Christian George

This is my radio interview with Debbie Chavez from yesterday. I sensed the interview went well, but I was rather surprised at the end when she brought up the notion of hell. Most radio personalities won’t touch that topic with a ten foot microphone, but not Debbie. No sir. We discussed how my generation doesn’t want to step on any toes by embracing a taboo on the topic.

It has become popular, if not completely widespread, to underemphasize the biblical view of hell–that lake of fire with brimstone and gnashing of teeth. It’s written off as uneducated and medieval. But Jesus talked more of hell than heaven, and if we are to be biblicists, we must consider the heaviness and seriousness of this long forgotten mystery. Health only comes from an understanding of sickness.

DebbieShow.MP3

Picking up a paintbrush was difficult, but I must admit, it was rather refreshing to work with pigments instead of paragraphs. This is an oil on canvas entitled “Eyes Wide Shut.” In this painting I wanted to communicate the power of prayer. It’s kind of like Picasso meets Saint Benedict.

Sometimes we have to embrace the blindness so we can see God. We have to embrace the deafness to hear him. And when we do, we find sweet communion with our Savior. Hope you enjoy!

On April 9, I will be speaking at Vintage Church in New Orleans. If you are in the area, I’d love for you to drop by. We’ll be catering some sushi, possibly even sashimi. Rob Wilton is a good friend of mine and he serves as the lead pastor there. He blogs here:

The Christian faith is about being salt and light in a bland and dark society. In the heart of New Orleans, Vintage Church is making a real difference. Without apology they are committed to the historic roots of the faith, but they are carving out a culturally relevant niche. I believe God is calling each and every one of us to embrace a radical Christianity that takes seriously the homeless, the helpless, and the unchurched. A church is defined not by buildings, but by people, and the thick presence of Christ dwells in the midst of Christians wherever they meet. God is urging his people to engage the world with his compassion–to do the work of apostles and preachers by wildly abandoning ourselves to his blueprints. May he bless you this week as you drink deeply from his grace.

This is a brief video promotional clip about April 9th.

ChristianPromo.mov

Christianity is sinking into the Global South. For Americans, particularly myself, this is somewhat offsetting. We are an insular people. We enjoy thinking, talking, and studying ourselves. Most of the time, we are the subject of our sentences. Yet South America and Africa are exploding with revival while North America and Europe are declining in authentic faith. Having traveled throughout Europe, I can testify to this phenomenon and it seems to me like the church in America has a very important decision to make:

Either we revive or we rot.

Either we get on our knees and pray that God will spark another awakening in our land or we become irrelevant to global Christianity. One thing I’ve noticed about Christianity in our country is that we are absorbed with ourselves. This is expressed denominationally and post-denominationally. Yet the essence of the Gospel is the emphasis on others, not ourselves. We are here for one another. We are in this world to be light and salt in a dark and bland society. And twentysomethings are realizing this. The past reminds us that Christian cultures that obtained great prosperity became too comfortable and their faith disintegrated. But we are ready for a revolution.

The past is teaching us how to behave. We are going back in order to go forward, and we’re learning that it is costly to be a Christian. We are learning that true freedom comes from sacrifice and obedience is more important than success. The way up is the way down and darkness shows us Christ more than sunshine does. Instead of asking What would Jesus do? we are asking, What would Jesus have me do? And we are doing it. We are learning that God doesn’t make mistakes. He doesn’t call us to forget us. He doesn’t equip us to discard us.

And the God who pulls us to himself joins us for the journey.

Here is an interview I did with Gus Lloyd from Sirius Satellite Radio. It was “seize the love” day on his show, and there was certainly some Catholic love to go around. I’ve been doing interviews with Gus for a while, beginning with Sacred Travels, and I really respect his show. He travels quite a bit and has some really interesting insights into pilgrimage and the Christian faith.

I am currently writing a chapter on the trinity for a new book and the more I am digging, the more I am finding that the human brain cannot comprehend the incomprehensible. We are ants trying to figure out the mechanics of aviation–it’s way over our heads. But God has given himself to us so purely that the little we do know about him is enough to reduce us to children, gaping at a God who is bigger than the universe.

SiriusRadio.m4a

Today my wife’s grandfather is going to have brain surgery. Last week they found a tumor in his brain and today they are going to take a sample of it for analysis. Please keep him in your prayers.

So the rumors are true . . . I’m a Mac addict. Not going to deny it. Ever since I purchased my MacBook Pro I’ve been writing up a storm. And the Keynote powerpoint program really helps when I speak at colleges and need a good slideshow. I think if God had a computer it would be a Mac. Even the apple logo is biblical–Genesis 3–Eve took a bite of the forbidden fruit.

Not long ago I did an interview with Gabe Taviano, the founder of GodsMac.com. I highly recommend subscribing to his podcast. The guy is very excited about the Christian faith and is not ashamed to talk about how technology meets spirituality and eternity. His insights are fresh and relevant. Here is my interview with him. Enjoy!

GodsMacInterview.mp3

Below is the Moody Broadcasting Interview I did on Open Line with Chris Fabry. Chris interviewed me last year about my previous book, Sacred Travels, and it was good to touch base with him again. He lives in Colorado and has nine children. Not a fan of sushi, unfortunately, but time will tell. Half way through the interview, my end of the phone went dead for some reason and I couldn’t hear Gary, the first caller. But I guess the trick is to keep improvising, right? Like good jazz-keep the rhythm flowing. Hope you enjoy!

OpenLine.mp3

Here is my recent interview with Rick and Bubba. For years I’ve listened to their show, and it was such a privilege to meet with these guys and talk about our faith. The rumors are true, I suppose–they are the two sexiest fat men alive. I brought some sushi with me and every time I looked over at Bubba, his cheeks were stuffed with Nigiri. Rick laid off the sashimi for the most part, but did enjoy a California Roll. These guys are on fire for Christ and God is truly blessing their ministry.

This Wednesday I am going to be on the Rick and Bubba Show at 8:06 am central time. In Birmingham, it’s aired on FM 104.7 WZZK, but you can find where they are syndicated to on their website: www.rickandbubba.com

Wednesday evening at 8:00 pm central time I will be on Moody’s Open Line with Chris Fabry. In Birmingham it can be heard on FM 88.5.