Extreme Makeover

"Extreme Makeover: Transforming hearts in a changing world", was the title of a Youth Conference Conference that the Jeff, Amy and I attended 2 weeks ago. The question presented to us: "Do we simply try to sell Jesus like a marketing rep? Like someone trying to sell vacuum cleaners? Or do we allow Jesus to touch the whole of our lives each day and as a result genuinely try to touch others for Christ?"

Before we can engage another person's heart whether it be family, friend, a stranger, a child or a student, we must first be aware of what is going on and ruling our own hearts.

There is a big difference between asking someone how they’re doing and actually caring about the answer.

I saw a young man in the mall once that had a T-shirt that had these words on the front "People always tell me to stop drinking.." and on the back the phrase ended with, "But no one ever asks me about my thirst."
Today's culture (MEANING= The world we live in everyday! Even our lives!) is built around trying to avoid the real questions. Avoid that void, the pain, the hurt.
Why can't we be more enticed to see someone’s soul? To really be in tune with someones heart?
Culture today lives for comfort and escapism and we wonder why were apathetic and indifferent.
We should change our motto from "Land of the Free, to the, Land of the Numb".
We can create ourselves island paradises if we have the right supplies.
(TV's, DVDs, music, espresso machines, laptops, video games, nice cars, the right relationships, the cool shoes, the high position at work or church)
This was the idea Hugh Grant presented in the opening scenes of the movie, "About a Boy", the last line of that whole montage said the following,"...like all island dwellers you often have to visit the mainland."
How often have we visited the mainland of our hearts? How often do we break out of this state of anesthesia and enter into another persons world and actually touch them?

As Brad Pitt says in Fight Club, "We're the middle children of history.... no purpose or place. We have no Great War, no Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives." We associate with this quote, with this movie, or at least I did because we feel lost in this culture that says that we live for ourselves. At least those people back when had something to fight for, to fight against, right?
Nope...today we are simply trying to escape reality and enjoy every fake minute of it. We are self-absorbed, living somewhere between depressed and happy and never simply content.
Turn off your TV's, your palm pilots, your cell phones, your video games, your computers for one night and face the quiet.
How does it feel?
Do you feel lonely? At a loss for what to do? Why do we always have to have something entertain us? Because it numbs us from the reality that we need something greater than ourselves. If we occupy our time then we don’t have to worry about the reality of life. That it is lonely without God, without a relationship with Christ.
When life gets hard, the dating scene seems old, your children wont behave, your spouse annoys you, your job is depressing, your dog dies, whatever..turning to the numbing agents of TV, computers, cell phones, and video games feel empty don't they? They dont quite satisfy during those rough times. {As a side note- So we eventually turn to bigger self pleasers...bar scenes, clubs, relationships, drugs, wealth and whatever else}
I'm not saying to turn into a monk and throw away all your posessions, but be aware of what culture says is important, be aware of what you turn to when you feel lonely and empty.
Turn away from the thin things that this consumeristic culture has put in our lives and turn to the thick promises and security found in a relationship greater than ourselves, a relationship with Jesus.
And as a follower of Jesus the next time you bump into someone and ask them how they're doing....care.
Show them the love of Christ. Crush them with love!