U2

I just finished watching U2's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and it brought out some conflicting emotions. I don't want to admit that I am old enough that the music of my youth is being enshrined. But their rendition of "I still haven't found" with Springsteen stirred my soul.

The longing that is so transparent in that song is one that I have found in my own life. I still haven't found what I am looking for. That may be because I don't know with great certainty what I am looking for, but I know I don't have it. To some, it is my way of saying that what I have isn't good enough. I prefer to look at it as a by-product of my idealism and seeking the things of God in their fullest.

I am haunted by the scene from "As Good as is Gets" where Jack Nicholson is in the waiting room of his psychiatrist and asks the people waiting there "What if this is all there is? What if this is as good as it gets?" I live on the hope that it can be better. That we can grow closer to God. That we can build authentic communities built on trust and respect. Because if this is as good as it gets, then it is not good enough.

Share your thoughts with me on this please. I'm going to go play "The Joshua Tree" with the lights off for a while.

A truly great book

If you haven't read "The Safest Place on Earth" by Larry Crabb, you should really consider it. It is an absolutely wonderful book about creating true spiritual community, not the superficial relationships that pass for community in most churches. Crabb confesses that he is no expert, but like me, he is an idealist fearful that this may be as good as it gets. What if true community cannot happen, and the strained superficial relationships we have are the best we can do?

I'm in the boat of desiring something I've never had, which is a true spiritual community. God is in the process of moving me out of the complacent place I am in now and going somewhere that is unknown to me. And this desire will be a large determinant of where I land. I desire a community where people trust each other, share openly and genuinely, and desire the best for each other.

If you have some insight into this process, please feel free to chime in. I'd love to hear from you.