Sucked Into Suburbia

My most recent musings are spurred by a question we ask at Life Group: How has suburbia sucked you in this week? Or, as I sometimes need to ask myself, "How has suburbia kicked my butt this week?".

I am speaking spiritually. We all know how we get sucked in physically. But, spiritually? Yes, it happens. Is it a bad thing? Well....let's think and talk about that.

Question 1) Is your worldview based on suburban mores or a biblical foundation?
BEFORE YOU ANSWER!!!... is your biblical foundation founded on suburban principles?

Question 2) Who is Jesus to you? BEFORE YOU ANSWER!!... I want to share a thought. Have you seen the modernist picture of Obama? The one with his mugshot in blue and orange and underneath, it says, "HOPE"? What if you put Jesus' face in that place? Shirt and tie and the whole shebang. Do you like that picture now? Did I just modernize/suburbanize Jesus?

Question 3) Do you ever wonder if you truly know Jesus or if you just know so much about him and his life that you think you know Jesus? BEFORE YOU ANSWER!!... There is so much sitting and listening in our suburban American churches that perhaps we have gotten "fat" in our spirituality ( perhaps a parallel to our physical life; mine at least). We hear what Paul says about us working out our salvation. What the ____ does that mean? I thought it wasn't about works?! Paul also talks about faith without works is dead religion. Hmmm.... And then there is all that stuff about Jesus and the cross and the work of the cross thrown in there. Which part justifies the other? What should come first? Why do we spend our time thinking about these ideas? Does it not just add more "fatness" to our life?

Now you see how suburbia kicks my butt in my spiritual life. I get so caught up in questions and doctrine and theology and asking what do I really believe and blah blah blah....

So, I guessed you got sucked in with me. It's so easy isn't it? The best thing to do now is to confess to God, and ask him about these questions. We should be still and know that He is God and listen for His answer, after all, His Word promises that he who seeks shall find. I want to know God and know Jesus; not just about them. And the best way to learn is BE in His presence.