I was enraged when I heard, now it just makes me sad...
A lady at work told me that Easter was great, they had hundreds walk down the isle to accept Christ at her local mega church. Then she went on to say that her Pastor had the church officials/helpers bring in a ton of beachballs. He told his congregation- I wanted to bring these beachballs out to you first- timers today so that you couldn't say, " That one time that I went to church- it was BORING."
So...out they came, beachball after beachball. People batting them around bouncing all over the sanctuary.
WE HAVE MISSED IT!!!
The gospel doesn't work because of us, it works inspite of us. We don't need to dress up the gospel or make it relevant or fun. We aren't selling anything- its the Holy Spirit who changes us and convicts us and makes us desire holiness.
Here are some of Derek Webb's words that echo what I'm talking about- these are lyrics from a song called "Ballad in Plain Red" on his album " I see things upside down"
i’m robbing peter, i’m paying paul
i’m changing my name back to saul
i got to them and you know i’ll get to you
i’m turning shepherds into sheep and leaders into celebrities
it’s holy sabotage, just look around you
chorus‘cause everything’s for sale in the 21st centuryand the check is in the mail from the 21st century don’t want the song i want a jingle
i love you Lord but don’t hear a single
and the truth is nearly impossible to rhyme
but i know the songs with all the hooks
and i know some lies that will sell some books
so grab ‘em fast, i’m running outta time
just keep selling truth in candy bars
on billboards and backs of cars
truth without context, my favorite of all my crimes
chorus bridge what works verses what's right
hey what's the difference tonight?
take out the sign, forget the meal
we’ve got a gym and a farris wheel
i swear it's just like the country club down the block
‘cause you can make your life look good
you can do what Jesus would
but you’d be surprised what you can do with a hard heart
chorus tag
i think you’ve got trouble in the 21st century
so welcome to the struggle, it’s the 21st century
i never thought i’d make it to the 21st century
Lord, i love the 21st century
i write these words from the grave
‘cause it’s the only place that i’m safe
and only the dead are permitted to speak the truth
AMEN!
Friday, April 21, 2006
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Letter to a friend recently- just having some fun :)
Hey Bek,
No, its no problem... understand- its not like you can call me from Prague! Have fun with the friends! I know its going to be complicated when I leave for Aussie and the time thing is totally weird. I imagine some days we'll be having early morning hour convos :) And then I'll fly to Vienna to be in your wedding in like 3 years. You'll have a couple kids -I'll marry a guy named "Fleck" a few years later- our kids will be crazy fun and start the new hippie faze ( not the no bra wearing kind- but they will call it Hippy b/c that word will be trendy again by the time our kids will be 18) across Australia & The Pacific. News will get to you that my kids are revolutionaries and you will join them in their fight for a new way of thinking. At first George, your husband, will seem perturbed by the whole thing, but then, oh my...watch out- He will change his name to "Sky" and then later bring the revolution to Germany. Your oldest daughter and my youngest son, who will only be 4 years apart will get married to each other when they are in their late 20's. Everyone will collaborate in our combined family and want to bring this new wave to the states. When we all fly back (with one grandchild, I might add) to the states we see that the revolution has already spread to 49 of the 50 states so we all move to Nebraska ( the one left out state) to open a fishing store. It closes down, b/c there aren't really lakes or rivers in Nebraska and , well, we should have thought about that before making such a big entrepreneurial maneuver. After days of hitch hiking I get killed on the side of the road b/c a tractor mowing a field 100 yards out form the road we are hitchhiking on in Nebraska flicked a rock up from under his tractor and it hit me square in the forehead. I would tell you the rest of the story, but I died then, so I don't know what happened next. Okay- my imagination has been running wild- that was fun. If you want to finish the story, feel free! I'd like to know how it ends.
Saturday morning-ish is good...talk to you then :)Love ya,Jamie
No, its no problem... understand- its not like you can call me from Prague! Have fun with the friends! I know its going to be complicated when I leave for Aussie and the time thing is totally weird. I imagine some days we'll be having early morning hour convos :) And then I'll fly to Vienna to be in your wedding in like 3 years. You'll have a couple kids -I'll marry a guy named "Fleck" a few years later- our kids will be crazy fun and start the new hippie faze ( not the no bra wearing kind- but they will call it Hippy b/c that word will be trendy again by the time our kids will be 18) across Australia & The Pacific. News will get to you that my kids are revolutionaries and you will join them in their fight for a new way of thinking. At first George, your husband, will seem perturbed by the whole thing, but then, oh my...watch out- He will change his name to "Sky" and then later bring the revolution to Germany. Your oldest daughter and my youngest son, who will only be 4 years apart will get married to each other when they are in their late 20's. Everyone will collaborate in our combined family and want to bring this new wave to the states. When we all fly back (with one grandchild, I might add) to the states we see that the revolution has already spread to 49 of the 50 states so we all move to Nebraska ( the one left out state) to open a fishing store. It closes down, b/c there aren't really lakes or rivers in Nebraska and , well, we should have thought about that before making such a big entrepreneurial maneuver. After days of hitch hiking I get killed on the side of the road b/c a tractor mowing a field 100 yards out form the road we are hitchhiking on in Nebraska flicked a rock up from under his tractor and it hit me square in the forehead. I would tell you the rest of the story, but I died then, so I don't know what happened next. Okay- my imagination has been running wild- that was fun. If you want to finish the story, feel free! I'd like to know how it ends.
Saturday morning-ish is good...talk to you then :)Love ya,Jamie
Monday, April 10, 2006
Memories of Spokane- Funny Story # 3
A small lamp was given to Tara and me when we moved in. It was pretty hideous. It had a gold trimmed smoked white glass shade and a brass base and little dangly fake crystals all over it. Marla (our landlady- she looked like a Marla) asked if we needed anything else besides the pots & pans, silverware and beds/mattresses she loaned us. She was quite generous. We told her we needed some lighting, but not to worry about it. She was gracious and said " nonsense!" I will bring some over tomorrow. The next day we walked in and found the aforementioned lamp in our living room on an end table.
I thought to myself, is she allowed to come in with out us here? I was only 18 at the time and had no idea about laws- and I think she knew that. Tara and I were very young. After we saw the lamp we erupted in laughter. Tara opened the hall closet door with out saying a word- and with her nonverbal cue, I grabbed the lamp and put it on the top shelf in the closet. Tara closed the door.
The weeks and months went on... The lamp got further and further to the back of the top shelf in closet.
Its probably February and we have a message from dear old Marla on the machine. In a shaky old lady voice,"Hi girls. Ummm, I will come by to get the rent from you tomorrow and I noticed you weren't using the lamp I lent you. I will come by to get that as well."
Tara got the message before me, but left me a note saying, "I saved the blinking message for you. I saved it as new- you have to hear it- t'bone[ the nick name Tara gave herself]" .
I listed to it and began to laugh and roll my eyes.
The next day we were both home when Marla came over to get the checks. We were just sitting down to have dinner and she knocked. Tara let her in and she handed her her check. The phone rang and Tara went to grab it and said while she was running down the hall to grab it, " We'll get the lamp for you in a second." I was still in my bedroom writing down the check amount on my balance sheets and was on my way to the living room while Tara continued telling the sales person on the phone that she did not want any make-up.
As I came out of my bedroom to hand Marla my check for the month, I swore I heard a door close. When I finally made my way to the living room, I saw Marla there, lamp in hand.
Hmmmm, that's odd, It didn't sound like from the conversation that Tara already handed her the lamp, I thought to myself.
Tara came out from the kitchen to the living room she saw Marla there with the lamp, assuming I had given it to her already.
Marla left. I looked at Tara with gigantic eyeballs. " Did YOU give her the lamp?"
Tara, looked at me with a look that said, what do you know that I don't know?
She replied, "no, I thought you gave it to her."
"No, I didn't give it to her."
We concluded that this curious lady found her way into our apartment when we weren't there and snooped so much that she found the lamp in the back of our closet! I wonder what else she found in the apartment while trying to snoop.
Cheers to the Marlas of this world.
I thought to myself, is she allowed to come in with out us here? I was only 18 at the time and had no idea about laws- and I think she knew that. Tara and I were very young. After we saw the lamp we erupted in laughter. Tara opened the hall closet door with out saying a word- and with her nonverbal cue, I grabbed the lamp and put it on the top shelf in the closet. Tara closed the door.
The weeks and months went on... The lamp got further and further to the back of the top shelf in closet.
Its probably February and we have a message from dear old Marla on the machine. In a shaky old lady voice,"Hi girls. Ummm, I will come by to get the rent from you tomorrow and I noticed you weren't using the lamp I lent you. I will come by to get that as well."
Tara got the message before me, but left me a note saying, "I saved the blinking message for you. I saved it as new- you have to hear it- t'bone[ the nick name Tara gave herself]" .
I listed to it and began to laugh and roll my eyes.
The next day we were both home when Marla came over to get the checks. We were just sitting down to have dinner and she knocked. Tara let her in and she handed her her check. The phone rang and Tara went to grab it and said while she was running down the hall to grab it, " We'll get the lamp for you in a second." I was still in my bedroom writing down the check amount on my balance sheets and was on my way to the living room while Tara continued telling the sales person on the phone that she did not want any make-up.
As I came out of my bedroom to hand Marla my check for the month, I swore I heard a door close. When I finally made my way to the living room, I saw Marla there, lamp in hand.
Hmmmm, that's odd, It didn't sound like from the conversation that Tara already handed her the lamp, I thought to myself.
Tara came out from the kitchen to the living room she saw Marla there with the lamp, assuming I had given it to her already.
Marla left. I looked at Tara with gigantic eyeballs. " Did YOU give her the lamp?"
Tara, looked at me with a look that said, what do you know that I don't know?
She replied, "no, I thought you gave it to her."
"No, I didn't give it to her."
We concluded that this curious lady found her way into our apartment when we weren't there and snooped so much that she found the lamp in the back of our closet! I wonder what else she found in the apartment while trying to snoop.
Cheers to the Marlas of this world.
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