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christian
Church in the 90’s was all about one thing: looking the part. Guys all wore the same polo shirt tucked into the same pair of khakis and girls all wore the same dresses. We answered every “God is good” statement with “all the time” and pretended it wasn’t the cheesiest thing in the world. We’d sing the same songs each week all while trying not to laugh at the old lady who brought her own tambourine. Then, after shaking hands with Mr. Smith who remembers when we were “this” big, we’d sit down to listen to the same sermon about hell fire, brimstone, and not sinning. We were taught that Christians were supposed to look a certain way, act a certain way, and be a certain way. It was all about rules and “being in the world, but not of the world.” And not listening to Metallica. Whatever you do,…
On being a cool Christian; or why I’m done trying
A few weeks ago, I sent out some basic questions to people I know asking them for feedback on my writing. One of the guys I sent the e-mail to was my friend Judah. Judah and I have differing views on many things, so I knew he would be honest with me and tell me where I needed to grow. And I was right. He responded back with what could’ve been a book. Most of which was in disagreement with how I think and operate as a writer. I’ve always wanted to have the blog that people thought was written by a “cool” Christian. I love guys like Donald Miller, Jon Acuff, and Bob Goff. They’re wildly successful writers who are Christians even though they don’t always mention Jesus. And rarely, if ever, do they quote the Bible in their writings. That’s who I wanted to be. It’s the type…
How to know if you’re a real Christian
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Christian. It’s what I’ve identified as since I was in elementary school. I was raised in the south as the grandson of a preacher. I didn’t have much of a choice other than to call myself a Christian. I sometimes wish I had a great conversion story where I fell in a giant hole of sex, drugs, and rock and roll only to be saved by Jesus. Instead, my story is like many of yours. I met Jesus as a kid, did my own thing in high school and college, then reconnected after college. Now I’m here as a 28-year-old trying to figure out how to do this whole grown up thing. My idea of what a real Christian looks like has changed over the years. As a kid, it was saying the sinner’s prayer 37 times a day and…