Ben Lemery | Church & Culture

Why I Miss the Midwest

I think sometimes I go through moods of homesickness and overall just tired of the overall culture of the West Coast.  Don't get me wrong, I love many things about living here but it is a whole different life here.  Here are ten reasons I miss about living in the Midwest.

1. The cold.  Yes, you may say, "Ben you are on crack to miss the cold," but there is nothing better than walking outside on a cold day and feeling your lungs crystallize.  Also, you feel more of a man having to deal with the elements every day. 
2. Four specific seasons.  Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.  They all exist and each has it's own feel to it.  In the fall you could go to Uncle John's Cider Mill and get apple cider and doughnuts; the spring brought a freshness; winter is all about sledding and falling on your butt when it is icy out (plus the winter olympics have a stronger feel to them when it is actually winter outside of your house) and summer means more because you only have it for three months at the most.
3. Unoffending friendships.  People in the Midwest don't get offended as easily.  Many (not all) West Coast people tend to be a little more sensitive to anything that challenges or creates the minimal amount of chaos in their life.  This is frustrating and many times has me driving home wondering if people could just get over it. 
4. Very few care about organic food.  I live in Santa Cruz where we have no less than five major organic food stores.  I understand and respect people's choices to spend $45 more dollars on smaller produce but in all honest, food is food and I could care less if someone puts something on it to keep bugs off.  As long as it feeds me, that's all that matters.
5. Football is loved.  High school football here is a joke.  In Michigan, it is life.  There is nothing better than going to a high school football game with rivals built on years of battle.  College football games are fun and the stadiums are normally packed in Big 10 games.  It is a whole different feel.  Sports here seem nonexistent. 
6. Closer to friends and family.  Living in Santa Cruz for 2 years and having very few friends and no family takes a toll on you after awhile.  Just how it is.
7. Wardrobe that rotates.  Your clothes wear out faster here because you don't rotate them as the seasons change, you begin to look really poor when you wear almost the same thing every week.
8. Rent.  I pay $850 for rent here, which is a steal.  In Michigan, I could be living in a 2 bedroom apartment for that.  Here I have 350 square feet which I have strategically packed in appropriately.
9. Cost of everything.  The first thing I noticed when I moved here was Oreo cookies (which I don't eat anymore because I am finally losing weight) cost $4.50 a package.  In Michigan, $2.50.  I don't know why there are more expensive here but they are.  Ground Turkey also costs $4.59 and it was around $3 the last time I was in Michigan.
10. Being called bro and not bra.  The surfer crowd out here has their own language.  My favorite part is when they say, "what up braaa?"  I am like, I know I need a bra due to my man boobs but you don't have to be mean about it, haha.  Then I realize they meant bro and I have to become secure in myself again.  It's a long process, exhausting.

I am not bashing on the West Coast, haha.  There are many good things about here, like:

• being in the heat with no humidity.  I can stay outside for hours and get tan and not feel like a sweaty pig at the end.  
• I am more active here and losing weight. 
• The ocean rocks.
• Farmers' markets galore.
• New sights and scenes to see.
• A trip to any of the cities takes between half an hour to two hours at the most. 
• Mountains behind you, water in front of you, you are surrounded by nature.
• 9 months out of the year with clear blue skies doesn't hurt either.

So there you go.  You can always remind me of why it is better to live here also.  =)

How Do I Stay Me Without Compromising Me?!

I have a blog.  You are most likely reading it right now. 

In my head, I have been critical of other blogs because they are so heavily marketed.  It seems like people become a product of their blog. By becoming a product, the only thing people see is what you give them and usually that is all linked to what they represent their blog to be. 

About a week ago, I tweeted:

 

Because I analyze and analyze and analyze everything, I talk myself into exhausting circles to the point that I would rather give up something like this than actually figure out a better way to accomplish what I want to accomplish.  (Oh I didn't mention turning to God and asking Him either!!)

But I tweeted that out of a frustration that I don't want to become a product of my blog where I have to compromise who I fully am to simply gain readers.  That is people were reading this blog but I only shared with them snippets of who I am that if they met me, they would walk away saying, "that's not who I thought he was."  BLEH!

I hate fake in other people, I really hate fake conversations much less becoming fake myself. 

I simply want to be Ben, the guy that you hopefully will always get an honest answer from regardless if it is going to be positive or negative.  I want to be Ben, the guy that challenges not only you but myself just as much but can also say when I blew it or when I am struggling through the same thing and can admit that life sucks at times but we will get through it.  Those are dealbreakers for me.  If I lose those, then I know I have lost myself.

Do I want a bigger audience to read this blog?  Absolutely.  I wouldn't be writing it if I thought only a few people should read it. 

How do I attain a larger audience?  No Freaking Clue.

I will be changing some of the format of this blog.  I bought a book on design so I am going to dabble in that.  I will also refocus not so much on politics (which I thought I would write more about) but put more researched focus on the current Christian culture and really life in general. 

I want to introduce you to some of my friends, like I did yesterday with Nick Johnson.  But I also want us to think outside of ourselves so that we can change the world for Jesus.  That means dissecting topics that are normally hands off in the church but also forming a conversation around them.  If we can't challenge those little things in the church, then I don't know how willing we are to challenge the bigger things.

So, this is my brain dump.  Religion. Politics. Life. will be going away soon and I am sure something wittier will be put up.  With that said I hope that made sense.  Pray for me, that God would deal with my insecurities and strengthen me in His calling; cause in the end, this all has to come out of His vision anyway.

College Voices: Hopeless... (Guest Post by: Nick Johnson)

My main passion in life is to see college students raised up and given a voice in today's culture and society.  I am starting a series on College Voices where once a week I will try to have a guest post by a college student from anywhere in the country.  College students have a unique perspective on the world and on Christianity so I hope to introduce you to some of those.

I met Nick Johnson at the Campus Crusade Winter Conference in San Diego.  A self-named goofball, he has a contagious personality and a great heart for the Lord.  I love meeting guys who are open and honest and I was privileged to get to know him for a few days over winter break.  I asked him to write a guest post and share what God is doing in his life right now.  You can read his blog here. Enjoy!

For the past few weeks I’ve been on a hunt to find a deeper passion and love for God. I was struggling with and wondering why the “Good news” didn’t excite me all that much. I was asking God to show me what I was missing…He did. A few days ago I went out on the balcony with a piece of paper and pen and wrote every sin and struggle I’ve ever had and am currently dealing with. This took a little effort because as humans we’re really good at suppressing our imperfections.

By the time I was done it was clear to me that I’m messed up! My life is broken and Nick Johnson by himself is a jacked up human being! Then on the other side of the paper I wrote the requirement for spending eternity in Heaven with God, “Perfection.” As I sat there and looked at my long list of imperfections, I realized they weren’t going to fit in with a perfect God, in a perfect place. I’m hopeless…I NEED a Savior…His name is Jesus Christ! And that’s the Good News!

If you’ve grown up in the church it sounds like the same message you’ve heard a billion times. But do you really believe it?? I didn’t, and that was killing my passion and love for God. It’s pride. We start to feel pretty good about ourselves. For me, I thought I was a pretty good person compared to “the world,” even in comparison to a lot of Christians. I tithed, tried to avoid sinning, was involved in my church, and helping lead 2 youth bible studies. Without knowing it I started to develop pride and feel like I was somehow earning my way to Heaven. I didn’t really believe I was hopeless. NO! There is nothing we can do to earn God’s love.

If you take the time to be honest with yourself, and look at your life, you will see without Jesus there is no way God could be near us. Jesus died for us not only to make a way for us to be with God, but also so we could have His Holy Spirit live inside of us so we’re not slaves to our nasty humanness! Jesus came to bring life to the fullest.

A lot of this may seem repetitive, but again do you truly have a passion and a love for God. Do you truly understand how there’s not enough good you could do in 20 lifetimes to save yourself. Do you really believe that you need to be saved? The only way to have that life to the full Jesus came to bring is to recognize your need for Him. This recognition and understanding will allow you to live a life of passionate response to what He did for you. We need this! Going through the motions will wear us out. We can’t get into Heaven by ourselves and we can’t do this life by ourselves. We we’re never intended to! Ask Him for a greater understanding of your need for Him, He wants to give it to you!

Where Should I Go? Your Comments Needed!

I have earned a free ticket through Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards that I want to use sometime this summer to go visit somewhere, anywhere.  The question is, where do I go?

 
For a better look, click here.

I have been to most of the Midwest, only been to Washington D.C. out of the entire East coast.  Florida was bleh and in the summer it is probably double bleh.  Oklahoma looks good in theory but with my luck, I would go and it would be "Night of the Twisters," the remake.  I have only been in Texas for a layover, never been to Las Vegas and never to the Pacific Northwest. 

So where do you think I should go?  Why?  When?

look at what ---> I <--- am doing

"So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.  "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:2-4)

This is an interesting passage that I have failed at and I am sure many others have too.  With the recent tragedy in Haiti, I am seeing tweets, blogs and Facebook posts stating that this person gave to this ministry or "I am going to Haiti."  Some have written full blog posts about their struggle on how they came to the conclusion that they, yes they, should go to Haiti. 

Sometimes, I think we trumpet these things out not only for our own affirmation but also to gain the affirmation of others.  We want to say that we are humble and doing this for the children, but there is always that little hook that loves the responses we get either in our comment page, the "like" tab getting hit 20 times on Facebook or our statement getting retweeted.

Listen, I crave it just as much as anyone else, if not more, so maybe I am writing my own challenge. 

In a social media obsessed world, where people know what you are doing in the smallest details, have we forgotten to "give in secret?"  Do we market our trips, our journeys and our lives as a large trumpet blast so that we can gain a reward now, in full?  Or do we forfeit the reward the Father has for us if we had done it in secret?

This is obviously between you and the Lord and there are times where He gives the green light because He has called you to share that story.  On the other hand, I have to believe that He hasn't called EVERYONE to share their story and He has called some, even the great public bloggers with thousands of followers, to do something in silent, in front of the Audience of One.

I can only hope that I take my own challenge.