The Christmas Season

That most wonderful of times is upon us yet again: The Christmas Season. Yes, it's Christmas time. Time to light a fire in the fireplace, sip some cocoa, wrap presents, and listen to songs about murder and infidelity.

"Murder and infidelity! What?!?!" you may say.
"Yes. Our yuletide airwaves are full of them!" I'd reply.
"Shocking," you respond.
"Indeed," I say.

What are some of examples of these songs that distract from the true meaning of America's favorite virgin birth?

Murder: Grandma got run over by a reindeer. Note the horrified expression on grandma's face as she realizes her impending doom. Click for the video. Ok, so maybe it's not exactly murder, but due to the fact that "our friend" Saint Nick failed to report this traffic related fatality, it's at least vehicular manslaughter or negligent homicide. Hey Kris Kringle! I do say there's such a thing as Santa, and I think you deserve 25-life!

Infidelity: Murder wasn't enough for this jolly fellow, Santa Claus. No. He had to hit on your mom, too. Click here to hear the shocking tale. Maybe this bizarre event was the one that drove Michael to become the strange man we knew in his later life. I know I'd be permanently scarred from such a shocking series of events. Hey Santa! Stay away from my mom. Maybe seek marriage counseling along with Mrs. Claus. Poor lady, she probably didn't even know until she heard the song...

This post is dedicated to Grandma, Michael Jackson, and all those discerning souls who are searching for the true meaning of Christmas.

The Myth of Christian Positivity

One of my biggest pet-peeves is what I call "the myth of christian positivity". This myth essentially states that it is a Christian's job to be positive at all times, regardless of the circumstances.

"Certainly there aren't people who are really like that," you might say.
But yes, yes there are. And they have the most loving intentions.

You see, many of these people are simply trying to be like Christ.

"We're called to be encouragers!" they might say.

Yes. Yes we are.

But aren't we also called to be authentic? I think that the world sees things that are fake each and every day. And they're great at spotting these things.

You know what I think we need? Christians that are authentic. That are honest with themselves and the world around them. Christians who recognize that some situations have shades of gray. Individuals who will recognize that sometimes circumstances just suck.

Let's offer hope and peace, absolutely! But let us also be willing to recognize that not everything's o.k. Let's meet people where they're at in their suffering and sit with them for a while. No one's happy all the time. So let's not try to be. People almost universally value honesty. Let's build a relationship and talk with these people about a person named Jesus. A person who sometimes drank; a person who met people in their suffering and engaged them.

Let's be Jesus and engage with honesty and openness and most of all, love.

Where?

Where is God in the midst of hectic schedules? In a life filled with reading, reading, meetings, more reading, and more meetings? In mandated chapel attendance, broken card scanners, press box burnings, and H1N1?

He's in an iced mocha from mcdonald's. He's in fake characters named Rick. He's in laundry that smells like Tide with a hint of lavender®. He's in health care debates and tort reforms and textbook revelations. He's in the occipital lobe and the cost of modernization. He's in distributional justice and fresh-cut grass.

He's all around. Do we notice him?

Summer Series: Entry 1

This begins what will be a series of questions that I have had and am currently discussing with a few friends. I'd love to have your feedback. I have some ideas of my own on these, but I'm genuinely interested in what you will have to add to the discussion. No real theme to these. Just honest questions of a 20 year old college student.

What role does/should the bible play in our lives?

How much authority should we give the bible?

Is the Bible fallible? How do you define fallibility?

Why are you a Christian?

Honesty

"I've been mad at you for a long time, ya know? It's been hard for me not to ask some really tough questions of you in the past 3 years. So many things have gone wrong. My best friend is gone. My parents are split up. My whole family kinda fell apart. There have been so many nights where I've just laid in my bed and tried to talk with you. But I haven't spoken with you- I've just spoken to you. I want to have a conversation, but I can't hear you."

"Things are still falling apart. I've called you so many times, but you don't answer. So I leave a message. But you haven't answered. I want to hear your voice, see your face, find you in this vast world, meet up with you somewhere- I'd go pretty much anywhere.

Is this a race that I just keep losing? Is this a test that I'm failing? If there's an expectation that I'm falling short of, I gotta tell ya, I'll never meet it. I know that I'm not enough, and I believe you want to be in a relationship with me, but I need to hear from you. I can't do this on my own anymore. I know that. iwanttohaveYouinmylife."

"I think you will find me. I just hope it's soon. Don't wait too long, ok? I need you."

Early morning
The city breaks
I've been callin'
For years and years and years and years
And you never left me no messages
Ya never send me no letters
You got some kinda nerve
Taking all my world

Lost and insecure
You found me, you found me
Lyin' on the floor
Where were you? Where were you?
Lost and insecure
You found me, you found me
Lyin' on the floor
Surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late
You found me, you found me
Why'd you have to wait?
To find me, to find me
-The Fray

Current

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse.

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Jeremiah 31:3-4

When things go bad, people here at MVNU (as well as in almost any church) often say, "Don't worry! God has a plan!"

God's got a plan alright. But as far as I'm concerned most of that plan is dealing with how to fix stuff we screwed up.

Here's how I see it: Just because God has a plan doesn't mean it's necessarily going to come true. An omnibenevolent God does not have a plan that involves his creation falling out of his good graces.

He doesn't have a plan that involves millions of people dying from a preventable epidemic like malaria.

God's plan was for a perfect world, and we screwed it up. Fast forward to the good news- he has a plan for redemption. He's fixing things now and using crappy throwaways like me and you to do some of it.

But when things go wrong, don't tell me it's part of God's plan. I think God hates suffering as much as we do if not more.

Thanks, Cameron Crowe!

"You want to be really great? Then have the courage to fail big and stick around. Make them wonder why you're still smiling. That's true greatness to me."
- Elizabethtown