”Keeping it real” means something different for different people. For some, it means being brutally honest despite hurt feelings and damaged reputations. For others, it means being true to yourself regardless of how it affects those around them. But have you ever wondered what the downside might be to “keeping it real?” And what about self-awareness. How can one “keep it real” if they’re not very self-aware?
Connections: Exiled & Embraced
In this time of “cancel culture,” it feels like almost anything you say, do, or stand for can get you excluded. Unfortunately, it’s no different in many American churches. “If you’re a Christian, you have to vote for . . .” “If you’re not an affirming church, you’re a bigoted church.”
While it is the Church that’s supposed to be changing and shaping culture, it seems as though the Church has become a mirror image of culture; acting and behaving just as antagonistic as the rest of the world. In many ways, the Church needs to be the most exclusive AND inclusive organization the world has ever seen. The Church is the most exclusive organization in the world because we believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. On the other-hand, the Church is the most inclusive organization in the world because we believe everyone should “come as they are” and the hospitality is extended to all. Jesus was rejected, despised, and canceled by the world; but Jesus needed to go through that horrific experience in order to have all of us feel embraced by God’s love.
Connections: The Good Fight
What makes you want to fight? As human beings, we have an inherent primitive instinct to fight when we feel threatened. Perhaps this helps explain why many people have been so belligerent and combative the past two years because we have all been in survival mode. It seems as if we have seen the worst of humanity lately ranging in everything from racially charged murders to attack on the capitol. What people rarely talk about is also the best of humanity that has been displayed; millions have American citizens have rallied together in protest of racial injustice; people have donated more to charities on Giving Tuesday 2021 than ever before; and 80% of Californians have gotten the Covid vaccine, which is higher than we’ve ever seen for the influenza vaccine. This tells us that everyone has varying degrees of “fight” in them; they will either fight a “good fight” or a bad one.
Perspective on Failure
What are your thoughts and reflections on failure? Most people typically think in one of two ways: failure is something we try to forget or failure is something we are ashamed of. Rarely will people embrace failure as a way of life. Yet, that’s exactly how are to approach failure if we want to grow spiritually. In Western culture, we often think dualistically: “success is good; failures is bad.” But the two are inseparable from one another. They are two sides of the same coin.
Perspective on Growth
What does spiritual growth look like? Is it up and to the right? Or is it more complex than that?
Many people of faith take cues from the world around us to help explain spiritual maturity. But those metaphors are not always the most helpful because the kingdom of God doesn’t operate like the kingdom of the world. The kingdom of the world rewards the proud and punishes the humble. The kingdom of the world uplifts the bold and cuts down the meek. Maybe spiritual growth is not up and to the right. Maybe spiritual growth is not even linear at all.
Perspective on Unity
What does true unity look like to you? I’ve been in contexts where unity looked like conformity; everyone has to think, act, dress, and behave the same way. I’ve been in contexts where unity looked like control; everyone lives the way they’re instructed. But I’ve also been in contexts where unity looked like diversity in communion; different voices, styles, behaviors, and backgrounds coming together for the common good.
As a person trying to create a new community that strives for unity, I’m learning this truth:
Healthy unity embraces individual uniqueness.
Unhealthy unity controls individuals through conformity.
Perspective on Fear
What are you afraid of? And how much of your decision-making is based on fear? It seems like everyone around us is freaking out these days because of omicron. But how much of our fear is based in reality?
For example, if you look at the NY Times graph below, your eye naturally gravitates toward bright red line, which is the dramatic spike in Covid cases in the last month. However, that’s actually the least important data on the graph. You’ll notice that hospitalizations have not increased as drastically and that death rate has virtually plateaued. Yet, it seems like the level of fear in our culture is hyperbolically heightened. Why is that? Who benefits from your increased level of fear and panic? Do small business owners benefit? Or is it the people who control the news, social media, and technology?
We’ll be pushing some buttons Sunday as we deep dive into our subconscious as we strive to have a healthy “Perspective On Fear.”
New Perspective
Happy New Year? Another year, another surge, another, well, everything. Do you remember when 2021 new year rolled around? Parades were cancelled, holiday parties were shut down, and most people were working and attending school online. We naively thought 2021 would be better because the vaccine was more readily available. Now as 2022 rolls around, people tend to look forward to it with far less excitement than they used to. What do we need to get through this new year without fear and anxiety? We don’t need the toxic positivity that we see flooding our social media feeds. Nor do we need to get angry at every institution and lash out at everybody.
What we need is a NEW PERSPECTIVE.