At last Sunday’s church service, the pastor told a story about his
brother when he was younger. The brother had a car, and the bottom of it
was gradually rusting due to salty slush in winter-times. The brother
took the car on a joyride on the railroad tracks, and the top of the car
separated from the bottom. That rust had caught up!
The pastor likened that to the spiritual condition. He referred to The Screwtape Letters,
by C.S. Lewis. A demon is advising an apprentice demon about how to
spiritually trip up a Christian. The Christian falls in love, and the
demon suggests that the apprentice demon try to trip up the Christian on
the seemingly small things—-the irritations that the Christian has as
he and his spouse become accustomed to living with each other.
The pastor also told a story about when he was a boy, and he forgot
to say his prayers one night before he went to sleep. He woke up, and he
realized that he was still alive, even though he had not said his
prayers before falling asleep! That resulted in spiritual doubt, which
became a rust on his person’s spiritual condition.
The youth pastor shared about spiritual slumps he had been in. He
says he knows that God loves him, even though there are times when he
wants to stay in bed and not do anything! He also referred to
Philippians 4:8, in which Paul exhorts the Philippian Christians to
think upon what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and
praiseworthy.
That overlapped with the pastor’s sermon, which was about the
importance of letting the word of God enter into one’s innards, such
that it affects one’s outward confession.
How has this related to me?
—-I have been listening to political podcasts. I think of something
Joel Osteen said on one of the rare occasions when I watched him on
television. Joel referred to a man who used to listen to talk radio on
the way to work, and he was grouchy after listening to people’s
continuing disrespect for each other. So the man decided to listen to
Joel Osteen on the way to work instead, and the man’s disposition was
much better, as he was cheerful and friendly to his co-workers. I am
trying to be discerning as I listen to political podcasts, since they do
demonize others; at the same time, some of the ones that I listen to
highlight the complexity of people’s motivations and examples of
heroism. Plus, they expose injustice, and does not the Bible do the
same? I would like to continue to listen to political podcasts. It would
be dull for me to listen to Joel Osteen instead!
—-I have been reading some Christian conservative exposes of the New Age Movement. Johanna Michaelsen’s Like Lambs to the Slaughter. Constance Cumbey’s Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow.
I am getting back in touch with the sorts of reading material that I
read in my youth: conservative Christian and politically right-wing
books. The thing is, I found some of the New Agey things that were
quoted to be more appealing to me than traditional Christianity. In
times of loneliness, it would be tempting for me to visualize myself
visiting a mysterious temple and seeing a loving old man who can talk
back to me and be my spirit guide! With God, it often feels like what
the priest on last week’s episode of Evil said: God is the
quietest roommate! I do not want to open myself up to anything evil,
though, so I will not be doing New Age things. Plus, at least I attend a
conservative church where the Gospel is faithfully preached, week in
and week out. Churches where New Agey things are said from the pulpit
strike me as annoyingly flakey.
I’ll stop here.