Who would Jesus pull for in the Iron Bowl?

It's Auburn vs. Alabama, and naturally everyone has to pick a side.  So, which side would Jesus pick?  Is it such a ludicrous question to ask? 

How did you pick?  Well, both teams have traditions, songs, mascots, uniforms, etc. etc.  Univ. of Alabama has a bar, restaurant, four or five apartment complexes, and another bar with "Traditions" in the title.  Auburn fans think God has to be an Auburn fan because the sky becomes orange and blue at sunset. 

Maybe you were raised in your family to follow one side and loathe the other, as many generations before you had done.  Maybe you just liked the colors and went from there.  Maybe it was a particular creed or value represented by that university that spoke to you.  Maybe your significant other was going there and forced your hand.

Through some cruel (but wonderful, dear) twist of fate, my marriage is one of those "mixed" ones - I am Auburn and Keller is Alabama.  My parents before me were the same way.  So I feel like I've seen both sides of the fence.  What a tall fence it is, by the way.

Regardless of how you picked your school, it's obvious that both schools have their differences.  But they're both still universities.  They're both for education.  The intent is to enroll & leave with experiences and learning that prepare you to go out into the world and do whatever you want to do with it. 

Do you think that churches within Christianity can be viewed the same? 

What I mean is, when you pick a church, each church has it's own traditions, dress, attitudes, approaches, etc.  Even within denominations.  But again, despite the differences, the intent is to be educated and go out into the world. 

Sometimes I think we get too wrapped up with our differences that we neglect to see what really matters.  In the case of the Iron Bowl, do you watch because you hate the other team and want them to be humiliated (guilty in the past) or to watch a great game between storied rivals with respect?

At first I wanted to say Jesus would root for neither.  But I think he would root for both.  Kind of like if you're a parent with kids playing each other.  You want them both to try.  Someone's going to win and someone will lose.  Just don't throw in any cheap shots.

Brilliant Church (Leaving Atlanta pt.2)

(read part 1 first)

As I spent more time involved in this church, a community which I had both actively and unconsciously avoided, I slowly began to see little bits of brilliance unfurl.

The first was my own transformation… well, perhaps that is a strong word, but definitely a change.  I had decided to own up to change, to step forward & activate this part of my life.  This can be seen in the letter of intent.  I became involved in investing back to others who were also new and volunteering for leadership opportunities.  Before I knew it, I had basically become one of those who I had previously scoffed at. 

The second and most dramatic change was the friendships that were forged; one in particular was with a pretty girl from Louisiana who would eventually become my wife.  That is a whole other story :)

But perhaps the most prolific impact the church experience has had on my faith did not directly have anything to do with me at all.  Since being involved in a church became important to me, I began to notice all of the amazing things happening amongst my peers.  Many of my examples are related to North Atlanta, but several also refer to others in other churches with other names and other Christian denominations. 

Such as…

So many people my age deciding to give up the American life and move somewhere else.  Happily, there are so many I won’t be able to remember them all.  A friend of mine (name excluded due to censorship concerns) is relocating his new family to the China / N. Korea border.  Katie J moved to Bolivia to be a teacher.  Chris & Sarah and their daughter live in Kenya and help run an orphanage & minister to the kids there. 

Jana moved to Beijing and it’s her daily objective simply to strike up conversations with the numerous locals about faith.  Apparently so many people there yearn for answers, but there are so few resources to show them the way.  Jana is now one of them.

Keller’s aunt & uncle Mark & Jamie Klee moved to Swaziland in Africa with their 3 kids.  Sold the nice house in Alpharetta and said adios.  Now, they run a cabinet shop, assist on a commercial farm, run a home for abandoned or orphaned babies, and are working on launching a local-made jewelry business.  Apparently they are about to run into a labor shortage from the local community and will be searching for additional help, in a country with one of the world’s highest unemployment rates.

This isn’t one of those guilty “sell all and move to Africa” type of missives (no offense Klees.)  For every crazy international story I’ve heard, I could tell a local one.  Live your life wherever you want, as long as it’s dedicated to God. 

I was touched during my years in Atlanta how many incredible people I met.  At one time or another I interacted personally with all of these people in Atlanta, whether it was at church, small group, a meal, or even playing kickball.  But Christians (and those listed above) will attribute all of the life changing stories to God.  All of the amazing accomplishments and lives touched by these people represent God interacting with our lives.  This is what Christians believe... this is one way to show love... this is one way show God.  

Whats the point of all of this writing.  The point is, I had gone from one extreme to the other.  A skeptic to a believer. 

Church wasn’t for me. actually… I belong here.

I’m not like them.  actually… I’m the same.

I’m too sophisticated/smart/cool.  actually… So are they. Maybe even smarter.

I can go my own way and be fine.  actually… I don’t want to do that anymore.  I want to be a part of a community because they are the ones actually going somewhere.

That’s my story.  We will miss Atlanta, but this city provided us with the push we needed - and the examples to follow.  Thank you.

Why I Went to Church (Leaving Atlanta pt.1)

When I moved to Atlanta I had to finally act on something that I had been putting off for a while.  I wanted to get back in to going to church regularly.  I had no personal friends or any frames of reference at the time of where to go.  So, naturally I went to Google.  The largest one that appeared to have people my age (20's, single) was North Atlanta Church of Christ.

In retrospect I don't know what my goals were.  For several weeks I went and sat in the balcony, enjoying the atmosphere.  I'd show up a little late so I could avoid talking to people, but then I found out that it became difficult to find a seat without climbing over people, so I started coming a little earlier.  (Apparently most people at NACC show up about 5 minutes after the start time; 5 minutes before it's half empty, 5 minutes after it's completely full.)  I felt pretty self-satisfied about the experience overall.  I had a routine where I could slide in and out with minimal interactions.  Afterwards I'd treat myself to a solo Sunday lunch and go home in good spirits.
 

That could only last for a matter of time though.  After a couple of months I started feeling comfortable and began to wonder about the other people there, especially my age.  I wasn't outgoing.  I was not a "church person."  I had little interest in walking up to a group of people and announcing that I was the new kid in town, like some people can do.  I had fooled my employer into thinking I was that kind of "Type A" personality so I could get a sales job in the big city, but I wasn't ready to put myself out there socially. 

I needed a push.  A sunday service passed and I decided on the spot I wasn't going to go out on a limb and look for people.  Apparently someone noticed.  I was sitting in my ultra-secure, secret balcony spot.  I'd been attending for about 2 months.  A single lady in her 50's sat next to me and took it upon herself to speak to me.  She told me that there was a large singles group at the church, pointed out where they sat, and gave me the room number of the class they met in after the service.  

Now I really didn't have an excuse.  But, if I didn't have that little push I probably would have continued to made excuses that would have delayed or stopped me from continuing down my path.  So, I'm thankful for her, whoever she was.  Ha. An angel? 

So, the next Sunday, I took the leap and waltzed into this singles class at the church.  It was awkward, but only because I didn't know anyone.  Before the class starts everyone kind of mills around, gets coffee, and has conversations.  A dude noticed I was just kind of standing around and spoke to me.  I told him I was new and he was nice enough to talk to me for a while.  I made a contact.  The next few weeks I would show back up, slowly getting to know others.  Eventually, I was invited to a small group that met Sunday nights and really became more than just a "visitor."  

As I began to get to know the people that were a part of this Young Adults group (as it is called) I started to realize I held some heavy pre-conceived notions and prejudices.  I had convinced myself that I would never really fit in at a church.  I assumed that the people who went were some other kind of breed of people who were different.  As in, maybe they somehow experienced some kind of sheltered, not-practical, not-normal life.  Like "they" were going to be too bland, boring, or simple, or some other adjective that I thought was not going mesh well with me.  As if I was so much more cultured, suave, exciting.  

It's funny that the popular saying is that people who go to church "think they are better than everyone else."  In my case it was the exact opposite.  I'm pretty sure I thought "I am better than them."

So wrong.  Once I began to get over that though, I finally started seeing things change.  
read part 2

Eschatological Crisis

Well I'm having an eschatological crisis.  Rather than an existential one.

All of the talk about Duck Dynasty has once again opened the never-healing gash caused by the rift between the world and Christians.  My eschatological crisis is not directly related to the recent uproars of this Duck escapade.  So rather than the exact cause, it's just a symptom.

The cause of my internal bewilderment is really the whole end-times stuff.  I was going about my usual business last week and the middle of my day, in the middle of an activity, I just stopped.  It was one of those self-aware moments.  So profound was the impression that I felt, that I had to pause.
I began to think:
  "Something isn't right."
  "This world is real... But temporary."
  "Something is just off."

I have to believe that others experience these impressions as well. It's really rare, for me at least.  Our lives are filled with so very many distractions, and even most people in the world would agree that most of our daily concerns aren't very meaningful.  But occasionally, even if I'm busy, sleep-deprived, anxious, or whatever, there appears a sharp pang of clarity.   "I don't belong here."

Of course, not in the sense that I feel not included or left out, but in the sense that I don't want to belong here.  Something innately tugs me to what is truly meaningful.  Something drifts me towards the truth.

Diagnose or explain away as you will.  Is it fabrication or imagination?  Is it the same vibes a psychic gets when "reading the tea leaves."  Is  it just human philosphy?  Is it my ego trying to manufacture supernatural experiences so I can justify my beliefs?

I reject those notions.  But who am I instruct or guide on those uncanny premonitions that appear so scarcely.  I walk by faith, it's my guide.  I agree with what Paul wrote in Romans 1; God makes himself known and left his evidence on our hearts, tangible or intangible.  As seen here:

¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

What differentiates this particular "crisis" from an existential one is that it's all tied to eschatological concepts.  In other words, it gives me something concrete to tie in all of these strange, odd feelings.  Rather than asking the existential questions with open-ended & unanswerable thoughts, I rely on the information I have to answer them.

When I have these feelings, I'm reminded of these passages.
  "This world is real... But temporary." Paul says in Romans 8:

¹⁸ I believe that the present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory that is going to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ The whole creation waits breathless with anticipation for the revelation of God’s sons and daughters. ²⁰ Creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice—it was the choice of the one who subjected it—but in the hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from slavery to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of God’s children. ²² We know that the whole creation is groaning together and suffering labor pains up until now. ²³ And it’s not only the creation. We ourselves who have the Spirit as the first crop of the harvest also groan inside as we wait to be adopted and for our bodies to be set free.

  "Something is just off."  From John 18:

³⁶ Jesus replied, “My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world. If it did, my guards would fight so that I wouldn’t have been arrested by the Jewish leaders. My kingdom isn’t from here.”
³⁷ “So you are a king?” Pilate said.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. I was born and came into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth. Whoever accepts the truth listens to my voice.”
³⁸ “What is truth?” Pilate asked.

"I don't belong here."  From John 15:

18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

I'm tied to the fact we have an answer to these questions. I read Revelation recently, oops. I left with a boatload of questions. I understand we can't answer every question. I have to remember to "lean not on your own understanding."  Additionally, "no one knows when the time will come."

We can't answer every one, but we are left with a sense of awe and wonder at what truly is to come. Only then will the crisis be resolved.  Of course, it's not a "crisis" as far as world definitions go, I'm not about to go all Harold Camping... or do anything extreme. But it's a calm but pressing sense of urgency to - quite frankly - reject the world and seek the truth.

Romans 8:
²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.