Beating Around...Benchmarks

FOCUS MISSIONARIES 2012-2013 I promise I am in there! I am dressed like Waldo!

Happy Summer everyone! I know I said that my posts would be sporadic but they are about to become more frequent as I decided to add it to my job description. Therefore, I am obligated to write to you my thoughts, feelings and experiences as if they are worthy to be seen by all. I have on my heart so many topics to share with you, which means I need to sit my happy butt down and write. And so, to start my string of frequent, well written, probably not typo free blog posts. I would like to tell you about the largest change in my life and why I am excited, scared, and even more excited to be part of this.

Moment = History

But first...Allow me to set the stage

In 2008, I remember sitting on the couch watching as our new president stood victoriously in Chicago, and spoke with the ora of an American (fist slam) prophet to a population that is desperately yearning for hope and change. Barack Obama, a well-educated, charismatic politician was quite literally the face that would save the United States. Although I did not vote for him, I hoped that his actions and policies would rise up to the standards placed on him by American (fist slam) citizens and that with his leadership, our country could rise out of the mess in which it sat to become noble, thriving and powerful, as it once had been.

Side Note: I remember my lovely ex-boyfriend telling me how excited he was about our new president, one friend throwing out extremely racist comments about him and one friend genuinely wanting to know if he is the anti-Christ. OH HUMANITY!

Fast forward to July 12, 2012 and not much has changed. Unemployment is still at 8.2%, our national debt literally makes me cringe (and so I ignore it just like our politicians…HIYOOO!), and the state of the individual person is rather mundane on average. In the past four years, I have not seen a resurgence of hope in our nation nor have I seen much positive change at all.

I do not write this to bash any political leaders, for I do not know enough to merit that right. I recall the 2009 election point out one thing. Americans (fist slam) know that there is something wrong. We know that there is something different in our world than in past worlds that makes us just a little bit lonelier, a little bit more insecure, a little bit sadder and cynical. Honestly, it makes no sense.

We have more disposable income than ever before. We have more information at our fingertips than any other civilization in human history. We have more opportunity, more equality, broader connectivity and more fun in our lives that ANY OTHER GENERATION IN HUMAN HISTORY!!! And yet we cannot manage our money, the population as a whole is less smart; we are less decisive, less loving, less personal, and more bored than any other generation in human history.  Suicide is the 2^nd leading cause of death in college students. Just think about how many alcoholics you know and if you are one my friend… there is hope. We are a society plagued with depression and addiction whether it is to drugs, alcohol, money, sex, insecurity or loneliness.  Just look around the streets of your city and see the desperation. Our world does need hope. It does need change AND WE HAVE KNOWN IT FOR A LONG TIME!

In the business world (a world in which I spent some time), we would look at the current state of affairs and decide that if more hope, more joy, and better quality of life are the objectives; our processes to reach these objectives are not effective or efficient. We would then look for a benchmark… that is an example of a model that has been both effective and efficient to foster hope, joy and better quality of life. Once we found this example, we would adopt it to reach our objective. 

My friends, from a completely secular standpoint, our benchmark to foster hope and change in this world is quite simply the model that Jesus Christ used. Riddle me this, how is it possible that the son of a carpenter spent only 3 years of His life preaching a message of love and sacrifice and yet 2000 years later He is still the most famous, written about, sung about man in history (must have been a god or something tehe …ok that wasn’t secular). He spent the majority of His time pouring into twelve subpar, blue-collar workers. He walked with them, ate with them, and most importantly revealed to them God the Father. He built them up and when He left this earth, sent them out to preach His message. Every single one of them became missionary for Him and every single one of them died a martyr’s death.

The Early Church: Absolutely Wreckless

Jesus Christ, through deep personal relationships with 12 men as well as small and large group outreach turned the entire Middle East on its head and completely changed Rome the most badass empire of all time. He changed the whole western world, has done so for 2000 years and will not stop any time soon.

We can start our new movements, we can create new methods of out reach and we can look to new leaders to bring people back to life, but no other movement or outreach has ever been as effective at bringing hope, joy and quality of life than the model and message set before us by Jesus. The more new stuff we try, as well intentioned as it might be, the more of a mess we seem to make for ourselves (i.e. welfare, social security). So seriously, can we stop trying to reinvent the wheel and just accept that the method of the man who leads the religion of your parents just might be the answer to our problems?

Think about it!

I have actually thought about it for a while now and that is why I joined FOCUS which I will actually explain in my next post. Until then, if you are human, I love you!

1Samuel 10:6 “The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be CHANGED into a different person.”

Colossians 1:26-27 “The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the HOPE of glory.