Why Your Local American Church Pew is the New Missionary Field
May 3, 2009
Most Americans today create their own brand of religion. They call it Christianity. It combines a little Dr. Phil, some feel-good sayings from Joel Osteen, a dash of positive thinking/law of attraction, and a ‘God Loves You’ bumper sticker and Fish emblem on the rear of the minivan. The whole dance is set to the tune of God Bless America and I’m Proud to be an American.
These American Christians attend church on Easter and Christmas to take communion, and they volunteer to walk for Relay for Life when asked. Some may even sit in a pew every Sunday and sing in the choir. An ambitious few may help feed the poor and go on missions trips to Africa and China.
American Christians grew up singing Jesus Loves Me, and playing with felt board Moses and Nativity sets. They pray at sporting events and before meals. They were baptized as children and walked the isle to join the church when they were old enough to read and write and follow the rules of the church constitution. They were married in white dresses before an ordained pastor or priest, and they put crosses on the graves of their loved ones.
Religion in Today’s America
We’ve come a long way from the days of Mayberry, R.F.D. Families no longer live behind white picket fences and drive American cars. It’s not cool to speak out against homosexuality In fact, it’s not even cool to say “homosexuality”. The correct terms are “gay men and lesbians”.
Tolerance is a way of life. After all, it’s your body and your life and you have the right to pursue your own personal brand of happiness. But we still believe in Christianity. Just make sure you remember to wear clean underwear when you leave the house, tell your mama you love her, and pray when you get in trouble.
It’s the American Christian way of life.
Seeking Truth
But what does the Bible say about Christianity? Jesus said:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’~ Matthew 7:21-23
Jesus didn’t say some, He said many. Many Christians will be deceived about their salvation.
Christianity= Following Christ
What Christianity is Not
It’s not about going to church.
It’s not about religion.
It’s not about being a good person.
It’s not about how many prayers you say.
It’s not about the music.
It’s not about the way you dress for church.
It’s not about how many Scriptures you can quote.
It’s not even about love (love is not enough to be a Christian).
What Christianity is About
It’s about a personal dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s about believing in Him, trusting Him, and submitting your life to Him. And for most of us, that’s not an easy order to fill.
Walking the isle, making a profession of faith, and being a good person is not enough to make you a Christian. There is no such thing as “Fire Insurance” for your soul. It’s all about Jesus Christ.
Judas knew Jesus, he did good works in the name of Jesus Christ, yet he still wasn’t saved. He looked good to everyone around him, but he still missed Jesus as the central element of true religion.
Pastor Perry Noble asks the question: You go to church. Are you still missing Jesus?
Do you really know Jesus? What about that person sitting next to you on Sunday morning? Do they need a personal introduction to Jesus Christ instead of American Christianity?
Are we living in an age of Christless Christianity?
The deception runs deep in our churches. Your local church pew is the new missionary field. Are you willing to introduce your family and friends to Real Christianity?
Show them a better way of life. Show them Jesus.
Real: Up Close and Personal
January 21, 2009
photo credit: preciouskhyatt
When the concept of surrendering and getting real began to surface in my life, I had mixed feelings. Mostly fear and excitement, but some anxiety and wariness as well.
When the excitement hit, I started envisioning a blog post. It was based on the fact that Christians are to confess our sins to each other, and failure to do so creates physical, emotional, and spiritual sickness in our lives. [Truth be told, over half of the sickness treated by the medical community today has a spiritual root, such as the failure to confess sins. (I would venture to say it is probably closer to 80-90%.)]
I began to think of how we are all afraid to reveal our weakness and failures, despite the fact that we each have them. How powerful would it be if someone were to take that first step and say, “This is me, the real me. I fail, I hurt those I love, I do bad things when no one is looking. I struggle, I stumble, I think more of myself than I do of others. I lie, I cheat, I am the master of denial. I try hard, do better for awhile, then fail miserably. I am broken. I am human. I am a Christian.”?
If I could interview someone who was willing to be real, maybe others could see their faults are similar, and that it’s ok to be real with each other. But then the voice of reason chimed in and asked me where I would find such a person willing to submit themselves to public scrutiny- nowhere, that’s where.
Then, I got an email. Several emails in fact, from Lance at Jungle of Life. We were discussing surrender and getting real and I gave him the link to listen to my pastor’s sermon. He listened, and it hit him like it was hitting me. I never told him about my desire to do a “real interview”. I asked him to write out his thoughts on the sermon and see if we were both hearing the same thing. We were. And this is what Lance sent me:
Real.
What is that, anyway?
I am a Christian, a faithful servant seeking peace and love in this world we’re in.
Is that real? Is that how I live my life?
Or is it a little uglier than that?
I can get up on a Sunday morning and spend a couple of hours praising God. It will be all about showing love for Jesus. What happens, though, when I leave that moment I’ve had? What about the other 166 hours during the week? Am I continuing to show my love for God? Am I acting like the Christian I claim to be – one of love and mercy? Or perhaps, do I wear a different mask, one that fits the image I think society expects of me? And, if I’m doing this – wearing a mask over my true convictions – what does this say for being real?
Or maybe “real” is something altogether different.
What kind of barriers am I putting up every hour of every day? Barriers to protect the “who I really am”. Barriers to not let my guard down, to not let out any secrets that might not “fit” with the image others expect to see. I’ve worked hard to get where I’m at, and I don’t want to lose parts of that because I don’t match the standard people are expecting. How often have I “changed” just to protect an image. And how “real” is that?
Lies.
What about God in all of this? God loves us just the way we are. Are we perfect? Hardly. I’m a sinner (there, I said it!). I believe in a God who sent His son, Jesus, our Christ, to die for us. For these sins I’m committing. Yet, I hide behind walls to protect myself. What am I protecting? Am I concerned about what other might think? If they only knew…
- I’ve yelled at my kids for no reason at all
- I’ve shunned my wife because of my own selfish pride
- I’ve belittled others for no reason at all
- I’ve put on the face of a happy marriage, on days when things have been ugly
- I’ve shouted obscenities to the driver in the lane beside me
…and surely worse. Does this change your view of me? …because I haven’t shown these characteristics before? It’s easy, here at computer and keyboard – to become who we desire to be. Is that real, though? Or is this just another way to put up walls. To protect that image of what we want to be known for? Secrets hidden, for a life we want to believe is us.
We are “real”, all of us. Yet, we hide that “real” all too often. It’s time to let the “real” you out, and trust that there are people out there who will encourage you, support you, trust you, and love you. Your life is meant to be lived, and that’s about being real and being authentic.
Real.
What is that, anyway?
Coming Soon
January 15, 2009
Well folks, it’s cold. School is canceled, the hubby is home for the next three days, and there’s snow piled high against the doors. So why haven’t I been been blogging my heart out? I’ve been busy. 
A small group of us have been hard at work setting up a new website for Christ followers. The target audience is women- single moms, old married women, those with a boat-load of babies, those with clean quiet households, those with messy cluttered rooms, single women, struggling women, hurting women. Women just like you. (And men who know and love those women.) We’re writing for those who are looking for faith, hope, and love for the real world.
Faith, hope, and love for the real world. That’s what’s at the heart of this project.
Our pastor gave a tremendous sermon on being a Real Christian last week, and it’s sparked quite an email discussion between myself and Lance. Neither of us can seem to shake the message. It haunts our thoughts and keeps showing up in the strangest of places. Actually, the concept had been in my consciousness for the last couple of weeks, building like a thunderstorm in the back of my mind. God at work.
This is big. HUGE. Life-changing.
I’m going to talk about becoming a real, messy, Christian. Casting off plastic faces, social facades, defense mechanisms, and all those layers you hide behind so no one sees the real you.
Are you ready?
Louder Than Words
January 11, 2009
Things have been pretty quiet here. But that’s okay.
When you get alone with God…and honor and embrace Him
for all that He is…
- Holy
- Changeless
- Powerful
- Peaceful
- Generous
- Genuine
- All-knowing
- Blessed
- Beautiful
- Glorious
- Jealous
- Just
- Righteous
- The source of all truth, wisdom, goodness…. love
- Eternal
- Perfect
…you may find yourself speechless. But that’s okay.
“Be still and know that I am God.”~ Psalm 40:10
Sometimes,
silence
speaks louder than a scream.
That awe-filled silence comes before complete surrender.
Celebrating a Christian Halloween
October 31, 2008
WARNING: This post, like many others here at Blue Duck, contains materials that some may find offensive because it expresses my views about Christianity. If you can’t handle it, please click away now. Thanks.
Opening My Eyes
My son attends a Christian school. Last year on Halloween, we had a HUGE meltdown in our house because the teacher sent home a letter inviting all the kids to her house for trick-or-treat. Our ADHD son is terrified of Halloween decorations and would scream when we saw someone dressed up in a scary costume, so we learned quickly to stay indoors on Halloween. I was in the process of explaining to him why we would not be going to the teacher’s house, when my husband came home. Then it hit the fan.
Hubby looked through the bag of treats my son had brought home, decorated with skulls and witches. He read the note from the teacher and asked me to get my computer, he had something to say. (Now, keep in mind that my husband speaks very little, so we were all eagerly awaiting what would come next.)
In the following moments, he dictated an eloquent and moving letter about why Christians should not celebrate Halloween. (Because he is a very private person, and it was a private letter to the teacher, I will not be posting it here.) To back up his claims, we included excerpts from the Jeremiah Project website. If you are a Christian, or even curious about Halloween, I encourage you to visit and read. It was a real eye opener for me.
This year, as a Bible scholar, I have learned that many of the Old Testament laws given to the Jews were intended to protect them from mixing with the religions of the people living around them. That’s what Halloween has become for Christians today, a mixture of differing religions with a Hallmark measure of fun thrown in for seasoning.
What Will You Do?
I encourage you to read over the history of Halloween, and decide for yourself if there are spiritual razor blades hiding in those bags of treats your kids bring home tonight.
The Simmerman house will be roasting hot dogs, marshmallows, and making s’mores over an open fire. I even have a couple of bags of Snickers and Reeses’ cups hiding in the cupboard for later to meet their sugar buzz needs.
Have a safe and pleasant Halloween, everyone. And to my friend Harry, have great Halloween. I hope it’s a great night for you. 
Character Development for Dummies
September 25, 2008
Character is a term that most people think they understand. (I mistakenly thought I could accurately define character until recently.)Take a poll in your neighborhood and most will answer that, yes, they have character. But ask them what character is and you may be rewarded with a puzzled, blank stare. If you have a hard time defining character, you are not a dummy (despite what those books say), you are merely like 90% of the rest of us who take moral terms for granted without knowing what the heck they really mean. (I tended to embrangle character with integrity and old-fashioned charm.)
Character Defined
According to Elmer Towns, a specialist in church growth, character is defined as habitually doing the right thing in the right way. (An example of developing character would be keeping on track with your prayer time, despite staying up until 4 A.M. finishing a proposal for a client.) It is consistently choosing the morally right choice despite your circumstances and feelings.
You are not born with character. It is developed through the hard work of self-discipline. Being a good person does not provide you with character. Instead, character development results in habits that make you do good, and is essential for spiritual development.
Food for Thought
Mr. Towns challenges us to ponder what came first, great character or great dreams? Does the person with character seek great dreams to live for God, or does the person with great dreams seek character to live for God? Almost always, the answer is that character must come first. The natural things (character development) always precede the supernatural (spiritual development) because until a man receives revelation from God, spiritual matters are foolishness to him. (I Corinthians 2:14)
So, how is character developed? Character development occurs through perseverance, hard work, and self-discipline.
- Live outside yourself. Those with great dreams for God will develop character because they are forced to live by standards outside themselves. They will not live a selfish life, seeking only self-satisfying pursuits.
- Put forth a conscious effort to create a habit of making the right choices. Make a decision and a commitment to develop character daily.
- Use your principals to guide your every decision in life. (No more no-brainer decisions.)
- Change your attitude.
Attitude is Everything
Your personality is formed by your attitudes and grows out of your character. Contrary to popular belief, you are not born with your attitude. (You are, however, born with a temperament.) You choose your attitude in every situation. Mr. Towns reminds us we cannot determine our circumstances or control our fate, but when we have the right attitude, we get the best out of the conditions handed to us and are able to rise above our circumstances.
The pessimist complains about the wind.
The optimist expects a better wind.
The person with character changes the sail.
Emotions Vs. Character: How are You Living?
There are two basic motivators for behavior choice, emotions and character. Many people live emotionally based, often without even realizing what influenced their actions. Consider these statements about emotional living.
- You can’t determine your physical emotional response, but when you have the faith attitude, you can rise above your feelings. You cannot stop feelings, but you can keep your feelings from stopping you.
- God chooses what we will go through; you choose how you will go through it.
Learning to live according to your character takes deliberate action on your part. It requires increased mental energy, concentration, and frequent self-examination.
“Every time you make a choice, you are turning the control part of you into something a little different from what you were before. And taking your life as a whole, with all its innumerable choices, you are slowly turning the control thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish one.” – C. S. Lewis
Three Reasons Why Character Matters
Character is an important and desirable quality for three main reasons.
- People with Character will have long lasting friendships, successful marriages, satisfying vocations, and an inner happiness.
- Character development is the essential precursor to spiritual development.
- A person with character is able to carry out a decision long after the emotion is gone that first motivated the choice.
Do you display character in your business practices? Do you model character for your spouse and children? (Mr. Towns points out that character is no longer taught to children in public schools.) Take a few moments to pray and earnestly examine your level of character development.
Emotional living is widespread today, but God calls us to live separately from the norms of society. I pray that you will have the courage to work toward personal character development by actively seeking to make right choices every day.
