The Ice Man's Birthday

Today was the Ice Man's Birthday and this is a picture of him looking real tough.

This other photo is the one I intended to post earlier in the day, but I didn't have time. I feel really cynical about all church signs that try and put something - ?interesting? - on them. This church is in my city, and they have had some bad ones, so don't worry, you'll probably see another photo of their sign real soon.

So as I drive by, I wonder if this sign is supposed to bring people into the church? What is this church really trying to say about Jesus? Has anyone in the church tried Dr. Jesus and what sort of medicine does He practice? What does this say for the honest church that is trying to meet the real needs of real people? Here in the real world, not everyone speaks 'Christianese.' Many of the thoughts and ideas that I know because I grew up in the church are foreign to regular people who don't have a pastor for a dad. I understand what the sign is trying to say, but in my opinion, that is the wrong place/way to say it.

I'm going to give another example of what I am talking about. The word 'sin.' It is used over and over by every pastor and church-goer known to man. Get honest with me here please - what does the word sin mean? Many in the church would answer doing something wrong or doing something against God. Those are true, but neither is a certain answer to the question -what is sin? Let's go beyond that. Sharing the gospel with another would require you to get to the point where you tell someone that they have sinned. Use Romans 3:23. You would move right through that to Romans 6:23, and then ask, "Don't you want that free gift?" They may not even understand what being a sinner really means. When you add in grace and mercy, also undefinable by most, you get a giant hodgepodge of dingleberries and whipped cream - your heart is in the right place, but the language that you use might as well be coming from a quantum scientist teaching you how to scientifically achieve maximum inflation with a latex orbital expanding through increased air pressure through its inlet - blow up a balloon.
Sin is disobedience against the laws that God has set for us to follow -known or unknown. You can find a list of some of them in Exodus 20. If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking all of them--James 2:10. Breaking one of those laws-- like telling a lie (bearing false witness)-- puts you in a place of being a law-breaker - a criminal. If you go to court over that broken law you will go and stand in front of the judge. That judge is the one that wrote the laws (God). He will find you guilty and you will be punished. There is a lot more conversation that goes with this talk about sin, and if you need it, I can tell you.

Christians we need to be clear in our language.