Creating Culture

I am reading The Ragamuffin Gospel (still) and have come across some jarring quotes. Like this one:

The dichotomy between what we say and what we do is so pervasive in the church and in society that we actually come to believe our illusions and rationalizations and clutch them to our hearts like favorite teddy bears.

We hang on to appearances because we are afraid to be transparetly not good enough.

What are you clutching?

Amanda and I booked a moving truck today to prepare for our move back to Iowa. Fortunately, we just got our tax refund back, which will cover most of the cost!

I wish we were doing something creative with the money, like giving it to Haiti relief efforts, or raising awareness about human trafficking, or buying one of these.

But for now, UHaul gets our tax refund, and I am completely cool with that.

What are you doing with your tax refunds, dear readers? Do tell. I may just live vicariously through your purchases. :)

How do you tell the most amazing woman you have ever met how much she means to you?

How do you communicate a love that has deepened more than you thought possible?

How do you show someone that you would do anything for them?

What do you say to the woman who captivated you when you first saw her in the college dorms?

Today marks the day of our one year wedding anniversary. It has been a quick year, one full of adventure.

I would like to take a moment and thank everyone in our lives who has believed in us, helped us, poured into us, and prayed for us. We are truly grateful.

And to the woman who puts up with me and loves me no matter what; I love you!

I read this comment on a blog yesterday and it stopped me dead in my tracks.

Maybe we’re more homophobic than we are biblical in our view of sin.

Wow.

This comment was in response to a post about a man being fired from a church for admitting his struggle with homosexuality. Here is the first post that started it off, the response post from the author, and a follow-up post that features a video response by an authority on the topic.

About the quote: I believe it touches on a deep truth found in the church.

Church leaders are held to a higher than average standard – it just comes with the territory. However, it seems that those in the church, including those in leadership, tend to prioritize sin. The problem and danger in a prioritization of sin is that as Scripture says, we have all fallen short of the glory of God. We all require grace. We all need the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. That’s why it’s referred to as the good news.

So when we try to take a sin and make it the sin, we are creating a culture where my sins aren’t as bad as your sins, and our sins aren’t as bad as their sins. This is rooted in two things, both destructive: pride and fear.

Pride because we don’t want to admit our sins, failures and shortcomings. Surely God understands what I am struggling with, and knows my heart – but that guy, he just needs to straighten up.

Fear because our sin separates us from Christ just as much as the next guy, and admitting that sin, and waiting for the judgment of others, makes you feel like you just strolled into class on the first day of school in your underwear.

I pray that we can be reminded to lay down our pride and fear, and seek the reconciliation and restoration found in Christ.

Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.

Forming a new habit takes somewhere between 21 and 28 days. That’s when, psychologically, it becomes routine, and no longer requires all the self-control you can muster. When you think about it, three to four weeks is a long time when you are battling your doubt, laziness, insecurity, forgetfulness, busy schedules and the other zillion things competing for your attention. This is what Scripture refers to as the flesh – and it’s a difficult thing to conquer.

However, not only am I convinced that it can happen, I am convinced it is necessary in order to follow Jesus purposefully and passionately. Part of it is creating new habits in our lives. At One Church, we are in a series that is centered around forming these new habits – prayer, Scripture reading, sharing and giving. These are the essentials that Jesus calls to live by, and to be honest, they don’t fit well in 21st century America. But forming these new habits are essential to our well-being, and can become a part of how we operate daily. These are known as spiritual practices, where we inject intentional moments to deal with matters of the soul into our everyday lives.

For me, the YouVersion reading plans have helped me begin to form a habit of reading Scripture everyday, because let’s be honest, we have all had those times where we look at a Bible and wonder where in the world to start.

I am reading through the Gospels in 30 days with the One Church group, and through the chronological plan which lasts a full year. I am hoping to form new habits in my life this year that will lead to a fuller understanding to what it means to follow Jesus.

Are you forming new habits? What are they and what are they teaching you?

There was a movement in the early church that drove people from the heart of the Empire to live in solitude. It was a small group of people who chose to flee to the desert in order to escape the materialism, corruption and persecution that came along with the culture of the city. They created a new culture. A culture that was founded on minimalism, connection with God and caring for the poor. These men became known as Fathers of the Desert. While the movement was recognized primarily in the third century, their roots can be traced back to Jesus’ day, where hermits (translates from the Greek to desert or uninhabited) such as John the Baptist chose a solitary life in the desert.

Living in the most connected and resourced generation in history, I have fleeting desires to go off and unplug. I told Amanda a couple days ago that I would love to take a trip to an old monastery and hang out there for a while. Walk the (what are in my imagination) dark halls that echo your footsteps. Take part in prayer time and stroll through the compound at a quiet, leisurely pace.

While I don’t think that family vacation is going to become a reality, the motivation behind it remains. Sometimes in our media-saturated culture, we need to find ways to disconnect with our social networks and favorite television show and simply spend some time in quiet, before God.

I am not surprised to hear of a movement of New Monasticism. Not at all, because I feel the desire to steal away from culture and tend to a small, intimate group of people is a reaction to the Creator God inside of us. Connection is a desire that points creation to a Creator. Along with that connection is a deep sense that everything is okay, somehow, some way, God is working things out for our good. This can get lost in the fray of our rat race society, and we can turn away from God’s Shalom in our lives.

Today, I hope you allow yourself to unplug for at least a moment to recognize and take part in a peace that passes all understanding.

I had an interesting conversation with a couple employees the other day. It was classic Mac vs. PC banter. I will save you the details, but one observation has stayed with me that is worth sharing.

The main difference between Mac and PC is not necessarily in the computer itself, but how it interacts with the user. Both machines use similar technology, similar components and similar foundational principles in design. They are both computers. The difference comes into play when you sit someone down in front of one and say, “Go.”

Apple has designed computers that are easy to use, look clean and showcase simplicity. Example: drag and drop. PCs are designed to be customized and upgradeable. Example: msconfig, otherwise known as microsoft system configuration utility.

See what I mean?

If you know the ins and outs of computers, PCs have no limit. If you have an average knowledge of computers – and can afford it* – macs get the job done. It is the difference between the professional and the casual user. *There is a market for the cheaper alternative, and there is nothing wrong with that – if you recognize it and own it.

For the creatives: If you want your project to be easily and widely accessible, simplify your idea and market/package that simplicity. If you want your project to be used by professionals or experts, keep it open and easy to customize.

For the inquisitive: I have an idea for a book I am working on that will challenge the common reader experience. Definitely a book for a niche crowd (experts) as apposed to casual readers. Many will not like the idea, which makes me weirdly excited.

*Inspired by this great post from Stephen Pressfield’s blog. The best (only?) venn diagram blog in existence.

My younger brother hates the sound of brushing teeth.

I cannot stand the sound of teeth scraping on a fork.

To us, those are like nails on a chalkboard. Probably even worse.

Now to you; noise, smell, action, non-action or otherwise, what’s that one thing you can’t stand?

Bonus question: what does that reveal about you as a person?

I wrote a post a couple weeks ago about a benefit concert called Help Haiti Live.

Today is the day!

The concert will be held in Nashville, but will be streamed live on HelpHaitiLive.com. Shaun Groves has produced the event, and in a very short time, has pulled together quite the lineup.
All donations will benefit Compassion International’s Haiti disaster relief fund.

The lineup:
Big Kenny, Alison Krauss with Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Jars of Clay, Matt Kearney, Jon Foreman, Matt Wertz, Brandon Heath, Dave Barnes and NEEDTOBREATHE.

The show starts at 7:30 CST, and if you haven’t found a way to give to Haiti, this would be a great opportunity to tune in and donate.