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to be or not to be

CYNICAL? -- that's my question recently. i read a friend's blog where she honestly discussed her struggle to give thanks. her sentiments resonated with me because i, too, can write a list of things for which i'm thankful. but how does that list transcend paper to become actual thanksgiving?
i write this because i think there are many Christians in the world that struggle with authenticity, myself included. it's easy to go to church, give a cursory description of my current state of being, smile, and graciously move onto the next shallow (& not in the good sense referenced in my last post) conversation. i find today's postmodern philosophy so persuasive and oppressive that, despite my best efforts, i still sometimes disdain large churches with large fundraising campaigns. similar to my paper list which chronicles all the right things, i tell myself that these churches fulfill God-ordained purposes and are ministering to others in the midst of need. i long to fling off this postmodern cynicism and the sin that so easily entangles and also seems to follow adherence to the postmodern myth. as believers, we don't need to live under the veil of cynicism and doing so is quite dangerous. a large church may not be the place for me just as much as griping about the church is not for me, either! i write these thoughts because they're common to man and because i think they come from a common source that would seek to increase back-biting and disunity among the church so we are just as unappealing as any other organization. and yet, and YET, Christ IS different. Christ IS the difference. i pray that we can all cast aside cynicism and pick up the joy before us and run the race!

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