Crash

My son and I are still reading through the Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus. I'm so glad that I was able to pick up this book again and absorb its contents. I've sad it before, this is a must read. A move from the civilized faith that we have grown so accustomed to. A call to live the life of a revolutionary.

One of my favorite portions of the book is when McManus is describing the terms for different groups of birds and animals. Did you know that a group of vultures is called a committee? I'm just saying! He spends considerable time describing rhinos. Huge animals that can run up to 30 mph. The only downfall - they can only see 30 feet in front of them. A group of rhinos is called a crash. A fitting name. Even when they are grazing this is what they are called. Why? Because of their potential.

For those who have chosen to follow the voice of the Lord, this is what life looks like. We may be only able to see 30 feet in front of us, but the momentum we have gained in life doesn't slow us down. It's a lot like the people described in Hebrews 11:15, "If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return." I love this verse. It reminds me to continue to take the ground before me. To continue towards that which the Lord has revealed. To never look back, slow down, or to concern yourself with the unknown.

While you may feel as though you have come into this conversation in the middle, I want to encourage you to keep going. There is much that the Lord is doing in our day that seems out of the ordinary. A mystical journey, if you will, for those who are willing to follow Him. For many it seems out of touch with reality. It's definitely different than what we have grown accustomed to. But isn't that part of the problem? That we have so civilized the Christian faith that we don't know how to handle those who have grown tired of being instutionalized? Or have we gotten used to the idea that the "church" simply mass produces people into a stereotypical mold?

Hear McManus in his own words:
"Somehow Christianity has become a nonmystical religion. It's about a reasonable faith. If we believe the right things, then we are orthodox. Frankly whether we ever actually connect to God or experience His undeniable presence has become incidental, if not irrelevant. We have become believers rather than experiencers. To know God in the Scriptures always went beyond information to intimacy. We may find ourselves uncomfortable with this reality, but the faith of the Scriptures is a mystical faith. It leads us beyond the material world into an invisible reality. We become connected to the God of eternity. Who you are at the core is spirit. God is spirit. To walk with God is to journey in the spiritual realm."

A barbarian is defined as a member of a community or tribe not belonging to one of the great civilizations. I find it interesting that the definition that I came across defines this in the sense of "in ancient times." In other words, we really don't have barbarians today. At least that was the way I took it. However, what can be more barbaric than believing that you belong to a greater community? What can be more barbaric than not moving with the culture? Not having a problem going against the status quo? Remaining steadfast to the idea that you were created for a greater kingdom?

As I said a few blog posts before, I'm reading this with my son because I never want him to settle. I want him to understand that this faith has always been led by those who were willing to be all in, and go all out for the cause of Christ. I want him to be confident in who the Father has created him to be. I want to stir up his inner warrior. To help him understand that this life isn't about fitting in but about being genuine. I also want him to understand that faith isn't always civilized. It doesn't always fit into our neat little boxes. That there may be risk involved.

Personally, I have taken many risks. I have believed in what the Lord has taught me, and the experiences He has brought me into. So much so that I have attempted to pass these things along to others. At times this has cost me in the area of relationships. Some believed that I had gone to far. Others struggled to align their own personal beliefs with mine. Which, by the way, I've never demanded that they do. But this seems to be the way it is in the area of faith for some people. That we must all follow the prescribed way of life dictated by our creeds. Rather than see the genuine nature in which people live and honor what the Lord is doing in that person. What are we supposed to do? Look back at the country from which we came or run full steam ahead even if we can only see 30 feet in front of us? I think you know the answer.

Each of us will have to make a decision. Each of us will have to answer the call. Will we settle for a domesticated faith or be willing to go into the adventure of the unknown with Him? I say He is worth it. I say it is time to "unleash the untamed faith within."