Pagan's Nightmare Final - From Tn.

Tolstoy was quoted by Bob Roberts in Transformation: Everyone thinks of changing humanity, no one thinks of changing himself. Change is a common subject when I Think Out Loud. Every time something changes in me, I turn a page. But I am often overwhelmed by the list on the next page. Almost like football season. I celebrate the victories (for some of my teams they are precious and few) and realize there are other hills coming.

Final comments on Pagan's Nightmare . . . the subculture of the "redeemed" needs changing. BTW, there should be a subculture. Our lives, values, passions, and interests should be in processed of being transformed if we are Christ followers. No matter how cool, hip, and relevant we become, if we are real we will be different. But . . . are we being conformed to the image of Christ, or are we having our bodies and minds immersed in the shallow end of Christian subculture?

The bad part of Christian subculture is reading off of scripts that other people hand me, without experiencing a corresponding change of heart. Wearing a t-shirt (remember, Christian T's are not necessarily evil), speaking the language, or impressing my Christian peers does not mean I am being changed. Only a change of heart will catch the attention of those far away from God.

The unanswered question is left up to the reader in PN. Who were those people in the t-shirts like 'Enforcer of the Movement' and 'Religious Howdy' written on them? Who were those people who had 'Repent of Bingo' bumper stickers on their cars? My compelling question is, did those people even know who they were? Ah yes, right back to self-awareness. Uncomfortable, so very uncomfortable. My obsession to change the world, my neighbors included, must begin with letting God continually change me.

Good times yesterday in Tennessee. Great conversations, mind in neutral. No word from Blackston. I will keep trying.

Live From Tennessee - Pagan's Nightmare II

Why did you have to go? Why did you have to leave us? The man threw himself over a grave, at the local cemetery, racked with sorrow. A concerned person attempted to comfort him. When did your wife die? The weeping man replied, This is not my wife's grave, it is my wife's first husband!

I must confess, it took awhile. I was not very fond of South Carolina. Something inside me died when God directed me south from Cincinnati, Ohio in 2002. I flunked God's test big time. I grieved like a big baby. Now, the air smells differently, the food tastes better, and I am quite fond of the people. Nothing changed from 2002 . . . but me. Now S.C. is starting to feel like home. I get it. My apologies.

Rather be in Tennessee this morning though. Nothing personal to my people in S.C. The Vols, the lucky, lucky Vols won Saturday. A bunch of Clemson fans are laying over a grave today, sobbing. The B.C. lost was painful, even for me. Sorry that I pull for both Clemson and the Gamecocks. I call it the transplant advantage. I know throw up just came to the back of your throat if you are a real Gamecock or Tiger fan. Of all the places of lived, this rivalry is number one. Oh well, settle it on the field next week.

What is a Pagan's Nightmare (Blackston, see Friday's Post)? There is more than one, and so, as a accomplished writer Blackston offers several scenarios (hint). For Ned and Larry (the main pagans in the story), one nightmare is never knowing true relationship with genuine believers. Perception is reality for Ned and Larry. Every place they went, they soon figured it out. People were passing information about them, talking about them, and identifying them. Yet no one cared enough to talk to them, only about them. Ned and Larry had become the enemy.

I am guilty at times. I am having this great big, ongoing conversation, both publicly and privately about those people. You know, the ones that have never experienced God's grace. Those who are far from God. But when I am with them, I whisper to myself, Shhhh! Here comes one. I made progress in 2007. I will tell you more about that later. But as I look to that list of goals, there are many more places I want to go. How about you?

Went to Highland Fellowship's screen church in Johnson City, yesterday. More on that tomorrow, live from Tennessee. Will be here until Thursday.

Too Fun - Pagan's Nightmare

Your driving down the interstate and you see one of those God signs. You know, messages direct from heaven, signed at the bottom by God:

How Does It Feel To Be The Last One?

-God

You have entered the world of 12 cents a gallon gas prices for the redeemed, 6.66 a gallon for everyone else and McScriptures. The alleged believers have taken over in Ray Blackston's novel, A Pagan's Nightmare. The last two pagans on the planet (Larry and Ned) are chased down, shot at, and conspired against by the redeemed. Finally, they are arrested and taken to Cuba to be reformed.

I was spellbound by the last 50 pages Blackston's novel. Before you buy it, be sure you have patience and the ability to laugh at yourself. If not, you are wasting your money. The story is no where near as cynical and jaded as it seems at first glance. Sometimes I get tired of beating up on Christians who act like Christians. They have become too easy of a target to blame for lostness. Christian bumper stickers, although terribly confusing even for me at times, do not send people to hell.

Don't want to give it all away but the story behind the story is what makes PN rich. An agent named Larry, a nominal Bible Belt Christian, is considering a manuscript of a movie that is the the story told as A Pagan's Nightmare. His deeply committed wife thinks he should not even consider such a blasphemous concept. Larry sees it as a chance to make money. This part of the story seems insignificant at first, but keep your eye on it as the novel progresses (hint).

Subplots and discussion points for groups abound. I am not sure Blackston, a believer from Greenville, intended all of them. I will review more of the book next week. I have requested an interview with Blackston for the blog. I had fun reading it.

World Headquarters yesterday. Two great coaching conversations, annual performance review for me from super boss, Marshall. He has been a great friend, coach, mentor, with an occasional, well deserved kick in the dark side of me, thrown in. Off to Tennessee for 6 days. Hopefully will keep up with you from there.