Just had a thought last night that was brought back to mind by what Ben had written in his blog. I watched the movie Avatar (great movie) but I was wondering if all the work of the media fast had been undone. It seems very easy to either become black or white when it comes to media, to hate it, avoid and be bored or to go back to watching it and filling up with it.
As I was feeling guilty and I was also reading some good old C.S. Lewis and God gave me a thought. The thought wasn't relevant to what I was reading but it was very encouraging and challenging. God pretty asked me what I was filling up on. I realized that this question was somewhat rhetorical. It got me thinking. If we are filling up with scripture, prayer and community, like reading C.S. or talking with one another, then we can interact with our culture but not be changed for the worse by it. In other words, all the "God food" that we fill up on keeps us from conforming to our society because it is constantly transforming us into a better reflections of Christ.
Now in light of this I am not just going to go out and enjoy worldly pleasures on the basis that I already "read my bible and prayed" that day. But we can be a part of the world we live in and change it for the better, we can even see what the world says is good for one reason and appreciate for a different, more pure reason.
For example, while I watched Avatar I wasn't so much moved by the intense violence, the cool special effects or even the story itself. Instead I saw parallels and heard voices in this movie that reflect the desperate needs of our world. I heard people crying out for good community and I saw greed and destruction at it's peak and I really saw the desire to stop destroying God's creation. These things made me excited because I know that God can use the church to provide for these needs and solve these problems.
And in the end the biggest implication of this thought that I came to realize the importance of filling up on "God food". This is the challenge part. We must be reading God's word. We must be reading or listening to good teachers who have spent time with God's word and help enlighten us. We must be bringing our lives before each other so we can, as a community, present them to God. We must be keeping accountable to each other. We all know this because we lived if for eight months. This challenge isn't a burden to me either. I see a lot this already taking place and so while it may be a challenge it is also an encouragement that God has done a work in us that isn't easily undone. We all were worried about what post-Kaleo life would be like I can honestly say, before the great congregation, that God has done a mighty work, he has answered our prayers and he is sustaining us even though we are not physically at Kaleo.
Yeah that was a long thought, it kind of developed as I wrote it. Hope this reflects how much I love my you all, my brothers and sisters, and how excited I am that God has got us all over the continent. Greater things are yet to come. Grace be with you guys.
6 comments:
Well said, Tim! I realized as I read your post that we didn't talk together about the media fast at the end of the year, and you have done well to address this. Re-entering the world indeed includes re-entering the world of media - it's part of being "in the world but not of it" - and hopefully you will re-enter wiser and more discerning of what and how you watch. I also hope you will be more balanced in your attention to media on one hand and community and activity on the other. Thanks, Tim!
Thanks for writing this Tim,
It has been something I have been exploring myself, and it is nice to know that others are too. I still am not sure how I feel about the media right now and how to handle it, it just feels like I am getting bombarded with all this stuff I was not open to for the past eight months it is overwhelming. Your words like always have helped me out in this area.
I too saw Avatar (I agree it is a great movie) I also found myself drawing parallels from it. And I think it disturbed me in many ways, but at the same time I was able to look at this movie from a different angle that I think I would have missed if I was not trying to view media.
Thanks for reminding me that media is not bad, and that I just need to be careful on how and what I am watching, and where my heart is when I watch it.
Thanks so much Tim - I really miss sitting down in the lounge taking in your thoughts and wisdom - truly missing your voice of truth brother. I also just watched Avatar - CRAZY! but I also found myself thinking all the way through - there has got to be a better way I could be spending my time :) I appreciated your post a lot - in the world but not of it hey Jim? I like that too - thanks for you guys' words!
Thank you for the question of, "what are you filling up on?" Because this question can go beyond media, and the only answer should be, as you termed it, God food. Thanks Tim, keep posting you thoughts.
Thanks Tim! I was just thinking about the media fast and how it could be attempted while being bombarded by media. This puts a new perspective on things. I'm glad this year has shown us all a greater contrast between things pure and the things of this world.
Phil 4:8
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Thanks Timo. Really needed this thought and like what you're saying. I find particularly difficult to fill up these days. Thanks for the encouragement that the work God has done in us cannot be easily undone. Love that!
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