Friday, September 22, 2017

Don't be a Moopet!



What does a Muppets episode with Fozzie Bear in a dive bar in Reno, playing in a seedy-looking Muppet tribute band called "The Moopets" have to do with Church wounds & godly living?


I have walked through & thought this would be a private journal entry, but here I am posting this.




You see, so many of us here in the West who profess the name of Jesus, have not learned yet what our brothers & sisters in the #persecutedchurch around the world have known...we no longer have the luxury of dabbling. It is quite a joy to share in the power of His resurrection, but we often forget that this is preceded by sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings. Only in walking through these things do we discover who Jesus is, & come to love Him for Himself, & not what we thought He was obligated to do for us.


We forget that we are in a war, & for many of us, as the bullets were flying & chaos ensued, the smoke & dust cleared, & it wasn't an enemy standing at the other end of the muzzle...it was a fellow soldier. So we don't necessarily leave the faith, we just moved towards the Borderlands. And the weariness & the wariness, previously foreign to us, begin to reflect in our social media feeds, our eyes, & our lives. Most of the people I have observed & spoken to who are living in this place right now are not new Christians. They are seasoned soldiers, long-time saints, pioneers & forerunners who have given their all for Jesus. And then it happened. The Tipping Point. It could have been a divorce, a betrayal, a ministry fracture or faction. And suddenly the starry-eyed innocence is gone. At least that's how they feel.


You see, I'm convinced that the issue here is not so much worldliness, but woundedness.


We forget what it says in the book of Daniel, that the enemy's tactic is to "wear out the saints of the Most High God." So off to the dabbling of the outskirts we go. And the thing is we don't even "do" the world very well. If Christ is in you, the hope of glory, then when we try to back off from going all out with Jesus, & try to look like the world, we still stick out...you can tell there's something not quite right...Like those off brands at the dollar stores that are shaped like the real thing & colored & logoed similarly, but you can tell there's something off.


Like a Muppet living in Reno, playing with a mean-looking tribute band.


The good news is that particular Muppet episode has a happy ending. Fozzie Bear's friends find out where he is living, and they go and get him out of that place and help him remember his true identity.


So this is a gentle message to those who find themselves living in the Borderlands... Please come Home.



1 comment:

  1. Nina,
    Where have u gone? Are u no longer blogging?
    Your thoughts are so right on!
    I hope u are well!
    I also commented to you as terryj296 on Wordpress.
    ... Have an amazing day!
    Carolyn

    ReplyDelete