You are everything to me, and I love you. Over the past several years we haven’t been able to spend as much time together as we’d like, but none of that matters today. Because today, I’m coming to see you. Today, we will be together.

I will see you in several hours my sweet.

Love,
Austin

It is important to me that you know how much I hate you. From the depths of my core, do I despise you. I have been avoiding you for as long as I can, but today, it appears, is our date with destiny. And I want you to know that I have done my research on you. I have pored over your tediously boring website in hopes of knowing exactly what I need to bring with me. And all this has done is make me hate you more. You require so much of me, and yet I ask so little in return: Just one little card with my picture and information on it. All you do is take take take and tell me to wait wait wait and then, finally, with a gruff nod and a few impersonable words, you acknowledge my presence.

Why do you have to be so difficult?

Austin

Yeah, so, I’m not entirely sure what is going on here. Is this a toilet or a washing machine or a character from Transformers?

Either way, I don’t wanna be anywhere near it.

…Mel Kiper, Jr., football analyst for ESPN. I was watching him this morning and reminiscing on his early acting days. His transition from film to sports commentary is undoubtedly impressive, but as far as I can tell, he doesn’t look to have aged a bit. Here (below) he is circa late 80′s and, as you can see, very little has changed in his appearance.

The only person I am watching with a more skeptical eye this football season than this guy:

is this guy:

Unfortunately, the key to my enjoying football season rests (precariously) in both of these men’s hands.

Oy vey…

Thank you for being back. I missed you the whole time you were away. Saturdays just haven’t been the same since you left. I can’t wait to spend all my time with you this fall.

I love you,
Austin

A couple weeks ago I wrote a post about this scene. It’s from a movie called The Big Kahuna.

I’ve decided to revisit it; only this time, I’m putting up the whole clip instead of just the quote. The scene is 5 minutes— which I know for a blog clip is kinda long— but I promise it’s well worth your time.

I could write thousands of words on the beauty and brilliance and insight of this scene, but just suffice it to say, this scene presents a great definition of “character”.

Meanwhile, it exposes the folly in Christians trying to proseltyze Jesus and sell salvation as if it were a product (I have a whole essay in my book, High Points and Lows, about this same thing). Having been one of those Christians at one point in my life, I strongly regret the way I arrogantly proposed to others that I had a better way for them live their life— simply via one conversation.

Yes, I believe in Christian salvation.

Yes, I want it for others.

Yes, I think it beautiful and life-changing and transformative.

But no, I don’t believe it’s something one should arbitrarily foist on someone else. Not something that should come from cold calls or manipulated conversations. Rather, in order for it to be pure, it must come from a place of love and sincerity, a place where, when the person to whom it is being persented isn’t interested, the presenter doesn’t suddenly feel offended or challenged or foolish or unworthy.

I hope you’ll enjoy the clip,
Austin

We want you to know we’re out there:

Christians who love Jesus but don’t use him as a crutch. Christians who prefer peace and social justice over political capital. Christians who don’t measure self-worth by whether we’re able to convince you to see things our way.

We’re out there.

And here’s what we want you to know:

We’re distraught by our current representation in the media. Heidi Montag. Ted Haggard… I could go on for days.

These people not only trivialize our faith, but they simplify it, too.

Because for us— for those of us out there feeling voiceless and unrepresented— Jesus is more than words. Jesus is more than a set of bullet points on Sunday. Jesus is more than a systematic theology. Jesus is more than a name we drop so others might think us pious and good.

For us, Jesus is a way: a way to practice love and peace and respect for others.

We want you to know that, just like you, we are three-dimensional. We can’t be lumped into one stereotypical category.

We didn’t all vote McCain simply because he was Republican. And those of us who did vote McCain can give an intelligent, reasoned argument why— one that doesn’t include, “Because I’m a Christian.”

Meanwhile, those of us who voted Obama can give an equally persuasive argument why— one that, among other things, is based on our Christian faith.

Whether we are for or against the Iraq war, none of us believe our mission to be a mandate from Jesus. For us, Jesus is never an excuse to drop bombs.

Nor is he ever an excuse to subjugate.

To profile.

To discriminate.

We believe whole-heartdely in the literal death and resurrection of Jesus, yet we don’t rush to anger if you think us simple-minded for it.

We believe in personal responsibility but also believe a person’s situation greatly affects his opportunities. And we want to help those who come from less fortunate situations overcome their circumstances.

We screw things up more than we get them right.

We give, we pray, we help, we hurt, we doubt, we want, we try, we fail. We try again.

In other words, we’re just like you.

And we want you to know we’re out there. We’re out there and we want to work with you. Laugh with you. Grow with you. Try with you.

We want to, together with you, better the collective whole.

So won’t you step forward with us?

With love and respect,
Austin