Skin in the Game

In the Christian faith it's almost a philosophical principle that the universal is known through the particular and the abstract through the concrete.

We work out our faith with these other broken men and women around us in the pews. It's lackluster.

I had never been a church member, officially, until the church I currently attend, Christ City. I have always been a drifter, living, as I thought it, beyond commitment. I didn't need to be at one church, I could be at any of them. An overseer kind of saint, in my mind. Except that, taking a closer look, I never came from any of them (except the first), and I never really served any of them.

I was able to persist in this frame of mind, a floater, because I considered the Universal Church. The super organism was what I was a part of, not the trappings of any one flawed congregation, but trappings and the illustriousness of the flawed and fantastic whole.

But that perspective is flawed. I am not a part of the whole without being part of something in particular. "Skin in the game", Brooks calls it. Until this church, I had not committed my flesh and blood as much as my transcendental mind. Remember now, Jesus came in the flesh!

Lord Jesus, in addition to LotO I am challenged by Flannery O'Conner, writers who stuck with the pursuit of You, and matured in that pursuit. In our youth we buck systems. They are the things that suppress us and keep us bottled. As we grow older, we adhere to systems, because we want to gain traction, but also, perhaps, we want to be contained. Rarely, do we experience the two together. Adhering to a system and piloting unchained. But that may be just where You call us. Never too religious to call bullshit, bullshit, or too sacrilegious to live in irreverence. Renew my confidence that I am in the pursuit of You, and that from You I share in your religion and areligion.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I've Found Jesus

Image
Reflection: I'm reconnecting with the early days of my faith by listening to Delirious? Cutting Edge. It's a huge record that has always sounded like what the music of heaven from the voices of men will sound like. And whenever I listen to that record I'm summoned back to my grandparents house, in my bedroom, also my mom's bedroom in her time, praising my ass off! All the feelings come back of that new sense of redemption and enormous love, when I was bursting at the seams for God. Now I am still bursting at the seams, but it's a little bit more due to middle agedness, and maybe less to do about the fire of God. But I pray that it is shifting.  I was curious about Delirious?'s front man, Martin Smith, because he had such an impact on me. I read an article and what I got from it was sort of what I got from reading the Lecrae book, I Am Restored: there are these two phases of a life. There's an early part that is more power than wisdom, and then a later part t
Read more

I Vow an Ego Crushing Vow

Image
Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself, it means thinking of yourself less - Ken Blanchard. Jess and I had a conversation last night about assumptions and expectations. I can't remember how the conversation began, but she concluded that we both drive each other crazy and I shared with her my frustration with her assuming that I am incompetent and other things I cannot remember. Alcohol. One thing that we agreed on is that the things that get in the way are tiny little things. They are inconsequential, forgettable. Ego! The ego is at work in us! I did a quick search "how to deal with ego in marriage" and the top hits were articles on how ego destroys marriage, how ego is coming from a place of deficit as an individual, a need to be right. I think that the "wanting to be right" part is more me, while Jess is more "give me what I want". The bottom line is that the central figure is me, myself, and I. Not a good basis for relationship.
Read more

"Follow Me" Crazy Horse Summons Jesus Christ

Listening to an audiobook by Joseph Marshall III, a Native American in story and upbringing. He tells stories of Crazy Horse and his relations that are reminiscent of Jesus. I'd like to share a few of those stories one being about a man who follows the path alone and finds a path of self-discovery found himself in the end but not the beginning. He, in his isolation, was observant about his surroundings; he became the best at knowing the land knowing the ways that you can find shelter. And peace. There came a time when the warriors were away and this man had to be relied on to get the women and the elders to shelter. from that time on he became known as the man who knows the land. There's another story written about Crazy Horse where a man came to him and said I want to join your people your community and Crazy Horse said to him kill your horse and this didn't make sense to the people that he lived with and the community because your horse is your livelihood. What Crazy Ho
Read more