Good Magazine a lesson for the church?

Today my wife and I went to Startbucks for a coffee and the first time out as a couple for about a month. It was a fulfilling 30 minutes alone!!!

If you have ever been to Starbucks, there is something about the atmosphere and the advocacy they promote that attracts my post-modern mind (notice I did not say theological or political views that attract me). You get that good feeling when you buy a coffee and right next to the cash register, they announce that 10% of your purchase goes towards starving children in Africa or to environmental friendly coffee making. It makes ya feel good and also you feel like you are making a difference. Even to the point that you are willing to spend 10% more at Starbucks than the other place because they are doing something GOOD.

They also have a little magazine they give away called, "GOOD." In each issues of GOOD, they promote a way to do something good for our country and world. And I noticed that on the front of this magazine/newspaper it asks this question, "What can you do for your country?" Holy Cow, is this JFK resurrected? We haven't heard this kind of talk since the post-WWII generation. Doing good for the sake of our neighbor and not for the sake of self? What a concept!

This is the current generation of younger people. They want to DO something, not go through meetings (how many young people go to voter's meetings?), they don't want to just distribute money around like the old groups, they don't want to "join" any group at all, THEY WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. This is exactly like the Post-WWII generation, with one exception, they don't want it to be part of the church or many don't want it to be because of God. That is the rub in the church today!

This mindset works perfectly to our lives as Christians. What is the greatest command our Lord gives? Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourselves. Basically speaking, doing good for someone else simply because they need someone to help them. The problem is that the church is not set up for doing things, it is set up to just be part of something (go to worship, vote at a meeting, give your due and go home). So the lesson is, how can the church capitalize on the younger generation mindset that lines up with our theology? That is the question....and this will be my journey as a baptized child of God. Drop a line of thought!