man with tat on his big fat belly

Church / Cultural / Religion

i was listening to DC Talk’s “Jesus Freak” today. yes, i know… hello 1995. to clarify, it came on while i had my iTunes set on shuffle. anyway, it totally convicted me in the only way a DC Talk song can.

I saw a man with tat on his big fat belly
It wiggled around like marmalade jelly
It took me a while to catch what it said
Cause I had to match the rhythm
Of his belly with my head
‘Jesus Saves’ is what it raved
in a typical tattoo green
He stood on a box in the middle of the city
And claimed he had a dream

What will people think
When they hear that I’m a Jesus freak
What will people do when they find that it’s true
I don’t really care if they label me a Jesus freak
There ain’t no disguising the truth

maybe i am off base, but i feel like no matter how long someone has been a Christian, the test of the authenticity is whether or not they are always being a Christian.

a bit of tongue-twister. let me try and unpack that.

Christian (ADJECTIVE) is defined as: A professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus; or showing a loving concern for others

i am not talking about Christians always being a Christians in terms of “never sinning” – i am talking about out in the world: outside of our lifegroup, the blogs we write/read and our little church bubble – how Christian you would you say you are then?

we absolutely disguise our Christianity depending on our setting. somehow we play into the “tabooness” and fear of our own faith.

with the scary teenage cashier at the grocery store, with the homeless man on the street who just needs dinner, with the gay couple that just sat down at the table beside you at Applebee’s or with the single mom who just walked into your church … do you hang your head down, hoping they won’t see you or talk to you or do you smile, introduce yourself and LOVE them as Christ called us to?

should we all have a “Jesus Saves” tattoo on our big fat bellies, yelling from on top of a box? no.

but when no one from this church-world is looking, how do people know that you’re a Christian?

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Comments

  1. tam

    Just saw your twitter and i think this is very clearly written Crystal.

    My daughter just got contacts and her eye Dr. is an x-Catholic and now a professed Christian who is very bold about her faith and love for God. We sat in her office for nearly an hour AFTER the exam and talked about God, Faith, Prayer, Fear, Grace. It was awesome. Now. That’s a conv. between fellow Christians. But this lady doesn’t stop there. She is a bullet for Christ (respectfully) and she will shoot you! Anyone. As open as one client is about their sexual lifestyle she is just as open about her love for Christ. And why not? Why shouldn’t she (we) be?

    My daughter was very inspired and effected by this. As was I. I have a long way to go yet…

  2. Jenna

    I have my conch (ear) pierced. And the reason I got it was from Exodus 21:6 about being a servant. It is amazing how many conversations about God, religion, and faith have been started about a simple piercing.

  4. Angie

    lol. This is like one of the first songs I ever memorized because i thought DC Talk was the coolest band in the world. Oh pre-teen age. 🙂

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