Finding God

It’s time to get dirty. Roll up your sleeves, pick up a shovel, and dig in. If you claim to be a follower of Christ, you better be living out your faith – on a daily basis. So many proclaimed “Christians” live out their entire lives without significantly impacting the lives of those around them. We were not called to live comfortably or casually. We are all called to very specific purposes, ones in which we are to fall in love with our Savior, ultimately compelling us to share the Love that He has so graciously given us to those around us. But how many of us actually do that? Don’t you realize what He has done for us? Don’t you claim to follow Jesus? He died for us. He gave up His very life to save our broken souls from what we deserved – an eternity separated from any semblance of hope. If you have grown up in America, you know full well the promises that this country so proudly offers – “The American Dream”. If you work hard, you will ultimately become wealthy and/or ...

You step into the sanctuary of a church. The five-piece band is playing; bar chords from the electric guitar pierce the air, vocalists sway to the music under the primary colors of the stage lighting, and quarter notes pulse in metronomic fashion from the bass drum and through the sub-woofers. Two coffee makers and a tray of doughnuts sit atop a table draped in a black tablecloth, offering boxes sit near the doors, and rows of comfortably plush seating line the sanctuary floor. Everything seems to be in perfect order. But one thing is missing. No one is worshiping. Sure, members of the congregation are singing. Some of them may even be tapping their feet, clapping, or raising their hands. What most of us would describe as modern-day worship is currently taking place, but has our understanding of what is means to truly worship become so narrowly defined as to only include the practice of singing along with a well-rehearsed band in the comfort of million-dollar church structur...

Life lately for me has been quite tedious and uninteresting. My days are dull and uneventful, and I’ve noticed that moments of true happiness are rare and few. I feel like I have been simply pushing my way through life – through the thirteen-hour workdays and hardly restful nights; through the long, lonely, and boring days at my apartment, and through the notions of apathy that seem to so frequently invade my thoughts. I’ve tried, rather unsuccessfully, to combat the problems currently facing me, but I’ve come to realize that I am in a spiritual rut. I’ve fallen again into the strange comfort of convenient Christianity. I simply go through the motions and choose to believe in a God who is only there for me to get what I want. I never choose to sacrifice anything lest I be robbed of the few comforts I have and choose to hold onto. I find it odd, that though I know that being a follower of Christ is about more than a simple transaction between man and a Deity, I still so of...