Christian culture??

Ok, so just a quick random thought...the Bible tells us we should be "in" the world and not "of" the world. But it seems to me that, as Christians, we have created a sub-culture that is no less "of" the world than the market culture of our day and age. So instead of having book stores, we have Christian book stores. But they are still stores with someone making a load of money off of books, cd's, etc. Instead of having concerts, we have Christian concerts, where at least the name of Jesus is mentioned in the midst of merch sales and all the rest. Sometimes I just have a tough time because it seems as if we, as Christians, aren't much different than the general population...

Blackout 2008

So, I never thought I would say that we experienced hurricane force winds in Cincinnati, Ohio. On Sunday we go the remnants of hurricane Ike, which just days earlier wreaked havoc on Houston and the surrounding areas. I cannot believe the amount of damage a storm like that can do days later, hundreds of miles north. The wind kicked up around 2pm on Sunday and by 4pm tree limbs were down all over the place, power was out to more than 500,000 people in the tri-state area, and there was a mob at the one gas station in the area that had power...cars lined up 15 deep to fill up...not sure where those people were going to be driving since everything was closed.

But with all the inconvenience over the last two days, I have found it a blessing to be forced to slow down and regroup. Sunday night I spent the evening sitting on my couch reading by candlelight. No computer or tv to distract God from speaking. Then I headed to bed early and got my first good night's sleep in a week. On Monday, I found that there were a few places with power, so I headed to Bruegger's Bagels in Blue Ash to get some work done. There were tons of people there from all walks of life, just hanging out, eating and working on computers.

What I found out, is that when things don't go as we plan them, people can be generally nice. The place was packed, but I found a nice guy who was willing to share his booth, his power outlet and some great conversation for a few hours. I'm sure that not everyone was as laid back as the people I met at Bruegger's yesterday, but it was a glimmer of hope in a world that is generally self-seeking. I saw people out helping neighbors with their downed trees. I saw friends walking around together just having conversations.

It seems that it is good to slow down. I wish it would happen more often so that we could re-connect with each other without the distraction of all the technology that has made our world super efficient but has bled us of the depth of relationships that only happen when we slow down long enough to have them.

Grace-filled ministry??

I have been challenged recently by a book I'm reading. It's called The Grace Awakening, by Charles Swindoll. I was encouraged to read this book by my senior pastor when he found out I had been taking a seminary course on the doctrine of grace. Throughout this read, I have been challenged to take a good look at my life and ministry and ask the question, "is my life and ministry filled and fueled by grace?" I think it's probably one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves. The opposite of grace is legalism and shame. After counseling many teenagers over the years, I'm finding that shame is one of the major causes of depression, substance abuse and anxiety that drags them down. Why? Because there are many grace-killers in this world who want to impose their expectations and standards upon all of us. And when we don't live up to those standards that they felt we "ought" to have reached we feel we have somehow failed in life.

I have felt this shame and grace-killing in my own life (unfortunately too many times from those within the church) and at times it has left me paralyzed...feeling anxious and afraid to step out in faith. But there is a different way to live life and relate to others. Living a grace-filled life starts by letting go. It's a process of letting go in our own lives and recognizing that the cross is enough to cover even the worst failures.

It's also a process of letting go of others. We have to let them fail. We have to let them be different than we are. We have to let go of the responsibility we feel to make them into something. We have to allow them the room to become the unique individual God has created them to be...without looking over their shoulder and pointing out every mistake. Our job in life is not to fix others messed up lives, it's to rely on God to fix our own messed up lives and then to love and support others as God works in them. But the key is to let go...allow others the freedom to be themselves. We won't always agree with their choices or even their personalities, but God doesn't call us to agree, he calls us to love.

So, as I sit here I ask myself these questions...is the ministry I am entrusted one of grace giving? Do students feel welcome to be themselves regardless of who that is? Are they able to trust that we will not judge them, but that we will love them? Are we praying for them to become "good kids", or are we praying for God to grab hold of their hearts and transform their lives in whatever manner he feels is best? Are students able to take off the masks they wear the rest of the week when they are around our leaders?

I pray that the answers to these questions lead me to a more grace-filled life and a more grace-filled ministry. Have you asked yourself these questions lately?