Friday, September 18, 2009

St. Bub: telling on yourself will save you

I sure am enjoying a new blog friend, Bub, whose new blog "Not Peace But a Sword"
should be checked out.
Sample excerpt:



...when I went looking to find a God as I understand Him, this wasn’t how I envisioned it was going to go. Far from it.


I wanted one of those all-purpose deities, ya know what I mean? The anything goes, whatever-I-think-is-right-he-thinks-is-right kind of gods. A god of my own creation and purpose.


I certainly wasn’t looking for a God that was going to call me on my bullshit. I wasn’t looking for a God that had His own agenda that had nothing to do with my own personal agenda that I have held so dear. You know, me, me and what’s that? A little more me please.

....Ahhh, there’s the rub. The stinkin’ Bible. If I’d never read that book I’d be
alright. If I had just stayed away from the Word of God I could go on like most
every other American male goes on. Not a care in the world except about what my next big purchase was going to be. My next supah vacation. My next illicit
affair. Man, did I mention I hate telling on myself? I really do, but I will. I
know that in the end it will save me....

-Bub, link


There you will see references to his older blog, "God Me and Poker, which in turn links to two older blogs

(both come with Bub's "WARNING! Explicit content. The only reason I'm linking to this is to show how far I've come. Thank you Jesus, I don't have to live like that ever again. ")

which I am glad he was real enough to leave up; each blog represents a sucessive phase in his journey.

His honesty, journal and writing style remind me of Pete Gall (Tip:An interview with Pete Gall by our own Keltic Ken can be heard here, and some excerpts from "Gall" are here) whose original, self-published book, "Gall: Five Years of Unfettered Christian Exploration Somewhere Between Youth Group and the Rest of Life"--complete with uncensored chapters like "Chocolate , Bible Study and Blowjobs" (no surprise it became "Chocolate and Bible Study" in the later "Christian" version, "My Beautiful Idol") has this classic blurb on the back:

Look, if this whole deal with God is at all real, it has to do better than drone
on in hypothetical and scholastic debates. It has to apply to premarital nudity,
dreams of personal glory, colossal lapses in judgment, family dysfunctions,
battles with addiction, and frustration with fools. It must have something to
say about tenacity, idolatry, heroes, love, sunsets, demons, prayer, miracles,
worms, rivers and hard-won orgasm. Tell me about that stuff. Admit that you've
somehow come to believe that the sin of the world can hold a candle to the
wretchedness of your own heart. Take on questions that are bigger than your
answers. Fight to let pain serve its purpose. Let grace shine through if it's so
real and so great and so worth living for. Show me a Jesus who gives a shit
about the world I inhabit, and I'll keep reading.

-back cover, "Gall"




Go visit St. Bub..

2 comments:

  1. As excited as I am about having a post about me (I know I should be a little more, uhhh, what's the word, humble? demure?)I'm way more excited about you turning me on to Pete Gall! Thanks so much Dave, for this post and all your other great posts that I've been reading the last couple of years!

    bub

    ReplyDelete
  2. you will love Pete

    He will love you

    ReplyDelete

Hey, thanks for engaging the conversation!