Introduction
I have been churning the idea of writing an article with this title for at least a year or more. I have attempted to write something on it several times but to no avail. Yet I can’t get it out of my head. At this juncture I am simply going to start this thread in blog post to try and get the concept down and perhaps continue to write on it.
In reality, while this blog is open to the Internet, I do not think anyone actually reads it. As such, this writing effort will probably only serve to help me work through my churning. That is perfectly ok. I have learned that God speaks to me as I journal, particularly as I journal through struggles.
This is a long sordid tale. I think it would bore just about anyone to death. If anyone does attempt to read it … doing so may assure that they never read a post on my blog again. But I only risk the limited audience I don’t have.
With this posting I will first attempt to explain the general topic and the reason behind my relatively absurd title. Even that is a bit of long story. As intended, I will add more fodder in subsequent posts as my churnings continue. We shall see.
The Topic_ Box Church
The topic is church – specifically; box church. By box church I mean what we in North America almost always refer to as ‘church’. The building we go to on Sundays. In the readings I’ve delved into and in my own life context, box church is also referred to as legacy church, traditional church or institutional church. For purposes of my discussion I will narrow it down to Evangelical Christian box church. In effect, I am referring to an organized church that in general has doctrinal beliefs that I, as a committed born again evangelical Christian, would agree with. It is not my intent here to explain what those doctrinal beliefs are other than simply summarizing them as – Jesus is Lord. I must also clearly state that I believe in the Church as the bride of Christ. Jesus is the Church. You and I are the Church. I love the Church. The church is the hope of the world.
I have attended box churches all of my life and I now attend a really good box church of about 700 people. It is the best box church I have ever been involved with. I have been there for over 13 years. My kids have grown up in this church. I and my family have been significantly involved in the church. I have taught classes and served in leadership. I have gone through life struggles and been loved by this body through those struggles. This body of believers has been part of Christ transforming me and still is. The transformation is clearly still in process. This box church has active ministries that extend locally and globally. This box church body gives generously and seeks to serve the community. There has never been any scandal in this church.
This all sounds really good. But now my conversation gets problematic. I have issues. I am in a pickle with life in the box church. I struggle with it. My struggle seems to be increasing. I am convinced that my struggles are not due to the type or specific box church I attend. My struggles are I believe reflective of a deeper internal spiritual churning that the Holy Spirit is working in me. I do have a growing inclination that my struggle is associated with a growing awareness of a transformation of “Church” that is occurring across the globe. In my ignorance I might call this a global revival. Yet that does not capture it fully. I will try to harness this more as I write. Beyond this, I suspect I may be in a current pinnacle within the midst of a personal Holy transformation. I certainly hope so. This of course always includes a journey in being broken and will never be safe or comfortable.
I know not the outcome, yet I welcome the battle knowing God is at work in me. I do pray for earnestly and trust in the lord to protect those I live in fellowship with. It is my great hope that this journey glorifies Him and somehow leads to an outcome of my life loving and servings others more. At this juncture I know not how.
The Dilemma, The Question(s) & The Premises
Here is where the language gets very difficult to communicate and becomes – kind of harsh. I have thus far not found the narrative to describe the churning in my heart. As such for today’s posting purposes I have simply assembled the following list of ‘dilemma titles’ as a means to try and convey the ‘theme of my dilemma’. If I were a preacher perhaps I would preach the following as sermons. But alas I am only a blogger.
In later postings I will try to bring more context to this section – as herein lays the core of the discussion.
- Face the facts: The fastest growing segment of Christians in the United States today – are those who do not attend any church. At least recognized it and ask why?
- Spectator Christianity.
- WHOAMI (who am I)
- Forward Facing Hour
- What’s wrong with the back row?
- The role of the mature Christian: Give, Serve, Attend and you’re in. Really?
- Forced Labor. I plan you serve.
- Holy Revealation: I’ve been institutionalized
- The Great Escape (from Church)
- Full Capacity_ It’s time to pour.
- Where in the World … is the Church?
- Box Church vs Country Club. Is there a difference?
- Disqualified: Acceptable Conservative Christian Behavior.
- Priesthood of believers. Where’d they go?
- Upside Down Church: Small group = church, Big Group = Sunday service.
- Reverse Polarity => Send
- Sunday Suction
- Sermon free America!
- Kidnapped Leadership
- The GAP: Paid professional vs ordinary believer
- Holy Equalizer: Jesus
- An Army of Ordinary People
- Missing In Action: APEST (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, Teacher).
- Lactose Intolerant.
- Zombie
- The cure for depression: Spend every waking second of your life doing something for somebody else. Even if you don’t think it’s possible … you have to admit it would cure for 99%.
- Third places. Not home. Not work (and not Church!)
- Demanding a King. Our addiction and total surrender to being led by someone.
- Honey, I shrunk the hierarchy.
- Holy Impotence: No healing. No miracles.
- Last Heat_ Dead in the water
- Camping in the World_ A Sabbatical from Church
- The Apostles Last Missionary Journey
- Global Climate Change: revival
- Big A, Little a: Today’s Apostles
- Capitulated Vision: I see what you tell me to see … because I trust you.
- Young Frankenstein: Walk this way … Pray this way.
- Marathon Volunteer_Rule #1: DO NOT GET BETWEEN THE RUNNERS AND THE WATER
- Mythbuster: Loving Conflict.
- Simon, Do you love me?
- Shackled Innovation
- Holy Curiosity_ earnestly seeking Christ in others. Everyone? Really?
- Tattoos for Jesus
- Closed Doors: Church is in session
- Drones in the pew. Ohmmm.
- Box Manufacturing
- Institutional Blinders.
- Lead, follow – AND – get out of the way.
- Two faced missional mindedness: Indigenous leadership…but only for the mission churches.
- Seminarian _ Can’t live with em can’t live without em
- The Wisdom of Pooh: TTFN
- Obese Chickens in An Incubator. That’s what I’m talken about.
Why The Title: Obese Chickens in an Incubator
If you (hello you..) have gotten this far you are probably in a bit of shock (did he really write that?). Let me shock you just a tad more by describing the path to my absurd blog title.
Obesity. We don’t like the word obesity. I certainly do not. No one wants to read about it. No one wants to be obese, think their obese, be called obese and certainly not medically diagnosed as obese. Are you uncomfortable yet? It is really an uncomfortable topic. Yet it’s key to my train of thought in this tale of Box Church dilemmas. It is key to my perspective.
I know what it is to be obese. I know what it is to be full and to continue to eat. I know what it is to be so addicted to eating that the ‘off switch’ is completely broken. I know what it feels like to be limited and constrained by my own addictions. I know the feeling of thinking I am incapable of change. It destroys hope. I also know what it is to be so broken and desperate that I took radical action to fix the broken ‘off trigger’ and attempt to return to, regain and experience anew – some sense of normalcy. I had weight loss surgery in 2006. I lost over 150 lbs. Over 6 years later I have not kept it all off and must fight the battle over and over again. But I am in comparison to where I was – relatively healthy. I have to a great extent experienced a renewed life and have been given a new lease on life. Life is not problem free. I am not completly addiction free. But I have no regrets in the action I took. However, it is not my intent to tell that part of my life story in detail here. But it is this part of my story that puts the theme of this posting in the context of my perspective – and in part explains my title. It gives me a very unique perspective on – box church. I know what it is to be obese…yet comfortable whilst eating my way into oblivion. Are you squirming yet?
I must add one more thing to this part of my story. In the months before and after the surgery I was required to attend a support group with others who were headed down the same path. This was a good exercise and is of course an approach common to many addiction recovery programs. I recall one aspect in particular. It was not uncommon for each person to introduce themselves and explain why they were there. As I recall, it seemed like a lot of people would explain their ‘obesity’ as being due to an assortment of external causes; diabetes, over active thyroid, or other external factors. I’m not questioning their sincerity, but in my case I had no doubt what the root cause was and I stated is as such, “I eat too much and I can’t seem to stop”. Cleary we could psycho analyze why this turned into an uncontrollable addiction but I never had any doubt what the root cause was – overeating.
What does this have to do with Box Church? Bear with me. I’m getting there. I give you fair warning; If you are a box church person you won’t like it. It is horrifyingly accusatory.
Chickens and Incubators:
The origins of this part of my title is simple. You know how some memories stay with you so vividly? Sometimes even really silly obscure memories? When I was young my older brother made an incubator out of plywood. I can still picture this incubator down to the last detail. I can remember the sound of the light switch pull chord. I think I was fascinated with the box. I remember the incubator was very simple. A plywood box with a hinged door and hot lights on the inside. The door mostly consisted of glass surround by a wood frame – to allow viewing of the eggs and then hatched chics. My brother put several chicken eggs in the box and let it do it’s thing. He provided the environment for chics to hatch – and they did. Once hatched my brother provided food and water for the chics to grow. It was really cool but it was really simple.
What I do not remember is also kind of striking. I do not remember any full grown chickens. We lived in the city suburbs not on a farm. We did not keep the chickens and they certainly did not stay in the incubator until they were full grown. They were nurtured only as long as they needed to be and then finished growing in some chicken yard somewhere else (I guess). The analogy falls apart of course if we go much further …. cutting off their heads and eating them. But here is the visual that for some strange reason stuck in my brain: What if the chickens had never been released from the incubator and we had just kept feeding them. Looking through the glass window you would see Obese Chickens in an Incubator. A big fat chicken pressed up against the glass. It would be horrible of course. It would not make any sense. Any eggs or chics would be smothered and crushed by the big obese chickens. It would be wrong to keep feeding chickens, to put more eggs in the incubator and not to move the growing chics out into the challenge of the living in the world.
That is my analogy to the box church. Pretty horrifying is it not? This is where I am at. We …you and I fellow Christians are in danger of being Obese Chickens in an Incubator. We feast on chicken feed (milk) perpetually. Sunday after Sunday we come back and nibble away at our comfort food because it feels good. We eat and eat and eat. We must have our comfort food.
Let the horror of it sink in and then let it chase us into the streets. I would rather be an obese chicken trying to cross a busy highway than stay one more day in the confines and comfort of the incubator. Better to die trying to live than to die feasting on another (all be it savory) comfort meal.
It gets worse. What if you and I are guilty of feeding the frenzy? We lock the doors and keep the obese chickens in ..and keep on feeding them! We let it go on. We expect it. We expect to be fed week after week. In fact we demand it, we fund it and we gorge ourselves in the process.
It is sickening. We need to open our eyes and get out of the incubator!
If anyone has read this I must caution you – I have not even begun to described the churning of my soul.
Frogger Ted
Desperate Pursuit 