Are You There God? It's Me, Dawn

So it drives me crazy when people tell me to "relax" or "calm down" when I'm not even fired up. 

I'm not mad...I'm just loud.  Sheesh.

What does fire me up?  People telling me to relax.

I was talking with a friend the other day about my reservations about the current state of American Christianity…about how it should be less talk and more do.  And he said something that stuck in my brain, he called it “faith in action”.

And I totally agree!  Our faith should be reflected in what we do.  We shouldn’t have to say that we’re Christian…people should sense something different about us.  And I’m not talking about going to church, or not watching certain movies, or not getting drunk.  I’m talking about what we do to help others.

It seems these days that American Christianity is about “faith inaction” rather than faith in action.  We spend tons of time in church, purposefully separating ourselves from non-churchies, feeling really good about our chances of making it into heaven, driving our nice cars past folks who are hungry, homeless, or just painfully sad.

When I talk about all of this stuff, I say it because it was me!  I’m not trying to judge anyone…unless it’s me!  When I think about the pains I took to make sure that everyone close to me was a Christian (the way I defined it!) and thought the way I did…it’s disappointing.

For me, my “faith in action” involves the environment.  I feel badly that so many Christian leaders talk about how God wants us to have so much stuff.  Does He really?  So what about Christians in third world countries?  They don’t have a bunch of stuff…but they still love the Lord.

I don’t believe that God wants me to have a gas-guzzling, air-destroying SUV.  Or that He wants me to eat fruits and veggies that have been treated with soil-immobilizing pesticides.  Or meat from animals that have been treated horribly and fed in a way that God didn’t intend.  Or to have the latest and largest TV.  Or an energy-sapping clothes dryer.  Oh!  Excuse me…I just tripped over my soapbox.  My bad.

But my issue doesn’t have to be yours.  I’ll bet there are good Christian folks who are driving their SUV’s down to their local women’s shelter to give those women a better chance at success.  They probably look at me and wonder why I don’t do more to help there.

Or what about those folks who go overseas to help the less privileged over there?  If there was a way I could have less desire to do that…I just don’t know it.  But someone, somewhere is being kept up at night with dreams of changing the world in some remote place.

I think that’s the amazing thing!  If all of America’s professed Christians got on whatever bandwagon it is that motivates them…we could do some things!  Christianity can’t just be about us and our walk with God.  We’re here for a finite amount of time and God’s given us the Earth to take care of while we’re on it.  Let’s make a difference!

So what’s your “thing”?

And are you doing it?

I don't know if it's because it's still so cold up here.
Or because we just can't let go.
I mean, it certainly is hard.
We go a long time looking at the cuteness.
But the Christmas lights have to go.
And it's not like I just saw them on one house.
Or two.  Or even three!
People...I'm sorry. 
Really I am.
But it's March next week and...
...I think you better let it go.

Sorry, I haven't been around lately, but the politicians came up here to Wisco and I've been running around trying to see everyone. But just as quickly as they swarmed in on us, they've buzzed away.

Anyhoo, I was driving around the other day thinking back to my teenage years because of a conversation I overheard between a teenage girl and her mom. There was exasperation oozing from the mom and audible eye-rolling coming from the girl.

That made me go back to those years when I was abducted by aliens. My normal, happy-go-lucky self being replaced by, what I can only guess were, gremlins. These were angry, sarcastic, and non parent-loving gremlins. Said gremlins only wanted to talk on the phone for hours with friends and didn't take kindly to parental requests to do homework rather than chat on the phone. Door slamming, stomping away, and muttering under one's breath were also calling cards of the gremlins. How the gremlins didn't pass out from the excessive sighing (due to annoyance at parents of course) I'll never know.

But thankfully, when I was about ready to graduate from college, the aliens kindly returned me to my body and all was right with the world.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I guess Lent has brought about some self reflection in me, because I think I’ve been taken for a fool.

For the last couple of years, I’ve been writing about my journey with God on this blog.  Down in H-town, I’d left my church because it started ringing false.  Quietly, I worried that I was losing my faith because I didn’t like the things I was hearing from the television preachers that all of my friends adored.  Even from my own pastor.  So I just muddled through.

Tithe because of what God will give you.  Give more money and God will bless you with a husband/house/child…whatever it is you’re praying for.  When you pray, tell God that He’s got to abide by His word.  God wants to give you stuff.  Stuff, stuff, stuff…whatever you want, God will give it to you.  As long as you declare it by faith and follow it up with a financial seed.

But it stopped ringing true when I visited another church that talked about donating the money you’d use for Christmas gifts to charity.  That sent people to third world countries to build wells that saved entire villages. 

This church set my faith on edge.  I didn’t know how to receive it.  Every other pastor I knew talked about how we give to get…this church talked about giving because we’ve already got.  Such a different message.

I’m not through my journey, but I feel better now because I know that I’m not losing my faith.  It’s as strong as ever.  It’s just that for me, faith can’t be all about me.  I don’t even know if any of this makes sense because I’m rambling.  The light just went off recently and I’m still trying to figure it all out. 

My head is spinning.

I had this really good quotation from the UnChristian book, but the book’s in the car and there’s a wind chill of -30 outside right now.  So, I’m going to paraphrase what it said and you’ll either have to trust me or go get the book (link off to the right).

The book’s about people who don’t identify as Christians and how they view Christians.  One of their things is that Christians are only worried about getting a notch in our belts. Meaning, we just want to get people saved in order to get some reward in Heaven or to brag to our friends.  So we come off as fake.

Non-Christians think when we’re nice to them and invite them to church, that it’s coming from a selfish place. 

I read this analogy in a book years ago and I can’t remember the name of the book, but I thought it was great.  The author likened our zeal to get people “saved” to running a race.  All the folks are lined up at the starting line, stretching, and getting warmed up.  Some people are calmly talking to each other about the race, while others are looking nervous…wondering if they’ll be able to finish.  The crowd, comprised of their friends and family, are lining the street, prepared to cheer them on.  Then there was a rustle throughout the crowd and everyone shuffled forward a bit because the starter was about to shoot the gun to start the race.

The gun goes off and everyone in the crowd starts cheering, spilling into the street where the race was to take place.  The runners start crying and their family’s do as well.  All around people are high fiving and hugging.  It’s quite the scene.

You see the problem?  They cheered at the beginning of the race.  But what about the race itself?  That’s what happens with new Christians.  We get all excited to bring our friends to church and get them saved…but then drop them like a hot potato.  At least that’s the perception.

Non-Christians think we’re excited at the beginning of the race, but in mile five, when they really need some support…we’re nowhere to be found. 

So we come off as fake…because it’s about the race (and finishing it!), not just getting them to the starting line.

Here's my theory.

I'm a bit of a chatterbox.  So I'm thinking that God got sick of listening to me.

Because I've lost my voice.

Like totally.  All I can do is squeak...and I've done that so much that now I'm just expelling air very quickly and trying to form words.