Taking Facebook to the Moon

I believe we are all too familiar with legalism and the separation from others that it inevitably brings with it. In the song “To The Moon” by Sara Groves, she tells a tail of a congregation that decides they will take their church to the moon so they can escape those with other view points or ideas. Sara paints a harsh, but true, picture of Christians that will have nothing to do with any other denomination or Christian with differing ideas when she says:

"There'll be no one there to tell us we're odd

No one to change our opinions of God

Just lots of rocks and this dusty sod

Here at our church on the moon


We know our liberties we know our rights

We know how to fight a very good fight

Just get that last bag there and turn out the light

We're taking our church to the moon"

Having grownup in a church, a community really, that this song could have been written about, I understand that these people are really out there. I cringe in my spirit to know that some would rather judge, condemn, and separate from others then love, befriend, and serve them.

“What Have We Become” by dc talk asks the question that the title suggests, what has Christianity become. What has happened when we think it is acceptable to deny love to someone because we do not agree with what they do or who they love, but we have no biblical grounds for our beliefs? There are things that are clearly shown as wrong in God’s Word, but then there are gray issues. Things that the Word of God is silent on in the New Testament. One of those areas is the opening verse of dc talks song:

"A preacher shuns his brother 

Cause his bride's a different color 

And this is not acceptable 

His papa taught him so 

It was love that he'd been preaching 

But this was overreaching 

The boundaries stretching further 

Than his heart would choose to go"

Interracial marriage is just one example. Some believe that because the nation of Israel was told not to enter into marriage with other nations, that somehow tells people with one color of skin to not marry someone with another. These beliefs have no biblical grounds but still some will allow it to divide a family or church.

I suppose I will never understand why some would rather disagree and separate then disagree agreeably and have fellowship. Christ tells us that they will know we are followers of His by the way we love each other, but what if we don’t?

With the rise of myspace and especially facebook Christians now have a new way to show their separation. We befriend someone on facebook that we have known for years and suddenly are eyes are opened. We see their political view, moderate instead of republican. We see their religious view, follower of Christ instead of baptist, and for this reason many will deny fellowship with other Christians.

With facebook we are able to, in a way, see someone’s life on a web page. We see their views, friends, favorite things, and we are able to see snapshots of their life through their photos. Here is the problem with this, and with the internet as a whole. In the privacy of our homes we feel we can sit and evaluate and, in reality, judge someone’s motives and life by a few pictures, listing of views, and comments to friends. Facebook, although a great thing, can easily be used as a way for someone to bury themselves in anger and pride by thinking less of others and more of themselves.

I know someone that has recently been a object of someones separation tactics. They are a professing believer in Jesus Christ. They have a heart that reaches far pass the bounders of most to love those that others will not. They also live a life that has many qualities that, I believe, Christ would desire us to have and that He had Himself, and partly for these this person was separated from. Someone had seen their political view was not republican, and their religious view was not baptist. When asked why the separation this person went about to give a list of things that needed to happen if they would ever be able to be friends again. The list consisted of: being a good baptist, being a member of the republican party, stop using language that they did not approve of, and lastly, and the one I find the most sickening, they demanded this person denounce their gay friends.

This is what it has become? A list of rules, instead of a relationship?

What makes a good Christian? Is being a Christian mean being a republican or a baptist? Does being a Christian mean having nothing to do with people that lead a gay lifestyle? If all these things, and more, need to be a part of someone's life in order for them to be a Christian what was Christ? What was Paul? How can you reach someone that you will have nothing to do with?

I have have often wondered why Christians don’t act more like Jesus. Some will follow all the commands found in the scriptures but they fail when it comes to simply living like Christ. Some Christians will even create rules for themselves and others to follow that are in direct opposition to how Christ lived. Why do they want to make is hard to love people? Why do brothers and sisters push brothers and sisters away? If we don’t match up to someone else’s ideals we can not have fellowship?

This has not at all been an attack on facebook. This has simply been a frustrated man’s ranting and questioning of a group of people that claim something to be true in their lives, but this great power that supposedly controls their life seems to have no effect on their love of other, not even those that claim the same truth.

If Christ came to earth today, who would hang out with him? Would it be the same thing all over again (He came to His own and His own did not receive Him)? Would Jesus, the Son of God, be to radical for some Christians and Churches?

I fear we are failing as followers of Jesus. For if indeed we were followers we would live like it. We would live like Jesus. We would love not hate. We would unify not separate.

i was sitting on the couch when i first started to think that i might have to go to the hospital. my stomach had been bothering me all day, but it had really started to hurt around 5pm, it was now 8pm. i paused the movie. did i have to throw up. yeah, it was coming.
i quickly ran to the bathroom.
this did not feel like the flu. it was definitely Crohn's related. that much i knew. but it was worse then i had felt in a longtime.
i went back and finished the movie.
it really hurt.
i really hate the hospital. i mean, who doesn't?
i tried to sleep. i thought maybe if i lay down it would help. it didn't.
here it comes again. i ran, once more, quickly to the bathroom.
it feels a little better after i vomit. but then it comes back with a new savagery.
stubborn, i tried the bed thing again.
at 9:30pm i gave in. on to the hospital.
I vomited once more on the way to the hospital. thankfully my wife thought to bring some bags.
it takes about 30 mins to get to the hospital from our home. one of the longest rides of my life. just about as bad as when i had a kidney stone.
of course it was night and pouring rain.
laying in the ER, praying for someone to please come and give me pain meds. my poor wife stands helpless beside me. finally some one comes in.
as the pain meds sweep through my body i remember thanking for smart people that can make this kind of stuff.
I threw up a few more times before the night was through.
i had a CAT scan and got put into a room on the third floor.

it was in the afternoon, i am not sure what the time was, when i was told i would need surgery.
this was a very big decisions. allowing some guy i don't know cut me open and take six inches of my intestines. this was a big deal; however, the guy shoving the pen and paper into my face didn't think it was. the only thing he was thinking about was when he could get his precious pen back.
i signed.

i woke up.
what the heck is this tube doing coming out of my nose. there was another tube coming out of me but we wont go there.
that was friday. the tube came out of my nose on tuesday.

i got out of the hospital on Wednesday night. i was in the hospital for six days.

i am better now.

the end

Music is Much More Than Voice

As I write, the harmonious “old timey” sound of Alison Krauss’ voice singing “Down to the River to Pray” washes over me. I thoroughly enjoy the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” as well as the soundtrack that I am currently listening to. I remember the first time I saw this movie. My brothers and I were invited over to my friend Andy’s house to watch, what he referred to as, a hilarious movie. I remember watching the movie and laughing; however, I remember also thinking of how profound a movie it was, and i could not get over how great the soundtrack was. Maybe that is not something that you think when watching movies but those thoughts often enter my mind. After the movie, my brothers and I left and went to Kmart and bought the soundtrack to the movie. I am not sure how many times I have listened to this soundtrack but it has been many. Songs like “Angel Band” or “Keep on the Sunny Side” can lighten any day, and “You Are My Sunshine” can cause me to slow down and listen again to the lyrics of a song I never, growing up, knew was so sad. 

I think people were surprised when they saw the the soundtrack sales. This was not the kind of music that most of America was listening to. But I think even more people were surprised when it won the “Album of the Year” Grammy in 2002. Other Grammy winners that included artist Alicia Keys. Not really from the same planet, are they? People had never heard this before, although this type of music had been around for decades. People liked it but i am not sure that they knew why. The songs on this soundtrack had something that most of the songs that they listened to did not have: depth, meaning, and soul. How is it that we ever got away from liking music that has those characteristics? Why do we allow the media and the music industry tell what we like?  

This is what I find happens to people. They become a teen and they decide that they are going to start listening to “Rock” or “Pop”; whatever, it really doesn’t matter. These young, unknowledgeable teens venture into the unknown world of music and get sucked into what the music industry wants them to listen to. Which, sadly, consists of “artist” like, in no particular order: The Black Eyed Peas, Toby Keith, Madonna, Clay Aiken, and a lot of other crap. The list could go on to included every “popular” artist out there. So these teens get stuck in the rut of thinking that the crap they are listening to is the best and the only music out there. the also get tricked in to believeing, thanks to shows like "American Idol", that only people with "good" voices are worth listening to; nothing could be further from the truth. I give you Bob Dylan. Enough said.

I understand this because I was somewhat there myself. I grew up in a family that did not allow anything but ‘Christian” music to be listened to. So when my brothers and I would sneak a listen to “non-Christian”, it didn’t matter what it was as long as it was on the radio and wasn’t “Christian”. (Note: there is nothing wrong with "Christian" music. just don't tie me down with it.) And so I got stuck. Luckily I had older brothers who knew some good artist but I still listened to a lot of crap. It wasn’t till I got to college that I really started to understand what I had been listening to for years. I owe must of my freedom from the trash I was enduring to Jared and Rob. They showed me a few artist and it was like coming up for air after participating in a breath holding contest, as a kid, under water. I have not gone back under since. it was like the scene from "The Matrix" where Neo is offered two choice, a red and a blue pill. One will allow him to experiance the real world, the other will a leave him in the lie that is being fed to his brain by the robots.

There is other music out there. If you find yourself hating the music you are listening but you can’t find anything else. Try these: Bright Eyes, The Mountain Goats, The White Buffalo, Sufjan Stevens, Iron & Wine, Gary Jules, Feist, and Brandi Carlile. Those are just a few that can help bring you up for air. Please give them a chance. Never turn something off cause you don’t like their voice. Whoever said voice was all there is to music.

Crohn's

when i was younger i use to think how cool it would be to have a disease. it is embarrassing to even say, but i use too also think that it would give me some kind of meaning. growing up in a big family, near the end of the line. makes one feel a little less than important. i use to have these daydreams about having something wrong with me. all the people in my church and all my friends would constantly be asking me how i was feeling and if i was ok. i guess all i really wanted was someone to notice me and give me some attention. here i am, many years later, and i have my wish. i have had it for about 10 years. funny how life throws you those little surprises.

i developed Crohn's disease at the age of 15. i remember the day the doctor called to confirm to us what he had already thought. i had Crohn's. i remember my mother crying. that was a weird day. i can't really remember what i thought. i do remember just standing there, staring at nothing. i wont say that hearing you have Crohn's and hearing you have cancer are the same, but they feel the same when you are on the receiving end. the thought "i am glad it isn't something worse never enters your mind. right you are the loneliest person alive. no one can know what you are thinking; no one feels the way you do, no one understands.

i guess if i had it to do over again i would wish i had a disease, but i did and i do. i suppose i can't say that wishing gave it to me, but maybe wish and then getting has taught me something. life is not unfair. unfair implies that we should be getting something else, instead of what we have received. why should i not have Crohn's? why should my mother not have had breast cancer? 

so does this post have a purpose, a reason? i don't really know.

Doug 

Pol-i-tics-me-off

i guess this might just be the last thing that anyone really wants to hear about right now. politics, just saying the word almost causes my gag reflex to go off. i suppose the real reason i dislike this whole bash-the-other-guy- (or girl) before- they-bash-you-and-if-they-bash-you-make-sure-you-bash-back-harder way of electing our countries' leaders is because, well, it sucks! i hate it. i am sure this goes back as far as when mankind started electing officials people to any kind of position. the thing i just don't get is why we think that it is the best way to show who is better. somehow, somewhere we got away (or maybe we were never there) from the idea that someone should tells us how qualified they are by telling us, not by telling us how unqualified the other person is. or by just generally trashing their character. 

i am really anger about this years presidential race. this is how you know it is america: all the best choices for president were pushed out of the limelight by... i am just going to say it. they were push out of the limelight by "typical black guy", "ugly and anger female", and "about-to-died-because-of-some-huge-cheek-problem old guy". in america, we don't want the best. we want the most controversial or the ones that sell the most newspapers or the bring the most hits on the web. 

i am really thinking of not voting this year. partly because i don't think either choose is a good, and partly because i enjoy the shock i get from people i know. i have heard every argument for why i should vote. there is the "you're a christian and you need to vote for the christian candidate". maybe mccain and palin are christians and maybe they got "A's" in high-school acting class. i just hate jumping on board the "christian" bandwagon. if i see one more of my friends on facebook add the "fan of palin" thing i am going to throw up! then, of course, there is the "people died so that you could vote" argument. yeah but didn't they die so that i had a choice.

so i am not sure what i am going to do. 

i have a dream (have i heard that somewhere before?) that one day america will look at the candidates, not for the color of their skin or their gender or their age, but for what the can actually do for america.

i did vote, just so you know

Doug