"Cal Naughton, Jr.: I like to think of Jesus as a mischievous badger.
Ricky Bobby: Dear Lord baby Jesus, or as our brothers in the south call you, "Jezus," we thank you so much for this bountiful harvest of Dominos, KFC, and the always delicious Taco Bell. I just want to take time to say thank you for my family. My two beautiful, beautiful, handsome stricking sons, Walker, and Texas Ranger, or TR as we call him. And of course my red hot smokin' wife Carley, who is a stone cold fox.
Cal Naughton, Jr.: mmm...
Ricky Bobby: Dear tiny infant Jesus...
Carley Bobby: Hey, um... you know sweetie, Jesus did grow up. You don't always have to call him baby. It's a bit odd and off puttin' to pray to a baby.
Ricky Bobby: Well look, I like the Christmas Jesus best, and I'm sayin grace. When you say grace, you can say it to grown up Jesus, or teenage Jesus, or bearded Jesus, or whoever you want."
Cal Naughton, Jr.: mmm...
Ricky Bobby: Dear tiny infant Jesus...
Carley Bobby: Hey, um... you know sweetie, Jesus did grow up. You don't always have to call him baby. It's a bit odd and off puttin' to pray to a baby.
Ricky Bobby: Well look, I like the Christmas Jesus best, and I'm sayin grace. When you say grace, you can say it to grown up Jesus, or teenage Jesus, or bearded Jesus, or whoever you want."
These days you can buy whatever you want in America. Not only can you organize your entire music collection onto a plastic rectangle, but you can order your musical plastic rectangle in different colors, and buy accessories to the point that it almost fits your individual personality. Or your personality reflects what kind of Ipod you have (I can't remember which is more likely anymore). The consumerism in America is not a problem in and of itself, were people more resilient to advertising, and trends than there wouldn't be any problem at all, but the sad fact is that by marketing things just right, we can take advantage of our brothers and sisters and make money from it. The most disturbing facet of the new American rush of consumerism is hat which has appeared in the Church.
I want my Jesus to be seven feet tall, with cool tattoos, and a sweet gibson guitar strung across his back. Of course, he'll have to smoke a pipe and make his own imperial stout as well. We could sit around, and I could listen to him play blues guitar solo's while we smoke our pipes, and drink the beer he makes. While we were hanging out (which he would refer to as "kickin it") I would ask: "Hey Jesus, what's the meaning of life?"
And he'd be like "Dude, it's like I told you bro, it's all about jiving with my peaceful harmonies. I can't just be all like, here it is...the meaning of life....just listen to this guitar solo I wrote, and feel the groove for yourself."
That's not quite what the bible puts forth as truth though. In a weird way, God is a person in the same way that you and I are people. He is himself, and that is the end of the story. If you and I were to sit down and chat and I crammed a pipe in your mouth, slammed a beer in front of you, and thrust guitar into your hands expecting you to play it for me it would be a pretty short conversation I think. You might choke on the pipe tobacco and cough into the stem...which would make a huge ashen mess all over the floor, raise your eyebrow curiously at the beer, and maybe accidentally kick it over while you try to avoid the guitar I would be shoving in your hands. All in all it would be a really ridiculous experience for both of us. Of course I wouldn't do that to somebody sitting in front of me, but sadly I do do that to God. I expect him to be what I want him to be. The worse thing is when God picks up the guitar I hand him and gives me what I want. It's sad because, at first he offers himself, and when I refuse him he gives me what I want. Less.
I want my Jesus to be seven feet tall, with cool tattoos, and a sweet gibson guitar strung across his back. Of course, he'll have to smoke a pipe and make his own imperial stout as well. We could sit around, and I could listen to him play blues guitar solo's while we smoke our pipes, and drink the beer he makes. While we were hanging out (which he would refer to as "kickin it") I would ask: "Hey Jesus, what's the meaning of life?"
And he'd be like "Dude, it's like I told you bro, it's all about jiving with my peaceful harmonies. I can't just be all like, here it is...the meaning of life....just listen to this guitar solo I wrote, and feel the groove for yourself."
That's not quite what the bible puts forth as truth though. In a weird way, God is a person in the same way that you and I are people. He is himself, and that is the end of the story. If you and I were to sit down and chat and I crammed a pipe in your mouth, slammed a beer in front of you, and thrust guitar into your hands expecting you to play it for me it would be a pretty short conversation I think. You might choke on the pipe tobacco and cough into the stem...which would make a huge ashen mess all over the floor, raise your eyebrow curiously at the beer, and maybe accidentally kick it over while you try to avoid the guitar I would be shoving in your hands. All in all it would be a really ridiculous experience for both of us. Of course I wouldn't do that to somebody sitting in front of me, but sadly I do do that to God. I expect him to be what I want him to be. The worse thing is when God picks up the guitar I hand him and gives me what I want. It's sad because, at first he offers himself, and when I refuse him he gives me what I want. Less.
Here's to letting God be God instead of trying to make him one of our golf buddies!
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