I read this book a few years ago (Messy Spirituality. Michael Yaconelli. Zondervan) and really enjoyed it because, looking back, at the time I was a raging, careless sinner (not that I am not currently a sinner, I just care now) and the book made me feel better about my acts of moral turpitude while still telling myself I loved Christ.
I have dug my way through my small collection of works by Lewis and Chesterton in the recent years, and in looking for something a little less 'heavy', I decided to pick Messy Spirituality back up and give it another go around, only this time the lenses through which I will read it are tinted a different color then last time. See, I look back at those years (I call them the Lost Years) and I realize while the popular description for those years from a typical Christian would sound something 'struggling with sin' or 'searching for Jesus' I think it needs to sound more like 'selfish abuser of grace who took great pride in mastering the art of manipulation'... or something like that. So now I approach this book that made me feel better about my 'spirituality' while being in the midst of sin that I sought out with the question of "is the way this book made me feel about sin ok?"
I am willing to admit that I may have completely missed the authors goal in writing this book. But what I took away from it the first time I read it was this: It is ok to have a messy life, to fall in and out of sin, because God still loves you! Look at Noah, a drunk who got got naked, David, a murderer and cheater, Abraham, gave his wife to another man for sex so he wouldn't get killed! And I get it. I understand. We are not perfect! Jesus loved, and still loves, the unlovable! It was the hypocrites and high ups that didn't see that Jesus came for the hurt, the lost, and the hungry. But, I went away from this book feeling like it never came back full circle in that a person struggling would read about 'Messy Spiritually' and feel content with his/her ragged, inconsistent relationship with Christ and feel content with less than what I feel is what Christ intended for us.
So, I will read this book again, and when I am done, I'll go back and see if this post was completely unnecessary. Maybe Mike hit the nail on the head and I missed it the first time. I just don't want anyone getting a watered down version of how we are suppose to be 'in the world, not of the world' and how we can live a life on the strait and narrow, continually seeking Jesus, never claiming perfection, but claiming to have found the one 'constant' in this messy world that saves us from ourselves and brings order our messy lives. Is our goal to stay one 'level' above our cultures moral decline or is it to not drop below the bar Christ set for us? Is spirituality messy? I don't think there is one definite answer but I guess I'll see what I find out.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
this is kinda my life these days...
I found myself running for my life and convincing myself that the small bush on the corner of the house would somehow make me invisible to the handful of 3rd graders that were determined to destroy me... Ah, youth ministry. How often we romanticize the thought. What was I thinking challenging a band of over-energetic 3rd graders to a 'Me vs All of You' airsoft war after school?
First of all, these guys are rockin' fully automatic rifles and shotguns. What do I get? Two pistols. Not really too bad except that I had to put the gun in my armpit after every shot to try to cock it so I could shoot again but my hoodie material was too slick and it usually ended in me just abandoning on of my pistols on the ground in discussed and running away in retreat with my remaining gun in hand. I probably would have done better with just one gun to start with. It got to the point that I was so tired of running circles around the house that I would fake being out of ammo just so I could go to the reload station and sit and catch my breath. I really felt old. Yes it was depressing but also motivating. I added another goal to my list: Beat 3rd graders at a game of airsoft. Challenge Accepted.
This semester with K-Life has been a lot of fun. One of the highlights of my week is lunch on Fridays with the 3rd grade guys at Metro. The stories of the week through the eyes of a 9 year old are too much fun. At K-Life, the time we hang out with (or 'endure' depending on the week) our 3rd-5th grade kids is called Super K. And honestly, I really love it. It keeps me young.
We have all kinds of stuff going on this month for 3rd-12th grade students, college kids, and families! Check out Tulsa K-Life to see how you can get involved in Fun, Faith, and Community.
First of all, these guys are rockin' fully automatic rifles and shotguns. What do I get? Two pistols. Not really too bad except that I had to put the gun in my armpit after every shot to try to cock it so I could shoot again but my hoodie material was too slick and it usually ended in me just abandoning on of my pistols on the ground in discussed and running away in retreat with my remaining gun in hand. I probably would have done better with just one gun to start with. It got to the point that I was so tired of running circles around the house that I would fake being out of ammo just so I could go to the reload station and sit and catch my breath. I really felt old. Yes it was depressing but also motivating. I added another goal to my list: Beat 3rd graders at a game of airsoft. Challenge Accepted.
This semester with K-Life has been a lot of fun. One of the highlights of my week is lunch on Fridays with the 3rd grade guys at Metro. The stories of the week through the eyes of a 9 year old are too much fun. At K-Life, the time we hang out with (or 'endure' depending on the week) our 3rd-5th grade kids is called Super K. And honestly, I really love it. It keeps me young.
We have all kinds of stuff going on this month for 3rd-12th grade students, college kids, and families! Check out Tulsa K-Life to see how you can get involved in Fun, Faith, and Community.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
A high moral standard unobtainable by unbelievers?
I was reading through my Major Bible Themes book (Lewis Sperry Chafer) and I ran across a quote that threw me for a loop.
"The death of Christ assures us of the love of God towards the sinner" (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8; I John 3:16; 4:9)
I know this, and it is easy to understand, but the next line...
"The fact that God loves us should influence believers in Christ to live on a high moral standard impossible for an unbeliever" (2 Cor. 5:15; I Pet. 2:11-25)
I'm a believer in Christ. Do I live on a high moral standard impossible for an unbeliever? Do we even believe, as Christians, that there is a high moral standard that we can obtain in Christ that unbelievers cannot ever reach alone? I think in a way this is a simple concept, but the phrasing cast a different approach, at least for me, to living a life that radiates Christ.
"The death of Christ assures us of the love of God towards the sinner" (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8; I John 3:16; 4:9)
I know this, and it is easy to understand, but the next line...
"The fact that God loves us should influence believers in Christ to live on a high moral standard impossible for an unbeliever" (2 Cor. 5:15; I Pet. 2:11-25)
I'm a believer in Christ. Do I live on a high moral standard impossible for an unbeliever? Do we even believe, as Christians, that there is a high moral standard that we can obtain in Christ that unbelievers cannot ever reach alone? I think in a way this is a simple concept, but the phrasing cast a different approach, at least for me, to living a life that radiates Christ.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
a Matt Mungle review for new indie film "To Save A Life"
"Smells like teen spririt"
Have you ever had your life changed by a film? I don’t mean walk out and feel the weight of what you saw only to have it fade away after several hours and a late night dinner. Rumor has it that when Bambi was released that hunting license sales plummeted. I am not sure how many people don’t think of Psycho whenever they enter a bathroom and see the shower curtain pulled shut. But that is not what I am talking about. I mean have a movie actually alter the course of you how you live, act and think; for a lifetime.
The new teen geared drama, To Save A Life attempts to do just that. To get young people, and old I suppose, to stop and think about how they treat those around them. How a life can be forever marred or encouraged simply by how it is treated by its peers. The story centers around Jake Taylor (Randy Wayne) who is the big man on his high school campus. Good with a basketball and even better with the ladies; he has it all. When a tragic event occurs involving a friend from his early childhood it rocks Jakes world and makes him start seeing that how we treat others can have a dire impact on the lives around us. His decision to choose people over popularity does not come without a cost.
I dare not call this a Christian film. Although it is unapologetic in its call to action concerning God and faith. But unlike the typical faith based films it does not dance around the relevance and reality of life. It doesn’t make the church out to be all knowing and perfect and the world to be this awful place. To Save A Life displays the struggles and limitations of students both in and outside of the church walls in a way that I have not seen before. Also most Christian films are written as if to get those outside the church walls to take faith seriously. This one instead needs to be seen mainly by those inside the church walls who proclaim to live a certain way but instead are deceiving themselves.
Granted, To Save A Life plays more like an afterschool special than a blockbuster wide release. It has the pacing and writing that is intended to carry a message. It is not meant to entertain but rather to get you to think about life. Some might believe that the theater is not the place for a sermon and I would normally whole heartily agree. But this film is different. It is gritty, truthful and open about things that most times are overlooked or played out in a political correctness that white washes the issue. I appreciated the fact that it took chances and risks ridicule. And you have to admire a film that practices what it preaches.
To Save A Life is rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements involving teen suicide, teen drinking, some drug content, disturbing images and sexuality. As I said there is no candy coating or glossing over of what teens do and face daily. It has to be frank or it loses its validity. Even though it depicts these things I think that the message, regardless of what you choose to believe spiritually, should be instilled into kids at even a younger age than 13. Only you know your child and so be a wise parent. But I also think it touches on issues that could impact the life of someone your kid sees daily. I give it 4 out of 5 beer pong shots. Not a perfect film or one that you should see as a light outing. But one that needs to be seen by groups of young people who want to engage their culture and think about life as a whole. So says Matt Mungle
Matt Mungle (matt@mungleshow.com)
(4 out of 5)
Review copyright 2010 Mungleshow Productions. Used by Permission.
Have you ever had your life changed by a film? I don’t mean walk out and feel the weight of what you saw only to have it fade away after several hours and a late night dinner. Rumor has it that when Bambi was released that hunting license sales plummeted. I am not sure how many people don’t think of Psycho whenever they enter a bathroom and see the shower curtain pulled shut. But that is not what I am talking about. I mean have a movie actually alter the course of you how you live, act and think; for a lifetime.
The new teen geared drama, To Save A Life attempts to do just that. To get young people, and old I suppose, to stop and think about how they treat those around them. How a life can be forever marred or encouraged simply by how it is treated by its peers. The story centers around Jake Taylor (Randy Wayne) who is the big man on his high school campus. Good with a basketball and even better with the ladies; he has it all. When a tragic event occurs involving a friend from his early childhood it rocks Jakes world and makes him start seeing that how we treat others can have a dire impact on the lives around us. His decision to choose people over popularity does not come without a cost.
I dare not call this a Christian film. Although it is unapologetic in its call to action concerning God and faith. But unlike the typical faith based films it does not dance around the relevance and reality of life. It doesn’t make the church out to be all knowing and perfect and the world to be this awful place. To Save A Life displays the struggles and limitations of students both in and outside of the church walls in a way that I have not seen before. Also most Christian films are written as if to get those outside the church walls to take faith seriously. This one instead needs to be seen mainly by those inside the church walls who proclaim to live a certain way but instead are deceiving themselves.
Granted, To Save A Life plays more like an afterschool special than a blockbuster wide release. It has the pacing and writing that is intended to carry a message. It is not meant to entertain but rather to get you to think about life. Some might believe that the theater is not the place for a sermon and I would normally whole heartily agree. But this film is different. It is gritty, truthful and open about things that most times are overlooked or played out in a political correctness that white washes the issue. I appreciated the fact that it took chances and risks ridicule. And you have to admire a film that practices what it preaches.
To Save A Life is rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements involving teen suicide, teen drinking, some drug content, disturbing images and sexuality. As I said there is no candy coating or glossing over of what teens do and face daily. It has to be frank or it loses its validity. Even though it depicts these things I think that the message, regardless of what you choose to believe spiritually, should be instilled into kids at even a younger age than 13. Only you know your child and so be a wise parent. But I also think it touches on issues that could impact the life of someone your kid sees daily. I give it 4 out of 5 beer pong shots. Not a perfect film or one that you should see as a light outing. But one that needs to be seen by groups of young people who want to engage their culture and think about life as a whole. So says Matt Mungle
Matt Mungle (matt@mungleshow.com)
(4 out of 5)
Review copyright 2010 Mungleshow Productions. Used by Permission.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
8 Doctrines of the Faith
This semester, Tulsa K-Life is going to ask the questions and wrestle with the answers of 'what' do we believe and 'why' do we believe it. More than anything, are you willing to die for what you believe in? Each week we will explore the depths of truth as we structure and build on our Doctrine of Faith.
God- Love vs Just, Father vs King
Romans 1:20
Jesus- God vs Man, Lion vs Lamb
I John 5:20
Holy Spirit- Helper, Guarantee of Salvation, Conviction of Sin
John 15:26
The Bible- Absolute Truth and Authority?
II Timothy 3:16-17
Man, Sin & Salvation
Genesis 2:7
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
Church- Body of Believers
Ephesians 4:4-6
Spiritual Life
Philippians 1:6
Angels, Satan & Demons
Colossians 1:16
God- Love vs Just, Father vs King
Romans 1:20
Jesus- God vs Man, Lion vs Lamb
I John 5:20
Holy Spirit- Helper, Guarantee of Salvation, Conviction of Sin
John 15:26
The Bible- Absolute Truth and Authority?
II Timothy 3:16-17
Man, Sin & Salvation
Genesis 2:7
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
Church- Body of Believers
Ephesians 4:4-6
Spiritual Life
Philippians 1:6
Angels, Satan & Demons
Colossians 1:16
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Sincerity without Truth is... what?
In the final verse of Judges it states 'In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes'. I think even now, though we have a King, it is so easy to do what is right in our own eyes. And I'm not talking about the 'secular' world, but predominately among Christians. At least non-believers have the excuse that they don't claim the absolute truths of Christianity whereas Christians as a whole, generally speaking, claim the same moral code as their banner. I was reading the story of Joshua and thought it appropriate to start the conversation of within Christianity, where do we find truth, and even more so, what is truth by definition through the lens of Christianity.
At the end end of his life, Joshua makes his famous charge to Israel with the verse '... choose this day whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord' -Joshua 24:15
Easy enough, right? Choose to serve the Lord. I don't know if, for me at least, it was the choosing so much that was difficult, it was what follows after the choice has been made. In the verse before the charge, Joshua is encouraging Israel to chose God by saying this: 'Fear the Lord, serve him in sincerity and in truth'- Joshua 24:14
And what stood out to me what that Joshua said sincerity AND truth. Then it all came back to me. All the frustration and guilt of living a life under the Christian banner while wearing the clothes of a self absorbed, prideful sinner. It's not that once your a Christian you stop sinning, obviously, but for me, my short fall was that I had the sincerity without the Truth, the absolute, the black and white. I was very much living in the 'what was right in my own eyes' by creating my subjective truth and filling in the holes with Scripture instead of Scripture being my truth molding my life around it.
Sincerity without Truth is, possibly, the biggest lie Christians by into. Church, community, good works, best sellers, blogs, podcasts, these things are nothing without the foundation of Truth sent by the Holy Spirit who inspired men to write it out so that no one can claim ignorance.
So that poses the question of all question: What is Truth?
This video from Focus on the Family's 'The Truth Project' asks a lot of questions about Truth and offers some opinions. Here is what I have found to point me in the direction of finding what Truth is.
Absolute
"This God-His way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true..." -Psalm 18:30a
Revealed by the Spirit
"... knowing this forst of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." -II Peter 1:20-21
Moral Compass for Life
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." - II Timothy 3:16-17
At the end end of his life, Joshua makes his famous charge to Israel with the verse '... choose this day whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord' -Joshua 24:15
Easy enough, right? Choose to serve the Lord. I don't know if, for me at least, it was the choosing so much that was difficult, it was what follows after the choice has been made. In the verse before the charge, Joshua is encouraging Israel to chose God by saying this: 'Fear the Lord, serve him in sincerity and in truth'- Joshua 24:14
And what stood out to me what that Joshua said sincerity AND truth. Then it all came back to me. All the frustration and guilt of living a life under the Christian banner while wearing the clothes of a self absorbed, prideful sinner. It's not that once your a Christian you stop sinning, obviously, but for me, my short fall was that I had the sincerity without the Truth, the absolute, the black and white. I was very much living in the 'what was right in my own eyes' by creating my subjective truth and filling in the holes with Scripture instead of Scripture being my truth molding my life around it.
Sincerity without Truth is, possibly, the biggest lie Christians by into. Church, community, good works, best sellers, blogs, podcasts, these things are nothing without the foundation of Truth sent by the Holy Spirit who inspired men to write it out so that no one can claim ignorance.
So that poses the question of all question: What is Truth?
This video from Focus on the Family's 'The Truth Project' asks a lot of questions about Truth and offers some opinions. Here is what I have found to point me in the direction of finding what Truth is.
Absolute
"This God-His way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true..." -Psalm 18:30a
Revealed by the Spirit
"... knowing this forst of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." -II Peter 1:20-21
Moral Compass for Life
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." - II Timothy 3:16-17
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