Thoughts

This last Wednesday evening saw the end of most of the school-year programs at our church, including the youth program with which I have become involved. We handed out achievement awards, played kickball, and had a genuinely good time. There was certainly a sense of excitement in the air, not unlike the last day of school, as the kids were brimming with anticipation of impending Summer activities.

Also coming to a conclusion Wednesday was an adult class my wife had been taking, called Gripped By the Greatness of God by James MacDonald. It was a seven-week course which was lead by an associate pastor at the church, and included a workbook which Mandi read out of a few times during the week in preparation for the next class. I had the opportunity to read a few of the lessons in the book from time to time, and while I was less than impressed with most of what I read, a couple of thoughts in particular seem to bother me.

Over the past several months, I have picked up on what seems to be an emerging trend in the ministry arena, that being the use of phrases such as, "God wants you to....," or, "Jesus doesn't want you to...", and you can fill in the blanks. The use of these phrases by pastors, deacons, or other church authorities seems to portray an air of supreme and/or divine knowledge to which those in the pews are not privileged. While I respect the pastors of my church as being theological authorities and sources of information and answers in the field of biblical studies, I have a hard time believing they have enough knowledge to really know what God is thinking, or what God wants of us. It seems to me the job of a pastor is to present us with a biblical lesson based on his/her understanding, and give us at least some freedom of interpretation. The use of the phrases I mentioned suggests no room for interpretation, rather, they are an absolute.

MacDonald continues this trend by splattering his discussions and workbook writings with such phrases. For example, in his discussion on page 38 of the workbook, MacDonald writes, "When it comes to communicating with His people, God wants nothing to hinder His truth from reaching us. He wants every obstacle out of the way." MacDonald believes this based on his biblical interpretations and, I would assume, some prayerful consideration, but doesn't it seem rather egotistical to tell his readers, without reservation, this is what God wants? How does he really know?

The second and much more specific issue I have with MacDonald is in regards to his take on the use of the word 'awesome.' He suggests that our culture, and specifically Christians, overuse the word to the point of ruining its intended powerful meaning. To quote from MacDonald's workbook:

Only God Is Really Awesome!

Most of us get the idea, we just don't have a clue about the magnitude of His awesomeness. When we call something awesome these days, we mean "cool" or "wow" or "what an upgrade!" Awesome is our label for everything superlative.

-"Mom, these cookies are awesome."
-"Awesome job on that project!"
-"Check out my boom box. The sub woofers are awesome!"

Then we come to church and sing, "Our God is an awesome God," and wonder why our worship falls flat. We've ruined another word. God is awesome indeed, but our flippant use of the term has made it as interesting as vanilla. At best, a cliche. Only when we encounter the One who is truly awesome - only then are we speechless.

MacDonald goes on to say that at his house, the word awesome is banned from the vocabulary except when describing God. He says to call anything else awesome is a joke. And here is where I begin to have my issue - in the paragraph following the one quoted above, MacDonald states, "Everything that is God is awesome and everything that is awesome is God." This statement is quite contradictory to what MacDonald is arguing. Re-read the last line of the paragraph in italics; MacDonald states, "Only when we encounter the One who is truly awesome - only then are we speechless." Can we not encounter God in virtually anything and everything we do? Can not my son down a fresh-baked cookie and exclaim how awesome they are, and in essence praise his Mom's God-given ability to bake? When I finish a backyard project and my wife lets me know how awesome it looks, I know she is essentially thanking God for my abilities. And guess what! There's nothing wrong with praising God through music, big sub woofers and all!!

My point is this: We are surrounded by God's wonder and amazing work in everything big, small, and seemingly insignificant. Our use of the word awesome may or may not be overused, but using it to describe something does not take away from who God is or what God means to each individual, or how each individual discovers God in day-to-day circumstances.

In conclusion, I propose that rather than spending our time worrying about our vocabulary as it relates to God, we concern ourselves more with the homeless man on the corner begging for a plate of food. Or the single mom trying to do it all herself, and struggling. Or the local food bank in need of food and/or volunteers. While you won't catch me making the assertion that this is what God wants, I will venture a guess that participating in these activities will enhance your spirituality, and put you a little more in line with some of the Biblical teachings. Heck, you just might find a side of God you never knew existed. And that, my friends, is awesome.