Blowing up Church-Rob Naim's chapel

Today Rob Naim spoke in chapel and I loved it.  I loved it because it was exactly the thing I needed
to hear when I was sitting in those bleachers as an LW student.

Rocket back to 1989.  It was my 8th grade year at St. Mark Lutheran school.  I would sit in church every Sunday with my parents.  In the bulletin they had the order of service with all the hymn numbers and parts of the service.  I would draw long rectangles around each part of the service and then draw a sparking wick at one end.  In other words, I drew each one as a stick of dynamite.  When that part of the service was done I would "blow it up" with lots of squigglies all over the bulletin.

I didn't have some anger problem, trust me!  Church was just boring, and the Christian thing was pretty boring.  Yet, I didn't think of it as boring.  I just figured that's what faith was like.  It was a thing that you "did." 

What I loved about Mr. Naim's message this morning was how he talked about the thrill, excitement, and fulfillment that you find when you choose to live like a radical and follow Jesus.  Instead of thinking about all the stuff you'll miss out on, the reality is, following Jesus is a life of doing tons of crazy, countercultural things! 

I heard that message from a friend in chapel when I was a wee Freshman at LW in 1990.  My life has been so meaningful and fun ever since.  Don't read "fun" as in, no problems or perfect-faaaar from it.  But my life has had direction and the excitement of following an invisible Guide that lives inside of me and lets me be part of the crazy things He's doing in this world.