Saturday, July 30, 2011

Little Teaser

Bit of a teaser for what's to come. Blame Channel Awesome, & keep watching.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Breaking the Salt Shaker

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Matthew 5:13

So many times I think the salt idea is interpreted the wrong way. So many times American Christians treat their faith like table salt. It sits in a happy, prominent place on our spice rack. We take it out at the proper times and sprinkle it atop our movies, our fiction literature, the art on our walls, and we think we’re doing the right thing. How many times are we ruining our food? How many times are we insulting what’s already been prepared for us? There are some high-end restaurants that don’t put salt on the patron’s tables, & asking for it would be an insult. Was our faith meant to be a cheap condiment that hides the natural taste? I should hope never.

The chemical formula for salt is sodium chloride, NaCl. NaCl is found in every living thing. It is an essential compound for the growth and function of individual cells. Salt helps cells move. Salt is in our sweat and tears. Sodium chloride doesn’t have to be injected into a natural food product, and a good chef knows how to bring that out naturally. So, is this the salt we were meant to be? Not obnoxious and blatant but gently enhancing the whispers of God naturally inherent in this world. Our true calling is not to surround ourselves in an imperious cocoon of the trappings involved in contemporary Christian culture but doing all in service to our Maker and Savior. This includes that which makes no sense to the comfortable Christian ensconced in their pew. Being a NaCl Christian also changes the way we view creative output and popular culture. Could we search for the glimpses of God in secular literature and give Him glory as opposed to shunning it part and parcel? Could we challenge Christian art to be more honest and daring rather than pandering to sentimentality disguised as holiness. How much would the Body change and grow if we took our response to God off the spice rack and recognized it as an integral part of our molecular structure?