interesting conversation...

so my buddy jared responded to my last post with a very interesting, yet to me, a very provoking statement. i decided rather to respond just to him, which i will still do, i wanted to post this conversation. so, here it is:

Jared said...

Im with you up to the point when someone asks " who are you voting for?" Unless you and Rob Bell are so aggressively non-partisan that you do not vote... Which I find no fault in, but many patriots in the great city of Baltimore do...

nate said...

no i will vote. i am unsure what rob bell will do. and i do think it is a great injustice to our culture for every vote not cast. i agreee with the baltimore patriots :)

however, my voting preference doesnt need to be public. it is mine. and i dont want to influence others by my voting decision or preference. rather, i think they should be influenced by what facts are out there.

the tragedy here is, this whole thing is so dysfunctional. we christ followers have a reputation (whether we like it or not) of creating a good versus evil outlook on candidates. i refuse to be a part of that. furthermore, i will withhold my personal preference and voting part/stance to avoid being a part of that reputation, and influence. the more important thing is to remember that no candidate is the salvation of the world. imagine if all the moral laws and codes and christian priorities were in office and passed into law. would our nation be saved? would the kingdom of God reign? would divorce go down? would abortion and the causes for abortion be remedied? would AIDS disappear? would war cease?

no candidate is the hope of the world. it is time the church and christ followers in the extreme right winged parts of our culture mature and realize that.

so, any other thoughts? this is quite fun.

take the risk,

-nate

thanks Tim...

so, i saw this on tim stevens' blog, and i want to pose the same questions. watch the ad and then continue reading:


so, if i may steal some of tim's question and add a few of my own:
*Is this how a pastor should leverage his/her influence?
*How about any person of influence?
*How is it helpful for a spiritual leader to tell his/her church who he/she is voting for?
*Why do pastors and spiritual leaders feel compelled to do stuff like this?

with that said, i am not making an endorsement on my blog. i agree with what tim and several other leaders that i respect have to say: that my political bent as a pastor/leader/influencer should not build a wall between me and anyone around me. i don't do signs or bumper stickers because i eel i will instantly create a barrier in communication with many. i also believe that this in no way compromises who i am in christ. the fact that i am (as rob bell talks about) an aggressive non-partisan actually gives me better influence and leverage in my community to build communication and relationship. furthermore, i love what authors and leaders like claiborne and haw have to say in their book, JESUS FOR PRESIDENT: American and her laws and politics are not the hope of the world. That (hope) is best left to Jesus and his church.

Thoughts?

Light Show (revisited)

Light Show

I love concerts. I especially enjoy the light shows at concerts. The music of the 1980s really paved the way for light show artists: moving lights, strobe lights, blinding lights over the audience, etc. So when the writers in the Bible (particularly the New Testament) talk about our lives being light in culture (see Ephesians 5, John 3, I Corinthians 4, and I John 2, in particular), I light up (pardon the pun) with interest.

What kind of light am I? If I am looked at like a light at a great concert, what light am I providing? Moving and entertaining light, confusing strobe light, strong flood lights, or maybe industrial and boring fluorescent lights? One of the writers in scripture, Paul, actually made this statement: “It is even possible for light to turn the thing it shines upon into light also” (Ephesians 5, Phillips translation). That means my light, my luminosity, my influence, is potent.

In my own journey toward Christ, I have to be reminded that my life is but a luminous addition in the whole light show. With this perspective, my own light show becomes very uninteresting, irritating, and pointless (pun intended) if not aligned with the entire light show. People watching the show will notice the random individual light that looks goofy. I suppose the question then becomes, in what light show will my life play a part? As we (ALC community) moves to the future and experiments with our Fall series, my prayer is that we will all be aligned with the same strategy, because if we’re not, it will be one poorly constructed expression; and our surrounding community will notice that. However, if the “light show” is one large moving experience, we may actually add others to the journey, and create a lot of excitement. It’s risky, but doesn’t that sound like a great journey?