Great Idea(s), Appalling Execution(s)

                 My apologies.

A long time ago in a land far, far away was a group once known as The Way. At first, they thought their leader was crazy, insane even; for he was preforming acts that his fellow people thought ridiculous, sinful even. He touched the untouchables (which he could have acquired their flesh eating disease), wasn't afraid to be seen with whores, faggots, adulterers, and the possessed. For you see, he offered the a better way. He knew they were hurting; talked about the awkward situations that lead them there; and showed them hope, love, redemption and then told them they were anew (a new creature); thus a blank slate in which they could start a new story.

After the teacher left, his students finally realized that this guy was the real deal. They started doing the same things he did. Offered hope to many, healed a few people, and even wrote letters to others encouraging them.

Here is one such thought that one student offered a few recruits: I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. God's purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
So here is his thought broken down: I was told by the Maker to share this great, mysterious plan with you and here it is! It involves riches and wisdom on how to make this broken world a better place. And I know you can't do much, but I think you might be able to work something out with Him to make it work.
This message is truly, truly awesome and offers more than I will ever know!

All throughout history, people of The Way have had great ideas, and even a few have worked!

                         Fast forward to today and Here is the dilemma:
    We of The Way (if you haven't guessed, I am talking about Christianity) have gotten the teachings of our leader out-of-whack. Whereas we have great ideas to accomplish desperate tasks, we are terrible at executing them (that is, if we ever put forth enough effort to perform them). Don't get me wrong, there are those that house the homeless, feed the hungry, intervene when intervention is needed, etc., and they do a FANTASTIC job! props!!
But sadly, they are few and far between. (I wish one day to be considered as one who does these things and brings hope to everyone)

Instead of putting our God-given abilities into action, we instead pull out our double edged swords and quickly go to work condemning everyone that doesn't fit our view of "righteousness". (Did we somehow forget that we were once damned to Hell as well, but God reached down, forgave us, and gave us a new slate so that we can write a better story together?)

So stop. NOW. For the world's sack, and for that of Christianity.

As most of the world falls apart and the remainder in ruins, we tend to fight amongst ourselves, have theological debates trying to map the God-genome project, and lash out at the lost world for being....wordly??? Well how else are they supposed to act? ha.    As the world is desperately looking for answers, we go to the ball games and yell at the umpires for making calls we don't agree with. We argue with Joel Osteen via TV, Twitter, Facebook, local churches while the bigger problem is right across the street, the next lot over, or a phone call away with friends/family are dealing with suicide (we know but don't intervene because they aren't of the same denomination).
Real life tragedy # 1. When the Christian sub-culture put Rob Bell on blast, there happened to be a tsunami in Japan, in which thousands of people died. Which were you more passionate over? Or should I say, which did you spend more time thinking about and acting upon? Going over seas to help/sending supplies or ranting over Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, etc about someone who believes different than you.
Tragedy # 2. Much controversy has gone on over the 2012 Olympics, some even life threatening. A massacre happened in Colorado a few weeks ago. Wild fires are breaking out in our country, destroying many people's hopes and dreams. And on a more personal note, my childhood friend's family was torn apart earlier this week. Instead of praying and giving of our time and money, where is our attention? Chic-fil-A, showing the LGBT community that we abhor them and want them to go to a burning hell while buying one chicken sandwich at a time!

Why?
Please stop.
These actions aren't furthering the Kingdom at all.

I know I don't have the answers to world peace and world hunger. I don't know how to cure AIDS and cancer. I haven't even read the whole Bible, much less memorize the Roman Road. And I will confess that I have taken part of condemning the lost. But let us all consider one thing. As Paul stated we have been given a great message to show everyone. Life. Love. Peace. Joy. Laughter. No more sin. What are we doing in order to take the Kingdom of Heaven by force? The answer for most of us: Nothing.
This is tragedy # 3 for the sake of this rant.
And what, if anything, are we doing stop to these tragedies?

I came across this poem earlier tonight. In moments of confusion it has helped out. I hope it ministers to you the way it is to me.


Rhythm to Worship
There's a rhythm to worship
As we pass around platitudes like communion wafers
Hoping that what we say is true
Hoping that what we say is true

There's a rhythm to worship
As we find the break in the ritual
As we find the door that takes us past false
And into the presence of God
For just a beat before life comes in again
And the person next to us begins to sing off key
Or the preacher loses his place

There's a rhythm to worship
As we move sine-like through connection and distraction
Seeing the face of God on the upbeat
And losing it again on the down

There's a rhythm to worship
A rhythm to sof words of praise
And loud shouts of preachers
A rhythm of exchange between the spiritual and mundane
Between God and what we want to eat next

There's a rhythm to worship
As we walk softly
Sing softly, and clap hands softly
As we hope for something more than ourselves
And conjure up in our hearts something that feels like God

Disregard the formula

Sometimes I forget what it means to be a child of God.
I trust Him with Salvation, but doubt him with my life.

I forget that He is my Dad when I stress of the little things in life. Only to look back at how he prepared me before the problem came around. Kinda like my earthly dad teaching me how to shoot a deer, except I didn't listen to God; thus I went to bed hungry.
I forget that He is the Calmer of my storms. Instead of recognizing Him walking toward me on raging waves, I think He is sometimes against me and I start my Mercury 125 and quickly head in the opposite direction; even though I am heading straight toward the rock cliffs.
I will utterly give up everything if God calls me to move somewhere, not a problem for me. But what I can't get past in this life of faith is the low branches, for they keep clipping my feet out from under me.

There is this passage in which Jesus feeds this multitude of people. It is an awesome miracle because Jesus used someone that wasn't even numbered in the census of people to feed everyone present. Then Jesus goes off by himself to spend time with his father. (He was going to do this earlier, but he made time for the selfish crowds.) His students went ahead of him to a specific destination that they had already discussed. On their way across the sea, a storm came and tossed the boat all around. Disciples scared for their lives and water throwing itself onto the boat, out steps this ghost figure or so thought the students. The figure happened to be Jesus. He said to them don't be afraid because I am here with you. They immediately recognized him and invited him onto the boat, only to defy Physics and travel at Lightspeed to reach their destination.

How we act in these moments in our lives greatly alters our perception of the destination. Many times we fail to learn the lessons that the Teacher wanted us learn in the first place.
At times we should disregard the formula and try stepping out when nothing is there to catch us.
Sometimes we should try living the way of the Kingdom---Upside-down and backwards.
All the times we should keep our eyes on the Captain, for when we are in trouble he will send his aircraft carriers, Apache helicopters, Air Force One, etc to our rescue. We just have to realize that he is own our side and be smart enough to accept the rescue.