Straight Talk about Pain...

You know, I never understood the Pop Christianity's obsession with happy, happy, joy, joy. Take Joel Osteen's popular messages. Sheesh. We already have one Tony Robbins. And I'm not interested sometimes in hearing about how I need to not be depressed. Jesus Christ was a real man. He wept. He got angry.

As a male, you're not allowed to have moods. It's not manly. And if you have one, you must be a woman! Please.

And let's look at the current worship scene, shall we? All those happy songs. And it's a blooming miracle if someone acknowledges suffering or pain as a distraction, much less anything as a reality. What of those of us who life has dealt a very rough hand? What of those us who are looking at life and going, "How in the name of all that is holy am I going to make it through another day?"

The Apostle Paul despaired of life. David wrote Psalm 22. Jesus wept. Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes. And we try to sometimes yank the meaning out of these things. Or we try to gloss them over. (And I'm probably guilty of that one...) Jesus Christ said, "In this world you will have tribulation." Many take that to mean the Great Tribulation, but I don't think that's what he meant.

My thoughts are rather scattered this evening. And I don't exactly know why I'm writing this. But I've always felt that Churchianity tries to avoid the acknowledgment that Christians do suffer. Maybe we're not persecuted physically here. But sometimes we do have to confront mental and emotional issues. And I don't deny God is there with us going through these things even when we can't see him.

For a believer to admit, "Life just isn't what it should be right now," is to invite uncomfortable silence at best and a statement of "Well if you had enough faith... if you didn't sin, if you'd just " from folks. THis is the realm of nice guys, remember? Nice guys don't get depressed. They smile always! They sing praise at all times!

And the question that I have to ask... how can I smile when someone else close to me is in the battle? How can I smile when everything feels lost? And while I think there is validity to the question of "Rejoice in the Lord always," that does not require us to not acknowledge that things do hurt.

Why does pain exist? Partially because of the fall. Partially because it is God's way of teaching. Partially because of free will.

Feelings are an indicator of how things are going. But to rely solely on them is to put one's self in jeopardy. Christianity has become overly emotional. Worship demands a response, yes, but not always is it required that you have an emotional response.

Sometimes though, worship is about placing full trust in God despite all the pain. Sometimes worship is saying "Not my will, but thine be done." Sometimes it means that we bring the emotions under the authority and kingship of Jesus Christ.

Christianity needs to acknowledge that pain exists. And then, maybe then, we can deal with it openly and not in closed doors. And maybe... just maybe, we can be real with one another. Because I don't have to be afraid of someone who doesn't want to deal with much less acknowledge my pain.

An Analysis of the Dark Knight...

(WARNING! This post contains spoilers about the Dark Knight. If you haven't seen the movie, A. This post won't make sense. B. You may not like major plot point being discussed. You have been warned.)

Seems everyone is making comments about "The Dark Knight" Including my pastor and some other blogs I have links to. Some people feel that it's a show of evil that's almost too much to take. That maybe we shouldn't put evil on screen for people to look at. Or that good is anemic, that it leaves one with a dismal view of the world.

I disagree with these viewpoints. Strongly.

Now, to be fair... I have somewhat of a dismal view of the world as it is. When you're in Tech Support, you get to see the utter depravity of men up close and personal. You see people get angry for the stupidest of reasons. You have people get angry at you because they think you're stupid, that you're being a jerk, and then attempt to excuse it as “I'm emotional.” or “I don't mean to be taking this out on you, but....” Or even better, “I'm not racist, but...” and then spew some of the stupidest yarns I've ever heard. I guess that makes me somewhat cynical, dark, sarcastic and a few other things that tend to be frowned upon.

I'm also not going to try to make the claim that Hollywood has gotten it right all of the time. If you haven't been transformed by the Spirit's power, then at best... you can only see through a darkened glass.

What you see is the end result of Satan's parody of good. And it's not pretty to look at. But I ask that you don't look away. Because that's the problem with Christianity for the last few years. We've been looking away when we need to be looking directly at the evil that has engulfed our world. And then... like Bruce Wayne... we need to do something about it.

Bruce Wayne isn't perfect. Neither are we. But he's doing something that needs to be done. He's doing it because no one else is doing it. The exact reasons why need to be out with armor of God on in full and with the sword of the spirit in hand.

The Joker gives us a glimpse of Evil for Evil's sake. We need to understand that as the soldiers of Christ, we are not welcome in this world. We will never be welcome in this world. So get used to it. Get used to disappointment, sleeplessness, suffering, frustration and sorrow. Jesus Christ is our Savior and he went through these things. Are we better than our Master?

But we also need to understand that if we aren't careful, then evil can taint us. It can bring us down. It can leave us broken, distraught and yes, even utterly destroyed. But if we are on our guard, then the enemy cannot completely destroy us. We are pressed on every side, but not crushed. Persecuted, not abandoned. Struck down, but not destroyed. And we will win this war. The enemy will learn to fear out Battle Hymn.

“A Mighty Fortress is Our God,
A Bulwark Never Failing,
Our Helper he amid the flood
Of Mortal ills, prevailing.”

The final lesson to be learned from The Dark Knight is that Vengeance is not ours. Batman NOT tossing Joker off of the ledge was a wonderful move. We as Christians have had the powers of vengeance removed. Those powers are vested fully in Christ Jesus. And he does not share power. Nor is he weak, nor mild, nor sissified as many of our churches and sermons proclaim. As Jada and I have stated many times, “The Lion of Judah is not tame. But he is Good.” To take the powers of vengeance from their rightful place is to sin by unbelief, (because God will balance the books) by anger (usually a catalyst or accompliss to the act), and by not only removing Jesus Christ from his rightful throne, but by putting another in His place... namely ourselves.

Is it a pleasant film? Probably not for most well adjusted Christians. I'm not sure I can call myself that. Because I flatly refuse to completely insulate myself. I tried that. Didn't work out so well. But then again, neither did strictly trying to be a light in the world without assistance nor detox. Balance is necessary.

Side note: If you want to see a fine example of evil for evil's sake, consider Rob Zombie's version of Halloween. It's a film I've only seen once. And it's a reason (among many) why I believe evil should not be reasoned with, argued with, explained, rationalized, compromised with or otherwise allowed to exist. There is only one response that Christian should have. And that is through the power of Jesus Christ, it must be stopped, driven back and destroyed. A warning: This film is by nature, dark. Black. If you feel the need to see evil, then go in with the armor on.

Let your only sovereign be Jesus Christ.

A Church for Men?

I mentioned last post that I kinda wanted to ditch Luther's mass as the centerpoint. Part of the reason for this is because I feel it's too restrictive. I also mentioned that I think there is room for some of the institutional framework in the church for men. I think that the institutional church can still serve as a point for those who are comfortable with this setting. But the real heart of this is more of a central core of guys that share life together. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Let's start with a skeleton frame of what I think might be effective for something aking to the institutional meeting we've come to call church:

1. Call to Worship -- Music (One Song only)

2. Opening Video/object lesson this is going to introduce the sermon.

3. Silence -- Arguably the most important part of the service as this is a time for God to speak to us individual. I think that we don't spend nearly enough time doing this and so, I think it's important to set this aside from the beginning... say 10 minutes or so.

4. Corporate Prayer/Prayer needs -- This will be everyone's responsibility as we will have someone lead us in the Lord's prayer, but only as a framework. I don't want a rote recitation of the prayer. I want to encourage people to have these components in a prayer.

5. Sharing of one's gifts. I'm not quite sure how this looks practically, but I think that Paul had some ideas as did James. So we'll be using them as a guide.

6. Short sermon. Preferrably Fifteen to Twenty minutes.

7. Response. This may be again a drama, another object lesson for the congregation, visual aid, Music...

8. A giving of thanks. Perhaps another song?

9. Eucharist. "For as often as you eat of this bread and drink of this cup, you proclaim the death and resurrection of our Lord." I just don't see this as an optional. I've been guilty of passing the table too often at church... and I think that there's much to be said of doing this weekly.

10 Bendiction and closing Hymn. -- I find this to be Jesus' custom at the end of the passover. And I find it interesting that John bothers to make mention of it as none of the other gospels do. So I'm borrowing it.

So there you go. There's the main service. I must say it feels slightly like rearranging deck chairs on the titanic, but it's a darn sight better than most churches do.

You'll note that I've left a couple of things out. 1. Passing the plate. I'm not ruling out putting it in the service completely. But I believe that God will provide. And so I will leave the plate as an altar where people may bring their tithes and offerings. 2. Greeting time. Feels artificial to me. It can be handled before or after service.

Sunday school would be changed. To something simple that goes like this:

1. Goal: Discipleship. Plain and simple.

2. Keeping the age group together, maybe with one or two older Christians.

3. Preferrably Men with Men and Women with Women.

4. The forum is open. You meet prior to the service to share needs. We pray for each other, encourage each other and talk about the week.

5. The group is no larger than 12 people.

6. Leaders will be completely responsible for their group. These will not be made up of anyone on the pastoral staff. I want the congregation to have as much responsibility as possible. This is a community. Act like one. :-)

That's it. Now for something that will take people out into the deep.

1. We set aside every month where there is a fifth Sunday, we announce the date as far ahead as we can.

2. We choose a ministry as a congregation to participate in.

3. As we have received freely, we also give freely. I'm thinking say 10 percent of the offering be given to this ministry.

4. We also as a congregation will participate physically and help the ministry. That's the worship service.

There's a lot I'm leaving out here, but I feel it's a step in the right direction. Finally, Rules for membership to this theoretical church are pretty simple: You affirm your belief in Jesus Christ. You agree to be baptized if you haven't. You agree to follow Jesus above all and keep his commands. And finally, you agree to support this church by any means necessary provided that it is in accordance with the written word. If we step out of line, then you are exempt from this obligation.

I know I'm not addressing the cultural barriers, politics, etc. This is simply a framework. But again, I'd like to hear some thoughts on this. I think this is how you get men aborad as I'm trying to provide: A. A place of refuge B. A place of iron sharpening iron, C. A place of discipleship and D. A place where service begins and you are pushed. I want this to be a situation where the congregation will have more responsibility, and not just a stage. Matter of fact, the chairs will be set in a circle where the stage is.

In short, I want to make this a place where Satan himself hears of us and craps his pants.