Drinking with Nerds, and Other Godly Pursuits

I’m a bit of a nerd.

It started in grade 7, where I would spend my lunch hours huddled over a glowing green monitor in the computer lab. I counseled myself regarding my late-bloomer awkwardness when I would walk home from school. It was pointed out to me once that I was actually talking out loud. That was a bit embarrassing. My pants were a little short, and my hair was a little too 70’s. How I got through the next three years of gym class without a wedgie remains a mystery.

I finally hit grade ten and put those awkward days behind me; I started dressing preppy and even got a perm. (Oh ya, baby! The rockin’ 80′s!)

As it turned out, Nerdhood wasn’t finished with me yet. Apple invented this little gadget called an iPod, and now I find there aren’t enough hours in a day.

My kids missed me at first. It troubled them when I neglected the bedtime stories, or when I’d absently pour orange juice on their breakfast cereal; then I got them hooked too and now we get bloodshot eyes together! My wife pretends to tolerate this antisocial behavior, but I’ve caught her fuming over Angry Birds more times than she would care to admit.

Isn’t it funny how things that were once a source of ridicule and shame have become mainstream?

I’ve lived just long enough to see it happen in the church too. Some of the Christians that I respect most can be seen now and then with a pint of something frothy. Others use a wee bit of profanity when they bash their thumb with a hammer on a cold winter’s workday. I’ve even seen pictures of so-called believers smoking fat stogies!

Okay, calling some of this behavior mainstream might be going a bit too far; I’ll admit that. And of course, yours truly would never, EVER, EVER think of partaking in such hedonistic pursuits.

This, though, is what encourages me: whatever one might think of this kind of conduct, I see in my generation of Christians (and even more in those who are younger) a desire to focus their spiritual energies pursuing Faith, Hope, and Love. Those who are older, who have demonstrated these attributes, have become our heroes.

So, behavior doesn’t matter?

Of course it does. We want to live lives that honor God.

To us, this means having the munchies for a righteousness that is more than skin deep. I’d rather sit with a broken friend and share a couple beers, than spend a decade in church hoping he’ll see the light and get his crap together.