Idol

America could finally sleep well last night.

Taylor won.

My apologies for this Thursday edition of the ol' blog, but you know, I had to wait and see how it was going to come out. I was just too stressed to write. And, I had to walk my neighborhood handing out buttons and flyers in a last minute get-out-the-vote campaign.

All of you who voted for Taylor Hicks to win last night's American Idol competition also voted in the last Presidential election, right? Don't answer that. Please.

Understand, there's not a thing wrong with getting hooked by a talent competition. I openly (and just a little ashamedly) admit that at our house, we watched "Idol" from the first episode to the last. The best part of the show, of course, comes in the first few episodes of the season when tone-deaf, freaky people (whoops, I mean "beloved children of God") come out to audition from all over the country.

If you're going to watch Idol, I do highly recommend that you record each show and then use your fast-forward button to cut to the chase. None of us have enough minutes left in our lives to spend many of them on the couch, "entertained" by Ryan Seacrest. Eventually, you learn how to cut an hour show down to about 12.5 minutes.

Now, trust me, I hate it when preachers seem to rail against anything that might be, dare we say it....fun. My intent is not to rail against American Idol. Instead, I marvel at its ability to hold the public's attention and generate such an amazing level of interest. I marvel at the show's capacity to generate 60 million votes last night, and I'm more than a little jealous.

I'm amazed by the show's very name. American IDOL. In the context of the tv show, I think it simply means that great fame and fortune awaits the winner who bears that title. It means that the "Idol" won't be able to walk down the street without being seen and swamped. It means notoriety and record deals, and most of all...lots and lots of money.

But "idol" is such a Bible word. In the Bible, idols are those things that misdirect us, stealing our focus and attention, turning our worship away from the living, powerful God, and toward those things that are powerless and inanimate.

As I sat on my back porch this week, I witnessed the return of our little fast-winged, summertime friends. A brilliant green hummingbird buzzed by, taking its turn at the newly replaced feeder that hangs outside our kitchen window.

I was fascinated to see the little bird fly quickly down toward the backyard work bench that waits for me to return to an unfinished project. It hovered in front of a conical, orange crank handle, that, when turned, can clamp objects together, or hold them as you work.

Until that moment, I'd never realized how much a plastic, orange, crank-handle can look like a flower bud full of nectar. The bird inserted its long, needle beak. Its whole head then disappeared inside the handle. It hovered for a second, then another, and another.

Finally it flew away, disappointed.

Empty plastic handles will never feed hummingbirds, no matter how much they might look like they could.

Last night, 200 million people watched. 60 million people cast votes. We were all pretty much entertained, and the show was an easy, silly, fun way to pass an hour (we recorded and fast-forwarded, of course).

But you know, I can't say that my life is different this morning for the experience.

There's some good news for us churches in this year's American Idol. The sweet, pretty girl with the beautiful voice lost to the gray-haired, bar-singing guy with crazy eyes and wacky dance moves.

I guess he was a little more "real," and average people could identify.

At church, we ought to be about as real as it gets. We're not slick, not trying to be pretty, most of us aren't too sweet, and "wacky" would be a charitable way to describe my dance moves. But I can promise you there is real power when people who follow Jesus come together to pray and sing, to laugh and cry and worship and live the lives we've been given.

America is looking for an idol. Our call is to show them Jesus. Good thing he lives among us.

Grace and Peace,
Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

We'll be having a great time in worship this Sunday, Memorial Day weekend. We'll gather for one service only, at 10:00 a.m. for a morning of music. Lots and lots of singing with the SOTH band, and we'll be expanding our hospitality with even more breakfast than usual. It will be a really fun morning, so if you're in town, make sure to be here!

Special thanks to Max Vincent for filling in as our guest preacher last Sunday, and doing an incredible job!

Our playground is nearly complete, and huge thanks are due to everyone who volunteered their time and energy to make it possible. We had a wonderful Kids' Day this past Saturday with many, many families from the community coming out to eat and play together. VBS signup and Preschool enrollment have both been very strong and this past weekend was a wonderful chance for SOTH to show the community the great things that we have to offer for kids.