'I bet they're all in Africa'
I just got off of the phone (yes it's 1am..) with my friend John from First Family Church in Corpus Christi, TX.

Our conversation was a microcosim of our spiritual journies'. We discussed this past weekend's services and got into current theology that we're thinking about and books we're reading... pretty refreshing stuff. Ultimately though, we ended up where everything that is good will ultimately end up.. God.

At one point in the conversation I said 'John... it honestly bothers me... it just about angers me that at our young ages.. we can be considered 'leaders' in this thing called Christianity.' My frustration comes because I'm under a sense that most of Christianity just doesn't 'get it'. God is the end. God is the beginning. Tally is nothing... God is everything. Tally's spiritual journey is simply realizing that and satisfying my nothingness with every bit of God I can cram into me. It's not that I'm under any 'obligation' to. It is in fact a selfish reason... I want to be happy, peaceful, content and joyful. I admit it... I'm seeking out GOD for ME.

The frustration is that I often wonder what many men and women who wear the t-shirts, jewlery and temporary tatoo's of Christianity are chasing after. How in the world is there not more men and women who have more brains than I who can come to know the basic and powerful truths of God's word?

I also told John that I feel that today's church brand called 'Contemporary' is often used by ill-informed or ill-spiritually deep Pastors to really mean 'stupid'. Contemporary=Stupid. Is that it? Really? Are we saying that for a church to be 'Contemporary' we have to treat the people as if they are stupid?

Speaking on Sunday to our church body was amazing. These are not stupid people. They thirst and hunger for depth of God. I'm absolutely convinced that my role as a Pastor is not to Amaze people with my useless education or to wow them with my ability to make acrostics or 'to-do' lists... but rather to simply COMMUNICATE to them using HIS WORD and HIS WORK (in my life) who HE is and what HE's all about.

Those who seek God at that point will no longer be satisfied with the 'bottle-rockets' I talked about the other day... They will come thirsty and drink of the fountain that IS God...

Ohh... the title of this thought... During my frustration I said that I'm bothered with the millions of people who Claim to know Christ in America... the Christian world focuses on 5-10 men who have 'done it'. I rhetorically asked John "Where are all of the other people who have found complete satisfaction in Knowing God?... before he could answer I said... I bet they're all in Africa'.... John said 'Yep...they are the missionaries... those people tend to simply follow God...."

Satisfied In Him...