Real Life Stories – Page 30

24 Years

6 Comments / August 20, 2012 August 20, 2012

24 Years ago, I sat on my parents’ porch in the early morning hours, wondering if I knew what in the world I was doing. A few hours later I was wearing a beautiful white dress and walking down the aisle to marry the love of my life. We were two kids in love, ready for adventure! 24 years ago, we were quite clueless as to what the word “marriage” really meant.

We are no longer clueless.

For 24 years I have looked at the same face when I have gone to sleep. For 24 years, I have seen the same face come home at night. We have had 24 years of rejoicing, fighting, laughing, and arguing with the same person. 24 years of changes and more changes. Changing houses, changing cars, changing employees, changing churches. For almost 22 of those years, we have had children in our home and have prayed, cried, and cheered as they grow into adulthood. For 24 years we have run a business together, sometimes disagreeing about how to spend money, who to hire, and how many hours to work. 24 years of making tough decisions and hard choices — but always discussing them together. For 24 years, he has tried to love me and I have tried to submit to his loving leadership. Both of us have failed often in our biblical roles, but we dust ourselves off and continue to try. 24 years of talking about our feelings, talking about our problems, sharing our hearts, being careful not to leave any grievances fester for too long. Some of those years have been tougher than others. We don’t always agree. Although, ironically enough, the older we get the less we argue. For some funny reason, we are becoming more alike as we age. For 24 years we have found marvelous friendship in each other. 24 years of love and passion with just one person. 24 years of completely trusting one another in the vows made so long ago. For 24 years, we knew that neither of us was going anywhere, no matter how bad it got. Sure, sometimes, one of us would angrily cry out “I guess I’ll just leave!” but we both knew it would never happen. Not in a million years. For 24 years we have watched each other grow older and fatter and, yet, it has not diminished our love for each other. In fact, if anything, we love each other more. We are so far from perfect and yet, somehow, we love, forgive, and grow closer.

How can this be? It is the marvelous mystery of marriage. What a wonderful gift from our Creator!

Tomorrow, I may, once again, feel really frustrated about something my husband does or says. But for today, I feel tremendously blessed.

Constant Gardener

3 Comments / August 13, 2012 August 13, 2012

Big mistake. Big, big mistake. At least when it comes to the world of gardening. I remembered looking through the seed catalog several years ago. It is always one of my favorite winter activities –poring over the colorful garden catalogs. That particular year I made the fateful choice to buy a packet of seeds labeled “Grandpa Otto’s Morning Glory”. Oh, if only I would have known. If I had had even an inkling of what was to come, I would never have bought that seed packet.

This past Saturday night, I spent the evening, yet again, ripping out morning glory plants that had grown up all through my square foot garden boxes. What has made this summer so much more frustrating is that this spring we had built new boxes. We had laid down a weed barrier and then had dumped layers of fresh, virgin, seedless soil in them. There shouldn’t have been a morning glory seed anywhere around my boxes.

When I saw the first heart-shaped leaf early this summer my heart sank. No! You have to be kidding me. That stupid, invasive, beautiful plant was back. As I became busier in the month of July and didn’t have as much time to keep after the garden, the morning glories saw their chance and grew with a vengeance until they had climbed up through the sweet peas and raspberries. Their tendrils wrapping around and choking my peppers and my strawberries. What had started out as an innocent act of planting a tiny packet of seeds years earlier had turned into a gardening nightmare that would never go away.

Of course, many of you have probably already guessed where I am going with this. You see, sin is so much like that packet of seeds. It looks so beautiful, so small. It looks way too innocent to ever cause much grief. But the seed of a little sin, just like those annoying morning glories, grows and grows and then blossoms and eventually it sets fruit. And then the seeds start spilling out from the fruit and we find the sin multiplying on every side of us.

Some people just give up and let the sin continue to grow and multiply. They decide to just try to survive the jungle growing around them the best they can.

But, as Christians, we don’t have this option, do we? And, so we are called to be very careful about what seeds we plant. Are we planting good seeds or bad seeds? Galatians 6:7 tells us: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. We fool ourselves if we think we can plant just a bit of evil in our lives.

Of course, most of us make the mistake of planting the wrong packet of seeds a time or two. I can look back in my life and see many times where I planted the wrong thing and I am still paying for that today. It is frustrating and discouraging to see the wrong fruit growing in the garden of our life. Especially when it seems to be over-taking the good fruit.

And, so, as Christians, we become the Constant Gardener. We have the responsibility to constantly be searching and pulling the sin and the fruits of that sin from our lives and nurturing and growing the fruits of the Spirit. But, by doing so, we experience the immense joy of living a life that is hopeful and fruitful, instead of muddling through the jungle.

I guess we should all spend a little time gardening today!

The mouse, the hibiscus, and a lesson in resilience

Leave a Comment / August 6, 2012 August 6, 2012

Late this spring I purchased two beautiful hibiscus trees at Sam’s Club to replace the ones that had died in our greenhouse last winter. They were covered with bright reddish-orange flowers. But when I brought them home the weather was still too cold to put them outside permanently. My husband decided to slide them into the garage for protection until we could put them outside. I would peek in at them once in awhile to see how they were doing and one day I noticed the one tree drooping considerably. I gave it a good drink of water. It continued to droop and started to look like it was dying. And then one day I found it outside our garage. Eric had noticed the drooping tree, as well, and had investigated. What he figured out was a surprise to both of us! The roots of this poor tree had been eaten away by our resident mice. We knew they were there and had been working to be rid of them. But who knew that mice liked to eat hibiscus roots?

We considered the tree a goner. So little of the root system was left that it would topple over at just the slightest provocation. Ironically, the mice had not attacked the other plant and that one was doing just fine. We removed both of them to a safe place and we waited. And we watered. And we watched.

And then one day we saw the struggling tree push forth a bloom. And then another one. Until it rivaled its partner. The hibiscus tree had a spectacular recovery even when it was attacked at its very life system…its very core.

I have seen people like this, too. They have been terribly abused or devastated — hurt in the very core of their being. While others curl up and die inside, filling their lives with bad choices and even worse consequences, they are the resilient ones. The ones who refuse to let someone else destroy their life. And so they limp along trying to live life, bleeding and bruised, turning to the Lord in their grief and pain, until one day they send forth a bloom. And then another one. Until we can see that they have defied the odds and are living an amazing life that is truly blessed, because of one simple decision: they refused to give in to bitterness and fear.

When we submit ourselves to God and release our anger and unforgiving spirit, no matter what the situation – abuse, betrayal, death, disease — we give ourselves the opportunity to bloom again. If we hang on to it, we will stay closed up and dormant, eventually dying inside. I know a lady like this. It breaks my heart. She went through a terrible tragedy many years ago. All of these years later, she is still often in tears and bitter words spew from her mouth. She has chosen not to move on. I feel for her children. They live with a mom who lives in the past. Her world is still so incredibly dark. But I don’t judge her – who knows what I would do in her situation? There, but for the grace of God, go I. I just feel so sorry for her.

As I think of the two contrasts — those who move on and those who don’t — it isn’t hard to see that how we respond to difficulty can absolutely change the outcome of our lives. I don’t know what you’ve been through and you don’t know what I’ve been through. May we provide each other with much grace and Christian love as we all work through the tough stuff in life. But, most importantly, may we grab onto the grace and mercy of Jesus and let go of the bitterness and anger. Only then will we live a life that brings glory to God.

Leaving it to the Expert

Leave a Comment / August 2, 2012 August 2, 2012

We are doing a small kitchen remodel and I decided that I would help my husband by installing the new hardware. This seemed like a simple task that I could accomplish to help him out. I grabbed a screwdriver, summoned all of the elbow grease I had available to me, and got started. I had only finished one door when Eric came in the kitchen and viewed me skeptically. He left and returned a few minutes later with his drill. Now I could get going! Who needs elbow grease? But as I busily started using my new tool, I realized that it takes a bit of skill. I wasn’t used to the drill and ended up breaking and stripping several screws. I looked at the screws hopelessly. Now what? I felt totally inadequate. Sure, I could do the job if nothing untoward happened along the way. But when things started going a little awry, I was a bit lost. I decided to worry about them later and kept working.

When Eric came through the kitchen, I told him of my dilemma a bit shame-facedly. He picked up the drill and removed the stripped screws immediately (I still can’t figure out how he did that!) but it sure did make me think.

Why do I always think I can fix things? Why do I always think I have to? If there is an expert around (in this case, my very handy husband), why not ask for help?

Aahh. Yes. The same thing goes in life, too. If God is there waiting to help us, all-powerful and all-knowing, why do I want to rely on my hopeless, measly skills to remove myself from a jam or a problem? I have a few ideas why we do this–

1. Pride – I don’t want to admit that I need help. I can do this on my own. We behave like little two year olds who scream “I can do it myself!”. It sounds silly to write, but many of us think it, even if we have learned that it is socially inappropriate to speak it.

2. Arrogance – A word very similar to pride, but just a little different. We have been taught that we can do anything we want to do. We are amazing and talented and beautiful. We can do anything we set our minds to and we certainly don’t need supernatural help to do it. This common theme is heard across this great land. You can be anything you want to be and nothing can stop you. What a rude wake-up call when we find out we can’t do everything and Someone certainly can stop us!

3. Biblical Illiteracy– Most of us are not spending much time learning more about God’s Word and filling our minds with godly sermons, songs, and exhortations. We are letting ourselves starve spiritually and instead focused on feeding ourselves with the world’s food. We don’t really think about the ramifications of this until we find ourselves in a place of suffering. All of a sudden, we realize we aren’t close to God at all and we have no idea what to do or how to pray.

4. Misplaced Focus – When we are trying to figure out a problem or work out a relationship, we spend most of the time focused on ourselves. I need to fix this because I am hurting. This needs to change to make my life better. I can’t bear this pain. How could God let this happen to me? But the Bible tells us that trials produce patience and perseverance and character and hope in us (James 1, Romans 5). We need to remove the focus off of ourselves and place it on to God.

As I write, I know that I am guilty of these four things so very often. Unless I take time to check my heart and mind when I am going through a trial, I am very apt to fall prey to one or more on this list. But I realize that, unless I turn to God in my hoplessness and devastation, I will end up with the impossible. Only God can fix the “stripped screws” of my life. If you aren’t a believer, you may be skeptical. But I am here to tell you that I have seen God do amazing things that can only be attributed to Him. If only we would turn to Him sooner and more often! May we be teachable and focused on God. May we be thirsty for His Word and growing spiritually in the good times, so that instead of hopelessness and frustration in trials, we can instead turn to Him with confidence and patience.

WW #6: Simple Does Not Mean Easy

2 Comments / July 25, 2012 July 25, 2012

Today I am sharing some wise words from a friend of mine who is a missionary in Cambodia. She is a wonderful writer and I know many of you will appreciate what she shared in her newsletter on Monday. The analogy she makes is a great one. Read on and see what I mean!

The heat here [Cambodia] makes it quite hard to want to get out and do anything, really, but I am glad to report I was up bright and early today for a riverside jog/walk. And I almost enjoyed it. Almost.

You’ll have to forgive me if a lot of my object lessons recently have been about exercise and the physical side of things. It is taking a bit of my focus and energy right now, as I am working toward some “before forty” goals. (The clock is ticking!) But I am beginning to see why many of the NT writers used athletics and sports allegories to make their points about the spiritual life. There are so many parallels!

A number of years ago, a doctor said to me that—unless your weight gain was due to medical reasons—all you had to do to lose weight was to eat less and move more. It’s that simple. It comes down basic math, really. If your calorie intake is consistently less than the number of calories you burn day after day, you will begin to lose weight. This is not rocket science, folks!

However, “simple” does not necessarily mean “easy”.

Anyone who has tried to lose weight knows how hard it is to change lifestyle rhythms or habits. It is soooo difficult to pass up that extra helping, or that tempting snack. It is exhausting to submit your body to rigorous exercise and grueling to stick to disciplined daily routines.

Weight loss might be simple on paper, but it certainly is not easy.

In the same way, salvation is basically simple. You have a debt of sin that you could never repay. Jesus has paid the price in full, and offers to clear your account. You simply have to accept His gift and His Lordship in your life.

But there is nothing easy about the Christian walk. The dying to self, the denial of fleshly desires, the breaking and bending of the will to the Spirit’s control. None of this comes naturally. But it must be done, intentionally and regularly. Besides that, the world will heap us with abuse once it sees we are trying to do things differently, not living by its norms and standards.

The basics of salvation might be simple to grasp, but living it out on a daily basis is probably one of the hardest things a person can do.

We do a great disservice, I fear, when we minimize the cost of following Christ. When we promise a primrose-strewn path, leading not only to future Glory, but also to heaven here on earth. We mislead others if we do not prepare them for the rocky road ahead.

Of course we do not walk this path alone. We need not strive and strain in our own strength. We have a Helper always available to us. In fact, He is eager to do most of the work if we will just submit to His control. It’s that simple. But not that easy.

–by Deborah Wise

It May Not be How it Looks

Leave a Comment / July 16, 2012 July 16, 2012

There is a Farmer’s Market Stand in a town nearby that advertises local produce. When I drive by I love seeing the big, green watermelons, the plump, juicy strawberries, and the colorful, bell peppers, supposedly all grown locally. However, the other day, as we were driving by, my daughter told me that twice now a friend of hers had witnessed the workers taking big boxes of Dole strawberries and putting them into unmarked boxes, so as to make the strawberries look like they were locally grown, when they really weren’t. Buying locally grown produce is very important to some people so this farce seemed to be a very deceitful tactic to get more business.

I don’t buy often at this stand, but I know that I trusted their sign and never would have guessed that they are not actually selling what they advertise. Buyer, beware!

But this practice is not only limited to fruit stands. We see it in car sales and on e-bay and countless other places. And the Bible tells us it will even be in our churches! I think of the Bible’s instruction to beware false teachers, who, if possible, could deceive even the very elect. That means that the messages they bring are filled with words that make us feel good. They preach prosperity and health. They preach that there is no hell. They preach that anyone can go to heaven and that Jesus is just one way of many. They appeal to our human sense of fairness and to our selfish desires.

But if their message doesn’t match God’s Word, then they are not genuine Christians teachers and pastors. Just like the red, yummy strawberries aren’t genuine, locally grown produce, so the false teachers may be appealing and wonderful, and yet not truly be what they say they are.

It is our job to test each teacher we give our ear to. This includes the messages we hear in sermons, in the music we listen to, and the books we read. Let’s harken unto the Word of God and test each message we hear.

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

Matthew 24:24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

2 Corinthians 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.

2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Finding a Better Place

Leave a Comment / July 5, 2012 July 5, 2012

Last night a big gang of us went to watch fireworks. We decided the best place to watch was the parking lot of a nearby historical society. Apparently everyone else thought that, too. But we found a place to park and joined the crowd. With blankets and chairs in tow, we scoped the area for the best place to sit. Most of the grassy area was taken, but we found one we thought would be okay, despite the big building directly in front of us. Oh, well. We settled down to wait for the show.

A few minutes later, one of the guys decided he was going to search for a better spot and off went a group of them. A few minutes later my daughter ran back and breathlessly told us that we should all follow her, where across the parking lot and behind a building, was the perfect hill to watch the fireworks.

So off we all went with our stuff, down the hill, across the parking lot, and around the building — to the perfect hillside. Most people hadn’t ventured that far and so there was only a couple of other parties of people in the area. And guess what? It was a great place to watch the fireworks. Probably the best place we’ve sat at in years…maybe ever.

This is the perfect picture of why I write this blog! I was thinking about it this morning. So often we are tempted to just settle. We are tired of the weight battle, we are tired of the kid battle, we are tired of the entertainment battle. We are tired of battles! So we just settle. We don’t want to work now for shadowy rewards to come later. We want our rewards now. And so we stay right where we are, taking the easy path. But the easy path doesn’t always lead to the best place to watch the show. In fact, I would venture to say it never leads to the best place to watch the show.

And some of us really do want to take the hard path, but then peer pressure weighs us down. As I think on last night, I realize that if a few of us would have dug our heals in and said we weren’t leaving our spot, the whole group probably would have stayed put. Thankfully, everyone was willing to walk to the better spot last night. But, unfortunately, when it comes to real life, we often need to travel on alone in order to take the best path.

Paul tells us in I Corinthians 9: Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring itinto subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

We can’t afford to be tired or pressured by our friends because we are running the race to win! And the rewards are great if we don’t give up — a healthy body, children who love the Lord, a pure heart and mind, but, most importantly, the imperishable crown we will receive in glory.

Do you remember Aesop’s fable about the tortoise and the hare? I know the point of that is that slow and steady wins the race, but I would like to point out here that the tortoise never took a break, either. He just kept plugging away without getting distracted or giving in to his exhaustion. May we be like the tortoise today, as we continue to run the race set before us, always looking for ways to run it better and never giving up! May we never settle for status quo!

The Reign of Incompetence

Leave a Comment / June 28, 2012 June 28, 2012

“Ummm…just a second…I will go check.” The young man who was on the phone with my husband was less than unsure. Eric impatiently waited as the young man went to look for the needed item. When he came back he stammered out an explanation of the item in his hand. That is when Eric realized that he didn’t even have a clue what he was looking for.

Now, you might think that we are being awfully hard on this young man, but the fact of the matter is, what Eric needed was a very basic item found in a hardware store. He should have been able to call and get a quick yes or no. But, instead, he ended up on the phone with someone who was incompetent.

A few weeks later we went out to eat and fell into the hands of an incompetent waitress. She was a pleasant girl, but seemed to be struggling with the very basics of her job. It was a frustrating meal, as we all would try to catch her attention and she wouldn’t even look our way.

We all run into incompetent people now and again, but am I the only one who feels like it is becoming more and more often? So what can we do?

First, we should realize that the clueless person is a person with feelings. Chances are they were thrown into the job without proper training. Or perhaps they are trying to do a job for which they are not suitable. Hopefully, they figure that out sooner rather than later, but our rudeness isn’t going to help them either way. And, as a Christian, we are responsible to treat them with courtesy and kindness, no matter how frustrated we may be (so much easier to write than to do!)

And then, second, I can’t help but think that we, as believers, should never be found to be incompetent. Oh, I know that there are those beginning days of a new job when we are uncertain about things. But we should learn as quickly as we can, always thinking about the next thing, and working hard to know the job. Colossians 3:23-24 are two of my favorite verses. They say: And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

As believers, we are to do all we do with our best effort, for we are serving the Lord, not men. This is hard to remember when you are in a job atmosphere where workers slack off when the boss isn’t around. Or where there is great laziness and disinterest in the job. But, as believers, we are called by God to be competent, diligent, and hard-working, despite the crowd around us.

And, just a word of caution, this is not the popular thing to do. Oh, your boss will love it (if you don’t have an incompetent, lazy boss who is worried about you surpassing him!) but your co-workers may grow resentful; they may even call you names. Be prepared. Doing what God calls us to in all aspects of life isn’t always easy. In fact, I would venture to say it is usually the rockier route to travel.

And, finally, as parents, business owners, and teachers, let’s work hard to instill this passion for doing the best job we can into our children, employees, and students. Let’s expect competence and diligence from them. Let’s encourage their hearts, while demanding excellence. It is up to us to train the next generation. How are we going to do that if we lazily do our own thing? We have a responsibility and we need to take it seriously.

Incompetence may reign in our culture – but it doesn’t need to reign in the lives of ourselves or our families. Let’s show that we are different because we serve the Lord. Are you ready to travel the rocky path and do what’s right, no matter the cost?

Java Joe’s and the Death of a Dream

2 Comments / June 25, 2012 March 19, 2017

There is an old brick house we pass each year on the way to the beach. One year I saw that this house had become Java Joe’s, an adorable little coffee house. It looked like a great place to enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend and I wished I live closer. But then I noticed a year or two later that Java Joe’s looked deserted. I wondered why it looked closed on a weekday. It seemed so odd. And then last week, on our way to the beach, we passed it again and saw that the building is for sale. Sadly, I realized that the cute little coffee shop is no longer in existence.

My thoughts turned towards the owner who first dreamed of opening a coffee shop someday. I imagined how he must have found the proper piece of real estate to make his dream come true. He probably excitedly prepared plans to turn the old house into a coffee shop and was filled with anticipation as opening day approached. I wondered if the first few months were all he hoped or if it seemed destined for failure from the beginning? This owner had a dream and he went for it! But the dream died the day Java Joe’s closed permanently. Perhaps the owner moved on to bigger and better dreams or maybe he gave up and still bares the scars of his dead dream. I don’t really have any way of knowing.

But I guess all of us have had to say good-bye to dreams at one time or another. They are hard, hard moments. Perhaps it is a wayward child entrapped in a life of abuse. Or a failed business that we poured our heart and soul into. Maybe we have never found Mr. or Miss Right and we have had to say good-bye to our dreams of marriage and family. For some of us, our children will never know their grandparents due to an untimely death. For others of us, we are finding it impossible to have a family at all because of infertility issues or the children we do have are handicapped in some way and their future isn’t what we longed for for our child. Perhaps we suffer with a chronic illness and have had to realize we can’t do what we had always dreamed of. And many have said good-bye to their fairy tale dreams of the perfect marriage while they flounder in the real world of being married to a sinner. So many dream deaths. So many tears. So much sadness. If you have lived on this fallen earth then you have had to say goodbye to a dream.

How do we handle the death of our dreams–especially the ones that we hold so near and dear to our heart? Oftentimes, the disappointment and lingering ramifications are invisible to others, making it even harder to work through it all. Most of us don’t share our deepest innermost feelings with the world and so we bare the pain and grief all alone. We are filled with a desire to shout out–

I am in mourning here! Why don’t you care?!?

But the world just keeps going on, business as usual. It doesn’t care. No one cares.

That is the lie we tell ourselves.

But is it true?

Eventually, if we are believers, we understand that it’s not true. That the God of the universe loves and cares for us (Psalm 55:22; I Peter 5:7). We remember that He is Sovereign and All-Powerful. We submit to His will and we make a purposeful choice to have a good attitude, asking Jesus to shine brightly through us, even through life’s disappointments. We choose to grow stronger, instead of bitter, when we have to say farewell to a precious dream.

Is it easy? Absolutely not.

Is it instant? No way.

But it is possible.

It is all a process of submission and leaning on the Lord for strength. We seldom remain unchanged when working through the death of a dream. The question to ask ourselves is this:

Will I become more like Christ or will I cave in to my bitter, hopeless feelings?

Paul tells us that all is loss, when compared to knowing Christ. I can’t honestly say that I feel that way all of the time but my goal is to grow to that place where I can say along with Paul:

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8).

And so we remember, once again, that we are a tiny speck on the timeline of the universe. Smaller than a speck of dust. And we remember that God is God. He can see the whole timeline. And so we move forward, knowing that God is with us–even through the death of our dreams.

Are We Addicted to the Latest and Greatest?

2 Comments / June 18, 2012 June 18, 2012

The raging competition of who can build the biggest and best roller coasters is focusing its attention on Hersheypark this year. This past winter they built SkyRush, their tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster with one-of-a-kind winged outer seats (per their website description). A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to give SkyRush a try. I do like a good roller coaster and SkyRush was a thrill, although, personally, The Great Bear is still my favorite coaster in the park.

Right near the SkyRush sits the Super Dooper Looper. This was the latest and greatest coaster when I was a kid. It was introduced in 1977 with the promise to actually take you upside down! 35 years later, the Super Dooper Looper feels like almost a kiddie ride. It is truly amazing how far along America has come in building roller coasters.

There is something in our human nature that demands something newer. Something better. Something greater. We get bored with the same old thing. This human tendency seems to have especially dug its roots deep into American soil, where we insatiably search for bigger and better. Whether we are referring to roller coasters, the latest technology, or cars, contentment is hard to find these days. Even if we are happy with what we have, we believe there must be something better if we can only find it…or afford it.

And I would venture to say that this same mindset has subtly crept its way into many of our churches, as well. Pushing the edge isn’t just something for amusement parks, anymore. Many modern churches have joined the Bigger and Better movement and are trying things like adding heavy metal or rock music, dances, and sermons based on secular (ungodly) movies to their worship services. And why? To be the church that is doing something new, something great, something awesome, so that they can attract a world that is looking for something newer, greater, and awesomer (yeah, I know it’s not a word).

But should this be where our attention is focused as believers? Does God need us to be like the world in order to win the world? If we take a step back in history we will see that the answer to that is NO. Whether we go the whole way back to Rome or we step back just a few hundred years into American History, we will see that great revivals and growth of the true church took place because Christians chose to be different than the world…not like them. Preachers preached a message that wasn’t comfortable, appealing, or fun and yet God worked! He drew thousands to himself using men and women who were willing to stand up, turn their backs on the world, and be different.

It seems we may have forgotten that it is the Holy Spirit Who does the work of saving…not secular rock songs, gimmicky pastors, or worldly methods. It is God who draws people to himself (John 6:44). The trend of adding pop culture to worship is certainly leading to church buildings filled with people. But are they people who truly understand what being a Christian really means? Are they people who will turn away from the world and their own selfish desires to follow Jesus? I can’t answer for individuals, of course. But I know what I see in the church as a whole and I can’t help but wonder if the addiction to the latest and greatest isn’t hindering the Kingdom of God instead of helping it?