it was sure great being back in the Big House yesterday with all of you NLC-ites. I can't believe we're already into the summer season. I'm pumped about the "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" Series that begins June 24th! Every week is going to be dynamite!
On a personal note, one of the books I'm currently reading is: The Gospel According to Starbucks by Leonard Sweet. I really like Leonard Sweet, he thinks about stuff nobody else thinks about. Here are a few of the big thoughts that I'm wrestling with right now:
- There is a whole section on what he calls "The Well-Curving of Society." The idea is that the "Bell-Curve" days of society are gone... Big Middle, small extremes. We are now living in the Opposite State: Big Extremes, small Middle. He has a whole section of the book that gives examples of this. Like:
- No company beginning today would think of naming themselves: General Electric, General Motors, or General Foods today.
- Sales of Mid-sized TV's are lagging, but Big Screens and Small Handhelds (think Video iPods) are on the rise.
- The Middle Class of America is shrinking (Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki wrote a book on this recently) but the poor and upper classes are gaining momentum.
- Even sports is drifting toward the extremes: What kid doesn't want to rock climb, bungee jump, wake board, moutain bike, or skateboard.
Where this gets interesting for me is when I begin to filter our faith through that lense. People aren't looking for safe, middle of the road Christianity any longer. They want extreme, on the edge radical Christianity that causes us to push past what is reasonable and safe, and move toward what contains risk and adventure.
What about us? Where do we find our faith? In the safe middle, or on an extreme that pushes our comfort zone?
- "Is God a reality to be experienced or a belief to be remembered?" I love this quote! It's so easy to turn our faith into just something we believe, rather than something we experience with our whole lives! How are we doing at that? Are we living the experience that is God daily? Or are we just content to have an intellectualized version of Him existant in our lives? (Wow, that's intense... Give yourself permission to wrestle with that for a minute.)
- "If faith is not both an engagement and an experience, then it's little more than a good idea... or an argument. And who is looking for another argument? Did Jesus die to win an argument? Did Jesus die to give us a better position paper?" Are you kiddin' me? That's just ridiculous!!! I have been near some Christians who really believe that the essence of Christianity is simply about arguments and retoric. That makes me sick. My staff knows that one of the things I'm known to say is: "Never mistake those who talk about ministry with those who are actually doing it!" Sweet contends that Christianity is the same way... So what about us? ? Is Jesus just something we talk about? Or are we actually engaging in the life that is truly life?
Just some bloggish thoughts... (not bad for a Monday morning...)
Pastor Matt
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