This is Kurt Cobain.
Until his death in 1994,
he was the lead singer for the grunge band Nirvana.
He hung around the Seattle area a lot,
and Nirvana helped to create an entire genre of music.
I'm not the biggest fan of Nirvana,
and I don't listen to their music,
but I think Kurt said a few good things in some of his songs.
So I've been in the Seattle area for about a week now.
I've been able to hang out with many a great amount of people.
The atmosphere up here is one that I marvel at.
For those of you who don't know,
Washington is one of the most 'unchurched' states in the nation,
and by that I don't mean that there aren't a lot of church "buildings",
even though that's true,
there aren't,
but that Christianity is not a part of culture up here.
It's not real to a lot of people.
In Oklahoma, Christianity is almost just a part of everyday living.
On your way to work,
you may pass at least 5 churches,
or see a sign with a verse on it,
or see a 'Jesus fish' on the backs of many many cars.
I thank God for that.
As much as it irritates me sometimes,
that Christianity can be taken lightly with some people,
I'm happy to know that where I live,
people are able to hear about the risen Savior.
I've been able to hang out with many a great amount of people.
The atmosphere up here is one that I marvel at.
For those of you who don't know,
Washington is one of the most 'unchurched' states in the nation,
and by that I don't mean that there aren't a lot of church "buildings",
even though that's true,
there aren't,
but that Christianity is not a part of culture up here.
It's not real to a lot of people.
In Oklahoma, Christianity is almost just a part of everyday living.
On your way to work,
you may pass at least 5 churches,
or see a sign with a verse on it,
or see a 'Jesus fish' on the backs of many many cars.
I thank God for that.
As much as it irritates me sometimes,
that Christianity can be taken lightly with some people,
I'm happy to know that where I live,
people are able to hear about the risen Savior.
I had a conversation with my new friend Kylee tonight.
She was telling me that she had just accepted Christ,
and I couldn't have been more excited for her.
She was telling me that she did it because she realized that she could accept Christ,
and still be messed up.
At first I thought,
"Yeah... duh..."
but she didn't know,
and she's not dumb,
so maybe this means that a lot of people don't know,
and even if they do,
I think we should all be reminded of that amazingly gracious fact.
She was thrilled to know that God would take her,
even though she had problems,
even though she had struggles that she was not in any hurry to get rid of,
even though she didn't want to dress a certain way on Sunday,
or become some weird religious 'nerd'.
I remember whenever it really hit me that God would take me as I was.
I remember that I thought,
"that's what I've been wanting to hear all along."
I believed in God,
and in Christ,
but not in religion.
Not in made-up rules .
I didn't believe that Jesus was mad at me because I chose not to wear a collared shirt on Sundays,
or that he hated me whenever I listened to Modest Mouse in my car.
I just wanted to get to know Him,
without Him freakin' yelling at me all of the time.
I just wanted to read my bible,
and know this 'grace' everyone was talking about,
and feel what it feels like to have the Holy Spirit enter you,
without getting tripped out on for something I didn't understand.
And what I realized was,
that God takes people like that all the time,
and He always has.
Whenever I found out what kind of person Paul (read Acts 2 and 3) had been,
I thought,
dude,
I'm covered.
Paul never saw Jesus in His physical form on Earth.
He was a Jew.
Like a super Jew,
above in his Jewish faith more than anyone around his age group.
He murdered Christians.
He hated their cause.
Paul also wrote like 3/4's of the New Testament after his experience with Christ on a dirt road.
The guy had a radical change,
and started churches all over Asia Minor.
But Paul was messed up.
Seriously messed up.
He wasn't some deep-voiced white-guy in a $2000 three piece suit and a show on TBN.
But if you read about his work,
he was gnarly.
She was telling me that she had just accepted Christ,
and I couldn't have been more excited for her.
She was telling me that she did it because she realized that she could accept Christ,
and still be messed up.
At first I thought,
"Yeah... duh..."
but she didn't know,
and she's not dumb,
so maybe this means that a lot of people don't know,
and even if they do,
I think we should all be reminded of that amazingly gracious fact.
She was thrilled to know that God would take her,
even though she had problems,
even though she had struggles that she was not in any hurry to get rid of,
even though she didn't want to dress a certain way on Sunday,
or become some weird religious 'nerd'.
I remember whenever it really hit me that God would take me as I was.
I remember that I thought,
"that's what I've been wanting to hear all along."
I believed in God,
and in Christ,
but not in religion.
Not in made-up rules .
I didn't believe that Jesus was mad at me because I chose not to wear a collared shirt on Sundays,
or that he hated me whenever I listened to Modest Mouse in my car.
I just wanted to get to know Him,
without Him freakin' yelling at me all of the time.
I just wanted to read my bible,
and know this 'grace' everyone was talking about,
and feel what it feels like to have the Holy Spirit enter you,
without getting tripped out on for something I didn't understand.
And what I realized was,
that God takes people like that all the time,
and He always has.
Whenever I found out what kind of person Paul (read Acts 2 and 3) had been,
I thought,
dude,
I'm covered.
Paul never saw Jesus in His physical form on Earth.
He was a Jew.
Like a super Jew,
above in his Jewish faith more than anyone around his age group.
He murdered Christians.
He hated their cause.
Paul also wrote like 3/4's of the New Testament after his experience with Christ on a dirt road.
The guy had a radical change,
and started churches all over Asia Minor.
But Paul was messed up.
Seriously messed up.
He wasn't some deep-voiced white-guy in a $2000 three piece suit and a show on TBN.
But if you read about his work,
he was gnarly.
God took this Christian-murdering super-Jew,
and made him into a beast.
That's what he does with people.
He takes the abusers,
the sex-addicts,
the druggies,
the people who have a deep hate for other people,
the people who've failed at everything they've ever tried,
the people who can't seem to get a date,
the people who've never read their bible and have to look at the table of contents during church,
the people who don't really know if they believe all of what the bible says,
the people who really hate TBN,
the people who had really jacked up childhoods,
the people who don't want to quit doing what they know is wrong.
Are you getting it?
Are you understanding that God does not care that you're pretty messed up?
All he wants to do is love you.
He wants you to love Him,
and know Him.
To come to Him as you are.
No prep-time,
or getting fancied-up,
or dusting off your bible.
Come to Him as the messed up sinner you've always heard you were.
If you have a pride issue,
boast to God.
You're dealing with a lust issue,
tell God that you can't look away sometimes.
He's able to take that kind of talk.
Here's the thing...
you get to know Christ,
what He's done and all that,
and you begin to change the way you act,
the way you talk,
freaking everything,
just because Christ is in you.
Those problems that you have,
begin to start being dealt with because Christ is physically working in you,
changing you from the inside out.
It's a great thing guys,
don't get freaked out that God's 'forcing you to change' or anything like that,
because He is just miraculously just doing what you've asked.
I choose to give things up now,
only so that I may know Christ more.
and it's awesome.
and made him into a beast.
That's what he does with people.
He takes the abusers,
the sex-addicts,
the druggies,
the people who have a deep hate for other people,
the people who've failed at everything they've ever tried,
the people who can't seem to get a date,
the people who've never read their bible and have to look at the table of contents during church,
the people who don't really know if they believe all of what the bible says,
the people who really hate TBN,
the people who had really jacked up childhoods,
the people who don't want to quit doing what they know is wrong.
Are you getting it?
Are you understanding that God does not care that you're pretty messed up?
All he wants to do is love you.
He wants you to love Him,
and know Him.
To come to Him as you are.
No prep-time,
or getting fancied-up,
or dusting off your bible.
Come to Him as the messed up sinner you've always heard you were.
If you have a pride issue,
boast to God.
You're dealing with a lust issue,
tell God that you can't look away sometimes.
He's able to take that kind of talk.
Here's the thing...
you get to know Christ,
what He's done and all that,
and you begin to change the way you act,
the way you talk,
freaking everything,
just because Christ is in you.
Those problems that you have,
begin to start being dealt with because Christ is physically working in you,
changing you from the inside out.
It's a great thing guys,
don't get freaked out that God's 'forcing you to change' or anything like that,
because He is just miraculously just doing what you've asked.
I choose to give things up now,
only so that I may know Christ more.
and it's awesome.
The times when Christ has really worked in me,
has been when I was totally straight up with Him.
Whenever I said,
'look man,
I want to know you,
I want to follow what you tell me to do,
but this is so sketchy to me.
I don't feel like reading,
I don't feel like giving things up.
Please help me out, man.
Because this whole Christianity thing sucks as of right now.'
God can take slang,
even curse words if need be
(oh no, not curse words!).
But a warning,
when He speaks,
He may ask you to do something.
To go somewhere.
To give something up.
To take something on.
Be prepared for it,
and definitely accept it.
Christ wants you to come as you are,
and do work for His Kingdom.
Read the bible,
it's all Truth.
All of it.
Pray for my new friends Kylee and Kirstin Meadows.
New believer's can get easily discouraged,
and that sucks bad.
Just go ahead and pray for a revival in Washington while you're at it.
I met some of the best people here.
I can't name all of the names,
but I'm going to miss every single one of them,
and their passion for Christ.
Listen to this and remember that you suck just as bad as everyone else,
and that that really doesn't matter to God.
has been when I was totally straight up with Him.
Whenever I said,
'look man,
I want to know you,
I want to follow what you tell me to do,
but this is so sketchy to me.
I don't feel like reading,
I don't feel like giving things up.
Please help me out, man.
Because this whole Christianity thing sucks as of right now.'
God can take slang,
even curse words if need be
(oh no, not curse words!).
But a warning,
when He speaks,
He may ask you to do something.
To go somewhere.
To give something up.
To take something on.
Be prepared for it,
and definitely accept it.
Christ wants you to come as you are,
and do work for His Kingdom.
Read the bible,
it's all Truth.
All of it.
Pray for my new friends Kylee and Kirstin Meadows.
New believer's can get easily discouraged,
and that sucks bad.
Just go ahead and pray for a revival in Washington while you're at it.
I met some of the best people here.
I can't name all of the names,
but I'm going to miss every single one of them,
and their passion for Christ.
Listen to this and remember that you suck just as bad as everyone else,
and that that really doesn't matter to God.
