Are Christians functioning? I see some weak knees and quick defenses. Are we scared to think outside the box?

Is integrity lost, or intelligence gained by discouraging believers from entertaining opposing ideas?

Worry Lines
Warts
Assymetrical features
Long noses
Wide Nose
Twisted Nose
Gaps in Teeth
Pushed back hairlines
Double Chins
Scars
Etc…

Because if I don’t record those unique elements ultimately the image does not even resemble them. I feel like this is similar to our personal stories, knowing the warts, wrinkles and blemishes makes the relationships more real and we then actually know each other, and that’s pretty awesome.

What people don’t know is I’m a hick. A certified redneck. My wing-tips are steel toed because I drive a fork lift on a regular basis. I had an aunt that raised goats and I have helped those goats give birth and in the complicated births I have reached in and pulled them out. Most of the houses I grew up in had barns. We once lived on a chicken farm and we butchered chicken. We had a ’77 Chevy 3/4 ton truck affectionately named “Big Jake.” I learned how to drive when I was 11 so I could haul stuff around in that truck. 99% of the time, I’m packing a gun. I hunt and fish. I love living in a town where I can get stuck behind a tractor.

And I have a lot more stories than that…

I think I might hate the sin-specific sermons because of their wild usage of single stories, and stereotypical characters who can personify the Sin. The “token” prostitute (adultery), the “token” high school student (disobedience to parents), the “token” Christian in their workplace (failing to share the Gospel), the “token” homeless wanderer (sloth, drug abuse, gluttony) … The characters are so one-dimensional.. They are like straw men who can be beat up and put down, and inaccurately portrayed just to make a point about why we shouldn’t be like them… And most of us aren’t even like them to begin with..

The single story infers that everyone who appears to do the same thing, must be doing it with the same motive, the same reasons. I don’t know why it has to be that way, because it doesn’t seem to be supported by the stories I hear from real people.

In my real life, ministering to homeless folks for example, I have been able to see how each person has a very long, unique, and complicated story.

They might differ from each other in what they value, and in how much they are able to live by their values at any given STAGE in their life- but they still have values.

They all share a common characteristic of being homeless, but they don’t have the same mind, heart, or beliefs.

Maybe a lot of them are on drugs, maybe some are simply ill, maybe they are destitute from a broken heart, perhaps they chose a street life over mainstream society for personal reasons, or maybe misfortune robbed them of the position they once held.. Despite their their visible similarity and “homeless” label, their is no single story which can accommodate all of their various experiences.

Yet, they are still viewed through the same lens, which truly does Deny them of their unique God-given history, and may exclude them from the dignity automatically given to someone in a different category, such as “Executive Director” “billionaire” or “home owner.”

I wonder how much of the things we think about ourselves, and how much of our feelings about our flaws & Sin’s, have been directly influenced by our willingness to believe that a single story could summarize our own unique history. Maybe we’ve never even begun to fit the label we wear. Maybe we are also misunderstood, and we are ministering to a world which we do not fully understand. Theres a lot more grey area than a single story can capture, and I wonder what stories I tell myself that allow me to judge people who I don’t Truly know or understand…. Lots of ways this concept applies to the real world, and lots to think about!!! Thank you PB!