Mission vs. Materialism

Materialism and Christmas have become synonymous. A holiday that was meant to represent Heaven crashing into Earth, has become about self-centered spending. Today I got an email encouraging me to protest against the Gap using the word "Christmas" in their advertising. Quite frankly, I'm glad to hear that there is one less place where the name Christ is not synonymous with buying stuff.

Here at Journey, we're doing what we can to help the High School Students "Think Outside the Box," think about Christmas in non-materialistic ways. We started off with a lesson on the Parable of the Talents. Having discussed the parable, we looked at global poverty statistics. At the end of the lesson, the kids were each given $5, and encouraged to do something about it. We'll spend the rest of the year discussing different issues, like what God thinks about Sex Trafficking, the AIDS crisis and local San Antonio orphans. At the end of the series, we'll collect the money, and find a way to actually do something about the problems mentioned.

That, my friends, so much more than the right word on an advertisement, makes for a Merry Christmas.

Fasting and Feasting

I decided this year to approach the Thanksgiving feast a little differently this year. The combination of significant changes at Oak Hills Church, some big changes in my life, and the lighter workload of the holiday week inspired me to spend the first three days of this week fasting.

This might sound crazy, but if you’ve never fasted, you don’t know what you are missing. By refraining from food for the sake of prayer and growing closer to God, you suddenly find yourself entrenched against a number of foes. Not only are you fighting hunger, but you must rearrange your life. Then there are the physical repercussions: achy muscles, head rushes, sore muscles and general weakness.

No matter how many times I fast, I am struck by the same lesson: I have no strength of my own, it all comes from God. When I don’t think I can go anymore, I ask God to give me the strength, and He always does.

In a very different way, feasting is a spiritual discipline. When God introduced feasts and sacrifices to the Israelites, he blew away the world’s religious systems by giving them the ability to celebrate with God. You don’t sacrifice to YHWH, you join him for dinner. Jesus reclaimed this in the last meal he ate with his disciples, and Christians practice this even today.

Appropriately, the family I joined for Thanksgiving opened their feast by taking the bread and the wine. Jesus’ main metaphor for his kingdom is a table. A group of people -- rich, poor, Jew, Greek -- eating dinner together with him. How could we not celebrate the things we ar thankful for without remembering Jesus is at the table with us?

Thanksgiving

Turkey Day is easily my favorite holiday.

Why?

Simplicity. You gather. You eat a ton of food. You watch football. You pass out from overdosing on tryptophan.

Christmas is a lot of work, the presents, the decoration. Haloween is fun, but seems to be more and more about skany teenage girls than about kids and candy. Valentines Day, well, the Valentines I've had are few and far between.

Just give me Turkey and TV and I'm thrilled.

Things Get Dirty.

Every week at my small group, we end our time praying for the empty chair. We ask God to help find people who need Him, and help us to lead them into Christian community and a relationship with Him.

But what if it actually happened?

What if God actually starting filling your empty chairs with godless heathens?

Things get dirty. You don’t just have pithy conversations about the way God has blessed you. You can’t use all you church-kid terminology. Some of your jokes don’t make sense. You have to accept someone else’s foul language, someone else’s lack of theological expertise. You have to figure out what to talk about when someone doesn’t listen to your Christian music and you don’t watch their foul movies. You have to knowingly embrace someone who has radically different sexual stands.

You have to smile, and authentically say that you’re glad to see this person.

You have to be comfortable with the discomfort they are about to cause.

When you follow Jesus, things get dirty.

How Did I Get Here?

More and more, I find myself spending my free time doing things, or hanging out with "types of people" that I used to avoid. There are so many things that I would have said "I would never" or "Thats just not me." There are so many people who I call friends that I would have written off for their morals, their socioeconomic status or their choice in music, had I met them earlier in life. Even more basic: the city I live in, the church I'm a part of, they're so far from where I came from.

And I don't regret any of these things. It's a sign of life, growing and changing. I hope it's also a sign of God's work in me.

Sometimes it just hits me, and I'm struck my an irony that no one else can appreciate.

The problem is, I've spent so much of my life defining "Chris Morton" by what I'm not. Now that many of those things matter less and less, I have to find a new way of defining who I am.

Fruit

So, the other day I gave the following advice:

It's always better to get to know someone, but sometimes you can speed that up by looking at their fruit.

I'd like to follow my own advice.

Unfortunately, there aren't many people who walk around handing out their resumes.

Taking Chances

The other day my good friend James Holston called me out on something I really needed to hear. He pointed out the irony that I was willing to call out powerful people on things I disagreed with them about, yet I was unwilling to tell a girl how special she is.

I'm generally pretty good at taking chances. I like to try new things. I'd rather have different than boring. I've moved across the country, taken on jobs I'm underqualified for, and have ambitious, and scary goals.

Yet despite this, I find it very hard to take chances in relationships. I'd rather keep the peace than point out to someone that I disagree with their politics. I choose to hate people for the successes they have, rather than getting to know them and learn from them. And girls? Well, lets just say I tend to date the ones I know won't say no.

No bow on this one, no moral to the blog post. Just reflecting on the fact that the arenas of life which I struggle the most to take chances in are the ones that are most worthwhile.

Days off are hard..

I'm not very good at taking a day off...separating myself from everything that "has to get done" and just resting.

How about you? What do you do on your day off?

Wes Anderson's Baggage

Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic) makes movies that stand out by their quirky, yet incredibly human characters, odd settings and general lack of plot. Anderson's latest, The Darjeeling Limited shows that this combination still works to create a meaningful portrait of the human situation.

The movie follows three estranged brothers who meet in India in search of a "spiritual experience." The backstory is revealed in between Hail Mary's at various hindu shrines. The trip has been planned by the oldest brother (Owen Wilson) reuniting the boys with their prodigal mother. After being disappointed by her again, the three rescue two drowning Indian boys, only to watch the third die. The movie ends with the three brothers throwing off their baggage to catch the next train.

At one point, Owen Wilson's character peels off his bandages, saying "I guess I have a lot of healing to do." His brother responds with "It will add a lot of character to your face."

This is Anderson's message at it's core: Life itself is a spiritual journey. It is difficult and painful. But healing is possible. And when you finally leave behind your baggage and move on with life, you'll be a stronger person for it.

Finally Over................

So, my excessively busy week is finally over.
The previous week included:

• Four 12+ hour days
• 7 Hours at a funeral
• 1.5 days at a retreat
• 8 work days
• A 4 hour long seminar for people who know teenagers
• Swing Dancing
• Trivia
• The Darjeeling Limited

So, after 8 days without a break, I'm taking the next two off. It'll be amazing.

How was your week?

I'll try to post tomorrow about the seminar and Darjeeling.