Boring. Prudish. Stale.

If you think that’s what it would be like to hang out with a Christian, you’d be wrong. Of course you might find a Christian that is all those things but most are not.

I recently met with a Christian friend who rides a motorcycle, laughs hardily, talks loudly and gives great advice. He was anything but boring. (He even pulled out his iPad 2 and let my son play Angry Birds so we could talk.)

So what’s the big deal? What does a Christian have that someone else doesn’t?

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See that baby above? Sleek. 3D. Fast action. Can your church compete against the Nintendo 3DS?

If you think of church as an event, then it can’t compete. If you attend church to sit and listen to music, watch the slide show and hear a good sermon, then video games and television will always win.

That’s not to say church has to be boring. If you find your church boring, then find another church! (A church that seeks to only entertain is not worthwhile either.)

The thing that can crush your church is not a video game but your perspective of what church is about. Here’s what I mean:

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I did the unthinkable at church the other day. I raised my arm during worship. It was a first for me. I have to admit, I had to think about it.

It’s all about execution. You can’t go halfway, like you’re about to answer a question but not quite sure you’ve got it right. Plus, you really need to raise it right at the inspirational part of the song — when the drums or guitar kick in.

The problem was this: what do I do with my hand? A fist in the air? Nope, that’s too much like a protest. Do I put up the “number one” finger? Too much like a college basketball game.

What I finally decide do was the “open palm” — not the high five but more causal, as if to say, “I’m digging this but not like a Pearl Jam concert.” What brought this sudden moment of ecstasy?

After a two-year battle, I was still cancer free. I was still alive. Not dying is always good motivation!

I took a quick glance around as the song ended. There were only a handful of us hand-raisers in a congregation of more than a thousand. I sat down and got ready to yell out some “amens” and a few “that’s right” during the sermon. Then I started wondering, should I shout it out or just use my “inside voice”? Hmm ….

Ever get that Holy Ghost inspiration at church? Bust out the tambourines? Leave a comment and let me know.

I remember sitting in the pew on Sunday morning when I was growing up. That plank of wood did not give an inch, though my father squirmed up and back, left and right, as the priest walked down the isle. The burning incense found its way to our pew in the back, giving our noses a wake-up call.

Our family of five trekked to church almost every Sunday. We would listen to the ceremony of the mass and kneel and stand and sit, reciting the prayers. Everyone said them out loud, the same things each week. When church was over, our spiritual focus was over. That one hour was not enough.

I listened carefully to the clink-clink as the boy carrying the incense lamp swung it back and forth. I lost him at the front row because we sat back at the far left every Sunday. The priest started his recitation of the mass that I could hardly make out, part Latin, part something.

There was beauty in the stained glass of the church, the light entering and genuflecting in colors. The candles flickering in the back added to the mystery. The carved scenes of the passion of Jesus on the walls next to us.

But that one hour was all I had each week. It was not enough for me to grow as a Christian. It’s not enough for anyone to grow. Soon enough, those other 23 hours overtook that one hour.

Christians Need More
You need individual prayer time with God to develop a real relationship with God. You must read The Bible yourself – that’s how God will speak to you.

A church service alone is not enough. You need to become friends with other Christians to grow. You must do life together with other Christians to really mature. When you do, that one hour will grow to many.

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