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I just thought I’d play with the title to this post and try to 1) coin a new catch phrase and 2) claim something as being dead. It was fun. Now I know why everybody does it.

In the constantly-connected subculture we call America it is easier than ever to engage in the lives of others at any moment of the day. Twitter lets me respond to the thoughts of someone else across the globe in almost real-time as though we were conversing face to face - if I’m following them. Facebook unpacks the pertinent details of my life for all who would connect with me by some degree in a way small talk seems inefficient at performing. I can transfer a large amount of money to someone I’ve never met without currency or a bank account number with PayPal. Instead of phoning my wife, I’ll probably just send her a text message.

In the spirit of household-appliance-reductionism-sociology, our Microwave Society has become the TiVo Society. We are interacting more than ever and with more than ever but rarely meet face-to-face. I no longer must tune in to your life, I’ll just tag it for later and drop you a reply. And you can do the same. In fact, I’d probably prefer you do just that. Don’t call me. Don’t come to my house. Because if you do I’ll have to respond to you and engage in fullness rather than fragment. It’s true, I know what you think about life because I follow you or we’re friends and I can piece it all together on my time. But knowing what you think or find worthy of a tweet does not truly clue me in to how you really live or who you are. It’s not enough.

I still need you. Not just your status as of 20 seconds ago…

So, please, let’s have coffee. Let’s talk. I’ll probably help you move someday. Let’s be friends. Real ones.

Continuing to fight the thought of quitting at any point of this life in Christ, here is the next question I always ask when I see that door of escape:

Aren’t people just waiting for me to quit anyway?

Answer: Yes.  Aside from the very enemy of your soul, Satan, there are plenty of other people just waiting for you to quit.  Some of them saw you jump on board with Jesus way back and can hardly wait for you to come back and admit it was just a religious phase.  Others hope you and I will call it quits so they can continue to avoid even beginning.  Most of all, there are people around us waiting to see us throw in the towel so they could throw in their own towel - a chain reaction awaits.

But that’s not everyone.  Some days when the thought of quitting comes on so strong I tend to think I have no allies - another lie.  Read this…

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Phil 1:3-6

I join the Apostle Paul in prayer for you and in the joy of knowing we’re in this together.  None of us are meant to walk our life in Christ on our own.  We are called to hold each other up and provide support in ways no other family, fraternity, or friendship besides the Church ever can.  If you think everyone wants you to quit, you are around the wrong people.  Get out of that place.  Find the people you know who love you and love God.  We are in this together.  Why?  So we can get there together.

Jesus, unite us, the Church, in our vision, in our mission, and most of all in our love and care for each other.  When one stumbles, may another lift them up.  No dead bodies are left behind in this movement.  We seek you to revive the ones among us who have died on the inside.  We are in this together.  Amen.

I recently read a bio of actor Daniel Day-Lewis on Wikipedia (and for those of you that still refute Wikipedia’s merit - read this and this). Day-Lewis is the star of the upcoming film There Will Be Blood which is a film adaptation of Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil! about a “turn-of-the-century Texas prospector in the early days of the [oil] business”. I’m wanting to see this film - not because I’ve read the novel, or because I’m even particularly interested in the story (I’m not usually a fan of “period pieces” that take place in some old-timey world like this film) - I’m interested in seeing this film because of Daniel Day-Lewis. He’s a captivating actor and his ability to enter into the persona of his film roles is enough to pull me into a story I have no connection to. This is a sign of a great actor - the ability to create an experience or connection for the audience in a situation with which they seem to have no real connection. Day-Lewis’s methods for becoming his character in films has set him apart from many others…

[Daniel Day Lewis] has also been acknowledged for his constant devotion to his roles and copious amounts of research he performs. Often he will remain in character and speak in the accents he has used on screen throughout the entire shooting schedule…Day-Lewis put his personal version of “method acting” into full use in 1989 with his performance as Christy Brown in Jim Sheridan’s My Left Foot which won him numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor. During filming, his eccentricities came to the fore, due to his refusal to break character. Playing a severely paralyzed character onscreen, offscreen Day-Lewis had to be wheeled around the set in his wheelchair, and crew members would curse at having to lift him over camera and lighting wires, all so that he might gain insight into all aspects of Christy Brown’s life, including the embarrassments. He also broke two ribs during filming from assuming a hunched-over position in his wheelchair for so many weeks…

In 1992, three years after his Oscar win, The Last of the Mohicans was released. Day-Lewis’ character research for this film was well-publicized; he reportedly underwent rigorous weight training and learned to live off the land and forest where his character lived, camping, hunting and fishing. He even carried a Kentucky rifle at all times during filming in order to remain in character and learned how to skin animals…

These are just some examples of how Daniel Day-Lewis devotes himself to his roles. What I’m amazed by is the extent of his commitment. If I were an actor, I’d likely do some research and try to put myself in the person’s shoes but I wouldn’t break any ribs over it! But Day-Lewis seems to be unsatisfied with that level of understanding of his characters. It seems, in fact, that he has such respect for his characters (fictional and real) that he must do them the justice of sharing in their life experience - whatever that entails - suffering, hunger, hatred, greed, love, ambition, loss… This is way more than pretending. It’s as though Day-Lewis comes alongside the character and becomes their friend and begins to share in whatever their life entails. He is fully-devoted to his character and willing go wherever that devotion takes him.

How can we do this in our relationships? How can we come alongside of the people in our lives to the point that we share in whatever their life entails? We’ve been called to enter into the lives of others just as Christ became flesh and made His dwelling among us (John 1:14). Does this mean that we may have to be willing to “break a rib” for the sake of knowing someone and sharing the love and redemption of Christ with them?

Christ, help me to be fully-devoted in the way that I follow you. Even when you seem to be walking right into the ugliness, hopelessness, and bitterness of the lives of my neighbors and friends, may I follow you there and be a friend and neighbor in the fullest sense.

I’ve always struggled with honesty. Lying used to be my default setting and sometimes the switch gets flipped again. Today, Ruth and I talked about this and had a moment of clarity - I sometimes lie because I don’t want people to know me - and this is because I don’t really like myself! In seminary, we’ve been talking a lot about owning who we are and learning to accept myself as I am so that God can begin to renovate who I am. Now don’t worry, I haven’t been hiding secret sins or plotting some heinous crime. It’s just that it’s too easy for me to lie sometimes and I want that to change. Often times, I hold back what I really think or feel because I don’t want anyone to know. This isn’t healthy, in fact, it is only hurting me and the people I should be sharing my life with. I’ve really been grinding my teeth at night because of this - masking my real feelings. I need to be more open about the things I agree with, disagree with, and have nothing to say about. I need to be honest about who I am.

God, I pray that you would help me to accept the whole measure of your atonement for my life. You’ve paid for every mistake I’ve ever made so I don’t have to hide anymore - no more fig leaves - just me. Help me to walk in truth and not lies, help me to know myself and let you change me. Jesus, teach me to be “naked” and unashamed.