Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax

Since I've returned to the blog today, I think it's the perfect time for a new rant. So, here goes.

Every morning on my way to work, I listen to The Rick and Bubba Show. For those of you who don't know, they are the self-proclaimed "sexiest fat men alive," and their show is the only entertaining part of my drive from Wetumpka to The Gump. Every morning at about 7:45 or 7:50, a pastor from a local church occupies about a 1-minute commercial spot. He uses this one minute to give "inspirational" stories and remarks. While the idea behind this spot is fine, I find myself annoyed almost every day. Yesterday was no exception.

The source of my frustration is the fact that this "pastor" rarely ever mentions God. And he certainly never mentions Jesus. Of course, this would be fine if he were a motivational speaker or an entertainer. The problem, simply, is that he is a minister, and these stories are presented by a church under the guise of Christianity. And they focus on people, not on God. Yesterday's story ended with the line "We all need to remember that we are never alone; other people around us are working hard with us." (my paraphrase, but it's pretty accurate)

Teaching people to place their faith in other people is not only false, but foolish. As all of us know, people will let us down. People are sinful. The Church, and therefore pastors, have the responsibility and the joy of pointing people to the ONLY constant source of peace, Christ.

It isn't that his stories aren't nice -- they are. But to spend his one minute every morning, with a huge listening audience, to tell a nice story really doesn't help anyone. Surely as soon as listeners feel a little lighter about humanity, someone cuts them off in traffic, their family member says something hurtful, or their coworker is inconsiderate. And so, that little high they may have felt after Pastor's story vanishes. The Truth is that putting your faith in other people will always disappoint; instead, we should be encouraging and challenging people to put their faith in the Only One who is "the same yesterday, today, and forever." I am disappointed when one who represents the Church wastes such a valuable opportunity.