I watched Stranger than Fiction for the first time this past week and during the intro I was most surprised to discover there was more than one way to tie a tie. It seems my dad has kept me in the dark all these years, but now I know there is more (and there is a way to beat “neck fat”!). Of course I would prefer not to wear a tie… to turn serious, the question becomes, what do we not know about the church. Could it look another way?
Coming from another angle, this afternoon the cold finally lifted and I decided I would go without a jacket. It was a great sunny day, but when I saw weather.com I realized it was only in the mid-forties. A month ago I would have been freezing, but today it felt like a heat wave. In the same way, has the church gotten so used to life as we know it, that we no longer know what true faith feel like? – Instead we have become content with barely above frozen faith!
[In brief: Saul is after David, but Dave has hidden himself with the prophet Samuel. So Saul send men to capture him, but each begins to prophesy rather than arrest. Even when Saul goes, he strips naked and begins to prophesy…]
We want the world to accept us, but when we live for God they will often reject us. As I mentioned this past weekend, when Brit Hume called on Tiger to accept the grace of Christ he was ridiculed! Of course when we are rejected our tendency is fight back. But the path of David provides another way. It was not like David could not have fought (he was the popular giant slayer, now a warrior). But instead he hid and God was mighty to save!
The story of David reveals something more than we can imagine. It reveals something that will even cause our enemies to be awed (admittedly the next day they may again be after us!). A faith that is not frozen – to scared to proclaim – but a faith that burns with the passion of Christ!
Challenge: Move beyond the fear and share your faith. You may be ridiculed, but God has not forsaken you. In reality He is at work and He will reward your faithfulness – even beyond what you or I can imagine!
PLUNGE47 
So you enjoyed the movie?
It was good. Maybe not great, but I loved a lot of the scenes. The one where he leaves the bakery, without his lady, and declares, “I think I am living in a tragedy” (or something like that). It just captured that lonely, sad feeling that we all have encountered… and I am dramatic, so I think these silly things!
Plus, I am glad he lived. It would have been typical for him to die… it is cliche to have redemptive stars die, but I think it takes away form the movie – as though we can not LIVE the redeemed life!