Weekend Reading, 19 June

Frank

Some headlines and blogs you might’ve missed.

Weekend Reading, 19 June

Frank

Some headlines and blogs you might’ve missed.

Flashback Friday: Marketing the Gospel

Frank

***Originally posted May, 2008. Relevant here as Skye Jethani’s The Divine Commodity and Jon Acuff’s Stuff Christians Like have moved towards the top of my reading list. Though I still haven’t read the book in this blog, unfortunately.***

As you wage battle in the Culture War, how do you arm yourself? This is an interesting question in an age of mass publicity, open hostility to Christianity, and an ever-increasing slippage in the morality of our society.

I spend a lot of time posting about politics as if that is the only front in the Culture War. But that’s not the case. It just happens that we’re in the midst of the election cycle, and there’s an endless supply of news relative to a Christian Worldview. However, I think too many “Evangelical” Christians believe that the Culture War should be fought in the political arena—Constitutional Amendments barring same-sex marriage, candidates pandering to the religious to gain votes, and so on. But there’s another disturbing trend in Evangelical circles, and that is trying to make Christianity marketable.

There’s an interesting book review over on Slate on “Rapture Ready!” a book describing the awkward marriage between Christianity and pop-culture. Since that’s a topic of great interest to me, this book has moved towards the top of my reading list. The review is right to point out that much of what passes for Christian pop-culture are just watered down rip-offs of what’s already available to the mass consumer. But the growth of this industry is tied to our commercial materialistic culture. Much of what is offered in this genre is meant to market the Gospel. While that’s not necessarily bad, what message does it send when the Gospel is presented as an inferior product? And what happens when the worldly materialism that we so try to avoid is overcome by materialism driven by a niche industry? Remember, they need to make money too.

And then there’s the faith that some Christians put in their pop-culture rather than in God alone. This can be seen in the home-schooling movement, but also can be related to our role as consumers. A coworker recently stated that the guy who opened Chick-fil-A is “cool” because he’s a Christian. No other reason given. Maybe no other reason is necessary. But I recall classmates in college who would devoutly eat Domino’s Pizza over any other brand because some of the profits would go towards Pro Life causes. I also remember a friend growing up whose record collection was filled with Stryper, Amy Grant, and Michael W Smith. And sadly, these were the only evidences of their faith.

Don’t get me wrong, none of these things are necessarily wrong in and of themselves, but we need to be careful what we put our faith in. We should certainly protect ourselves from the sin so prevalent in our culture, but I don’t believe that means we should create our own culture separate from the rest of the world. After all, how can we be the salt of the earth, if we refuse to interact within the world? That’s a fine line, granted, but at the same time a line that’s drawn differently for each and every Christian. I look to what Paul wrote in Romans 14 as a great example of how we should live as Christians in a multi-cultural society. “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.” (Rom 14:1) Paul, in fact, quoted contemporary works to relate to others in Acts 17:28, 1 Cor 15:33, and Tit 1:12.

I don’t know if I fit in the mold of who the Christian marketplace is gearing their product towards. I love Quentin Tarantino movies, but find myself uncomfortable with the language and glorified violence. I consider Animal House classic cinema, but I would only watch the version edited for cable. Others would avoid these movies all together and might even call me a heathen. I accept that and I’m not about to invite a group of brothers over to watch something if I’m not sure they won’t struggle because of it (I did that once, and don’t intend to ever repeat it).

On the flipside, I used to avoid Christian Rock because I couldn’t stand the inferior production, the cheesy lyrics, and the self-righteous pious image projected by that industry. I’d much rather listen to Metallica than Stryper. But then someone pointed out to me that people who watch pornography don’t watch it because of the production value, they watch it because of the content. And I began to listen with a more open mind. There’s still some artists and songs I can’t tolerate, but I often find myself listening to either the Christian pop/rock station on XM or Air1 and being encouraged by songs praising my Lord or singing words of encouragement in a difficult, sinful world. For me, it’s become about the content, not the production. It’s about edification, not marketability. Yet I don’t expect every Christian to share my tastes.

So am I a “Christian consumer”? I don’t have cable, but I’m not going to judge someone who does. I wrestle with placing my children in the public school system. I play poker, watch R-rated movies and listen to rock music. I don’t own anything that says “WWJD” or have a Jesus-fish on my car. I watch Veggie Tales with my kids, and am building up a pretty large playlist of Christian music on my portable XM player. I own about a half-dozen Bibles and read secular comic books. I don’t shop conscious of where profits might be going or go out of my way to give my patronage to Christian businesses. I have trouble relating to the Evangelical “culture” as described in the above book, yet I have deep and strong convictions about the Greatest Commandment and about repenting of the sin in my heart that shows itself not as much by my actions, but through my character.

And yet here I am, just another Christian posting in the blogosphere. Maybe I relate more than I thought? Maybe I am buying what they’re selling.

Flashback Friday: Marketing the Gospel

Frank

***Originally posted May, 2008. Relevant here as Skye Jethani’s The Divine Commodity and Jon Acuff’s Stuff Christians Like have moved towards the top of my reading list. Though I still haven’t read the book in this blog, unfortunately.***

As you wage battle in the Culture War, how do you arm yourself? This is an interesting question in an age of mass publicity, open hostility to Christianity, and an ever-increasing slippage in the morality of our society.

I spend a lot of time posting about politics as if that is the only front in the Culture War. But that’s not the case. It just happens that we’re in the midst of the election cycle, and there’s an endless supply of news relative to a Christian Worldview. However, I think too many “Evangelical” Christians believe that the Culture War should be fought in the political arena—Constitutional Amendments barring same-sex marriage, candidates pandering to the religious to gain votes, and so on. But there’s another disturbing trend in Evangelical circles, and that is trying to make Christianity marketable.

There’s an interesting book review over on Slate on “Rapture Ready!” a book describing the awkward marriage between Christianity and pop-culture. Since that’s a topic of great interest to me, this book has moved towards the top of my reading list. The review is right to point out that much of what passes for Christian pop-culture are just watered down rip-offs of what’s already available to the mass consumer. But the growth of this industry is tied to our commercial materialistic culture. Much of what is offered in this genre is meant to market the Gospel. While that’s not necessarily bad, what message does it send when the Gospel is presented as an inferior product? And what happens when the worldly materialism that we so try to avoid is overcome by materialism driven by a niche industry? Remember, they need to make money too.

And then there’s the faith that some Christians put in their pop-culture rather than in God alone. This can be seen in the home-schooling movement, but also can be related to our role as consumers. A coworker recently stated that the guy who opened Chick-fil-A is “cool” because he’s a Christian. No other reason given. Maybe no other reason is necessary. But I recall classmates in college who would devoutly eat Domino’s Pizza over any other brand because some of the profits would go towards Pro Life causes. I also remember a friend growing up whose record collection was filled with Stryper, Amy Grant, and Michael W Smith. And sadly, these were the only evidences of their faith.

Don’t get me wrong, none of these things are necessarily wrong in and of themselves, but we need to be careful what we put our faith in. We should certainly protect ourselves from the sin so prevalent in our culture, but I don’t believe that means we should create our own culture separate from the rest of the world. After all, how can we be the salt of the earth, if we refuse to interact within the world? That’s a fine line, granted, but at the same time a line that’s drawn differently for each and every Christian. I look to what Paul wrote in Romans 14 as a great example of how we should live as Christians in a multi-cultural society. “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.” (Rom 14:1) Paul, in fact, quoted contemporary works to relate to others in Acts 17:28, 1 Cor 15:33, and Tit 1:12.

I don’t know if I fit in the mold of who the Christian marketplace is gearing their product towards. I love Quentin Tarantino movies, but find myself uncomfortable with the language and glorified violence. I consider Animal House classic cinema, but I would only watch the version edited for cable. Others would avoid these movies all together and might even call me a heathen. I accept that and I’m not about to invite a group of brothers over to watch something if I’m not sure they won’t struggle because of it (I did that once, and don’t intend to ever repeat it).

On the flipside, I used to avoid Christian Rock because I couldn’t stand the inferior production, the cheesy lyrics, and the self-righteous pious image projected by that industry. I’d much rather listen to Metallica than Stryper. But then someone pointed out to me that people who watch pornography don’t watch it because of the production value, they watch it because of the content. And I began to listen with a more open mind. There’s still some artists and songs I can’t tolerate, but I often find myself listening to either the Christian pop/rock station on XM or Air1 and being encouraged by songs praising my Lord or singing words of encouragement in a difficult, sinful world. For me, it’s become about the content, not the production. It’s about edification, not marketability. Yet I don’t expect every Christian to share my tastes.

So am I a “Christian consumer”? I don’t have cable, but I’m not going to judge someone who does. I wrestle with placing my children in the public school system. I play poker, watch R-rated movies and listen to rock music. I don’t own anything that says “WWJD” or have a Jesus-fish on my car. I watch Veggie Tales with my kids, and am building up a pretty large playlist of Christian music on my portable XM player. I own about a half-dozen Bibles and read secular comic books. I don’t shop conscious of where profits might be going or go out of my way to give my patronage to Christian businesses. I have trouble relating to the Evangelical “culture” as described in the above book, yet I have deep and strong convictions about the Greatest Commandment and about repenting of the sin in my heart that shows itself not as much by my actions, but through my character.

And yet here I am, just another Christian posting in the blogosphere. Maybe I relate more than I thought? Maybe I am buying what they’re selling.

Infinite Sadness

Frank

It was an afternoon like any other, killing time at my family’s store by turning anything I could get my hands on into some kind of toy. Grandpa hadn’t yet come back after his daily afternoon nap and Grandma asked if I wanted to go home with her to check on him. Go to Grandma’s house? She didn’t have to ask me twice. Walking up the steps, I unlocked the door helping my grandma with arms full of groceries. I opened the door and stepped aside to let her in. The groceries dropped and my grandma rushed me back down the steps. But I still saw. My grandfather lay lifeless on the kitchen floor.

I was babysat by friends of the family for what seemed like hours (we were watching a PBS documentary on bats; not exactly my idea of a good time) which gave me ample time to reflect on life, death, and the afterlife. At nine years old, it was somewhat comprehensible. I understood heaven, kinda understood hell, and didn’t for the life of me understand purgatory (and still don’t). I rationalized the eternal consequence of what just happened, but did not feel anything about what that meant for those of us still living in this life. Perplexed, with wheels always turning, I wondered what this life really meant.

I thought a lot about it, but didn’t feel anything. At least not until a few days later, when after the funeral I found my sister engulfed in tears sitting at a typewriter at our grandparent’s house. On the page were written all of her feelings; a last goodbye from his little princess. Then, and only then, was I able to understand sadness.

As the years passed, I suffered more loss. My favorite uncle passed away while I was in the eighth grade, countless friends of the family passed away over the years, and I lost my father right as my junior year in college began. Because of this, I thought I understood death and understood sadness.

When I became a disciple of Jesus four years after my father died, eternal life took on more significant a meaning than paintings of angels sitting on clouds in heaven. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55) So when I next faced death,I thought my faith was mature enough to handle it. Or so I thought, I still didn’t know how to feel. My wife lost her foster mom, whom she loved dearly despite only living with her for two years. I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t know how to help, I was paralyzed by this unfamiliar feeling-sadness. Sure I was sad when my dad passed away, but I drowned that out. I had nowhere to run from these feelings. There was no bottle to crawl into. And so I cried. Right around the same time I watched Big Fish and could not stop crying. For hours. This new feeling opened up a wellspring that I has not yet run dry. I now cry at just about anything, most notoriously while watching Finding Nemo.

Now Glynn Young reminded me that “Jesus wept” (John 11:35), and that it’s ok for men to cry. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I don’t like this feeling and so I avoid it as much as I can.

I was avoiding it a couple of weeks ago while my wife’s grandmother suffered a stroke at 102 years of age. Following the stroke, she couldn’t talk, which meant she couldn’t eat. If she couldn’t eat, that meant she was going to die. She had a living will which stated she didn’t want any kind of support, including a feeding tube. So we prepared for the inevitable. She was sharp as a knife in her mind, but she couldn’t communicate. We had to assume she was preparing for the inevitable as well. Watching her, still in her bed biding time, I was consumed with sadness. I wasn’t sad about the inevitable loss of her life, she was 102 after all. But I could not help but to think about what must have been going through her mind. She knew she was about to die and couldn’t do a thing about it. Again, that sadness paralyzed me.

Recently, my wife and I watched the Time Traveler’s Wife. Again, I felt this “melancholy and infinite sadness” as I related to Eric Bana’s character towards the end. (kinda spoiler alert if you haven’t seen it) Because he could travel through time, he knew when he was going to die. How would he have felt? What was he thinking? I was just as torn watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. (another spoiler if you haven’t seen it) Here, Brad Pitt’s character had “aged” to infancy with a completely mature mind to comprehend what was happening. The waterworks started flowing as this baby gripped the love of his life’s finger as he passed away.

I don’t like death. As a Christian, I should embrace it, glory in Christ’s resurrection. But I don’t. I cannot get over the sadness that comes with it. I can’t help but think about the inevitable end to our mortality and the loved ones left behind. To be honest, I don’t want to die. In high school, an exercise in my psychology class asked each of us to list one thing we were afraid of. My answer was death. Twenty years later, I wouldn’t change that answer.

Jesus presents quite the paradox. Facing the knowledge of his own death, he wept in the Garden. He struggled with it so much, he escaped to pray about it three times. Yet he surrendered to his Father’s will and willingly marched towards the Cross. Just a short time before, the brother of a couple of his best friends died and there we read the shortest verse in the Bible, “Jesus wept.” Why? He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, he knew the lifeless body before him was not going to remain that way. Was he moved by compassion towards his friends? Was he gripped with the knowledge of his own death? While he could discern what was in the hearts of his disciples and foresaw Judas’ betrayal, could it be that he didn’t know how his own story was going to play out? Surely he knew death held no power. He saw the glories of heaven first-hand and witnessed the countless number of lives who waited in “Abraham’s bosom”. Yet he still cried.

While I don’t understand it, I’m going to take Jesus’ example as permission to feel sadness with respect to death. Yes, I believe in the resurrection. Yes, I believe we should rejoice when a loved one gets to enter into God’s heavenly Kingdom. But I will still feel sadness. I will still cry. So the next time you see me at a movie bawling my eyes out, don’t be surprised.

Infinite Sadness

Frank

It was an afternoon like any other, killing time at my family’s store by turning anything I could get my hands on into some kind of toy. Grandpa hadn’t yet come back after his daily afternoon nap and Grandma asked if I wanted to go home with her to check on him. Go to Grandma’s house? She didn’t have to ask me twice. Walking up the steps, I unlocked the door helping my grandma with arms full of groceries. I opened the door and stepped aside to let her in. The groceries dropped and my grandma rushed me back down the steps. But I still saw. My grandfather lay lifeless on the kitchen floor.

I was babysat by friends of the family for what seemed like hours (we were watching a PBS documentary on bats; not exactly my idea of a good time) which gave me ample time to reflect on life, death, and the afterlife. At nine years old, it was somewhat comprehensible. I understood heaven, kinda understood hell, and didn’t for the life of me understand purgatory (and still don’t). I rationalized the eternal consequence of what just happened, but did not feel anything about what that meant for those of us still living in this life. Perplexed, with wheels always turning, I wondered what this life really meant.

I thought a lot about it, but didn’t feel anything. At least not until a few days later, when after the funeral I found my sister engulfed in tears sitting at a typewriter at our grandparent’s house. On the page were written all of her feelings; a last goodbye from his little princess. Then, and only then, was I able to understand sadness.

As the years passed, I suffered more loss. My favorite uncle passed away while I was in the eighth grade, countless friends of the family passed away over the years, and I lost my father right as my junior year in college began. Because of this, I thought I understood death and understood sadness.

When I became a disciple of Jesus four years after my father died, eternal life took on more significant a meaning than paintings of angels sitting on clouds in heaven. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55) So when I next faced death,I thought my faith was mature enough to handle it. Or so I thought, I still didn’t know how to feel. My wife lost her foster mom, whom she loved dearly despite only living with her for two years. I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t know how to help, I was paralyzed by this unfamiliar feeling-sadness. Sure I was sad when my dad passed away, but I drowned that out. I had nowhere to run from these feelings. There was no bottle to crawl into. And so I cried. Right around the same time I watched Big Fish and could not stop crying. For hours. This new feeling opened up a wellspring that I has not yet run dry. I now cry at just about anything, most notoriously while watching Finding Nemo.

Now Glynn Young reminded me that “Jesus wept” (John 11:35), and that it’s ok for men to cry. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I don’t like this feeling and so I avoid it as much as I can.

I was avoiding it a couple of weeks ago while my wife’s grandmother suffered a stroke at 102 years of age. Following the stroke, she couldn’t talk, which meant she couldn’t eat. If she couldn’t eat, that meant she was going to die. She had a living will which stated she didn’t want any kind of support, including a feeding tube. So we prepared for the inevitable. She was sharp as a knife in her mind, but she couldn’t communicate. We had to assume she was preparing for the inevitable as well. Watching her, still in her bed biding time, I was consumed with sadness. I wasn’t sad about the inevitable loss of her life, she was 102 after all. But I could not help but to think about what must have been going through her mind. She knew she was about to die and couldn’t do a thing about it. Again, that sadness paralyzed me.

Recently, my wife and I watched the Time Traveler’s Wife. Again, I felt this “melancholy and infinite sadness” as I related to Eric Bana’s character towards the end. (kinda spoiler alert if you haven’t seen it) Because he could travel through time, he knew when he was going to die. How would he have felt? What was he thinking? I was just as torn watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. (another spoiler if you haven’t seen it) Here, Brad Pitt’s character had “aged” to infancy with a completely mature mind to comprehend what was happening. The waterworks started flowing as this baby gripped the love of his life’s finger as he passed away.

I don’t like death. As a Christian, I should embrace it, glory in Christ’s resurrection. But I don’t. I cannot get over the sadness that comes with it. I can’t help but think about the inevitable end to our mortality and the loved ones left behind. To be honest, I don’t want to die. In high school, an exercise in my psychology class asked each of us to list one thing we were afraid of. My answer was death. Twenty years later, I wouldn’t change that answer.

Jesus presents quite the paradox. Facing the knowledge of his own death, he wept in the Garden. He struggled with it so much, he escaped to pray about it three times. Yet he surrendered to his Father’s will and willingly marched towards the Cross. Just a short time before, the brother of a couple of his best friends died and there we read the shortest verse in the Bible, “Jesus wept.” Why? He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, he knew the lifeless body before him was not going to remain that way. Was he moved by compassion towards his friends? Was he gripped with the knowledge of his own death? While he could discern what was in the hearts of his disciples and foresaw Judas’ betrayal, could it be that he didn’t know how his own story was going to play out? Surely he knew death held no power. He saw the glories of heaven first-hand and witnessed the countless number of lives who waited in “Abraham’s bosom”. Yet he still cried.

While I don’t understand it, I’m going to take Jesus’ example as permission to feel sadness with respect to death. Yes, I believe in the resurrection. Yes, I believe we should rejoice when a loved one gets to enter into God’s heavenly Kingdom. But I will still feel sadness. I will still cry. So the next time you see me at a movie bawling my eyes out, don’t be surprised.

Hand Up or Handout? (repost)

Frank

This week’s Blog Carnival topic is “Compassion”. Head over to Bridget Chumbley’s for more thoughts, convictions, and experiences.

***Originally posted on October 26, 2009***

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” -James 1:27

I recently brought up my involvement in an addiction recovery ministry. I thank all of you for your encouraging comments. Truth is, I wouldn’t be involved in that ministry if I didn’t need it myself. Besides my character, I have learned much about the human condition and those things that drive us to our drugs of choice. I’ve also learned that in order to overcome our addictions and surrender our will to God, we need to “hit bottom”. This means we’ve reached our lowest point and that realization motivates us to change. Recovery “raises” that bottom, so our motivation for sobriety moves from being afraid of the worst that could happen to desiring the best that God has in store for us. The temptation for many is to prevent a loved one from reaching their bottom. We don’t want to see them suffer. We want to save them. But suffering is exactly what they need to find the desire for recovery.

This creates a paradox to the Christian. There is no sin so horrible that God can’t forgive. “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear” (Isaiah 59:1) And we are commanded to “forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13b) Likewise we are commanded to “carry each other’s burdens” because “in this way you will fulfill the Law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2)

It’s easy to forgive an addict without enabling him. But where do you draw the line when carrying his burdens? On one hand, he needs to suffer the consequences of his decisions. But that does not mean we cannot help. Picking him up from the bar at 2:00 AM because he can’t drive home is not carrying his burdens. But sponsoring him at a meeting is.

With addiction, that line is more clear than when dealing with other sins. What about a single teenage mother? Is offering to babysit while she searches for a job enabling, or sharing her burden? This is something my wife and I are currently battling. There are a couple of single moms that we’ve been reaching out to and opening our home to. When we bring them to church, the stares we get say, “why would you help her? It’s her fault she’s in the situation she’s in.” Are we preventing them from hitting their bottom? I’d like to think instead we’re offering a safe environment in which they can work out their issues. Much like a recovery meeting.

Sadly, this perspective doesn’t seem to be shared. To some, we are offering a handout instead of a hand up. I am moved to pray the lyrics to Brandon Heath’s song, Give Me Your Eyes,

“All those people going somewhere,
Why have I never cared?

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see”

I can then follow up with Leeland and Brandon Heath’s Follow You,

“Faith without works is dead
On the cross your blood was shed
So how could we not give it away so freely?”

I only pray others may see the world in the same way.

***Update: Since this was posted last October, one of these women found gainful employment that also provided much-needed daycare and another moved in with her family for help while she goes to school. Sadly, neither have since kept in touch. I’m now wrestling with how best to minister to a family where the wife is infected with HIV and the husband is working his fingers to the bone to provide. The faces change, but the battle remains the same. It is my conviction that being a Christian means more than spouting off Bible verses and having perfect attendance on Sundays. We need to share the compassion of Christ to everyone, whether or not it is comfortable or convenient.***

Hand Up or Handout? (repost)

Frank

This week’s Blog Carnival topic is “Compassion”. Head over to Bridget Chumbley’s for more thoughts, convictions, and experiences.

***Originally posted on October 26, 2009***

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” -James 1:27

I recently brought up my involvement in an addiction recovery ministry. I thank all of you for your encouraging comments. Truth is, I wouldn’t be involved in that ministry if I didn’t need it myself. Besides my character, I have learned much about the human condition and those things that drive us to our drugs of choice. I’ve also learned that in order to overcome our addictions and surrender our will to God, we need to “hit bottom”. This means we’ve reached our lowest point and that realization motivates us to change. Recovery “raises” that bottom, so our motivation for sobriety moves from being afraid of the worst that could happen to desiring the best that God has in store for us. The temptation for many is to prevent a loved one from reaching their bottom. We don’t want to see them suffer. We want to save them. But suffering is exactly what they need to find the desire for recovery.

This creates a paradox to the Christian. There is no sin so horrible that God can’t forgive. “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear” (Isaiah 59:1) And we are commanded to “forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13b) Likewise we are commanded to “carry each other’s burdens” because “in this way you will fulfill the Law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2)

It’s easy to forgive an addict without enabling him. But where do you draw the line when carrying his burdens? On one hand, he needs to suffer the consequences of his decisions. But that does not mean we cannot help. Picking him up from the bar at 2:00 AM because he can’t drive home is not carrying his burdens. But sponsoring him at a meeting is.

With addiction, that line is more clear than when dealing with other sins. What about a single teenage mother? Is offering to babysit while she searches for a job enabling, or sharing her burden? This is something my wife and I are currently battling. There are a couple of single moms that we’ve been reaching out to and opening our home to. When we bring them to church, the stares we get say, “why would you help her? It’s her fault she’s in the situation she’s in.” Are we preventing them from hitting their bottom? I’d like to think instead we’re offering a safe environment in which they can work out their issues. Much like a recovery meeting.

Sadly, this perspective doesn’t seem to be shared. To some, we are offering a handout instead of a hand up. I am moved to pray the lyrics to Brandon Heath’s song, Give Me Your Eyes,

“All those people going somewhere,
Why have I never cared?

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see”

I can then follow up with Leeland and Brandon Heath’s Follow You,

“Faith without works is dead
On the cross your blood was shed
So how could we not give it away so freely?”

I only pray others may see the world in the same way.

***Update: Since this was posted last October, one of these women found gainful employment that also provided much-needed daycare and another moved in with her family for help while she goes to school. Sadly, neither have since kept in touch. I’m now wrestling with how best to minister to a family where the wife is infected with HIV and the husband is working his fingers to the bone to provide. The faces change, but the battle remains the same. It is my conviction that being a Christian means more than spouting off Bible verses and having perfect attendance on Sundays. We need to share the compassion of Christ to everyone, whether or not it is comfortable or convenient.***

Blogging to the Choir?

Frank

I’m insecure about my blog traffic, I admit. Frequently I consider hanging it all up, logging off, and not returning. I can’t keep up with Twitter traffic, nor can I take the time to read every other Christian blog I’ve found that I’m interested in. And I know that successfully doing both would increase interest and traffic on my blog.

I also question the value. Is there anyone really listening? I’m a sports junkie and I see this on message boards as well. Someone will pontificate on a point about fan behavior, or attendance, or a blown call a ref made. For the most part, everyone agrees. In those forums, you’re essentially preaching to the choir. Christian blogging isn’t much different. It’s unlikely non-believers are reading my blog; though I suppose they could be, I know they don’t comment. Followers and commenters are like-minded. I read their blogs, they read mine, and we both nod our heads in agreement. Don’t get me wrong, I come away after reading about others’ convictions with new convictions of my own. And that’s the hope I have with this blog. But I wonder…

So what difference does this all make? Will I transform the church with my words? Will these thoughts lead anyone to Christ? Is this even the correct medium for this message? Of course there are others who have this nailed. They know how to increase traffic, know how to appropriately respond when traffic is down, and sincerely believe in the medium (and these were all just from Saturday!). But I’m not so easily convinced.

Then last week something strange happened. A blogger, with the power of the pen (or pixel), disrupted the plans for expansion of an NCAA Division-1 FBS (don’t ask) conference, called a bluff on a state legislature, and likely single-handedly changed the landscape of college football. And he’s not done. If you don’t follow college football and the BCS, I’m talking about Chip Brown and the drama that ensued last week as the Big 12 effectively dissolved, the PAC 10 added Colorado, and the Mountain West took a week to announce they were adding Boise State. And like I said, by the time you read this, there will likely be more changes announced. Granted, Chip Brown is no ordinary blogger, he worked for the Dallas Morning News for 10 years, but there was a lot of power in his words as he turned the rumor mill.

I’m reminded that our words have power, even if they are electronic rather than spoken. An encouraging word still has the power to encourage a reader. And a convicting scripture will still convict.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29)

“As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11)

So my questions to you Christian bloggers out there:

Who is your audience and what is the goal of your blog? (be sure to link your blog too!)

Blogging to the Choir?

Frank

I’m insecure about my blog traffic, I admit. Frequently I consider hanging it all up, logging off, and not returning. I can’t keep up with Twitter traffic, nor can I take the time to read every other Christian blog I’ve found that I’m interested in. And I know that successfully doing both would increase interest and traffic on my blog.

I also question the value. Is there anyone really listening? I’m a sports junkie and I see this on message boards as well. Someone will pontificate on a point about fan behavior, or attendance, or a blown call a ref made. For the most part, everyone agrees. In those forums, you’re essentially preaching to the choir. Christian blogging isn’t much different. It’s unlikely non-believers are reading my blog; though I suppose they could be, I know they don’t comment. Followers and commenters are like-minded. I read their blogs, they read mine, and we both nod our heads in agreement. Don’t get me wrong, I come away after reading about others’ convictions with new convictions of my own. And that’s the hope I have with this blog. But I wonder…

So what difference does this all make? Will I transform the church with my words? Will these thoughts lead anyone to Christ? Is this even the correct medium for this message? Of course there are others who have this nailed. They know how to increase traffic, know how to appropriately respond when traffic is down, and sincerely believe in the medium (and these were all just from Saturday!). But I’m not so easily convinced.

Then last week something strange happened. A blogger, with the power of the pen (or pixel), disrupted the plans for expansion of an NCAA Division-1 FBS (don’t ask) conference, called a bluff on a state legislature, and likely single-handedly changed the landscape of college football. And he’s not done. If you don’t follow college football and the BCS, I’m talking about Chip Brown and the drama that ensued last week as the Big 12 effectively dissolved, the PAC 10 added Colorado, and the Mountain West took a week to announce they were adding Boise State. And like I said, by the time you read this, there will likely be more changes announced. Granted, Chip Brown is no ordinary blogger, he worked for the Dallas Morning News for 10 years, but there was a lot of power in his words as he turned the rumor mill.

I’m reminded that our words have power, even if they are electronic rather than spoken. An encouraging word still has the power to encourage a reader. And a convicting scripture will still convict.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29)

“As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11)

So my questions to you Christian bloggers out there:

Who is your audience and what is the goal of your blog? (be sure to link your blog too!)