terrible<\/del> brilliant idea to cancel it.<\/p>\nOne of my favorite episodes of all time involved the Hills\u2019 search for a new church.<\/p>\n
They had been lifelong members of Arlen First Methodist, but when they arrived late to church one Sunday and discovered that their usual seats had not been reserved for them, and that the pastor had no plans on rectifying the situation, they decided it was time to look for a new church.<\/p>\n
After trying out several different options they eventually landed at the Church of the Rising Son. It was the quintessential mega-church, complete with it\u2019s own Starbucks, tram service, dry cleaners, and big screens in the sanctuary that they left on after to church so everyone could watch the Cowboys game. Of course, all of that was just the tip of the iceburg.<\/p>\n
The Hills quickly discovered that the church also offered a never ending stream of activities; activities which they wouuld also be surveyed on to determine their level of satisfaction. Before they knew it, the Hills were so wrapped up in church life that they barely had time to take a breath before the next church event started.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know about you, but I think a lot of us fall into this same rut.<\/p>\n
Church is great and so are many of the events that churches put on. I love going to church, I\u2019ve dedicated my life to serving the church, and I\u2019m usually the one planning half of those non-stop events.<\/p>\n
However, I\u2019m not convinced that all that \u201cstuff\u201d is a great thing. In fact, and this is going to sound a bit strange coming from someone in ministry, I wonder if sometimes we get so busy trying to \u201cbe Christian\u201d, that we forget about taking the time to just enjoy life.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not talking about all the wonderful things like love, compassion, hope, and grace that define the Christian life. I\u2019m talking about all the other \u201cstuff\u201d we attach to \u201cwhat it means to be a Christian\u201d like small groups, church softball, Wednesday night fellowship, and all the other extra-curricular\u00a0activities\u00a0that have come to define church. Now, there\u2019s nothing wrong with anything of these things. In fact, many of them are wonderful things to be a part of. But I think a lot of us have become consumed by a form of \u201cchecklist Christianity\u201d in which our identity as Christians is defined\u00a0primarily\u00a0by our church\u00a0attendance, how many church activities we\u2019re involved in, or how much \u201cChristian stuff\u201d we do.<\/p>\n
Once again, there\u2019s nothing inherently wrong with any of those things. And I want to be very clear, that there is not<\/em> and never has been<\/em> any such thing as \u201cjust Jesus and me.\u201d Likewise, there is no \u201cbeing Christ<\/em>-ian\u201d\u00a0apart from the Body of Christ.<\/p>\nBut sometimes I think we get so busy doing \u201cchurch stuff\u201d that we neglect the incredible world and\u00a0opportunities\u00a0to enjoy that world that God has created for us.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what I mean\u2026.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a great story in the Gospel of Matthew that tells us about the time Jesus was\u00a0anointed\u00a0with oil by an anonymous woman. This was an incredibly expensive and lavish gift. The disciples were\u00a0appalled\u00a0at the apparent waste. Like most of us would have done today, they pointed out the money made from selling the perfume could have been used to help the poor.<\/p>\n
Being that it\u2019s Jesus that they\u2019re talking to, we would expect him to say \u201cYou\u2019re right\u201d and then miracously refill the bottle of perfume so that it could be sold to help people. But he doesn\u2019t. Instead, he says something very \u201cun-Jesus-y\u201d, \u201cWhy are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.\u00a0The poor you will always have with you,\u00a0<\/span>but you will not always have me.\u201d<\/p>\nOn the surface it might seem that Jesus was being a little selfish, \u201cForget the poor! I want to smell nice!\u201d However, I think Jesus was reminding us of something very important, something we so often neglect in our pursuit of being \u201cbetter Christians\u201d.<\/p>\n
We forget about beauty and how to enjoy life.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not talking about personal, superficial beauty that fades with age and income. I mean the beauty that\u2019s all around us in creation. And when I say we need to enjoy life, I\u2019m not talking about a free license to fulfill all of our selfish, destructive desires. I mean the simple moments of pure happiness that last a lifetime.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m talking about the beauty and enjoyment that comes when, as the great Thoreau once said, we \u201clive deep and suck out all the marrow of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Have you ever seen water erupt of the earth in Yellowstone?<\/em> It\u2019s better than any reality tv show you\u2019ll ever see.<\/p>\nOr climbed the ruins of Mayan temple?<\/em> It\u2019s a workout you\u2019ll actually enjoy.<\/p>\nOr buried your feet in the black sand beaches of Costa Rica?<\/em> It\u2019ll make you forget all about your backyard pool.<\/p>\nOr eaten an incredible meal at a back alley restaurant in Florence?<\/em><\/p>\nOr simply laid on your back in the park and watched the clouds go by?<\/em><\/p>\nThere is so much to do in the world. So much to see. So much to experience. If God gave it to us or at least inspired people to create it, then I have to believe that it\u2019s a gift meant to be enjoyed. And if that\u2019s true, then those moments when we pause and enjoy the life God has given us, those moments are acts of worship.<\/p>\n
Please don\u2019t hear this as a call to abandon the poor or cease participation in your church. Those things are profoundly<\/strong><\/em> important. But we shouldn\u2019t neglect the gifts of life and beauty that God has given us.<\/p>\nThere will always be another mission trip to go on, another church service to attend, or church softball game to play in. You only have 1 life. Only one chance to see and experience a creation more beautiful and diverse than you could ever imagine.<\/p>\n
If we don\u2019t take the time to enjoy the beautiful creation God has given us, then it is all for waste. So don\u2019t be afraid to \u201clive deep and suck all the marrow out of life.\u201d Even if you can\u2019t make it all the way to the Great Barrier Reef, find the time to explore a national park, eat a great meal at a local restaurant, or just sit on your front porch on a warm summer day with a glass of lemonade and watch the world go by.<\/p>\n
Doing so will create memories that will last a lifetime, but more importantly it will remind you how amazing, wonderful, creative, and\u00a0extravagant\u00a0God truly is.<\/p>\n
Grace and peace,<\/p>\n
Zack Hunt<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 \u00a0 I\u2019m a big fan of King of the Hill. Or at least I was until Fox got the terrible brilliant idea to cancel it. One of my favorite episodes of all time involved the Hills\u2019 search for a new church. They had been lifelong members of Arlen First Methodist, but when they arrived […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3437,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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