like a fire

OK, so I really like the writings and ideas of Seth Godin a lot. He has inspired me to many new thoughts in my faith. Having said that, I had a thought that totally contradicted his this last Sunday morning. I was listening to my new church home pastor preach about how we have to change the way we talk to people about our faith. He used a nooma clip that rebukes bullhorn man. Basically he outlined a bunch of ways that we should not try to relate to people when it comes to faith. I was paying attention, but some of my attention strayed to Seth. He has said that interruption marketing is dying or dead. That means all of those banner ads, tv commercials, spray and pray flyers an telemarketing are all done. People do not want to be interrupted! But as I listened to the ideas about sharing faith, I though, “People do want to be interrupted.”

People want something to interrupt their lives and bring them something better. They want something to change them into what they want to be but are afraid of trying to be. They will take that interruption any time of the day. I think people are looking for an excuse to be brave enough to do what they want, instead of what they think they should do. I see high school seniors constantly do what they think they should instead of what they want to do. I see grown adults stick it out in dead end jobs because they are afraid to do what they love. Basically, I see a lot of people who want that mythic interruption that brings them into a live that they love. Just like Bilbo in the LOTR when Gandalf interrupts him, or Neo when Trinity interrupts him or so many other heroes that are heroes only because they were interrupted.

The sad part of this idea is that people feel they need an interruption to do something out of the ordinary. They feel like they can’t just go do those things. Maybe evangelism is just that kind of interruption.