An odd juxtaposition of incongruent elements

As pretentious and ridiculous as that title is - it is the reason I am starting this blog.

Spring Break, 1992 - Monterrey, Mexico. I was there with Campus Crusade for Christ and another Christian ministry called Athletes in Action. The athletes would hold exhibition style competitions against the University of Monterey's basketball team and then between periods one of the athletes would share with the crowd about how he came to know and trust Jesus Christ. The rest of us just milled around the crowd and tried to start discussions with those who might be interesed in spiritual things. Hard to do when you don't speak Spanish. The students there were much more gracious than American students would have been with people who didn't know the language. They were very patient and eager to practice their English. It was a fun week, and I (like many in my CCC group) was just glad to get out of America and do something sort of exotic for our Spiring Break.

On one of the days there (the "tour-the-city-like-tourists" day) I, along with several of my friends and Crusade acquaintances were wandering the streets of Monterey, trying not to get lost. We came upon a very old, very tall, very ornate cathedral - which in and of itself is not that noteworthy; there are a lot of these in Monterey. On this one, however, up near the top, someone had mounted a big cross made out of bright blue neon lights.

What were they thinking? Were they trying to modernize - bring their church up to date? Were they attempting to reach a new culture with an old religion? Were they just trying to draw attention to themselves among a people who had no doubt already come to ignore that old building?

A fellow art major who was also a follower of Jesus Christ was standing next to me and we both saw the cathedral at the same time. "Well, there's an odd juxtaposition of incongruent elements", she said. I coudn't believe it. How can someone come up with a sentence like that off the top of her head? It was amazing. What perfect timing. That momement - that sentence was the most memborable part of the week. And now, 15 years later - it still rings in my ears, but for different reasons than it did before.

I have long felt like a bit of a square peg - like I don't quite fit in wherever I am. In art school as a follower of Christ, I definitely didn't fit in. In many ways I think that Christian artists live in the worst of both worlds. Evangelical Christians are too intolerant and closed-minded for the artistic community. The artistic community is seen as too weird for large sections of the Christian community. (I realize that there are pockets within the Evangelical Christian community where the arts are flourishing quite nicely, but that is a pretty late development. And, even then the musical arts are far outpacing the visual and performing arts.)

Even now, as an Evangelical Chirstian I find within myself an incongruous relationship with the Christian sub-culture in our country - a sub-culture that I am a part of. And I am a pastor for crying out loud. I am a leader within that sub-culture.

I wonder if people look at me and scratch their head. I am a city boy pastoring in a small town in Kansas. I love the arts; I roast my own coffee beans; I love good espresso; I build much of our own furniture; I listen to world music, and I love Jesus Christ. I am committed to God's Word and the old, old story of Jesus and his love - a story everyone needs to hear.

In some respects, I feel like the old cathedral with the neon cross - a mixture of odd cultures. So, here is my Holmes blend. This blog will be more for my benefit than anyone else's - a way to sort out my thoughts and explore the things I am interested in. If you have just taken the time to read this post, thanks. If you too, feel like an odd duck - be comforted. There is room for people like us.