Have you ever listened to a song so much on the radio that you get disgustingly annoyed with it? You are so digusted with hearing the extensive publicity of it that you totally ignore the meaning of the words. I'm talking about the real music that's not appreciated for it's true poetry, for it's simplistic, but powerful skill. Recently, I have experienced this in various ways amongst my life. Even to the point of catching my words painted with cycnicsm about this big box coporation, or that mass produced gadget, etc., etc. Our world is filled with tantalizing images and sounds that tempt our senses to be drawn in full throttle. As mentioned before, I have been feeling like I can't find my away back home again. So amongst my fustration and growing cynicism (help me God!), my mind has been screaming through the noise to ask what is most important, who is most important? How can I get to the bottom? How can I dig deeper and not be swallowed? Often times it's easier to be the mask of who you say you are than to actually be yourself. The trick is finding that place where you feel secure enough to do so without caring about the mass this and mass that. In a world that can swallow you up, are you allowing it to also mass produce you? Have you become a part of the animal? Where is the meaning and have we forgotten to stop to look up the words?
As the old year turns into the new one, I have grown weary of the complicated nature of the world around me. That also goes for the politics of what kind of Christian, Christians think I, or any other Christian "should" be. I have come to the conclusion that we all have the same core values in our faith with God, yet, different people learn, relate, and worship differently to each other and to their Saviour. There cannot be one set way of routine for every one to express their devotion. After all God made us in His own image. Think about how vast that is! Another issue is the area of conviction. Personally, I believe that drinking alcohol is bad for me because it leads me down dangerous paths. The smell of it, the look of it, the lure of it, drives me to think of it constantly, how I can bypass every one and everything I value in life to get it. I wouldn't care who I would hurt in the process. For another person, they also could be Christian and still take a respectful taste of alcohol every once and a while, yet it would not cross their personal convictions. There is no excuse for abuse of something, however, if you have examined in your heart your personal conviction about an issue that you face and lined it up accordingly with the Bible as well as with what the Holy Spirit is conveying to you in your heart about it, than there should be no problem. You cannot force your own convictions to be someone else's (this goes for witnessing as well). It will only end up in hardness and religiousity. I often wonder in this man made organization of the church, if Christ would be knocking over our temple tables? Would he be upset because we are mass producing a robot collective of Christian religion? One size fits all? How can God have a size if He is immeasurable in His power? He is a different God to different people. So if this is true, than are we putting him in a box in an attempt to produce Him in our lives? HOW TWISTED!
I am noticing that my generation of ministers [along with myself] are asking a lot of these questions. Secondly, they are desperately wanting a revolutionary change in the church in order to let Jesus and His people get down with their redeemed selves. Recognition has been given that youth in the following generations are far more experiential in their lives than ever and this is how, when they are given the chance/choice, they will relate to God. This is precisely why it is imperative for Christians to be uniquely transparent in their faith. First impressions last a life time no matter how many firsts are experienced together. Youth of today are dying to be provided with ways to make things in the world that are important relavent to them. Given them an open forum to do so. It's time to step up and challenge the normal so that we deserve the title of "Jesus Freaks."
God Bless,
Natalie M. Steele