Feb

Stripes

Fri Feb 17th 2012 @ 3:10 am

One of my earliest and most annoying challenges as a new Christian was the patronizing, condescending attitude I encountered from those who had been at it for a while. Not that they MEANT to be patronizing or condescending: It just kind of oozed from their pores. And while I admired their ability to speak some kind of insider language and to quote scripture on any and every occasion, I did NOT admire the way they seemed to be using that ability to impress new followers like me with their command of “BibleSpeak.”

I also didn’t like being called a “Baby Christian.” As far as I was concerned, I wasn’t a baby anything. Don’t these people know who I am? Don’t they know how much I gave up to be part of this…this…whatever this is? I demand respect! (Apparently, I still had some work to do on that pride thing.) I really got my feathers ruffled. I’m sure that those folks, who referred to themselves as “mature” Christians, didn’t mean to annoy “baby” Christians by talking down to them but I can’t imagine they could think it was helpful. The fact of the matter is, I don’t think they were thinking about the new Christian at all: it was simply a chance for them to shine. The shrinks tell us that it is basic human nature, hard-wired into each of us, to want to be better than somebody at something. It’s called pride. It is pride that reacts to being patronized. It is pride that causes “mature” Christians to talk down to “baby” believers.

I know that, in my case, it was extremely uncomfortable to be surrounded by Christians. I didn’t know anything…and I knew I didn’t know anything…about Jesus, the Bible or church. Suddenly, I was surrounded by people who did. I felt like the village idiot when I visited a Sunday school class or church. I was also scared. I had turned my back on pretty much everything in my life when I committed to Christ and had no idea where I was going or what I was doing. And I was afraid of turning to one of these “church people,” because half the time I didn’t know what they talking about. Oh, and let’s not forget that part where the new people get to stand up in front of everyone and be welcomed. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather take a bullet than to stand up in a roomful of strangers to be introduced. Don’t get me wrong, these were all neat folks and none of them would intentionally hurt a fly. It’s just that sometimes our good intentions get run over by our inner need to “show what we know.”

Could it be that part of the reason churches have a hard time retaining newer members is because some of them felt like I did. And then just quit going? The turning point for me, the defining moment, came after a meeting in which I mustered up the courage to speak out a couple of times. A sweet older saint…she was in her eighties…came up to me and, as she patted my shoulder, said to her friend about me; ”Isn’t he cute…so much enthusiasm. Well, he’ll get over it.” The thing is, I didn’t WANT to get over anything. I loved being excited for the Lord! Did she mean that I would lose the fire when I became a “mature” Christian?

Having grown up as a military kid, I knew that soldiers earned stripes for each year of service. The next morning, still rankled over the “isn’t he cute” remark, I went to see my friend and mentor, Ken. After sharing the story with him and, referencing my military background, I asked; “Ken, in Christianity do you get stripes for seniority?”

Ken said: “No…Jesus took them for you.”

So much for my ruffled feathers.

Epilogue

One of the guests on a late-night talk show was a bodybuilder. The host asked the weight lifter if he would show off his muscles to the audience. With a big grin on his face, the bodybuilder faced the audience and cameras, flexing his muscles. "Boy,” the host said, “you sure do have the muscles. What do you use all of those muscles for?" The bodybuilder didn't answer, but continued to flex and smile at the audience. Again the host asked, "What do you use those muscles for?" Still grinning, the muscleman remained silent and continued to show off. The answer was obvious. He didn't use his muscles to do any useful work, but only to glorify himself.

We can glorify ourselves in many different ways. We can use our looks, intelligence, job status, and personal accomplishments to glorify ourselves. We can use our Scripture memorization and our church attendance. We can even use our spiritual gifts and ministries to exalt ourselves instead of the God who gave us those gifts. Any way you slice it, pride is pride.

Thought for the Day

Man says, "Seeing is believing." God says, "Believing is seeing."

Turn the radio on

Listen to God & Ed’s Excellent Adventure on the Radio. Monday through Friday at 4pm on “The Word,” 98.5/99.3 FM. Or listen on-line at KLGO.net. It’s the place for Christians of all varieties to hang out and be loved, entertained and uplifted.

Semi-interesting fact

In the lower 48 states, the snowiest location in the western United States is blue Canyon, California. This location averages 241 inches of snow each year. In the eastern United States, Marquette, Michigan, gets 129 inches of snow in a typical year.

Forward…Mail!!

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Joke du Jour

While sports fishing off the Florida coast, a tourist capsized his boat. He could swim, but his fear of alligators kept him clinging to the overturned craft. Spotting an old beachcomber standing on the shore, the tourist shouted, "Are there any gators around here?"

"Naw," the man hollered back, "they ain't been around for years!"

Feeling safe, the tourist started swimming leisurely toward the shore. About halfway there he asked the guy, "How'd you get rid of the gators?"

"We didn't do nothing,'" the beachcomber said. The beachcomber added, "The sharks got 'em."

Cool Music

We’ve added more cool songs you’ve never heard on radio. Check the player on the upper right, click and brighten your day.

Questions I ask myself

What's another word for thesaurus?

Really?? Actual News Stories

Peter and Hazelmary Bull from Cornwall, England, were ordered in Jan. 2011 to pay nearly $6,000 in damages to Steven Preddy

and Martyn Hall after the gay couple was denied a stay at the Bull's Chymorvah Private Hotel. The Bulls said they were not discriminating against Preddy and Hall's sexual orientation, but told the court they have a longstanding policy of rejecting all unmarried couples. The hotel owners told the appellate court they believe sex outside of marriage is amoral and that renting a room with one bed to an unmarried couple would be "promoting a sin." But lawyers for Preddy and Hall said that by only allowing married couples to stay in their hotel, the Bulls were indeed discriminating against gay couples because same-sex marriage is not legal in the U.K

Pygmy critter Eagle-eyed researchers have discovered what is believed to be the world's smallest chameleon in Madagascar.

The miniature chameleon, Brookesia micra, reaches a maximum length of just over an inch. It was one of four new species found by German scientists in the north of the island, off Africa. Researchers conducted fieldwork at night to find the easily overlooked animals. The scientists carefully scanned the most likely habitats with torches and headlamps to find roosting sites. They found the smallest species on a remote limestone islet and believe it may represent an extreme case of island dwarfism. This phenomenon occurs when a species becomes smaller over time in order to adapt to a restricted habitat such as an island.

Fairytales 'too scary for modern kids' Traditional fairytales are being ditched by parents because they are too scary for their young children

. Research revealed one in five parents has scrapped classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in favour of more modern books. One third of parents said children have been left in tears after hearing the gruesome details of Little Red Riding Hood. And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids as the themes of the story are kidnapping and execution. Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents felt it condones stealing. And 52% of parents said Cinderella didn't send a good message to their children as it portrays a young woman doing housework all day.

Have a joint, Mr. Prez If you're planning to transport marijuana in a private plane, you may want to check the president's schedule before taking off. That was the apparent lesson when two fighter jets under the direction

of the North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted a general aviation plane that had flown into temporarily restricted air space over Los Angeles: the restriction of the airspace was caused by travel to the West Coast by President Barack Obama The F-16s were scrambled from March Air Base in Riverside, California, and intercepted the errant Cessna 182. Accompanied by the F-16s, the Cessna 182 landed without incident, where it was met by local law enforcement, NORAD said. A law enforcement official said 10 kilograms of marijuana were found on the plane. The Secret Service concluded that the pilot was " not considered a threat to Obama”, and was turned over to the Police Department. The White House had no comment.

OMG In an unconventional move, the pastor of an Australian Church has placed two signs reading "OMG" (Oh My God) on the outside of his Church, attracting the attention of the local community and sparking an Internet frenzy. The Rev. Howard Langmead of St Paul's Anglican Church said that the church chose to post two billboards showing the phrase around its premises to "catch attention and be unexpected." "People forget what they are actually saying when they say 'OMG'," the Rev. Langmead said. The term "OMG" is used in popular culture as an abbreviation for the exclamation "Oh My God," which many Christians traditionally see as offensive, as it uses the Lord's name in vain. "We're reclaiming 'oh my God' for the church," he added. Langmead contends that the church has received a large amount of attention since the two billboards were erected, saying that he has seen people stop and snap photos of the signs.

Are you kidding me???

The middle verse in the Bible is Psalm 118:8, and "the LORD" are the two middle words in that verse.

Groaner

Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, but when they lit a fire in the craft, it sank, proving once and for all that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

Point to Ponder

A church realized the importance of humility, so it formed a committee to find the most humble person in the church. Many names were submitted and numerous candidates evaluated. Finally, the committee came to a unanimous decision. They selected a quiet little man who always lived in the background and had never taken credit for anything he had done. They awarded him the "Most Humble" button for his faithful service. However, the next day they had to take it away from him because he pinned it on.

Remember, Christianity is more about walking than about talking