Done Bitchin’ – [Erik]

I’m done bitchin’. Christians are full of shit, the church is a mess, and I don’t fit in cause I’m so much better than all of those hypocrites. These are all givens in this equation and I’m sick of bitching about the givens. These are the conditions. They just are.


There are of course other givens that get less air time, givens like:

- The Father loves us and accepts us just as we are without condition or reservation (despite our high view of ourselves and low view of our brothers and sisters).
- The Spirit of His Son is in fact in us and living through us as us.
- We have the words of Eternal Life and the ability to manifest that Life here and now.
- And even if we don’t do jack with any of this and would rather get high, God is just flat out passionately in love with us and likes spending time with His kids.

It goes on and on. If this isn’t your experience so far, I can suggest a few good books (and a few good scotches).

Anyway, this is what I have to work with, it’s time for me to deal, and I would love for you to join me.

From time to time we Etcetera people get comments like, “Listening to your show is like hanging out with my friends from college” or, “I so want a group of friends like you guys where I live, but I’m stuck here alone in this nothing-happening-town.”

We are flattered. We enjoy each other immensely and we’re glad and encouraged that you enjoy us enjoying each other. Plus, we’ve loved getting to know you guys who call in. What’s more, reading your blogs and e-mails has let us know that we are not alone in being alone.

However, the internet/show thing has its limitations, college is a fuzzy memory for most of us, and we live where we live…more givens.

That leads us back to the equation. For most of us there is an unknown. Let’s call the unknown “X.” X is what’s missing. We suspect that it exists because we hunger for it. Like Lewis said, people who live in a world with no water don’t thirst. We read the stories about the way God moved in the past, we read the Scriptures and they validate our desire. We go to church and it’s not all that bad, but damn it…where’s X and why don’t these other people notice it’s not here? We wonder if we’re crazy. We wonder if X even exists. Maybe we dreamed it all up. We wonder if we are the problem.

And away we go and away we go.

One day, some wandering and wondering friends get together and say, “What the hell man? This just ain’t cutting it.” The bitchin’ commences as they get together and have some drinks. They tell each other stories about being alone in the wilderness. They talk about where they’ve been…what they’ve seen. They know they don’t fit. They know the others wouldn’t approve, but they’re sharing a drink they call loneliness and it’s better than drinking alone (nod to Billy Joel).

Time passes. The pain of uncontrollable tears and laughter are shared. Then the realization…

X has been with us since we took shelter from the cold and poured the first drink. Wow.

Then the next realization…

We need a podcast.

I think that’s how it went. Maybe someone will correct my interpretation of the facts. Anyway, here we are and here you are and I submit that what you like about us is X. But listening to it and calling in and talking about ain’t it. I would also submit that regardless of what lame-ass town you live in, there are other people there that want X too.

From time to time on Etcetera, I’ve decided that we’ll be talking about something that I’m really hesitant to bring up. But in the hope that it will help you experience X I’m gonna throw caution to the wind and let it fly.

Here are the bones of the idea.

We (Etcetera folks and others in the area) used to get together on the first weekend of every month. We would take a simple meal. Add some of us who liked to bang on drums. Add others who played guitar or something else. Add a few who prayed intensely. Add others who read or wrote pieces they wanted to share. Add some who wanted to help out people in the area. We threw it all together at the same time to see what would come out and it all equaled X.

I was talking to Andrew the other day about getting together around something other than Shochu. One thing led to another and I decided to start the first weekend of every month thing again.

You may be wondering what the hell all of this has to do with anything. Well, basically…and this is the part I’ve really been fighting bringing up to all of you guys…

How would you like to join us?

How would you like to get together with a few like-minded-misfit-friends in your area on the first weekend of every month and see what happens? Maybe you’ll have a meal and talk about spiritual stuff. Maybe you’ll pray. Maybe you can jam. Maybe you can all discuss a book you’ve been reading. Maybe you want to go out to a bar and have some drinks. Maybe you still have some bitchin’ to do. Maybe you’ll be the only Christian there. Maybe you aren’t a Christian.

Whatever it is you and your friends bring to the table, all I suggest is that…

1. You consistently get together on the first weekend of every month and enjoy God in and through each other.

2. You come up with a solid way to help out one of the other friends between meetings (or maybe a neighbor if you’re all pretty stable).

If you want to do this, I’ve set up some forums where we (us, you, our friends and your friends) can share our experiences and post needs that the international community can meet. Email me at erikjguzman@yahoo.com and I’ll let you know where to go. In addition to the forums, we can all hook up on Etcetera and we can talk about this once in a while.

Maybe one day we’ll start a once a year get together and we'll all hook up and really party. Then again, this may all just exist in my imagination. I’m cool with that.

But I don’t want you to think I’m trying to start a church or a cult or anything. I don’t want any money and I certainly don’t want to lead or control anything (I just don’t need that kind of responsibility). Keep going to church…I don’t care. But for some, this will be the only meeting with other Christians they can stomach, and that’s better than nothing.

Whatever all this is, one thing is clear. I’m done bitchin’ and I’m ready to add up all of the givens, take what has developed so far, do the math, and pray that it all equals X at your house too. And maybe one day, those around us will know we are Xtians by our love for one another.

[ping]