Health Insurance Companies: Every year my premiums go up a significant amount. Why? Well, its group coverage and there are more people in the group who are taking out more than they put in and the insurance company just isn’t seeing the kind of profit it was hoping for. So, every year they increase premiums, increase co-pays and increase coinsurance percentages while decreasing coverage. I haven’t seen what’s going to happen to my policy this year, but I have a feeling they’re going to add a new plan called the “Just Roll Over And Die Already” plan.

The Occupy Movement: They aren’t occupying, they’re squatting. Let’s get that straight up front. Secondly, I know a lot of these folks are college educated, but I don’t think any of them has ever occupied an economics class. Aside from that, there are a few other places I’d like to see them occupy such as:

• A poor town in a third world country that doesn’t have toilets or clean water. They may think they are the 99% in the U.S., but when compared to the rest of the world they are the 1%. The rest of the world doesn’t have time to play angry birds on their fancy iPad 2. They are far more concerned about finding enough food to get them through the day and trying to drink water that won’t kill them.
• A soup kitchen. Or any other effort where they can give to others. There are people less fortunate than the occupiers, and if you can find anyone in this world who is less fortunate than you, you ought to help them out before throwing a tantrum about how awful your lot in life is.
• Any establishment that has a “Now Hiring” sign in the window. I know working at the drive-thru or delivering pizza may not be what you went to school for, but you should pay for your own cell phone instead of relying on daddy for your data plan.

My point is, there are folks a lot worse off than the so-called 99 percent. In fact, 99 percent of people in the United States are better off than the rest of the world. We’re just too spoiled to realize it. Also, I’d like to know if these 99 percenters  plan to participate in capitalism’s greatest annual event, the holiday shopping season. Remember folks, if you buy even one Christmas gift, you’re participating in the very thing you think you hate.

Car Accidents: I’ve seen too many young people die in car accidents. Please slow down. Life is too precious to risk losing everything just because you’re running five minutes late. Also, be courteous on the roads. That isn’t a minivan you’re cutting off or following too closely, that’s a family just like yours. It isn’t about you, your schedule, or how fast you can move.

Superficiality: Frankly, I’m tired of hearing about Kim Kardashian and Snookie. Now that we’ve hit the Christmas season, it’s going to be time to talk about shopping and sales. Why is our culture so obsessed with things that just don’t matter in the grand scheme of things? And if we’re going to be obsessed with irrelevant issues, why do we choose things that represent the lowest common denominator? I’m lookin’ at you TMZ.

Stepping down off my soap box now. I don’t know how you feel about this rant, but it sure did me a lot of good, and since this is my blog, that’s really all that matters, isn’t it.

“For I was hungry, while you had all you needed. I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water. I was a stranger, and you wanted me deported. I needed clothes, but you needed more clothes. I was sick, and you pointed out the behaviors that led to my sickness. I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved.’”

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments section below.

On a serious note, I noticed on Twitter and Facebook that several people were not just mocking the rapture claim and the fringe group making the prediction, but mocking all Christians as well. I don’t blame them. We Christians have said and done some mighty cruel things in the past, and lately we’ve be downright cruel. Our words and actions have made a joke out of Christ, and while none of us could ever claim to be perfect, I think we do owe the non-Christian world an apology. Since most followers of Christ are so stuck in a Christian bubble that they aren’t aware there are people who don’t believe the same things as them, I’ll go ahead and make my apologies with no excuses or justifications.:

• I’m sorry we are often more concerned about converting you than being your friend. Our conversations often sound fake, because we’re just waiting for the next opportunity to steer a conversation towards changing your belief system. If we were truly your friend, we would listen and care about you as a person.
• I’m sorry we are so overly concerned with money and make it appear like all we want is for you to sign a check.
• I apologize for our unhealthy concern over what you do in your bedroom and who you do it with. It’s none of our business, unless you’re in the porn business and we’re paying for it.
• I’m sorry we’re always telling you what you’re doing wrong and focusing on what we hate about you instead of what we love about you.
• If you’re a woman and you’ve had an abortion in the past, I’m sorry that we have lived every day of our lives to make sure you regret that decision. I know it was a tough decision for you and while we may not agree on the choice you made, you are a child of God as well and you deserve my love and respect.
• If you are a homosexual, I’d like to apologize for the constant and endless insults and hatred. Maybe you were born that way, maybe you chose it. I haven’t walked a mile in your shoes, but I know this: You’re not filthy, you’re not a deviant. At least, no more than anyone else. The people who judge you and say that God hates you are filthy and they are deviant. They don’t represent Christ.
• I’m sorry for all the times we focus on the mite in your eye when we have a very obvious and undeniable plank in our own eyes.
• I’m sorry that we place our political views and causes above helping the poor and the oppressed.
• I’m sorry we go around demanding that you “humble yourself in the sight of the Lord” and claiming that God will humble you one day, and yet we are some of the most arrogant people on the face of the Earth.
• I apologize for not partying with you, and for looking upon you with scorn when you talk about what you did over the weekend.
• I’m sorry if I am uptight and make you feel like you can’t approach me or hang out with me.
• I’m sorry if you came to my church and we didn’t make you feel welcomed and I’m sorry if I saw you outside of church and made you feel unwelcomed.
• I’m sorry that I seem so eager to get a ticket to Heaven and so excited to watch you face punishment. If it truly isn’t about me, as I claim, I shouldn’t be happy when my friends aren’t.
• I’m sorry my actions have made you hate Jesus. He isn’t like us, I promise. We’re just very bad representatives of a very good God.

It is funny though!

Scott McClellan wrote a blog for Collide Magazine after a conversation he had with Stephanie Drury, one of my favorite bloggers. In it, he apologizes for the times when he and others in the church have caused pain or burned others without knowing it. This simple acknowledgement means a lot to those of us who have been wounded in some way by the self-righteousness or self-absorbed nature of our Christian family.

McClellan writes:

I’m sorry that I haven’t always treated you with the utmost respect or with selfless love. I’m sorry that my brothers and sisters (and possibly your brothers and sisters) have demonstrated any posture toward you other than welcoming embrace. I’m sorry our lives and decisions don’t measure up to the words and actions of Jesus. We’ve been called to imitate him, and yet I’m afraid we often embarrass him. For that I am sorry.

Mr. McClellan, I applaud you for your forthrightness and I accept your apology.

In another part of this blog, McClellan apologizes for how he acted in High School. I’d like to apologize for that myself. I was kind of a prick to both my Christian and non-Christian classmates. I hope everyone I went to school with has forgotten all of that by now.

McClellan’s full blog is below for your enjoyment.

Collide Magazine | Blog – I’m Sorry.

Steve Brown Etc. » Blog Archive » The House of Smite.

I’d like to see the church as a whole actually put its money where its mouth is. What if we actually did something relevant that was an amazing display of stewardship.

Rotary International has vowed to end Polio worldwide, and they’re actually going to get the job done because they set a vision, got together and started putting their money towards a cause that would make a difference.

What if the church, instead of giving its money to bricks and mortar that decay or burn up, were to focus the money it collects on ending a real-world problem? For example, what if the church committed to ending Cancer or AIDS throughout the world? What if instead of telling Cancer patients we will pray for them or lecturing them on the sovereignty of God, we actually put our money towards medical research to end this disease that has in some way affected all of us?

What if instead of condemning the people in Africa who have AIDS, we committed ourselves to preventing and curing it?

In the United States alone, there are about 225 million people who identify themselves as Christians. Imagine if each of them were to give just $5 to cancer research? What about $10? What if during October, all of our churches took a hit and donated half of their tithe money to breast cancer research?

Think about the difference such a commitment would have on the world. I don’t know about you, but if I had a child who had cancer and a cure was found because of the work of Christ’s people, that would mean so much more to me than any Christian who knocked on my door or any sermon I ever listened to.

You want to talk about world missions? What if the church put an end to AIDS in Africa? Can you imagine the impact of millions throughout Africa knowing that the Jesus-people healed their land?

We used to do it. The church used to build hospitals. We used to see it as part of our calling to bring physical healing to a fallen world. Now, we tell people not to trust doctors and to load up on fish oil. In some cases, we tell people if they had more faith they would be better. Meanwhile, we give our money to build bricks and mortar kingdoms that moth and rust destroy and that thieves can break into.

Would Jesus have worked on making a beautiful and elegant stained glass window when their were lepers in his city who needed healing? I think we all know the answer to that. We may not be able to cure Cancer or AIDS. There may not be enough money in the world to accomplish such a task. But what if we could and we are instead sitting on our hands in church buildings that would have put the palaces of ancient kings to shame?

I don’t think the world actually despises organized religion. Organized religion at its best can be beautiful and can do amazing things. What the world can’t stand about us is the organized hypocrisy of watching our brothers and sisters die from deadly diseases or from poverty, while we build bigger and better churches for the dwindling number of Christians to sit in.

What is the ultimate point of your faith?

Is it your conservative values? Is it gay marriage? Abortion? Is it your morning “quiet time” ritual? Does your faith become weaker or stronger depending on which politician wins the next election? Is the right to bear arms a cornerstone of your faith? Is the construction of a mosque at ground zero an important factor in how you worship at your church?

Where does loving your neighbor factor into your faith? What about feeding the hungry and clothing the poor? How much time do you spend forgiving others and approaching situations with a forgiving spirit? At the end of your life, when others look at the faith you professed, what will the point have been?

“God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” –Jesus

1.) The Church is dying for some originality.
2.) The Bible can definitely be an idol.