Life, "-------" , and the Pursuit of Happiness

Well, it's time for a horrifically sporradic blog post! I felt angry enough about something to blog...enjoy!

As the election is coming closer and America is polarized right or left to tear at each other from different angles, I must wonder how much anybody REALLY cares. Apart from the extreme interest in the entertainment value of bi-partisan politics, do Americans actually give a rip? My answer: I don't think so.

Everyone is making this election out to be the "most important one" of our times. Is it? Who will fix America?! McCain or Obama?! They both offer as much hope and faith as you can squeeze into a 30 second TV spot. They both look as though their ultimate prerogative is my well-being and happiness. Who is the man or woman for the job? My answer: you. I believe this is also the answer to who is at fault for where we are now.

As I was recently reading George Washington's Farewell Address from 1796, I couldn't help but notice he predicted and warned against such national disunity and the crystallization of hope all put into one man or woman.

"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty." (italics my own)

I believe at this point that we as a nation do not want to fix our country. We want the president and congress elected to fix the country, but there are a few problems with that approach. Firstly, we are the main problem. An evil ignorant people elect evil leaders. Congress cannot combat the same force that got it elected. It will reflect those who elected them. Therefore, there are no longer the intellectually elite, champions of liberty serving our county alongside a people willing to sacrifice. The majority of congress is a steaming heap of money-grubbing miscreants better suited for making a scene than doing anything good for humanity.Granted, the founding fathers were frequently erring and only human, I see the current congress more interested in getting elected and expanding power (rule) than liberty for the people.

But, we have given that liberty up for happiness; mediocre happiness. I see us handing over our Liberty to a governemnt in exchange for happiness and security. liberty takes sacrifice, responsibility, and hard work. Who wants that? I see people handing over personal responsibility (liberties) to the state left and right.

- I don't want to live wisely and save money for old age. Do it for me.
- I don't want to work. Give me money.
- I don't want to provide healthcare for myself. Do it for me.
- I don't want to educate my children. Do it for me.
- I don't want my child. Kill it for me.
- I don't want to realize the world is not fair. Make it fair.
- I don't want life to be hard. Make it easy.
- I can't control my eating. Control it for me.
- I can't research what's good for me. Do it for me.
- I can't pay my debts. Cancel them.
- I live above my means. Make that work for me.
- I want my life to be safe. Make it safe.

When we relegate personal responsibilities to the state I believe we are giving up our liberty for bondage. But it's easier that way. Liberty requires hard work and sacrifice. It also does not guarantee a pain free or fair existence!

As long as we seek our redemption in one man or party, and expect the state to make life easy for us, none of us can complain when we're a hovel of socialistic mediocrity like Britain.

We are ALL citizens of this country with duties that go far beyond just voting for someone to represent us. How much effort does that really take anways? A quick trip to the voting booth? We have some of the poorest citizens this country has to offer in office because we have either failed to serve or stood silent as power hungry individuals have taken over. We have not complained when congress has gotten away with taking our liberty. We have bartered with them for life and happiness in exchange for liberty. It is our duty to pursue liberty as a whole.

So who will fix America, McCain or Obama? That is a horrible question. The name that should appear in the box is yours. Don't let one person, or a small group of them do what you are supposed to do. The results of people giving away liberty for security/happiness will be bondage. Do you have any more thoughts on this?

My next post will be political as well. I will be addressing the issue of how the church has failed to meet social needs and how Facism answers those needs in the form of political religion.

Your mission should you choose to accept it...

...is everyday?

As I sit here and re-cap the events of the last few days in my mind (that is shot) there are a few that stand out. There's this one "I know exactly what to say...ten minutes to late" event that I'd like to replay just for satisfaction. I'll be me and you be the lady I was talking to and at the end I'll feel better about it. Ok maybe not. Well here's how it all went down...

I was walking in a very popular thouroughfare in my school lined with missionary agencies. They're all there with tables, brochures, and sweet looking orphan kids glowing. I was walking back from class and not in a hurry so I noticed that several peers shrugged them off or didn't respond to them when they said a simple "hello." So I looked up! I was bombarded. Before I could say "hi" and turn away this perky well-meaning lady was in my face and sidled up to me quicker than than I could think. She said:

"Are you interested in missions?"

(What to do? I am interested in mission right? What did I say?

"No."

"oh.......well here's the brochure. If you are interested it's just a two day trip
to(somewhere in the Midwest)"

(insert what I wanted to say)

I meant to say no, not that way. I believe that any believer should actively be interested in missions! Every day is my mission. If you are a believer in Christ then he calls to all His children! Not just the ones who go to the Midwest for two days. But wait here at school they say there are "goers" and "senders." WHAT?! Aren't we all called to go? Yes. The call of Christ is universal.

Where should we go? Africa? Asia?

Next door is a start! How about our local communities? We speak their language and understand the culture. Those are things that foreign missionaries spend years learning.
Why not our neighborhood? I know I haven’t even started there since I’ve been in Lynchburg.

Who should we be on mission for?

Who is our neighbor? Remember the story of the good Samaritan? The dying, helpless man is our neighbor. Well that evens things out a bit. We're all dying and helpless before Christ saves us! There's death (sin) in Africa, Asia, and everywhere else. Even next door.

I am not minimilizing the need to go to other countries at all! I know that God has a call on us to do so. But the way we think about missions work needs some refining. I should be the first to admit that rarely do I wake up “seeking first the kingdom.” Everything I'm saying is something that I need to live out. Please forgive me if I sound like I have a handle on this. I don't. This is deeply convicting to me. I pray that God breaks my heart for what breaks His. The first time I answered that lady “no” could have been right depending on what time of the day it was.

I wanted to let the lady know that I loved her and the people in the mid-west, but why, apart from a geographically special calling from God, would I spend thousands of dollars of the church's money to do something that I should be doing everyday in my community?

I don’t like this disjunctive view of missions and everyday life, jobs, locations, etc. I can’t shake the feeling that we try and make that distinction.

I hope this has been a thought provoking post and has been edifying. Maybe I won’t say all that I said above next time this happens, but I will answer in love, truth, and experience.

What are your thoughts/experiences with the subject?

How can we get more white ninjas to come to church? Do we have a ninja program?

So I haven’t posted in a while, but it will become more frequently. I don’t know who reads this, but I hope this helps you. It helps me just to get this stuff out on paper (web-page). I must add a disclaimer to this post. I have written based on personal experience and have tried my best to reason through it. I may not be as right as I would like to think. This is just what I’ve come up with so far. I’m sure as God draws me further along I’ll see where I am usually so sorely lacking. If there is anything true, good, or beautiful about this post it originated from the One who ultimately is. It was nothing of my own.

So here’s the thought(s):

Why do we keep thinking the church is for the unsaved and make it attractive to them so?

Why is the whole work week in some churches spent feverishly maintaining programs that are a supposed benefit to the Kingdom and highly effective means of evangelism?

I have worked at churches that will bleed themselves dry of money, time, family, and mass effort to invest in programs to trick unbelievers into coming to church to get saved.

I have never found any passage that says church is for the unbeliever. Jesus says to Peter, “feed MY sheep.” That is all. So far, in the New Testament the most common activities in church were: praise, prayer, singing, teaching, and fellowship (sharing all things in common) as suggested in Colossians 3. Shouldn’t we do what is asked of us and edify the body? Shouldn’t we focus instead on the believer to help them be a disciplined disciple of Christ? Then evangelism would happen every day of the week. Don’t get me wrong, I believe evangelism is in fact essential to being a Christian. But it needs to happen everyday in our relations with people. One of the reasons the “Emergent Church” is so attractive to people is because of the idea of relational evangelism; we go to them. The idea of evangelism being the point of the church is so prevalent that this alternative method is looking more attractive. But if you adopt emergent church method, you adopt a plethora of other problems that still don’t fix the skewed view of the Church’s role in the world. They seem to see a lot of valid problems with the church. I don’t agree with man of their solutions, but that’s a whole ‘nother post. Their emphasis on social justice is admirable and overlooked by the church as a whole. It is becoming quite trendy to adopt radical social justice programs in church now, but social justice will not save the church. Social justice is just another program a church can buy into without getting the point. I guess I’m just so tired of programs.

If you have any thoughts, solutions, hey-you-were-wrong’s please post them!

Now onto the song (this was from another post)

Here’s a song/poem that I wrote on thoughts about the church in some areas trying to bolster growth with programs and more religious activity. It all seems to happen under the guise of marketing church to the un-churched.

If my people would humbly pray

If they truly seek my face

Maybe they would hear my voice

And cease to strive

If my people would worship me

The world would hear

They have tasted, seen and known

How their holy God will ever be

If my people would love one another

The world would know

How great the love that I have given

That all my children should show

If my people would band together

In spirit and in truth

Hell’s gates would fall in pieces

Heaven’s glory shining through

I’ve given you a promise

One spirit and one truth

A holy word, a sword, a guide

A letter telling you

You don’t need a program

And you don’t need the lights

And all the self help books won’t get you through the night

You don’t need to help me

Prepare my holy bride

But if you would help

I’d gladly use you

Please lay aside your pride

So what have you done with my lover

So simple and so pure

You dressed her up in costume gowns

So many masks cover her

Was her beauty not enough?

Was her truth not life?

I left her here 2000 years ago

And I’ll be coming in the night

What will she look like?