it B time 2 get WEiRD because Normal just isn’t working…

Growing up I had always been that kid who accepted anyone. Call it my upbringing, essence of my faith, or my unique journey in life but I wanted to avoid being normal at all cost. I didn’t necessarily strive to be “cool” but I thought I was. (I had lines cut in my hair, two years before Vanilla Ice, Ice Baby!) Looking back, it seems I always had a very diverse group of friends. Deep down, I think I really wanted to stand out. I wanted to stand out not by being in one particular click, but by being in all groups. For better or worse, I never really wanted to be normal. Even today in ministry, I don’t want to be normal. I don’t want to serve a normal church.


What is normal? Normal (adjective) – conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.

Normal people are stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Many of their relationships are, at best, strained and, in most cases, just surviving. Even though we live in one of the most prosperous places on earth, normal is still just living paycheck to paycheck and never getting ahead. In today’s world, lust, premarital sex, guilt, and shame are far more common than purity, virginity, and healthy married sex life. Normal is 75% of those people in the Centralia area do not attend a faith community on a regular basis, although 97% of them believe that Jesus was God’s son. Normal is parents waking up at 6:00 am in a weekend to drive their children to a sporting event or practice but will not drive them five minutes to church. Normal is individuals are working more hours for no increase in pay, although the cost of living is at its highest. Normal is Internet porn. Normal is the US government’s making the Catholic Church give out birth control but not letting kids pray in public at school events. Normal is being “broke”. Normal is not spending time with your children. Normal is spending more money than you make. Normal is an unbalanced budget. Normal is having to take off our shoes and go through x-ray machines to board an airplane. Normal is youth smoking bath salts and liquid drain cleaner to get high. Normal is growing up in a home that at least one parent is an addict. Normal is taking medication daily like Prozac, Paxil, Xanax, and Zoloft. Normal is cosmetic surgeries. Normal is teenagers having children out of wedlock. Normal is moving from church to church instead of lovingly working out our differences. Normal is communicating through Facebook, text messages, emails and not looking anyone in the eye or giving them a hug. Normal is spending more time with an electronic device than learning an art, skill, or hobby. Normal is eating in a car or on the couch instead of around a table. Normal is waiting for someone else to solve your problems. Normal is “it’s never my fault.” Normal is divorce. Normal is declining donations to non profits organizations and church offerings and increased revenue in gambling and lotteries. Normal is trying to get fame by being on a reality show. Normal is lay-offs, bankruptcies, and foreclosures. Normal is not telling your children daily how much you love them and are proud of who they are not their latest achievement. Normal is chasing true peace and happiness in all the wrong places.

And when it comes to God, the majority believes in him, but the teachings of Scripture rarely make it into their everyday lives. Simple put normal isn’t working anymore. If you do what normal people do, you’ll end up where normal people end up. These days, it’s normal to be stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted but Jesus shows us a better way. We can do better than normal, we deserve better than normal, our lives can be better, we can be weird. I’m ready to be weird like Jesus. I am ready to have a weird relationship with Christ, serve a weird church, have a weird marriage, have a weird relationship with my children, I can't be normal anymore. I’ve ready to learn how to live a weird life by Jesus. Join me on this journey to be WEiRD..
Peace, Love & Happiness,
Tommy