myopic pilgrim

I have a few hobbies that allow to me express myself creatively. To be honest, maybe calling them hobbies might be too strong. A hobby is something one actually does from time to time. Music is the only thing I actually do with any regularity. Fiction writing on the other hand is something I start maybe once a year. Sometimes it coincides with National Novel Writing Month other times I write when I just have this great idea that I just need to start.

Start. Sometimes that’s the hardest thing to do, but it can’t be any harder than finishing. So now, armed with the idea that I can only be great at one things (unlike da Vinci who was great at just about everything), I’m ready to give up writing. But what about those great ideas, you ask. I remember an interview on NPR with an author who realized he had more ideas than he could possibly work on. He decided to give away the ideas to anyone who could use them.

That’s an option, I suppose. Or maybe I can commission someone to write out my ideas for me.

Hey, Kenny! Write me a short story about a woman whose brother dies. She meets an old friend of his who hasn’t heard the news yet and, when asked about the brother, she lies about how well he’s doing lately. She enjoys the brief time her brother is alive again and she goes out in search of more people to lie to. I’ll buy you a pint next time you’re in town.

[tags]hobbies, writing, nanowrimo[/tags]

There are new Christian billboards up around Reno encouraging motorists to “pray the prayer.” You know, the sinner’s prayer. These are the same people behind other Christian billboards in town (though it shouldn’t be confused with the God Speaks national ad campaign.

Folks have already said much about the shortcomings of the sinner’s prayer. Is faith directed to the words themselves instead of Jesus? Is there pressure to get people to say the words before they understand what’s going on? But seeing the billboards this time made me think about what our purpose is as the Church. Is it to get as many people into heaven as possible? Is it to save everyone we can? If so, then this billboard campaign is great.

But why stop at billboards? Where are our radio spots and TV commercials explaining the gospel and encouraging people to pray (and truly mean it!) the sinner’s prayer or at least something like it. Why are we wasting the Church’s money on anything else except getting people to answer the most important question in the affirmative: are you going to heaven?

[tags]christianity, gospel, marketing, evangelism[/tags]