I haven’t seen this show yet but knowing the tale of Jay’s parents and a bit of his story and ministry, this would be interesting television to say the least. Jay’s story and family situation is unique; his parents are Jimmy Bakker and Tammy Faye.
I think Jay is a needed prophetic voice for the Church with a message of acceptance, forgiveness and love – a message that Jay is in the unique position to give.
I don’t know about you, but because of my experience growing up with Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, superheroes and other cartoons, I got the overwhelming message that I was special. I was told that I could do anything I wanted if I put my mind to it and worked hard enough. I don’t think I am the only one with that message imprinted on my psyche.
Consequently, we now have an adult generation (my generation) of people who are to some degree dealing with disappointment and depression because they have realized the truth; we each have limitations and as someone once said: “we are special, just like everyone else.” I think this is evidenced in our culture with the obsession with fame and the eventual disillusionment of what I call “American Idol Syndrome” (the individuals who audition and are convinced they are a rock star yet have no possibility of fulfilling that dream).
I am not against dreams but maybe we have to temper them with a dose of reality at times. I love music but I know that although I at times dream of being a rock star, it is more a fantasy than a dream because it exceeds my capabilities. God didn’t give me the gift of an amazing voice and no matter how hard I try, I won’t be a rock star or anything close to it.
I also know that I am very normal and therefore my question evolves: “What is wrong with normal?” Why is normal seen as appalling? I think, for the most part anyway, this is a problem plaguing our postindustrial materially wealthy culture where “special” is, to some limited degree, possible for the average person. It is possible for a select few to be a superstar, for the son of a carpenter to become a rock star or for the daughter of plumber to be an actress. In view of history, this is a fairly new development in the sociological history of humankind. A hundred years ago or in the majority of the world today, your future was/is determined, usually by the career of your parents. Your life was the way it was by what seemed like a predetermined destiny, with little choices except whether or not to make the most of your destined situation. Contrast that with our culture today where the average 14-16 year old is forced to make major life-altering decisions about their career path from a seemingly limitless list of choices. The pressure of that and the potential to be wrong are equally distressing.
It is this phenomenon that I think feeds into shows like Heroes (which my wife and I began watching this Christmas). I think all of us want to be special…to do something no one else can do. We all fantasize about having an ability that would make us unique and special. I know I am not alone in this struggle with who I am and in many ways coming to grips with my limitations and beginning to see them as gifts from God. Let’s face it, if we were all gifted in every way, with no limitations, we would self-destruct…so I remember that we are normal. We each have numerous limits that are not the bane of our existence to be grieved, rather they are limits that need to be celebrated as gifts from God as much as our abilities are. Part of what makes you and I special is not simply our abilities but our limitations. So maybe we all need a dose of reality and accept who we are and who we are not.
I thought since it has been way too long since I’ve blogged that I would do a bit of a summary for you on my live over the last few weeks:
1) I am falling more in more in love with my MacBook…I actually think I love it way more than I should.
2) I got the iPod I wanted for Christmas with money I received as gifts and it has already been a useful tool in my ministry allowing me to listen to sermons and books as I drive or fall asleep at night.
3) I have a few days off before I go back to work and look forward to enjoying some much needed rest and relaxation although I have a truck load of reading to get through.
4) I am finally almost caught up on emails…
5) I am excited about the next Small Group Pastor’s DeConference coming up in March. The website will be up in the next few days: www.deconference.incipiosermo.com
6) School is about to begin in the winter semester and I am taking a class in Hebrew and in Pastoral Leadership…it is going to be a busy few months.
7) My sister was here from Taiwan for Christmas and although in her busy social schedule we only saw her for a short period of time, we already really miss her.
8) I’ve been listening to Michael Crichton’s book NeXt on my iPod and it has already been prompting me to think through ethics in regards to genetic advancements and engineering.
9) We watched an Inconvenient Truth last week on DVD and have been convicted to do more for the environment. Our planet is changing and it is changing fast!
It is about the time to report on the completion, or rather incompletion, of the crazy process of trying to read 30 books and the Bible in 90 days. I did succeed to get through about half…a fraction of what I would have achieved other wise. This is one of those times I simply bit more off than I could chew. In the last four months, along with my Bible reading, I read about a book a week which isn’t outstanding but nothing to shake a stick at…
So it is now time to move on so that I can begin the process of school again and all that means. I actually took a great class on the Gospel of Matthew last week and will begin taking Pastoral Leadership and Hebrew starting next week during the regular semester.
Shalom
I bought the book The Myth of a Christian Nation after seeing the author Gregory A. Boyd on PBS. Do I sound smart and sophisticated after disclosing the fact that I at times watch PBS? During his interview on PBS, I was impressed by his knowledge and perspective and though the book was worth the read and I was glad that I did. It is one of those books I read expecting to agree with most of it and for the most part, I did. Boyd engages this controversial topic on many levels including the destructive intertwining of the politics and the church. Boyd sees an important distinction between the Kingdom of God with the Kingdoms of the World, one in which the North American Church has too often interwoven together. Using history (distant and recent) as well as theological arguments he makes a case for the separation of the two and the dangers of entangling them.
Instead of getting into specifics, I would just make a general comment that I think the concept of the Kingdom of God is intriguing. Just the discussion on how much of our theology (eschatology, ecclesiology, etc.) feeds in and out of our view of what the Kingdom of God is and isn’t, is worth pursuing. My interest in this topic was intensified this last week after taking a class on the Gospel of Matthew and spending, as Matthew does, a lot of time talking about the Kingdom of God and what it is and isn’t.
Although I have some issues with Boyd’s conclusions, especially his views on passivism (that is a topic for a whole other day), the book is well worth the time. This is especially true if you have been working though the concept of the Church’s role in government and issues related to it. If nothing else, this book will get conversation going.
