Language to be thrown in the Discard Bin

Ok, so earlier today a Facebook friend, aka someone I don't really know that well, but know well enough to have them show up on my news-feed [which if I'm honest not every one of my Facebook friends do, because some of them are just plain crazy] posted a link to a blog about "5 churchy phrases that are scaring millennials". If you would like to read it for yourself you may copy and paste the following. [http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2013/11/07/5-churchy-phrases-that-are-scaring-off-millennials/25149]

Now, to be honest I did not actually read the entire blog, what I did do was peruse it in order to find the '5 churchy phrases'. This is my normal operating procedure when I click on a link about the 5 this or the 7 that or the 9 whatever. And in most cases I read the bullet points and then I casually go on my way with a shake of the head or a small chuckle, but this time I was struck by the recurrence of several statements that others have said that we should stop saying. And so, I decided to write my own rebuttals of why we should not be using such language in the church.

As I said, I did not read the blog in its entirety, so some of what I have to say may be a repeat of what the author said, or it may go in their face a bit, I don't know.

Phrase 1: “The Bible clearly says…”
Should we use? NO.

Why? I suppose that I could go a lot of different ways with this. Among them would be that often the Bible says different things within its pages, so all you might be able to say is "The book of Leviticus clearly says..." or "Jesus, in the Gospel of Mark, clearly says..."

But even that is a step too far for multiple reasons. The first one falls under the category of issues with translation. Lets look at one word, LOVE, which has quite a few different words in Hebrew and Greek that we all translate into the English word love. Some of these words have varied connotations yet we say one word that has a lot of various meanings, which is the correct definition for the particular verse you are looking at.

In addition most of scripture can be interpreted in various ways. Ask any truth telling pastor and they will tell you that they have preached off of the same verse multiple times in multiple ways. Heck, in just the past two years I have used one verse from Revelation three different ways.

The last point I want to make before I move on in that we should stop using the phrase for the simple fact that people have used it to clearly condemn various people through the centuries. The Bible is often the opposite of clear, because it was written by multiple people in multiple places through a multitude of time. Let us let the Bible be the conundrum that it is, because faith isn't easy and its not meant to be, why should the book that roughly 30,000 different denominations adhere to be so clear?

Phrase 2: “God will never give you more than you can handle”
Should we use? No.

Why? The first reason we should drop this phrase is because not only is it not in the Bible, but it is not even backed up in scripture. The Bible is chock full of people who were at their wits end before things worked out, if the worked out. Life throws a whole heck of a lot at us, and many times it is more than we can handle. If it weren't marriages wouldn't end, people wouldn't resort to various crimes, and no one would ever kill themselves.

Phrase 3: “Love on” (e.g. “As youth group leaders, we’re just here to love on those kids.”
Should we use? No.

Why? The first reasons is because it is a just plain stupid phrase. Sorry to any of you out there that use it, but seriously what does this mean. Just love people, love kids, love youth, love adults, love seniors. It feels like you are exchanging one set of clothes for another set, like if you just put love on them you won't have to do it anymore, love does not work that way [in any of its definitions].

Phrase 4: Black and white quantifiers of faith, such as “Believer, Unbeliever, Backsliding”
Should we use? No.

Why? I suppose the first reason is that everyone believes in something. The second reason is that if we are honest none of us are perfect, so we are all on some sliding scale between belief and doubt, sin and salvation. The third reason is that it tends to create a hierarchy of people, as if believers are somehow better than people who are backsliding who are better than people who are unbelievers, or maybe not depending on your view.

Beyond those three is a question. Why can't we all just be people? People who follow X, Y, or Z. People who are trying, but sometimes fail. People who are on a journey, maybe we started out this morning or 50 years ago, maybe we have our path planned or we're just winging it, or maybe we have some answers or are still looking for them.

Phrase 5: “God is in control . . . has a plan . . . works in mysterious ways”
Should we use? No.

Why? The times we usually use these statements are when people are going through the dirt of life. A marriage ends, and people wonder what their life can be now that what they thought would last did not. A job ends, and people begin to see the money that they need to pay bills, put food on the table, clothe their kids dry up and they want to know why. A life ends, and the relationship that meant to them is now gone and they wonder how they are going to take the next breath, let alone get through the next hour or day or month.

To these situations we say that God is in control, or that God has a plan, or that God works in mysterious ways, when what we should be saying is the truth. We should tell them 'I don't know, but I'm here for you, I'm not leaving, and I'll help you anyway I can.' People have their view on how God works in the world and in their lives, they do not need our theological statements, they need to know they are not alone.

I hope that within all of my answers you noticed that I believe that we need to be cognizant of the people we are dealing with, instead of acting like we are working from within some kind of bubble. The church has, for far too long, used language that normal people had to learn in order to understand what the heck we were trying to say. We need to move away from that, so that those people we haven't impacted yet that we may one day still impact don't get pushed away because of our in-words.


Peace and Love,
Pastor K

My Favorite Albums of 2013

The beginning of a New Year always causes me to look back, mainly because I am a nostalgia fool. But while I was thinking back to this past year I couldn't help but think about the music that had meant a lot to me in 2013. To that end I decided to write a top ten album list of this past year. This list does include an album (actually a whole set of albums to be honest) not from 2013, but 2013 is when I acquired it so it makes the cut in my mind. Also at the end I will share some of the albums that I am most looking forward to for 2014.

So, let us begin in iTunes alphabetical order.

Audio Adrenaline - Kings & Queens: Obviously if you are a reader of this blog you already know of my love for this album, seeing as it got a blog post all to itself. This album has been a constant in my car/cd player/ipod/iphone since it came out in March. He Moves you Move has helped me on more than one occasion. Kings & Queens has convicted me. And the Answer has been my cry.

Derek Webb - I was wrong, I'm sorry, I love you: If I'm honest Derek's previous album CTRL was my least favorite album of his, but then he released this one and I think its my favorite (or at least tied with Stockholm Syndrome). Its an album about those three statements, and our need to constantly say them. It is an album of accepting ourselves for who we are, yet constantly realizing that the love of God overcomes all of our trash. I have been wrestling with that truth all year so obviously Derek said the right thing at the right time for this guy.

Eminem - the Marshall Mathers LP2: So, we begin with two Christian albums and then jump to Eminem, that's me. Eminem has subsequently released my two favorite albums of his in a row with Recovery and now MMLP2. On this album we find a more introspective and mature Eminem, which I consider a very good thing. There is still the fun of previous albums (minus Relapse) but it is mixed with a nice amount of brilliant thoughts as well.

Garth Brooks - Blame it All on My Roots: In general I do not like country music, but I do love the two artists that pop up on this list. Before this set of albums was announced I was fairly certain that Garth was retired for good, so I was pleasantly surprised with this box set. Blame it... is 4 albums of newly recorded cover albums that showcase the various influences on the artist that is Garth. He does a masterful job on each album, showcasing Country Classics, Blue Eyed Soul, Classic Rock, and Melting Pot with a little bit of everything.

Jars of Clay - Inland: Inland is perhaps Jars most spiritual and secular album at the same time. It is an album that lives among the turmoil of life, yet finds a clear hope there as well. It envisions a time After the Fight. It recognizes the need for a Reckless Forgiver. In essence it finds God in the muck and mire, which is where we all tend to need God.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - the Heist: I have to mention Derek Webb again, because while Mary liked Thrift Shop, I was not enamored with it and didn't much care about buying this album. Derek Webb on the other hand was obsessive about the world's need to buy it, so one day he mentioned on Facebook that it was only $2.99 on Amazon. I figured for that price I couldn't go wrong and I purchased it. It was by far the best $2.99 I have ever spent on music, because if this list was in order this album would be on top. I am still not the biggest fan of Thrift Shop, it is my least favorite song on the Heist, but that speaks to the greatness of the album more than what is lacking in that particular song. Macklemore has a gift to speak truth into a variety of circumstances, and more so to allow those of us who have not walked the same path see into the lives of those who have. I subsequently purchased everything else Macklemore and then Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have done and I love it all. I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL THEIR NEXT ALBUM, may it come quickly.

Newsboys - Restart: If I was making this list on 2010 it would include Born Again. If I was making it in 2011 it would include God's Not Dead. And so another year and another Newsboys album that I love. I liked Newsboys enough when Peter Furler was the lead vocalist, but they were never a band I needed to buy, but then they hired my favorite member of dcTalk and things changed. Michael Tait is one of my favorite vocalists ever. This album is mainly about starting over (duh) and the need to refocus on the love that Jesus taught us, always something I am attempting to do.

Nick Lachey - A Father's Lullaby: For the majority of this year I would end half my nights rocking Henry to sleep listening to various music (Andrew Peterson, Joshua Kadison, Andrew Osenga, Derek Webb, Counting Crows), and then I purchased Nick Lachey's new album and most nights we ended with A Father's Lullaby. It is a very good mix of old favorites (like You are my Sunshine, and When You Wish Upon a Star) and new songs as well, but for me the highlight is All the Pretty Horses, a song that I remember my mom singing to me and a song that I was already singing to Henry before we bought this album.

Scott Stapp - Proof of Life: I will freely admit that I am a Creed fan, have been since My Own Prison. I enjoy my rock with a message, so Creed fits that bill very well. Scott has always written lyrics that attempt to speak to his audience as well as speak out from his life, and with Proof of Life he does a very good job on both fronts. This album (as well as his previous The Great Divide) is enhanced by his re-committal to his faith in recent years. While I am hopeful that Creed will reunite again in the future I am just fine getting my fix with Scott's solo efforts.

Tim McGraw - Two Lanes of Freedom (Accelerated Deluxe): Tim McGraw is easily my favorite country artist (Garth is far and away number 2), and this album is a great one. Because of issues with his former record label there has been a glut of new Tim music recently with 3 albums in the past two years (and rumors of a new one in the coming year), and while Emotional Traffic was good and Tim McGraw and friends was alright, Two Lanes has a sense of freedom and fun that they both lacked. The Accelerated Deluxe version has four bonus songs and is worth the few extra dollars for Annie I Owe You a Dance alone.

Albums (some announced, some rumored) to come that I cannot wait for:

With Dates:
Switchfoot - Fading West - January 14
Beck - Morning Phase - February (supposed to be a companion album to my fav Beck album Sea Change)
Crowder - Neon Steeple - February 18
The Fray - Helios - February 25

No Exact Date:
Mat Kearney
Michael W Smith
U2
Linkin Park
Tim McGraw

My 2 Favorite Bands (Counting Crows and Collective Soul) are in the studio currently so I'm hoping those albums come out this year.

Peace and Love,
Pastor K

Chocolate Cover Resolutions

Another year down and another year up. I have a few resolutions for the new year, some of them are just life goals in general, while some are specific to things I want to see turn out different in 2014. But I am not going to share my personal resolutions in this blog, until maybe the end of the year when they all happen, or all fail.

No, today I would like to share some resolutions that I have come across in the wrappers to the Dove chocolate that I have been eating since Christmas. These resolutions are good for each and every one of us. So this year may you...

1) Make Time For Yourself: we all need a little bit of time for only us, no matter our state in life, no matter our personality, no matter our relationship status. Even if you are single with no friends, you may still need to make time for yourself.

2) Take a Moment For Yourself: while this may seem to be the same suggestion, I tend to disagree. Making time is an act of setting aside a chunk of time for yourself. Taking a moment means to just stop what you are doing and be. We often find it so hard to just be when we living. So in this moment, stop reading and just close your eyes, relax, and welcome yourself to be in this moment.

3) Draw Yourself a Bath: for a time in Junior High, High School, and then college we had a big metal tub with clawed feet. It was a tremendous tub for relaxing baths. Nowadays we have a small apartment bath, which covers about 1/3 of your body should you attempt to take a bath. But I just might have to take a bath soon anyway. We find it so hard to just stop, we have become a people who shower, so busy we have to stand up even when we relax. It takes a little longer, but it will give you a few brief moments when you are not rushing to the next whatever you have to do.

4) Believe in Yourself: now I know that I need to do a better job of this, and I am willing to hazard a guess that many of you out there need this as well. Too often I second guess whether I am capable of accomplishing my tasks, in life, in ministry, in parenthood. But I am a child of God, and as someone once said, 'God don't make junk.'

5) Break the Mold: this statement is one that I have been attempting for some time and I'll tell you why. Since I started the ordination process it seems like I have been continuously put in a box based on how I answer a few hundred questions. Well, I'm tired of it. I am more than a four letter personality. I am more than a number. And, frankly this year, I want to blow apart the mold, not just break it.

6) Feel the Sun on Your Face: I am in special need for this at the moment when my facial and nose hair froze yesterday when I cleaned off one car. The sun is one cause for the life on this planet, soak it in [with a little sunscreen or sun bock depending on your skin tone].

7) Create a Happy Place: Have you seen Happy Gilmore? If you have you know where I'm going with this. In the movie Happy is told to find a happy place so that he can keep his emotions in check. For the character it was a place of mini-putt and hot women and dead friends. Hopefully your happy place will be a tad different, but build it and learn to live there occasionally. And if you get really motivated try to make the real world a little more like your happy place, cause if we all do that, then maybe, just maybe, this world will be a happier place.

Peace and Love,
Pastor K