Lord, Deliver Us From Cool |
So, I’m sitting here in my un-tucked dress shirt, sipping a latte, reading “Good to Great” for the 5th time, twittering to all my “peeps” while I write my latest blog…. ugghhhhh…..Lord, please deliver us from “cool.”
Here’s what’s hard though. Cool is such a desirable commodity is our world. In fact, many, many of my best friends are cool. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Cool is the word that never goes out of style. It is our verbal stamp of approval when we like anything. “Cool.” It’s blessing, approval, validation and pure goodness all wrapped up in one magnificent word.
To set the record straight, I do happen to enjoy a more modern, casual dress. I also like my coffee. I have read the first 2 chapters of “Good to Great” 3 times before getting bored to tears each time. Every now and again I “twitter”... only because someone talked me into signing up and now have 133 “followers” that I feel obligated to throw down amazing status reports to.
Cool seems to have become a pre-requisite for nearly every occupation today…whether it’s being a Mom with the fly stroller, McDonald’s and their latest offerings of uber hip coffee or churches with their trendy marketing and phat worship “experiences.”
Ok…I am not on a personal journey to Dorkville, nor am I saying that we should avoid the cool technology that the nerds of this world are creating for us. I just think we should take a step back and re-define cool.
To me, cool is confidence in who you really are. Cool is not being afraid to boldly forward the mission God has given you for life. And sometimes cool is saying I’m not going to do this just because everyone else on the planet is doing it. I love when I meet someone who tried watching LOST and had the inner courage to tell me that they hated the show. BRAVO!! I know a Pastor who preaches in one of the most relevant churches in our nation who doesn’t even come close to passing the “cool” test in his clothing and dress. But that’s what makes him so cool. He is confident in his calling and secure in his mission.
Here’s the deal folks; if you market and sell vacuum cleaners, you have a responsibility to attract the culture you live in to your sucking machines. You better find a way to make sure your vacuum cleaner is more than just a cool looking machine. It better be a better “sucker’ than the rest of them. If your machine looks like something out of Star Wars and still doesn’t pick up the dirt, then obviously…it doesn’t suck…and you do. Cool alone won’t cut it.
For those of us leading the church, our job is also to clean up the dirt. Let’s remember our mission. Let’s be who we are knowing that there are people out there who will be attracted to the gift of personality, style and talent that God has placed within us. It’s not our tricked out 25 Flat-Screened Information Desk in the lobby that is going to save the sinner. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Cool? Cool.
Cool post Pastor Blaine. (Pun intended.) But seriously, I enjoyed it. I recently had some observations on cool. If you have a chance you should check them out http://jodyearley.com/2009/05/thoughts-on-cool.html
Hope you and the family are doing well. Keep the nuggets of wisdom coming. See you on the internets.
well said.
I couldn’t agree with you more. May none of us lose ourselves as we aspire for all things great and magnificent while on the much more important journey of following Christ….and fishing for other Christ followers.
For the record, I don’t watch “Lost”. 
I really like this. I think this is the first time I’ve even read something like this.
Great article, blog, or whatever cool name this post has. You are so right Blaine.
This is true. I’ve certainly struggled with this “pursuit of cool” but at the end of the day, what am I doing to reach the people that God has called me to reach. You’re totally right. You can have all of the cool and attractive tools but if you’ve not devoted your life to pursuing those specific people God has called you to reach, you’ll miss it every time! Thank you for the encouragement. (oh and please keep the tweets and facebook updates coming)
I totally agree with you Pastor Blaine. Amazing piece here
Excellent blog Pastor Blaine and right on the money too.
Great word!!! It’s so satisfying when you are comfortable and confident with yourself and who God made you to be. Even the parts that aren’t so cool.
Side note: I didn’t know it was cool to watch LOST. I’m cool and didn’t even know it 
P.S. let’s not bring back the pocket protector
Where was blogging when I was 16 I could have used this blog then! J/K we had alot of “cool” issues then but they don’t go away when your older they just disguise themselves better. When you work with people daily like we do, it doesn’t take long to realize there really is no “cool”, there’s only people, real people and everyone of us is human - rich, poor, old, young, strong, weak etc etc ALL human created by God for one purpose to bring him delight by living his plan, “cool” are the ones that help bring others back to that realization, its in everyone its just under the “dirt” in some. Thanks for keeping it real.
Blaine,
This was a very interesting post. What connection do you see between “cool” and “relevant”? I fear the desire to be relevant is just a cover for desiring coolness and thus desiring the world’s approval and not God’s. John the Baptist and Jesus probably were neither cool or relevant.
I have a Dyson and it looks cool and sucks up dirt really well. Did I mention it looks cool? Speaking of Dyson and cool, have you seen the Dyson hand dryers? They are stinkin cool. And the air they blow is cool.
Great post…
Wow. That is some serious food for thought for today’s emerging leadership. Thanks for giving us all something to think about and a way to examine ourselves for adjustments in our thinking. Rock on, rockstar.
One of history’s endless games – it’s disillusioned many a man. I like the disciple’s banter over which one of them is the greatest or “coolest”. Jesus responds by urging them to be aware of “not themselves” Perfect! I imagine today the message would sound something like, “Listen, egocentric-bent minds! Be the YOU that I created. Be thankful for it! Now look around, there are people who need the YOU that I created. By the way, the YOU that you are, is really me – and thats really cool.”
I would say Jesus and John The Baptist were both relevant lol. Jesus is a given, and when the king has to behead you because you are preaching that what he’s doing is wrong, that definitely makes you relevant. People came out to the middle of nowhere to hear John preach in the wilderness, you wouldn’t have droves of people listening to a man in sackcloth and eating honey if you weren’t relevant….....
COOL! Can somebody now change the acceptable fashion from a suite and tie to something a bit more comfortable? I dont get the whole tie thing..never have..never will..it feels like a noose around my neck..and what is the point anyway? Who decided that the only acceptable fashion is a suite and tie?? Whose idea was it….Didn’t the Romans wear robes…I vote we go back to robes! Great Article!
For more than a quarter of a century, Blaine Bartel has served what he believes is the hope of the world, the local church. Before leading the launch of Northstar Church, Blaine served as associate pastor in Tulsa, helping to build one of America's most innovative churches.
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