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  1. Amen!

    One massive frustration I have with the Church in the 21st century is their claim (whether implicit or explicit) that they are reaching the masses because they are authentic, as if they have discovered something new. Authenticity drenches the pages of Holy Scripture. The raw honesty of the stories of the Old Testament are about as authentic as you get. Personally, the Psalms have been the greatest dose of authenticity for me. Page after page of complaining, crying out to God, crying and moaning about life, yearning for salvation and joy. The Psalms are page after page of the authentic cries of the human heart. Do people want authenticity? Of course they do! Sadly, people of my generation somehow think that authenticity is something novel that all before them have failed to live out.

    Instead of just complaining, I recommend two things. First, I recommend reading of the Psalter on a daily basis, letting it form the core of our prayer life. Second, I recommend the reading of the giants of the faith. I have found more authenticity in Pseudo-Macarius, Augustine, Patrick, the Odes of Solomon, and the great Puritans than anything else. As we read Church history, we will also begin to see the Psalter’s special role in disciple making. There is a reason the Psalter has always had a special place in the life of the Church, and I would argue it has to do with its authentic cry of the human heart. The bottom line is that we, the Church, need to be swimming in Scripture, not authentic buzz words, as we deal with depression, children dying, lost jobs, cancer, murder, and felt abandonment by God.

    How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
    – Psalm 13:1,5

    Jake

  2. What it takes more than wearing plaid shirts, watching UFC and drinking coffee from Sunergos? Sorry, just kidding.

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