not the status quo

This is a story about multiple [media] sources converging to tell me the same thing at the same time.

First, there was the night Ash talked about being set free from mediocrity.

And then I read Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell this week. To me, the book was primarily about refreshing our grasp on what the church is really meant to be. Or as Dr. Horrible would say, “It’s about destroying the status quo, because the status is not quo.”

Bell summarizes relevant Jewish history and relates that to God’s people today. He reminds us that we’re meant to be God’s body; his physical presence on earth. I knew that, but the fresh way he states it helps me understand it on a new level.

Shattering the status quo is also a central theme of Tribes by Seth Godin, the other book I read this weekend. I think it’s a theme God is trying to emphasize to me as a person. That no matter what circumstances are around me, I can’t allow myself to be content with the status quo. My personality likes to have a plan; likes to know what to expect. But I’m learning that the most satisfying life includes healthy amounts of time spent outside my comfort zone.

I didn’t realize how much these two books would speak to each other’s foci until I finished Tribes after most of this post was written. It was almost eerie. I would quote some of the most relevant portions of Godin’s book…but I would basically have to copy and paste the whole thing. You should pick up a copy. The one I read is from the library, otherwise I would loan it to the first person who asked.

It’s not too hard to accept a short season of change (compared to a long one), and sometimes that’s all we have. But I’m getting the hint that God wants us to continually challenge the mediocrity of the status quo. I hope I can truly assimilate this and not be tempted to think I’ve learned it just because it’s been on my mind a lot recently. I want this to be the beginning of the journey, not the end.

Sidenote: Even though this post is mostly about not being content with the status quo, I love that Rob Bell briefly talked about God wanting to bring us hope.