Friday, May 18, 2012

A Thought About Free-Fall

I believe that the culture we live in unintentionally removes an element from Christianity. Generally speaking, we are raised in the best environment in the world for comfort. How often do you have to worry about getting to eat your next meal, being able to drinking water that is clean enough to actually benefit your body, or finding a sufficient shelter from in pending thunderstorm? The point is that we live in an incredibly low risk environment.

If American society is an airplane, God is the parachute.

If your were to ask people, "Do you trust a parachute to open and bring you safely to the ground?", the most common response would probably be "Yes."

If you were to ask people while in flight, "Do you want to use the parachute (that you trust so readily) by jumping right now from this commercial airplane?", the most common response would probably be "No."

This is my first thought: the American dream is not conducive to the Christian dream. The American dream is self-serving and comfortable. If you ride on the plane, then you will probably not only get where you want to go, but you will most likely enjoy some food and entertainment along the way. The Christian dream (to know and be known by Jesus) does not necessarily end at your intended destination, probably scares the living heck out of you, requires a leap of faith, and is wholly dependent upon God for success.

Now, before I type out thought number two, I want to clarify something. I believe you can be a Christian that sits on the plane. Salvation is not contingent upon your actions, just as it is possible to sit on a 747 while wearing a parachute. I also think that this is what a LOT of American Christians are missing.

This is my second thought: life is vibrant while falling. You get to experience the sunset and sunrise firsthand. You have the freedom to move yourself around within a violently beautiful matrix of air rushing past you. Your body can spin and flip and rotate -- not limited by contact. The fear of imminent danger awakens your senses and calls for a deeper trust in the thing strapped to your back. Those awakened senses take in more of the beauty around you -- you are experience the world on a whole different level. The further you fall, the better your perception of the world becomes. You and your parachute.

My challenge: (to myself included) JUMP. I want to jump in the way that I live life for God. I do not want to be caught up in the American dream. I want to be so dependent on God that it scares me to no end. I want to release a finite monotony and embrace an overwhelming dance.

I think that American culture readily removes some things from a person's walk with God: Ferocity. Passion. Truth (to a degree). Purpose. Vulnerability. Identity. I think it leaves us confused about our wiring. I think that if Christianity "didn't do it for you" then you never jumped from the plane -- because this is what we are made for. It fits. It resonates. It grows. It spreads.

I think that we can "jump from the plane" in the ways that we choose to live at school, in the office, on the court, at home, behind closed doors, and in front of crowds. No jump is too small or too large for your parachute, and I am willing to wager that every height is invigorating for he who makes it.

Escape American mediocrity, and seek life to the full in Christ.

"Only skydivers know why the birds sing"

Friday, May 4, 2012

A Warrior Thought

Recently I have been re-watching the Avatar: the Last Airbender TV series (elementary, I know - but hey, I like it). The show is about a boy's journey to becoming a man and saving the world. I also recently saw the new movie The Avengers. Each of these media encounters seemed to prompt the same emotion within me. In each case I leave with a sense of awe, wishing that I could also have special powers, wishing that I could fall in love with the damsel, and wishing that I could ... be so significant. This honestly reminds me of the time I read the first third of Wild at Heart (never been much of a reader).

Something about seeing other men rise to the challenge awakens my nature, but looking at this realistically, the majority of us are not going to be called into the great beyond with the fate of a multitude of people resting on our impending performance. And if there will be no tangible place to channel the feeling, then why is this feeling even there at all? Wild at Heart basically states that the answer is Jesus, and I completely agree.

I think that the way I typically live warrants no passion. Think about it. The most passionate moments in these movies are the riskiest moments, and whats more, the warrior that experiences risk only gets there because he has prepared himself. He has trained with diligence and disciple, ready for the fight to come. Spiritually I do nothing that warrants life. I cannot even convince myself to read Scripture consistently. I think that I consistently live in the shade of spiritual war while I ignore that which is casting the shadow.

I believe that the reality of what spiritually is will parallel the reality of what emotionally is. In other words, the internal connection I have with heroes only reveals the power of what is happening around me. I think that God has wired me to passionately respond in times of need so that when He brands the need of the world on my heart I will be passionate and self-sacrificing about His purposes.

This thought presents a challenge:

I want to let God put me on the front lines. To fight the war, I have to see the war. 


Patience, though, because my God is sovereign.

My prayer:
"God, please teach me to live a warrior's life. I know You have wired me to do battle for a reason. I want this desire to be filled, and I want You to be the one to do it. I am tired of trying to fill the desires You have placed with things that are not of You. Teach me to trust You more than that. I want to see it. I want to fight in it."