Maybe I Am Thinking Too Hard

I spent the weekend esconsed in the bosom of family. My sister and I spent the weekend all over Oklahoma City. Today in our travels, I noticed something.

One of our errands took us to Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby is a locally owned craft store chain that makes several statements to be a Christian company. Most notably, they close every Sunday. Today, I took special notice of the instrumental hymns they pipe over the store in all of their locations. I didn't note it aloud as I didn't want to pick a fight with my sister and I imagined that she wouldn't note the strangeness of the choice. So on we went...

Another stop for the day was the Rivendell tour of homes. Rivendell is a large housing development on the South side of town that proudly advertises that it was "Voted the Best Neighborhood in Oklahoma City!". We paid our money and walked barefoot through the massive, ornately decorated homes. Every one featured a home theatre and Imelda Marcos sized closets. In addition, about half of the homes also featured praise and worship music piped throughout the homes. So here I was, arguing with myself the whole time wondering if these homes seemed excessive because I knew I would never have one or if it truly is excessive, and then I hear "Awesome God" and think that perhaps I am being sent the message that God wants me to have that home.

I told my sister what I thought over dinner and asked her opinion. She didn't notice the music and while she understood my argument she thought that perhaps the music is used so that Christian buyers will identify and therefore feel more comfortable spending money. Seems to me that either is a misuse. The message is either "Spend more money because God wants you to!" or "Spend more money because we love Jesus too!".

We ended the evening driving through the new housing addition that Toby Keith is building with Barry Switzer.