Do you remember where you were that day?
by Stephan Joubert
If you are a rugby fan, then you’ll never forget that drop kick by Joel Stransky that clinched the 1995 World Cup for the Springboks. Or the photo of Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienaar jubilantly celebrating at Ellis Park. Everyone that was in attendance that day at the old Ellis Park will immediately share this fact in rugby conversations. I still have childhood memories of how we looked at the moon when Neil Armstrong became the first person to place his footprints there on 21 July 1969. The excitement was tangible. Also when 9/11 happened, or when the Berlin Wall came down on 9 November 1989, or when Nelson Mandela was released on 11 February 1990. In each instance, I can remember exactly where I was as these events took place. They say you remember where you are or what’s going on in your life when famous people pass away, or when life-changing things happen in the world. Yet, I realized that very few people have ever told me about such experiences in their faith–life... except for a small group of followers of Jesus that make world turn the other way around. They know exactly where they were when Jesus encountered them! No one remembers where they were when more head–knowledge was distributed We feel life, rather than understanding it. We prefer living from our hearts, rather than from our heads. For too long even I was the honorary chairman of the head–first brigade. I learned that faith was about knowledge... Oh, and also sometimes about trust. But knowledge was always the litmus test in my arena, not trust. No one has ever asked me about my trust, only my knowledge. That’s why I blindly believed the right knowledge in large doses would convince others of the truth. This would move them to believe and to live with more commitment. Unfortunately, it didn’t. Today, more knowledge is available in the church than ever before. There are countless books and masses research on anything from church creeds, doctrines, religious questions and spiritual formation. Still, more of the right kind of knowledge is not helping the church to expand at a healthy pace. It doesn’t matter how many sermons, Bible studies or theology courses we have in place — more knowledge doesn’t “reach” people in any significant way. Also, it does not overly excite the new generation to join, or remain part of the church. Soon after completing the knowledge gathering phase of their church journey, called catechism, the young ones run off! They get more excited about new apps to download onto their cellphones. No one remembers where they were on that day when even more information was distributed in the church. However, believers do remember the times when they are in the presence of people or who live out their faith. In Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple until shortly before his death, the latter is quoted: “The juice goes out of Christianity when it becomes too based on faith rather than on living like Jesus or seeing the world as Jesus saw it.” Religion is first tasted and drank. There’s no juice left in any form of faith that has lost the heart connection. That’s why Paul’s words in Philippians 1 are my daily sustenance. He wrote: “For me to live is Christ!” I want to follow by feeling and living this every single day.