The tough thing about Christian spirituality is, you have to mean things. You can’t just go through the motions or act religious for the wrong reasons.
…It’s intimacy with Christ, wrestling with the truth of the soul rather than a dog and pony show in the center ring of a circus. page203
I’m a Donald Miller Fan, but lots of Christians don’t like him. They accuse him of destroying theology, and taking scripture out of context.
I suspect that most of it comes form people who don’t grasp poetry and art as being inspired by God. Donald has a unique view of putting himself into the story, he doesn’t just read the psalms. He makes you feel like you wrote it, your there, bleeding your heart in front of God.
The West has spent so much time cleaning Jesus up for the rest of the world, so they won’t be offend. It’s a huge PR Campaign. But I think the Jesus Donald Miller talks about is the one I want to follow.
* inspired from “Searching for God Knows What” by Donald Miller, Chapter 13
I got to watch this whole speech and Q&A this morning with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s former Pastor. You may not like him, he’s a little cocky and arrogant, but I admire the way he doesn’t back down.
There is a lot of dynamite in here that the media is going to have a field day with. Here’s a paraphrase.
It’s about a government that makes policy that grinds under people. and he said if Barack gets elected, then he will come after him too because it’s about Policy not the American people.
Referring to his “God Damn America” quote that’s being spun all over youtube.
We label things that shouldn’t have to be labeled.
Take Organic food, by labeling food organic we make people think it’s special. All the food should organic, we should be labeling non- organic food instead.
The same is true with fair trade. All trade should be fair trade we shouldn’t need a label, it’s humane, and respectful to pay someone a fair wage for their labor.
But instead we want to make people think “Fair Trade is special”.
I had a conversation with this person the other day about how they feel the company under vaules what they do, and that even the people in our office don’t understand their job. This person doesn’t really have an close friends in the office and people try to keep their distances.
For some reason we get along well, partly because of jobs are tied together, the other part is ” I get this person”. So I did mention my appreciate for them working so hard to help the whole office get back on track.
But I think it’s not enough to privately say it. So once every other month, our entire office has a meeting. It’s the only time we are all focused on the same thing at once. We set a side The “green leadership award” for people who go above and beyond their job. I filled out the application for this person and submitted it.
With any luck this person will be recognized in front of our entire office for what they did.
“When you go to church you have to ask yourself, “Have I come to church, or did I somehow get tickets to Cirque du Soleil?” -Chris Forbes
I have some serious concerns about the Church and technology. I’m certainly not anti-technology. I have a design background and handle some IT work at my office. But maybe that what gives me the other side of the coin point of view.
I worry that with the increase of technology churches are moving their focus from hiring missionaries to hiring graphic designers. Media is the new evangelism.
And in the process we create these high energy environments with lights, and sounds, and video loops. Praise and worship feels like a rock concert, the sermon feels like your at a power point conference, and the church feels like you stepped inside a resort. Right down to getting a cappuccino before service.
That doesn’t make it wrong.
But heres where my concern comes in. I think we are creating a generation of people who feel like the church has to entertain them. I get the short term value of it all, but what about long term. Our we using all this media as eye candy, making it even harder for people to feed themselves.
Now a great debate to have would be the ” It’s not just church, we are creating an experience” a la Starbucks theology ( I have been on that side). Verses the “Lets get back to basics” the gospel speaks for it’s self ( I have also been here).
Everyone can relate to that “person” in the office who is seen as moody and bitter. All they can do is critique and back bite every decision management makes. The kind of person who when things go wrong you hate to ask them to fix it because your not sure if they are going to blow up on you or not.
Well, that person worked relentlessly this week to get our office back up and running after some computer failures.
And the day after when everyone was thankful to return to normal working conditions, there was this moment. Where someone could have stood up and said I think we owe “So and So” a thank you for working so hard.
Regardless of public opinion (or truth) about a person, everyone deserves to be recognized for their efforts.
I want to be the kind of person that goes against “Mass Think” and finds a way even if it’s out of my way to make people feel appreciated for what they do.
I missed an opportunity to make someone feel like that because I talked myself out of it.
The point: I need to get some “balls“, and I suspect you do too. To do the right thing, especially when it’s not easy or the popular thing to do.
making someone feel valued and important should always come before what they contribute or produce.
Posted by Nic 
Posted by Nic 
Posted by Nic 
