The only way that William Shatner could over-act so heavily is if in his own mind he thinks he is actually spot on.  In other words, his perception of what he is doing is completely different from everyone else’s.  He must have been thinking, “I’m really in my acting prime now.  All that Star Trek stuff was just a stepping stone to this ‘Climbing the Mountain” work.”  Well… maybe he wasn’t thinking that exactly, but you get the idea.

It’s like all those contestants on American Idol.  I’m talking about the contestants that come on at the start of the season that are so bad, you feel embarrassed for them.  The train wrecks everyone tunes in to watch.  They think they sing really well, while everyone else around the world is hearing a two rabid cats fighting over a screeching mouse.  If these people knew how they really sounded they wouldn’t do it on national television.  Most of them really believe they can win and are shocked, or indignant, when told that they didn’t make it through.

This is why we need friends.  True friends that will say, “Hey, Kirk, stop climbing the mountain, Buddy.  You sound completely Looney Toones and someone is gonna edit it and put that thing on YouTube.”

I think we are all prone to seeing ourselves the way we WANT to see ourselves instead of really looking with honesty.  If we don’t have people in our lives to tell us the truth, we will always end up some day playing the fool.

Hopefully not on YouTube.  Hopefully.

We are the Bride of Christ.  Loved beyond measure, with no borders to His patience, forgiveness, and grace.  We are never beyond repair. Never out of the reach of His transformation.

I believe the Church in America is being romanced by Jesus.  We are being redefined as His Bride, and only His Bride.  We are being ravished by Him – called by name.

This spoken word poem/skit reminds me of who I am as a friend of God.  I hope it does the same for you.

I keep finding myself carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, repeating “Work harder, just make it happen” like some kind of mantra of self-motivation and pride.  I appreciate this song not only for its musical qualities, but also for the gentle and sincere reminder that all of us need strength that is beyond what humanity can give.

It’s a fool that rushes in, tilting at windmills, when divine help is available to him.  God help me not to be that fool.

What did you think?

Let’s discuss in the comments.

By the way I hear some preachers talk, you’d think Jesus is disinterested completely in the fate of the world that He came to save as though He’s a petulant child.    Still others make Him seem powerless and worried.  All of them 2-dimensional.

How many times have we reduced Him to a sound-bite at the end of a meeting or only displayed a 2-dimensional version of Him to our friends?  Perhaps that’s, at least in part, the reason why so many people simply fizzle out into mediocrity.  And maybe that’s why we so often find it impossible to trust Him.

Toss your plastic Jesus in the trash can and seek out the real one.  See Him healing the sick, touching the leaper, calling the Pharisees dogs, displaying His glory at the Mount of Transfiguration, dying in humility and victory at the cross.  Imagine Him returning for His spotless Bride at the end of days.  See Him as the hero of this great story of the gospel.