There's a saying that says "familiarity breeds contempt." It's true.

It can be especially true of Christians. Trust me, I've been there. Playing the whole church every Sunday, youth group and worship band, Wednesday night small group, summer camps, fall conferences, spring conferences, winter retreats. In college, going to church on Sunday morning, Breakaway on Tuesday, and homegroup on Thursday.

What I'm saying is that it is very easy to inundate yourself with Christian "stuff." None of it is bad, in fact it is all very positive. But when you over-involve yourself in Christian "stuff," it is very easy to get comfortable and substitute all the "stuff" for a real relationship. Remember, familiarity breeds contempt. I realize that becoming too familiar with Christian stuff may not lead to true contempt, but it can certainly lead to complacence, because it makes you feel like you're doing all the right stuff. It's as if church and all the other Christian stuff you do become the "crutches" of your faith. If those things were taken away, your faith would fail.

All of this makes me wonder if Satan's greatest scheme is convincing Christians that they must attend every Christian event that comes up. It would be brilliant on his part. Think about it.

If Satan can keep Christians at all of the nice events, if he can convince Christians that the more teaching they hear, the better (which is not true because too much teaching leads to being overwhelmed), if he can keep Christians from digging into the Scriptures themselves and only listening to speakers, if he can create a false sense of "doing the right Christian thing (i.e. attending all Christian events)," if he can keep the Christians only in their nice, safe Christian sphere, then not only is he keeping Christians from loving those who need love and sharing Christ with those who need it, he also is making Christians think that they are doing the right thing.

Please understand that I'm not trying to rag on Christian ministries. My point is that these ministries should only be a supplement to your faith and that you yourself should be the one pursuing God.

My advice is that if you read something good in the Bible, or come across a great speaker, allow yourself some time to chew on it and let it impact your life. Don't inundate yourself with teaching and overload your system. The Christian life is a journey, and trying to get to the end too fast will only slow you down.

There's this TV show called South Park. I know you've heard of it and have probably watched it at some point. I wasn't allowed to watch it as a kid, which was probably for the best.

But I recently started watching it, and while I don't appreciate the show's vulgarity, I have to admit that it is hilarious at times and the writers make some very good points. Points that more family-friendly shows would be too scared to make.

I'm not saying everyone should watch it. Many would be turned off by it. But many of the points that are made by the show reveal the true nature of things: that they are messed up. It's angering. Possibly angering enough to inspire action.

Lately I've been wondering what it is exactly that defines Christian maturity. Here's what I feel like the church at large believes:

1) Christians should be super nice, and smile a lot.
2) Mature believers have a daily quiet time. Every day.
3) Christians don't drink, smoke, or swear. Ever.
4) It is enough to support a missionary monetarily and not do anything else mission-related. After all, mission work is for the super-Christians.

Fortunately, I do believe that many Christians - in particular the younger generation - are recognizing this mistake and thinking that there must be more to it than that. Believe me, there is. In fact, I think these 4 general things miss the point completely.

The point of Christian maturity is a heart change, not a few guidelines or rules. If I see someone actively loving and serving people in response to Christ's love, they're a solid believer in my book. I could care less if they read their Bible once a month or less.

The Bible says you will know them by their fruit. So what if they have a drink or a smoke? Do others - particularly non-believers - feel safe and comfortable around them? Like they can relax and be themselves? Like they're not being judged? Like they're being loved without an agenda?

If yes, then congratulations. You get it. Christian maturity is hard though, because it requires active and intentional effort.

I'm not by any means perfect at this. Yet. I'm getting there though. The desire is there, which is a start. I'm looking for the opportunity now.

By the way, here's some good new music I heard about from a friend.
Check it out!

Sleep Whale - Josh Likes Me

Howdy everyone, this is my first official blog post. I think it'll be fun to start blogging. In the meantime, I like music, rock climbing, and anything that involves being laid back. But I also like cliff jumping, and snowboarding. And white water rafting. I was all about skate parks back in the day. Adrenaline rush, you know?
I'm a sophomore Biomedical Engineering student at Texas A&M University.
More to come.