Jon Acuff's Blog, page 117

Wondering if you can be a part of something bigger than yourself.

We're all curious about that on some level, especially at this time of year. As we reflect back on the year with joy or sadness or a mix of both, we reassess the last twelve months and wonder what the next twelve will hold. Can we be part of something bigger than ourselves?

What does that really look like?

A little over two years ago, I asked you that when I told you a story called "what if?" I asked you if we could be bigger than a blog. I asked you if we could try something more than a little crazy. I asked you if we could try it together.

Your answer was a resounding yes.

Here, from start to finish, is a Serious Wednesday story about the crazy adventures our big God can take us on.

 

Hello Best Picture of Joy I Saw in 2011

A couple of months ago, the SCL community got together with Hello Somebody and sponsored 6 young men to go through a one-year leadership program in Rwanda. Last week, my friend Carlos Whitaker actually got to go to Rwanda with the Hello Somebody team.

During the trip, Carlos took the photo below. (I took it straight from his Instagram feed, which you should follow cause it's awesome.) The photo is of a Rwandan student named Jonathan being baptized. If they ever let me write a dictionary, which they won't, this is the photo I would use by the word "joy."

Thank you for supporting Hello Somebody and rocking amazingly fun old school meets news school watches with me. There are real people on the other side of that watch.

(Click here if you want to learn more about what Hello Somebody does, or order a watch for your own awesome wrist.)

SCLQ – Christmas Music

Recently, I accomplished something pretty awesome. I don't know if I'll bring it to the brag table or not, but it's still quite a feat. What did I do?

I've made it through the first 20 days of Christmas and have only heard the "Christmas Shoes" song one time.

I know, I know, kind of a "dear diary" moment. Almost wish we hadn't sent our Christmas card out yet. I would have added that feat to it.

But enough about me and my Christmas miracles, let's talk about your favorite holiday music.

If you were going to build a soundtrack for Christmas, what favorite songs would you put on it?

5 things to get 5 people you love for Christmas.

Though Christmas is less than a week away, it's not too late to enjoy a very Merry Acuffy Christmas. (My last name is impossible to turn into an adjective. I stand by "Acuffy" as the best available option.)

Here are 5 things you can get 5 people you love.

1. Stuff Christians Like Daily Calendar

Who should you buy this for? Anyone who likes to laugh for an entire year and might not otherwise know what day of the week it is without an extremely hilarious reminder. (Here's the trailer, lest you forget the mirth.) Available at DaveRamsey.com.

2. Stuff Christians Like Book

Who should you buy this for? Anyone who wants the original, illustrated romp through faith, pop culture and where the two collide with comical results. Available at DaveRamsey.com and Amazon.

3. Gazelles, Baby Steps & 37 Other Things Dave Ramsey Taught Me About Debt

Who should you buy this for? Anyone who is working on their budget, trying to break the student loan strangle hold of the delightfully named but ultimately terrifying Sallie Mae or knows what a debt snowball is. Available at DaveRamsey.com and Amazon.

4. Quitter

Who should you buy this for? Anyone who is not currently working at a job they love. That might be you. It might be a friend. It might be a son or daughter who moved back home after college and is playing Call of Duty in your basement relentlessly. Available at DaveRamsey.com and Amazon.

5. Ticket for the Quitter Conference

Who should you buy this for? A bunch of people have emailed me and said, "My wife gave me this for Christmas" or "My husband gave me this for Christmas," so I'd say a spouse, close friend or family member. If you know someone who you love that's capable of some amazing things but needs a helpful push in that direction, this Friday night and all day Saturday conference is a great gift. February 10-11, in Nashville. Available at JonAcuff.com/events.

That's end, end of infomercial or awesomemercial depending on how you look at it. If on Christmas morning your friends and family members open what you got them and say, "Is there a gift receipt?" don't blame me, I gave you 5 Awesome Acuffy gift ideas.

Cancelling church on Christmas Day.

I spent the worst Christmas Eve of my life in an Arby's in New Jersey. At least I think it was Arby's. It might have been a "Big Boy," that fast food restaurant with the little cartoon kid who has the wavy hair that looks like mine when I don't get a haircut often enough.

It's hard to remember which one I was in because I was crying so much over my plate of sad french fries.

And, no, these tears were not based off the Arby's jingle "Good Mood Food." That thing wouldn't come out until years later and, much like Putty from Seinfeld, I'm not opposed to Arby's. I was crying because I was in an Arby's on Christmas Eve somewhere in New Jersey. Nobody was fist pumping. Nobody was four lokoing the night away. Very few people were wearing Ed Hardy denim jackets on which a tiger is inexplicably fighting a dragon. It was dead inside, just a smattering of road wary travelers battling the New Jersey Turnpike and slumber as they headed to their final Christmas destinations.

Our road ended in Charlotte, North Carolina. Being a pastor's kid is like being Spiderman. With great power comes great responsibility. On the plus side, you have your own racy theme song, "Son of a Preacher Man." On the negative side, your dad has to work Christmas Eve. Which means, instead of leaving early for your grandparent's house in North Carolina, you can't drive away from Massachusetts once the candlelight service is over.

That's what we did that year. But one year church fell on a Sunday, which put us in a bit of a bind.

To cancel or not to cancel church on Christmas day? That is the question.

And it's a question every pastor in the country is asking right now. As you are well aware, Christmas day falls on a Sunday this year.

A friend who is a pastor told me that his church decided not to have service that day. A woman asked, "No church on Sunday? You must not love the Lord."

That's a fairly broad jump for cancelling church, but it is a debatable topic. I am personally glad that our church is not having service on Sunday this year. Why?

1. It gives the staff a chance to celebrate Christmas at home. Working at a church can be an incredibly difficult job. I'm glad they get to celebrate with their families this year.

2. I want to be home celebrating with my family.

3. Now I don't have to tell my pastor that I missed church because I was starting a home church that only meets on Christmas Sundays. Or once every seven years.

4. It's easier to hide the Elf on the Shelf if I'm not worried about getting up early for church.

I'm kidding! My Elf on the Shelf skills are legendary. I don't need the extra sleep.

And if you want to hold church on Christmas Sunday, that's awesome. We did that when I was growing up and, although the second grade me couldn't fathom why I was being pulled away from presents, the 35-year-old me is more understanding.

How about your church? Are you guys holding service or canceling this year?

SCLQ – Booty, God, Booty the Video: Part 3 – Jesus Jukes

Here's week 3 of the new video series I did with LifeChurch.tv. Today's video is titled, "Jesus Jukes." (Here are the links to part 1 and part 2 if you missed them.)

 

 

 

Questioning people's parenting skills by the gifts they give their kids.

(It's guest post Friday! Here is a Christmas themed post from John Crist. John is a standup comedian from Colorado. If you want to guest post, here's how!)

Questioning People's Parenting Skills By The Gifts They Give Their Kids. By John Crist  

I have a problem with Wiseman #1. Frankincense and Myrrh? Sure. I mean, as a gift, they are a little bit of a stretch to give to an infant, but it's the thought that counts.

Gold? Thoughtless.

It's like giving an iTunes gift card to your grandmother. Before you explain iTunes, you're gonna need to explain computers, the internet, CDs, MP3s, the iPod, and Napster. She'll have had her cup of decaf and be asleep by the time you mention the Winklevoss Twins. It's just not worth it.

As a young carpenter, Jesus was probably using that bar of gold to pound nails. (Granted, if Dave Ramsey would have been living, he would have instructed Jesus to invest that gold in a high-yield, no-load, growth stock mutual fund…but that's neither here nor there.)

The worst part is that Mary and Joseph green-lighted this whole gift-giving event.

Originally, there was actually a fourth Wiseman. But he suggested giving Tonka Trucks to Jesus,  so Luke didn't bother writing about him.

Look, I'm sure Mary and Joseph were great parents. Well, except for that one time when Jesus was a kid and they lost Him downtown and couldn't find Him for three days. Other than that, great parenting. But who can blame them for their gift giving choices? They didn't know the four types of Christian Christmas Parents. But you're about to, and it's about to get bold.

Here are the Four Types of Christian Christmas Parents

1. The "Giving-the-Christian-Alternative-of-the-Hottest-Toys" Parents

While you were getting Teletubbies, I was getting Televangelist-tubbies. You should have seen the day all the neighborhood kids got together and played Teletubbies vs. televangelist-tubbies in the cul-de-sac. The Purple Teletubbie fought the purple-haired televangelist-tubbie. Classic.

2. The "Let's-Compare-Jesus-to-Santa-Claus" Parents

They both do miracles, they're both omnipresent, and they both give gifts. This was the perfect comparison until I got to college and realized Santa Claus wasn't real.  I know what you're thinking, "Wait, John, you didn't find out that Santa wasn't real until college?!" I was homeschooled.

3. The "Giving-Gifts-With-Subtle-Hints" Parents

When I was 13, I got deodorant for Christmas. Thanks mom. When did you realize I should start wearing deodorant? April? And you decided to wait nine months because you figured it would be less awkward than just setting it on my sink one morning and saying, "Use this." It was more awkward at Christmas. Trust me. 

4. The "We-Don't-Celebrate-Christmas" Parents

Not a smart move. Good luck sending your kids back to school to interact with kids who got lots of sweet presents. That will be awkward. Wait, who are we kidding? The "We-Don't-Celebrate-Christmas" parents are obviously homeschooling their children, so this won't be a problem. (Again, I was homeschooled, which gives me insider immunity anytime I reference homeschooling.)

Which parents did you have?

Which parent are you?

(For more great stuff from John Crist, follow him on Twitter or check out his standup and sketch comedy videos!)

Doing life together.

Move over, "going through a season," you've been replaced by an even more ubiquitous Christian phrase.

You had a good run. Don't get down on yourself. You were like the Peyton Manning of Christian phrases. Nobody could stop you. Not even "love on." And for a while I thought that one was going to take the crown. That's a solid fake verb kind of phrase.

I want to love on my neighbors.

I'm going to love on a family who is going through a season right now.

Hearing Prince always makes me want to get my love on.

Not the right usage? Fair enough.

But it doesn't really matter because love on's reign as top Christian phrase is over. It failed to watch the throne! Doing life together crept up like kudzu across a Mississippi highway. It's been around for a while, but suddenly it's everywhere. Part of the reason is that it can describe almost any activity on the planet.

Going water skiing? You're doing life together.

Reading through the latest John Eldredge book with some guys? You're doing life together.

Bringing a friend who burned off their eyebrows in a freak roman candle accident a casserole of hope? You're doing life together!

It's perfect. And you can almost hear Jesus saying it in the Bible, can't you? Think about it, the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Hiphopotamus standing around saying, "Jesus, why do you keep hanging out with sinners? Why do you keep having dinner with sinners?" And Jesus smiling back and saying, "This? We're doing life together."

And then they planned Frisbee golf.

Don't have that scene in your Bible? That's a shame, because Jesus has a ridiculous sidearm and has even been known to throw the hammer sometimes during ultimate Frisbee games.

Cause he was doing life together.

And so is everyone else at church.

Farewell "going through a season."

Say hi to "WWJD bracelets." They can probably tell you what it's like to have a meteoric rise and eventual retirement.

Questions:

Have you ever heard someone say "doing life together?"

What Christian phrase do you think is even more popular right now?

Losing your religion.

How do you make cobra wine?

I'm glad you asked because recently on our trip to Vietnam, I learned the recipe.

Step 1 – Catch cobra.

Step 2 – Put cobra in jug of rice wine.

Step 3 – Seal lid on. Tightly.

From what I can tell, the hardest part of making cobra wine is catching the cobra, but isn't that true of most cobra-based beverages?

What's that you say? You're more of a scorpion wine guy? You feel like it tends to have better undertones of raspberry and oak and scorpion? I've heard that myself.

But I can't say for certain, as I didn't taste either variety of wine. (Although I hear 2009 was a particularly excellent vintage of cobra.)

Snapping photos of the fun sights in the mountains of Vietnam was a blast, but it wasn't my biggest takeaway from the trip. Despite my obvious penchant for snake jokes, seeing those jugs of wine was not what I will remember most from the trip. In addition to the miraculous story I told you about a guy named Hoa, what stuck with me from the trip most was something someone said off hand one day.

Tim, an American who has lived in Vietnam for 18 years as a missionary, mentioned something while we were driving around Hanoi. Here is what he said:

"You know, when the Vietnamese bump into Christ, they go deep in their faith really quickly. They get gifted deeply and really build a strong faith in a short amount of time."

That surprised me a little, and I asked him why. His answer surprised me even more:

"Well," he said, "the Vietnamese are a spirit-based people. They grew up with animism and ancestor worship. They get that we're spirit beings living in a world that is not our final destination. They're in touch with the role of the spirit in our lives. They get the Holy Spirit. Sometimes Christians in America have a harder time grasping that part of faith."

That short conversation caught me off guard and exposed something in my own life.

I've got a whole lot of religion, but very little spirituality.

For the last year, I've worked as hard as I possibly can on being a good steward of the talents I feel like God has given me. I've spoken all over the country. I wrote Quitter. I balanced my family and my dream and hustled more than I ever have before. And the truth is, I put blood, sweat and tears into my own effort-based natural results.

Hustle, I understand. If you work hard, certain things happen. If you work harder than the next guy, certain things happen. If you push and strive, good things can happen.

But, along the way, I feel like I lost touch with the Holy Spirit. I got so focused on my own natural results, of seeing the progress of my effort, that I lost sight of the supernatural.

My faith became mechanical and mathematical. Here's the thing, though: I don't want to live a life based on my efforts.

It's exhausting. Before I was a Christian, trying to fix myself and numb the things that hurt was exhausting. Now that I'm a Christian, trying to make life work on my own is just as tiring.

I don't want that kind of faith.

I want spirit-driven faith. I want deep, soaked-in-the-Holy Spirit faith. I don't want to experience the best of what Jon Acuff is capable. That's small and tiny and insignificant. I want to experience the best of what God is capable. A supernatural God who breathed life into me and set the stars in place and moves with as much mystery and creativity as he did when he wrote a message on the wall for a king or burned a talking bush for a prophet.

I don't want to be in charge of my growth, with effort-based faith that hollows me out and leaves me shiny on the outside and empty in the middle.

I want Christ to be in charge of my growth. A Christ that didn't say to the disciples, "Come and you will learn how to be fishers of men." A Christ who said, "Come and I will make you fishers of men."

If you and I believed for a second that the same power that raised Christ from the dead was in us, can you fathom how different that day would be?

I wish I could wrap this post up with three neat little steps on how to fix the situation and live a spirit-based life. But to do so puts me right back into effort mode.

Today, my prayer for me, and maybe for you if you've been living a 2D faith too, is that we won't get comfortable in the natural. That we'll learn to rest and return to a God who is, always has been, and always will be supernatural.

SCLQ – 4 minutes of sheer bliss.

What happens when you give me a women's sweater with bedazzled snowmen, a roaring fire place and two Christians having a hard time finding the perfect present?

This video is what happens. (And if you find it even a smidge inspiring, I strongly encourage you to pick up a few copies of the Stuff Christians Like 2012 Daily Calendar.)