"Idol verses Ideal"

Disclaimer: I believe in the bible as the "living word". I believe it is important and necessary. I believe God influences it and uses it for his good. Please read this in the entirety and not skip over what I say.

So I was just thinking, (this is a dangerous pastime and should be avoided at all costs) and I wondered if sometimes or oftentimes we take our own guide and make it our God? I am not a bible expert, nor am I claiming to be one. In this circumstance I feel that the human side of us wants tangible solid proof of Gods assurance. That he exists and is beside us always. I am not sure that the bible is that or is supposed to be that.

Now before I make a ton of my friends worried and question me I want to be sure to say that I do feel the bible is important and a resource in our lives to understand ourselves and others better. Most importantly to be seeking God one must read the bible as it guides us in our lives. However so often do I see bible verses spewed out of context to justify a persons life. So often do I see that people treat it as if it were Jesus himself. Jesus was not a book. God is not a book.

The bible is probably the most read book of all time. Its a number one best seller! It's important history, meaningful truth, and undeniably, extraordinarily, implausible. There are things in the bible that are impossible to explain. Walls toppled without drawing a sword, whilst playing a trumpet. Gigantic stone pillars toppled by one man. Leviathans swallowing a man only to spit him up elsewhere (and he walked away from that!?). People blind from birth being able to see! People coming back to life! Oh, lets not forget its about this God fellow who sends his only begotten son Jesus to die on a cross for our sins. It is extraordinary, and very weird! How can something like this be true? Historically we find evidence of somethings here and there but two thousand years after Christ died its a little difficult to verify. The bible has also undergone several translations since then where meanings change and things get forgotten.

From an outside perspective: "This book is crazy and people actually believe in this?"

Christians have managed to put a bible in every hotel room in the country. They are reaching out to the world and handing bibles out to every person like it was candy. On the streets they bang on the bible and cry out "Repent your sins!". In court houses you swear on the bible. Its the swiss army knife of the Christian lifestyle. You can find a version and print that fits your life and matches your favorite shirt. As I said in the beginning is the bible Gods or is god our Bible? So often the bible is seen as proof that God exists.

There is no proof. Unfortunately there will be no proof. Its up to faith. The book guides people but I have trouble believing its anything more then just a guide. (Gosh, I sound like I am being blasphemous) The bible holds truth and there is no way it exists without Gods divine influence. It does not however do anything else. It holds no power without God. It is just a book without God. You could force the entire world to read a bible and without God it would never mean anything to anyone. Having the bible does NOT ever replace God.

Now I am not saying "don't read the bible", please read it. It is the defining guide to being a Christian and it is necessary to go back to. Otherwise we get lost in our misunderstanding. The journey we make towards God trusting in him and his words to bring clarity and provide for us. God uses the bible and influences our hearts. To ignore it is to ignore God. To walk without it is also likewise to walk without God.

You do not pray to a book however. Having a bible does not replace seeking relationship with God. Further more you can not justify choices you make by picking one verse or even several. If the bible is not taken in whole and digested carefully we misuse the truth we are given for our advantage. In the book of James 4:3 it states that we sin when we pray. Is it not true that we do also sin when we read? No the bible is not our idol and can not ever be, it is however our "ideal".

P.S. I know it looks like I just picked a verse at the end there and chose it to justify my speech. I am using it to explain my reasoning however, I am not going to ignore the bible as an example for how we live or must live. This idea of mine is not perfect and is subject to debate if you find fault with it please let me know I would rather have conversation then condemnation.

Christmas Music and Why I Hate it.

I walked into a store on November 1st this year. There was a song playing at the store you may have heard of it before. You may in fact even like it. It was of course “Dreaming of a White Christmas” by Bing Crosby.

Now, I have no problem with the song itself. I have no quarrel with the dude that wrote it. However I can not stand hearing it 2 months before Christmas. I am completely at a loss, I can not stand Christmas music anymore. Christmas is a time of year I run hiding from stores. I hate walking into a place and hearing the same 20 songs played over and over. 

Yeah sure, Josh Groban does one version of a silent night however having Brittany spears sing it next with a different beat does not make it a different song. Its gotten to the point for me that I feel Christmas carolers are just trying to be facetious because of the fact that christmas songs are blasted in your face for a whole two months before a specific event. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas. I love the meaning and the hope that the holiday represents. I love the tender moments and the family together. It just feels like stores are guilting you to buy more stuff because you are supposed to spend money during Christmas time. I hate the idea that you have to do something and the subconscious attempt to guilt me into buying stuff for others or myself, leads me to aggressively fight against it. Its like stores are shoving stuff at you and saying “See this is what you should be like!” Or “These people are happy why aren’t you?”.

I wish it were easy to just block it out of my mind, unfortunately my brain has a habit of hearing everything, especially music. When I hear music I see, feel, and imagine differently. All my ideas come from listening to music. When I want to go to a different world I play movie soundtracks and instrumental pieces. When I want to hear poetry I put on lyrical stuff. When I want to feel angst I put on some teenage pop. When I want to buy something I do not ever put on Christmas music. I put that on when I want to feel close to people NOT products.

I wish I could feel happy or calm around Christmas music. I wish I didn’t feel like strangling the person who wrote the songs. It would be different if there was some sort of nostalgia factor but there really isn’t a chance to feel nostalgia about Christmas music when you hear it every year for two months at a time. There has not been a way to miss Christmas and I don’t think its been my imagination that stores just don’t let up. 

My solution is to back off of things when they get to be annoying. Take Thanksgiving, a holiday with almost a religious tradition behind the food. I love the food and would eat it when its in front of me but I avoid having a traditional thanksgiving if I can. In the case of Thanksgiving its about giving thanks for what you have and making the most of what you have. Making good food no matter what it is has been fantastic, in my opinion, better then the same old thing. Change can be a good thing.

Music isn’t the point of Christmas it’s part of a tradition that has gotten old at least for me. It has a place for certain situations and I can appreciate that. Where stores are telling me to buy more gifts and products, I think I will be making my own presents instead. I will make my own tradition and evolve the ones that are no longer working. I refuse to accept that music makes the holiday. It’s not that I am Ebenezer Scrooge, or the Grinch. I won’t stop anyone from listening to their music that they like. It might mean that I avoid parties and church when they play “that type” of music. As I said it’s just me. Someday I might go back. Someday there might be a reason to. Until then I will listen to anything but the traditional stuff.