This picture is what’s wrong with Christendom.

When we tell people the ways in which they are dying (most of which people are acutely aware of), we forget to tell people how to experience full life. Life, to my conviction, is what following Jesus is all about.

The sad thing is that the person who drives this car believes they are doing the Lord’s work. “I’ll show them for-nee-cators what Almighty Gawd thinks about their dev’lish behave-yuh!” Maybe they are. But I can tell you this, you can judge a “tree by its fruit.” I don’t know where you sit on this, but I don’t see too many people following this car to the church doors saying, “Where do I sign up?”

I find it ironic that this is a Ford Escape. Escape. Did you catch that? Too many times, people with this theology desire to escape the reality of this life; the reality that we (and by “we” I mean the imperial “we” – that includes Christians) are broken and sinful people, in need of a Savior who desperately desires to give us life. Life to the full. We don’t get another home. We don’t get to choose to not be a part of the human race and the beautiful mess that is life. We are where we are because God chose to put us here. We cannot, we must not, attempt to escape it. To do so is unwise, dangerous, selfish, and theologically bankrupt.

So to all you life-giving Christians out there, keep it up. To the ones who desire to tell everyone else how awful they are (driver of this car included), just remember that if you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a problem and its name is “sin.”

As the caption of the picture of Noah’s Ark hanging up in my childhood bathroom read,“We’re all in the same boat, let’s keep it afloat.”

Photo Source: Collide Magazine

“There are three things, which if a man does not know he cannot live in the world; what is too much for him, what is too little for him, and what is just right for him.” Swahili proverb.

Biggest surprise: People actually read this blog. Sometimes you type, type, type and wonder (along with Pink Floyd), “is anybody out there?” Traffic to the site has increased nearly 200% with BeDeviant.com’s nomination for an Iowa Web Award and listing on the RSS aggregator website, Alltop.com. Huzzah!

Favorite new song: “Once In a Lifetime” (link opens in iTunes) by the Talking Heads. It’s so wonderfully bizarre and was featured in the trailer for the new George W. Bush “bio-mock-umentary”, “W”.

What I’m reading: My courses have me neck-deep in The Book of Concord and The Augsburg Confession. I’m also reading Emotionally Healthy Church, The Emotionally Healthy Manager, and Churched by Matthew Paul Turner (BeDeviant.com will be part of the “Churched: Blog Tour” later this month.)

Seminary: I’m trying to figure out how I can get done earlier. Right now, I’m slated to graduate May of 2010. This, simultaneously, seems like forever and like it’s right around the corner. It’s a good thing I’m Lutheran, otherwise the paradox might kill me. This quarter I’m taking three classes, which has been a real challenge, but something I’m finding I can manage. Of course, if anybody out there feels like sponsoring my seminary education, this is a moot point. Got an extra $30,000 laying around?

Most excited about: This week, we’ll be broadcasting the Immersion sermon live at BeDeviant.com/Webcast. We tried it out last week and it worked beautifully. I’m not quite sure how many people actually watched, but we had good feedback all around. So we’ll keep doing it. Mark your calendar: This Thursday. 8:15pm CST. Sermon series: What Does the Bible Really Say About… Topic: Sex. Holla!

Favorite new Twitter-er: Ran into @jameseliason at a wedding I was a part of over the weekend. We went to high school together, but I had no idea he was behind WhatsYourTweetWorth.com, Twittad.com, and FilmFitti.com. Ambitious, I like that.

Check back here at 8:20pm CST and hopefully you should see a live sermon by yours truly!

It actually worked! If you tuned in from 8:20-9:05pm CST, you would have seen a live broadcast of my sermon for Immersion! Check back next Thursday, October 9th to catch the latest in our new series, “What Does the Bible Really Say About…” Next week: Sex.

Oh yeah, it’s also the 10/10 Challenge!

I’d like to officially invite all of you to the “Immersion 10/10 Challenge”.

For those who don’t know, I’m on staff with Immersion (link opens in iTunes) – a 20s and 30s ministry in West Des Moines, IA. We meet on Thursday nights at Lutheran Church of Hope. 7:37pm. Worship Center.

At any rate, next week we’re asking everyone to bring 10 people to the 10/9 service. (We’re calling it 10/10 because on the Jewish calendar, the next day begins at sundown. Booyah!)

I’d like you to be one of my 10. Would you consider coming? Besides if you don’t, that little boy will seriously come laugh at you. Consider yourself warned.

Some interesting thoughts by Frank Viola. He’s referring to why he left the institutional church some yeas ago. I can’t say I agree with him completely, but it’s an interesting perspective: “To my mind, Sunday morning “church” was little more than attending a show. You clocked in, watched the show, clocked out, and then lived your individual Christian life. It was the same song, different verse, could get better, but it’s gonna get . . . the same. Or to quote Robert Plant, “the song remains the same” . . . for the last 500 years.” Source: TheOOZE.com