Amy Poehler

Yes, I'm a nerd, I listen to NPR.  As msnbc refers to them NPR is the "hippie station." Sometimes you get crazy things like and interview with a native american punk rock band, and that's just weird. But, The Fresh Air guest on May 7th was Amy Poehler, which was pretty cool.  In my quest to engage my culture this semester I've started to be more observant and aware of all the ways people are talking about "spirituality" and "religion."  Amy's  statement about participating in improv shows really struck me... 

"Its kind of the closest thing I have to a communal religious experience.  You just meet up with people that you love, and you do something together, and there's someone there witnessing it, and hopefully you kind of feel different after.  And I think that my experience has provided a spirituality I guess in a way that I wouldn't have otherwise."  

Three things really stuck out to me about this.  1) The life of the Church has been simmered down to meeting with people you love, doing something, and feeling different after.  That's how non-church attenders see it, and sadly, although they may say its more, most church attenders live out that mentality. 2) When all the Church is is a "communal religious experience" to make you feel better there is a plethora of substitutes, including improv shows.  As a Christian it is my duty to step up and share the relevance of Jesus, and daily show by my actions that there is more to being a Christian than having the trendy "spiritual" button pinned on with a community and weekly religious experience to go with it.  3) People are searching, there is a void to be filled, without someone to show them that who they are looking for is Jesus we will see a rise in comedy shows, athletics, and hobbies becoming the gods of this nation.