For Efficacy's Sake

I heard one of the most distinctly applicable Christian realizations shortly ago from a rather eccentric man. He said something to the effect of the following: "Christians are notorious for one thing in this society above all other. We use the worst deep grammar ever. That is to say that when someone says 'Lord, we know you are among us because we can feel your presence,' the first question to any atheist is, 'Ok, so can you actually explain what that "feels" like?' and we do not, quite frankly have an answer for it."

I do not mean to imply that we are mistaken in so many things that we say, but simply that it seems we are often careless when we fail to consider that those we mean to reach out to simply think us fools, not because the message of the cross is foolishness to them (though it often is as a sidepoint), but because we speak foolishly and carry on without thinking about what we actually say. I cringe at statements like "as surely as the Lord lives, etc." or something of the sort, simply because what follows is rarely so sure as that. I wonder at the audacity with which we address certain issues that we claim to believe so firmly on because it has been made clear in scripture what stance the Lord has on it, yet when confronted with societal opposition we cower behind "opinion" so as not to offend. Quite frankly, Paul makes it clear that the cross cannot help being offensive at times. Granted, the one thing that can be seen as an absolutely certainty concerning undeniable truths is that there will always be someone willing to deny them, but that does not keep us from speaking them where they are required.

It is a concern I think must be dealt with soon before it becomes too much an epidemic to even realize the existence of later on.

Soul Force

So I hate to cut the discussion of Barret short... (I know Doug will be especially crushed)
As everyone at ACU knows, Soul Force is coming to campus on Monday. And we have been engaging in some discussions concerning the upcoming event. All this discussion has me thinking about the balance between not judging and keeping one's standards. Obviously, this is a tough line to draw, and no one is going to have the perfect answer, but I think it's a topic worth discussion. How and when is it appropriate to confront people? When should we just keep our mouths shut? All of this is really important to think about, since most of us won't be spending the rest of our lives in the buckle of the Bible Belt.
In my opinion, I think confrontations should be done very carefully, and only in certain circumstances. I feel like confronting someone with whom you have a very intimate relationship (not in a sexual way) is very appropriate, but otherwise I think it's best to avoid passing judgement. Coming across as too harsh is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to drive people away from Christ.
On the other hand, I'm not going to ignore my values or go against them just because I'm with people who don't feel the same way about things. Just because everyone around me isn't acting the way I think they should doesn' t mean that I can't. If people ask why I don't do certain things (or do certain things), I'm more than happy to tell them. But that's a door that they need to open for themselves. Of course, if I'm close to somebody I will be more likely to express my opinion and tell them what they should do, but if you're just acquaintances I hardly think that's appropriate.
Anywho, comment. I want to know what you guys think, whether or not you agree with me. I obviously don't have all the answers, but now at least I'm asking the right questions.

Feelings

Sorry about the title, but I couldn't come up with anything witty...
So I've been thinking a lot about feelings and the effects they have on life lately. CS Lewis says that feelings are a lot less important than actions. For instance, if you act like you love someone, regardless of a lack of warm fuzzies, your actions will lead you to love. I'm pretty sure that I agree on this point; actions speak louder than words and if you act a certain way long enough it eventually becomes a feeling as well, at least usually. But this really has very little to do with my particular question.
What I'm really wondering is if depression is a rejection of Christ's love and comfort. My aunt told me one time that if I really loved Christ I wouldn't be depressed. I'm not inclined to take her seriously (for a number of reasons), but I've heard similar things from a lot of people. So I'm just wondering if somehow the fact that I have trouble dealing with stuff means I'm not allowing the Spirit to work in my life. I wonder if I'm allowing myself to feel bad for some bizarre masochistic reason when in actuality all I have to do is embrace the comfort Christ freely gives. Obviously, I need Christ to heal me in numerous ways. I'm not saying that that isn't still true. I'm just wondering if it's quite as extreme as some people make it.
Anywho, this is something that has really been bothering me lately (as opposed to a purely hypothetical discussion), so I'd really appreciate thoughts.

reserves... oh what a feeling.

Since there's an obvious lack of people feeling compelled to blog here... I think I'll delve into the reserve topics and hope people feel more like commenting than they do posting. Watch out. Some of us have talked about this already, but it will be good to reiterate and get new ideas from other people as well. So as big of a topic as it is, let's talk about prayer. I think to make is easier I'll just pose one question and we can discuss it for awhile or whatever and then we can move on to other topics or we can keep talking about prayer if people have more questions they would like to post about. *coughreallyloudlycoughandincesantlycoughcough Up to y'all.

I'm wondering what you guys think about a certain way of feeling during prayer. I find a lot of times I end up trying to 'compose my heart' and make it Feel a certain way instead of focusing on the actual thoughts that are being conveyed one way or another. Good, Bad, Indifferent? Start commenting : )