I was with a group on the Ocoee River last weekend, rafting through huge swells of churning water as this misty rain dribbled down our faces and arms. Those arms were violently paddling along to the rafting guide's direction: a massive dude with curly, fluffy hair and twinkling eyes. That river was a thing of power, a thing of raw beauty. Without a guide, or if our laughing and panting raft of girls did not follow the guide's direction, we would be in danger of flipping, or worse.

This li'l story serves to illustrate two things: the power of the river and the importance of the guide. I'd say we can pretty easily liken pop culture to the Ocoee River, this ever-changing, quickly-moving, sometimes-beautiful, swirling mix of people and ideas.

Maybe you don't like metaphors, buuuttt we're gonna do this anyway. If culture's a river, it can be a heck of a lot of fun to raft, but it is also dangerous, life-threatening even. You shouldn't float down it alone. You need fellow paddlers, and you need a good guide.

God's word is our guide.

Jesus Christ is our life-jacket (too far?). We sink without Him.

The river of culture is immensely powerful, especially when we are continually immersed in it. It will change us if we aren't seeking God first and foremost.

We surround ourselves with friends who often hold the latest popular ideas, watch the same cool shows, follow the same celebrities. We are almost always on this river, whether we are going to class, chilling with friends, or watching Netflix in our room. Where are you spending the majority of your time? What groups are you hanging with, ideas you holding?

If we are standing on the solid Rock, we shouldn't be swimming in the river, shouldn't be looking like this world.

Paul speaks on this in the book of Romans: "Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may know what the will of God is, that which is good, and acceptable and perfect."

Latest this, popular that. It'll be gone and old the next day, the next month.

We serve a different beast. Not the moving river, but the Rock of Ages, through whose hands all rivers flow.

"Every blessing is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Parts of culture are good, of course. I'm not trying to demonize every part of our civilization. The breath-taking creativity and life of it all is wonderful. Memes crack me up. I can dig a little rap. Fried chicken is great. I laugh at big trucks with the instas on the back. The clothing, eh, can be good or bad.. It's awesome that people care more about the earth nowadays, awesome that we have a culture that shows empathy to some groups and causes.

Culture is funny, it is alive and crazy and thrilling. It is a mix of all of us.

Or is it?

How much are we as Christians really impacting culture?

(Or are we trying to restructure our beliefs and to "fix" our Bibles to fit culture's endlessly changing agendas?)

Are we a city on a hill that shines its light into the surrounding lands, or are we silently blowing out our candles so we don't stand out?

We as the church should be informed about culture but not conformed to culture. "Be in the world but not of it."

The Bible tells us to be ready to have an answer for the hope that is within us. So we need to have answers to the questions that people of our age are asking, need to think on their ideas and not isolate ourselves.

BUT

God's Word should be shaping our thoughts more than any other words.

Tread carefully, because culture's current morality, current ideas, are a rapid that easily throws us: Do not add to the gospel in your race to chase culture, to raft that river solo and look cool 'yo', to be accepted and loved by the world, by your Insta followers and progressive friends. The current climate on social justice, on relativity, on sexuality, on the environment, on science, on feminism, on politics, this will all change in a month, can change even in a day!

It is rather unimportant and extremely futile, vanity, when compared to eternity stretching before us.

And more often than not, culture holds ideas that flow completely against the words of God. We must be careful not to destroy the beauty and truth of the gospel in our lives by conforming to culture. You lead the sheep to slaughter when you do so. Do we doubt it? Salt isn't any good once it loses its saltiness, its differentness.

As you're navigating college and life and so on, I pray that you never jump out of the boat for the water that will drown you.

You've got the Living Water in your boat, so you don't have to be thirsty for culture,

don't have to earn its approval,

don't have to say its buzzwords and drone its ideas.

I sometimes chew my fingernails over getting rejected by those I know because my opinions are different, because I can't and won't chant their mottos and say their catchphrases. I don't want to be rejected by them. None of us do. But their rejection is really nothing in the light of God's love. All stickers and labels fall right off when we spend time with the Maker.

All this to say,

God is the Good Shepherd. We are just sheep. He's all-powerful and unchanging, can't be squished into our boxes, bound by our ideas, or changed by our culture.

The Almighty God does not submit to us and the latest revelations of relativity.

We submit to Him. The river of culture flows right through His fingers.

We may get in a panic because this friend thinks that, or is in this political party, holds this agenda, watches this TV show, because we think the wrong person is in office, or that the world will come to an end if this bill passes... I'm guilty of all this.

Remember though when you're stressing over culture and over friends caught up in culture, it's not like we could ever save their souls! I've thought I could, thought someone's salvation depended on me and my actions (laughable) and almost killed myself with the stress and the sorrow of all the lost people.

Don't put that weight on your back. Only Christ can carry that. Kneel beside Him in prayer as He carries that weight. Respond to friends with joy, with empathy and kindness,

and vulnerability. No turned-up noses here! Just because we are different than the world, doesn't mean we are better than worldly people! We have been saved by grace, not by our own works! We are sinners. We can't boast at all, the Bible says.

Culture will come and go, so will relationships; they are all waves outside of the boat. In the end, we make this journey separately from the people and ideas around us, just us and the Guide. And Jesus is not worried but full of quiet joy. In fact, He's taking a nap.

And I shall follow His example now. Peace out.