I worked a 13 hour day today - from dark to dark. Working a day like that, you can imagine I had some time to my thoughts. And what happens when I get lost in my thoughts? I BLOG!!! YAY!! Here we go.
As a Christian, I have grown very accustomed to the christiany language. Some examples:
"Pre-marital sex": THE cardinal sin for all young Christians. Never mind that when someone does have pre-marital sex, the entire youth group gossips about it. . . in the name of "prayer." Right.
"5-point calvinist": typically, it's the people in church that are in most need of having a beer. . . .a large beer.
"Courtship": what Christians do instead of dating. We have officially "Kissed Dating Goodbye." Thanks to Joshua Harris for making millions of Christian kids feel bad for having dating relationships.
"Church": the building where you go on Sundays.
"Worship": unlike the real definition of worship in the dictionary, in today's world, it's the part of the church service where you sing songs. Worship can be categorized into a few categories: "good", "okay", or "I didn't like it." The meaning of the word "worship" is completely different than the dictionary.
And like the above, Christian culture has re-defined the meaning of many words. And today, it bothered me greatly.
For one thing, we, as Christians, tend to repeat many of the same phrases over and over. We do not purposefully change the definition of words, but by liberally using many phrases, they have lost their potency. And what it's left us with is the loss of the gravity and depth of those words. Words like "awesome", "majestic", "glorious", "gracious", and "merciful" become mundane and stagnant when thrown around. Saying "God is majestic" can become simply a phrase.
And I came to thinking about all of the things that I take for granted in my world around me, mostly, the visible things. "God is wonderful", or full of wonder. The earth is His, and everything in it; the earth is filled with His wonders. And I take them for granted.
And so I, this week, have attempted to renew my awareness of the wonder of God's creation. Amidst the mundane, it remains: wondrous, perfect, mysterious. Just stop and look at the deep blue of the evening sky. Just stop and look - and know He is God.
That's where I'm at. . . .even as I spew diesel fumes into the air every day during the week.
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4 comments:
Good words, Jer. I often have those feelings but don't usually know how to express them. As always, a refreshing and encouraging blog. Hope you are having a great time at your "first wedding shoot" today!!
amen, jeremy.
words get so watered down
when we're so soaked in religious culture.
and by culture
i mean bumper sticker
ichthus fish memorabilia
contemporary white-toothed prettily packaged christian culture.
and it's nearly unavoidable.
all we can do is take the time to rerealize the power of those words: worship, church, majesty...
and hear God through those words he created to describe himself.
and from that we can rejoice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slacklining
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=slacklining&search=Search
i'll have to teach you to slackline sometime.
you'd love it.
I kissed dating goodbye. And I slipped it the tongue.
Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near? Because you're so darn insightful, that's why. I guess birds just like insightful people.
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