I Am Done With... The Next Christian Fad

Awhile ago, I read an article by a famous Christian author about inspiration and goal-setting for aspiring faith writers. One thing he said that will always resonate with me is (I'm paraphrasing here):

Don't aspire to be the next Christian superstar.

He was, of course, poking fun at the subculture that has, in many respects, become Christianity and was calling men and women of faith to pursue character instead of seeking fame.

I both love and hate that.

Because the truth is that I would like to be famous. I would like to receive honor and glory and power -- all those things that belong to God.

And so, I struggle to want to shine in the limelight, to be noticed and acknowledged.

So, in all honesty, I'd really like to be done with the Christian fads and bumper stickers and hipster movements. I just want Jesus. Sounds corny, I know, but honestly, a man who was also God who told me that I had to die in order to live... Well, that's enough for me to chew on for awhile.

I'm Done with Blogging for Blogging's Sake

I do a lot of blogging. I contribute to online magazines, blogs, and a variety of websites. I challenge, provoke, and ask questions about faith, life, and culture.

But I also get caught up with how many people comment or visit the site. I measure how many instead of how much of an impact I've really made. I obsess over numbers instead of life change. If I'm honest, I basically use these opportunities to stroke my ego.

If I'm not careful, I begin to find my identity in these writing projects.

Pretty soon, blogging begins to supplant where I find my identity; it can even consume the time that I would spend in prayer or reading my Bible.

Eventually, telling a story replaces living a story.

It's sad, really. And it's time for it to end.

I'm done with blogging for blogging's sake.

What about you?

King David and Leadership: I Am Done With Titles

Everywhere you look in our culture, there's narcissism.

MY-space? YOU-tube? These are not coincidences. While I have nothing against social media or the internet, I am very skeptical of a medium that draws way too much attention to "me." I suppose that "I am done with..." could fall into that category, too, couldn't it?

Well, maybe that's the point -- we're inundated with a me-first mentality. It even affects our spirituality.

Titles are attractive, are they not? We tout them often in our email signatures; we print business cards with them directly under our name.

Titles define us. They give us an identity, usually within the framework of an organization. They give us importance.

However, titles are not necessarily bad. For instance, in the Bible, David had a title. But it was not one that he had intentionally sought or fought for. The people sang about Saul having killed "his thousands" and David "his tens of thousands." He was a renowned hero. And they people gave him titles. "Giant killer." "Slayer of Ten Thousands." "Hero."

There's nothing wrong with that. This is a crucial lesson regarding leadership. "People don't follow titles," William Wallace said. "They follow courage." The titles come later. And so they did for David. Once he proved himself as a humble, heroic man, God gave him a title that meant something: king.

There's something wrong with seeking a title or coasting on the fame of yesteryear's accomplishments. There's something wrong with being a titular leader without accepting the tough responsibilities of true authority or glaring at someone who has earned their title while you sit and do nothing (Saul was guilty of this). And there's something wrong with using your title for your own personal gain.

In our narcissistic society, you really have to make an intentional choice to not be corrupted by the glitz and glamor of a title.

So, today, I am done with titles. And tomorrow...? Well, we'll just have to see how today goes.

Wrecked.org: Social Action for Spiritual Misfits

Hey gang - just wanted to give the belated update that new sections and articles are live on the new version of Wrecked for the Ordinary.

Wrecked.org is a site where "spiritual misfits" are challenged to follow Jesus in a counter-cultural, incarnational way.

If you are interested in making a contribution to Wrecked, click here. Mostly, we're looking for radical stories of life change, but that may look different, depending on your circumstances.

Also, I encourage you to sign up for updates to Wrecked's weekly newsletter.

Back and Forth Spirituality - Hearing and not doing

I am done with back and forth spirituality - of continuously going to the altar, laying my burdens down, and then picking them back up again.

The apostle James said that people who embrace back and forth spirituality are two-faced, fooling themselves. They listen, but they don't act. They're like people who look in the mirror and don't believe what they see.

I am done with making hollow promises to God.

I am done with Old Testament religion.

I am done with hearing and not doing, with confessing but not repenting, with dying to self but not living the Resurrection.

I am done with back and forth spirituality.

Are you?

My secret project and needing your help

I'm working on a super-secret social justice writing project and am trying to enlist some fellow bloggers and wordsmithers to help me in this effort.

Anyone interested?

If so, post a comment on this blog, and I'll be in touch with you.

Shhhh... don't tell anyone.

I Am Done With... Reading Books

OK, no, I'm not pledging myself to illiteracy. Rather, I am done with a tendency I sense in myself and others that tend to be more affluent and cut off from the needs of the world - we'd rather read books about issues than encounter them face-to-face.

I am done with just reading books on poverty, social justice, and being the hands and feet of Jesus. I know that it's messy to go out and do those sorts of things, but frankly, that' s a mess I'd rather be in than out of.

So, it may be time to put a few books on the shelf or leave the magazine on the nightstand and pen a few words with my actions. I used to believe so strongly in this kind of action that I didn't event need to write a blog about it. I just did it.

Something stale and anesthetized has crept into my faith life over the past couple years, and I think that I've tried to balance it with excessive self-education. It needs to change.

Don't get me wrong - reading is great. But if the ideas I'm imbibing aren't propelling me to action, then why am I reading it in the first place?

I am done with reading books... when the reading replaces the doing.