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To my pastor and missionary friends: A message from Sean

This will be a short post but its something that has been on my mind for a while now. Every night I lay down and write this post in my head. Every morning while I drive to work I write this post in my head.

By all measurements, life is going “well.” I have a good job and just bought a great car to replace the one I spun off the road in.

But something is off. Something is wrong. I can feel it. There has to be more.

Maybe it is just how I feel due to my longtime anxiety and depression but I think it is more than that. I think I know deep down that there is more to life. That I am asked by God to do more. I just don’t know what.

I’ve recently been reading a commentary on Ezekiel and being a remanent or exile weighs heavily on me. I don’t know where I belong but it's time I go wherever God sends me. This is me putting myself out there. There has to be a door open that I dont know about.

I know I need to help people. I have a B.A. in Pastoral Ministry, but I don't have ministry credentials or a passport (can get them). That’s what is inside of me. I care about those who do not know Jesus, those in need, the misunderstood, and, specifically, the homeless.

If anything I've said clicks with you and you are looking to add to your team,

Let's talk.

About the Author | Sean Kready Facebook – Instagram An imperfect Christian, who sins on the daily, but tries to share his journey so that we all might know God better. This is our offering. An act of worship. Please remember our Rules For Discussion when commenting.

Your Mission Is Simple...

Together Empty Church is embracing the uncomfortable. Join us as we dig into Brett McCracken's new book Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community and uncover all the parts that make us uneasy about our faith, uneasy about being friends, and uneasy about building a church that realizes that comfort is not the goal of Christiantiy.

Being missional makes me think of “outreaches" that I’m tired of and missionaries. Not a lot of in-between. It’s telling students to tell their friends at school about Jesus yet not doing it in the workplace because it’s not appropriate.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am confused about what real 'missions' is. To me, without the fear of death, America is much like other counties where it’s not socially acceptable REALLY talk about Jesus. Many missionaries gain the right to speak about Jesus through friendship and trust.

I don’t mean for that to be sluggish or even lazy.

We just don’t come out and yell at people about how they are going to go to hell.

I have to admit, sometimes the seriousness of hell is lost on me, its lost on most of us I think. So I can see why someone would tell everyone to repent as not to go to hell. I really do.

I guess what I grew tired of was what felt like tricking people into hearing about a specific church so that they could get popcorn, face-painting, or some other gimmick. Do we not believe that we are offering the ultimate value in knowing their creator? In spending eternity with the creator. I guess there is a fine line between doing something only to get someone to listen to you and doing something because God has sent you. I want to be sent. I want the things that open up conversations to be done out of an obedient heart rather than trying to guilt someone into listening because they took some free pizza.

If man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever [1], why do we act like it is anything else? Why do we want to offer a Christianity that is anything else?

I guess what I am saying is that it seems to me that the way we fulfill the mission is through obedience to God. God has to take care of the rest.

I guess that if someone feels that being obedient is through outreaches then that's an uncomfortableness that I need to accept, especially when it is a personal thing and not a godly objection.

Your mission is simple if you choose to accept it: Obey God in what He is asking of you.

About the Author | Sean Kready Twitter – Facebook – Instagram – Snapchat An imperfect Christian, who sins on the daily, but tries to share his journey so that we all might know God better. This is our offering. An act of worship. Please remember our Rules For Discussion when commenting.

This American Church A place for exploring the Church in the American context. Issues may get political, cultural, and philosophical — but it’s always personal.

→ Read more about This American Church here.

#uncomfortable #mission

Uncomfortable Mission - #ec2dot25

Welcome to Another Empty Conversation - a show that lets you eavesdrop on a conversation about faith and following Jesus. We talk about our faith so you can talk about yours. We're glad you could join us this week.

We're half-way through our discussion on Brett McCracken’s book, “Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community.” The first half of the book has been centered around an Uncomfortable Faith. This week is the culmination of these discussions as we dive into Uncomfortable Mission. What is our mission? Many would answer the great commission, but Brett believes we are called to much more than that. Join our conversation and share your thoughts in the comments or on social media.

That wraps up part 1 of the book. Join us again next week as we discuss Uncomfortable People, the first chapter in part 2 based on an Uncomfortable Church. Until then, live empty, talk faith, and opt-in to following Jesus. We'll catch you on the next episode of Another Empty Conversation.

Another Empty Conversation Podcast

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Subscribe to our bi-weekly podcast where friends gather to talk about faith and following Jesus on the six days between Sundays when the church buildings are empty. Iron sharpens iron.

#uncomfortable

Uncomfortable in the Presence of God

"The Holy Spirit is God’s presence within each believer. The Holy Spirit given to the church at Pentecost (Acts 2) is the continuation of a biblical theme of God’s presence. This includes creation (Gen. 1: 26– 28), the garden (Gen. 3: 8), the tabernacle (e.g., Ex. 40: 34– 38), the temple (e.g., 1 Kings 8: 10– 13), the prophetic hope (e.g., Ezek. 37: 27), the “God with us” incarnation of Jesus (Matt. 1: 23), the Word become flesh (John 1: 14), Jesus’s promise of eternal presence (“ Behold, I am with you always,” Matt. 28: 20), and the new-creation promise of God once again physically dwelling with his people (Rev. 21: 1– 22: 5). “Whatever else, the people of Israel understood themselves to be the people of the Presence, the people among whom the eternal God had chosen to dwell on earth,” 4 and it is within this context that Paul tells Christians that they are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells inside them (1 Cor. 3: 16) " -- McCracken, Brett. Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community (p. 98). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

What separates Jehovah God from the all other deity is that he always has and always will be a God of presence. He was there, in the beginning, the good, the bad, the ugly, and in the end.

God is there and not silent.

But there are many Christians who wish him to be, or, at the very least, wish that some of his people would just shut up.

The Charismatic cousins bring much horror to the reserved Reformed. The cousins are loud, spontaneous, and have the propensity to act in ways that are embarrassing to the rest of the family. Ironically, the same folks who yell at their congregations to never be embarrassed about the moral truth of the Scripture themselves become embarrassed when the cousins respond exuberantly to the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit. I guess the Bible really has replaced the Holy Spirit in the Trinity...

Generally talking about the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is awkward and uncomfortable. Many stigmas are associated with the work of the Spirit. Could it be that the Comforter brings comfort in ways that are uncomfortable?

Embracing the Discomfort

I profess to be one of the crazy cousins.

I believe in miraculous healings, speaking in tongues, and the prophetic.

I believe in the supernatural presence of God, both as a constant general interaction of God and his creation and as concentrated "anointing" (though not a fan of that word) in specific places and times.

I know these elements of faith are essential.

I also know them to be awkward.

I also know them to be abused.

I also know them to have been faked.

I also know them to generally be considered as weird.

But I know them to be true because I know that when they are delivered in their most genuine and authentic form there is zero question that the author is the indwelled Holy Spirit.

The manifest presence of the Spirit brings discomfort because it forces us to discern and trust. Two Christians elements sorely lacking in the 21st Century American church. Of course, the abuses and faking surrounding the "evidence" of the Spirit causes us to be leary of what we are seeing, but we bring a general distrust of everything with us when we come to church.

We are so comfortable in our cynicism and distrust that we are easily tempted to throw anything that "doesn't make sense" out the window and deem it ungodly. But allow me to counter that 'it doesn't make sense" that an Almighty God would submit himself to the humiliating death of the cross for scum like us either.

Perhaps now would be a good time to re-evaluate our comfort in cynicism and distrust.

Will abuses still take place? Yes.

Will people still fake it? Yes.

Is there a chance that you could encounter God in a new and powerful and non-heretical way?

Absolutely.

About the Author | Josh Schaidt Twitter – Facebook – Instagram I love cookies and I still buy music one album at a time. @EmptyChurch is one way I live empty, talk faith, and opt in to follow Jesus.

Please remember our Rules For Discussion when commenting.

The Holy Spirit Makes Me Uncomfortable

We’ve discussed a lot of aspects of church and Christianity that make us feel uncomfortable. I think this week’s topic wins as the most uncomfortable, which is ironic when you think about it. The Holy Spirit — the “Comforter” — makes me uncomfortable.

Holy Ghost Revival

I grew up in a Pentecostal church, so I was used to services being interrupted with someone standing up and speaking in a language I did not know followed by someone else standing and providing an interpretation of that message — which was from God. I was also used to services on Sunday nights ending at the alter where people would pray or sing in a “heavenly language” and some would even fall to the ground because the Spirit was so strong. I grew up witnessing this, so on one hand it was not unusual for these things to occur but it still made me uncomfortable.

It was uncomfortable when visiting evangelists would have an alter call and ask those who have never spoke in tongues to come forward. It was uncomfortable to have this stranger press his hand on my head and urge me to release and let my mouth speak God’a heavenly language. It was even more uncomfortable when nothing happened and I returned to my seat feeling like I somehow failed.

Bringing friends to church with me was a whole new uncomfortable experience. Trying to explain what was going on and seeing the look of skepticism or fear wash over their face. Answering questions for days after like “So can you do it to? Can you do it right now for me to hear? Are you like possessed when it happens?”

Spirit Of Truth

If I’m completely honest, the most uncomfortable part of the Holy Spirit is not the outward witness we see in church, but rather the inward conviction we desperately try to ignore. Think of it this way: the Holy Spirit is our comforter. Comforters are supposed to be warm and snuggly. But when you suddenly feel a cold breeze against your feet, you feel the comforter has failed you. In reality, it is just exposing something that needs to be corrected (in this case - put some socks on).

No one likes to be confronted with the truth. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will reveal something to you that you need to change. Other times, you may be confronted with reality of sin impacting those you love and feel a nudge to speak to them about it. Both are uncomfortable.

Invite Everyone To The Table

The holiday season is fast approaching. Maybe you’re spending it with family or friends. Maybe you have a friend or a family member that you love but you hesitate to invite them to dinner because they might make you or someone else in attendance uncomfortable. Maybe you should invite them anyway. The Holy Spirit is apart of the trinity; if you love God you must love His Spirit just like you must love Jesus. Sure, it might be easier to introduce Jesus to your friends, but to get a full picture of who God is, we need all three.

About the Author | Sarah Schaidt Twitter – Facebook I love web design, my family, Jesus, and Food Network (not necessarily in that order).

Holy Spirit you are welcome here if...

I grew up with the "weird" stuff of the Spirit. “Moves of the Spirit” were not unusual and were sought after. I remember the apex of some of the really weird stuff that doesn’t even have an exact comparison from the Bible. It was all normal to me and it was all real. I didn’t have a reason to think otherwise. I just wanted the Spirit to show up and do stuff. Child-like faith I suppose.

I’m sure the doubts came long before Christian college, but being in such a pressure cooker certainly brings things out. Going to chapel 5 days a week makes you notice things that you wouldn't normally and I became extra skeptical when it came to many works of the Holy Spirit. It was not about if the Holy Spirit still did things today, but about the validity of what was going on and the motives of the people “doing them.”

What do I mean?

It happens in churches and in chapel at college.

When people say that the Holy Spirit is working or God is present it is often connected with a mood created by music. Just play the right notes and suddenly everyone says God is there. Sometimes the way we use music makes it seem like we are worshiping an experience versus worshiping God who tangibly shows up. This made me wonder what we were really doing. Were we just playing music to play with emotions, saying its God, but there is no true power in it because it is just a form of manipulation? During this time I actually stopped listening to music because I wanted to know if there was something real or if we just sought “feel goods” from music rather than God himself. Don’t get me wrong, music has always been a part of Christianity and there is certainly a precedent for worshiping God through song, I just was skeptical of our overemphasis on music. People often want to listen to the music and have an emotional response but they do not want to listen to sermons that help build theology and challenge sinfulness. The music was in place of actual change and actual engagement with their God. That is what I was worried about.

It didn’t stop there, based on this mood, the decision would be made to continue music longer. People would have a word (either in tongues to be translated or just the word). When you see this happen several times, the same people do it over and over again, saying the same things over and over, whether it seems to have fit what as going on or not… When students are more interested in their next class being canceled since chapel went to late… When it is all coming from a mood made by music… it all comes into question if it is real.

That’s what makes it uncomfortable.

I remember there was this group who had an overemphasis on the Spirit to the point that they could be disruptive in the name of throwing “spiritual gifts” in the face of all. Kind of like, “I know you don’t believe so look at this” It sometimes felt as if they were protesting in chapel and out. If you look at how Paul instructs for the gifts to be used, I felt they were out of line.

And that was uncomfortable.

I believe that the Holy Spirit DOES work in the miraculous and does speak to us and yet I was uncomfortable because I wasn’t sure what was really going on. The thing is, I know that even if someone’s motive is wrong or if the majority of people are having an emotional response rather than a genuine God experience, God can still be there with people. I shouldn’t invalidate the work of the Holy Spirit just because I have questions of human perfection (I’ll let you in on a secret, humanity is terrible).

The Holy Spirit represents the “irrational” aspects of believing in God. People will let you believe in a god without too much fuss, especially when it comes to what happens after death “good people go to a good place” kind go belief. But when you add in the Holy Spirit who is the active hand of God on the earth. In the beginning, the Spirit of God was moving, hovering, brooding over the face of the waters. The Spirit of God inspired Old Testament prophets and people dropped dead in the New Testament. The Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead. “The Spirit of God proceeds from the Father and the Son and with the Father and the Son will be worshiped and glorified.” The Spirit of God is that part of God that we can’t “control.” He is the one who makes deism invalid. But when we have to explain people being “slain in the spirit, “drunk in the Spirit,” or “glory clouds” we really do lose any sense of control that we thought we had. Ultimately we are saying, "Holy Spirit you are welcome here if you behave." It is easier to replace Him with the Bible that we can place on a shelf or skip the hard parts rather than risk Him making people uncomfortable by actually coming to church. The Holy Spirit isn’t as easy to ignore nor should we.

And. That. Is. Uncomfortable.

This American Church A place for exploring the Church in the American context. Issues may get political, cultural, and philosophical — but it’s always personal.

→ Read more about This American Church here.

*Original photo by John Price on Unsplash

#uncomfortable #Holy Spirit

Uncomfortable Comforter - #ec2dot24

Welcome back to Another Empty Conversation - a show that lets you eavesdrop on a conversation about faith and following Jesus. We talk about our faith so you can talk about yours. Thanks for joining us this week.

We're continuing our series based on Brett McCracken’s book, “Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community.” This week we're discussing the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Does the Holy Spirit make you uncomfortable? Should He? Join in our discussion by leaving a comment below or connecting with us on social media.

It is odd to think that the One who was sent to comfort us could make us uncomfortable. If you have any additional thoughts on this week's discussion, we'd love to hear them. And stay tuned for next week, we'll be talking about the Uncomfortable MIssion. Until then, live empty, talk faith, and opt-in to following Jesus. We'll catch up with you on the next episode of Another Empty Conversation.

Another Empty Conversation Podcast

iTunes | Google Play | SoundCloud

Subscribe to our bi-weekly podcast where friends gather to talk about faith and following Jesus on the six days between Sundays when the church buildings are empty. Iron sharpens iron.

#uncomfortable

I Didn't Have Enough Love to Stay.

Love is uncomfortable. Showing the type of sacrificial love that Jesus' expects of us is a challenge because it taxes our very ability to give away something that we so desperately desire to have for ourselves. We are to love first without the expectation of love in return, but we can freely admit that we need to be loved as well.

There are seasons in life that place us in an uncomfortable tension between needing love and giving love. I will attempt to talk through a painful time in my life where I made a choice simply because I did not have enough love to give.

In Brett McCracken's book Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community, the author is talking about demonstrating Biblical levels of love. The main illustration is unsurprisingly the commitment to marriage. But Brett drops the following lines, and in what seems like an afterthought, I grasped one of the missing pieces of a big moment in my life.

Here is what he said,

"The uncomfortable principle at the core of both issues is that love requires sacrificing the sovereignty of our feelings. Love cannot survive on the basis of emotional satisfaction. It is covenantal. And this is a hard truth to stomach, because it requires faithfulness even when we’re not feeling it, even when our “heart isn’t in it.” This doesn’t just apply to marriage. It’s also true for the way we love our friends, our parents, our children, our neighbors. A single young man might feel restless in his present community and be tempted to abandon it for a new job or opportunity across the country, but for the sake of a commitment-based love for his friends, he stays. A teenage girl might feel frustrated by her parents and tempted to break the rules they’ve established, but her commitment-based love leads her to honor them instead. A mom might dream of saving money to launch a business, but her commitment-based love leads her to instead use that money to pay for her son’s college tuition. A volunteer after-school tutor might grow weary with a student’s lack of progress and be tempted to quit, but his commitment-based love leads him to keep working with the student. Cruciform love doesn’t always feel rewarding and it doesn’t always look like progress. But it does look like sacrifice and servanthood. Which is to say, it looks like Jesus (Mark 10: 42– 45; John 13: 1– 17)." -- McCracken, Brett. Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community (pp. 86-87). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

I was working in a church that I loved with people that I loved. It was a vibrant and challenging community that was actively bringing hope to hopeless people. But somehow my wife and I lost track of each other. We drifted apart...

As my marriage crumbled I swiftly approached my personal breaking point. Every nerve was perpetually raw. I vividly remember sitting on the floor of a bathroom stall in the school we were renting weeping uncontrollably. I suddenly found myself feeling just like the people we as a church had vowed to reach - hopeless.

With a nervous breakdown inevitably approaching I did the most unhealthy thing a pastor could do - I threw myself deeper into the work. Ignoring my real feelings, I funneled the anxious energy of uncertainty into "ministry," if you could even call it that. My senior pastor even beamed at how productively awesome I was doing. I had everyone fooled, I guess.

Now, I'll fast forward a bit and tell you that my wife and I made it out ok. We are happy now and we have finally learned how to love each other. Hard learned lessons are the best lessons.

In order to get to the point where my wife and I could recover, I had to make a difficult choice.

I had to leave the best job I ever had.

I didn't have enough love for both.

To be good at your job you have to love it to some level. To do the work of the ministry as Jesus did we have to have supernatural levels of love.

Love is a muscle that needs to be developed. The exercise of love enables us to love more. What I realized soon during the tumultuous season addressed above is that I did not have the capacity to love both the people of the church and my wife.

I had faked it pretty well. When I was channeling the fear of losing my wife into "good ministry" I had everyone faked out, but I knew deep down inside that what I was doing was unsustainable. If I had continued I would have lost my wife, the church, and probably my self.

I began to pray that God would let me leave my position in the church I was serving. It was a cry of surrender that I couldn't do it anymore. It was an admission that I didn't have the ability to love (or to receive love).

After 4 months of praying and counseling, I resigned. This was the second saddest day that I have lived. Not a day goes by that I do not think of the church and the people I worked with. I know that sounds cliché, but it is true. My thoughts are mixed with regret and joy, what-ifs and thankfulness. I am profoundly happy that my family has made it through, but I reflect with sadness on what might have been.

It is hard to admit that I am limited in any capacity. It is the stubbornness that serves me well to the top and bottom of life. But the uncomfortable truth is simply this: At the time, I did not have enough love to be a minister and husband.

Now some people reading this will inevitably say that I turned my back on Jesus because I chose my wife over the ministry work. I put my hand to the plow and then looked back making me unfit for the kingdom of God. Maybe so. I won't truly know until I get to the pearly gates and look Jesus in the eye. But I can confidently say that the whole experience has greatly increased my ability to love others in the right way.

What is the right way to love others? By committing to them on a personal level. By learning how to love someone who caused me great pain with her actions, I can love others more deeply.

Sometimes in the work of the church we commit more to mission than to people. We commit to a leaders vision instead of to each other. How shallow our Christian experience becomes when we commit to something instead of someone. Loving a things like visions, commands and missions are just materialism wrapped up in leadership speak. We think that these things will lead to joy, but they never do. The person of Jesus and the fellowship of the Church (that is, God's people, not an organization) is what brings joy.

I've also learned that I have to budget my commitments. I can't commit to loving too much beyond my capacity. If I do then I will inevitably neglect another commitment that I have. We must be stretched in our commitments to love others, but be wise enough not to take on so much that we succumb to overwhelming demands that our commitments of love will place on us.

Leaving the job I loved the most actually allowed me to learn to love more honestly, deeply, and sincerely. It has increased my capacity to love and serves as a reminder that loving people is always more important than loving an organization - no matter how good of an organization it is.

Please remember our Rules For Discussion when commenting.

#uncomfortable

Uncomfortable Love - #ec2dot23

Hello and welcome to Another Empty Conversation - a show that lets you eavesdrop on a conversation about faith and following Jesus. We talk about our faith so you can talk about yours. Thanks for tuning in.

This week we continue in our series based on Brett McCracken’s book, “Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community.” Chapter 5 focuses on Uncomfortable Love and the EC crew dives in and discusses love, commitment, and sacrifice. You can join in our conversation by leaving a comment below or connecting with us on social media.

Well that's it for this week. Join us again next week as we dive into chapter 6, "Uncomfortable Comforter." Until then, live empty, talk faith, and opt-in to following Jesus.

Another Empty Conversation Podcast

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Subscribe to our bi-weekly podcast where friends gather to talk about faith and following Jesus on the six days between Sundays when the church buildings are empty. Iron sharpens iron.

#uncomfortable

Lonely Love

I hate love.

As a single guy Love is a crappy subject.

Things done in the name of “love” seem to be the source of so much pain.

What we call love is not love by a long shot.

Love today is just some fluffy feelings, not being able to move on from a person, or plain old lust. As soon as those things pass, so as being in love, and we leave.

I am a victim of this idealistic emotional puppy-dog fake narrative that is repeated over and over and over by our stories. One giant narrative echo chamber of fake love that makes it so meaningless when we can’t find that love.

I am 27.

Society says that I should at least be married and divorced by now. At best, I should have found my life partner by now.

These facts make me feel rejected as a person. It makes me feel like I do not have any promise since there hasn’t been someone who saw it in me and wanted me around.

I have not believed in “the one” for a while now. I see the argument for there being a person for you in God’s sovereign plan, but Paul talks about how it is better not to marry. God knows who we will marry (if at all) but does God only have one person for us? Is it possible there are a couple “suitable strangers” that we could pick from and it would still be in God’s will (saying that there's obviously people that God wouldn’t want us to marry)?

I don’t know.

I just know that this desire to love and care for someone intimately leaves me feeling lacking.

It is the companionship feels like it is missing.

Brett, in the last chapter, brings attention to this problem that the church does not stand with its single or same-sex-attracted people.

That's where I feel I am.

It is so lonely.

God’s love is all I should need and plenty of people will say that, but none of them are practicing it in the same way as a single person is.

I can love other people and even love for my enemies but a lonely life is hard to bear. When there was Adam, animals, and God, God still made a partner for Adam so that man would be complete. So sure God is all I need, but none of us actually believe that or else we’d really be celibate monks living together in community worshiping God and embracing his love. We say that “Christ is enough for me” in songs and then want all this other stuff.

All I want in life right now is to do something that brings me fulfillment and have a partner for life to worship God and be fulfilled with.

This American Church A place for exploring the Church in the American context. Issues may get political, cultural, and philosophical — but it’s always personal.

→ Read more about This American Church here.

#uncomfortable

Might As Well Face It, I'm Addicted To Love.

I have a confession: I am one of those women who loves a good romantic comedy, who will tear up at the inevitable happy ending of a Hallmark movie, and who sings along with the sappiest of love songs on the radio. I am an addict, but a recovering one. I've recognized my problem and I'm working on it.

There is nothing wrong with love or being in love or loving others. The problem stems from Hollywood's unrealistic definition of love which can quickly cause damage to relationships in your life if you let it. I filled my head with these movies, tv shows, and love songs expecting my own relationships to live up to the examples I grew up with. I wanted someone to love me the way Cory loved Topanga. I wanted a whirlwind romance like Sleepless in Seatle. I wanted a big, happy family like on Full House (minus the whole widow/widower thing). I set myself, and my husband, up for inevitable disappointment because our marriage was not written by Hollywood directors. I was not the perfect wife and I established standards that he could never reach.

Love is a commitment.

In Brett's chapter on "Uncomfortable Love" he states that love isn't a feeling, it's a commitment. In today's culture, the commitment is made in response to the love you feel for the other person, but in reality, your love will truly develop and grow out of this commitment. Speaking from personal experience, when our relationship hit the rocks, we clung to the commitment we made to each other like a life raft. Out of that commitment, a deeper love — deeper than I have ever seen in any movie or heard in any song — developed.

Love is still uncomfortable.

Love in and of itself is uncomfortable. You make yourself vulnerable to another person knowing that you could be hurt. Loving others like God loves is even more uncomfortable. Brett provides examples of those God has called us to love: the refugee that may pose a risk entering our country, our neighbors who may be a different race or are part of the LGBTQ community and suffer persecution, and even those who persecute us. Loving people, truly loving people, is extremely uncomfortable.

There's a verse at the end of a worship song that comes to mind when I think about God's love:

"I can see your heart 8 billion different ways, Every precious one, a child You died to save. If You gave Your life to love them, so will I. Like You would again a hundred billion times. But what measure could amount to Your desire. You’re the One who never leaves the one behind." -- So Will I by Hillsong United

No matter how uncomfortable love can be, it is a commitment we must make to each other out of our commitment to the One who has demonstrated the true meaning of love.

About the Author | Sarah Schaidt Twitter – Facebook I love web design, my family, photography, traveling, music, Jesus, sleep, and Food Network (not necessarily in that order).

#uncomfortable

I Can't Handle The Truth

Truth.

Many of us hide the truth about many things. Could be who ate the last cookie, our secret crush, or if we know Jesus.

Truth often makes us uncomfortable. We don’t want to face the truth. We would rather believe something more palatable than the truth. Just twisting it ever so slightly to taste better.

In this generation, we are all about personal truth; subjectivity and relativity reign. The Bible flies in the face of this. The Bible says that all truth is God’s truth. Truth isn’t subjective unless you want to say the subject is God making it all objective for everyone else. That is uncomfortable. We don’t like to be told that we are wrong, we’d rather just say that it’s “my truth.” We want to live in our own reality saying that “perception is reality” but we ignore God’s reality and His truth.

Brett calls this out in his chapter on truth. He looks at how Christians are often uncomfortable with the truths about The Supernatural, Christianity’s Exclusivity and God’s Wrath, and Sexual Ethics. None of those are very popular right now. Many people believe in a moral Jesus and not a divine one. Many people want to ignore that not all people go to Heaven. Finally, between adultery and sexual immorality, the Bible has clear sexual ethics. The Supernatural we are all willing to accept in times of trouble, sickness, and death, but the other two we are pretty apt to forget about.

To be honest, those three are pretty cut and dry. Sure there might be a few grey-ish areas but for the most part, the truth is clear there. But there are so many other issues that get cloudy. I don't know what is harder, knowing the truth and it being uncomfortable or being unsure of the truth. Or maybe we know the truth but we've just trained ourselves to muck it up in order to do what we want to do rather than what we know we should do deep down.

What is the truth?

I don’t know all the truth. And I can’t handle the truth.

That’s why I hide from it. That’s why I ignore it.

Even when I know the truth my body seems to not accept it. That’s why anxiety kicks my butt all the time.

That’s why I hide from it. That’s why I ignore it.

But it doesn’t work.

If we were truthful with ourselves we’d realize that running from the uncomfortable truth just makes problematic false existence.

This American Church A place for exploring the Church in the American context. Issues may get political, cultural, and philosophical — but it’s always personal.

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#uncomfortable #truth

Uncomfortable Truths - #ec2dot22

Hello and welcome back to Another Empty Conversation - a show that lets you eavesdrop on a conversation about faith and following Jesus. We talk about our faith so you can talk about yours. Thanks for joining us this week.

We are in our 4th week of working our way through Brett McCracken’s book, “Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community.” If you’re just joining us, you can catch up on previous podcasts and blog posts right here on our website. Jump in and join the conversation by leaving a comment or connecting with us on social media like Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr.

So what does sexuality, the supernatural, and Christian exclusivity have in common? We’re about to find out as we jump into this week’s conversation on Uncomfortable Truths.

Closing Thoughts

While these conversations may be uncomfortable, they are important to have. So please join our conversation and leave your thoughts in the comments. You can also pick up a copy of Brett McCracken’s book and read along with us. Next week, we’ll be discussing Uncomfortable Love. Until then, live empty, talk faith, and opt-in to follow Jesus and I’ll catch you on the next episode of another empty conversation.

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Subscribe to our bi-weekly podcast where friends gather to talk about faith and following Jesus on the six days between Sundays when the church buildings are empty. Iron sharpens iron.

#uncomfortable

The Truth Doesn't Change Even If You Choose To Avoid It.

I have a confession to make. I did not want to read this chapter. I didn't know anything about the chapter ahead of time other than the title "Uncomfortable Truths" and that was enough for me to want to avoid it like the plague. Why? Because throughout my life when I have been confronted with the cold hard truth it has been extremely uncomfortable.

When things get rough in my life, I've had the pattern of creating my own reality. Instead of facing the truth, I either sugar-coat it or I just plain ignore it and choose to focus instead on something more appealing. I lie to myself. I've even lied to those around me. But the truth doesn't suddenly change or disappear. I knew that the pages of this chapter wouldn't rewrite themselves just because I was afraid of what may be written on them. So, I finally sat down to read the chapter and ironically enough it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Funny how that happens.

What truths make me uncomfortable?

Brett provides 3 examples of uncomfortable truths: 1) The Supernatural, 2) Christianity's Exclusivity and God's Wrath, and 3) Sexual Ethics. All of these make me uncomfortable for different reasons.

The supernatural makes me uncomfortable because I cannot explain it to others. I cannot explain how God created the universe other than to say He spoke and it came to be. I have had friends tell me that asking them to believe God created something out of nothing would be like asking them to believe that the Tooth Fairy turns their teeth into money while they sleep.

Christianity's exclusivity is another pill that is hard to swallow for many. I have heard questions like "why would a loving God send someone to hell just because they live in a remote village of Africa and no one ever shared the gospel with them? If they never had a chance to believe, how is that fair?

Sexual ethics are more uncomfortable for me inside the church than outside. I had no problem explaining the concept of saving yourself for marriage because even though some people find it silly they can understand and even respect it. But inside the church, it is uncomfortable to talk about sex. It is a taboo topic which is why those struggling with some kind of sexual sin are considered taboo as well.

Confronting The Truth

Brett clearly states at the beginning of the chapter that he will not be providing an exhaustive list of all uncomfortable truths, but rather a sampling of some of the biblical truths that have been a stumbling block for people. This chapter not only made me think on those truths but also on the anxiety I felt prior to reading. If the purpose of this book is to confront the uncomfortable, then I know I need to continue to explore why some truths are still so uncomfortable to me. I would challenge you to do the same because the truth doesn't change just because you choose to avoid it.

About the Author | Sarah Schaidt Twitter – Facebook I love web design, my family, photography, traveling, music, Jesus, sleep, and Food Network (not necessarily in that order).

This American Church A place for exploring the Church in the American context. Issues may get political, cultural, and philosophical — but it’s always personal.

→ Read more about This American Church here.

#uncomfortable

The Truth Shall Make You Mad

"You will know the truth and the truth shall make you mad." These words came from my beloved professor Dr. Ron Hall and they encapsulate the struggle of all people who are confronted by the truth of the gospel.

And as I reflect on Brett McCracken's fourth chapter in Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christianity I more deeply grasp the truth that my wise professor was trying to instill in us all those years ago.

Truth is a line in the sand and it forces us to re-examine the suppositions we strongly hold as we decide to choose which side we will stand on. It also forces us to submit that we are not the deciders of the definition of truth. That is, we don't bear the right or responsibility of moving the line.

As prideful people completely ensconced in a depraved culture we tend to operate under the misconception that we can do what we want, how we want, to whom we want, and then decide on its "goodness" or "badness" later.

This is our feeble attempt to move the line as we wish.

But Truth does not move about at our personal or cultural whims. Truth, as personified in Christ and originating from the Constancy of God is can cause much discomfort. The truth will make you mad.

The Hell of Miraculous Sex

Truth makes us confront our presuppositions about generally uncomfortable topics. Especially when we can't fully explain or comprehend the massive reality of how God is sovereign over the universe.

We don't understand how a good God can allow the eternal punishment of hell.

We try to explain the supernatural away because it means that we obviously don't have all the power we think we do.

We laugh at the idea of sexual ethics because we feel we shouldn't be told who and how to have sex (often referred to as "love is love," because sex apparently is synonymous with love in our culture. When two words that are related somehow become synonymous, it means that one or both words have been conveniently redefined).

This comes down to the wrecked absoluteness of truth. Everyone has their own truth and thus Truth fails to exist, but personal opinion is promoted to the crown. Another way in which we just worship ourselves.

Getting Mad is OK.

I think it is a good thing to admit our rebellion against truth. Confession is the first step. I would much rather someone acknowledge Truth as truth and say, "I'm going to do it my way anyway," than deny the Truth as truth.

Denial is much harder to cure than rebellion, or so my therapist tells me. I would rather be offended by the truth, be made mad by the truth than to be comfortably numb in a lie.

So if there is something I say that makes you angry, let's talk about it. We can be uncomfortable together in our pursuit of Truth.

Please remember our Rules For Discussion when commenting.

#supernatural #miracle #sex #uncomfortable #Truth

Just How Set Apart?

I simultaneously loved and hated Brett's chapter on holiness. I’m going to start off with what I had a problem with. He starts off this chapter talking about a time where he got so drunk that it was humiliating and sinful and he was very convicted because of his friend after the whole ordeal. I didn’t actually have a problem with this part I know Brett stance on alcohol and I like that he put in the chapter that he realize that drinking to that amount of excess was sinful so this part I don’t have a problem with. Actually the rest of the chapter in light of this part.

On page 62 Brett talks about not being conformed to this world and talks about how Christians want to blend in. He brings up examples of college Christian colleges abandoning their policies on sexual conduct and for Christian Christian business owners to provide services or insurance policies that compromise their beliefs

Here’s my problem, doesn’t Brett's drinking habit help him blend in even if done in moderation? He talks about how nobody would’ve been able to tell that it was a group of Christian ministers, to me that is blending in. I don’t know if this is what Brett had in mind but a Christian baker not being able to bake a cake for a homosexual couple yet he doesn't completely abstain from alcohol... I know it’s not a one to one comparison but it seems wrong to say that those types of things are compromising in the business world but it’s not compromising for him personally to indulge in something that he enjoys. We could make an argument that having an uncomfortable faith might mean giving up something that isn't wrong wrong but might "make someone stumble" like alcohol certainly has the ability to. Where is the line? What makes something right or wrong in certain situations?

So how set apart is set apart enough? The holiness movement brought a daunting legalism that now has a generation who swung in the opposite direction in response. Movies that are in the realm of pornography. Bowling. Roller skating. Sex drugs and guitars all now have found their way into Christianity in response to the letter of the law and not the spirit.

Is being set apart like the Amish or a monk? I don’t think so. Those examples seem to be outside of the world rather than IN but not OF. It's like they have opted out. Jesus’ prayer over the disciples does not imply a group of people who are removed from the world but people who have gone out into it while being set apart.

"13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." -- John 17:13-19

We are commanded to go into all the world making disciples.

This is not accomplished by being so are removed from the world that we live in our own commune never to interact with the world, but it is neither accomplished by looking so much like the world that no one knows that difference.

In my search for clarity on rules and scruples, I found one thing to be true, being set apart is being obedient to God. We can dicker on the price all we want but seeking to obey God is the start of Holiness. I know people will continue to argue over what things we can and cannot do in order to obey God.

The most challenging thing about this chapter is all the ways I am not set apart or holy. Even worse was how it is not cut and dry. But exploring holiness has shown me that my motive must be out of obedience to my creator. It does not matter what I can get from holiness but obedience is the means and the end to obeying.

I must love God that much.

And that is uncomfrotable.

This American Church A place for exploring the Church in the American context. Issues may get political, cultural, and philosophical — but it’s always personal.

→ Read more about This American Church here.

#uncomfortable

Uncomfortable Holiness - #ec2dot21

Hey everyone, welcome back to Another Empty Conversation - a show that lets you eavesdrop on a conversation about faith and following Jesus. We talk about our faith so you can talk about yours. We're glad you’ve joined us this week.

For the past couple weeks, we’ve been working our way through Brett McCracken’s book, “Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community.” If you've missed an episode or blog, don't worry; you can catch up at any time by visiting www.empty.church or finding us on a variety of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr.

This week we’re focusing on uncomfortable holiness. So join us as we jump right into Another Empty Conversation.

That's it for this week. Share with us in the comments below why you think holiness is uncomfortable and join us next week as we’ll be talking about uncomfortable truths. Until then, live empty, talk faith, and opt-in to follow Jesus and I’ll catch you on the next episode of another empty conversation.

Another Empty Conversation Podcast

iTunes | Google Play | SoundCloud

Subscribe to our bi-weekly podcast where friends gather to talk about faith and following Jesus on the six days between Sundays when the church buildings are empty. Iron sharpens iron.

#uncomfortable

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