Brian Dainsberg
  • Home
  • Podcasts
  • Sermons
  • About
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Podcasts
  • Sermons
  • About
  • Contact

Don't Be Ashamed of Being Weird

12/10/2015

Comments

 
High school was challenging for me. I attended a large public high school in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with a graduating class of 460 students. Socially it was a nightmare. I had come from a very small, private middle school and as a result was clueless to what was and was not “cool.” Early in my freshman year, I discovered my denim backpack was so not cool. The pressure to fit in was suffocating. ​
Picture

Does the pressure to fit in ever go away? When adults think back to their high school years, most may agree the pressure to fit in was high compared to what it is now; but I’m not so sure about that. Might it be, even in our 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, we still feel pressure to fit in, but we are more skilled at disguising it? Might it be, that what we called “fitting in” in high school is what we call “relevant” as adults? 

Being “cool” or “fitting in” in high school is just another way of saying we gained the approval of a certain circle of students. I’m becoming more and more convinced our pursuit of being “relevant” is the same thing. In church contexts, "relevant" can be our desire to communicate biblical truth to the culture in ways they understand. But increasingly, being "relevant" is expanding beyond the borders of cultural intelligibility. Our desire to be “relevant” is really a sign we’re increasingly becoming approval junkies.

We Christians know there is some stuff we believe that is going to be perceived as uncool. We believe marriage is one man, one woman, for life. We believe sex should be thoroughly enjoyed only within the context of a marriage. We believe a man was tortured and killed, but came back to life and will one day return riding on the clouds. Christians believe some strange stuff. We’re aware of that, so we try to compensate by demonstrating to the culture around us we aren’t loony. We do this by staying on top of the latest trends in technology, fashion, and social media all as a way to say, “Hey everybody, even though I’m a Christian, I’m still cool!"

I’ve got news for you, Christian, even though you own the newest iPhone, wear the latest Banana Republic styles, and are the first to use the hot, new social media app, you’re still going to be weird. Get over it! Don’t be ashamed of it. In God’s eyes, weird is the new cool.

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).

This week I will be giving away two copies of the book, The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer. To enter, simply sign in to the Rafflecopter giveaway below and enter either by following me on Twitter, on Instagram, or on both! Winners will be chosen and notified by email. At this time, I do ask that only those living within the 48 contiguous United States enter the giveaway. Thank you for understanding.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Comments
comments powered by Disqus
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
     

    Categories
    Podcasts

    All
    Sermons


    ​Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    Tweets by @BrianDainsberg

    RSS Feed

© 2020 Brian Dainsberg | All Rights Reserved | Website by Graf Technology