my October church newsletter submission...
Last night I attended the Stand for the Family Rally at Mellon Arena. Dr James Dobson and friends are basically travelling around the country promoting the idea that Christians need to come out and vote and that their values/morals should help them to vote. The speakers don’t tell you who to vote for – they discuss issues and give you resources to see where different candidates stand on those issues.
As we walked from the car to the arena we had to walk through a path surrounded by protestors. You see, I tend to laugh when I get nervous. This mob of people with such contempt in their hearts for me as a person simply because I would go hear what they had to say at the rally made me nervous. Being forced to walk straight through the center of them – made me nervous. To laugh in front of them would appear to be laughing at them – and that didn’t sound like a good idea to me. I made a point of making NO eye contact. And just as I made it through a young man stepped right into my path to make eye contact with me and said, "Think for yourself, okay?" I just said, "Alright." Think for myself?? THINK for myself? Well, it made me think.
Last Sunday in a church service back in Maryland the Associate Pastor preached on the idea that most Christians do not know how to share what they believe or tell their faith story. The church is starting a series to help the congregation learn how. This is a church that had about 30 members 5 or 6 years ago and now they have 3 services to fit the 400 plus people that show up every week. Their growth has hit a plateau and they acknowledge it is because no one is sharing and this because they don’t know how. And all of that made me think about something I read in a book called Velvet Elvis.
"…Everybody has faith. Everybody is following somebody. What often happens is
that people with specific beliefs about God end up backed into a corner, defending
their faith against the calm, cool rationality of others. As if they have faith and
beliefs and others don’t. But that is not true. Let’s take an example: Some people
believe we were made by a creator who has plans and purposes for his creation,
while others believe there is no greater meaning to life, no grand design, and
we exist not because of some divine intention but because of random chance… Both
perspectives are faith perspectives, built on a system of belief…. Think about some
of the words that are used in these kinds of discussions, one of the most common
being the phrase "open-minded". Often the person with spiritual convictions is seen
as close-minded… What is fascinating to me is that at the center of Christian faith
is the assumption that this life isn’t all there is… that existence is not limited to what
we can see, touch, measure, taste, hear, and observe… Those who oppose this insist
that this is all there is, that only what we can measure … and see with our eyes is
real. There is nothing else. Which perspective is more "close-minded"? …"
I’m not saying those protestors at the rally were close minded. I just heard a report before we got there that "if they were going to bash homosexuals inside, we're gonna be outside to bash Christians." And I found myself thinking about it as "the haves" and "the have-nots". They have faith. They have hope. They just place them in really different things. And it’s not so much that I need to bring God to them – as much as it is that I need to help them see what they already believe about Him, and how they may not acknowledge Him but He’s been there all along. When I listen to their stories, they will listen to mine… and maybe even HIS. And I will take this moment to acknowledge that to tell you what I was thinking I had to quote two other people – but I do agree with them :0)
How long has it been since you’ve shared your faith story? Have you ever? Do you think you could? And what about His story? How well do you know it? If I called you and asked, "Why? Why with everything else out there, why Jesus? Why did you pick Jesus?" What would you say? All I can say right now is that I’m revisiting my answer. It’s gotten a little dusty and rusty – and I’m not okay with that. I’m not saying you have to as well - You can think for yourself.
Last night I attended the Stand for the Family Rally at Mellon Arena. Dr James Dobson and friends are basically travelling around the country promoting the idea that Christians need to come out and vote and that their values/morals should help them to vote. The speakers don’t tell you who to vote for – they discuss issues and give you resources to see where different candidates stand on those issues.
As we walked from the car to the arena we had to walk through a path surrounded by protestors. You see, I tend to laugh when I get nervous. This mob of people with such contempt in their hearts for me as a person simply because I would go hear what they had to say at the rally made me nervous. Being forced to walk straight through the center of them – made me nervous. To laugh in front of them would appear to be laughing at them – and that didn’t sound like a good idea to me. I made a point of making NO eye contact. And just as I made it through a young man stepped right into my path to make eye contact with me and said, "Think for yourself, okay?" I just said, "Alright." Think for myself?? THINK for myself? Well, it made me think.
Last Sunday in a church service back in Maryland the Associate Pastor preached on the idea that most Christians do not know how to share what they believe or tell their faith story. The church is starting a series to help the congregation learn how. This is a church that had about 30 members 5 or 6 years ago and now they have 3 services to fit the 400 plus people that show up every week. Their growth has hit a plateau and they acknowledge it is because no one is sharing and this because they don’t know how. And all of that made me think about something I read in a book called Velvet Elvis.
"…Everybody has faith. Everybody is following somebody. What often happens is
that people with specific beliefs about God end up backed into a corner, defending
their faith against the calm, cool rationality of others. As if they have faith and
beliefs and others don’t. But that is not true. Let’s take an example: Some people
believe we were made by a creator who has plans and purposes for his creation,
while others believe there is no greater meaning to life, no grand design, and
we exist not because of some divine intention but because of random chance… Both
perspectives are faith perspectives, built on a system of belief…. Think about some
of the words that are used in these kinds of discussions, one of the most common
being the phrase "open-minded". Often the person with spiritual convictions is seen
as close-minded… What is fascinating to me is that at the center of Christian faith
is the assumption that this life isn’t all there is… that existence is not limited to what
we can see, touch, measure, taste, hear, and observe… Those who oppose this insist
that this is all there is, that only what we can measure … and see with our eyes is
real. There is nothing else. Which perspective is more "close-minded"? …"
I’m not saying those protestors at the rally were close minded. I just heard a report before we got there that "if they were going to bash homosexuals inside, we're gonna be outside to bash Christians." And I found myself thinking about it as "the haves" and "the have-nots". They have faith. They have hope. They just place them in really different things. And it’s not so much that I need to bring God to them – as much as it is that I need to help them see what they already believe about Him, and how they may not acknowledge Him but He’s been there all along. When I listen to their stories, they will listen to mine… and maybe even HIS. And I will take this moment to acknowledge that to tell you what I was thinking I had to quote two other people – but I do agree with them :0)
How long has it been since you’ve shared your faith story? Have you ever? Do you think you could? And what about His story? How well do you know it? If I called you and asked, "Why? Why with everything else out there, why Jesus? Why did you pick Jesus?" What would you say? All I can say right now is that I’m revisiting my answer. It’s gotten a little dusty and rusty – and I’m not okay with that. I’m not saying you have to as well - You can think for yourself.
Peace be with you,
Teri <}}><
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