I believe in God, but not the church (part 2)…

This past week my blogsite became the object of critical and curious eyes.   But regardless of the circumstances that brought these new readers in my direction, I welcome the opportunity to share my faith and answer any question that comes my way.

 

One person, who will remain nameless until a time when he reveals himself, asked me to develop my thoughts more fully regarding one of the statements I made in my post entitled I believe in God, but not the church.   This post is dedicated to that purpose.

 

The phrase I have been asked to develop is found in the following sentence:  The more I think about the frustration and disappointment expressed by many toward the modern version of the church with all of its man-made baggage and theological pollution, the more I understand their cry and identify with their feelings. 

 

What do I consider man-made baggage and theological pollution?   This is a great question, one with a rather surprisingly simple answer.   

 

Used as a contrast to the pure, unpolluted living water of Jesus; the phrases man-made baggage and theological pollution describe the rules, regulations and interpretational laws that man has added to, mixed with or used in place of the pure teachings of Christ and his apostles.   The result of this man-made baggage and theological pollution is a tainted gospel and distorted image of the Savior.   Shame on us!

 

One person suggested that if the church can’t comfort the broken-hearted, put its arm around the woman who chokes on her loneliness, give strength to the addict who struggles everyday with his addiction, can’t be a family to the widow, give hope to the single mom who feels overwhelmed, if it can’t give peace, joy and purpose for this life, then call it something else, but don’t call it church.

 

Amen, and amen again!

 

But, I am almost positive that the one who questioned my usage of those terms is looking for more; for me to list some of the baggage and pollution that I feel is tainting the gospel message and distorting the image of the Savior.   If he returns to my blog and requests such a list I will be more than happy to provide one for him.

 

However, for now, I would like to know what you think.   Do you think there is man-made baggage and theological pollution tainting the pure message of Christ?   If so, share your thoughts with me.

Perpetual hope…

Like most kids who play baseball, I often dreamed of growing up and playing in the World Series.  When my family relocated to a small town near Hot Springs this dream faded as there was no organized baseball league in the area.

 

At that time in my life our local cable company carried both WGN out of Chicago and WTBS out of Atlanta.   For those who are familiar with the choices – you either rooted for the Braves or the Cubs.   All of my friends were big fans of the Atlanta Braves.   During those years the Braves had some really good teams, but I chose to be different and became a fan of the Cubbies.

 

I didn’t realize at that time in my life that my decision to cheer for the Chicago Cubs would end up being a decision that would span 30 years and counting.  Like the majority of Cub fans, I bleed Cub-blue.   Unfortunately, the years have not been too kind and have left us thinking about the year to come; for as they say in Chicago – there is always next year!   But, one thing you can say about Cub fans is that they are loyal to the end.

 

As Soriano correctly stated, It’s not the best team that wins in the playoffs, it’s the team that plays better.   Last year it was the Arizona Diamondbacks, this year it was the Los Angeles Dodgers; but, next year it could be the Chicago Cubs!

 

Where Will You Be… Debut Release

The title to this post has been borrowed from the debut album of Travis Eades.   Travis is the Worship Leader for the Southwest church of Christ in Jonesboro, Arkansas where my family and I worship.   We may be prejudiced, but we think his debut album is incredible and wanted to share a few of his songs with you.  

The link below will direct  you to his myspace music page.   I would like for you to visit his page and listen to his song is titled, Stones, and then let me know what you think.

Travis Eades Music

Top 10 Superbowl Excuses…

In the spirit of Top Ten Tuesday, I thought I would offer the following from David Letterman regarding the Top Ten Excuses Offered by the New England Patriots for losing the Superbowl.

10.       “What?  We thought it was the best of seven!”

09.       Too much pre-game chowder

08.       Since when is that dude allowed to catch a ball with his head?

07.       We were terrified by that Fox football robot.

06.       Everything was fine until Dr. Phil decided to straighten us out.

05.       We should have campaigned harder in Florida.

04.       Entire team stayed up all night watching the Hannah Montana movie.

03.       Were exhausted after spending hours consoling a weepy Terrell Owens.

02.       Thought game was supposed to be played on super Tuesday.

and the number one excuse offered by the Patriots for losing the superbowl:

01.       The airline lost our roids.

Can you think of any others?

I am baaaacccckkkk….

As you have noticed, I have absent from the blog world for past few months.   My reasons behind such encompass both physical and spiritual aspects of my life.

Physically, I have had the most interesting experience of my lifetime.   Due to symptoms typical of sinus issues that I have had in the past, I didn’t think anything unusual when I woke up one morning with a sore throat.   Time revealed, however, that I was not experiencing typical sinus infection issues as the lymph nodes under my chin began to swell, increasing to the size of a very large grape, perhaps larger.   Needless to say, this was quite worrisome, especially since my mother died six weeks after I was born, from what the death certificate listed as lymphoma.   Long story short, after several blood tests, a CT scan, fine needle and surgical biopsies, as well as weeks of worrying, the doctors informed me that I was battling a bacterial infection commonly known as cat-scratch fever, or cat-scratch disease.   Yes, as you might expect, I received it from a cat scratch and still have the scar to prove it, as well as the doctor bills.   We are continuing to monitor my health to ensure the diagnosis was correct and complete.

Spiritually, I have been seeking to present my life as a living sacrifice, to renew my mind and be transformed into the person that God wants me to be.   The frustration, as the words of a Casting Crowns song states, is that I find myself stuck in the middle, somewhere between who I am and who God wants me to be, and feel as though I have a deep water faith but am stuck in the shallow end of the pool.   I imagine these feelings are typical for those of us who are seeking to possess the mind of Christ, who desire to rid themselves of conformity, whether of things in the world, or of things in religion.  Yet, learning to surrender is difficult, because letting go is scary.  

During the past couple months I have spent time reflecting on things discussed here at this blog, things pertaining to freedom in Christ.   I have spent time discussing grace, faith, traditions and such on various sites, seeking to better understand my thoughts and direction.   Perhaps the struggles I experience will always be a part of my life, as I have learned that tradition is a comfortable chair, one not easily relinguished.

Anyways, in my mind and heart I am back and ready to participate in the blog world once again.   I hope you will continue to read and comment on the things I present.    I do appreciate all of you who have been regulars.   Thanks.