I hate my American Generation

Tonight I was watching TV and got so fed up with America. And as I started thinking about it, I realized that I am so fed up with my generation. I’m fed up with postmodern “think positive” America. I’m fed up with Christianity, and believing in God, being just another subculture instead of a way of life.

I hate that people say “just think positive” or “I’m trying to be positive through it all.” I think I know what you mean, but sometimes I just want to shake people and say “WAKE UP! Sometimes life sucks and it’s ok to say that it sucks!” To be totally honest, I don’t want to be around people who can’t honestly say that they’re pissed off and that life sucks sometimes! If you can’t do that, you’re in denial and you’re being fake. I don’t want friends who tell me to “think positive.” I want friends who will listen, who will empathize (which is a trait that has for the most part been lost to my generation), friends who will support me and who want to be supported.

I don’t understand why my generation seems so immature. I say “seems” because maybe I’m overly bitter. I’m constantly told I’m too old for my age too, so that may have something to do with it. I just don’t understand why we’re so self-conscious, so self-absorbed, so shallow.

Side note: Oh and girls, guys don’t like it when you’re just laughing at everything all the time. This goes back to the “positive thinking” thing too. Even if you’re not laughing at them, it can sure feel like it a lot of the time. Grow up and be sweet and gracious. That’s truly attractive.

To continue:
I’m sick of American Christianity. This is no surprise to anyone. I hate that we have to ask ourselves (and that I’m asked frequently) “When the last time you hung out with a non-Christian?” Are you kidding me?? It should be a way of LIFE that we hang out with others who do not believe what we believe! We shouldn’t be going around thinking “Oh, you’re a non-Christian, I have to hang out with you because that’s what good Christians do.” Forget that! I hang out with people and am friends with them because I think they’re cool, because they’re passionate about things, because they enjoy doing cool things (honestly, one of the biggest realizations I’ve had in the past year is that non-Christians DO fun things!)

I hate evangelism “training” and that evangelism has become another to-do of Christianity. It should be a part of our lives, people! Living life alongside others and letting the difference that Christ is making in our lives shine forth! I don’t want a packaged “Gospel presentation.” I want to be real with others and let them see that I fail, and show them that even though I fail, Christ has accepted me!

I’ve got more rants, but I’ll save those for later.

Peace out America. I can’t wait to leave you. You’ll be like an ex-relationship that I’m glad to be out of.

A Song

I haven't posted on this blog in forever, but this post feels right for this blog, as opposed to John's Journal. Where I am now, in Northern VA, I'm not happy. It's not a good fit for me, though I am learning a ton and getting very good work experience in my job.

I spent this past weekend at home (actually Friday-today) doing a lot of thinking, reading, and soul searching. I've been crying out to God lately, asking Him how long must I stay here, how long must I remain in this place. As I was driving back up here to Northern VA today, a song came on the radio. The song is called Revelation, and it's by Third Day. Here are the lyrics:

My life,
Has led me down the road that's so uncertain
And now I am left alone and I am broken,
Trying to find my way,
Trying to find the faith that's gone
This time,
I know that you are holding all the answers
I'm tired of losing hope and taking chances,
On roads that never seem,
To be the ones that bring me home

Give me a revelation,
Show me what to do
Cause I've been trying to find my way,
I haven't got a clue
Tell me should I stay here,
Or do I need to move
Give me a revelation
I've got nothing without You
I've got nothing without You

My life,
Has led me down this path that's ever winding
Through every twist and turn I'm always finding,
That I am lost again (I am lost again)
Tell me when this road will ever end

Give me a revelation,
Show me what to do
Cause I've been trying to find my way,
I haven't got a clue
Tell me should I stay here,
Or do I need to move
Give me a revelation
I've got nothing without You
I've got nothing without...

I don't know where I can turn
Tell me when will I learn
Won't You show me where I need to go
Oh oh
Let me follow Your lead,
I know that it's the only way that I can get back home

Give me a revelation,
Show me what to do
Cause I've been trying to find my way,
I haven't got a clue
Tell me should I stay here,
Or do I need to move
Give me a revelation
I've got nothing without You
I've got nothing without You

Oh, give me a revelation...

I've got nothing without You
I've got nothing without You


I literally started crying as I was driving. This song's lyrics are the verbal manifestation of what my heart has been crying out for a couple months now. It hit home so well, and I felt completely undone and exposed.

A new beginning

I returned to the States on July 23rd after 6 months and 24 days in Europe. What a life-changing experience it was! I learned a lot through my time at L'Abri Study Fellowship in the Swiss Alps, and I got to travel as well, to places like Spain and Ireland, while I was on the continent as well.

I changed a lot during my time in Switzerland. I learned a lot about myself, a lot about my Lord, studied and debated some life-changing topics, especially in regards to theology, and I lived a lot of life.

The next step in my life is to move back to Northern Virginia and to begin a job with AmCad in Herndon, VA. I am excited to start this next chapter in my life. I'm excited to begin the work world and to see where life has to take me.

Hopefully, now that I have more reliable Internet access, I will be updating this blog more frequently with things that I am thinking about, things I am experiencing, etc.

Stay tuned!

New blog

Hey y'all,
Check out the new post on my other blog here.

Leave a comment there, please.

Oofta

Wow, it has been a really really long time since I've updated this, and I am so sorry. If you want to know what thoughts are going through my head, please keep up with my other blog, located here.

The term is almost over here. The last day is in 13 days, the 17th of April. I have applied to stay on as a helper here at Swiss L'Abri for the Summer Term. I find out Monday about that. I'll keep y'all posted. Between terms I will go to the coast of Spain with my friend Ralph McCall and a few other to-be-helpers for about 3 weeks to edit, write, and relax along the Mediterranean coast. I feel extremely blessed to have this opportunity. And hopefully I will be returning to L'Abri for the summer after that.

I went to Ireland for a week at the end of February/beginning of March. Consult my other blog for that post. Also, check my Flickr page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dohertyjf) for new pictures. No Ireland pictures yet, but they'll be there.

Bless you all. Let me know how you're doing out there.

Lots of Thoughts

I have a lot of thoughts running through my head right now. An Irish pastor named Brian Follis has been here for the past few days, lecturing on Francis Schaeffer. He gave two lectures, one entitled "Francis Schaeffer: Spirituality of Crisis" and one today about his apologetics, and included in the one today was the L'Abri story, at least the parts having to do with Schaeffer's apologetics, especially his conviction that "Love is the final apologetic."

First, let me deal with the "Love is the final apologetic sentiment." I take that to mean, as do many others, and I think Schaeffer would agree, that at the end of the day it's not going to be convincing arguments, or philosophy, or sound doctrine, (though all of these are important), that will convince someone to become a Christian. Rather, at the end of the day, once all of these have been exhausted, it will be how Christians LOVE one another, through thick and thin, that will convince someone of the Truth (capital T) of Scripture, and the reality of God's existence.
But this brings great responsibility! If the church (and I use that term broadly, perhaps too much so) is so focused on doctrine, and theology, and arguments, we stand in peril of losing the capacity of love that in the end speaks the loudest to the world.
I have been reading Shane Claiborne's "The Irresistible Revolution" in the evenings here. Some of you might be saying "Uh oh, John's going liberal." Well...maybe. Haha. But he talks so much about social justice issues, and how it's when the church (and by that I mean the people of God) fail to love, seekers are turned off to Christianity. And we wonder why people don't seek anymore! It's because (in large part) that we have turned them away by our failure to love! I am brokenhearted when I hear someone say "Yeah, I used to go to this church. But I don't anymore because no one would talk to me. People weren't friendly. I don't want to be a part of that."
Once again, wake up church (the institution and the people).

Also, today Follis brought up that Schaeffer would say that Christians and non-Christians alike are images of God, but we are broken images. Greg Laughery and I dialogued about this a bit in the past, either on his blog or via email about whether we are truly broken images of God. I actually asked Greg today during the lecture how he would respond to Schaeffer's statement. He said that he's not convinced that we are broken images of God. And I'm not sure that I'm convinced of that notion either anymore. Adam and Eve were created in God's image, but does that mean that they were perfect like God? Obviously they had the capacity to go outside of the line of image-bearing (ie, to not be rational or loving). Otherwise, there would have been no fall.
So maybe we truly are God's image. Maybe there is not another image of God out there, where we can discover it and then say what it means that we are God's image. Greg brought up, and I agree, that maybe we are God's image to the world. So we are not BROKEN images, because we are still creative, and rational, and loving (though not perfectly so, and neither were Adam and Eve), but we are rather made in God's image but have a broken RELATIONSHIP with him.

Thoughts? I know this is a lot of stuff. I'll post something about life later.

But I'd appreciate feedback.

Thought For The Day

I never read Proverbs. Maybe I should. It has some real wisdom and insight into life. After all, Solomon was the wisest man ever. Here's what I read today:

Proverbs 4:18-19
"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble."

Chew on that. Let it rock your world.