defeating villains after dinner

[A snippet of conversation overheard while working on my laptop after dinner while the boys play.]

Creed and Denton are imagining that they're in a spaceship flying to Mars. They've set two mini trampolines up on end against each other to form a spaceship--their transport to various planets to complete their missions. In their first mission, Creed explains to Denton that he will likely encounter "Sand Monsters."

"AAAAAAGGGHHHH!!" Denton exclaims dramatically...but Creed quickly counters with "Nope. We're going to have to handle it." "Oh." Denton says, calming himself. Creed explains that the sand monsters have dangerous brains but it's okay because OUR brains are very hard. They shoot the sand monsters with lotion and declare triumphantly, "They melted into quesadillas!"

"Alright!!!" they cry, congratulating each other.

"Now you be my partner!"

"Okay!" says the other one.

"Now let's go to Mombasa."

"Okay. Good job."

"I spotted Carmen Sandiego's footsteps!"

"Yes...we've found another clue!"

"THERE SHE IS!!!" (sound of footsteps in hot pursuit)

"Too bad, Carmen Sandiego!" a small voice says with expansive authority. "You're under arrest!"

"Great job, Hawkins."

"Now let's go to the planet Lexicon!"

"Awright!"

"Hey, I see words everywhere! There's WORD GIRL!"

"Change into the Cheesy Monster."

"Okay!"

"THIS is a job for WORD GIRL!!!"

(Sound of fierce scuffling, and protests of "Hey--NO!! I'm a good guy! I'm your partner!!" Somehow that gets ironed out and the team moves on in crime-fighting power.)

"YOU are deFEATed!!" (sound of acapella background music pouring from small lips)

I love my life.

garments

Actions are clothing
Hiding…expressing—
The wrapper
All we see
of ourselves.
Of others.

Actions speak
But not the loudest.

The loudest sound pounds on in our ears
The background pulse;
Throbbing undercurrent of every deed.

POUND molestation
POUND feeding the hungry
POUND suicide
POUND going to church
POUND murder
POUND fasting
POUND rape
POUND giving to charity
POUND thirsting for power
POUND teaching Sunday School

POUND

POUND

POUND

Our incessant drive
Our one goal
Our true desire
Our central thrust:

SELF.

Controlling my own life.
Charting my own course.
Earning my own way.
Dominating you.
Dominating myself.
Dominating Him.

Through sin.
Through religion.
At our best.
At our worst.

We pump the same blood
With the same intensity.
The heinous criminal,
The devout lawkeeper.
We are the same.

But we don’t believe it
Because of the garments

Burn away the fabric of deeds
Good and bad;
Sins and morality;
They are chaff in the wind—
Ashes all.

The glare of naked skin is all we have.

No more security in the good I do
No more cowering in the shadow of the bad
Just me
Naked
Raw
Scorched
Singed
The truth
Exposed
Like a middle finger in my heart
Bent to self-exaltation

The good girl
Is
The murderer:

The law-keeper
Who
Won’t be ruled

I am what I am
All my bad
All my good
Tainted
and
Vulgar.

Glaring.

My sins
An unbleachable bloodstain
My righteousness
Bloody rags

ALL
An offense
To His holiness
The middle finger
In my heart
Thrusting at heaven
Screaming
I WILL DO IT MYSELF

Into the naked crowd of the world
He stakes His claim
Through tendons and flesh
Hands open and writhing
Smeared with my pain;
My rage at His claims to supremacy
In a shower of my spit and cursing
He screams toward heaven

I WILL DO IT MYSELF

And becomes
My garment.

Famine

Surrounded by delicacies
Refinements
Flavors
Aromas
Savoring each morsel
Filling every inner sanctum

Soul cramping
Growling
Empty and craving
Malnourished
And
Dying

cravings, culture, and Christians

I think our efforts as evangelical Christians to "be culturally relevant" are largely backfiring, especially with younger people who are craving a sense of reverence, stillness, beauty, and the eternal in their lives.

Many churches have gone "mega" (huge stadium-style buildings, entertainment-based services, shorter sermons, "seeker-sensitive" styling, etc.) in an attempt to make Christ relevant to the average unchurched person.

The problem is...Christ IS relevant to the average unchurched person--already. All this hype only makes it look like He wasn't to begin with. And worse than that, it distracts from the eternal, universal Truth that can only be found in Him; it suffocates true worship by centering around US, not Him.

We're designed for worship. But when it terminates on us, even worship is unsatisfying. Instead of letting the gospel speak into and shape our current experience, we distract from it by "making it edgy" and pouring it into a corporate-organized, entertainment-styled package. We underestimate people (and God's ability to reach them), thinking they will only be interested in the truth if it comes to them in the season's hottest colors or via video venue with professionally-mixed music.

Have we forgotten that God's truth is timeless? That our little lives are just a drop in the bucket of history? That people want more than a hyped-up version of God? Have we created Him in our own image and lost sight of Who He really is? Because if we knew and experienced Him, we would feel no need to hype Him up. He is more than enough: uncontainable, immeasurable, and overwhelming. THIS is what we crave. We muddy His glory (and intensify our angst) when we reveal Him as anything less.

If we spent more time in stillness and humility before Him (individually and corporately), I think our need for all this drama would fade. Our lives would declare Him. People would see His true glory as we live transparently and they see what He can do in a yielded person. It's breathtaking.

We're technology minded, but exhausted from looking at screens. We Facebook, Twitter, text, post, and 12-step, but still ache for someone to really know us. We fill ourselves with fast food, caffeine, Velveeta, silicone, and HDTV, but crave what's real. God is the only One Who can give it to us. The church is not selling something, but revealing Someone. Let's not get in the way.

better than

The boys were eating ice cream cones the other day when Creed said thoughtfully, "Mommy, Daddy is better than ice cream."

Coming from a five year old, this is no small compliment. As fabulous as Daddy is, few five-year-old boys would rate him superior while submerged in chocolate ice cream.

Most of us are the same way. The "ice cream" of life varies from person to person, but those things we savor most compete with our adoration of God. What I immerse myself in is what I love. What I love is what I immerse myself in.

Lord, stir up my affections for You so that everything I experience satisfies and stimulates my hunger for You.

Psalm 63