have you ever played the fortune cookie game where you pull out the little piece of paper, read it aloud to your fellow diners, and add the phrase “in bed” to whatever it is the fortune says?
For example…“You will have great success in your journey…in bed.” Or…“Don’t give up! Follow your dreams…in bed.”
Sophomoric, I know, but it can be pretty fun.
During our trip to Kansas City, we got to spend some time with our friend Justin. Justin has spent the last 11 years leading worship at a few churches here in Kansas and in California. We talked about how when we do certain things in the church, we tend to add something similar to whatever it is we do.
The phrase being “but it’s for God.”
For example…“Yes, I spent 70 hours this week at the church getting ready for service. It was a sacrifice alright…but it’s for God.” Or…”This new building sure did cost a lot of money, and most of it we still don’t have…but it’s for God.”
The word “but” is a word that justifies. It negates the preceding statement. The dictionary describes it as “But…[is a word] implying opposition (with a possible concession). But marks an opposition or contrast, in a casual way.”
Comments
14 responses to “but it’s for god. in bed.”
i don’t think it simply justifies a situation until you find yourself saying it every week. if you feel like you have to justify being a workhorse just so your church looks & sounds good… that’s a problem.
i know i’ve said it and perhaps a few too many times in the past but honestly, i think the better attitude and focus you keep – the more blessed one feels and if your heart is in the right place, i think God blesses your efforts. but ultimately for me it comes down to, no one should have to justify or sugarcoat their situation just to make something sound better and perhaps even hide what is really happening.
Is that like saying “bless their heart” when offering up a gossipy “prayer request”? Something like, “we need to really pray for Alice. She’s just put on so much weight lately bless her heart.” You can say just about anything about anybody if you add “bless their heart” at the end. Its permission. For God. In bed.
The “in bed” game also works really well with hymn titles….
Didn’t care much for this post.. but, if it’s for God..
In my admittedly (sp?) myopic opinion…
It’s certainly easier to convince people I’m right if God told me to do whatever it is that I’m doing. Tough to argue with that, right?
“I never see my kids because I am at church all the time, but it’s for God!!!!”
Right…
Joni – re: “Bless your heart…”… right on. I firmly believe that “Bless your heart” is Christian-ese for “You’re such an idiot!”.
Think about it next time you hear someone say it…
“I got lost on the way here…”
“Well, bless your heart…”
We used to play the game where we added the word “naked.” Very fun game.
Thanks for your insights!
and… we used to add “on the toilet” to hymns. fun game.
Don’t you know the Christian version of that game??
It’s ‘in the bathtub’.
no you’re right on.
if we’re saying “but” than we are probably justifying something that is either not God or something that we’re battling to believe is God (that may very well be).
sometimes the little words say the most & we need to hear them and have people around us that expose them for us.