A blog comment about Judah Smith:
"Imagine you are a 40-something year old man who has been going to church for a while. You have a demanding career as some kind of professional, and your wife works very full workweeks as well. You come home from working late days, and your wife is as stressed out as you. On top of that, you have a 17 year old son, 15 year old daughter, and a 12 year old daughter.
Now, you not only have to handle all the craziness and stress that comes with that, you also have cart the two younger ones around to school events, practices, friend’s houses, etc. Is that all you have to do? Of course not. You also have to: deal with teenage problems, monitor your kids progress in school, worry about paying for their college, worry about what they are doing with their friends, worry about who is contacting your daughter on Facebook, hear about your middle daughter’s boyfriend who you can’t stand (especially since she isn’t even supposed to have one, so she calls him a “friendâ€), etc. You have a variable rate mortgage that is about to skyrocket, so you are worried about your house payments now, as well as your car needing a new transmission.
You spend the whole week worrying about real life stuff that stresses you and your wife out so much that sometimes the only person that talks less to you than your kids, is your wife. However, in the midst of all this insanity, you find solace and comfort in being able to go to church on Sunday. In a way, it recharges you, reorients your perspective, and allows you to start anew for the week ahead. You look forward to hearing some wisdom from your pastor– someone who can identify with you and your needs. They can speak from the Word of God in a way that gives you all you need and more, making everything okay. You’ve been waiting all week for this, and it will be worth it…
Then Judah Smith walks up to the pulpit.
There he is: A kid barely older than your own kids. He even seems trendier than they are–he’s wearing the man-version of the jeans that your daughter begged you for, but you wouldn’t buy for her because no one in their right mind would pay $350 for a pair of jeans.
But you catch yourself. This is church, after all. You realize that it might be best to leave that kind of thinking at the door. This is church, and no one here at The City Church is supposed to judge, after all. You decide to give him a chance. Time slows to a trickle. Halfway through the sermon you come to realize the density of his message, with respect to the real world, is like watching a Saltine cracker floating down a raging river. So much for chances.
You showed up to be spiritually filled by someone who can touch your spirit in ways that are unique because they have a way of identifying with you, and others like you, thus speaking to your needs. Instead you get a spoiled pastor’s son who didn’t have to work to become a youth pastor, let alone a head pastor. It shows.
Oh, well… I guess you will have to take your real world problems to a church whose pastor lives in the real world, and can identify with you in some tangible way. Guess you will have to add finding a new church to the long list of things you already had to do this week."
'Nuf said.....
