There’s only a few times during the year when I pause my blogging and take a break.  This week is one of them.  (I also take a week off for Christmas and a vacation in the summer.)  I’m going to take the time I would use for blogging this week and use it for spiritual reflection.

I love Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and Easter, and I just want to give them my full attention.  I don’t want to contemplate the Last Supper this Thursday, and then come home and write some goofy, ranting blog post.  So no blogging or Twitter for a week. 

There is nothing I can write that matches the incredible majesty of Easter.  Anything I would write would only detract from it.

There is no problem I have that is not overshadowed by my sin being covered by Christ.

There is no complaint I can bring that is not under God’s dominion.

In fact, everything I say sounds incredibly small in the shadow of the cross.

So I might as well be quiet. 

See you next Monday.  Happy Easter.

Okay, I wan’t going to do this.  But you made me do it.

Wednesday’s comments were so awesome, I had to follow up on some of them.  I’m not going to rehash Wednesday’s post.  I’m not even going to talk about healthcare (much.)  But every once in a while, you readers steer the content of this blog because you rule.

Some comments were so good, I was jealous that I hadn’t posted them.

Here we go.

Five Observations of American Culture
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So I guess President Obama signed some fancy-pants new law the other day.

Finally, after a year of arguing and blogging and yelling at each other, everyone can just pipe down about health care…

Okay, I don’t have much hope for anyone dropping the subject.  A bunch of Christians support health care reform because they want to believe it’s what Jesus would want.  A bunch of Christians oppose it because they love freedom, apple pie, and the NRA, and believe that’s what Jesus would want. 

After a year of mostly silly arguing, I think I’ve come up with six responses to health care reform that won’t make anyone happy.

My Six Thoughts on Health Care Reform
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What if you died right now?

What if the Lord Jesus Christ came back on his chariot at this very moment?

Those were two questions (or something like them) I heard a lot in church and Sunday School as a kid and teenager, and even from a roommate at my Christian college.  The questions were always followed up with, “Is that really what you’d want to be doing when you die?  Is that where you’d want to be found, dead?  Would Jesus appreciate coming all the way back to Earth to see you doing that?”

Few thoughts instilled more fear than the thought of Jesus coming back just as I was doing something I shouldn’t, like watching a rated R movie, or holding hands with a girl.  I suppose that was the point of the question.  You shouldn’t do anything you wouldn’t want Jesus to see, or go someplace you where you wouldn’t want the coroner to find you.  If you wouldn’t want your newspaper obituary to say it, don’t do it, don’t go there.

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately, and I’ve realized there’s a lot of places I need to avoid and activities I wouldn’t want to suddenly keel over and die while doing.  These would be at least as embarrassing as being caught dead in a cheap strip club, so I’d rather avoid them altogether, just to be safe.

Places to Avoid, Just in Case Jesus Comes Back

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A few of you found out on your own already. 

Kent Shaffer keeps the excellent blog, Church Relevance.  One of his trademark pages is his “top 100″ church blogs – the Christian blogs that people are reading.

And despite my very serious doubts to the contrary, The Church of No People made the list – #92.

I didn’t do that.  You did.  Seriously, the only appropriate response is to say thank you.

Thank you for reading and commenting and making this an amazing online community.  Thank you for giving me your time two or three times a week.  The comments and emails and friends I’ve made are far more reward than a number. 

But it was a number I did not expect.  A lot of blogs flow out of an already established ministry or someone with some level of fame.  Someone like John Piper starts a blog, and he’s #1 seemingly by birthright.  When I started this blog, I didn’t even tell my wife because I was embarassed to tell her I was trying to write.  No readers, no marketing, nobody.  So really, it’s all you. 

Now, if you visit the list, you will see that there are many amazing blogs that I look up to.  Jon Acuff, Anne Jackson and Carlos Whittaker are on the list.  Matthew Paul Turner made the list for the first time.  John Saddington managed to nab two spots!  There are just so many people who are more knowledgable, entertaining and handsome than me…well, maybe not handsome.  So go pick up some new blogs.

But there are also many incredible blogs that aren’t on the list too.  The “top 100″ is not a list of “quality,” just quantity.  Just because your blog isn’t on some list, it doesn’t mean your blog isn’t great.  It means your blog is a neat little secret – like the best little diner in town!  I honestly don’t check my blog stats anymore. This was the first “stat” I’ve seen in months. Stat checking is just counter to what blogging is about, especially this blog.

If you’re on a blog reader and you haven’t dropped by the site in person lately, I’ve given it a bit of a facelift and made some additions, so come check it out.  If we’re not connected on Facebook or Twitter, give me a click.  If I haven’t given you any free stickers, email me your address.  If you want me to come to your birthday party, click the “speaking” button. 

Have a great weekend.  Happy blogging!

I’ve been reading a great book.

It’s a Christian book.  It’s by a pastor named Philip Gulley.  It’s called If the Church Were Christian.  It’s really good.

And I totally disagree with everything the book says.

I mean I can still read the book.  It’s probably a good thing to read books that you disagree with.  It’s given me lots of time to evaluate what I do believe.

But I wouldn’t go to the guy’s church or anything and listen to his sermons.

That got me thinking.  I disagree with tons of people.  I disagree with the thoughts, religions, politics, and personal decisions of most Hollywood actors.  But I still enjoy their movies.  I disagree with a lot of blogs I read.  But I still respect them and read them regularly.  But my church?  I generally want it to be a safe haven of my own brand of hive-minded Christianity.  I want people to agree with what I say.  I want my opinions to be validated and my ego stroked by not having any nay-sayers.  I like a church full of the “same kind” of Christians as me.  We believe the same things.  We worship the same way.  And all the things we believe are the “best” form of Christianity, obviously.

I know that’s dangerous.  I couldn’t stand it at my Baptist college.  Some people there were obsessed with agreeing on everything.  There were even students who wanted to “cleanse” the library of books that were contrary to Christianity.  Believe me, I wasn’t the only one who vocally disagreed.  I thought I went to college to learn, and not just the Bible.  I made it my mission to remind everyone we were at an academic institution, not church camp.

In fact, just about every place in life, we expect to disagree with people.  It’s even good to disagree with people.  Take these five examples:

Where It’s Better to Disagree
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