:fake it to make it:
So at this conference i just came back from, i had a couple thoughts.
wait for it...
i've never been at a conference by myself, so sitting in huge conference centre that fit about 12 THOUSAND people and not knowing a single person is very strange. same God, same worship, but knowing that i was one little Asian guy in the crowd from Hong Kong on my own made me think a lot.
after thinking got boring, i decided that i was going to try and take photos. at any vine event i'm doing something on the stage so i never get a chance to snap shots. so since i was a nobody here, i decided i wanted to get some shots. having no fear because i could always pull "I lo spek englis, solly" card. which ALWAYS works with Christians by the way, i walked from my nose bleed seat and went straight to the main floor, took a deep breath, pull up my jeans, and made a bee line for the stage.
to be fair, i dont look like a photographer with my dinky little camera, but i challenged myself to use the viewfinder, and not the little screen. then i started to get a little more adventurous and i went side of stage.
then as i was hanging back a bit and watching the professionals get positions and their stances, and their demeanor, and started to think, what if i tried that? so i took in what they were doing and then i started to copy them. not only did it look like i was a real photog, it helped me get better shots!
so i was sitting here
and then i could get so close i was actually on stage and take shots like this
the best was that on the last day, when i was walking right past security, i was suddenly stopped by this woman who had 3 walkies all going off at the same time. (you MUST be someone if you need 3 walkies with 3 different channels). she stopped me and said hey, you can't-, and then i flashed my conference pass, pointed to the camera and walked right by her.
she was like "oh, ok. go ahead." score. totally.
i completely faked it, and i was spending time right by the stage taking some fun shots of the conference. i was wishing i had a better camera, but i was pretty happy with my shots. i was hanging out in the VIP area taking shots, behind the sound desk... By the way. this is my fav shot of the roll..
so i was thinking about this in a Christian church going sense. do people do the same? i mean, how do people really learn how to worship God? they must watch other people, then trail and error it to see if it works for them?
but what if it's just that? copying the other person?
faking Christianity is actually much more prevalent that we would like to open our eyes to. you go to certain churches in some cities and the people are jumping around, screaming, yet there is no connection with God. while in other places there's nothing but silence, and the connection is powerful. life changing even.
authentic worship. authentic lives. what a concept. i didnt realise how easy it was to fake it. i'm a pastor, and i've been a pastor for only 3 very short years, yet i know when people are giving me a bunch of words, rather than sharing their heart, or whether it is a real encounter with God.
sigh. it's a difficult thing, because i recall the bible talks about getting the plank of wood out of my own eye before looking at others. that's why i sigh.
sigh again.
so i guess the only way i change change this status quo is to inspire, encourage and lead by example, those people who look to me for leadership or friendship. i can be a light, so to speak.. only a light in an already lit place. the worst thing i could think of is that people would come and 'fake' their Christianity, then after a while be given rights, opportunities and responsibilities they shouldn't have. everything is fun and games until, yes, you guessed it, someone gets hurt.
and there are hurt people leaving the church every day in bus loads.
i guess i'm on a mandate to make a difference. to be real, and i'm not talking about gangsters or hip hop artist. i'm talking about a contagious passion for Jesus to be reflected and Glorified. and to answer the question in the conference.
this is what i'm going to do.
i'm out.
wait for it...
i've never been at a conference by myself, so sitting in huge conference centre that fit about 12 THOUSAND people and not knowing a single person is very strange. same God, same worship, but knowing that i was one little Asian guy in the crowd from Hong Kong on my own made me think a lot.
after thinking got boring, i decided that i was going to try and take photos. at any vine event i'm doing something on the stage so i never get a chance to snap shots. so since i was a nobody here, i decided i wanted to get some shots. having no fear because i could always pull "I lo spek englis, solly" card. which ALWAYS works with Christians by the way, i walked from my nose bleed seat and went straight to the main floor, took a deep breath, pull up my jeans, and made a bee line for the stage.
to be fair, i dont look like a photographer with my dinky little camera, but i challenged myself to use the viewfinder, and not the little screen. then i started to get a little more adventurous and i went side of stage.
then as i was hanging back a bit and watching the professionals get positions and their stances, and their demeanor, and started to think, what if i tried that? so i took in what they were doing and then i started to copy them. not only did it look like i was a real photog, it helped me get better shots!
so i was sitting here
and then i could get so close i was actually on stage and take shots like this
the best was that on the last day, when i was walking right past security, i was suddenly stopped by this woman who had 3 walkies all going off at the same time. (you MUST be someone if you need 3 walkies with 3 different channels). she stopped me and said hey, you can't-, and then i flashed my conference pass, pointed to the camera and walked right by her.
she was like "oh, ok. go ahead." score. totally.
i completely faked it, and i was spending time right by the stage taking some fun shots of the conference. i was wishing i had a better camera, but i was pretty happy with my shots. i was hanging out in the VIP area taking shots, behind the sound desk... By the way. this is my fav shot of the roll..
so i was thinking about this in a Christian church going sense. do people do the same? i mean, how do people really learn how to worship God? they must watch other people, then trail and error it to see if it works for them?
but what if it's just that? copying the other person?
faking Christianity is actually much more prevalent that we would like to open our eyes to. you go to certain churches in some cities and the people are jumping around, screaming, yet there is no connection with God. while in other places there's nothing but silence, and the connection is powerful. life changing even.
authentic worship. authentic lives. what a concept. i didnt realise how easy it was to fake it. i'm a pastor, and i've been a pastor for only 3 very short years, yet i know when people are giving me a bunch of words, rather than sharing their heart, or whether it is a real encounter with God.
sigh. it's a difficult thing, because i recall the bible talks about getting the plank of wood out of my own eye before looking at others. that's why i sigh.
sigh again.
so i guess the only way i change change this status quo is to inspire, encourage and lead by example, those people who look to me for leadership or friendship. i can be a light, so to speak.. only a light in an already lit place. the worst thing i could think of is that people would come and 'fake' their Christianity, then after a while be given rights, opportunities and responsibilities they shouldn't have. everything is fun and games until, yes, you guessed it, someone gets hurt.
and there are hurt people leaving the church every day in bus loads.
i guess i'm on a mandate to make a difference. to be real, and i'm not talking about gangsters or hip hop artist. i'm talking about a contagious passion for Jesus to be reflected and Glorified. and to answer the question in the conference.
this is what i'm going to do.
i'm out.
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