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hokey "Christian-ese" expressions
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I don't really like that one, either. Sure, there are things in our life that we sometimes do need to move on from, but at the same time, sometimes that requires action on our part and not just sitting back and waiting for God to do something. Often, God tells us what to do and we just don't really want to do it (Moses comes to mind, as well as Jonah). I understand the intent behind most of the slogans, but they aren't very Biblical.
It's not really that common anymore, but there used to be t-shirts that said "Jesus is my homeboy". Really? Your homeboy? How about your Savior? How about the one who literally gave Himself in every way because you were so vile with sin that He was the only thing that could save you? Why demote Him and degrade Him to such a lowly position?
Tore--really cool haircut, by the way!!!
This is a really great thread, Catherder--thanks so much for giving us a chance to be REAL.
I HATE, HATE, HATE Christian cliches. I've grown up with them all my life and have told God many times, "If you've just brought me up to have me recite all those 'Christian Cookie Cutter Answers' to other people, please just strike me down now."
Because I HATE, HATE, HATE hearing, "You need to just get closer to the Lord" and all the other hundred thousand sayings people give out when they want to be able to sound like they're exercising their faith but really, 1. they have nothing better to say, 2. they just want to sound like they believe, and worst of all, 3. they often really don't care.
First of all, I want to tell them, "Who are you to judge me in how close I am to God?" Yes, I know we can all work on our relationship with God but I was getting to a point where even my father an ordained pastor, told me, "Honey, you CAN get to a point where you're being fanatical..." because I was desperately trying to do what all the good "church folk" said to do.
In the end, I always wind up doing the same thing--crying, screaming, and laying it all out before God... both good... and mostly bad... Then try to pray that He'll make me willing enough to let Him sort out the pieces and direct me in what to do.
And this is what I try to do with others as well -- I tell them, "I don't care how bad it is, I don't care what words you have to use, even if they're all the bad ones... I don't care if you cuss me out from top to bottom... Yeah, we're gonna probably rumble for a while, but let's go!! The sooner we get it out, the sooner we let God help us deal with it -- together."
I would rather ask for the grace to deal with the truth than be told a pretty lie.
Or... a glossy, white-washed Christian cliche.
This is a really great thread, Catherder--thanks so much for giving us a chance to be REAL.
I HATE, HATE, HATE Christian cliches. I've grown up with them all my life and have told God many times, "If you've just brought me up to have me recite all those 'Christian Cookie Cutter Answers' to other people, please just strike me down now."
Because I HATE, HATE, HATE hearing, "You need to just get closer to the Lord" and all the other hundred thousand sayings people give out when they want to be able to sound like they're exercising their faith but really, 1. they have nothing better to say, 2. they just want to sound like they believe, and worst of all, 3. they often really don't care.
First of all, I want to tell them, "Who are you to judge me in how close I am to God?" Yes, I know we can all work on our relationship with God but I was getting to a point where even my father an ordained pastor, told me, "Honey, you CAN get to a point where you're being fanatical..." because I was desperately trying to do what all the good "church folk" said to do.
In the end, I always wind up doing the same thing--crying, screaming, and laying it all out before God... both good... and mostly bad... Then try to pray that He'll make me willing enough to let Him sort out the pieces and direct me in what to do.
And this is what I try to do with others as well -- I tell them, "I don't care how bad it is, I don't care what words you have to use, even if they're all the bad ones... I don't care if you cuss me out from top to bottom... Yeah, we're gonna probably rumble for a while, but let's go!! The sooner we get it out, the sooner we let God help us deal with it -- together."
I would rather ask for the grace to deal with the truth than be told a pretty lie.
Or... a glossy, white-washed Christian cliche.
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Ariel82
Guest
it might not be Christian but it sure is southern, the phrase "Bless your heart" i'm left wondering is that a blessing or a sign of pity?
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Ugly
Guest
That's actually biblical.
Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
(Psalm 55:22 NLT)
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
(1 Peter 5:7 NLT)
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moretalman
Guest
Praise God. Or praise the Lord. These expressions are OK. But they have become, in some sense, something people say to try & indirectly communicate that they are Christians or to sound spiritual, when in reality many times it has the opposite affect. Or in the presence of other Christians as a way of saying hey I'm a christian too ya know, instead of it being something more genuine. Sometimes it's being said out of force of habit, almost "in vain" kinda like "Gee wiz".
It turns people off, both Christians & non Christians alike, especially when it's being said with such frequency. Jewish people are very serious when they use Gods name or title. In fact if any one has ever gone to a Jewish chat room, they type out G-d. This is about how serious they are about avoiding taking Gods name in vain & is perhaps the other extreme. But I don't know if Christians aren't worse in using Gods name or title to lightly.
I mean we even have abbreviated it for Internet use: lol = laugh out loud <> omg = oh my God. How many people do you suppose really are making a genuine address to God when they say this. This is so common that your average Christian minister uses it & many would scoff at the suggestion that it's inappropriate. It's all about being more thoughtful about what we say & how we say it. It won't make us prudes, it will make us more responsible representatives of our Lord.
Many Christians throw the word hell or damn around very loosely but if you think about what these words mean - should they be used so lightly? I don't think so. But we wanna be cool, not prudish. It all go's back to being more thoughtful. We need to "think' before we speak. Sure, well catch some flack from believers & non-believers alike. I guess the question we need to ask here is: Who do we fear more, God or men? That's something to think about.
Many Blessings <> Johnny
It turns people off, both Christians & non Christians alike, especially when it's being said with such frequency. Jewish people are very serious when they use Gods name or title. In fact if any one has ever gone to a Jewish chat room, they type out G-d. This is about how serious they are about avoiding taking Gods name in vain & is perhaps the other extreme. But I don't know if Christians aren't worse in using Gods name or title to lightly.
I mean we even have abbreviated it for Internet use: lol = laugh out loud <> omg = oh my God. How many people do you suppose really are making a genuine address to God when they say this. This is so common that your average Christian minister uses it & many would scoff at the suggestion that it's inappropriate. It's all about being more thoughtful about what we say & how we say it. It won't make us prudes, it will make us more responsible representatives of our Lord.
Many Christians throw the word hell or damn around very loosely but if you think about what these words mean - should they be used so lightly? I don't think so. But we wanna be cool, not prudish. It all go's back to being more thoughtful. We need to "think' before we speak. Sure, well catch some flack from believers & non-believers alike. I guess the question we need to ask here is: Who do we fear more, God or men? That's something to think about.
Many Blessings <> Johnny
Some common clichés (Christian and otherwise) I can't stand:
'Something will come up': Will it? Really? How do you know? And what is 'Something' and what if 'Up' is not where I need said something to be? I know it's supposed to be reassuring, but honestly, I find it anything but. It's like something people say when they don't know how else to respond, or they think your problem is minor/petty and not worthy of their time and effort in assisting with an actual, meaningful suggestion.
Ditto for that stupid saying 'It'll turn up' when you've lost something! Right now, when I'm frantically searching for something important that I can't find, you sitting there saying 'It'll turn up' is not at all helpful!
'Have you prayed about it?': This REALLY grinds my gears! No. I'm having this major problem right now, but I haven't prayed about it! HELLO- Yes of course I have, I haven't stopped praying, but I'd still appreciate being able to discuss the matter with other people too. I just hate when people say that. It makes me feel dumb for asking their advice, or wanting to discuss the issue. To me, it implies that if you feel the need to ask/discuss anything with anyone else, then obviously you aren't praying enough, for if you were, you'd have your answer by divine revelation, thus alleviating the need to ask anyone else.
I must admit. I've been guilty of using the 'Let go and Let God' phrase a few times. Although I understand and somewhat agree with the intent of the message in this statement, it is cheesy and should be re-worded!
'Something will come up': Will it? Really? How do you know? And what is 'Something' and what if 'Up' is not where I need said something to be? I know it's supposed to be reassuring, but honestly, I find it anything but. It's like something people say when they don't know how else to respond, or they think your problem is minor/petty and not worthy of their time and effort in assisting with an actual, meaningful suggestion.
Ditto for that stupid saying 'It'll turn up' when you've lost something! Right now, when I'm frantically searching for something important that I can't find, you sitting there saying 'It'll turn up' is not at all helpful!
'Have you prayed about it?': This REALLY grinds my gears! No. I'm having this major problem right now, but I haven't prayed about it! HELLO- Yes of course I have, I haven't stopped praying, but I'd still appreciate being able to discuss the matter with other people too. I just hate when people say that. It makes me feel dumb for asking their advice, or wanting to discuss the issue. To me, it implies that if you feel the need to ask/discuss anything with anyone else, then obviously you aren't praying enough, for if you were, you'd have your answer by divine revelation, thus alleviating the need to ask anyone else.
I must admit. I've been guilty of using the 'Let go and Let God' phrase a few times. Although I understand and somewhat agree with the intent of the message in this statement, it is cheesy and should be re-worded!
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MissCris
Guest
You would...It's really just how people USE the saying though. Like, "Oh, you're struggling right now? I have no idea what to say to you or how to help so...Let go and let God".
LOL i LOVE this thread. how about we all just need to 'press into God' what the heck does THAT mean?
is God a pillow?
is God a pillow?
or the people who throw in "hallelujahs" and "amens" in the regular conversation. This is typical of one such guy I know:
Me: So I'm going to get some coffee at .....
Him: AMEN, brother! Praise God for coffee!!
Me: Okay, that wasn't really "amen-worthy" in my book but did you want me to pick you up any?
Him: AMEN!! Steve lovin' on his brethren, Hallelujah!!
Me: Look, do you want some coffee or not!
Him: AMEN, brother!
Me: [usually swearing at this point.]
Me: So I'm going to get some coffee at .....
Him: AMEN, brother! Praise God for coffee!!
Me: Okay, that wasn't really "amen-worthy" in my book but did you want me to pick you up any?
Him: AMEN!! Steve lovin' on his brethren, Hallelujah!!
Me: Look, do you want some coffee or not!
Him: AMEN, brother!
Me: [usually swearing at this point.]
CatHerder, that's funny. Have you heard of Jesus juking? It's something similar. It's when someone throws Jesus into a random conversation and it then kills the conversation. Like this:
Person A: What's your favorite type of cupcake?
Person B: Oh, I love cupcakes! I'll say red velvet is my favorite, though.
Person C: Jesus would have gone out and given cupcakes to the poor.
Person A and B: ....
Person A: What's your favorite type of cupcake?
Person B: Oh, I love cupcakes! I'll say red velvet is my favorite, though.
Person C: Jesus would have gone out and given cupcakes to the poor.
Person A and B: ....
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MissCris
Guest
I hate it when people do that! I had a friend in highschool that COULD NOT converse with anyone without talking about Jesus, in a totally random way. People avoided her a lot.
And it isn't the fact that they're talking about Jesus, so much as the fact that no, Jesus would probably NOT prefer Zelda: Ocarina of Time over Mario Kart.
...actually, now I really want to ask Jesus about this...
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MissCris
Guest
Oh snap, I just read what I actually posted up there ^
Not what I was meaning to say. Waaay beyond the edit time limit.
Oh well.
Not what I was meaning to say. Waaay beyond the edit time limit.
Oh well.
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zaoman32
Guest
Well, we probably wouldn't be celebrating Christmas if Jesus was never born (commercialism and all), and we wouldn't be celebrating Easter if Jesus never rose from the dead (commercialism and all).
I see where you're coming from though.
Very valid point!
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zaoman32
Guest
Well, we probably wouldn't be celebrating Christmas if Jesus was never born (commercialism and all), and we wouldn't be celebrating Easter if Jesus never rose from the dead (commercialism and all).
I see where you're coming from though.
Yours as well. Just another hokey saying that drives me insane.
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MissCris
Guest
I don't like it when people ask me "And where are you in your walk with Christ?"
There was a lady at the church I grew up going to that felt she had to check on EVERYONE'S spiritual progress every week.
First of all, that's a pretty invasive question if you don't know the person, second, I'm less of a "walker" and more of a dragging-my-feet or, sometimes, sprinting kind of person, spiritually speaking.
There was a lady at the church I grew up going to that felt she had to check on EVERYONE'S spiritual progress every week.
First of all, that's a pretty invasive question if you don't know the person, second, I'm less of a "walker" and more of a dragging-my-feet or, sometimes, sprinting kind of person, spiritually speaking.
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Hahaha! I was going to put that down too....it used to drive me up the wall SO bad!!
From back in my day, "WWJD?"(What Would Jesus Do?)
I get what they were aiming for, but I always found this saying a little hokey. Because of course no one can know what Jesus would do every single time. Jesus knew peoples hearts and the complexities of every situation so he might have done completely different things for some seemingly similar (from our point of view) situations. Not to mention he could perform miracles too.
Eh, I'm probably overthinking it. *shrug*
This is something that maybe isn't a 'saying' per se, but its more of what I consider a lame cop-out when I bring up an issue I have with someone, and their only response is, "Well, the bible says not to _______". Its like you gotta be kidding me, thats all you have to say on the matter?? It doesn't tell me anything about what YOU did and if you are sorry for it...like hello??? Anyone can quote scripture...big deal!!