONS of it…but the lesson here is to stop looking for other people’s issues and start looking at your own.  I heard a pastor once say it’s like having a dead body in your house and going over to your neighbor’s house to tell them how bad their dead body stinks.  Deal with your OWN dead body! The Bible has something to say about this as well…check out Luke 6:42.

I would like to apologize on behalf of all of those who claim to be Christians to anyone who has ever felt judged, condemned, hurt, or just plain pissed because of the way “we” have treated you.  We should be looking into our own lives for what God is telling us to address and stop being out on “Sin Patrol” telling you what’s wrong with your life.

Just remember, it’s not Jesus that’s the problem…it’s the people claiming to represent Him.  Next time someone tries to tell you all the things that are wrong with your life and what you need to change, just steal a line from one of Paramore’s recent songs “Playing God”…”Next time you point a finger, I’ll point you to the mirror.”