Coincidence? I think not!

Most skeptics, when they offer their objections to the existence of Sasquatch, point to the dearth of actual photographic evidence. They couldn't be more mistaken.

To the contrary, there actually exists a great deal of photographic evidence. In fact, said evidence is observable in both large cities and small towns all across this great land of ours. Not only is this evidence easily observable, but it also points to the reality that Sasquatch has clandestinely infiltrated one of the highest government agencies in America.

I took a few minutes to gather some of this indisputable evidence into one place (my blog) for your consideration. I defy anyone to observe with an objective eye the following photographic attestations and still contend with any semblance of integrity that incontrovertible photographic evidence for the presence of Sasquatch is not obvious all across the United States (and Canada).

EXHIBIT A

EXHIBIT B

1967 Patterson-Gimiln Film Frame 352

EXHIBIT C

SASQUATCH, WE KNOW YOUR LEGEND'S REAL!

What if . . . ?

This will be quick because I'm subbing in 15 minutes at Oscar's school, but I wanted to offer something to think and meditate on.

I just got back from the Exponential conference in Orlando. Nearly 3,000 church planters from around the country. If you know me, you know I don't say this about very many things, but it was life-changing. If they ever put the messages from the plenary speakers online, I will post them in a future entry for you to hear.

To sum up and combine the challenges from two of the speakers, Craig Groeschel and Francis Chan, I offer this question:

What if we stopped living out of our preconceptions about what life in Christ really is and instead started living out what Scripture reveals it to be? Imagine how radically that would alter our churches and our personal lives.

Well, what if?

Christianity's Hollow Side

Being Good Friday, today we remember with humility and thanksgiving, the crucifixion of incarnate Love on the Cross. With His life, death, resurrection, and ascension nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ reconciled us to the Father for eternity (here's a great blog post by a friend of mine, Joe Boggs, on the Resurrection). Praise be His name!

One would think that in light of an act so infinitely powerful and grace-filled that we would never come to the subject I'm reflecting on today, but, sadly, we have. I'm talking about the sentimentalization of our faith in Christ.

Recently I was reading a humorous article in Newsweek titled, "Murder on Music Row: Taylor Swift? Songs about cute Little Kids? What happened to Country music?" You can find it here. The writer wonders where the gritty, hard-scrabble, down-and-out country music of yore has gone and wandered off to. At one point he asks: "How did we get to this strange, alien land where there's a country-awards show that honors pop-music teeny-boppers and a lot of the songs aren't really country by even the stretchiest definition?"

Where am I going with all of this? Well, a couple days after reading the article, I was sitting in a church service on Sunday morning listening to the "special" music for the day (why do we even have "special" music in church anyway--talent showcase? Or lack-of-talent showcase, as the case may be?), and I got to thinking about how the song was so indicative of the state of Christianity in America today. The song (I can't remember the title) was about a child's view of the crucifixion, and it really played up the emotional, tear-jerker side of the whole thing. And I thought to myself, this is a huge part of our problem; we've gutted Christianity of its real meaning. We've reduced our faith to nothing more than sentimentalism.

Is it any wonder that the Church is in steep decline in the Western world when all we have to offer it is a Hallmark version of the Crucifixion? Would you give up your comfortable way of living, turn the other cheek, walk the second mile, give the shirt off your back, even surrender your life for a religious faith that proffers you little more than a sports figurine of Jesus? (More websites talking about Christian kitsch, here, here, and here.

Several years ago, I asked myself the question one Sunday morning, "Is this all that Jesus died for? So we could get together for an hour once a week and half-sing a few songs and decide where to eat lunch during the sermon?" (I copied a quote from Francis Chan on this same subject a couple of months ago here.)

I don't know what this all means or even what the answer is (though I think Alan Hirsch is on to something in The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church. Check it out here.), but I'm willing to journey toward finding out. I'm ready to get past the sentimentalization of Christ and Christianity and find out once again what's worth giving my life to.

Are you?