Like Mormons On Bikes
Reading inspires me. I am currently reading Blue Like Jazz and I'm over halfway through the book. Because I don't have "bus time" to read anymore, I've been driving through the local Tim Hortons, picking up a large black with three sugars and going to a local park to read. Generally my time spent sitting on a park bench, with coffee and book in hand, goes unnoticed. But two days ago I had company.
Not only were there city workers mowing the park grass, and mormons on bikes, but Kyle and his friend also stopped by. Apparently Kyle spotted me sitting in the park - the FIRST TIME he drove by. (And he decided to come back and say hi.)
If I blogged about my chat with Kyle - how he is going to his first wedding, which was planned for today, in which he was the BEST MAN (without a speech), who got a tux with sleeves that were too short, and how he sleeps in a converted windowless playroom... [inhale] - THAT could take days. Although it would be a fun post.
I just can't shake the mormons on bikes. It didn't help that Blue Like Jazz mentioned them, just about the time I saw them ride by a second time. They are so obvious. Their white shirts and ties, bikes and bike helmets. And those name tags. "Elder" so-and-so. On their mission.
Completing a two-year, full-time proselyting mission is often seen as a rite of passage or crucible for young mormon men, and most tend to regard it as a positive event. Apparently the phrase "the best two years of my life" is a common cliché among returned missionaries when describing their experience.
I don't embrace the mormon faith. In fact, I studied mormonism in my Cults class at Bible College via Walter Martin's Kingdom of the Cults. I forgot most of what I learned.
I was also part of a mime, music and drama troupe in Bible College that wrote a presentation called Undercover Christian. We would perform it at local church youth groups to encourage teenagers to be bold about their faith - like mormons on bikes.
But I don't think it worked. At least I never saw much fruit. Even today I think most of us are still undercover. There is no real difference between "us" and the world. AND we don't even hang out with the world - like mormons on bikes. We're supposed to be IN the world, not OF the world. But instead, we separate ourselves FROM the world and try to become as much LIKE the world as possible!
Weird.
Why do we DO that? What (or who) are we afraid of?
I wonder if mormons on bikes are afraid.
Not only were there city workers mowing the park grass, and mormons on bikes, but Kyle and his friend also stopped by. Apparently Kyle spotted me sitting in the park - the FIRST TIME he drove by. (And he decided to come back and say hi.)
If I blogged about my chat with Kyle - how he is going to his first wedding, which was planned for today, in which he was the BEST MAN (without a speech), who got a tux with sleeves that were too short, and how he sleeps in a converted windowless playroom... [inhale] - THAT could take days. Although it would be a fun post.
I just can't shake the mormons on bikes. It didn't help that Blue Like Jazz mentioned them, just about the time I saw them ride by a second time. They are so obvious. Their white shirts and ties, bikes and bike helmets. And those name tags. "Elder" so-and-so. On their mission.
Completing a two-year, full-time proselyting mission is often seen as a rite of passage or crucible for young mormon men, and most tend to regard it as a positive event. Apparently the phrase "the best two years of my life" is a common cliché among returned missionaries when describing their experience.
I don't embrace the mormon faith. In fact, I studied mormonism in my Cults class at Bible College via Walter Martin's Kingdom of the Cults. I forgot most of what I learned.
I was also part of a mime, music and drama troupe in Bible College that wrote a presentation called Undercover Christian. We would perform it at local church youth groups to encourage teenagers to be bold about their faith - like mormons on bikes.
But I don't think it worked. At least I never saw much fruit. Even today I think most of us are still undercover. There is no real difference between "us" and the world. AND we don't even hang out with the world - like mormons on bikes. We're supposed to be IN the world, not OF the world. But instead, we separate ourselves FROM the world and try to become as much LIKE the world as possible!
Weird.
Why do we DO that? What (or who) are we afraid of?
I wonder if mormons on bikes are afraid.
This entry was posted
on Saturday, June 03, 2006 at 11:20 AM.
You can skip to the end and leave a response.
8:53 AMWell put, Paul... we as Christians often forget (or neglect) the fact that we are to be "set apart" in the way we act or even TALK in every day life. I often get mocked from Kyle for doing just that, but I know why he does it.
11:33 AM
Anything with a tie gives me the heebee geebees
1:56 PM
i'm sure it is frigthening at first, but the more you step out, the easier it gets and you start to wonder, just what was i afraid of and why?
i think more often we don't share what we believe because we don't we either don't really know what we believe, or because we only know what others have told us to believe and we don't really have any reasons for it. which amounts to believing nothing if you get into a conversation with someone about it.
but the more we are honest with ourselves about what we ACTUALLY believe (not what we say we believe because those are the "right" answers) the more open and able i feel to have a conversation with anyone at any time about what goes on in the inmost parts of my being. and in doing so, it seems to create a comfortable "place" for them to do the same. and i find they DO open up and the interchange is beautiful.
and along those lines, if you come at a person as if they have nothing to offer you and you are the only one that has something to offer, very little meaningful interchange even has the possibility of taking place.
at least that has been my experience.
wpuprm
10:30 PM
RAC: Thanks... and once again, welcome to the world of blogging!
BIG E: I would LOVE to see you in a tie.
JON: Your thoughts on "believing nothing" is right on target. I grew up believing things I had been told my whole life. Just because. Then one day I realized I didn't know WHAT I believed. I felt like a dork when anyone asked me to share my faith. It was awkward at best.
I continue to discover my beliefs on a daily basis, while shaking off the traditions that I thought were my beliefs. I appreciate your insight.
CHRISTA: Thanks. If I HAD a pic of that group (which I probably do) I DON'T THINK I would show ANYONE! (Although one of the guys went on to work with a major production company - even ended up in a MW Smith video - woo hoo!)
:-S
11:55 PM
All the time I spent at that park Paul and the thing that you remember the most was the Moromon's on the bikes. Man do I know how to make an impression.
Personally I don't share what I believe to others...Well check that it's not that I don't share, but I don't volunteer the information, because I believe that what one believe's is a personal matter. When asked I give my answers, and they have changed over the years. When I was a kid I went to church and so if somebody asked me what beliefs I had I would say that I went to church every sunday (Because I did) and that I thought Jesus was the bestest guy in the world (Because I thought that too) As I got older I started to realize that I was only thinking these things because I was told to. It was almost that as if it were I prerequisite of goin to church that I think the way that everybody else did. And it was about that point in time that I stopped going. I don't think that anybody has the right to tell anybody else what's what and so on and so forth. If somebody were to come up to me tommorow and ask me what my beliefs are those answer's would be alot different.
Now I'm not saying that the 23 year old version of me is any wiser than the 7 year old version of me, (I actually severely doubt that fact.) but as you do get older I think you tend to question what you are being told as opposed to just accepting it.
P.S. It has been cleared up that I wasn't mockin Racmonkey, but I find it funny how far some people go out of there way to not swear. That's what he was talkin about. Just thought some people might want to be int the loop
12:13 AM
KYLE: I guess this means you survived the wedding and your best man's speech? ;-)
RE: mocking Racmonkey - I never swore when I was a teenager. Never even thought about it. My friends in school would beg me to swear. They would even bribe me to swear. But I just didn't have a desire to do so. It wasn't so much the words they wanted me to say than it was that they WANTED me to say them!
Thanks for your comments. I'm wondering, what is the basis of your belief system these days? If you (like me) shook off believing stuff only because you were told to believe it, what makes you believe in something now? Or DON'T you?
I mean, you mentioned questioning vs. accepting. There must be a method to your madness.
Or not.
1:23 PM
The easy answer is the Bible. And I do think that it's the basis for my belief system, but how my Christianity plays out is very much based on experience.
I remember the week I got saved and was in the church gym with Krissy. I said the word "ass" out loud! She informed me that that was one of the bad words that I shouldn't use anymore. At the time I didn't know what the "rules" were. There is nowhere in scripture that says "Ass is not OK in the temple", but at the time I accepted it because it simply is a social norm. As time has progress, and I've walked with God and gotten to know his presence... I realize that while I'm not going to be struck down (OT Law), His spirit being played out through me still confirms that I should strive to live clean with my mouth as well.
So everything must (as a Christian) have basis in scripture, but man has buggered up how we play it out, and as you become intimate with the Holy Spirit you truly establish a "FIRST HAND" belief system based on experience
2:00 PM
Hey Paul I think im moving to blogspot since all you monkey boys are here. :| I should probably come and beat ya up now :P
Josh
10:41 PM
Ever since you mentioned "the boys on bikes" I've been seeing them all over town. Gosh, if only I could get around as quickly as them.
On second thought, that would involve a bike...
:-|
10:04 AM
"Why do we DO that?
I think it's because we forget our first love ... take advantage of the graciousness of the lover of our soul. Visit with Him once in awhile or join in the worship party and get the feel goods then go home and do our own thing ... in short, we are selfish ...
I learned on Sunday that the divorce rate in the Christian church is higher than in the secular world now.
What (or who) are we afraid of?
Ridicule... I just read The Heavenly Man where present day Christians in China are imprisoned and beaten for sharing their faith... LOL and we're concerned about someone not liking us or talking behind our backs for sharing our faith ... LOL
We all need to draw near to Love the Lord with all of our being and our neighbour as ourself. Like Corrie Ten Boom said,
KISS = keep it simple stupid.
We lose our way because we don't walk closely and listen and obey.
11:55 AM
BTW Paul... 3 sugars???? When you got back from Brazil... we're you drinking plain black Brazilian knock you out strong coffee???
12:06 PM
BIG E: In Brazil they "cooked" the coffee on the stove WITH sugar, so it was already VERY sweet when they served it!
I didn't really drink coffee prior to living in Brazil and Tim Horton's coffee is a far cry from strong Brazilian brew. In fact, I have to buy espresso grind coffee at the supermarket to even come CLOSE to the non-bitter, rich flavor of Brazilian coffee.
1:01 PM
*waits for Kyle's obligatory "price of nuts in Brazil" joke here*
1:28 PM
I think I've grown as a person since the price of nuts in brazil question got answered. I've know graduated to "Price of tea in China
12:44 AM
KYLE: I'm still waiting for you to reply to my question (although BIG E responded nicely with his thoughts on the matter) - I'll give it to you again:
I'm wondering, what is the basis of your belief system these days? If you (like me) shook off believing stuff only because you were told to believe it, what makes you believe in something now? Or DON'T you?
I mean, you mentioned questioning vs. accepting. There must be a method to your madness.
10:13 PM
I know you're waitin and I thank you for you're patience in the matter. I've just been spending the past few day's tryin to figure it all out in my head, how to word it. As you may have noticed I tend to talk and write in circles so this is something I'd like to make sure I have straight
11:57 PM
:-) lol
Kyle, you are delightfully cute ...
12:10 AM
KYLE: Fair enough... take your time... no pressure... :-P
3:22 AM
Alright this is gonna take awhile cause I like talking about myself about as much as I actually think about the price of nuts in Brazil or the tea in China
I really don't have much in the way of a belief system. I'm sure there is a God, and I'm sure he (or she) is a nice guy (Or girl.) We just don't seem to be on speaking terms is all.
When I was a kid going to church every Sunday I tried talkin to God. Tried my arse off actually, but I wasn't getting any answers. Hell I'da settled for the answers I didn't want to hear, just so I could get some assurance that somebody was listening, and to let me think that I wasn't just talking to myself. Then when I was 11 or 12 my step father grounded from going to church. Now I figure there is not a snow cone's chance in Phoenix that God is gonna let me miss church. It's just not gonna happen, He (or she) may not be talkin to me but this is a little much. Sure enough Sunday rolls around and my mom and my little sis are off to church and sure enough my step dad says I'm not going anywhere. So I go upstairs and am like "Dude, what's going on?" (I'm sure I was a little more respectful but I gotta inject some humor into this story...See, talkin in circles and getting side tracked. It's my curse)and once again I get no answer.
So now I start thinkin that since all the talkin I've been doin without answers since I was 5 is gettin me nowhere. I may as well be talkin to myself, so I said to hell with it. I'll lead my life the way I see it. Follow what my heart and head tell me are right and make myself accountable for my own actions. If something good happens then I made it happen, if not then I made it not happen. No more relying on other's and especially none of this "The Lord Works In Mysterious Ways" stuff (That one always seemed to be a cop out to me) I soon found out that if I looked hard enough in myself I would find the answers I needed and it made me feel better than talking to myself or somebody who wasn't listening in the first place.
Well there you have it. That's more than I ever thought I'd write (And I had to do it twice, once in my room with a pen and paper while playing golf and once all typed out and neat and junk) Hopefully that answers any questions that anybody had. If not, more Tiger Woods and lot's of coffee for my next essay.
P.S. Thanks Wendy. I appreciate the delightfully cute comment. Big thumbs up
4:28 PM
:-) you're welcome, Kyle.
Thanks soooo much for sharing ...
You have been as honest as you can be ... much appreciated ... there are "times" when we all wonder where the Lord is in this world.
I'm going to pray for you, Kyle and I will keep you in my heart so that the Lord will visit you in that personal place where there is noone else except the two of you and you will hear His still small voice speak life and peace to you.
Two big thumbs up :-)
11:40 PM
KYLE: Thanks for your transparent thoughts. I like when people can be real about where they stand.
I, too, think that many people use God working mysteriously as a cop out.
I read a couple of cool verses in the Bible today:
God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven't a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn't have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross. That's why we have this Scripture text: No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it — What God has arranged for those who love him. But you've seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you. 1 Corinthians 2:6-7
Those verses tell me this:
1. God loves us.
2. God wants to bring out the best in us.
3. And God will show us the way.
I believe "seeing" and "hearing" God takes practice, and that God speaks to us in many ways. (Which is why I often sit in the park and enjoy what God has created and "listen" to what He is saying to me.)
I also believe that the triggers in your life that help you decide what is right and wrong were put there by God; while you were being created in His image - Genesis 1:27. Because you are wonderfully made - Psalm 139:14.
Often people in the church hurt us and don't demonstrate God's love. And it can be hard to find God when that happens.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:7-8
It is cool to know that we are "worth" something to God, and that He loves us like nobody can.
10:46 AM
hey, kyle. i echo wendy in saying thanks for the honesty. it is a breath of fresh air. i would echo paul as well. those things in your heart were put there by god. i would like to add that it was probably god who helped you to go outside of the church to find this decision to follow his law on your heart and take responsibility for yourself. it is a place of true maturity that few ever get to.
zixmvp
1:34 AM
Great mogely bogely. Those are some nice words from all, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the words "maturity" and "Kyle David Martin Furlong" have never been uttered in the same sentence before (And I know that they weren't here either but that's cause nobody knew my full name, but the thought of maturity and myself was.....Where exactly was I going with this?....Once again, talkin in circles. I really gotta get that looked at)
But I also think that if it was indeed God that put said thoughts into me, wouldn't it have been easier to just tell me "Hey junior, stay the course and all will be well." I know that things are rarely easy in life, but it would have sure saved me alot of anger when I was younger.
12:03 AM
God loves you, Kyle.
God is love and those who live in love, live in God, and God in them.
:-)
» Post a Comment