Turns out that if you leave one leg up on the desk for an hour and a half while surfing the web and reading emails, your leg and foot will feel dead. "Dead", in this case, being defined as the state that exists immediately following "asleep."
I have to confess, I that I sometimes read the blogs of random myspacers that I stumble upon when viewing a band/artist page of someone of whom I would consider myself to be a fan of. (sidenote: I am very wordy on Mondays, I can't speak because I used all my words up at our 5 Easter gatherings but now, I most definitely can ramble on and on)
Sometimes, I visit people's pages and then am overcome with despair, both for the sad sorry state of popular culture and also for what I imagine the increasingly slim chances of said culture turning around. However, I must say, that more often than not, I am actually encouraged by the communities of faith, affirmation and spirituality that I encounter, unexpectedly, in the craziest places. Some of these characters are part of a local church, many appear to not be. If nothing else, it's good to know that on the web, a place that certainly provides ample space for the darkest of dark corners and spaces, that there is still a good deal of life to be found.
I don't point that out to marginalize or de-emphasize the importance of gathering together in traditional faith communities or to be a part of an outpost of the Church, capital C. I love the church and I agree with Rick Warren that the Church is the hope for the world. I also think that it's really The People who are part of The Church that are the hope for the world. It seems to be pretty popular these days (from within and from without) to talk about what's wrong with the church, just visit a bible bookstore's "emerging" section to see what I'm talking about. Many of these critiques are valid, many people who claim to "hate" church and christians also carry with them valid pain and confusion. But until we are able to move beyond critiques and trendy apologetics and get down to the business of actually "being" The Church, we will continue to miss an incredible opportunity for a rebirth, for a resurrection, for an awakening.
I pray for a resurrection in culture, for things like hope, purity, kindness, self-control to return. I pray for an awakening in myself, for me to learn to get off my high horse ass and start actually living like a follower of Jesus, a member of His Church, and a human being. I affirm the resurrection of Jesus that we celebrate to be the turning point of all history. Over time, though, we tend to lose the plot and God has repeatedly, relentlessly, intervened to bring us back. The problem here is not orthodox Christianity, the problem is US. My prayer this Easter is that we will see another move of God. Not another self-proclaimed "movement" but something that is true, pure and undeniable. I believe that this is already happening, that God is already calling us to repent, to change our course and to remember the outcast, the poor, the marginalized and the broken. I want to be a better listener.
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