Christov January 17th, 2008

O.K., it's nice that young, single, beautiful people who have been financially successful, have probably saved up a ton of money, and may still derive income from rents and other investments chuck their lucrative day jobs and find what they consider salvific import in the enthusiastic, emotional practice of their religion in less developed regions around the globe. "We pour out these two huge piles of rice and (some other staple) and stand on them ((!) to preach)." Sounds like a huge, conceptual-world-rocking ego trip and life-changing experience of the sort offered by ancient-world mystery cults like that of Mithras. Rice Christians. Cargo cults. Parable of the sower and the seeds. More exciting than a two-weeks long Boundary Waters canoe trip, or a summer spent hiking and climbing in the Swiss Alps.

What's he gonna do when he gets back? Worst-case scenario: contact Zondervan, Thomas Nelson, or Lifeway with his trip journals and photos, co-author a book lambasting North American Christians for lacking the intense emotionalism and enthusiasm that he's experienced and seen others experience, equating that emotional enthusiasm with "the faith of a child," producing a sense of guilt in his niche demographic young, white, affluent, evangelical readers, and go on the book-tour circuit, maybe be show-cased on Dobson. He'll never have to come down for that high, or, like a stinky alcoholic's hangover, will postpone the come-down for two, maybe three years.

Just what we need, another Christian-star-role-model.

Here's a rule of thumb I use – if somebody's testimony makes me feel like crap about my life and my service to my Lord, I know that feeling's not from God. Feeling's are like the worst possible gauge of one's religiosity. "If you follow with your heart, your head will follow…" Sure it will, and it will begin to ask awkward questions the religious heart finds embarrassing and for which it can offer no answers. On the other hand, Presbyterians have long been criticized as those who "know everything and feel nothing." That is to say, a perfect doctrinal understanding and stance are not salvifically requisite, either.

I'd be more interested in hearing about the girl behind the counter at the 7-11, or the Volvo mechanic's take on living the Christian life on earth in the circumstances they inhabit every day.

None of this is to say that Chad's an insincere, bad guy intentionally carrying out a satanic agenda. He's probably a fine example of a decent guy of his race and social class who will never intentionally hurt anybody, and will try to help many. Those are two good qualities.

And I think he's right about following the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Did you miss one of the prompts through fear? Don't worry, you will be given others. God's Spirit isn't fickle like a twelve year old girl flirting with a classmate on the playground. A lot of times we (Christians) are, but God's faithful.

I used to smoke American Spirit cigarettes. They were my favorite.

$.02

Chemical Erik January 17th, 2008

Listened to this on the train this morning. It reminded me a something for all you snowflakes. WARNING, BAD JOKE FOLLOWS:

How do you catch a unique elephant?
Unique up on him!
How do you catch a tame elephant?
Tame way, unique up on him too.

How's that as a follow-up to Christov's essay?

Wayne January 17th, 2008

Lots of thought provoking stuff to mull over here.

I'm torn. I tend to have an instinctive wariness of "rock stars". It takes a while for me to know if they're for real.

But then again, there is a guy in Africa that used to be blind, but now can see…

I dunno – my head hurts from all the thinking.

greg from canada January 17th, 2008

the line "I'l hold the phones and the wallets" sounds like a perfect sermon title

Christov January 17th, 2008

http://tinyurl.com/2a8zkp

Mark January 17th, 2008

Perfect for the skeptic when attempting to walk on water alone. Do you suppose I could fit my wallet in that, Christov? I have the Costanza effect going on much of the time….

Christov January 18th, 2008

Get a bigger drybag. Most outdoor emporiums carry them. Check out http://www.nrsweb.com or http://www.rei.com. You didn't think Pedro had his keys and folding money on him when when he got out of the boat, did you?

Christov January 20th, 2008

http://tinyurl.com/3caxk6 ?

jordo January 21st, 2008

This article is loaded with cracker-jack Christianity, but I think its safe to say that Chris Martin and Coldplay in general shares our metanarative.

jordo January 21st, 2008

Oh, yeah, I watched an episode of Austin City Limits feat. coldplay. And I was incredibly moved.

Jordo January 21st, 2008

Blessed be the metanarative of Jesus Christ our lord!

Chad Mast January 22nd, 2008

Blessings everyone. Thanks for all the thought provoking challenges Christov. I want to first state that I didn't heal anyone, it was Christ in me that healed the man.

I also want to state that Christov has some great points because most Christians do not understand Spirit Soul and Body which are three different aspects not two (1st Thes 5:33). Christov talks about emotional rides which The World Race is and if someone doesn't realize that it is never about a ministry, a event, a high, a drug then they will respond out of the soul and the spirit will be trampled with emotional responses. This is an area of Christianity that the Lord is rocking me in because the soul and the flesh are so powerful and if not put in line with the spirit a lot of what Christov talks about will happen.

My prayer is that I can walk in humility and pray over everyone that comes in my path as stated in 1st Thes 5:17. I never want to get lost in an event, in a radio station, in a preaching where I forget about the one that Jesus came to save. The one grocery clerk that is just getting by to feed her three children who have no father. I never want to forget that.

My heart is for a man like christov and myself to see the good in eachother and pull that out of one another and embrace our differences. God never called us to be the same but he did call us to die for one another (John 15). So I thank you for the challenges Christov and I hope it makes this up and coming generation cry out to be led by the Spirit and not the soul or the flesh.

Bless you. Chad Mast, not a superstar christian but a servant of the most high King.

Chad Mast January 22nd, 2008

One more comment to Christov's post. He said "Here's a rule of thumb I use – if somebody's testimony makes me feel like crap about my life and my service to my Lord, I know that feeling's not from God."

Peoples testimony's should encourage us never condemn us. Romans 8:1. If my testimony condemns anyone, yes that condemnation is from the devil and if you are receiving any of it then you need to ask yourself why? And let's not make the devil any bigger than he needs to be, God is the one that allows anything to come your way so if you are feeling condemnation the Lord is offending you until you stop being offended. That is still a hard one for me to grapple with; the demons that are messing with me are being allowed by the MOST HIGH GOD to mess with me (that might mess with some peoples theology).

Blessings to everyone on this Blog.

nobody January 22nd, 2008

It is the most mediocre of Christian journeys that can require the most faith. And the biggest enemy thereof is doubt of purpose and self.

Jordo January 22nd, 2008

Heh, "nobody" cares!

Jeff Goins January 22nd, 2008

Thanks, Chad, for your humility, and willingness to put yourself out there. Thanks, Christov, for your hesitancy to fall in love with superstar Christians; I'm with you.

Leah A January 22nd, 2008

I also spent the past year on the World Race. I'm just an ordinary girl who felt deep down that God had something bigger than an "ordinary" life in store for her. The World Race is only the beginning for most of us.
One of the coolest and hardest things about the year was being a part of a Body of Believers who are insanely different. We're from different churches, have different family structures, different theology, different backgrounds, struggle with different sins, worship different, have different testimonies, different gifts, different passions and directions the Lord is taking us … the list can go on, but what we found out, when we gave a little GRACE, is that we are all passionate about the King! He made a beautifully diverse Body because there is a beautifully diverse world out there waiting and wanting to LIVE for something-someONE bigger than themselves!
We're not super star Christians. Our – my desire is to be obedient in the moment God has before me… but, talk to any of us and we will tell you that we missed opportunities God put before us this year, we chose ourselves and our comfort over serving others, we tried to look the other way at times and ignore the pain we didn't know what to do with, but even in those moments God showed us even more of HIM, His redemption, grace and glory! In His outpouring of love, forgiveness, grace and redemption onto our lives we were able to extend that to our team mates and to others we met along the way as well.
Our prayer is that our lives are pointing to Christ, that our stories will leave people feeling closer to God and full of HOPE! Hope that our generation will not settle for less than the FULLY ALIVE life that God has for everyone of us; hope that God is still radically moving all over the world and here at home.
What are we going to do now that we're back? … good question. I'd say worst case scenario would be to live like nothing happen; like God didn't heal, provide, protect, feed, love, save, clothe, laugh and dance in our lives and in people's lives we were blessed to be a part of all over the world this past year. Worst case scenario; we go on to live passion-less lives, living for tomorrow, tithing and going to church on Sundays, being content with going to heaven and completely MISSING the amazing life designed specifically for each one of HIS followers!
Do you feel like something is missing, that there must be more to this LIFE God promises?… He calls people where they are and takes them in, believing in who they will be. Go, run after God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength! We will not all be running the same direction, but we will all be running after the KING!
to HIM be all the GLORY

Christov January 22nd, 2008

Hi Chad,

Of course I think you're a brother and see some good in you. Heard some good in the podcast, too. I'm sure if we met, we'd each have a sense that the other is not of his tribe. Sort of like Nixon and JFK in that early televised debate. You get to be JFK. I'm o.k. with being the sweaty guy who needs a shave, uses profanity and is fighting off a flu.

Gotta say off the bat that I think dividing our human being into soul, spirit, mind, body, or some similar essentially Greek philosophical model is useful only for discussion, but does not adequately describe complex reality/whole of the Christian's multi-dimensional dependent upon Christ eternal nature.

I knew you weren't claiming to have healed anyone. You described obeying the voice of the spirit of God, and God allowing you to participate with him in restoring what had been broken in the fall.

The thing I object to is the experiential life-changing jump-start-reboot your Christian life and get-to-the-next-level stuff that I genuinely consider somewhat mystery-religion/Gnostic. Where I erred in my post at the top of this thread was in making of you a generic class/race icon for the purpose of illustrating my points. Dude, you have my apology, there's no way you deserved to be stripped of your individuality and complexity to suit some idea I was trying to communicate. Some of the guys who comment here have kidded about snowflakes, consider yourself kidded, too, even though the apology's sincere.

Blessings to you and your beloved,

Chris

Chad Mast January 22nd, 2008

Chris:

I sincerely accept your apology brother. I do see that we are from different tribes and I embrace that with everything that I have. You can reach people that I can not and I can reach people that you cannot.

My challenge to you is this. Jesus said come follow me; I will make you fishers of men. They had there father in the boat, the family business and they left it all behind. The Lord said follow me and leave everything behind to come on the World Race. Yes it is radical, and emotions can fly but it is truly an abandonment lifestyle that the Lord has called us to.

I am not saying that this is the same for everyone but there is a form of abandonment that the Lord calls us to. The World Race give a chance for a generation to leave everything behind, comforts of the states, family, friends and run 100% after the Lord for a year. We don't want everyone; we only want those that feel that the Lord has called them to this part of their journey.

Our intentions with The World Race are not to just be another event or ministry. Our intentions are to disciple as Jesus Discipled. Anyone that comes on The World Race will be poured into by men of God that have lived the life, walked the walk and talked the talk for many many years. They will have the opportunity to walk into who God created them to be and not be hindered by the world, the church or anyone else that is trying to form them to look a certain way. After the year is over we are establishing furthering ministries that focus on the orphan and the widow, the business place, the pulpit and whatever else people are called to in there lives.

I praise God that the body is not the same (1st Cor 12) and I pray that I will forever see the strenghts in everyone.

Bless you.

Chad

jordo January 22nd, 2008

Don't you see? The passion of an experience like that will eventually fade. Emotions are wonderful but fleeting things. The sharp sword of passion always dulls, always bends under the tedium of life. Things always return to normal. God does not want to be your drug. He wants to be your God. I just worry about people sometimes. How many people needlessly seek the mountain top when they are called to the valley? What you are called to is yours to discover, but know that God exists as much in the mediocre as he does in the profound. Find Him.

nobody January 22nd, 2008

It is pain that makes a profit. It is God that makes him speak.

jordo January 22nd, 2008

Ooookaaay. That's nice "nobody", have you taken your meds today?

Mr. Rogers January 23rd, 2008

Anyone have kitty litter to spare?

leah January 23rd, 2008

http://leahanderson.theworldrace.org/index.asp?filename=seconds

it's not about the mountain top or the "high" – it's about the God we're following and being obedient to where He's called us in the moment… this second.