sin is a bore

All right. This has bugged me enough over the past several days that I’m gonna write about it. Yep. (And it’s not even the thing I’m “stewing” about as mentioned in a recent post. That’s still a-stewin’ and a-brewin’.)

Two things of late. First, I heard this from a Christian acquaintance: “Do we really have to keep hearing that we’re all sinners?” Okaaay …. Maybe I should’ve said something, but I’m actually trying to keep my mouth shut more …. which is why, I guess, I have a blog. Seems there’s only so much I CAN keep my mouth shut. Anyway, the comment sorta stuck in my craw.

The second craw-sticking comment came on the heels of my recent post, “some straights and some homos.” The comment was posted over at The Anchoress, not here, and in it, the author — who I think rather missed the point of the post — asserted the idea that, after 2,000 years, the notion that we’re all sinners is a “fairly banal” one.

Am I crazy? Is something wonky and wrong here? (Or maybe it IS just me?)

Is the very reason for which Christ died, robbing sins, shattering history, becoming a bore, a “no biggie”?

“Yeah, yeah. Jesus died the most brutal, torturous death on the cross for my sins, actually IN MY PLACE and …. uhh …. whatever …. (*yawwwn*) …. hey, what’s on TV?”

Are we as Christians so numbed and so succumbed to our culture that our Savior’s sacrificial death is becoming just a tiresome, quaint tale to tell our children? A story of no greater import than the dreary old bedtime variety told to induce sleep? Are we becoming so slyly yet thoroughly seduced by the world’s siren call of self-sufficiency that the truth of our sinfulness is an offense — even to us?

Certainly there are times in this Christian life when we feel we’re alone in the landscape, forgotten by the Lord, but that’s never the truth. Certainly there are times when we become achingly weary of the journey, our hearts fainting, our feet stumbling, our minds crying, “O God, I can’t do it anymore!” But please tell me we can’t truly behold our Lord’s bruised, battered body, our sins heaped upon it, with dulled hearts and glazed eyes.

We are frail. We can be tired forgetters and petty forsakers. WE can be banal. But not our Lord, His precious sacrifice, or the reasons for it. The whole world stands on wobbly legs of sinfulness, united in its need of a Savior. Our sin was our lost cause, but Jesus Christ was its champion.

In the wake of the tsunami in South Asia, I’ve wondered how many of the over 150,000 dead had even heard the beautiful, blessed, banal truth of our sinfulness and the Savior who died for it.

And I’ve wondered how many of them, in their roiling, thunderous deaths, surrendered as lost causes, never knowing their Champion.

gettin’ hitched

That’s right. I got hitched again the other day. And not to My Beloved. Nope. As a matter of fact, I haven’t even told him yet. I mean, how do you tell your husband that you’re now a bigamist? I don’t suppose he’ll cotton to the idea, but I can’t undo it now. Besides, I really, truly love this person. The proposal was perfect, surprising. I was completely swept off my feet, and well, how could I say no to that?

“Tee Tee.”

My niece was on the phone.

(Yeah. What were YOU thinkin’? *Gasp* Well, I am truly shocked and appalled!)

“Yes, Piper?”

“Wiw you mawwy me?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Dat’s good. Okay. Put your awm stwaight out.”

I did so.

“Is your awm out, Tee Tee?”

“Yes, Pipey. Are we married now?”

“Umm, no. Now put your weg stwaight out, too.”

Hmm …. the ceremony was a tad more calisthenic than my first wedding, but nonetheless, both arm and leg were stuck out as required by the ritual.

“Okay, Piper. Are we married now?”

“Yeah. Ahhh-men.”

Oh, so simple. No long months of laborious planning. No lingering family feuds. No heavy, regrettable wedding dress. Or hair.

Just some calisthenics. An “amen.” And … pfffftt. We’re married. Yep. I’m gonna do all my weddin’s this way from now on.

And, of course, now MB has some serious competition. Ohhh, yeah. Don’t think I won’t be using THAT.

news from thailand

Just a quick note before I’m off to bed.

I’d been anxiously waiting to hear back from my Thai sister in Christ, whom I’ll call E. She was our translator on our mission trip to Thailand back in July. Well, happily, just now, I’ve received this email:

“I am so happy to hear from you. I am doing alright at this point because I am up north, but YWAM Thailand are planning about going down south to help.

God is working so hard. Even many people blame Him, but I know He is with us and in control. I see more people open their heart to the Lord and God is so faithful. I wish I am down there and hope to be part of what God will do for Thailand.

I will let you know more update.

God bless you and be with you.”

E.

In the wake of this disaster, we have such an incredible opportunity to pray that the Lord would open more hearts to Him, all over the region.

The bottom of E’s email had this slogan. I love that the English is not perfect:

“Have you fight the good fight for Jesus?”

Believe me when I tell you that Thai Christians do just that.

yeah, well …

I know I haven’t posted in a few days. I have a draft I keep fiddling with. I’m wondering, though, if I even want to bring it up. It’s something I’m struggling with, but I don’t want to sound like a whiny baby. People generally don’t like whiny babies.

On the other hand, I pay $8.95 a month for this blog, so perhaps I can reserve the right to whine. That amount would buy me about 5 minutes’ worth of therapy, so that’s a 5-minute-$8.95 whiny post.

Hmm.

Although, on the other hand, I can whine “free”ly and privately in the journals I keep, all of which are of such tremendously edifying value, they will be taken by a designated friend and burned upon my demise.

Hmm.

(So, is that two “hands” or three? Well, either way, I’ve used them all up. Must stew a bit more.)

Hmm.