Wild Goose Chase
I can't help but blog about one of the testimonies that really impacted me at our Baptism by the Bay. It keeps reverberating in my spirit.
One of the guys said that his first Sunday at NCC was the Sunday we showed the Wild Goose Hunter video where I chased geese and jumped into the Anacostia river. It's still a little embarassing. I felt a little juvenile :) But the thing that really struck me is that he said that video was instrumental in him knowing that NCC was a place where he could find God. Somehow God used that video to take the edge off.
I've been gnawing on that all week.
I've always felt like our culture of humor isn't just about having fun. I think it is one dimension of authencity. I think it helps people know it's ok to seek God in their own way at their own pace. I think it opens the spirit. I think we underestimate the spiritual value of humor. Maybe it plays more of a role in our spiritual development than we realize?
All I know is this: somehow God can take a goofy pastor who jumps into a river and translate it into a new Christ follower going into another body of water and getting baptized nine months later!
One of the guys said that his first Sunday at NCC was the Sunday we showed the Wild Goose Hunter video where I chased geese and jumped into the Anacostia river. It's still a little embarassing. I felt a little juvenile :) But the thing that really struck me is that he said that video was instrumental in him knowing that NCC was a place where he could find God. Somehow God used that video to take the edge off.
I've been gnawing on that all week.
I've always felt like our culture of humor isn't just about having fun. I think it is one dimension of authencity. I think it helps people know it's ok to seek God in their own way at their own pace. I think it opens the spirit. I think we underestimate the spiritual value of humor. Maybe it plays more of a role in our spiritual development than we realize?
All I know is this: somehow God can take a goofy pastor who jumps into a river and translate it into a new Christ follower going into another body of water and getting baptized nine months later!
5 Comments:
I showed all my friends that video when it was available online. I think when non-Christians saw my pastor jumping in a river, a lot of them thought "wow, he seems pretty cool." A lot of people tend to think church has to be stuffy and uptight. I love showing them proof that it doesn't have to be that way.
Btw, my favorite video is you in the Incredibles suit!
That was my second Sunday to attend NCC and it pretty much sealed the deal for me too. I had visited a lot of churches in the DC area but hadn't found one I loved yet. That video made me realize that you could have fun and be goofy in church and still love and worship God - He likes to see you laugh! I hadn't been to a "contemporary" church before because mine back home was very traditional, and NCC's format was what I needed to jump-start my passion for God again. For some reason I remember leaving church that day feeling like I had finally found a home. : )
Mallory,
So there is more than one person with a goofy sense of humor :) Pretty cool to hear about the way God used that.
We might have to do a sequel :) Chasing pigs or chickens. Or maybe lions since that is the them of my next book :)
PM
Ooooo, Mark how about a little komodo dragon wrestling in the Galapagos?
It's not just humor, but transparency and vulnerability.
Several years ago, in my first visit to a church, the pastor revealed that he was having a spiritual drought! Now, who wants to attend a church where the pastor is adrift.
But I found the transparency refreshing and we joined.
Also, we need to let our pastor's family alone. They are always on display. Being judged. Self-moderating their own behavior. It's not good for them or us.
(By the way, I don't attend this church or know the pastor. I'm just talking generally.)
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