I've found on several occasions recently that I'm a bit of an old fashioned individual.  I've found myself to be old fashioned in the way I handle my relationships and communication with friends and colleagues, but even more so, I've found myself to be old fashioned in my love for things that might be considered "vintage."  Now, I'm not saying I'm going to reinvent my music collection with vinyl, or trade in every pair of shoes for some type of Chuck Taylor All-Stars, but I honestly don't find myself to be a big fan of newfound trends and fashions.  Now, this excitement in things of generations past was brought out of me this past weekend as I was able to take a dozen or so junior highers out to Pokagon State Park to a monstrous Toboggan Run.



Please don't get me wrong, I love tubing.  I love jumping on an inner tube at full speed, and flying down a curved hill at ludicrous speeds with no regard of the trees just feet in my peripheral (Pine Trail Camp).  However, my tubing experiences pale in comparison to the fun I had riding a heavy, uncomfortable fiberglass sled down a solid ice track on which I felt every bump and crack imaginable.  Now, there were times I screamed like a girl (no offense, ladies), and there were times I cried (the cold wind sucks the tears out of you), but I don't know that I've had a better Winter/Christmas season experience since I was quite the youngster.  And of course, you know that on a day like that, the Lord speaks loud and clear to those who listen.

I was under a great deal of conviction as I drove the van home, watching the young'ns sleep as they exhausted themselves hauling the sleds back up the hill.  I ran through my thoughts of being "old-fashioned" and it really took on a whole new meaning.  You see, I'm not called to simply like the old fashioned things, I'm called to preserve them.  And I'm not talking about toboggans, or vinyl records, or Chuck Taylor's either.  As a follower of Christ, I'm called to be the salt of the earth, meaning that I should have value as a preservative and a flavor additive.  I take both of these callings very seriously, because I for one think that there is no speech more flavorful than that laced with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I also feel that our society is in the midst of a downward spiral that is closing in on being out of control.  We need more lovers of Christ to become lovers of the "vintage" that is the call of Jesus.  We must preserve the old fashioned ways that He, Himself lived, and be willing to live as closely to that pattern as we can.

I love the "vintage," and I love Jesus.  In the words of my brother and colleague, Kyle Pierpont, it's time that I also love and act like, "vintage Jesus."

Solid,
BoMo