Monday, July 19, 2010

jazzed up



well, the kingdom of God met the king of beers this weekend, and i got to witness it. and you know what? God knows people drink beer!

ha.

here's the scoop. i signed up awhile ago to serve at the local Jazzfest with mercy church. i had visions of hot days and handing out water bottles at the time, thanks to a prior experience in which that is what i did. i did not even think twice about it. christians hand out water to people in need. no second thoughts necessary.

i should have gotten a clue when in subsequent emails, pastor shel started to refer to our location as the 'beverage' tent. to give him some credit, he actually said (several times) that if you are uncomfortable around beer, this was not the service opp for you. i disregarded that statement, thinking that the proximity of the water tent and the beer tent must be close....because, you know, christians don't hang out with beer around.

sheesh.

finally, about a week beforehand, it started to dawn on me, and i ASKED. yikes, it was definitely serving in the beer tent. after a slight freakout, i still did not allow myself to think about it much...i was SURE i'd be wiping the tables or possibly checking for IDs. surely, a christian would not do anything but that. i mean, I'M A CHRISTIAN!

yeah, right. by the end of the first night, i had gotten pretty comfortable with yelling "BUD HEAVY" to the guys in the back by the big cattle troughs filled with icewater and cold beer. that's because i was upfront at the beer tent, taking orders and taking beer tickets. it did not take long for me to remember back to the day when i talked to people who drank beer....! seriously. i did remember that 'those' people are pretty much just people.





the big question that was left in my mind after the end of the weekend was....how in the HECK did i become one of those 'christians' who is afraid to be with people who have a beer in their hand? one of those christians i SWORE i would never become? is drinking beer the real trouble? or is the trouble that in nine short years i have isolated myself from what Jesus commanded me to do? which is to be a light, to show the joy and happiness i have experienced from His saving love in my life! no matter where i am?

i don't know the answer to that. it was a wakeup call for sure. and you know what? it was FUN. there. i said it. quite a few people asked about what kind of church would be slinging beer at a jazz fest. it was kind of good to say 'mercy church. it's right up the road. God hangs out there.'

and you know what? He does. and He is. everywhere you would not expect Him to be. i really really really wonder where else He is going to take me along the way!

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow, wow, wow.

I am sort at a loss for words.

I feel you on the beer part, although baseball and beer go together pretty well and over the years it has begun to rub off on me. In fact, these days you can find me choosing my 64 calorie favorite beverage instead of a candy bar:) I feel justified because of the calorie count. And a cool one is much more refreshing than a mouth full of the melty stuff.

I think it is BOLD that your church decided to help out in the beverage tent. I like bold. I think that Jesus was pretty bold and I also think he enjoyed a lot of things in moderation as well.

just saying.

great post...good words...hope you still have time to write the good stuff after school starts, probably more material, right?

cherk said...

Bobbi-I love this for so many reason-which would consist of a deep philosphical discussion on my part. I won't torture. I think it is awesome that you are putting yourself out there.

Anne said...

Spot on. Great way to flesh it out, Bob. This IS it!

And... THE KING! ha!

bobbione8y said...

thanks to shel for slowing prying open my eyes again. there is a difference between an 'issues' oriented christian and a Jesus centered one :)

Rea said...

Love it! The last paragraph especially. Who knows where else we will find God hanging out? I can't wait to find out.

Anonymous said...

When I think about the sorts of people Jesus spent time with (prostitutes, tax collectors, etc.), I figure He probably hung out in some pretty interesting places. Maybe even some places that would make a beer tent look tame. Way to break out of the church walls!

And for the record, Blue Moon is my brew of choice. I like drinking it with a cute youth pastor I know... :)

bobbione8y said...

ellen, i think you and that certain cute youth pastor would get on well with anne and shel!

Anonymous said...

Actually, Chuck and Anne went to USD together and know each other. I know who Anne is, but I don't think she knows me.

I'm totally intrigued by Mercy because, to be honest, we're a little burned out on the mega-church-wannabe aspects at Sunnybrook. But that's a whole 'nother conversation...

You're right though -- we'd love to talk with Anne and Shel... and maybe even drink beer with them. ;)

bobbione8y said...

oh! that is amazing! i did ask her if she knew you guys, and she did not think so!

let me know if you come to town sometime, it would be so fun to arrange a get together!!

Karen said...

Just beginning the long catch-up here. I LOVE THIS POST!!!!!!!

Tomorrow I will write about the God-girl I met over wine at the Firehouse in Rapid.