Your Christian Hipster Quotient:
95 / 120

Extremely High CHQ. Congratulations! You are a grade A, Sufjan-caliber Christian hipster! You probably like Thomas Merton, hookah, and lectio divina. You’re not above self-critique and meta theory, and thus should definitely read Hipster Christianity.

Cymbrogi are more than acquaintances – they are covenant companions, life-friends, brothers and sisters in arms.

I like this description a great deal. I just like the depth of it and the sound of it.  I like the image of men and woman of the Three-in-One who are bound together in covenant. They more than mere aquaintances. They don’t just know one another in passing.  They are not just superficially associated.  They deeply committed to one another in Spirit! 

Through all of life’s adventures, both fair and fowl…I have found it so very important to have such people with you. Who will travel with you and uphold you. And it reciprocal…they need you as much as you need them. Cymbrogi are interdependent.

Cybrogi is what the community of Christ should be. Paul spoke of this kind of relationship (1 Cor 12:26, Message) when he said:

If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

Now we know realistically that not all relationships can be like this, even in the Church.  And I’ve learned through much personal pain that boundaries are so very necessary in relationships to protect one another.  And yet, the Church should function this way.   This is part of the role of the church, to ”bear one another’s burdens” to “consider others needs higher than our own”.  All of it, with Christ at the center.  All of it His love and strength and Spirit!  It is only through Him that we can ever truly be Cymbrogi.  But in Him we can and…indeed…shall be. 

May you, dear traveler, be uplifted by and entwined with your Cymbrogi.  May you know what the depth, and height, and breadth of Christ is for them and through them.  May we all rejoice when one of them rejoices and hurt when even one little one hurts.  And may Christ Himself, the King of the Cymbrogi lead you as Shepherd, and Master, and….your most personal Cymbrogi.

5-8If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

I’m ok with the first part. The Father loves to help? Loves to provide wisdom? COOL! But the one who asks must not waiver. Must not worry their prayers? Must not have a second thought? Wow. Sounds tough. The last sentence caught me too. It says that the person that tries to “…leave all their options open” will not receive anything from God. Yikes.

But it really does stand to reason. Like so many discussions before, sounds like a trust issue. Iow, if I trust God, I will know who He is….that He is omnipotent and promises that all will work out. That He won’t ever leave me. That he is indeed faithful. It’s on that foundation that I need to ask for wisdom. Based upon the core knowledge that God will come through. That is the nature of faith. Faith is being sure of what we hope for with the evidence that isn’t seen.

Perhaps a good self reflection question then is: What am I hoping for?  And once that is gained then be bold in asking for it. And, ofcourse, turning constantly to God for guidance.

I’ll confess to you, dear reader that I love the escapism of fiction (literary, movies etc.). And yet, that needs to be in balance. It seems so legalistic to say that spiritual practices (like scripture reading, prayer etc) need to be primary.

I can recall like it was yesterday, being part of a legalistic church where the pastor held up a BA (big arsed) Bible and bellowed out “I’m telling you saints, you need to be in the word every day”. And in essence, she was right (yes, it was a female pastor which shows that both sexes can go far astray…but I digress). Spiritual practices are essential. And they do bring life. But it’s not the practices themselves that bring life…it is the Bringer of Life Himself that brings life.

Stripping out the “you gotta” part of dead religiosity or the “sacred vs. secular” argument….maybe the best thing to say is that, for me, these practices are life because they draw me to Christ.

The centrality of Christ to faith is always the answer to every dilemna and stress and hardship.  Worshipping Him when there is no easy answer is the answer….trusting, believing, hoping…all in and through Jesus….one step at a time.