...is that I can't fall asleep on Sunday nights. It's 1:11 a.m., and I'm not the least bit sleepy. Kelly usually tells me that if I lay down and close my eyes, I'll fall asleep, but it just doesn't work that way, at least not for me. I took a three-hour nap this afternoon, so it's messed me up. While I'm waiting to get groggy, I thought I'd share somethin that's been on my mind tonight for the zero people who read this.
-CONFESSION....Kelly and I watch "Big Brother". It's complete trash, disguised as a "social experiment". But we love it. It's pure group dynamics at its best...who can influence who, who can exert quiet influence, who stays loyal and who bolts, etc. For someone like myself, who has long held an interest in the subject of group dynamics, it's fascinating stuff. But who are we kidding? It's a bunch of weirdos thrown together in a house like rats in a cage.
But as we've watched this summer, and as I've watched countless other reality shows over the past few years(note: the only scripted shows I watch regularly are "24", "The Office", and "The Nine", which has been cancelled), one question that has repeatedly come into my head is this:
WHERE ARE THE NORMAL CHRISTIANS?!?!
Steve Rose, Executive Pastor of Hope Community Church in Lawrenceburg, basically asked the same on his blog, going as far as to say that he wishes he'd be on "Big Brother" just so America could see a NORMAL Christian. And he's right....whenever you see a reality show that features a Christian, it is usually a Christian that falls into one of these categories(and I'm not categorizing the Christian so much as I'm categorizing their behavior on the show)...
A)Super-sanctimonious judgmental jerk
B)Crazy off-the-trellis charismatic nutjob
C)Sweet Christian who infuses God into every single conversation, even when it's a completely unnatural segway, speaking in terms that sound ridiculous to unbelievers, and just coming across as confusing and spacey, even if their intentions are good and pure
D)Competely compromised Christian who one minute proclaims faith in Christ and speaks of being used by Him on (insert show here), but the next minute is either getting completely sloshed, cursing like Howard Stern on satellite radio, and/or practically burning any semblance of their "True Love Waits" card with whoever is breathing and nearby.
And that's what America sees. In the interest of full disclosure, there are times, many times, when I fall into the trap of the categories I just mentioned. I'm not perfect, by any means, and I shudder to think what people will see if there was a camera pointed at me 24/7.
But, I think it's safe to say that Christianity has NOT been represented well in mainstream media for the last several years. Most of that is the need/desire of TV and movies to embrace and emphasize stereotypes, so putting on a "normal" Christian is not nearly as interesting as putting on someone who will generate better soundbytes and create interest in a show.
But that makes it all the more important for Christians to counteract that type of exposure, to show the world that following Christ isn't about being judgmental, compromising, self-righteous, spaced-out, unloving, and self-seeking. We need to show that we are ordinary people who serve and worship and extraordinary God. Will that cause us to look/act/talk/think/feel different? Sure...but hopefully, in the process, people will see that difference in us and be DRAWN to Christ, instead of seeing in us the same type of caricature that they see perpetrated by Hollywood.
It's okay to be normal. God doesn't call us to be extraordinary. God calls us to Himself, and He takes it from there.
Kelly made a GREAT point during "Big Brother" tonight. If you don't watch the show(and for your sake, I hope you don't), all you need to know is that Jameka has professed to be a Christian and, by and large, has given a pretty solid representation, from what we've seen. Amber has professed to be a Christian and, by and large, has proven to be an absolute train wreck. And naturally, they've gravitated towards each other, and instead of being a godly influence on Amber, Jameka has been more and more compromising, while Amber has remained a train wreck who cries more than Richard Simmons during a testimonial on those old "Sweatin' to the Oldies" infomercials.
Then there's Dick...an aging Tommy Lee wannabe whose existence seems to revolve around rock-and-roll, alcohol, and confrontation. He has spent the entire season trying to manipulate everyone around him into his line of thinking through angry confrontations, needling comments, and basic jerkiness. Lately, he has set his sights on Jameka, tearing into her, calling Christianity a joke, and basically trying to break her down emotionally/spiritually/mentally. So far, she's done alright, though sometimes she has to retreat and pray fervently for God to give her strength and wisdom(which is what we all should do, of course).
Tonight, that changed....and during one of Dick's rampages, Jameka fought back. At first, it was her simply defending herself and her faith. But that soon regressed into her cursing Dick, calling his mother names, lambasting(love that word) him as a father, and basically trying to tear him into shreds. She completely lost control of her mouth and her attitude, and it was absolutely PAINFUL to watch. Chalk up one more member of the "Christian who shows nine million people what Christianity is NOT to look like" club. Again, in the same situation, I'd make mistakes too. But it's just hard to watch another example of a Christ-follower, who to this point I would have characterized as genuine and strong, falling into the temptation of acting just like everyone else, and making her faith look like something she can take on and off like a scarf.
Kelly's point...wouldn't it have been interesting if Jameka had used all this time, energy, and words to actually influence Dick FOR Christ instead of trying to tear him down in the name OF Christ? What if she saw that house as a mission field? What if she loved him instead of "defending herself" by ripping him?
Basically, we're all Jameka. We all claim to be Christ-followers, and when we leave the sanctuary of our own homes, we're thrown into places where Christianity is thought to be a joke, where the tomb is sealed and occupied, and where any interest in faith or spiritual matters is complicated by thoughts of TV preachers, news of dishonest Christians, and experiences with believers who treated people seemingly the opposite of how Christ would have treated them.
So, as I see it, we have three options...
1. Allow our faith to be compromised, leading to us looking/acting/thinking/talking like the rest of the world, and following Christ when it's convenient for us, and doing what we want to do the rest of the time.
2. Do absolutely nothing, keep our faith to ourselves and those we love/trust, and plug away at life, hoping that SOMEHOW, those in our circle of influence will come to know Christ and follow Him.
3. See each day as an opportunity to live on mission...to love those around us as Christ does, to invest in people and build relationships with them that lead them to the Father, to engage people for the sake of the Kingdom, and to honor Him in the process.
I hope all of us, Jameka and Amber included, choose #3. Every single day.
I've decided to pray for Jameka and Amber, that they would see the opportunities before them to present their faith in a genuine and graceful way, and that they would hold up against the temptations before them. May we all make it our mission to see the world come to know Christ.
