Well, for better or worse, here it is...the first FBC Jax Beach blog post. As you may have assumed, through this blog, we hope to engage in a variety of issues...some light, others hard pressing.
On the light side...I am currently compiling a list of my personal "stupid-peeves" (DEFINITION: a "stupid-peeve" is an action or word that makes me, personally, feel stupid for even being in the vicinity of said action or word). In no particular order (remember this list is a work in progress and by no means complete):
Clapping at the end of a movie
Why do people do this? No one who made the movie or is in the movie or received your money from you buying the ticket to see the movie is in your movie theater! THEY CAN'T HEAR YOU!!! It makes me feel stupid for even being there!
High-Fiving at the Bowling Alley (single high-five or the dreaded double-high-five)
While I am not a bowler...in fact I am ashamed to know that the PBA Tour (professional bowlering) is sponsored by Denny's...I do occasionally like to go bowling. By the shear odds (strike that...no pun intended...CHURCH BLOG EDIT: "By the will of Sovereign God..."), I do usually bowl at least 1 or 2 strikes...I do not however, come back to the swivel chairs high-fiving as if I know what in the world I did to make that happen (if I did than I would not have a total score of 53 going into the 7th frame). What makes me feel most stupid in this scenario is when the people that I am with back at the swivel chairs are "high-five-bowlers" and raise their hand(s) wanting me to "give it up for my strike"...which of course presents an ethical dilemma of whether to hold to my strong convictions and therefore be a jerk, or give into the high-five(s) and feel stupid. I usually give in and feel stupid!
*NOTE: Although "Chest-Bumping at the Bowling Alley" or "Knuckles [aka "Knucks] at the Bowling Alley" were not specifically mentioned by name...please know that they also are unacceptable in terms of not making me feel stupid for simply being there!
Certain Words
-Trooper (as in "He's such a trooper.")
-Goodies (as in "Here's a bag of goodies.")
-The misuse of the word "literally" (as in "I was literally scared to death.")
I am not sure why I "stupid-peeve" these words so much...I just do!
Churches That Want the Testimonies Without the Messy Process
This one is not just a "stupid-peeve," but one of the main issues that I have a real contempt for in churches. Most, if not all, churches want to have (or at least hear) the testimonies about the people who were involved in drugs, had criminal records, and hunted endangered species for fun before Jesus Christ changed their lives. Now those people work as Big Brothers or Big Sisters at the local "Boys/Girls Club," go out to Applebee's and eat dinner with their former arresting officer (who is now their spiritual mentor), have opened up a petting zoo in their community in order to bring attention to conservation issues, and have been "called into the ministry." These types of testimonies are coveted by churches nation-wide. The disgusting reality, however, is that few churches are willing to go through the dirty, heart-wrenching process of discipleship and the slow change that God brings about. While God can change our former habits, tendencies, and addictions overnight, He rarely does so outside of His process of "walking [day-by-day, moment-by-moment] in faith." In other words, His deliverance of us from us is a journey of trust in Him whereby we are slowly...but surely...transformed, one part of us at a time, from what we were into what we are created to be.
As a church, we praise God for the incredible testimony...but we are so much more profoundly priviledged to be a part of the process. Come as you are...leave on the journey!
