how real is real enough?

We are well taught Christians who live in a comfortable Christianity. Why don’t we run out the doors of church and scream the gospel from every corner? Why don’t we give our money to the poor and to ministries and just keep what we need? Why don’t we ask each other the hard questions and admit our weaknesses? Why don’t we persist with our non-Christian friends even when it’s hard? Why don’t we value the internal over the external with each other?

I want to suggest two reasons for this. Firstly - we don’t believe that it’s real, or we do believe but we’re not convinced. We live without urgency – forgetting the weight of the reality and the immediacy of the possibility of Jesus’ return.

Secondly – we’re fitting in to a Christian climate! We negotiate our lives under the prerequisite of whether or not we will be accepted by others and even other Christians.

But this should not be.

The reason we don’t do these things, I would like to suggest, is because we don’t have to. We’re looking for a pass mark from our Christian peers.

The average Christian doesn’t have to scream the gospel from the roof-tops, we just have to stop swearing. The average Christian doesn’t have to give dramatic amounts of money away; just some. We don’t have to persist with our non-Christian friends; just ask one to one outreach even and we don’t have to value the internal – its ok to make and effort on the externals and we expect everyone to look good enough.

There are those other things, those “extra” things that we could do to be distinction Christians, but they’re for the super keen, the high achievers. We do enough to get by.

And here’s where I want you to stop and think with me because I’ve been trying to reconcile the two.

Be honest with yourself when considering the above paragraph – we may be getting credits in some of those areas, be we’re struggling in others – others I haven’t mentioned and we know it. We’re apathetic.

Here’s my question – how can we, who live in such a reality (as mentioned) and deal with such a God (as discussed) ever be “doing enough”? The nature of our reality is eternal and infinite. Where do we find room to say “I’m passionate enough”? Joyful enough, loving, giving, caring, serving enough?

Enough to fit in with the other Christians perhaps. But why are we Christians? Because we each know and love the living God and it’s Him we’re trying to be like, not each other.

And so, brothers and sisters, I want to push us to push each other. To not get comfortable in our own conformity – but to remember and remind each other of our mind blowing reality in such a way that we never stagnate.

Not that it’s easy by any means, but I hope that you agree that it is important.

feelings

you'll forgive this for being 'applicable', i can hardly turn my thoughts off. but the rest is rhetoric, not directed to any individual even if it sounds specific, they're general thoughts.

you know who got it?
you know who got feelings and wasn't necessarily just a bookworm historian scouring for facts?
you know who had a full heart and anguish and joy?
david. he knew what was what. he knew what life was. he knew the measure of truth but he also knew the honesty of a human heart. and his heart was full, filled to bursting. he was a man who was swimming with love and passion and joy inexpressible. for as many days as he lived i bet he sang. i bet he sang with a passion of crazy proportions. his voice would be hoarse from high notes and repeated chorus and feeling. just raw, gutsy feelings and tears, more tears than i have cried in my whole life. he didn't shy away from 'reality' and he didn't shut things up into 'philosophy' and 'reason'. his life wasn't based on an obligation and he wasn't swept along by any culture, he was a man with an undivided heart. he was a man in love. he was drunk on the deepest love. it wasn't a rational love and it wasn't a tame love, he was physically overcome with affection and admiration for God. he was a baby lying, crying in safe arms of a God who knew every inch of his mind and every movement of his heart. he was a messy, flawed, weak little man, and he was head over heels for his Maker. even if a hundred other people have no idea what this is like, it doesn't change that fact that he does. his life was full and rich and colourful and real. he got it. go read his songs, he gets it.

loud music

there are a lot of things that are like listening to music in headphones.

when i'm listening to a song sometimes it sounds like i am there, standing in front of a band. and it colours everything. everything i'm doing and writing and seeing and how i'm moving. it is the 'communitas' that Victor Turner writes about - feeling united to everyone on the planet; as if life has a unified goal and purpose.

but at any point and for any reason i'll take off my headphones and cross the room. i can still hear the music, playing quietly from the small speakers and it's the same shape and form and tune and tone but it's smaller. it's a background noise of minimal significance.

and there are so many things that i am too close to. i can't see the big picture that they are just a noise in my ears. i'm too involved and too near to see that this is not the high point of reality, but this is just a piece of loud music which from another perspective is small and inconsequential.

the danger is not knowing
the real danger is to think that just because things feel one way (significant) that they are that way. because i feel like a fool when from three steps away i can barely hear the music that i could have sworn was the only thing that mattered.