When I was a child, I loved reading the Goosebumps books, by R.L. Stine. I would really get into the stories. They were really intense, suspenseful, and at times frightening to me. I felt like I needed to keep reading, because I had to know the resolution. I couldn't leave myself hanging.
Imagine my delight when I found out there was going to be a Goosebumps TV show,based on the books. I thought it would take the stories to a new level of awesome. I was so excited. Then I watched the first two episodes. They based them on the book The Haunted Mask, which also happened to be the first of his books I had read. I was so let down. It was a hokey, dumbed down version of the book. It had lost its intensity. The book was so intense that I couldn't get enough of it. I had enough of the TV show before the end of the first story. I quit watching it after one try. A couple of months ago, I decided to give it another shot (perhaps for nostalgia sake), probably because I forgot how bad it was the first time. Guess what: still lame. I won't try again.
I think Jesus is like a novel (cause He's the Word...ba-doom-chhhh). He's super instense, awesome, and always leaves you wanting to see what He'll do next. Churches/Christians can tend to be like TV shows based on novels. They're supposed to be just as awesome and intense as Jesus, but they can be kind of lame, dumbed down version of Him.
When people look to us for answers, our lives answer their questions with a story. We can give them the intense novel, or we can short cut, save time, and give them the TV show. It's the same story, with the same conclusion, told two different ways.
Which version do they get from you?
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