have no other: part one

In the church we often talk about idols. Idols are often described in the church as, “things that we put before God,” or maybe “anything that is more important to you than God.” When I hear or read this I get a little confused because this definition doesn’t line up with reality.

I don’t think that I’m mindfully putting anything before God. I don’t actually think that there are things that are more important than God. This idea of ‘more important’ seems like nonsense to me. 

Who does this knowingly? I would bet that it is almost no one. No one is sitting there and thinking, “You know . . . Will and Grace is funny (seriously, no one thinks this).” They aren't sitting there saying, “I really like watching Will and Grace. Will and Grace I am now going to worship you. You two goofy chaps are now my god. Where do I put the tithe money?” 

Who does that? There might be a crazy fan or two out there that has done this, but no one really thinks like this. So then, why do I always hear about idols in such a manner? Why do I always think about idols as things taking over the throne of God in such a blatant and obvious manner? 

Well, because this is how it has been and is being taught, but this teaching doesn’t line up with how I see reality, and I can bet that it probably doesn’t line up with yours either. 

My reality with what the Bible describes as ‘idols’ is far less dramatic than the idea of making something more important than God. In my life, ‘idols’ are far more subversive. Let’s throw out a working definition of ‘idols’ and their relation to actual life. 

Idol - A distraction that starts off as innocent, but ultimately begins to pull one's attention, time, and resources away from purpose, truth, and God.

In simple terms, an idol is a like a cat toy. 

A cat is on a mission to destroy a stink bug that has made it in through the back door. He's crouching, sneaking and being a complete weirdo about this stink bug. He slinks, slanks, and slunks around the house until he annoys you into being a dog person. 

At this point, you grab the cat toy -- a ball hanging off of a string. You let the toy swing in front of the cat…it catches his eye. You see the decision making process fill the mind of the cat as he glances back and forth between the toy and the corner where he's sure he has cornered this stink bug (the same stink bug that you threw out a half an hour ago). 

Finally, the cat gives in and swats the toy...the cat likes this. The toy is easier than the stink bug, and this ball isn't hiding in a corner under a pile of blankets and magazines. The cat goes all in and pummels the toy for three minutes, until he gets bored and forgets all about the toy and the stink bug. He goes arrogantly on his way, completely ignorant of his previous mission to hunt and kill the stink bug. And you feel great, having distracted your cat from being an annoying jerk for another hour.

This is how I see idols in my life. I have purpose, direction, motivation, and determination in my heart to chase after Christ, and then the cat toy of Hulu swings in front of my vision. I ignore it for a moment until I see that there's a new episode of Parks and Rec. At this point, I go all in. I’m checking out all of the new episodes of all of the shows (even those stupid Australian comedies that Hulu touts as ‘original’). When I finally get to the end of the sloppy TV barrel, I forget how I got there and what I was doing before. I often continue a search for more TV because I have watched everything Hulu has to offer. I open up Netflix, I rent movies, I buy a new device that gives me more options. I get sucked further and deeper into the TV/movie mess without realizing a whole week of my life has gone by, totally devoid of accomplishment. 

This is how I see an idol. Something that slips in from the side, and eventually takes over my time, thoughts, and resources. Somehow, entertainment has wiggled itself into a place of prominence in my heart, and by simple observation we can see that this has practically become more important to me than God (in that moment). 

Even so, I didn’t thrust God off of his throne. I didn’t mindfully replace God with something else. I simply allowed myself, my time, and often my money, to be taken over by a simple and immediately gratifying distraction -- a cat toy. 

I believe that we do this constantly and in a variety of ways (not just TV and movies...video games, or Facebook anyone?). I believe that even though we would never admit it, our hearts are always running to something else, and that we are far too easily satisfied. 

 

It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. - C.S. Lewis

We are going to (at times) replace something with God. We are always creating idols in this manner. Idols are subversive, sneaky, and real. But we don’t have to live there. I believe that God can save from even the most distracting episode of the Office, and I believe that deepest Joy can be found in Christ.

What ‘mud pie’ is keeping you from joy?

contributor post: home is where the heart is

This is a post written by a 'for we have rebelled' contributor. Contributor posts are unfiltered by myself, and they are from the perspective of the writer. I believe that posts such as these tend to open up my narrow understanding of life and I hope that they do the same for you. 

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Von is a close friend and a long time mentor of both myself and my wife. She is a fantastic mother and wife to Chris. Von has helped me in my life more than she will ever know, and I hope that her perspective on home will encourage you as it did me.  

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Home is where the Heart is. I don’t know where that phrase came from. My first thought is that it was said by someone who traveled for a living, but loved what they did so it was all okay. They were always home. Or maybe it was said by someone who never felt at home anywhere because their passed away loved one was their home.

No matter where this phrase came from, it is a phrase that has come to mind many times in the past 10 years. As some of you know, I spent the first 18 years of my life in California. A city full of diverse people and languages, a large Mexican family that got together for almost EVERY occasion, and a small Christian school filled with some of the most loving people on the planet, were my homes. They had my heart. 

Then God directed me to move across the country, to a small town where I didn’t know a single person. I couldn't go “home” on weekends or even holidays. He led me into people’s homes to see how they lived. He gave me friends who had never met a Mexican before me. He surrounded me with people who knew nothing of my culture, but we were bound together by our love for Him. 

"He gave me friends who had never met 

a Mexican before me. 

He surrounded me with people 

who knew nothing of my culture..."

Then God, unexpectedly, directed me to Chris, my West Virginia “boy from the sticks,” as he says. To be truthful I had no idea what he was talking about until I went to visit him. He lived in an area where this California girl would call “Boonie-land”, aka “the middle of nowhere.” I had no intention of ever moving to WV. My home, my heart, was split. Part was for my husband, given to me by God, and the other piece of my heart was still in San Jose, CA. This focus on CA made the first several years of living in WV very difficult on our marriage and my mentality. The whole time I felt like God was urging me. He was saying, “I have you here. See that people are people. They are the same, deep down, no matter where you are. See My people. See the struggle? I want to help them, but they can’t hear me yet.” Sadly, I fought this and was very miserable. 

When we first moved to WV, people I’d meet knew as soon as I spoke that I was “not from ‘round here." This made me smile. Then one day I met a couple of bikers from San Francisco. They reminded me of my uncles. When I told them I was from San Jose and much of my family lives in San Francisco, they said “you don’t sound like us”. I thought I was going to cry. Seriously. 

"When we first moved to WV, 

people I'd meet knew as soon as I spoke that 

I was "not from 'round here."

After a few more years, I accepted that God had us in WV for a reason. Chris was far more loving and understanding with me than I would have been with him. Not to say that we didn’t have our frustrations, but he loved me. I could see how our marriage grew stronger and how God was guiding me to grow closer to Him. Accepting living anywhere but CA made me feel a bit “home”less. 

For so long, I was trying to fight my way back to CA so that my “home” would be put back together. I thought that if we moved to where my family and old friends were, I would have everything. My husband, my children, my parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, grandparents, tios, tias, cousins, and old friends would all be within driving distance. But I lost sight of what was in front of me: people. 

God has us on a mission to share His message of love, eternal life and true freedom, no matter where we are or what we are doing. I might not sound like a Californian, or be a West Virginian, but I am not “home”less. This world is not my home. This is not our final destination. He is.

"I might not sound like a Californian, 

or be a West Virginian, 

but I am not homeless.

This world is not my home." 

I believe in Jesus. I believe Jesus is the one and only Son of God. I believe that Jesus lived the perfect, sinless life. I believe that sin was brought into our beings when Adam and Eve made a horrible decision and disobeyed God. This act brought death to our world by separating us from God’s presence. Only the brutal death of Jesus could rescue us from the suffering we would endure when fully separated from the presence of God. I believe Jesus died on the cross, but because He is fully God and had God’s power and Spirit within Him, death could not keep Him. He HAD to raise from the dead because His nature is LIFE. After He rose from the dead, He spent a little more time with His friends before He raised again, this time into Heaven. I believe that He is sitting at the right hand of God right now preparing a place for His followers, His bride. 

I believe that after Jesus left, the Holy Spirit came to help His followers remember His words, teach us to speak His truth, and guide us in the direction we need to go. I believe Jesus is coming back for His bride/followers and He will be our God and we will be His people. His glory will shine and He will be the only light we need. This excites my soul! 

I love my husband. I am so thankful God has placed us together, but we have only been put together to encourage each other and help each other prepare for our Bridegroom. I do not believe Chris will be my husband in Heaven. I have taken Jesus Christ’s name as my own and I belong to Him. He needs to be my everything. I might sound fanatical, but Jesus is my home. Where His Holy Spirit is, there is where I find rest. Sometimes I still miss the city, the roar of the ocean, the perfect weather year round, the diverse colors of God’s people, and eating a burrito the size of my head. But, I pray that He continues to open my eyes to His people and close them to the distraction of stuff and location. He is my home and where He is, is where I feel at home.

". . . Jesus is my home."

leaving the common

I’m ready to be done with the common. I’m ready to leave what I have always chased.

I work in retail and I easily see what people value. I can see that people are blinded to future necessity by their immediate desire, and I can see what they hold in their hearts as truly important.

Most of the time, I see them as a mirror. I see what they value and find that it is the same as what I value. This gives me a sense of duality. I feel a sense of commonality with humanity and I feel a sense of disappointment at the same time. I get the sense that we all want the same things and this makes me feel like I’m not alone, but then I look at the things that we all want, and I feel disappointed.

I see the price of an entertainment system that came in a bulk pack of twelve, and then I see people rushing to grab hold of this system (myself included) like it will truly change their lives. I see that price and know that this system will break, lose value, and eventually fail to entertain. It will be traded-in, sold, trashed, and something new will be chased after.

This is true not just for a video game system, but for anything in the retail industry. We have to have it, we get it, and then we say, “meh.”

At this point, many people would say that owning stuff like this isn't wrong, but I don’t know if I agree. I know for a fact that when it comes to myself -- it is wrong. Of course, I can’t say this for everyone, but I can say that, the pursuit of more, better, best is wrong for Zac Fridenmaker. When I go after something, I want it all and I will spend, trade, and sell until I get what I want.

This pursuit robs me of my focus, and it keeps me from pursuing the true passions of my heart.

This is why I want to leave the common.

I want to leave the common desire of the world and pursue something that is lasting. I want my life to matter, and I don’t want to die thinking,”Well, at least I beat Call of Duty.” I don’t want to leave this world thinking about Parks and Rec, and I don’t want Netflix to be my last word. 

I don’t want the common. I want life. 

 

And as far as I can see, life is comprised of God, love, and people. I want to lay aside these weights that so easily slow me down, and run as fast and hard as I possibly can. I want grace to carry me, and faith to make it real. I want the trivial to die, and ‘entertainment’ to cease because I believe that there is more to live for. I know that there is more to live for. The common must end, and life needs to begin.

It’s time to dive into the world and live stories of my own instead of watching and playing someone else’s.

Leave the common and chase the good.