Come On

I found this video a couple weeks ago and thought everybody might like to check it out. We did this concert at Youth In Action back in 2005. Enjoy! -chris

Painting A Picture of Jesus

In our ongoing Sunday message series entitled: "Urban Legends: debunking spiritual myths", we talked about how Jesus doesn't look like a white, blonde haired, blue eyed, Republican male.

We looked at imagery throughout history that depicted Jesus as Asian, hispanic, african, and anglo-saxon. Would it offend us if we used this imagery in our churches. What makes us think that Jesus looked and talked like us? It is funny how we often make him into OUR image- instead of the other way around.

It was a sobering Sunday to say the least. As a worship leader and the MediaShout guru- it makes me think twice about the imagery I use as backgrounds in worship. Some churches avoid pictures of Jesus altogether for this very reason. Some only use silhouetted pictures of Him. And, by the way, where are the Jewish depictions of Jesus?

I struggle with this- for I still see beauty in a many of the sculptures and depictions of Jesus. On the other hand- I want to make sure that I'm not communicating visually that we have a "white man's Messiah".

Here's a photo I did (with some Photoshop action of course) that I'm pretty proud of. I still like it. I still want to use it in a worship setting.

I wonder how many churches are sensitive to these type topics or wrestle with them at all. We communicate so much through the imagery we use- for better or for worse. May we always strive as artists, as photographers, as musicians, as vocalists, and as sculptures that we strive to more clearly capture the heart of the gospel. May we use our giftings to illuminate the dark places with its Divine light. May we always seek to paint a brighter picture of Jesus.

-chris

The cool breath of fall is blowing across Michigan. The top of the trees are losing their green ever so faintly. The apple cider mills are firing up and getting ready to open.

Ahhhh . . . I love autumn.

Getting used to the family of God

Many of you are like me. Many of you (not all- mind you)have come from a fairly conservative, fundamentalist, traditional church background- my particular tribe being the churches of Christ.

Now, occasionally I can come down pretty hard on my church background. I brush my hand over the leaks and cracks in the hull of this old boat. I mutter to myself (and sometimes to a room full of people), "This ship is sinking- we'd better bail while we can. . . ." I can pick it apart and make jokes about our scars and attitudes over the years. And in doing so, sometimes I get some kickback for being TOO hard on my tradition.

They are probably right. In my life, my harshest critics can be not only myself, but my family. They know when I've overstepped my bounds and have reel me back in. But they also know where my deepest faults are.

They also know when to ignore my stupid decisions and/or random tirades. And when I am singing with the praise team or watershed- my family let's me genuinely know if I've done well or not. Because they are intimately connected to me, they can be my harshest critics.

They can also (not just "my wife") tell me to tuck my shirt in or to fix my hair or let me know that something I'm wearing doesn't quite match. And as much as that can annoy me, I let them. Why? Why should I not simply defend myself? Because I know that my family truly does want the best for me. They, to borrow a Max Lucado phrase, love me right where I am, but refuse to leave me this way. They want to see me improve and grow and become more mature and develop better grooming techniques, etc., etc.

Part two of all this is that I will confess I don't have much patience for those who feel called to "protect" the church from criticism. Those who lash out at the smallest amount of cynicism in my tone or choice of phrasing. My thoughts on that: If the church truly has Son of God as the cornerstone, then the church can handle it. It won't crumble- it won't budge. It will still stand- cracks and all. Besides, could it be that someone, upon hearing certain critiques, may decide to fill in the cracks that they hadn't noticed before?

Maybe this is why I'm so hard on the churches of Christ. I never want the church to feel like it has arrived. We should constantly improve and grow and become more mature. And I feel like maybe I can be too harsh at times, but I hope people know my heart. I hope they know that I DO want the church to fully live into its calling as the Kingdom of God.

Now, upon reading this back over, I know there are holes and other sides to consider. This isn't an open/closed kind of argument. These are simply just some thoughts I've been having. Questions, comments and smart remarks are welcome.

-chris

Mountain Biking

A couple of weeks ago I agreed to go with a couple of friends out mountain biking. All those who know me well know that I don't do mornings, but I decided I would try this once. So Dave Utley picked up up at 6:15 to go out to the trail.

There were some highs . . . .

and lows of the morning,

but overall, I had a great time. I decided that success on this first experience meant not throwing up. So, I succeeded in that goal (though I came close twice . . . as you can see). The next goal will be to cut my time down from two hours to at least an hour and a half!

Thanks to Ashley Harrison and Dave Utley for being patient with me and taking me out there. I promise I will get back in the saddle soon. I'm working on getting in slightly better shape at the Fitness Center!

peace,

-chris

2007 Recap Video