Jesus-lite

I’ve been drinking diet pop for a long time (that’s soda for you northerners, and the non descriptive, uber generic ‘Coke’ for you in the south).

I’ve been drinking it for so long, it not only tastes good, it tastes better than regular pop. I understand that the previous sentence is probably the single most controversial statement I have ever posted on this blog, but you will just need to deal with it.

It’s kind of a pattern for chronic dieters like myself:

  • You make the decision to go lite
  • You endure the transition
  • You get used to it
  • You get comfortable with it
  • It becomes normal

You can do this with almost any habit, whether its food, drink, entertainment, political affiliation and unfortunately…even faith.

Yep, you can choose to go lite. It may feel awkward at first, but you’ll get used to it. If you try “Jesus-lite” it will eventually become normal.

Jesus-lite has become the new rage all around the world. All the love with none of the conviction. You can enjoy 100% of your daily requirement of feel good, with none of that commitment aftertaste.

Harvard University is a sterling example of embracing the Jesus-lite lifestyle.

The school motto is “Veritas,” the latin word for Continue reading “Jesus-lite”

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means

I love Easter! I even love Easter for the stuff that we “serious” Christians should not love it for:

  • small children in new Easter clothes
  • that fake plastic grass you put in the bottom of Easter baskets
  • Cadbury eggs… Oh, thank you heaven above for those eggs
  • the knowledge that the week after Easter they’ll start putting the Christmas displays up at Walmart

I just love this time of year, even for those nonreligious, way over-commercialized things. But, the reason I love Easter the most is because of what this time of year means for people of faith.

We celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. We were lost in our sin and desperately needed a Savior. The God of the universe became flesh for us, lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death, all for the purpose of paying the price for us, a debt that He did not owe. Then after three days in the tomb, He rose from the dead putting an exclamation point where the devil wanted to put a question mark.

He’s alive!

The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that He is who He said He was; that He had the authority to do what He came to do. Easter is awesome.
Every year during this holiday I feel the need to clarify some Christian vocabulary. I think we have trouble with the word Continue reading “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means”

Merry Christmas

Thanks to everyone who attended our Christmas Eve Celebration. This year we tied the whole service together with some poorly written poetry that told a version of the Christmas/salvation story, and I can say poorly written… because I wrote it.

I’ve been a asked a couple of times where to get it, so, I thought I’d make it available here at the CrossEyedLife.

It comes in five sections as a progressive story and many thanks to Sam Wilk who narrated for us… great job!

THE NEED

 Dark and barren, a formless void
Our universe an empty nothing
No light, no warmth, no life to be enjoyed Continue reading “Merry Christmas”

It’s Hero time!

I’ve spent this past Monday afternoon with a couple hundred grade schoolers here at Venue 302… yeah, day off!

Actually, it’s been fun. They are being rewarded for making their end of the year reading goals by getting the faris-at-venueafternoon free from class and kicking back to watch a movie here at our facilities. So, with popcorn and cookies in hand these kiddos sat down to watch The Tale of Despereaux.

I had never seen it, kinda cute.

As the movie was getting underway and the plot was setting up, the ‘stinger’ line is given: “A hero never appears until the world needs one“.

Enter title character Despereaux.

A great little movie about bravery, hope and the little guy making it big. But, I started thinking about the premise.

Is it true? Do heros wait to appear when they are needed? Do circumstance create our saviors?

At first, there seems to be some Biblical support for this. Galatians chapter four says:

4But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

Just looking at this verse it appears that God waited to send Jesus until we needed Him, but that can’t be right…

If that logic were correct then it would mean humans hadn’t pegged out the sin meter unil 2,000 years ago, and there was no need for a Savior until Jesus actually made the scene at the BC/AD split. Continue reading “It’s Hero time!”