Archive for October, 2006

I’m asking for some opinions and input. Doesn’t matter if you’re a parent or not, you’ve still got an opinion and I’d love to hear it.

I’m a father with 3 young kids and Halloween is today. As Christians, we’re overall led to believe that Halloween is an evil day that we shouldn’t participated in (unless we call it safe names like, Harvest Parties!). My kids are interested this year (though they’re only 4, 3 & 1 yrs.) and I know they only want candy and to dress up. We’ve told them no, not this year – but still don’t have a definitive answer for them.

I always remeber the weirdos in our neighborhood growing up that didn’t ’do Halloween’. But now that I have kids and are concerned with what we let them engage in, I’m left not knowing the right answer. So on Halloween, what is a Christian to do?

Any opinions on how to approach Halloween in the proper context?

I was unpacking (yes, I’m still unpacking) and found a note from a old friend. She had given me a few words of wisdom about Authentic Spirituality.  Since I blogged a few days back on authenticity, I figured I should share her wisdom on the subject:

 Authentic Spritiuality is displayed in the book of Acts. So what is it?

1. Love for Christ

2. Loyalty to fellow disciples

3. Contagious Faith

4. Unreserved commitment

5. Expectation of great things

6. Filled with the Holy Spirit

I blogged a while back on Hollywood pursuing the Christian dollar. And after hearing about it again this morning on the news, I’m just mad. What have we done as Christians to be viewed as a dollar demographic of people?

Is it even good that we’re viewed as a demographic. It makes us sound more like lambs for the slaughter than roaring lions. We are no longer viewed as dangerous individuals tirelessly pursuing Christ and giving our lives over to saving a lost world. No, we’ve become a buying class of people. Are we dangerous? No.

How does the world percieve us? Well, we’re PG and family wholesome. We buy nice clean things that make us feel nice and clean. We have let ourselves become stereotyped and neutered.

Where are our Christian testicles!?! They were lopped of long ago. I want to be a scary hairy smelly man crying out in the wilderness like John the Baptist. I don’t want be Ned Flanders.

Hollywood sees us as just another group to market and milk for cash. They don’t fear the message we have to offer. The smile, nod their heads and then give us what we want as we call it a victory for Christians!They set the trends (take the cash) and we dutifully follow.

The guys at the XXXchurch.com website use the phrase, “If Satan’s a pimp, don’t be his hoe.” Well are we hoe-ing ourselves out for a better life? To fit in? To be comfortable?

What has been lost? Too much.

How do we get it back? That’s something I’m trying to figure out, seeking it in prayer and practice.

So how about you? How does this make you feel?

U2 + Green Day +  a good cause = sweet goodness

Authenticity. It’s a word that’s been hitting me for the past few months. So what does it mean to be authentic (or mainly an authentic Christian)?

 Hebrews 4:13 says that “nothing in all creation can hide from Him. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes.”

So why are we incapable of being authentic? Fear of shame, embarrassment? Maybe.

I think it goes beyond that. Granted, Adam and Eve eating from the apple shattered true authenticity and lead to us all covering up. There’s a deeper message here. 1) Satan tempted Eve to eat the apple. Shame and distance (from God and man) resulted from it. So then I could say that 2) Satan uses our fear of intimacy to keep us from truly having fellowship with others. Isn’t that his paramount goal? Separate us from God and other believers? There’s safety in numbers and when we stray too far from the herd, we’re toast.  

So then, is true authenticity acutally true oneness (with God or others)?

Agree? Disagree?

What is your definition of authentic?

This is a simple game. Each week I’ll display a scene from the Bible featuring Legos (compliments of the Brick Testament). First to guess wins! I’ll keep a cumulative score going and the winner will receive a prize after a few months (it will be a REAL prize and I’ll ship it out to you wherever you are!) So post your answer in the comments box.

This week will be an easy one. So guess! Win!

 (And for bonus nerd points, put down the scripture reference)

Dear Toe, Yes, you the big one on my right foot. I am sorry. I truly am. I don’t know what I have done or what has exactly brought this on. Maybe I’m being cursed by the gods (I know there’s only one true God, but saying gods sounds all Greek and sophisticated). Either way I don’t know what I’ve done! 

Over the past summer till now, I’ve been on 4 adventure trips. And one each trip you seem to get smashed. Not any of your nine friends, just you. You were first smashed rock-climbing and turned purple. Then weeks later something was dropped on you. I then lost all feeling of you, till I cut off ½ of your nail – leaving you naked and exposed.  I know all of this must have been humiliating. I’ve apologized and we seemed been healing together. Then it happened again. Then again this past weekend. Now you’re purple all over again.  

I don’t know what to say other than I’m sorry and please give me another chance! I’ll trim you more often and keep your hair cut too. I’ll do anything, just don’t leave me!  Your owner, 

Stuart

PS: there is a plus side, they say that purple is the color of royalty and that probably means you’re the king of the toes!