12:06 AM Advent Conspiracy or Christian Con?

I've been thinking a lot about a video that was shared Sunday night at the Stirring. Advent Conspiracy made a video that presented it's opinion with a very creative message telling us we are spending gluttons and we should be ashamed., But of course masked in a very gleeful manner for the sake of the Christmas spirit. These kinds of things bug me. I'll be honest, and I'll probably get the stink eye, even though I'm not making any personal attack towards anyone. In the video they go two directions.. one about giving presence and the other involving giving towards a clean water fund.. My problem is with the clean water fund..

I think to often the Church and/or Christian organizations spend too much time brainstorming for the next big thing and not enough time praying and listening to God. They prance around like a mad scientist overly excited and consumed by their poorly created frankenstein. They enjoy flexing their religious muscles with creative and innovative ways for us to board their bandwagons. And who is the pawn to prove their points... no, it's not the Christians... never us.. It is however the "world" AKA unbelievers, non-saved, heathens even... Why do we do this? Why do we put the follies of the worlds unrepentant acts on full blast to motivate us? Shouldn't we be motivated by Jesus? Who cares if the world spends 450 billion dollars on Christmas? Do Christians alone spend 450 billion on Christmas? No... So why should we concern ourselves with how the world wastes money. I know Christians waste money... but lets be fair and use our own wasteful spending habits. Rather than use the unprovable tallying of a worldly statistic created for a good guilt trip and a quick passport aboard another bandwagon. Even Shane Claiborne misses it and uses the example of the world to motivate belivers. I'm not sure that's what Jesus has in mind. Why don't we observe what we as Christians spend on Apple products or our sickly addiction with the coffee bean? And of course it isn't called the Santa Conspiracy, it's called the Advent Conspiracy. I doubt most could tell you what Advent means, but they can easily tell you who Santa is... So, by the example of the world but titled for and spoken to the Christian? huh? Why don't we try to first take Christmas back? Why don't we posture ourselves and give Jesus His birthday back. The world will know us by our faith, not because we use them for a reminder on what not to be. We should be looking to Jesus on how to be. Something is wrong and in this case I wont be pointing at what obviously always looks wrong. I think it's time to pull the plank out of our own eyes...

These video attractions do have a purpose, in the name of Jesus of course.... Once their done making you feel like a piece of trash, they pitch you with their outstanding discovery. Almost like they're Columbus. And like Columbus, they want you to ignore what has already been a discovered and just go with it. So what is this troubling effort? Well, although their are many ugly strategies out there this one particularly deals with unclean water. It involves helping provide clean water to those the same naive Christian would mistake for chocolate milk. However, some either not knowing at all, or quickly forget there is a reason why some don't have clean water buy into these masked wasteful spending machines. Obviously, It isn't because of American spending addictions that there isn't clean water abroad. But thankfully someone finally found a reason to use their algebra skills to mathematically prove the cost it would take to provide clean water to those that don't have it. But strangely and conveniently it's brought to our attention around one of the busy spending times of the year. It's either genius or selfish. And I'm gonna go with selfish... and here's why. It's because in most 3rd world countries people are being dictated by gun happy, child trafficking, drug addicted gangs. These gangs oppress their own people. And at every effort of those oversea, whether it be full of gleeful giving, these gangs find a way to trample and strip these efforts away from those in need. They fill wells with dirt or concrete. They threaten the lives of those who receive the aid. And sometimes even capture those that have come to help and kill them too. People die in the name of clean water? There is something wrong with that picture... I understand that God created water.... so God can provide clean water... why don't we pray and fast for those in need of clean water... God set forth a flood, God healed the sick, God says we can move mountains, Jesus says we will do even greater things then He did... But of course by His power. So why don't we stop with the foolish strategies and start praying and fasting that God would move in, destroy the enemies plot and redeem those that are shackled and oppressed.. The only other way is giving the materials to Rambo so he can go in and build the wells... But nobody wants to fight nowadays... Except for Jesus, and I'll gladly board that bandwagon.