I can do it myself!

Sherry Engel

This morning’s sermon reminded me of a phrase I’ve heard a lot lately.  A friend’s young son wants to be independent like his older brother, and declares “I can do it myself!”  Then there’s his grandfather who recently had a stroke, that reclaims that same phrase as his own when people patronize him, he says, “I can do it myself!”  That phrase resonates so strong with me as well.  My father taught me to be strong and independent, to work for what you get.   “I can do it myself!”

The reality of relying on Jesus and not myself hit me this week.  As Eli and I prepare to serve on mission in West Virginia, we were short on our fundraising.  I thought to myself, “I’ll never go on another mission trip because this fundraising is too stressful, thinking I needed to do it.  I needed to have the money.”  What I realized not five minutes later was that’s exactly why I need to go on another mission trip.  It’s teaching me to rely on God, not on myself.  This is a lesson God keeps trying to pound in my brain.  You would think after all He’s shown me through His strength in the last few years that I would “get it”.  Guess I’m a slow learner.

So the problem is, there are some things that we cannot do for ourselves.  That is what Nate spoke of today.  No matter how we look at it, every single one of us has a list of sins that we have committed, and that list continues to grow each day.  We can try really hard, but in this lifetime, on this earth, we will not achieve perfection.  Right now, we cannot be just like Christ.  However the Good News is we will be someday!  The day that Christ returns we will achieve perfection.  We will be like Christ.  That’s all part of Justification.  Christ bore our sins and because of that, our slates are wiped clean! We have been made righteous.   It’s free, simply for having faith and believing.

Some religions will speak of the works a person must do to enter into heaven.  I know that works won’t get me to heaven, only Christ has that power through his dying on the cross for me.  Are my works important?  Of course, they are.  But they are important because it is a demonstration of Christ working in me, and through me, not for me to earn my way into heaven.  None of us are capable of that.

I’ve reflected a lot lately on those who from worldly standards appear to have accomplished the “perfect life” on this earth.  Those who are proud of their accomplishments and their strength that have gotten them where they are, but are void of God.   I feel sadness for what they are missing out on.  I pray that someday, before they leave this earth, before Jesus returns, that they can realize that only in our weakness is Jesus strong.  He will save us for all eternity, we just need to exercise faith and believe.

Can you join me in praying we’ll find our weaknesses made strong in Jesus?

Criticism as Inspiration

                         It makes me feel so good

Jeff Hyson

To always tell you when you're wrong

The big man that I am

To always have to put you down

               -- David Bazan

            I don’t mean to be judgmental, but doesn’t it bother you when people are judgmental?  I mean, if you call yourself a good Christian, you shouldn’t judge people, and those people that do judge people must not be as spiritual as those of us who don’t judge people.  I am so thankful that I don’t have a problem with judging people, and I feel bad for those who do.

            Sound absurd?  Yes.  Have I ever thought someone less spiritual because they were judgmental?  Yup.

            I think there is fine line between advocating for the truth, and being judgmental.  For example, most of us want to stay away from legalism, but we still set up rules for ourselves and how we live.  This responsible living is great, but how easily do we project our own personal rules onto other people?  It is almost natural to do so.  I don’t let my kids run around the sanctuary after church.  While this is just a minor rule for our family, I find myself judging parents who do let their kids run around.  I know I am not supposed to legalistic, especially about minor, insignificant details, but it is really easy to fall into it. 

            Judging others can be even more tempting in instances when we feel that the truth is on our side.  How do we advocate the truth while not being legalistic or judgmental?  First, we need to remember there are absolute truths that take the judgment out of our hands.  It is not OK for someone to commit adultery, or abuse a child.  Am I being judgmental about adultery?  I think not.  The problem creeps in as we add to the list of absolute truths.  Our personal values, which may be great things, can easily rise to the level of absolute truth in our minds, making it really easy to judge other people by our personal standards.

            Here’s the crazy part… these “truths” can change.  Some of the values that I had 10 years ago, that I probably considered pretty close to absolute truths, are not my values today.  I’ve grown.  Some of the things that I was judging people for 10 years ago, I might embrace today.  These might include political or social ideas, or just ways of living life.  Obviously, the ideas and standards that we value we also consider truths.  If we didn’t, we wouldn’t value them.  I feel pretty confident that some of my current values will change as I continue to grow. 

            Passing judgment on someone is all about comparison.  I am better/more spiritual/smarter/holier than that other person.  It makes us feel a little higher on the spiritual totem pole.  It is self-serving and can lead to some pretty dangerous thought patterns.

            I am a firm believer in pursuing truth, both absolute truth, and values that we feel are best for us and our families.  My personal values do not always need to be your personal values.  I don’t mean to be judgmental, but let’s not be so judgmental.

Peer Pressure

Nancy Vasquez

During every school year, I ask my high school students if they give in to peer pressure.

Inevitably, all of my kids claim to be individuals who “don’t care what anyone thinks” and don’t give in to pressure to conform.  However, I look at a room where most of them are wearing the same clothes, listening to the same music, watching the same television shows, and texting the same things on the same cell phones.

I always ask, if you are such individuals, then why are half of you wearing the same Hollister t-shirt and jeans? 

Their outraged responses calm when we start discussing how conformity creeps into all of our lives whether we think so or not. We want to belong. We want affirmation. We want to be a part of a community that accepts us. These things are basic emotional needs that are part of the human experience. It is foolish to think that all of us of all ages don’t crave these things on some level.

The Church is no different.

Pastor Nate’s sermon on “Penguin Christians” was the first time I have ever heard this topic addressed.

Don’t get me wrong; I’ve heard hundreds of sermons on Christian non-conformity throughout my life. The difference is that those sermons were all about Christians not conforming to the world. I had never heard about Christians not conforming to each other.

The more I think about the amount of conformity expected in the Church, the more I see it everywhere.

One of my favorite examples is politics. It’s one of my favorites because I have very different political views than most of my Christian friends. I have solid Scriptural reasons for why I believe what I believe politically, and my friends have excellent Scriptural reasons for why they believe as they do politically. However, I’ve spent most of my life not openly sharing my views. Why? Because it was expected that ALL OF US thought the same as MANY OF US. There was an assumption that “all” real Christians would vote for a certain candidate or think a certain way.

This is patently false. Just look at the people Jesus chose to surround himself with: people of all different economic backgrounds, occupations, personality traits, opinions, and flaws. The disciples were hardly a group of individuals who all looked alike and thought alike.

Another place we can look is the early church and the problems it experienced.  Paul spends a lot of time in his epistles discussing the Church as a place where everyone has unique gifts to contribute to the healthy, thriving body of believers. He also spends a lot of time discussing conflicts within the Body of Christ and how they need to be handled and resolved for the sake of the Gospel. 

Working together is a BIG DEAL to God. Being a unique individual is a BIG DEAL to God.  Neither one is optional for The Church and its members. It’s a big enough deal that we need to focus on it and stop making assumptions and drawing conclusions about fellow Christians based on what we think they “should” think or “should” be. 

And I think just talking about this issue is an excellent way to start. The first step of any process is identifying the issue at stake. Now we have. Take a bold step and start looking at your own heart. How do you expect believers to be just like you? What differences make you uncomfortable?

If we were all honest with ourselves, I think we would find a lot of expectations for conformity lurking within. Start looking!