Rejuvenated with a Purpose

What drives any of us to get out of bed in the morning? If I am honest, the two main factors in my daily routine are my wife and my son. They, as I’ve stated before, are my world. I’m sure many people would answer this similarly. But what exists beyond this? Surely there is something more. What am I even talking about?

I would consider this a continuation of my last post. If you missed it, feel free to read here, but the general idea was that I want to be an author of novels, that I thought I had found a publisher, and that they rejected me after my hopes were fully up. No big deal--everyone has been rejected at some time. That experience has led me somewhere new. Not like my toddler that moves from one thing to the next at the speed of sound, but something bigger. Like my drive to be an author may only be a part of my existence.

Full disclosure – I am a Christian. I am not going to use this space to shape your opinions, you can come to those yourself, but I do think it’s fair to be up front about it. If that bothers you, there is very little need to read on. It is important to say, however, because my Christianity defines me and my every decision. To a non-Christian this probably sounds crazy, as it should. If you do not believe in Jesus Christ, then my lifestyle and belief system should be foreign to you in every way, but it does help my life make sense.

Now that I’ve let that cat out of the bag, I’ll continue. I believe that I was put on this earth for a reason. My life should serve a purpose. In the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah’s book, it says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; and before you were born I consecrated you;” and then later in Jeremiah it says, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.” This was God speaking to Jeremiah, but also through Jeremiah, as a parent would, to all humanity. That, in a grand sense, is the plan for each of us. And beyond that, the specific plan, or assignment, for each of our lives.

Has anyone ever had a dream burning deep inside of them? I have. My dreams start with being a novelist, but are much larger than that. They are so big, I know that I could never accomplish them alone. That both excites me and terrifies me simultaneously. The problem in my life has been the focus on my writing has caused me to lose sight of those bigger dreams. The rejection helped fix that.

In the days that have followed the dreaded rejection letter, I have done a great deal of soul searching. The questions keep coming, Why can’t I catch my big break? Why do I want this so bad? Does God really have a plan for me? You may be rolling your eyes and thinking that I need to improve as a writer, become a better self-marketer, give up, and maybe even, you aren’t special and there is no God to make your dreams come true. And those are all OK with me. In fact, all of those perspectives are helpful. They reset me, help me gain perspective and reevaluate my situation.

*Side note – Any person who cannot stand to challenge their faith, really doesn’t have any faith to begin with. Sad but true.

So, where does that leave me? Excited. It puts me in the position to remember what I have always wanted to do, which includes a great deal more than simply becoming a novelist. It has caused me to take a hard look at the world and determine the things that I can’t stand about it. This is the point where you probably think I’m going to go on a rampage against the political agenda of the “left”, the corruption that is infecting our world, or some other stupid opinion that is being lobbed by lazy Christians that apparently don’t own mirrors and can’t see their own role in all of the ugliness. So then what? What exactly do I hate about the world that I want to change?

Answer -

I hate Christian entertainment! I absolutely hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Why, might you ask? I hate it because it is less than. It is niche. It is not a recruiting tool. It is sub-standard. It serves no purpose. It is often laughable! It makes me look like a dope by association with those Christians that are making it! It is at the center of the irrelevance of the "church" in modern America! Let me repeat, I HATE IT!

Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world. That makes Christians ambassadors in this world for Christ their King--MY KING! It bothers me in ways that I cannot describe when I see the shoddy work being put out in the name of my God, my savior, my king! Why couldn’t a movie with a Christian theme be so well executed that it would have to be considered for Oscar nominations? Why does the writing have to be generic and hokey? That’s idiotic and makes no impact on the world. Why can’t the lyrics to Christian songs be inspired and powerful? Or the melodies be catchy and cutting edge? Why couldn’t those mediums be used to change opinions? Why do these books, songs, albums, movies, etc. have to be produced in such a way that they only cater to people who are already Christian, and re-enforce the belief of non-Christians that we among the Kingdom of God are misguided, less talented, uninspired, silly, crazy, cultish, or beneath them? Why not spend the money to produce something good? Why pretend that something bad is good? Why accept being less than? Why was a talent like Elvis ostracized by the church but is still beloved 50 years after his death by the world? All he wanted to do was sing gospel music that wasn’t acceptable to the modern day Pharisees. That was too good to be true! And finally, why does the Christian world typically run at least 50 years behind the rest of the world?

Does any of this resonate? Christian or non-? Am I the only one who see’s things this way?

I realize that I am in full tangent mode with a lot of rhetorical questions, but I feel a burning desire to know why things are the way they are. If I were going to war, I would want the best armor, the best intel, the best weapons, and the best strategy to give me the best chance to win. So why in a cultural war would I settle for far less than the best in these metaphorical areas? It makes no sense. And so, I come back to my dreams and my purpose. I want to change this!

I want to be a part of a movement toward better Christian entertainment. I want to compete in the cultural war. I want to show off the best of my God, My Lord, My Savior, My King! I want every Christian book, song, album, poem, movie, or biography to be done with excellence and to extend the kingdom of Jesus Christ! I don’t want to be a part of something second best, but a part of something revolutionary like Jesus! I want the world to know the man who sacrificed himself on all of our behalf. And I want to be a part of the revolution that brings salvation, love, joy, peace, happiness, power, and truth. I want to challenge the establishment to be better, not ask the darkness to stop being so dark. I want to stop being associated with idiots… because idiots don’t make things better, they make things worse. They don’t feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, heal the sick, or mend the brokenhearted, they complain, they settle, and they impact very little positive change.

So I ask again, is my dream too much to hope for? Does it make people uncomfortable? Does it turn people off? Well that’s just too bad…It’s my dream and it has me rejuvenated. Why? Because the world is filled with so much darkness and my hope is to invent a better bulb so that I can shine a more effective light.