Spinning out looks better when you have a goodly worn in baseball cap, years on your hands and face, free sunglasses that read “Bayer Crop Science” on the side and it’s almost fall. The change in season always brings a change in us. A return to the layers we resistingly shed back July way when rubber flip flops dominated the bins and rows of every discount barn and footed flea market goer and yeah, OK, hell, why not drop one hundred bucks at the fireworks tent? Jesus might come back tomorrow.
And then the Sunday evening of summer: August. Sure, you’re on break but not really. Are your clothes clean? Do you even know where your backpack is? Did you set the alarm? The ultimate backyard BBQ buzzkill. Put the slip ‘n side away and trade it for scheduling/ sign-ups, bus stops and after school snacks.
Meanwhile the 44 year olds are spinning out behind baseball caps and sunglasses over here. The forward motion of the young and those who have developed and maintain professional careers leave the likes of me looking for meaning in the tiny out-of-the-way places. Podcasts, dirt road walks, journal pages, silent daydreams and playlists.
The Rise and Fall of Mars HIll podcast. Say. What? This thing is something else. Let’s just say me and my old dusty confessional Lutheran heart asks over and over out loud to the air around me, “What in hell is going on over there?” Here are things I want to say on Twitter, but social media is garbage for discourse. In no particular order here are my thoughts:
-Who lets an unchurched, uneducated, new believer with a knack for public speaking go hog wild and become a mouth piece for sound theology and church organizaton? Self-governing is great when the wise, humble and God-fearing come together to serve a higher purpose. It goes south when the objective changes, man.
-All that bullshit about who women were supposed to be is so squarely outside the gospel. The gospel never says “be who I want you to be so I feel good.” The gospel says, “Remember who you are, who you were called to be, and believe.” Jesus, born of a woman, trusting women, seeing women, equipping women and revealing his resurrected self first to women. Come on.
-Spiritual trauma is something the church needs to roll up their sleeves about, put on their big girl pants and do the work of healing believers. If the church can’t face our own sinfulness in the light of Christ and His mercy, then what’s the witness?
-The call of the ministry is to point people to Christ. WE get the hell out of the way and point to Christ every day over and over again, we, Chief of Sinners, us, first in line to fall at the feet of Jesus. None of us, no matter our Instagram followers, our satellite campus numbers, our book deals, podcasts, Dove awards, whatever, graduate from the need for a savior.
-Scripture-centered and Christ-centered. Two very different things. Scripture-centered can create a banana pants tapestry of hodge podge holy weirdness where it’s possible no one ever hears the words of freedom and grace we all so desperately crave, but they can walk away each week feeling like shit because they’re not making busy enough for Jesus. Christ-centered ministry welcomes the broken-hearted and weary sinner and says, “Oh good. You’re here. Come let down your burdens and see what Christ has done.”
-Stewardship man. Stewardship. The concept that nothing in this world belongs to us. Church especially. We are asked to serve for time, nourish it, teach, administer the sacraments and hand it off to the next steward- hopefully better than we found it, rooted and established in the eternal.
This now concludes my open letter to Mike Cosper. Back to spinning out.
Remember that things about dreaming of donuts? My husband surprised me with donuts this morning. He’s the most wonderful, gentle soul who I do not deserve at all.
Turns out making Spotify playlists is very satisfying for the heavy-hearted. The whole musical universe at my finger tips and all I have to do is come up with a playlist name and off I go? Magical, and exploitative, and highway robbery, but also super enjoyable. That scans to line up with most of 21st century living so…I’m on brand.
Finally, to file under “Internalized Mysogny” the ever-present question of how do I live out my days in service to others but also harmless and out of the way so as not to make other people uncomfortable? Two ideas: felony conviction or terminal illness. I am depressed. I am taking my medication. Morbid humor helps me. Don’t worry about it.
This has been your Saturday “mixed nuts” courtesy of Hope Dunbar. Stay amazing.
To check out the podcast: The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill by Christianity Today
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill/id1569401963