the evolution returns

over this past year i have been truly diving into this idea that the church needs to evolve -not just in style, but in theology and heart. i have come to some major conclusions that i think are primary for my sanity and the sanity of those i love.

conclusion one: the church, while in a desperate need for an extreme makeover, is unwilling to look deep into its own heart to see the pain it causes others. you see, for the dysfunction of the church to truly have a deep meaning it needs to feed its dysfunction. in that, the church has closed its eyes to the reality around it.

now, is it possible for the church to pull itself out of this spin? i would say "not at all." for some this would seem negative, and it may be - but for those of us who have been abused by the dysfunction called "the christian church" we see it as a bold, in your face reality.

conclusion two: whenever a person calls the church, or christians, on the table for all the garbage they do and all the hurt they give, the church or the christian calls them negative. while this may have worked in the past, i find it simply another tool of the dysfunction. you see, telling me i am being negative because i point out how hurtful the church is does not change the reality that the church is hurtful. all it does is try to place the conversation on what is and is not negative and off the facts at hand.

now, can the church or christians change this tactic? i think not. it serves their purpose of my first conclusion - so, in that the church, or christians, will never stop crying that others are being negative.

conclusion three: the church in the usa has it good and is in no way shape or form a martyr. i am so tired of american christians talking about how the church is being persecuted. what? because we can't place a plastic jesus in the town square during christmas we claim persecution; because we can't sing "jesus loves me this i know" at a "spring festival."

now, can the church get over this self imposed idea that it is being run down and hurt by others? i doubt it. the fabric of the church is too woven with the idea that we must claim to be a martyr to truly have a voice - so stories are made-up to make the persecution seem real.

i think three conclusions are good for now. i think the church needs to remove its collective head out of its collective ass for it to be able to see the sun and know where the sidewalks are. but i am not sure it can happen. because no institution is ever truly changed from the inside, i am not sure the institution of the church can seek change. the insiders are in control, and they refuse to listen to the voices from the outside - so, the church will die - the church will close it's door and the idea of a "christian" will slowly go to the recycle bin. what comes out of the recycle? hard to tell, but i hope it is nothing like the church today -

tired

ever get tired? i mean truly, in the heart tired? tired of all the garbage shared by the church and those who call themselves christian? you ever get to the point in your faith where you think what's it all for? why be a christian is there is no difference between those in church and those outside church? why deal with the judgments from those who need to look closer at their lives, before they make a call on your life? why take the time to invest in people who backstab, gossip, insult, belittle, hurt, assualt all in the name of christ?

for me, i am past the stage of hearing "we are just human" as an excuse to treating others like shit. i am tired - while i am processing my "tiredness" in light of christ, i know that my tired is not something i take lightly. in my sharing my "tiredness" with another pastor i was told to "shake it off and get over it" - ever get tired?

the honor of a congressional spam

over the past year i have received spam from people wanting my penis to grow and my hair to return; i have received spam from "hot chicks" and russian teens; i have received invitations to buy repo-homes, new cars, cell phones, and even a boat of two; i have received spam for sex, cigars, and even more sex - but today was the very first time i received spam from a member of congress. brothers and sisters, it looks like congress, and the members thereof, have officially entered the realm of sex, penis growth pills, repo-homes and russian teens - that is right, congress is not spaming with the rest of the bottom feeders of the planet.

now i try my hardest to help all the honest people who email me; you know those african lawyers who need my help to embezzle 40million dollars out of some third world country - i always email them back and let them know that there is no need for me to help - they should simply allow the country to take the money and use it to feed the poor. funny, i never get a response, go figure. but today was a rather high mile stone in my enjoyment of reading spam - a congressman actually spammed me - how cool is that?

roy blunt, a congressman from the state of "mo" [7th district] - or "big mo" - well, just "mo" - i know what your thinking, "congressman blunt," sounds like a spoof - but he is truly a member of congress. guess what, he is the "house republican whip" - wow, spammed by the whip - man is that cool. i wonder if the "bluntster" knows that i am not in his party? i wonder of he cares? i wonder who he purchased [actually "rent" - you never really "purchase" email address for spam] from? i wonder if he realizes that his spaming me makes me think far less of him and anything he stands for? i wonder if he cares? i wonder if he realizes i do not live in his district, or state? i wonder if he is sucking up for a prez-run in a few years? i wonder if he realizes that he comes across "funny" in his video for the kids?

he felt it wise to spam me with the following question: [catch the * at the bottom, that one is a kicker]:

"As Congress renews the debate on immigration, do you believe, as I do, it must first put forward a serious plan to secure our borders without offering amnesty to those who continue to enter this country illegally?

Yes
No
Not Sure

*By answering this survey, you are subscribing to my newsletter."

he spammed me with a question that is so stupid, it is funny. besides being a question that simply bates the issue, there is no place for a comment, no place for a true and real dialog - i'm sorry, i was thinking [even for a second] that he truly cared about my views and was actually wanting to have a dialog - my bad, i have to remember he is a politician, and they do not care about things like reality, real, "truth" or even honesty.

for the "bluntster" it is "back and white" world [a "not sure" answer is not designed to show his desire to see gray - he simply would see that as a person not seeing his point of view - and them slam-spam that person with a ton of spam] . he is not interested in honest conversations with people about a topic he knows very little about - you see, i can imagine that in his world a "Hispanic" is simply the guy who washes the dishes he eats off when a lobbyist buys him lunch. he makes zero connection between the human and the world.

i don't know, i found it funny - we are spending millions catching and trying to catch spammers and a member of congress simply can spam all he wants because he was elected to serve people - but then again, i am of the honest opinion that there is no honest politician. i think roy blunt is proof that politicians simply desire to follow their own rules, and they laugh at the rules they make for the rest of us - so to roy "the spammer" blunt, bad from bro