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Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Pancakes.
 I never thought of myself
as 'sheltered.' Sure, I grew up in the Midwest and not Paris or the wilds of Australia or something, but still - all things
considered, I feel like I've been exposed to a wide variety of life experiences. I didn't grow up in one of those 'Christian
bubble' homes where the outside world was feared, and being the youngest of four children, if anything, I probably watched
and heard things well before it was considered 'normal' to do so.
With that said, however, when it comes to food,
I absolutely, positively do not like to try new things. If you've heard my infamous 'Ranch Dressing Story,' you may understand
why I protect my taste buds from unnecessary trauma, but in case you haven't, I'll just say this: if I haven't tried it, I
probably don't want to. So I was surprised as anybody when last Wednesday I decided to go out on a limb and order something
I'd never ordered before:
Fruit on my pancakes.
Now, I know you're probably saying, 'how in the world
have you not eaten fruit on your pancakes before!?' And to that I'll respond that clearly, you've underestimated my neuroses.
My whole life, I've enjoyed pancakes with syrup and, when I'm really living dangerously, butter. But never fruit. Not until
last week when the good folks at the International House of Pancakes adorned my meal with strawberries, bananas and, in a
stunning development, whipped cream. And you know what?
They were the best pancakes I've ever eaten.
Actually,
that might be understating it. It might have been the best meal of any kind I've ever eaten. The pancakes themselves were
fine, but with the fruit and cream? That's a breakfast fit for Jesus himself (though you should probably hold the bacon).
Speaking of Jesus, it's dawned on me that for many people in the church, Jesus is treated like fruit on the pancakes
of their lives. When you have Him in your life, things are better, for sure. He adds flavor and excitement
and something that wasn't there before. But at the end of the day, for many people, He's just an extra additive on top
of what they need in their lives. In other words, with Jesus, things are better, but it's not as if they actually NEED Him.
Jesus, however, doesn't want to be strawberries and bananas. He doesn't even want to be whipped cream. Instead, He
wants - no, He DEMANDS - that He's the whole plate. As He told a crowd of people during his ministry,
A large crowd
was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my
disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes,
even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do
not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple." - Luke 14:26-27
Jesus’ language may sound strong, and even a bit harsh, but the truth is that He minced
no words when it came to what it meant to follow Him. Being a Christian isn’t something you do once or twice a week.
It’s not a fashion or a trend, and it’s not a one-time decision that is forgotten after a few months. It’s
not even a lifetime commitment to doing the same things over and over again. Jesus is not an addition to your life; if you’re
a Christian, Jesus IS your life. And following Him is what defines you at your very core.
That the world views Christianity
as an outdated relic of hypocritical dinosaurs, is a testament to the loss of this fact. The truth is that Jesus’ teachings
transcend all cultures and societies, and the Holy Spirit is not limited to certain lifestyles or opinions. Following Jesus
should wreck your world, costing you the very things you hold most dear. This is, of course, because God wants to replace
the petty, insignificant things we all strive for with what He wants for us, but still – from day one, to follow Jesus
has taken the ultimate sacrifice.
The bottom line is that if you call yourself a Christian,
Jesus should be much more than just the fruit on top of your life. If that’s all He means to you, then it’s time
to re-evaluate where your priorities really lie, and if there's anything more important to you than your faith, it's time
to make a change...
... even if that 'anything' is as delicious as fruit on your pancakes.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Bad Ideas
 Some things go together so naturally,
it seems as if they were made for one another - 'peanut butter' and 'jelly;' 'spring and baseball;' ‘T-Shirt and jeans;’
'Lindsey Lohan' and 'prison.' But some things should never, and I mean EVER be put in the same sentence. And one such
combination is the following:
'Marriage proposal' and 'mall food court.'
If you didn't click the link above, you missed out on one of the worst ideas ever concocted by anyone, ever, put into action:
a young man in love actually proposed to his girlfriend in a mall food court, right in front of a Cinnabon. I'm not sure what
the most painful part was; was it the terrible serenading by his friend? Was it the horrified look on the girl's face as soon
as his When Harry Met Sally speech began? Was it the random strangers looking on, including the mall employee who
never stopped cleaning tables the entire time? Was it all of the above, culminating with the girl inevitably running away,
leaving the man with a look on his face that said, 'I will never again get another date?' Yes on all counts - it was that
horrible.
But you know what? I'm not even disappointed in the guy doing the proposing. After all, the world is
full of bad ideas, and the proof of that is found in the millions of Backstreet Boys albums sold, the countless barbwire around
the bicep tattoos, and most poignantly, the entirety of the Twilight series. I get it; human beings are basically
bad ideas with flesh on them. My question is this:
WHERE WERE HIS FRIENDS IN ALL THIS!?
Seriously -
this is the role of a friend. We all need people to tell us that we're about to do something stupid; we all need someone to
guide us out of a difficult situation and to let us know, gently or not so gently, that we're about to ruin our lives. And
where were his friends? Presumably ‘helping’ by playing guitar and videotaping the catastrophe. This guy should
sue his buddies for malpractice for their inability to tell him that under no circumstance should you propose in a place that
smells of money and Sbarro Pizza. Even if your girlfriend specifically requests the food court as the place for the proposal,
you don't do it; it's probably a test to see if you're really that dumb.
The truth is that we ALL need help from
time to time, and that's one of the main reasons God instituted the church. As a family of Christians, we're here to support
one another in good times and bad, and to help each other live the best way we can. As the apostle Paul wrote to the ancient
church at Galatia,
Dear brothers and sisters,
if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back
onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens,
and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself.
You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done,
and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct. - Galatians 6:1-5 (NLT)
At the end of the day, we have two responsibilities: to lovingly and compassionately
help our brothers and sisters when they need help, and to humbly accept the help of others when we need it. We're not alone
in this life, and that's a good thing, because everyone needs guidance at one time or another. It can be hard to offer someone
help when they need it most, and it can be even harder to swallow your pride and accept that help from someone who loves you.
But if you don’t, the results can be disastrous – you could lose everything you’ve held dear, including
your faith. The stakes are that high.
And you'll never understand that more than when you do something as stupid
as propose in front of a Cinnabon.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
All the Small Things
 Ben Burtt is my hero. And if you're a Star Wars fan, he should be yours too. It's really too bad,
then, that until yesterday, I had no idea who Ben Burtt even was.
If I were to list all the reasons I love Star
Wars, you'd have to take a break in the middle to go get a haircut. So, in lieu of boring you to tears for the next several
hours, I'll just leave it at this: I really, REALLY like Star Wars. But even if you're not quite the nerd that I am, the truth
is that Star Wars is enough a part of our popular culture that there are some things that absolutely everyone is aware
of about the classic trilogy. Things like R2-D2 being a rolling droid who speaks in beeps; things like the weapons being
blasters and lightsabers; things like Darth Vader being a really bad dude in a black suit.
But while when most
people think about the saga they think of George Lucas or Harrison Ford or Mark Hamill (or, if you're still a fourteen year
old boy at heart, Carrie Fisher as Jabba the Hutt's prisoner), the truth is that without Ben Burtt, none of our childhood
memories would be quite the same. Who is Ben Burtt? He was the sound engineer for the trilogy, which means he was personally responsible for creating what R2-D2 sounded like. He was the one who created
Darth Vader's trademark deep breathing sound and the one who saw a blaster and lightsaber and decided that they should sound
the way they do. Heck - he even created the voice for the greatest character of them all, the mighty Chewbacca.
And while this may not sound like it's a huge deal, think about it: without the sounds, R2 is just a trash can on wheels.
Without the eerily tense heavy breathing, Darth Vader is just a dude in a plastic suit. Without the mix between gargling and
roaring, Chewbacca is just a overgrown puppy with a beauty pageant sash. And don't get me started on the lightsaber,
which would simply be a poorly designed flashlight without the awesome sounds it makes when used in battle. As subtle as it
might be, without the sounds of Ben Burtt, the iconic images of Star Wars are fairly ordinary.
The truth is that
while 'sound engineer' may not seem like it's a very significant job, there are no small tasks when it comes to the making
of a movie. And the same is true in our faith. As much as we like to compartmentalize our lives into 'big' and 'small' tasks,
in the church, there are no small tasks.
This is significant in the way we view sin; after all, as the apostle James wrote, whether you're a murder or a jerk who looks down on the faiths of others, you're a lawbreaker in desperate need of Jesus.
The logical conclusion, then, is that we are all - church leader and pew sitter alike - on equal footing when it comes to
our need for a savior. But once we're Christians, this whole, 'there are no small tasks' principle continues to hold true.
The apostle Paul compared the kingdom of God to a body. and our bodies are comprised of many parts - there's the head, the chest, the arms, the legs. There are even smaller
parts like ears and eyes and toes. But just as you'd have an awfully hard time running the hurdles without a little toe, each
and every person in the church is important.
What that means for you, today, is this: each day you live can be
eternally significant. You can be the agent change in your life and the lives of others around you, if only you'll choose
to spend your time serving Christ in all things. You may think your role in the body is that as seemingly trivial as the shinbone
or the ring finger or the gall bladder. The truth is, it doesn't matter if it seems big or small, significant or insignificant,
simple or profound; if your life is lived for Jesus, you can make a huge impact on the world and people around you.
You may not have known it, but for Star Wars to be what it was, the world needed Ben Burtt. And for the church to be what
it needs to be, God needs you to choose to serve him in all things, no matter how big or small you think it may be. After
all, it may be you're supposed to be someone's hero, whether or not you ever knew it.
And when you think about
it, that means nothing in your life is truly 'small.'
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
One Snowbank, Under God...
 People really are alike everywhere.
This isn't a fact that most people want to admit.
After all, to admit that you're basically just like everyone else means that you're admitting to being just like a whole lot
of people you don't like. And that can be a horrifying thought.
But the truth is that all of us, no
matter who we are, where we're from or what we believe, are looking for the same things. Even people who appear to be polar
opposites are actually the same - Republicans and Democrats both want the best for this country, assuming 'the best' includes
their particular viewpoint on civics. They may believe different things, but at their core, they're fighting for the same
goal. Homosexuals and heterosexuals both desire loving and fulfilling relationships with other people. They may look in different
places, but their desired end result is identical. Even religious people and atheists are pretty much the same; we're
all just trying to process and make sense of the world around us based on our experiences and the evidence at hand. And
we both have faith that our perspective is the most logical and worthwhile way to look at things.
If you need more
convincing, look no further than Snowpacalypse 2011. The recent blizzard brought out a few universal responses from Missouri's
residents. Everyone,
- Discussed/complained about the impending storm this past weekend;
- Prepared for the
storm by buying every loaf of bread and gallon of milk in a thousand mile radius;
- Bragged to their friends/complained
to their bosses about being off work/having to go to work;
- Watched with excitement/irritation at the snow that will
be fun to play in and take pictures of/hell to shovel and drive in;
- Posted a clever Facebook status about the snow;
- Will now have to/watch someone else dig their way out so life can return to normal once again.
Each and every
one of us responded the exact same way to the winter storm that hit our area. And that's because at the end of the day, people
are people, and what unites us - our goals, desires, experiences - are greater than the things that come between us.
This should be a powerful lesson to the church. As long as I've been alive, God's people have been splintered and divided.
And it within thirty seconds of a conversation with any Christian, it's readily apparent both, a.) what 'kind' of Christian
you're talking to, and b.) what 'kind(s)' of Christian the Christian you're talking to doesn't like.
What we should
all come to grips with, though, is that a Christian is a Christian. At the end of the day, we all believe basically the same
overarching concepts. And despite all our nuances and peculiar theologies, we all have the same mission and goal, no matter how it is we choose to carry those out.
Unity among believers isn't impossible; in fact, it's one
of Christ's greatest dreams for His people. But for it to become a reality, we're going to have to admit that we're no better than our brothers and sisters
from other backgrounds, and there's a reason that debates haven't been settled - they're still up for discussion. Most of
all, though, it's going to take an understanding that we're all in the same boat fighting the same battles, and that our similarities
outweigh our differences.
And in case we all need reminded of this again, I hear it's going to snow again Monday.
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