I'm Not Being Fed

               This past week, I ended up deleting a Facebook post of mine which seemed to be devolving into a nonsensical argument.  I had asked the question, “Is there a “church”, whose people never say that they are, “not being fed?”   The conversation went well beyond the scope of the original question.

                I guess it’s my fault.  I intentionally ask questions that probe directly into the matters we wrestle through, both as believers, and simply as human creatures.  If I ask questions of that nature, I shouldn’t expect anything but what comes of them, and if I pursue this further, then I should expect more of the same.

                Many of you who read my writings are the kind of people who have been heard saying, “I’m not being fed.”  So please don’t think I’m taking personal aim at you.  You are not alone.  Please also know that I am not God, so I may very well be wrong about how I see things. 

                When we talk about being fed, what we are supposed to be referring to as Christians, is being taught The Word of God.  There are other ways to describe it, but that’s basically what it comes down to.  Teaching through God’s word is supposed to be a big part of what pastors and teachers do in the church.  I don’t believe there are many of us who would disagree with that.  There is more that a pastor is called to, but it certainly is a big part of the role.

                I told you I wasn’t God.  What I say next might be one place where I am completely off.

                I often find that the people who are the most vocal about what should be taught, are rarely the same individuals who have been called to be pastors themselves.  Granted, there are pastors who come across as if they know exactly what other pastors ought to teach.  That’s why I chose the word, “often”.  It is not always the case.

                Yet don’t worry.  This isn’t the only area of human life where we see the same kinds of complaints.  If you live in a family, you might have made similar observations.  So I will ask you this question;

                In a family, who is more apt to express dissatisfaction with the meal, the one who made it or the ones who are served?

                Those who are called to teaching the Word of God or feeding, normally know well enough the weight of the task, to where they have either the decency, humility or compassion to hold their tongue when they don’t particularly like the taste of what is served to them.  As for food, I don’t know what it’s like to come up with meal ideas night after night, nor prepare them evening after evening, but I have found it best to be thankful for my meal, even when I’m not all that crazy about it.  My children however don’t always share such discretion.

                If our pastor does not teach the word of God, if he twists it, endorses sin or teaches some way to be made right with God other than Christ, then we are indeed being fed a poison.  If that’s the case, you have the devil in your midst, and it might be best to have a lynching.   If we aren’t crazy about the delivery, if we’ve already heard it all from him or if it isn’t always presented in our personal context, we are being fed.  We might not like the meal, but it isn’t a matter of starving to death.  We just don’t particularly enjoy eating manna week after week.  Who does?  Take comfort.  The Israelites didn’t much like it either.

                This brings me to the second observation that I may be wrong about.  When I hear, “I’m not being fed”, it tends to come from someone who already knows what they want.  Sure.  That may sound mean, but if you think on it, is there any other possibility?  How else can the statement be made unless the person has some idea of what he wishes the meal to be?

                I have yet to hear a new believer claim to be malnourished.  Perhaps I am wrong though.  Perhaps the people who make such claims really don’t know what they need.  Maybe they are very immature in their faith and have no clue of what is best for them, and fail to recognize a roast beef dinner when it sits before them.  You decide.  Which could it be?  Are they mature enough to know what they need, or do they need such matters decided for them?  How often is it the third?  How often are they authentically not being taught the things of God? 

                The answer to these questions will vary completely from person to person and church to church.  I imagine that sometimes, I am wrong about people.  Sometimes they are not as mature as I believe them to be.  Sometimes I may be right about them, and they really are mature, to the point where they should be teaching others.  In other times, they really may be starved, where rather than walking through The Word, their teachers harp on personal favorite doctrines week after week, year after year.

                You can take or leave everything I’ve shared with you so far.  Whether anyone is sound in their faith or whether they are not, is not my call to make.  I do have one thing to ask of you, and before I ask it, I beg for your understanding.

                You might be the kind of person who knows everything.  If you are a mom, maybe you never have to ask your husband or kids what they would like for supper.  If you are a man, please know that you are allowed to make food too.  I’m not saying who should make food.  I am speaking from my personal context.  Whether a man or a woman, you have it all together and you always know what to make.  So here is the bit of compassion that I hope you will have for the less fortunate.

                Not everyone shares your certainty in their respective roles.  There are many people who ask the question, “What should I make for supper?” who really don’t know what should be made.  They know that something needs to be made, and that thing is food.  What they lack the conviction of, is what kind of food should be made?

Likewise, there are many pastors who know what is to be taught, and the very thing is the Bible itself.  So that is what they set out to do.   What they wrestle through, is which topic or passage to share from it.  Sure.  If you were that pastor or teacher, I know you would know.  I’m speaking on behalf of those of us who do not have that same assurance. 

If you could see in their hearts, you might see a people who desperately want to share precisely what you need to hear, even as God Himself would have them speak it.  And although they know that you prefer your favorite Bible teachers and authors, they still long to have that special word to speak on what you are going through today. 

I’m not a real pastor, but since they rarely defend their own cause, I’ll end by speaking on their behalf.  We know for certain you need to be fed the Scriptures.  We do not however know exactly what passage or topic suits your palate the best, nor should we.  If we did, the temptation to try and tickle your personal ear would be far too great to resist.

Unreasonable, Unmet Expectations

               A couple of old friends of mine posted an article about Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke’s MTV performance, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.  The article was speaking against people who were offended at Miley’s crotch grabbing, but fine with Robin’s contribution to the world’s rape culture.  What kept going through my mind was this question, “Who was the article written to?”

                I mean, seriously.  What kind of sick, demented freak would be fine with Robin’s Blurred Lines, and have issues with Miley?  All of the people I know take just as much issue with the hump-er, as the hump-ee.

                I do my personal best to understand people, and looking at what I see in the media, it does seem that Miley has taken more heat than Alan Thicke for rubbing their unmentionables.  Part of it is simply the injustice itself, the injustice that women tend to be easier targets.  Our world gives more leeway for men to indulge themselves.  But is that the target of the article?  Who are the people that are offended at Miley, but fine with Robin?  I wanted to know. 

Let’s Call Them, Them

                I can’t call them we, because I’m not among them, and neither do I know anyone who would be fine with what Robin Thicke represents.  I have a sneaking suspicion however, that They might be a certain kind of Christian.  It’s just a guess, but suppose that They are.

                Christians really don’t belong to this world, but there is something in most of Them that kind of wants to participate in the general goings on of this planet.  They don’t really want to boycott absolutely everything.  They would like very much to have cable/satellite or internet TV, collect DVD’s and download music on iTunes.  Really.  There is so much filth in this world, they are almost searching for something acceptable.

                So when a young Hanna Montana comes on the scene, in a strange way, many of them are more than happy to embrace her.  Perhaps that was their great folly.  Although quite superficial, glittery and seeking fame, she seemed clean enough, which made her tolerable.  She was even said to be a Christian (whatever that means), so it must be acceptable for your kids to listen to.  Right?

                That doesn’t answer it.  Does it?  Why?  Why would someone be upset at Miley, but tolerate Robin?  Why, why, why?   Allow me to answer with a phrase:

Unreasonable, Unmet Expectations

                They had hoped for more from Myley Cyrus.  Apparently she was a Christian.  It’s not like there are a lot of Christian laws on this sort of thing, but dry humping really isn’t something that is done in most churches on a Sunday morning.  Not the ones I have been to anyway.

                They had wanted Miley Cyrus to be someone they could embrace.  Never have they held similar hopes for Robin Thicke.  It was pretty much assumed from the beginning that he was a dog.  The public isn’t really outraged when a drug dealing thug shoots a police officer, or when a Muslim kills a cartoonist.  It’s kind of what you expect.  The public outrage comes when police kill a citizen, a Christian burns a Koran, or a priest molests a child, because those things are out of place.

I’m not an American, but I kind of wonder if what They see in Miley, in a way highlights the greater disappointment They have with Their own nation.  America isn’t Heaven, but isn’t there a desire in many Americans, which hoped their country would be better than the rest of the world?  They had wanted a place that’s clean, but it has ended up just as filthy, if not more so, than any other place on earth.  (I would say that it is filthier)  So what They see in Miley, brings to mind not only the immorality of celebrity culture, but the very failure of Their nation, and perhaps even that of Their own families.

                It was unreasonable for anyone to have hoped for Miley to be anything but what she is.  She is the very embodiment of what MTV hopes to produce.  Robin embodies it for the male gender, but he is what we all expected him to be.  Their expectations for Miley however were different.

              

As For Me...

                I’ve talked a lot about Them.  How about me?  Do you wonder where I stand?

                Mostly I just have a lot of questions.  I wonder why feminists are not more disdainful about how one of their own would play her part in blurring the lines between consent and rape.  I wonder how wretched we have to become, before we realize that something is dreadfully wrong.  It used to be offensive when Elvis shook his hips.  I wonder what the next step down will be.  I wonder when men will become men.  I wonder how much lower we can sink before we fall apart.  More importantly,

                How much more can we degrade ourselves?  (Yes.  BOTH men AND women)



PS - And if you are the one who wrote the original article....How about it?  Are They your Them?  Who were you writing to?

Setting The World On Fire

   Both of these songs sing about setting the world on fire.  What's the difference?

 

 

 

 

You can say what you want about Christianity; that they are a bunch of rule following, gay haters.  What I know for sure, is that before I knew Jesus, I really wanted to see the world burn.  And judging by the kind of music our culture produces, I know I wasn't alone in that.  Here is another song from back in the day.  (And if you need more examples of music that highlights our darker tendencies, I can provide more.  There is no shortage.)

 

 

 

The Second Rate Christian

                A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking at my home church.  After the “service”, I had the usual compliments, but one hit closest to an issue that’s often on my heart;

                “I don’t think you should be an elder.  I think we should hire you to be on staff.”

                Since responding to my calling in Christ, I have often thought that I should be in career ministry, and have frequently been encouraged the same, by many I trust.  I suppose it’s something I’ll continue to toy with.  I often wonder if I’m some kind of second class Christian, never quite good enough to make it as a real pastor.

                After church this morning, I spoke with a guy who travels around with his guitar, making his living as a musical worship leader.  I asked him how he transitioned between having a “real job”, to making his living on the road.  He encouraged me with these words;

                “Making your living like you do, allows you a kind of freedom that I don’t have.  I have to write and play music that people will want to buy.  There is a freedom you enjoy which enables you to write whatever you sense you are called to write.”

                I don’t write near as much as I used to.  I find that my efforts in ministry are demanded more elsewhere, but his words helped me to put my calling into perspective once again.

                This afternoon, my wife and I spent our afternoon with many of the people we met while at The University of Guelph.  I might not have a church, or a book club, but every time I get together with either my friends, or my family, I leave with the same kind of thought. 

                “I love them.  And I want nothing more than to spend eternity with them in the presence of Christ.”

                This might not sound evangelical.  I’m fine if the world wants little to do with Jesus.  The world keeps telling me to “keep my religion to myself”, so I assume that it has little reservation about spending eternity apart from Him.  What else am I to assume?  I cannot handle the thought however, that anyone in my life would end up in the pit, because I failed to be open about the things of God with them.

                It’s okay if I don’t have my own church.  It’s okay if Chapters doesn’t carry Alien Love.  If you consider me to be your friend, I am overjoyed at the role you have given me in your life.

Between Flesh and Spirit

   I have had a few people ask to have access to the message from Sunday, July 21.

Here is the link.

Between Flesh and Spirit

Impressed?

1 Corinthians 2:1-2

            When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.  For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.

            This was the evening’s reading with my children, and if you know what my day was like, you might find it to be either coincidental, or divine.

            Today I had the privilege of delivering the message at my home church.  I am an automotive mechanic by trade, and as far as my speaking goes, you might refer to it as a calling.  This passage in Corinthians reminds me of some advice my pastor gave me in preparation for the message today;

            “You know Kevin, some people, when they get to speak at a church; they really try to impress their listeners.  But all a church really wants is for you to be who you are.”

            In a way, I’m thankful that I don’t know how to impress people even if I wanted to.   I don’t know any lofty words, and have forgotten the ones that I have looked up in the past.  I have never been accused of possessing impressive wisdom.  However, the TOUGHT of impressing people is something that I struggle with.

            Being asked to speak on occasion isn’t the same as having to pastor a church.  I have weeks and weeks to meditate, prepare, study, reflect and rehearse.  Night after night, I usually practice while splashing around in my bubble bath.  So by the time I have the mic, I should be polished more than if I were I to speak on a weekly basis.  

            I share this with you so that you know how I struggle.  That’s why, when you tell me, “Good job!”, I feel compelled to make sure you know that it’s Him.  Not me.  It is a great privilege to be employed in the service of the King of Kings.  As you continue to walk through life, I pray you have seen much of Him, and little of me.

 

        

I Know

                It used to burn me.  My dad would try to tell me something and I’d reply, “Yeah.  I know.”  Without fail, he’d inform me, “No.  You don’t know.  If you really knew, then I wouldn’t have to be telling you.”

                In marriage, in our faith, and in the workplace, the phenomenon is the same, and it’s why I spend very little time trying to tell people how to live their lives.  I made the mistake this afternoon of trying to tell a fellow mechanic about some very basic emission principles.  I wasted about 10 minutes of my life, because he already had the answers.  Oddly though.  He walked away completely incapable of getting to the bottom of the problem.

At Work

I don’t always have the right answers for other people’s problems, and neither do you, but even when we really do, there is a stubbornness that is impossible to overcome, no matter how clear you are.

                In my career, I have tried to train several apprentice mechanics, and I’ve given up trying to hold anyone’s hand. Earlier on, I’d tell apprentice after apprentice how to do things.  And nearly every time, they’d completely ruin it get it wrong.  So many times they’d tell me, “I tried it your way Kevin and it just didn’t work.”

                Even when we receive authentic words of wisdom, there is a stubborn spirit that wants to try just hard enough to be able to say, “Your way doesn’t work.”

                Seriously.  How many of you like to be shown where you’re wrong?  Do you really like taking orders from someone who knows better than you?  How about spiritually?  Do you want to know where you sin?

                In Marriage

                My wife had a friend who was having a difficult time in her marriage.  It isn’t like all of our advice was top notch or anything.  We aren’t nearly as authoritative as the kind of people who write online articles.  We did know a few basics though and did the best we could.

                From our perspective, she really seemed like she was doing the things that we recommended.  It wasn’t until years later that we discovered she was no different than the apprentice mechanic who put in just enough effort to make it look like he was doing as he was told.

                In time, she told us how she just needed to submit to her husband’s authority.  From our perspective she seemed like she had.  She did what her husband asked.  She made him supper every night.  From the outside, anyone would think that she was submitting in the way that a believer is called.  In her heart however, she confessed that she only did what she did in some attempt to get him to shape up.

                How teachable are you?  I fight almost everything I read, other than the things that I agree with.  If it’s written in The Huffington Post, I’ll find something I don’t like, even if it’s just the font.  How capable are you in recognizing truth for what it is, no matter how palatable it would seem?

                We are a creature that lives to instinctively defend whatever position we currently hold.  We defend our sin.  We defend our ideology.  We defend our actions.  What would life look like, if rather than finding evidence to support our thesis, or make our point, we began to seek out the truth?  After all, what else can set us free?