"People like Henry need a hero"

Have you ever seen that Toys for Tots commercial where the marine takes the Christmas list from the kid? I love it. I think it embodies the spirit of Christmas. Most people who know me intimately have heard me talk about this before, I just think it's great. Truth be told, until I looked it up on youtube today, I hadn't seen the commercial for at least a good 9 or 10 years, but it influenced me so much as a kid, I could still remember exactly what happened. Long story short, a kid comes up to a marine who is standing guard or something, (i'm not really sure, but he was generally looking very mariney) the kid asks the marine if he is Santa Claus, and offers him his Christmas list. The marine, after a moment, extends his hand to receive the list, then after handing the list to said marine, the kid walks away, hopeful. It's beautiful. But why? well, I thought about it.

The kid had absolutely nothing to offer the marine. He's just a kid. Probably under 10. In my mind, if I was the marine, I would probably be thinking, "go away, you annoying little kid! I'm trying to do my job!" or "Where's this kid's mom? Doesn't she know that I'm trying to be a marine here? She can't just let her kids run around talking to military personal, willie-nillie!" but the marine acts heroically. Expecting nothing in return, he brings the kid the happiness and hope the little guy is looking for, by playing along, and excepting the kid's list. The kid set out to do something foolish in our eyes, but ended up accomplishing fulfillment in his own life, all because of the actions of a charitable person.

That's what Christmas is all about. Giving to others, and expecting nothing in return. It really is all about the gifts! Not the physical gifts, placed underneath the tree, but the idea behind them. The doing your best to make others happy. The exchange of your typical stinginess for your charity (and your charity always being accompanied by you saying "well, it's Christmas"). Your extra boost of decemberly compassion, and the you doing your best to make life for other people, easier. When I see this happen in real life, I'm inspired, and i'm also reminded of my relationship with God.

In Luke, when angels are talking about Jesus being born, they say things like "He will be great news in the hearts of all people," and "Peace on earth, good will to all men"  and Jesus who is supposedly this magnificent, all powerful, entity, was coming to earth, as a gift, for us. He came "Not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many" (-Jesus, mark 10:45)  and not because we can do anything for him, but because he is love, and a hero in regards to charity.

I am the child, and God is the marine. I can not give God, any benefit, He is God. Does he really NEED anything? Just like the little kid, I can offer nothing, but Jesus excepts my metaphorical Christmas list nonetheless, but on a much bigger and more dramatic scale. He gave his life as a ransom for me, and not just me, but for everyone. Jesus is not looking at our social status, intelligence, monetary welfare, or even our righteousness or good deeds. His Christmas gift is "Good will to ALL men" and it's free! We can take it! it's a gift. and that's good. because I need it.

I need Christmas. Especially in my darkest moments, I need a win. I need someone who loves me, regardless how big my demons are. I need someone who knows me completely, yet accepts me fully. I need a friendship that is incorruptible. I need a hero to stand by me when I can offer him nothing. Everyone does. Well, actually, I have no idea what everyone else needs, but it is what I need. And that's what Christ offered us when he was born, while he was living, when he died, and even now. The Bible says that God will love us no matter what. (Romans 8 and lots of other places as well) and I could not be more thankful. If angels had said that Jesus came to give peace to only the people who held any sort of consistent degree of any type of merit, I would be very sad. I have been the worst man that I have ever known personally, (at least in my own mind.) and I would not make the cut. Luckily Jesus has come to give peace to every man. Even the kid in the mall who has nothing to offer. Even me, who often has had even less.

Merry Christmas,
I hope you've found an abundance of love!
-Josh

I'd rather be the sinner

Jesus, in the gospel of Luke, tells a story about two men who go to a temple to pray. One a pharisee ("Godly", religious authority, very wealthy), and another a tax collector (unloved by society, and in the analogy, represented as a crook or "sinner"). They both have very different prayers to God. The pharisee prays to God and exalts himself. He says ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’  While the tax collector comes to God lamenting. Jesus says that the Tax collector can't even lift his head. His prayer was a simple seven words; ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’  Jesus concludes his story by saying that out of the two men, the sinner went away justified before God, while the pharisee did not.

In my opinion, this is the greatest example of God's character that the Bible has to offer. A "good man" and a "sinner" both go before God, and the one who is humble is the one who is accepted. It has nothing to do with their status, good deeds, or failures. It does not matter if you are the greatest of men, or the most wicked of them. In the eyes of God, the most important thing is that your heart is willing to be reconciled. This characteristic of God is true throughout all time. I think what also is true throughout time is the example given of the two men. One is a delusional religious figure who abides by the laws of religion, and the other is a man who is hated in society, and has no "good christian points" to speak of. Both still are in existence in my social circles, today.

There are a lot of "Christians" out there, right now, who go to church twice a week, pay the church their tithes, and who look nice and pristine at church potlucks, but have no understanding of who God really is, or have a grip on what their relationship with God means. Also(and I think most importantly), like the pharisee, are quick to put down others, and openly exalt themselves. These people are hurting Christianity, big time. Non-Christians see this sect of people, and think this is what Jesus is all about. Which is far from the truth. Jesus was about caring for anyone who seeks love, like in the story about the tax collector. The tax collector also exists today, and I think he is the only example of a true christian in the world. Someone who's heart is right with God.

(Full disclaimer, Christ has called us to do good. Christ has called everyone to be overflowing with love and charity.  He wants his followers to be upstanding citizens. He wants us to go to church, pay tithes and do all of those things, but the point of this post is to say that our humility with God comes first, and our works are second. ) The tax collector may not have been a "good" person, but he was intelligent. He had no self delusions about his righteousness, he knew that he needed God. He knew that he needed forgiveness. So he went to God in humility and understanding, asked for it, then received it. In my eyes, that is beautiful.

"Hey man, I'm sorry about that..." is the most beautiful start to a sentence among my intimate friends. Apologies and reconciliation are always the most healing moments in my life. It's when people get real, and show tenderness for the people they love. Both the forgiver, and the forgiven, must put aside selfishness for redemption to be achieved. And that is what God wants, for us to put aside our selfishness and be healed. The healing comes with the characteristics of the tax collector, humility and understanding. I'm not sure who I am out of the two characters, but I would rather be the guy who "gets it." I just want to be the man who understands.

My oldest shoes. (part 2)

Last post I talked about my oldest pair of shoes, and all the memories that I associated with them. I talked about how they represented my past, and how by wearing them(living in the past) instead of getting new shoes(living in today) I was hurting my feet. This is because my feet have grown, and because shoes don't last forever. Which is a terrible shame. Not so much that my shoes that my shoes didn't last, I have better shoes now! but more so that things in general don't last. Things that you love, and put great amounts of hope for happiness in.

This was the saddest thought that I had when contemplating throwing my shoes away. My thoughts were taken back to a scene in "A curious case of Benjamin Button" Where Brad Pitt's Character says

"I was thinking how things never last, and what a shame that is."
Cate Blanchett replies with some encouragement towards their relationship saying "Somethings last."

Towards the end of the movie, however, they tragically split apart due to circumstances they can't control, and Catie B says "you were right, nothing lasts." (But is it really that unexpected? he's growing backwards! you think she would have seen it coming) Her words, and their situation feel awfully familiar. Not so much the growing younger part, or even necessarily the life long romance part, but the losing of something/someone we love or cherish.

Nothing lasts. We experience this reality everyday. Good and bad things, great and small grow and disappear in our lives. When bad situations disappear, we are grateful, but when things we are grateful for disappear, we lament. My shoes didn't last. High school didn't last. The weekend didn't last. The shows I performed in didn't last. Relationships didn't last. My booze buzz didn't last. Some friends didn't last. A lot of these things are what I put my happiness in, and they didn't last. My happiness didn't last.

Now I don't want to write a sob story. As Mrs. Gump would say "Death is just a part of life." Parts of our lives dying out is natural, and just because things don't last forever doesn't mean that their bad investments of our time. But when we are living(either consciously or not) for something that fails, our lives fail. Not physically, but metaphorically. When you place your hope into your favorite shoes(more metaphors) and they fall apart, so does your hope. If you live for the weekend, and Monday roles around, how do you feel? How do I feel? Not well.

This is why I am a christian, or maybe perhaps why i'm a person who hopes that God is real. While everything in life comes to an end, God does not. The very nature of him is everlasting, and when I place my hope in him, my hope is everlasting as well. Again i'm not trying to knock the weekend, temporary happiness, or anything like that, but what I am suggesting is that the basis for long term peace in our lives should be something with grit, longevity, and durability.

Everyone knows the wise man who built his house on the rock, when his life went through tribulation, his house stayed intact, because of his solid foundation. As opposed to the foolish man who built his house(happiness/peace/hope) on the sand. When his life was tried, his house was washed away. (Jesus was the author of this parable) The Bible says that God is a "Everlasting Rock" (Isaiah 26:4) and that we should place our trust in him because of said strength. With that, I think we should all ask ourselves "what am I living for?" And we should go further and ask, how have/are our investments holding up? I think the most beautiful part of this story though, is when I look at trusting in God, in contrast to trusting in myself.

 Whenever I trust in me alone to make me happy, I quickly realize how bad of an idea it is. My confidence, positive self image, ability to do right by other people, "Godliness" are all things that tank, quickly. None of them seem to last very long, yet not only does the idea of, or the actual entity of God last, but so does his love. When I have a hard time loving myself, God is quick to love me.  Romans say that "There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God." and this is what brings me rock solid peace, because I need love.

Cate Blanchett was right all along. Somethings last. and I am so thankful.

My oldest shoes. (part 1)

Today, I was rearranging the shoes at my house. Rather, I was picking up the dozens of pairs of shoes scattered about our house, and arranging them neatly by our front door. (A task that has to be done in our house every other week or so, so that we don't feel like the trash monster from "A New Hope" could be living in the clutter) While doing this, I stumbled across a very old pair of shoes. My oldest shoes, in fact. At least the oldest pair that are still in use.

 A pair of brown, plaid, converse all-stars. I've had them since I was 13. They're pretty beat up now; the cloth is tearing, the laces have tape on them, three of the four metal rings on the inner sides have fallen out, and the rubber in the soles and sides is all but worn away. About a year ago, I liked their wear and tear. It gave my shoes character! But now, my Chuck Taylor's have become more ratty than rugged, and while cleaning, this thought came across my mind, "I should just throw these away", and with that thought, I became very sad.

I've had a lot of good times in those shoes. I've had them for 8 years! Through out high school, when I lived at my parents house, while doing sports and theatre, any adventure I've had up until this point involved those shoes. Now, I certainly didn't wear those shoes everyday, but when looking back at my life, and now with the possibility of them being thrown away, I can't immediately remember any other pair that I've owned, nor can I think of me wearing a different pair in the future.

The thought of me throwing away the shoes now, after reminiscing, seems tragic. It's like i'm throwing away the memories. I think what I'm really afraid of though, is the next pair of shoes that I own. How can they possibly be as good? I don't really want another pair! I just want to stay in my old, comfortable, beautiful, familiar shoes. But alas, they are old and dirty, and the soles are so worn down that they hurt my feet. Not mention, my feet have grown, and my converse don't even fit as well as they use to. I should move on, but that's difficult.

These shoes represent my past, to me. I'm always thinking about the good old days, which is usually anything before the previous year. I've had a good life, and I don't think there is anything wrong with reminiscing, but when I am stuck on the past(old shoes) it takes away from the positivity that is today and my future(new shoes). I shouldn't be sad that my life ISN'T what it use to be, I should be happy that my life IS what it is. The bible says "THIS is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in IT." (Psalm 118:24) We should live life to the fullest now, and focus on the future, which is something that we can change, as opposed to the past which is now set in stone.

(i'll continue this next week, and it will have my main point in there too!)

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

Christians shouldn't lie. It's a children's church truth that everyone in America knows, practicing believer or otherwise. Anyone can quote with their best low-tone-Simpsons-like God imitation "'THOU SHALL NOT LIE" (or bear false witness or whatever), and it is as universally recognized as a goonie never saying "die". Being honest isn't something that just Jesus-lovers strive for either, its something that is admired by everyone, whether you believe in a God or not. Yet when it comes to Christians (and none Christians too I suppose) lying is something we do on the daily.

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Honesty is really what I wanted this post to be about. Not so much about verbally telling the truth(like I said before that idea is already lodged in everyone's brain), but being honest on a level that goes deeper than our conversations with others. What I've really been thinking about, is the honesty of our hearts. How honest are we with ourselves? How honest are we with God? How honest are we with our actions and intentions?

Personally, I think a Christian should be much more focused on the big picture of honesty, rather than only focusing if there speech has been factual or not. I think, instead of just nitpicking our words for lies, we should nitpick out hearts to see if they are transparent. We should look at our actions to see if our intentions are honest. Like when we pray, do we speak real words that are from our souls? or do we pray in routine, rhyme and rhythm, with words that don't really mean anything? Are we like the hypocrites in Jesus 'acts of righteousness' (Matthew 6) speech who do good works, and have lengthy prayers so that they will be admired? or do we do them so that others will actually be benefitted.

1 Samuel 16:7 says "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Often times I have to tell myself, "quit being fake!" because I am not always true to who I am, or to what I believe. I'm always trying to impress people, or look good. Even when I'm doing "Christian" things, I do them because "that's what a Christian should be doing!" rather than actually doing them with love, or out of compassion, or humility etc. 

When we are transparent and honest, I think that's when people actually experience God's love, rather than experiencing something fake and superficial. Christ did call himself the truth, after all, and that's what people are longing for. Something honest, organic, and full of integrity. We should examine ourselves daily to see if that describes us. Honest, organic, and full of integrity. When these words become who we are, we will be able to help and understand any kind of person, and love past any wrong, just like Christ has done for us.

"Gonna have to serve somebody"

The other day, I was listening to "Gotta Serve Somebody", a classic written and preformed by Bob Dylan. The song is obviously spiritual, but I had never taken anything from it, to heart. Other than the fact that it was about God, the Devil, and that we probably "have'ta" serve one of those deities, eventually. On a separate occasion, recently I read, at some church form/christian related outlet, (I'm pretty sure it came up in another blog) the verse, "Choose today who you will serve.... As for me and my house, we will serve the lord." (Joshua 24:15)

 What grabbed my attention from this verse was the fact that it says the word serve, just like in the song. Naturally, I disregarded the rest of the article because I was too busy thinking what it would sound like if Bob Dylan did a bible book-on-tape, and how much my bible time would increase if Bob Dylan were reading it to me. Then, I didn't come back to the thought of serving someone until today at lunch, when someone quoted Jesus by saying, "you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." (Mark 8:33) That's when I realized how the question of serving somebody is very applicable to me, everyday.

The reason I would dismiss the song/verses about serving somebody was because "I'm a Christian. I've already decided who I'm going to serve." But now I think that both Bob Dylan, and Jesus, had a much deeper meaning to "serving somebody" then just a one time life decision to "become a Christian" or not. 

We serve somebody everyday, with everything we do.  Life choices big and small, never escape the realm of us preforming a service to someone. Whether we are running errands, at work, relaxing with friends, at church, or anything else in between, we are doing something for someone. That someone, could be anyone! Often times I find that "Somebody" that i'm serving, to be myself. I might not ever do this consciously, even less often with malicious intent, but when I examine myself, I find that I do focus on my interests, almost always. I'm always thinking, "What will make me happy?", "What's in it for me?" or "How will I end up on top?" What I should be thinking is "How will this benefit others/God?" 

Jesus says that that "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13) Whether you are a christian or not, we can all see the wisdom in Jesus' words here. I personally think he was talking not just about dying for your friends, but living for them. Daily putting other people's/God's interests above our own. Daily serving somebody. Difficult? certainly. But to quote the great Nick Lidstrom "It wont be easy, but nothings that's worth while ever is."

Hello! first blog post! I'm starting this blog because United Church in parchment, MI(the church on Roosevelt), wanted an online outlet to do church with, so naturally (because I'm under 25) I've been selected to write it.

If you know me , and are wondering 'what in the world is he writing a blog about Jesus for?' I can explain! I am not trying to pitch my "infinite wisdom" to anyone, nor am I trying to boost my social status to "spiritual". I'm not claiming to have any wisdom at all, I'm not even claiming to be that good of a Christian, but I am honestly trying to learn more about Christ. I do honestly believe that he is legit, and I honestly love him. I may not always show that with how I live, but who does? I love being skinny and good-looking, but that is not always evidenced by all the pizza I eat. (I think we can all relate to a good pizza analogy.)

With that being said, I hope you can take my thoughts with a grain of salt. I'm not trying to be preachy. I'm just wanting to share my thoughts, as I learn, as humbly as I possibly can. If you are reading this blog and you're not a Christian, wonderful! That's who I'd like the read this blog the most. If you've ever been curious about Christianity, if you hate Christianity, if your indifferent, or if you're in some other category, I'd love for you to continue reading. I'd love for you to bring your thoughts to the table, and I'd love to learn something from them too. My beliefs are not concrete, I don't think anyone's are completely infallible. People who say "it's my way or the highway" are really the only people with whom I would rather not discuss. Otherwise, bring on your brains!!

Proverbs says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." but this verse is very ambiguous as to who it's referring to. Is it the obnoxious Christian? the atheist? or is it referring to something more superficial, like a person who prefers one set of movies to another? I doubt it's the last one, but what ever it is alluding to, I'm trying to find the way that's actually right. I don't want to be that guy who's being lead to death! So I'll be writing and posting with the idea that the right way could be Jesus. Join the discussion, Join the search for truth.

Thanks for reading my little introduction, I hope you check my blog out again in the weeks to come.

-Josh White
United church
2772 Roosevelt ave, Kalamazoo