This is my response to something I watched and comments I read about it over at Raggamuffin Soul. It is the blog of Carlos Whittaker. Please take a few minutes and watch, listen, read, meditate…and then tell me what you think about it. Please.

Warning to any with virgin ears…Chris Tse drops a few gasp “F” Bombs towards the end. Well placed I might add. Chris Tse stood in front of a non Christian crowd and apologized on behalf of who they knew as Christians. I would love your thoughts on his poem.

via I’m Sorry I’m a Christian | Ragamuffin Soul.

Here is the video Los posted that elicited a flurry of understanding and hostile comments both.

I encourage you to click on the link above to read the comments that he has received as a result of posting this. Go ahead. Read them now. And then come back for my take.

As I watched the video, and listened to what Chris Tse says, my Southern Baptist upbringing immediately took hold and I braced for the offense that I knew I would take to what he would say. Thankfully, that only lasted for a moment as I really wanted to hear and understand why someone would apologize for being a Christian.

I got it. I understood his point and I understood his intent. Was I offended by the coarse language? Maybe I should have been, but like Los and some of his commenters point out, I’m guilty of the same. Maybe it’s the coarseness of my language, but more times than not, it’s a coarseness of heart, regardless of my choice of words. But if that becomes the focus of the discussion then the point, and the opportunity to meditate on and respond to what he’s saying gets lost.

I remember the first time I was challenged in a similar way and how it affected me. I was 17 or 18 years old, attending AtlantaFest, when it was still at the race track. Tony Campolo was one of the speakers and I was excited to hear him because my father, a Southern Baptist minister, had introduced me to some of his writings. I’m still very much challenged by his take on tithing and some of the stories he tells in The Kingdom of God is a Party. I challenge anyone to read that, and the story about the birthday party he gave for Alice, the prostitute. Very moving and eye-opening as to how we, the church, have made it unattractive to those on the outside looking in. I’ve digressed. I can already hear my wife saying, “Come on. Get on with it.” Thanks, dear.

What Tony Campolo said that evening was this: “There are 40,000 children in Africa dying every day due to hunger and disease. And you don’t give a damn about it. But what’s really tragic is this…most of you are so shocked and put off by the fact that I just used the word “damn” that you’ve already forgotten about the dying children.” Now I’m sure that’s not exact, so don’t give me grief over it. The essence is true, though. That hit me hard. I got it. I understood.

As I read the comments, and responses to comments, I began to think about the fact that the focus was being shifted off what was most important and being put on things that don’t matter. Does it matter how someone points out that we need to be…better…at being the church? Can’t we all be more loving and giving and less judgmental? Can’t we find more compassion and offer more grace and mercy? Can’t we focus on what matters most? Whoever is without sin…you know the rest.

I thought more and more about Jesus, which obviously was a positive outcome to my viewing the video. I thought about what Jesus focused on as he spent time with his disciples. I thought about who He spent time with and how He engaged them. As they were. Sinners. Just like all of us. What I remember most is love, compassion, forgiveness, mercy. What I can’t recall, though I’m sure someone will point it out for me, is Jesus focused on theology. Certainly not for the sake of theology, if He did. I think the closest He came was whenever He would engage the Pharisees. Weren’t they the “church” of their time? Weren’t they focusing on all the wrong things? Weren’t they making the church unattractive?

I love, love, love how Los put it. Again, paraphrasing, he said he’d rather engage with a few folks who were truly struggling with their faith and wanting to talk about how to be less “Christian”, but more Christ-like rather than argue theology with the masses. Don’t you think Satan finds satisfaction in our trivial arguments? Don’t you think he wants us to get bogged down in that muck? If we’re arguing theology, we certainly don’t have time to love and share our life with someone who needs it.

I’m sure there will be folks that disagree and find fault with points I humbly try to make here. That’s ok. I offer you the same grace and mercy that has been extended to me. Let’s just focus on what matters most.

What’s the point of life when it doesn’t make sense, when God blocks all the roads to meaning?

Job 3:23 MSG – YouVersion.com: Online Bible.

And there’s the question. “What is the point of life when it doesn’t make sense, when God blocks all the roads to meaning?” This is what Job asks in the third chapter, after losing pretty much everything he had.

Though I’ve heard the story many times, I’m eager to read through, in context, the rest of this book on faith and why bad things happen to good people. In fairness, though, bad things happen to everyone, both good and bad. I think it’s easier for us to feel ok about when something bad happens to a murderer, or a rapist or someone who is clearly “deserving” of the worst fate. And in conjunction with that thought, it’s definitely hard to believe that a good God would allow such tragedy to befall someone like Job, who by all accounts is God’s number one, best man. But I wonder, why do we also not question the good that happens to those of us who consider ourselves good? Why aren’t we questioning the point of life when all is going perfectly well for us? Should we be?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic and I plan to post more over the coming days as I continue to read through the book of Job. I’ve committed to read the Bible through, this year. I’ve never done it, I’m ashamed to say, and as I get older, and I realize that life doesn’t get any easier, I think a year of renewal and dedication to meditating on God’s word will do me some good. My prayer is for God to use his word to speak to my soul and mold my mind and spirit into who He wants me to be.

Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Romans 12:2 MSG – YouVersion.com: Online Bible

If you’ve never read the Bible, much less, read it in it’s entirety, I invite you to join me this year in a quest for truth and transformation. Please comment, question, agree or disagree. I welcome all discussion. I’m following a plan that lays out the reading in chronological order. I also joined the group on YouVersion.com that is reading this chronological plan. You can, too, by following the steps here.

Like many people, we have our Christmas traditions. When and where we do Santa pictures, getting together with family, milk and cookies for Santa that came from Bill Rhodes Bakery, where my wife works. I’m sure you get the idea and can think of plenty of your own. We wanted to make sure that we really instilled in our boys a sense of what Christmas should really be about, so last year we started the Christmas Closet Cleanout. We encouraged them to make room for new toys and things by selecting some of their existing toys to donate to charity. We don’t donate anything broken or worn out. Those items get tossed as necessary throughout the year. They make the choices and they know that the toys are going away to be given to a child that might not otherwise have much of anything at all. So far, it seems to be working well.

I decided to take Neal with me this year to deliver the clothes and toys to The Quinn House in Lawrenceville, GA. (If you find yourself in a position to donate, please give them consideration as they do a great job in the community.) As we pulled into the driveway, turned the truck around and parked at the steps to the house, Neal saw the people organizing other clothes and toys and such and asked about their activity. I told him they were helping get things organized so that they could be given to the people that needed them. We walked inside to get our receipt and a lady that worked there asked Neal about his Christmas, told him about Santa coming down their chimney, and thanked him for “sharing” his toys. Neal, polite as usual, said, “You’re welcome.”

I don’t know if he fully gets it, yet, but I hope that as he and his brother, Eli, grow, and we continue to do this, that they naturally develop a spirit and attitude of giving and helping others. Steph and I recently saw The Blind Side and also felt challenged to do more to help and make a difference to those around us. We’re praying for opportunity and for guidance for the coming year so that we might have a positive impact on those we come in contact with. What are you doing to make a difference? Any Christmas traditions that you’re passing on to your children?

Matt Chandler is a 35 year old husband, father and pastor of The Village Church in a Dallas, Texas suburb. On Thanksgiving, Matt had a seizure in his home and woke up in the hospital. Doctor’s discovered the source of the seizure was a tumor in his brain. He had surgery this past weekend and this is the last message he left for his church.

We taped this video of Matt a few days before his surgery and aired it this weekend at our worship services. We pray your heart is challenged and encouraged by it. Thank you for your continued prayers.

via Video from Matt | The Village Church : From Our Pastors.

As I watched the video and listened to him talk about his current situation, I was reminded of my father and the kidney cancer that took his life just over five years ago. My father taught me much about how to live. But he taught me just as much, if not more, about how to face adversity, even if that means death. After his passing, I remember hearing from many of the doctors and nurses just how special they thought my dad was and just how much they were impacted by his attitude of joy in all things. I can’t say for sure, but I believe they were also deeply touched by his faith. Faith not only in healing, but faith in a purpose and a plan bigger than any of us. Faith that, regardless of what happened, God was in control and God would get the glory. Even if that meant that the healing came, not in life, but in death.

I pray for healing for Matt and I pray for peace and comfort for his family and friends. I pray that God uses Matt and his life, his faith, to bring honor and glory to him. I pray that Matt’s courage can be an enCOURAGEment to all of us. May God’s grace be sufficient for us all. May His kindness and mercy last forever.

As Matt asked, I also ask, “What are you afraid of?”

“US consumers are making an inexorable transition to an all-digital, Internet-powered world,” Forrester Research’s Principal Analyst, Charles S. Golvin, said as part of the announcement. “The Internet pervades all aspects of Americans’ lives, from how we shop and buy, how we communicate, how we entertain ourselves, and how we seek out information to how we manage our personal relationships.”

“While today these digital activities are constrained to the home and the office, in the next several years consumers will increasingly rely on a ubiquitous Net that is instantaneously accessible on a wide variety of devices, from mobile phones to laptops to new form factors such as eReaders.”

via According to a survey released this week by Forrester Research, Americans are embracing technology like never before. : Dealerscope.

Is this you? Are you finding yourself amongst the many that are making the transition to an “all-digital, Internet-powered world”? If so, leave me a comment telling my how you’re making the transition and what you think about it. Is this a good thing? If you’re not in this group, then you might not be reading this. But if you are reading this, and you’re not in this group, or if you think this is bad, leave me a comment with your thoughts as well.

The text in the heading pretty much sums this up. But if you’re here on the post page and you can’t see the home page, here you go.

I’m a husband to Stephanie, a dad to Neal and Eli, and the son of Walter and Jannie. I am co-owner of Digital Design Solutions, an Atlanta, GA based consulting firm. We specialize in Apple consulting and web presence consulting, using WordPress as the hub to power our, and our clients, web presence. I love Georgia Bulldog and Atlanta Falcon football and Atlanta Braves baseball. I’m a techno-junkie and dig all things relating to Apple, WordPress and leveraging the interwebs to extend and increase influence and more effectively communicate a positive message of love, hope and peace.