February 22, 2006
I'm Obsessed With Telling You About My Religion...
...Is that crazy? Will you listen?
I don't know. Maybe brutal and blunt honesty is the best way to bring up Jesus or start a spiritual conversation. There are hundreds of ways to start a conversation on spiritual things, but when the air is "dead" with silence, it can be awkward to transition into such a dialog.
Sometimes it's best to be frank and call this awkwardness or hesitancy for what it is: we're embarrassed or ashamed of Jesus. We'd rather not face the rejection or wrath of man. Somehow we've become ashamed of this most gracious Man and Savior. This is crazy. It's not always the case, but when it does boil down to fearing man and the potential "reaction" than we care about obeying or sharing our excellent news, then we need to weigh the differences, realize our wrong, and repent.
The flip-side of that problem is taking words like the above paragraph and making us feel so guilty that we just want to go barf the gospel on someone to fulfill this religious duty and make the guilt go away. Somewhere in the middle there's a balance. We shouldn't be ashamed of Jesus, our Father, or the incredible story of the lengths He went to in order to redeem us. Sometimes in this situation I will embrace or take on the potential derisive label of "Jesus freak" or "admit to be a religious fanatic," and chuckle a little bit. Taking on the "worst" label willingly sometimes makes me think that I've somehow slightly disarmed the tension (maybe just in my own head), which allows me to relax and just be me. Not hiding who I am or what I believe, but not being obnoxious about it, either.
"I thank God, Whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me His prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, Who has saved us and called us to a holy life -- not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace."
It's cool that Paul brings up Timothy's heritage. Sometimes as young people we hate our parents, rejecting their influence on our lives. Sometimes we so want to identify our own faith (and make it "our own") that we subtley reject our parents in the faith. It's cool to embrace that, embracing who we are and how we came to be. Of course we are our own person, totally unique, but neglecting the influence of our parents, forefathers, leaders can be a mistake, where we lose out on the richness of a heritage.
Paul goes on to encourage Timothy to not be ashamed. He refers to the Holy Spirit, Who is a person that has been given to us and Who can empower us. Relying on and trusting in Him can totally help.
xxx
I've been listening to the special edition of P.O.D.'s Testify, which has a track-by-track commentary (kinda like a DVD commentary, but all audio), which is really totally cool. The more I listen to this album, the more I love it. I'm "settling in" and getting familiar with the album and all its transitions from song to song, all the subtle nuances of the sounds, and getting the wonderful words dug into my brain. "Strength of My Life" is a new worship song for me.
Here are some photos I didn't use in the Pelican i1030 product review I did. These are photos of attempting to back up over the device.
As you can see, it went flying. I didn't run over it with enough speed (though I went fast), or the angle of hitting it wasn't good. It collided with the case but didn't damage it structurally, just gouging a few big scrapes on the surface.
Are you still prone to damage and destroy?
Oh, I get it -- you're paid to do that !!
Nice test technique I must admit -- camera angle, multiple shots, speed calibration, etc., etc.
On the first subject -- it's kind of neat to just watch people's countenance when the name of Jesus is spoken (in a nonabusive (noncursing) manner). Jesus -- the most powerful word in all of language. It always precipitates a response.
Posted by: solomon at February 22, 2006 02:44 PM