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I just read an interesting blog post that got some attention on Hacker News recently: Why my Dad went through 24 TVs in two years

The author, whose father is an electronics salesman, recalls, “My dad inadvertently ended up selling more TVs to guests to our house, than to people in his actual retail shop.”

You can read the blog post for the details, but there are a few reasons that I would conclude made these in-home sales effective (these are some of my own thoughts mixed with the author’s).

1. His father was able to demonstrate the TV’s features in an everyday environment, rather than a retail showcase
2. The family’s guests probably thought that if he had brought it home for himself out of all the other options, it must be good
3. “[P]eople entering the house were a little more relaxed, and didn’t feel that someone behind the counter was going to hard sell to them before they left the premises”

This made me ponder upon how we try to share Jesus with those around us.  In many ways, Christians in the United States have grown comfortable trying to get people to come to a church building to see a trained preacher present the Gospel to them.  We figure that this formal pitch is what people will need to see the truth of who Jesus is.  While the formal preaching of God’s Word is very important, we should not depend upon this to the detriment of sharing Jesus with people in our daily lives.  For many, the appeal of seeing Christ at work in our homes, workplaces, schools, and back yards may be more appealing than a “retail” presentation alone (not to equate sharing the Gospel with making a sales pitch… I hope you understand the analogy).

That’s why I’m hoping that many Christians will take the call to be a living room missionary more seriously.  We need to invite people into our lives so that they can see who God is in an everyday environment.  We need to share with people why we have chosen to follow Christ, not only through a rehearsed Gospel presentation, but through a personal testimony of life transformation.  We need to demonstrate real care for people, and not give the impression that we’re just trying to “make the sale”.

I was recently able to see the new movie Avatar in 3D.  It was pretty incredible – the effects, animation, and 3D combined to make a truly immersive experience.  The story, which some have compared to Pocohantas, is also very appealing, and not just for its standard underdog-takes-on-the-bad-guy script.  There is something about the culture of the Na’vi (the film’s “blue people”) that appeals to our desire for something simple and genuine.

In fact, I was surprised to read recently that many people who watched the film are experiencing surprising side effects.  CNN.com reports that film-goers are suffering from the “Avatar blues”, and longing for the community they saw in the movie.  One forum commenter stated, “Ever since I went to see ‘Avatar’ I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na’vi made me want to be one of them.”  This desire for community has even led some to depression and suicidal thoughts.  Other movies, such as The Last Samurai, point to this same longing in our hearts.

All of this reinforces a basic human desire: we long to live in genuine community.  We want to be in a network of trusted relationships that values honor, courage, respect, purity, love, discipline, and connection with the divine.  It’s an unsatisfied desire that has been within us since the fall of man (Genesis 3).  Because sin entered the world, we are alienated not only from one another, but from God Himself.  It is the most basic conflict of the human condition.

And this is why I feel the church is so important in today’s world.  People are seeking this kind of connection with God and with others, but all that our society offers is superficial community and short-lived material satisfaction.  This is why Jesus came into the world – to give us a path to connect with God and to reconcile us with one another.

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” – Colossians 1:19-20

We need to be reconciled to God.

This weekend, our church will be going on a retreat called “Make Us One”.  It’s my prayer that we will experience the truth of the Gospel message that provides what this world can’t: community with God and with others.  We want to be united as a church, and that can only happen through the reconciling power of Jesus Christ.  This is what our church needs – and what the world is looking for.

I ran into an old co-worker at Kroger last night and we ended up talking for about 20 minutes just catching up with each other.  We were good friends and spent hour after hour talking when we worked together. Even though we hadn’t seen each other in over a year, it felt like we picked up our friendship right where we left off.

One thing he shared with me is that he is now working at a U of M office that promotes diversity and interaction between different cultures.  He’s African-American and he’s married to a Caucasian woman (+2 really cute twins!), and I know his interest in cultural issues makes him really well suited for a job like this.  However, as we were talking he started sharing about the difficulties of trying to get different groups to interact with each other.  Evidently many of the groups that he is trying to reach out to just aren’t interested in getting to know other cultures; some are even hostile when he contacts them.

This conversation reminded me of one of the major issues of our times.  Even though many sectors of society are growing in diversity statistically, the reality is that many people simply aren’t interested in interacting with people who are different from themselves.  U of M, for instance, prides itself on its diversity, but when you walk into a dorm cafeteria it’s still easy to see that there is a “black table”, “Asian table”, etc.  When the rubber meets the road, many people just don’t think it’s worth the effort to go outside their comfort zone.

And how should the church respond?  The reality is that most of the time we are no different than the world around us.  Our churches reflect our culture rather than representing the people of all tongues, tribes, and nations gathered together in heaven.  I believe this situation empties the gospel of its power and reveals the truth that many times God’s people are indistinguishable from those who belong to this world.  Jesus calls us to be distinctive from the world around us, and specifically to love people who are different from ourselves:

“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” – Matthew 5:46-47

I know that we will never see perfectly diverse churches that exactly match the make-up of the communities around us, but that’s not an excuse not to reach out, meet new and different people, and love others as Jesus loves us.  This has the potential to be one of our greatest witnesses to the world around us, and I hope we can work together as brothers and sisters in Christ to meet this challenge.

I normally don’t like Rush Limbaugh very much.  Even on the rare occasion that I agree with something he’s saying, I just find him abrasive and unlikeable, and it’s not too often that I’d find myself making the effort to support his agenda.  However, today is one of those rare days.

Mr. Limbaugh just wrote an editorial for the Wall Street Journal in which he calls on President Obama to keep the airwaves open and not take any action, whether direct or indirect, to censor others’ opinions.  For once, I agree.  I happen to be a strong proponent of free speech, so while I don’t like a lot of what Mr. Limbaugh has to say, not to mention a lot of the other junk that’s out there on the radio and TV, I completely support their right to say it.

Especially for Christians in this country, it’s easy for us to see or hear things that we don’t like being broadcast, and begin to make calls for laws that ban certain kinds of speech.  This is a natural response, since we don’t want ourselves or our children to have to listen to what we consider offensive.  However, if we begin passing laws banning speech that we find objectionable or offensive, that leads down a slippery slope from which it may be difficult to recover.

Think about this: How long do you think it will take after a law is passed banning something that offends someone for people to start writing laws that ban evangelism?  How about laws that ban condemning sin?  Maybe laws that say churches have to give equal time to speakers from other religions?  It may seem far-fetched, but to citizens of many other nations, these restrictions are already all too real.

The founders of our country had a lot of wisdom in explicitly affirming many of the rights that are available to us, and it would be foolish to try to strike them down because we are offended or don’t agree with what someone else is saying.  I hope that Christians around the country will be able to support free speech, even if they don’t like what they hear, so that our children and their children after them can still share the gospel openly and freely.

The University of Michigan’s spring break starts today, and since HMCC is located on UM’s campus, we have a lot of students who are leaving town for vacation.  It’s great that students get these breaks to rest, relax, hang out with friends, and visit new places, but I’ve noticed over the years that most don’t make the most of their spring break experience.  Particularly, many Christians completely neglect their relationship with God, and come back after the break in a state of spiritual decay.  Sad.

In light of this, I’m going to offer some suggestions to those of you who are on spring break to help you grow your relationship with God rather than leaving him behind for a week.  I’m not saying you can’t go to the beach or whatever else you want to do, but a few little things can make a huge difference.

1. Have a plan each day – I doubt anyone could calculate how much time has been wasted by students on spring break who have no idea what to do.  It’s easy to sit around at home or in a hotel room and keep asking, “so what should we do today?” rather than getting out there and doing something!  Just make some plans the day before: eat breakfast, visit friend A, eat lunch, go to the beach with friends B and C, etc.  It doesn’t have to be down-to-the-minute detail, and even very simple plans can make your break much more fulfilling.
2. Spend time with God – When you’re making your plans for the next day, don’t forget to set aside time to read the Bible, pray, and journal.  This is your lifeline!  It doesn’t take that long, and you’ll still have most of the day for recreation and relaxation.  Try going to some different places (book store, cafe, beach, museum, etc.) and encounter God there.
3. Build Christ-centered friendships – Many of you are probably going on vacation with some friends, and maybe some or all of them are Christians.  Question: Is your friendship only about going shopping and watching movies, or do you talk about Jesus sometimes, too?  Jesus wants to be the center of your friendships, and spring break is a great opportunity to put him there.  Share together about what God is teaching you, read the Bible together, maybe even share the gospel together with a friend who doesn’t know Jesus yet.  It’s these kinds of friendships that last the long haul, but you’ve got to be purposeful in building them.
4. Learn/do something new – If you’re traveling somewhere, chances are there are lots of amazing things you could see and do.  Take the time out from being a consumer at the mall, and go to a museum, visit national landmarks, see a play at a theater, or go on a hike through a park (now I sound like my parents).  One thing that amazes me about many Christians is a lack of exposure to and general knowledge of the world around us; use your spring break to break the mold!

Just a few tips – I hope they help.  If you’re going somewhere fun, bring me a souvenir, and pray for those of us who are staying in the Ann Arbor cold.

I’ve been enjoying reading “ReJesus” by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch.  It’s helping me take a fresh look at Jesus and the need to center our faith completely upon his person, work, and message in our Christian lives.  One paragraph I read recently really spoke to me, and I think it’s something all believers need to be aware of:

“And herein lies an irresolvable dilemma for all people of faith.  Although genuine faith is born out of direct encounters with God, it cannot survive and prosper without some form of stability and order.  Viewed positively, rituals, creeds, and organizations can help people structure their relationship with God.  In fact, we believe this is what they were initially designed for.  But unless the worshipper is very wary, the glory of the God encounter will slowly fade and the ritual, creeds, and rules intended to preserve the encounter will take its place.  The crisis dawns when the outward forms of worship no longer match the inward experience and spiritual condition of the participants.  At that point, decline becomes inevitable, authentic Christianity is subverted, and constant renewals become necessary . . . hence the need to reJesus.” (Frost & Hirsch, 69)

Over the years, I’ve noticed that most people will tend toward two extremes on this spectrum.  Either we will 1) rebel against any structure, tradition, or organization, claiming that they constrain our relationship with God, or 2) seek and conform to structure, tradition, and organization, replacing true relationship with the forms of worship.  Both of these extremes are faulty and lead to either a self-centered, erratic relationship with God, or empty religious exercise without true intimacy.  We need to be aware of our own tendencies in order to fight with ourselves for a loving relationship with Jesus.

And I’m realizing that this can only happen not through balance, but through tension.  Yes, I believe we need tension in our relationship with God, tension between the desire for free, unhindered worship experiences and disciplined, structured devotion.  Our passion for God can only be maintained and grown with both, and that is the irresolvable dilemma that Frost and Hirsch are referring to.  We seek balance because we want something that feels normal, predictable, and controllable, but the tension we need produces excitement, continual testing of convictions, reflection, and vibrant intimacy.

I see this struggle so often in the church today.  People stumble toward one extreme or the other, not enjoying and thriving in the tension that will produce a healthy relationship.  For myself, I tend to rebel against structure and organization, but I’m continually learning to appreciate them as a necessary component of healthy faith.  I pray that the Church in our time will be able to follow Jesus with a tensioned passion and discipline, and that this living faith will reach the ends of the earth.