Marketing Fail of the Day

(Bumper stickers King James style- I want one that says, "Thou art a douche")

UPDATE: I posted this in 2009 and got an incredible amount of flack for it. Somehow it's ok for me to say other less pretty words but the moment I jokingly call someone a douche people start chasing me with pitchforks. For the record- I still think this is funny......... I guess I didn't learn my lesson the first time :-P

Bubble People

Do you or someone you know live inside the ‘Christian Bubble’. I borrowed that term from a book I read once called ‘They Like Jesus but Not the Church’ by Dan Kimball. It’s a term that describes the ‘inner circle’ type of mentality that many of us have. So many believers throughout history have fallen into this bubble mentality without even thinking twice. It pains me to think about how many people I can think of that I know and love who spend their days shielding themselves from the world instead of bringing light to it. These people love Jesus, and they know all about the Bible and they pray like crazy- many of these people are viewed as being really good Christians people, but they are missing the point! I love it when these people say “Well, we’re supposed to be in the world, not of it” I nearly bust out laughing every time one of the ‘bubble people’ say this to me. I mean, really? You think that justifies legalism? Being judgmental? You think God’s cool with the fact that you don’t have any friendships with non-Christians because of that? Do you think that being ‘in the world’ is only a reference to the fact that you live on the planet earth? Do you really think that living a super conservative lifestyle means you’re not ‘of the world’? I mean the list of questions goes on. This is why it’s so dangerous to base your lifestyle on just one verse in the bible.

Cultural Relevance begins at the Cross

Relevance is such a buzzword in churches right now. We all say that we are and we take a great deal of time ensuring the cultural relevance of our services. I’m a huge fan of what I call ‘intentional relevance’ in churches. I believe that intentional relevance can be a very powerful tool to create an environment that is optimum for reaching the unreached. It’s really just a term I use to encompass how we use various elements like drama, music, lights, sound, visual art, etc. to get the message across on any given Sunday.

I was on a walk not long ago doing some brainstorming. As I strolled around, I passed a church in my neighborhood. I’ve passed it a million times, but this time it really caught my attention. The sun wasn’t quite up and this church has a glowing cross lit on the top of it. I just stopped and stared. This cross that I had seen before suddenly was so mesmerizing. I felt God say; “This is relevant above all other things” It just really spoke to me as a creative in the church.

We Are The Poor

"-and the good news is preached to the poor." Matthew 11:5 (NIV)

I've probably read that line several times and I don't think I've ever thought of it as significant before. Jesus said this when he was speaking to some of John the Baptist's disciples. For those of you who care, here it is in context:
"⁴Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. ⁶Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." Matthew 11:4-6 (NIV)

humanity to divinity

The other day I was commenting on a blog over at Revolution115 and I said: "God takes our ordinary humanity and infuses it with His extraordinary divinity". It was one of those statements that made me pause and think. I have to give credit to God for it, because I really am not smart enough to say something that profound on my own. It stuck in my head and as I began to chew on it, I decided I should try to expound on it.

Think about all the people you know from the Bible, even if you don't know their whole story or even their whole name. I would bet you that person was really nobody special at first. Look at people like Moses, David, Paul, Mary, or any of the Apostles. All regular people. Some of them were even considered evil by our standards. So, why do we remember them? The simple answer is that we remember them because of what God did with/through them, not really for any reasons that have to do with the person.

Marketing Fail of the Day

(really, what is the point of this. If you have one of these, don't tell me, because I will never stop mocking you. I think even Jesus would have an issue with this thing)

Yeah, I'm divorced....... Part 2

I thought that filing for divorce would be the hardest thing, but I was wrong. The toughest times were yet to come.

For any you contemplating divorce. Let me say this: Try everything and if the marriage is really broken, just prepare yourself. As bad as your marriage may be, the pain that follows a divorce will be a thousand times worse. It is usually short-lived, but make no mistake, the pain is immense.

So, here I was 23 and already getting divorced. I felt like a failure. I felt like I failed my friends, my daughter, and even God. I had no idea what to do or where to turn. I tried to talk to my christian friends, but I was met with a sense of shame and disapproval.

Yeah, I'm divorced....... Part 1

Divorce- oh, my! This is one of those issues that I've always wanted to talk about but I'm scared to talk about. However, I feel that I need to talk about it now. After all, how will the stigma surrounding divorced people ever fall away if we don't talk about it? Even though this story is the short version- I still had to divide it in two parts. Divorce is a complicated beast and I wanted to really do justice to the issue and honestly portray my personal experiences.

So, here's my story- the short version: When I was 18, I became a Christian. I am a highly emotional person, I would say that my choice to follow Christ was more of an emotional decision. The real growth and relationship happened slowly over time (but that's another post).

One is the Loneliest Number

This was hard for me to write. I like to observe and discuss things that happen around me, but I'm not a big fan of discussing my own problems. I just felt really strongly when I woke up this morning that some of you out there may be wrestling with this issue of loneliness. I'm not really writing this to say "woes me, I'm so lonely", but instead I feel compelled to write it for those of you out there in the same boat. As I work through this, maybe it'll help you work through it and know that you're not alone in feeling how you feel.

I've never really been one of those people who has a ton of friends. I don't have 60 people who call me when I'm down. I don't really ever go out with people other than my husband. I have very few people who really know me on a personal level. Is that by choice? No, not really. It just is. It's been like that for many years, but I never really thought much about. As I get a little older, I'm beginning to think more about my connections with others.

"My Precious"

OK so I'll admit it, I'm a total geek. Today as I was reading the Bible (Matthew) I started thinking about the Lord of the Rings, and not just because it was a kick-ass movie. I was reading in Matthew 6:19-21:

¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I know most of us have heard this verse in some interpretation many times. As I read it today I kept thinking of Gollum. More specifically how much I can be like him at times. Yeah, I am more attractive on my exterior, and I can speak in coherent sentences, but there are days when I become just as rank and nasty on the inside. Don't we all?

Jesus knew this. He knew that we would want to follow Him and do well, but at the same time the forces of evil are constantly pressuring us and luring us into a prison of our own selfishness. It doesn't matter whether you're a Christian or not, we are all subject to this torment at times.

We begin to think that our lives depend on superficial things. By doing this we misplace our faith. We stop placing our faith in God and instead we place it in something else like money, appearance, sex, status, jobs, etc. Then our mind, energy, and heart goes into securing and replicating whatever that is. Are you starting to see the danger here?

There is nothing wrong with having money, looking nice, or even sex (within God's standards), but none of them should rule our lives or dictate our day. Our thoughts should not be monopolized with getting 'more' like a crack addict looking for his next hit.

I live on the beach, so I am in sand all the time, and let me tell you it's not stable. If you scoop up some sand and try to squeeze it, you will quickly find it slipping between your fingers- the tighter you grip; the more you lose. That's what happens when we try to hold tight to our treasures. The things that may seem important are really just powdery sand- it's fun, smooth, and feels good between your toes, but it's not good for much more. God is a rock or better yet a mountain. You can hold him as tight as you need- He will never crumble, never move, and never fail.

What is your "Precious"?