Giving Up Grey's for Jesus

What does it look like to be radical? I'm trying to figure that out in my life right now. What's the balance between being a fundamentalist, home-schooling Christian, living with your 13 kids on a farm in the Midwest away from all possible temptation (and by definition, THE WORLD) and losing your soul to the shiny, glittery, seemingly attractive, but ultimately empty(ness) of this world? I have never walked the former... my gut reaction has been one of disdain and condescension. I have walked the latter... and without the grace and tenacity of the love of Jesus Christ would have kept on buying into the flashy delusions.

I still don't think that complete abandonment of the World is the answer. Jesus told us to be as strangers IN the world. Meaning two things: a) you must be interacting with your community and sharing the Gospel and b) you must be different. And not just like mis-matched shoes different, but like foreigner different. Like you don't speak the same language, have the same customs, hold the same values. You are radical. Ultimately, the goal is that "Christ"ians look like their namesake. The goal of those saved by grace should be to pursue righteousness and bring glory to God. That should look radically different from our natural tendencies to pursue money/sex/success/popularity/power and bringing glory to ourselves.

So, being radical looks different for everyone. Joshua Harris kissed dating goodbye. Ed Dobson attempted to live like Jesus in diet, appearance, and even voting habits for an entire year. The Summit Church of Durham gave almost one million dollars to missions in December 2009, during a plummeting economy. What does being radical look like for me? I want kindness and mercy to be the attributes that characterize me. I want to passionately pursue holiness... not so that I can hold myself up as a moral standard to my world, but so that I can point to the Giver of all good things and say, "To HIM be the glory!"

After living with myself for almost 28 years, I've gotten to know my personality and habits pretty well. I'm not a strong person. I have a strong personality... that part is true. But I'm not strong. I am not (yet!?) a person who can hold fast to my belief system while constantly exposing myself to another. I am a fantastic mimicker; I will just about latch on to anything that looks 'cool' to me at the time. So, with this said... to follow God and pursue righteousness, I've been assessing some of my habits and desires, evaluating what brings life and pushes me closer to the Living God.

My conclusion? I have entertainment habits that lead me to buy into other worldviews. I watch TV and movies that glorify romance and lust as the ultimate satisfaction. I listen to music that fills my ears with language that hinders my ability to have a holy tongue. I read books that bring despair to my soul with graphic descriptions of murder and the truly evil. Not all TV is evil. Not all music is the Devil's. And not all books need to be tossed into a protest bonfire held in front of your local library. But, God is touching my heart, softening my soul, lowering my tolerance for evil... because it's just all so empty next to the fullness of His grace.

With all this said... I'm giving up Grey's. I'm giving up Gossip Girl. These are two shows that I have watched for 'brain candy,' just the opportunity to check out and not engage in anything heavy. But, ya know... they are just BAD for my spirit. Worst case scenario: I buy into those value systems. Best case scenario: I waste time that could be spent growing in Christ.

The purpose of this blog? Hold me accountable. If you think all this God stuff is malarky anyway, hold me accountable to rub it in my face if I fail. :) If you are sketchy on the whole Christian premise, but think that ANYTHING is worth pursuing over crappy Primetime soap operas, hold me accountable for the sake of creativity and hobby superiority. If you resonate at all with any of the questions I am asking and the journey I am trying to navigate, hold me accountable for Christ's sake.

"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will be faithful to carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."-Phil 1:6