Announcements

The Hidden Messages of American Christianity

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Reading between the linesThis is a notice of an upcoming series of posts on American Christianity and its hidden messages. What’s a hidden message? Usually, it’s a well-intentioned message that has unforeseen negative consequences, or it’s a message that was never intended in the first place, but assumes prominence.

The Gospel is fairly clear, but our transmission of it periodically suffers. Likewise, the American Church has bound up the truth of Christianity with American Manifest Destiny and that old classic, the American Dream. The result is that the world perceives a bizarre mish-mash of pseudo-Christian ideals coming out of the American Church. What makes these hidden messages so pernicious is that no matter our church slant (traditional, emerging, charismatic, mainline, evangelical, or fundamentalist), we can fall into these hidden messages.

This series will be a little different. Rather than pontificating off the top of my own head all the time, if there is a hidden message that particularly sticks in your craw, e-mail me and I’ll write about it. Have a great week!

The Series so far:

1. Hidden Messages of American Christianity: Classism

2. Hidden Messages of American Christianity: Kneeling at the Altar of Excellence

3. Hidden Messages of American Christianity: Correctness Before Love

4. Hidden Messages of American Christianity: Pastor O’Gill and the Little People

5. Hidden Messages of American Christianity: “We’re Cool, Too!”

6. Hidden Messages of American Christianity: “Family Cocooning Session: No Trespassing Allowed!”

7. Hidden Messages of American Christianity: The Outstretched Hand

Aftermath of the Blogout

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The Blogout for the Kingdom is over and I must admit that—at least here—it was not quite what I had imagined.

Car troubles consumed far more of my time than I had planned. As a result, much less got accomplished than I had hoped. I did get my thank you notes written to folks who had been an influence on my spiritual development, so at least that was completed. But otherwise, too many things on my list were punted.

It was a great week for relationships, though. We spent time with my side of the family, hung out with a couple who are great friends, and I contacted an old friend who was able to get together with my brothers and me.

But for all my hope for a spiritual retreat week, well, I recall something about mice, men, and plans that certainly applies.

I retreated from all other blog-visiting, too. Combined with my own Blogout, I was surprised at how little I missed it all. I've long wondered if blogging substitutes for personal relationships in some cases. I know this is not a popular opinion, but I found the face-to-face contact I had this week to be more "real" than Web-based contacts. This isn't a slam on the relationships I've developed online—by no means!—but encountering a person face-to-face is just better.

This got me back to the theme I've explored a few times this year: whether blogging is worth it. My conclusion after this week is that I'm not sure. I hope that doesn't disappoint anyone.

Does this mean that Cerulean Sanctum is going away? Probably not. But this last week reminded me that I was missing out on a few things because of blogging. That goes beyond writing this blog and to the others that I read, too. What it may mean is that December becomes a light month. I know that I MUST complete my novel in the next few weeks. Regular posting may be the casualty—but I've said that before.

If you joined in the Blogout, let me know how it went for you.

Because We Have Been So Richly Blessed

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Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
—Matthew 10:8 KJV

A few weeks ago, I called for The Blogout for the Kingdom, a week devoid of all blogging so that we could put into practice what we have learned through interacting with other believers in the blogosphere. Jesus HealingFrom Sunday, November 20 through Saturday, November 26, I will be hanging up Cerulean Sanctum in order to concentrate on doing the work of the Kingdom instead of merely talking about or commenting on it. I have encouraged others of you to do the same.

My hope is that we will make real in the lives of other people what we already know to be God's truth. This is a call to minister to others in a way that you might not have done before, but have always wanted to try. Pleas consider taking this week to be bold in Christ in ways that are unfamiliar, but are what God has been calling you to do.

Breaking out of our Christian comfort zones is hard. For some other people, it's not so difficult as it is time consuming. How many things we know we should do that we have put off!

So that is what this time is about. For some it may mean serving Thanksgiving meals to the downtrodden. Others may take time given to blogging to create something special for a spouse as a means of showing thankfulness for his/her love and commitment. Or call a missions agency and asking what missionaries are having the hardest time with their support, then decide to support them, even if you don't know them or are not a part of their denomination. Perhaps it means visiting an elderly member of your congregation who may be hospitalized over Thanksgiving. Only the Lord can tell you what you need to do with the time you gain back from blogging and reading blogs. That is the heart and soul of The Blogout for the Kingdom.

As for me, I plan on handwriting letters to folks who have blessed my walk with Christ, thanking them for what they poured into me. I may not have all the addresses, but I plan on finding them. I also plan on taking blog time to write worship music for my church. I've written many songs in my life, but I've only performed them solo, never as a gift of worship for others to sing. In keeping with the week, the theme of those songs will be surrender and thankfulness for what the Lord has done for us all. Even as I'm writing, the Lord is giving me a burden to pray for all the readers of Cerulean Sanctum, so if you have a prayer request, let me know before midnight Saturday and I will lift up your request every day for the week. I intend to spend Saturday praying for other opportunities to minister during the week, too.

Consider withdrawing from the blogosphere for this week. If any of you are like me, writing your blog and reading what other bloggers write consumes more than an hour or two a day. For this week, that time is going back to the Lord for other things.

Bless you all. Thank you for hanging out here at Cerulean Sanctum. Lord willing, I'll be back here after the 26th.

For the King and the Kingdom,

Dan