I Know Him

When I close my eyes I can see my son's face. The dimples. The smile. I can hear his precious little giggle, and the way he flaps his arms when he gets excited. I can remember the soft feel of his skin when he throws his arms around my neck for a hug or reaches out his tiny hand to grab mine. He is my son. I know him. I am wonderfully blessed to be able to work in a career that affords me a generous amount of time with him every day. I relish every precious moment of it. At this point in his young life, I know everything there is to know about him.

I've spent a lot of time in ministry teaching, preaching, and training people to join their heart to their mind in "knowing God". Something I've spent much less time thinking about is how well He already knows me. My needs, my laugh, my idiosyncrasies, and guffaws. He knows all that could, would, or ever will be known about me.

For some that line of thought may be potentially terrifying. I find it gloriously freeing. We spend so much time in this life playing to the mob, trying to appease the expectations of those around us, fearful that they may discover us for the phonies that we are.

How amazing that God, who knows me, died for me, not just in spite of myself, but to bring me around to an altogether different destiny. I am His. He knows me.

10 Almost Serious Rules (to Protect You From Dumbness)

Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten. Living life can often be tricky.  Luckily I'm here (sarcasm) to offer a few pointers with this Tuesday  Wednesday 10.

1. Never underestimate the stupidity of humanity. People are dumb. Lots of them. Learn it. Remember it.

2. Mr. Pibb is not Dr. Pepper, and is an incredibly inferior beverage. That's a well known scientifically ignored fact.

3. If you get an email from someone saying you inherited a fortune and they need some basic info (like bank stuff) it's hooey. Legal Eagles don't use hotmail to notify beneficiaries of their awaiting millions.

4. Windows 8 will break your soul and eat your Facebook profile if you update. Luckily iOS6 will fix both as long as you don't want to use a map.

5. Cartwheels under ceiling fans make for exciting injuries and lame stories.

6. It's important to fasten the seat-belt strap on your child's car-seat. This isn't even semi serious.  It's completely serious all the way.

7. "Friend" doesn't mean that at all where social media is concerned.  Kind of like when people write "LOL".  No one is really laughing out loud, except for that one girl in the library.  They just don't have anything else to say.

8. Texting and driving is dangerous.  Firing a shotgun while driving is more dangerous.

9. Not all "10" lists have 10. Don't believe everything that you read, hear, say, do, find, smell, or walk over.

Merica's gods: Greed & Consumerism

I've spent the last several months thinking about the utter waste in our nation. We waste resources, education, and effort on a wealth of idolatrous pursuits that are at the epicenter of American culture. It makes me sad. It is deeply sinful. And one of the saddest parts about it is that the American church has done or is doing very little to call it's people to repentance. Shame on us. Greed is the root of all evil. Every type of evil imaginable can be traced back to greed. Pride is essentially having a greedy opinion of yourself and wanting others to as well. Envy is the greedy instinct to desire something not in your possession. Sexual addiction, gluttony, and theft are all sinful results of greed.

In many places around the world greed takes the form of another idolatrous monstrosity known as consumerism, but perhaps no one demonstrates it as obviously as America. We don't know how to separate want from need, and even if we did we probably wouldn't have the self control to bother with it. We pursue possessions. Having and buying are at the heart of what many think it means to be American.

Sadly, this same mentality is too often reflected in the Church. We "shop" for places of worship and evaluate them based on ideas of what we "can get out of it" or how well "we are being fed." It's deeply tragic when we place value on a place of worship based on the scope of their facilities, size of their budget, or compartmentalization of their programs.

Because we consume so greedily, often there is little left from the church budget to things of incredible significance, like outreach. We spend selfishly.

What would our Church look like if we were generous, and not so self centered or glutinous in our spiritual consumption? What if Jesus wanted us to stop thinking of ourselves entirely?

More posts in this series:

Etiquette, Etican, Etican't

Football, Athletes, and Idolatry

Mirrors, Models, and Muscles

Education

Sex

Culture Wars

Religious Tradition and Dissidence

Intolerance

Greed & Consumerism

When Your _____ Explodes

There are days, ever so often, when I feel as if my brain explodes.  Not that it is going to explode, might explode, or could possibly explode.  But that it has actually already exploded.  The type of day that I am writing about is rarely a good day.  They actually generally come off as more-than-miserable.  And to make matters worse it is beyond difficult to begin to ascertain what exactly it might be that will potentially cause the explosion.

Of course my brain doesn't literally explode, don't be silly.  How would I be writing this?

I am a smart guy, with a capacity for big ideas, small ideas, and all other sorts of shapes, sizes, fabrics, varieties, densities, and frequencies of thought.  Brain explosion halts them all.  It is most disrupting.

The uniquely pitiful precipitant of brain-explosion is that often my silly heart will follow, again not in the literal sense.  Imagine if you were keen on spending a quality amount of time in thought thinking thoughts about how you might accomplish, do, create, or manage something and that beautifully sought train of magnificent ideas were derailed by a mental malfunction of dastardly proportions?  When I think thoughts I rarely do so casually as I enjoy the thinking of them.  When that stops all-of-a-sudden it is disrupting.  It makes me sad.  My heart follows brain-explosion with sad time.  That's kind of like when you plan to spend time doing something fun, you know fun-time, but instead something sad happens, and it becomes sad-time.

What cures brain explosion?

Life in the Blue Light

Lying here in bed I see past the dimlit borders of my iPad to a cascading forest of shadows all around this room. It's late. We're sleeping, well they're sleeping. Me, my wife, my son, and one of our three cats are all piled up in our bed, bathing in the luminescent azure haze of Ethan's baby monitor.

His teeth are starting to come in, and it hurts. So he cries, and he doesn't understand why he hurts, so he wants mommy. So sleep only comes to him in the presence of his parents. Here in our bed where he can snuggle close between mommy and daddy, safe in the blue light.

The blue light is mostly for us. It's a nifty little light that is part of his baby monitor. Usually we leave it beside his crib but tonight he sleeps with us, and I want the blue light here so we can easily see him if he wakes. I need it. He is mine and how can I watch him if I can't see him? So here we are living life in the blue light.

God shines His light on you too if you let Him. Like an eternal watchman, He casts His gaze in your direction, and like the light of our blue baby monitor, the Great Father of Lights watches over you as you snuggle close. He comforts and cares when you hurt, and when you fail. You are His and how can He watch you if He can't see you? So here we are living life in the blue light.

10 Temptation Truths

Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten. Temptation is real.  We all deal with it.  Some of us deal with it poorly, and some of us think we deal with it not-so-poorly, but we all could use a little, or a lot of, help.  Temptation is like bait on a hook.  Something used by the enemy of our souls to drag us away from all that God has for us.  It's a fight.  These ten things are some things we discussed in my Sunday School class this past week.  For more, and better, insight go read Luke 4:1-13.

1. Satan is a real enemy. We are born into a real war and he is a subtle, crafty, and sly joker.

2. Satan will hit you. He's not going to leave you alone. He will attack when you're physically weak whether it's when you're tired, hungry, or alone. Solitude is good, but isolation is dangerous.  Being connected to God's people helps.  Sometimes we create the atmosphere for our own temptation by doing something that might not be outright sinful but puts us in a physically, spiritually, or mentally weakened condition.  Staying up too late, excessive time on the computer, time with people we would be better off not being with--these are all things that set us up for temptation, but might not be sinful in and of themselves. It’s better to be preventative than reactive.  Take measures not to get in a precarious place, circumstance, or state of being.

3. Jesus is our victorious warrior King. Society teaches us to be proud, to have esteem, because we’re all winners.  We're not.  We're all losers.  All of us.  Yes, you're a loser.  We've been programmed to believe that we're the best thing since gravity, but we're not. We're wretched sinners by acts of willful commission and/or omission.Pride doesn’t give us high esteem, it makes us a proud loser. It causes us to ignore our need for God because we think we're awesome. We’re not our own hope. Christ in us is our hope for glory. He triumphed over Satan at the cross, we triumph over Satan through His resurrection. Condemnation is debilitating, but conviction is liberating. There is conviction in Christ, but there is no condemnation.

 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. - Colossians 2:13-15

4. The Holy Spirit is your Power. Jesus resisted temptation for 40 days through the power of God the Holy Spirit. You can live as He did, full of the Spirit of God.

5. The Bible is your counter punch.Just stop making excuses.  Read your Bible. We take it for granted.

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. - Proverbs 30:5-6

6. Christ is your identity. Sometimes temptation is much less about sin, and a lot more about Satan trying to deceive you about who you are and who you belong to. Whatever your issue, be it promiscuity, perversion, or pride, it is not who you are.  It does not define you. Relationship with Jesus renews in you a new identity.  His identity.

7. Escape is always possible. There is always a way out. God makes the way. We have to pick whether we want the hook or the door. When temptation comes keep your senses.  Look for the way out.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. - 1 Corinthians 10: 13-14

8. Satan eventually taps out. He's a quitter.  It's his nature. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

9. Repent when you tap out and fight again. Repentance is acknowledging that you bit the hook instead of running out of the door. It happens.  There are a lot Christians who have let Satan trick them into thinking that's not true. Don't let religious pride blind you to your own inadequacies. But don't beat yourself up about them either. Take them to Jesus, that's where they belong.

10. Life is a battle with many rounds. Discipleship and sanctification take time. You will win against the devil. Some things that used to be serious temptations are no long even remotely an issue. He'll bring some new temptations to the fight. He'll find new bait. Keep your head and your heart firmly at the feet of Jesus.

10 Things Guys Can Live Without

Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten. As guys we usually think there are a lot of things we need. Most of these things are really just things we want. Many of them we can do without. Here's my list of 10 things every guy could live without.

1. Conversation: This is pretty obvious and most guys would probably agree. When it comes to extensive conversation it's just not necessary. Our compulsive need to speak is rarely longer than our immediate want or need.

2. Doilies: Many men will read this and think What the heck is a doily? It's that frilly, lacy, flowery patterned thing that your mom and your grandma put on their dining table where the plates are supposed to go. Yeah, men don't need those.

3. Consuming hobbies: Sports, Video games, and other consuming hobbies: pretend war, fake conflict, and the endless time sink are poor replacements for meaningful engagement, a worthy cause, and good--responsible time management. Put down the controller, turn off ESPN, and do something that will still matter tomorrow and the day after.

4. Pride: So many times we cast around for something to be proud about. Many times it has to do with our consuming hobbies, but not always. Pride is a catalyst for a lot of unnecessary conflict.

5. Image: This is just barely different than pride, but it is different. Concern for your image revolves around the meticulous cultivation of self-worth derived from others based on flawed values.

6. Furniture: Have you ever been to a bachelor's house? Remember that "chair" made out of cinderblocks and a milk crate? Guys don't really need furniture.

7. A Girl: No, I'm not advocating homosexuality. I'm just pointing out that some guys think they always need a lady on their arm, and they are wrong. Some of the most meaningful growth and maturing takes place in many men during an extended period of singleness.

8. Laundry Baskets: We typically prefer our clothes to be moved in piles. I'm pretty sure a woman came along and invented the laundry basket to make the piles easier to move.

9. Dancing: nothing good ever came from a man dancing. You know it's true.

10. Violence: many things we enjoy as men involve violence. Most of my favorite movies involve explosions, gunfire, or battle of some kind; but the truth is that we could live completely without viewing, consuming, or participating in violence.

Merica's gods: Intolerance

I've spent the last several months thinking about the utter waste in our nation. We waste resources, education, and effort on a wealth of idolatrous pursuits that are at the epicenter of American culture. It makes me sad. It is deeply sinful. And one of the saddest parts about it is that the American church has done or is doing very little to call it's people to repentance. Shame on us. When I was a little kid my brother was an even smaller kid, and there were plenty of times he would do something that would make me want to slug him. Sometimes I did, which was quickly greeted by a parental reroof, but more often than not I simply tolerated whatever newly contrived annoyance he had come up with.

Our culture's working definition of the word tolerance is broken. Tolerance is a beautiful thing, but in recent years there has been a steady shift in just what that word means. No one really thinks of tolerating something as putting up with something you don't like anymore. Or at least that's not the way it is discussed in popular media.

We've sort of collectively replaced the definition of tolerance with the definition for acceptance, especially in terms of cultural squabbles. No longer when two parties disagree is there a mutually held respect, accompanied by a venerable tolerance based on the opposing side's inherent human dignity. Politically, socially, economically, and religiously, when someone inevitably disagrees with our ideas we label them as being intolerant.

We are so silly sometimes. By its vary nature, it is impossible to show tolerance for an issue unless we disagree with it. Christians should be the most tolerant people on earth. We should understand all too well that you don't, can't, and shouldn't attempt to force your beliefs on others. Of course we will regularly be at odds with practically everything about current trends in morality. But that doesn't mean we simply start demonizing everything and everyone. No, we don't have to remain silent in our disagreement, but we can voice our opinions without turning into crusading moralistic bullies.

The other side has a problem with this too. Often the far left labels Christianity as an incredibly intolerant faith because the vast majority of us refuse to sway from our historical core beliefs about God and moral issues. The truth is that our refusal to budge from our stalwart moral position, while still acknowledging the dignity and worth of those belittling us, is actually what proves the level of our tolerance.

Both sides of this issue of intolerance need to wake up. The level of vitriol and hate mongering that goes on today is disgusting. It's beneath us. We need to pull intolerance down off of its thrown and listen to what our neighbor has to say. It could be that taking the time to learn their opinion might give you insight into their basic human decency, even if you don't agree with their position.

More posts in this series:

Etiquette, Etican, Etican't

Football, Athletes, and Idolatry

Mirrors, Models, and Muscles

Education

Sex

Culture Wars

Religious Tradition and Dissidence

Intolerance

Greed & Consumerism

Merica's gods: Religious Tradition and Dissidence

I've spent the last several months thinking about the utter waste in our nation. We waste resources, education, and effort on a wealth of idolatrous pursuits that are at the epicenter of American culture. It makes me sad. It is deeply sinful. And one of the saddest parts about it is that the American church has done or is doing very little to call it's people to repentance. Shame on us. My family has some great traditions, especially around holiday time--traditions that I enjoy being a part of and look forward to every year. Chances are that your family has traditions of your own. It doesn't end there. Ultimately we are creatures of habit and comfort, and will almost inevitably create a tradition out of anything that gives us comfort or a feeling of success.

Politically our nation is experiencing this right now as the party convention season kicks into full swing. Relationally we probably experience tradition of another kind in the ways we enjoy spending time with our friends, family, and significant other. Religiously, well religiously is where tradition can really begin to be disastrous in our lives. I will go on record again to say that I don't think religion is a bad thing. Today its a dirty word in most conversations, but my personal belief is that it has been misused.

For the Christian we use religious activity to connect with God, which is a good thing; but sometimes we become more occupied with the idea of the religious activity and it's importance than we do with the God we should be trying to connect to, which is not a good thing. Jesus frequently butted heads with people who had engorged perspectives on the importance of religious tradition, but Jesus also did many religious things.

To finish this thought before moving on: the tradition must never trump the Trinity in our hearts and actions. We must never let our ideas about how we connect with God become more important than God or helping others connect to Him. The moment this happens we have created an idol.

And then there is the other side of this coin, dissidents. The dissidents among us, and many of us fall into this category at one time or another, are so fixated on the notion of abandoning tradition that we make a tradition of not being traditional. See how silly that sounds? And like the traditionalist who replaces God with his/her ritualistic thing, the dissident replaces God with his/her compulsion to ignore and abandon anything meaningful to be gleaned from tradition.

In my life the key to truly enjoying my relationship with the Father has been to embrace objectivity in my approach to the Christian religion. It's not always easy, and I don't always succeed in being objective, but I frequently find myself asking these questions: Why do I believe this way? Why do I do that? How does this help others see God? How would Jesus respond to this situation? Again, let me point out that I'm not always successful in my approach. Sometimes I become impassioned and rush into something without proper contemplation or prayerful discernment. Even so, it is my deepest belief that we can find the heart of God somewhere between the idolatrous extremes of religious tradition or dissidence. He is calling the Church to meet Him there.

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More posts in this series:

Etiquette, Etican, Etican't

Football, Athletes, and Idolatry

Mirrors, Models, and Muscles

Education

Sex

Culture Wars

Religious Tradition and Dissidence

Intolerance

Greed & Consumerism

Merica's gods: Culture Wars

I've spent the last several months thinking about the utter waste in our nation. We waste resources, education, and effort on a wealth of idolatrous pursuits that are at the epicenter of American culture. It makes me sad. It is deeply sinful. And one of the saddest parts about it is that the American church has done or is doing very little to call it's people to repentance. Shame on us. I'm not a culture warrior, and never plan to be. I think that getting caught up in most of what amounts to today's culture wars is pretty petty and ridiculous, and usually becomes more about who has the most fashionably attractive position to the fickle masses. Also, as Christians, getting lost in culture war has basically nothing to do with sharing the light of Christ with the world. In fact, I think its usually pretty contrary. Let me be clear, I do believe that we should take a stand for our values, and our convictions, but I also believe that sometimes we begin to idolize those convictions.

I have to admit, one of my biggest pet peeves is to listen to someone "preach" a sermon that is bulging with angsty war-time rhetoric targeted at their ideological opposition. It reeks of insecurity, faithlessness, and arrogance. But here is the real problem; some people just can't be bothered to follow the whole Bible. They've picked their target sins and want to camp out in picket lines at every social juncture to make sure that their voice is heard, their opinion is voiced, and they've had their say.

What happened to "pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17)" and "praying on all occasions with all kinds of prayers (Eph 6:18)"? What might our culture actually look like if the American Church spent more time looking and acting like the Bride of Christ and less time trying to make war with that culture?

News flash: the degradation of society that most self-professing culture warriors are so worried about is a symptom of a much larger issue. It's time to stop elevating our societal struggles to a place of supreme prominence. It's time to stop giving them the limelight. It's time to stop behaving as if God needs our help and is not sovereign.

Show concern for the issues that matter most to you. Form an opinion. Share it with those you care about, and vote your heart when the opportunity presents itself; but stop behaving as if culture war has anything to do with the Great Commission. The Church began losing the heart of America when it became more preoccupied with maintaining the status quo than with making disciples.

More posts in this series:

Etiquette, Etican, Etican't

Football, Athletes, and Idolatry

Mirrors, Models, and Muscles

Education

Sex

Culture Wars

Religious Tradition and Dissidence

Intolerance

Greed & Consumerism

Merica's gods: Sex

I've spent the last several months thinking about the utter waste in our nation. We waste resources, education, and effort on a wealth of idolatrous pursuits that are at the epicenter of American culture. It makes me sad. It is deeply sinful. And one of the saddest parts about it is that the American church has done or is doing very little to call it's people to repentance. Shame on us. Sex is the Herculean demigod of American idolatry. A rampant problem resultant of several other converging erroneous western ideologies, sex, or more accurately our cultural obsession with it, is a wildly dangerous god set loose upon this society.

The prevalence of pornography and abortion are probably two of the largest indicators that society's sexual climate has experienced radical change in recent decades. The consensual relationship between encroaching perversion in mainstream media and the common consumer's acceptance of it only further illuminates this change on a societal level.

Like all American gods, regular sacrifice is offered to the very real sexgod; and in a way that almost mirrors the abhorrent idolatry of ancient Israel. Whereas most idolatrous action is a display of misplaced passion, resources, and affection, each with their own varying degrees of affects; sex results in a host of other problems as well. Disease, broken families, perversion, and murder of the unborn are all results of sexworship.

The scary part is how little we even acknowledge how deeply it has affected our nature. Hollywood frequently champions the push to expand sex's reach, but advertising is a close runner up. Promiscuity, permissiveness, and the ongoing proliferation of sex have created an acceptable culture of sexual consumerism that degrades the delight of marriage, distorts the dignity of the human body, and destroys the dynamic of God-given gender roles.

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More posts in this series:

Etiquette, Etican, Etican't

Football, Athletes, and Idolatry

Mirrors, Models, and Muscles

Education

Sex

Culture Wars

Religious Tradition and Dissidence

Intolerance

Greed & Consumerism

10 Things I Learned from Spider-Man

Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten.

It's no big secret that I love super heroes. Anyone that knows me very well at all can tell you that. I have loved super hero mythology as long as I can remember. And while my favorite member of the long-underwear club is Captain America, his frequent ally and fellow Avenger Spider-Man is a close second. I've been collecting and reading Spider-Man comics longer than I've even known what a comic is. Spider-Man turns fifty this month and to honor this colorful character this week's Tuesday 10 is a list of ten things I learned from Spider-Man.

1. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't: I grew up in an age when the good guy always beat the bad guy, a cliche of modern story-telling that just doesn't hold up well in real life. Spider-Man was the first super hero I can remember that actually lost about as often as he won.

2. Never, under any circumstances put on clothes if you don't know where they came from. Also, there is never a good reason to wear your underwear on the outside of your clothes.

3. It's good to have a sense of humor, but a joke at the wrong guy's expense might hospitalize you.

4. Sometimes willpower is better than muscles: Numerous times throughout his fictional history Spidey has reached the peak of his physical ability, and had to rely solely on inner-strength to prevail. A powerful physique can never surpass the will of the one who wields it.

5. Life is sacred: unlike a lot of fictional "heroes" Spidey doesn't kill his enemies, ever. That doesn't mean his stories haven't faced their own moments of intense tragedy, but they are never senseless acts of killing perpetrated by the wall-crawler as a facade for heroism.

6. Clones, symbiotes, deranged editors-in-chief, SONY Pictures, and emo dancing montages are all Spidey's worst enemies.

7. If you want to tell good stories they need a moral core, an identifiable hero, and a mounting conflict.

8. Editors-in-chief have way too much control.

9. Money affects everything in this life.

10. Power and responsibility: Spidey's costumed career took a turn for the heroic when his Uncle Ben was gunned down by a thief he had refused to stop in an earlier robbery. This event set the tone for a phrase that is as inseparable from the Spider-Man mythos as web-swinging, with great power comes great responsibility. If you have the ability to do good for someone, or the ability to prevent evil from happening, you have a moral obligation to intervene. This is a philosophy that is stated very plainly in the New Testament--James 4:17.

11. Stan Lee is a nerd's best friend. ~ Excelsior!

Merica's gods: Education

I've spent the last several months thinking about the utter waste in our nation. We waste resources, education, and effort on a wealth of idolatrous pursuits that are at the epicenter of American culture. It makes me sad. It is deeply sinful. And one of the saddest parts about it is that the American church has done or is doing very little to call it's people to repentance. Shame on us. Some people are just educated beyond their own intelligence, or humility. Admittedly there are times that I battle with both. I love to learn. I am good at it. And I love to share what I learn. But there comes a point when someone actually does begin to be so well educated that they abandon all wisdom.

Probably the most blatant form of nonsense drummed up by this mentality is the prevailing presupposition that declares the supernatural impossible. Men have attributed such a high value to their capacity for understanding that they assume nothing can or does exist which might actually surpass that capacity. What an absolutely arrogantly absurd assumption! This is only one example. There are numerous others.

One of my favorite scriptures is Mark 12:30 in which Jesus answers a question by telling the gathered crowd that we should love God with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind. Jesus is saying we should love God will all of our being. It is sad to me that instead of loving God with these aspects of our nature, we often choose instead to replace God with one of these aspects of our nature.

When we begin to hold dangerously lofty views of our own thoughts and opinions we begin to withhold the love of our mind from God, instead choosing to use our mind to love ourselves. When we continue to formulate ideas, or dwell on thoughts that promote ourselves we are doing the same thing in a different way. When we begin to weigh the value of someone based solely on the power of their mind, or whether or not we agree with their conclusions, we are in sin.

All over the country kids are starting back to school, universities are filling up, and teachers are heading back to work. Let's use this opportunity to develop our minds in a way that helps others, while loving God; and not a way that helps ourselves while loving ourselves.

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More posts in this series:

Etiquette, Etican, Etican't

Football, Athletes, and Idolatry

Mirrors, Models, and Muscles

Education

Sex

Culture Wars

Religious Tradition and Dissidence

Intolerance

Greed & Consumerism

Merica's gods: Mirrors, Models, and Muscles

I've spent the last several months thinking about the utter waste in our nation. We waste resources, education, and effort on a wealth of idolatrous pursuits that are at the epicenter of American culture. It makes me sad. It is deeply sinful. And one of the saddest parts about it is that the American church has done or is doing very little to call it's people to repentance. Shame on us. We love pretty people. We love strong people. We love people who are strong while they are pretty even more; and we love people who can make us feel strong or pretty most of all. The catch in this whole distorted thought process is that we have no idea what either or strong or pretty really are outside of our disastrously unhealthy presuppositions about physical appearance.

Guys often think we know what pretty is. We usually attribute it to a visually pleasing female image, after all, God did wire us that way, but that is really only one aspect of beauty...one that has been disfigured, embellished, and warped beyond recognition. This image most of us hold to about the nature of beauty is actually a sacred cow. It is an idol that our nation sacrifices billions of dollars to every year.

Sure, there is something aesthetically pleasing about attractive people, but that is only one aspect of a person's being. When it comes to strength and beauty we so often miss the mark by determining a person's worth based on their physical image. Another major pitfall here is how we measure our own worth based on these fickle indicators.

Anytime a person's image governs our reception of them, or our actions or attitudes toward them, we have made image an idol. Jesus plainly stated in scripture that how we treat other people is a direct indicator of how we treat Him.

Heaven help us to see people for who they are, to love them without condition, and to put to death the vulgar quest for the perfect image so many have become so consumed with.

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More posts in this series:

Etiquette, Etican, Etican't

Football, Athletes, and Idolatry

Mirrors, Models, and Muscles

Education

Sex

Culture Wars

Religious Tradition and Dissidence

Intolerance

Greed & Consumerism

Guest Blog: 10 American Blunders

I love America, but we (Americans, first worlders, ect) tend to do a few things that don't make sense. Here's 10 (okay 11 because American's don't always follow the rules) common American blunders. 1. Lawn sprinklers. Why do we waste water watering our sidewalks and streets when drinkable water is a luxury many countries can't offer?

2. Spend $250 on a pair of jeans. I promise, you can find some for less than that, which will still make your butt look awesome. In many places around the world $250 is considered to be a good monthly salary.

3. Rent storage buildings. Why spend so much money on junk that won't fit in our house so we have to pay money to store it?

4. Buy SUV's and complain about gas prices. (guilty)

5. Take our kids to the mall instead of the library.

6. Accept the use of foul and degrading language around us.

7. Have more TV's in our home than people. Have more computers in our home than people (majorly guilty).

8. Buy homes we can't afford, decorate them with things we don't love, to impress people we don't like.

9. Do anything (including having risky surgeries and taking strange untested medications) to lose weight. It's amazing what you can accomplish if you eat less and get in a little exercise.

10. Take no responsibility. Blame everyone.

And one extra:

11. Worship athletics. Million dollar grass. Billion dollar stadiums. Million dollar salaries. Thousands of gallons of fuel for one sport. Enough said.

Merica's gods: Football, Athletes, & Idolatry

I've spent the last several months thinking about the utter waste in our nation. We waste resources, education, and effort on a wealth of idolatrous pursuits that are at the epicenter of American culture. It makes me sad. It is deeply sinful. And one of the saddest parts about it is that the American church has done or is doing very little to call it's people to repentance. Shame on us. I was reading an article this morning about the new football stadium in Allen, TX. The pricetag for this new pigskin palace? $60 million. Oh, and did I mention that it's a high school stadium? The same school laid off 44 teachers last year. Wha.....?

We all know Texas loves their football, but lest we forget about the plank in our own eyes, so does pretty much everywhere else in this country. And if it's not football it's something else; basketball, baseball, soccer, this list could get really long if I kept going.

We idolize sports. American arenas are the modern version of their Greco-Roman counterparts, places where athletes competed in violent rites of competition. The spirit of competition is a large part of the problem. We don't know how to compete without making an idol out of it. We don't know how to recognize the incredible athleticism of someone without trying to promote them above who and what they are. We don't know how to watch without worshipping. Any time we attribute more value to something than it actually deserves we have turned it into an idol. Shame on us.

This latest monument to idolatry in Allen, TX is only one small part of a much larger issue. Those of us who call ourselves Christians need to openly repent, and then we need to ask God to help us change our behavior. We can start by detaching some of the passion we have for sports and redirecting in a way that brings God glory. There's nothing inherently sinful in turning on our TV and watching our favorite team, but there is something deeply sinful going on when we become overly passionate about it.

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More posts in this series:

Etiquette, Etican, Etican't

Football, Athletes, and Idolatry

Mirrors, Models, and Muscles

Education

Sex

Culture Wars

Religious Tradition and Dissidence

Intolerance

Greed & Consumerism

Merica's gods: Etiquette Etican Etican't

I've spent the last several months thinking about the utter waste in our nation. We waste resources, education, and effort on a wealth of idolatrous pursuits that are at the epicenter of American culture. It makes me sad. It is deeply sinful. And one of the saddest parts about it is that the American church has done or is doing very little to call it's people to repentance. Shame on us.

I once dated a girl that had attended a private Catholic school. At this school they spent about four hours a day learning manners. When she finally entered public school she was clueless when it came to the simplest of mathematical principles, but she knew what a salad fork was. One of the best lectures I ever heard in college came from my English Comp professor, who spent an hour explaining why grammar is silly. What do these two stories have in common? Etiquette.

In a lot of ways etiquette is stupid. We put such a high value on something of pretend importance that we often degrade people based on a perceived, and altogether faulty, system with absolutely no actual value. In a lot of ways we lift up etiquette as an idol, especially when we use it as a tool to pass a sinful judgement on someone.

Sometimes people smell bad. We snicker about it, or demean them, but how often do we hug them? How often do we give them a place of honor, instead of mockery? When did the value of their aroma surpass the worth of their humanity and dignity. It didn't.

Of course, there are some people who are blatantly rude. We call that being obnoxious. But really we only see them as obnoxious because they have infringed on our perception of acceptable social mores.

Etiquette is dumb. Like so many other things in our lives, it is a type of idolatry. Whether its a system of ideas that gauges how we value someone's appearance and image, a method of criticizing someone's written or spoken word, or an elaborately imagined acceptable formula for "appropriate" dining behavior, it has no value--and the moment we place more value on it than we do on the person committing an imagined infraction, we are idolaters.

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More posts in this series:

Etiquette, Etican, Etican't

Football, Athletes, and Idolatry

Mirrors, Models, and Muscles

Education

Sex

Culture Wars

Religious Tradition and Dissidence

Intolerance

Greed & Consumerism

10 Thoughts on the Olympics

Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten. I'm not a hater. I can appreciate the athleticism involved in reaching that level of competition in many of the events, but I really do not enjoy the Olympics. Here are ten thoughts I've had recently in regards to the 2012 Summer Olympics. And it's a day early, so I get a 1.34% gold medal for punctuality.

1. They are incredibly boring. It almost, almost, makes me wish golf was on, or NASCAR.

2. It never fails to astonish at how badly we like to make things seem far more important than they actually are.

3. Phelps should play Aquaman in the inevitable crappy Justice League movie.

4. Dress it up all you like. You can even call it a race if you want to, but walking is still walking.

5. I recently realized that I spend more time in the shower during a typical week than I do watching TV. Thank you Olympic Games for helping me remember why.

6. According to the research of some smart money crunchers, we will spend well over $55 billion on the Olympics this year.

7. My favorite thing about the Olympics has been Google's search engine logo.

8. Tape delay still exists? Some of this stuff was on YouTube before NBC aired it.

9. There is never, NEVER, an acceptable time to wear a speedo.

10. The Olympics would be far more interesting without the commentators. Since when did we need a talking head to tell us about how people swim and run?

10 Ways to Simplify Life

Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten. If your life is anything like mine it is probably hectic and messy. And it runs the risk only of getting messier. Here are ten ways to simplify life.

1. Don't buy everything you want.

2. Realize that if you take on a new hobby, interest, or commitment you'll probably have to drop a different one.

3. Tell the truth, even when it sucks.

4. Love people to a fault.

5. Trust your gut.

6. Pay off and cancel your credit cards.

7. If you don't use it, or need it, give it away, or throw it away.

8. Say no often, and mean it.

9. Don't procrastinate.

10. Realize that some things we see as choices are really not choices at all. They are just humanity's way of trying to rationalize our own selfishness.

Expectations

We have too many expectations. I believe that for some, it almost cripples their faith. We are taught to expect such and such from God based on a variety of factors. We are taught that if we apply X amount of faith to Y we will receive Z. This is a recipe for both disappointment, and some terrible misconceptions about God. Let me be incredibly clear here. God doesn't need you, or I, or anyone else. He doesn't need our prayers, He doesn't need our worship, and He most definitely doesn't need our help; but that does not mean that He does not desire them, or that doing those things does not help us. Worship, prayer, and spiritual discipline help us tremendously, but only because they soften our heart enough for God to mold it without affecting our free will, not because it positions us closer to "a blessing."

Sometimes I feel like that we evangelical Christians have turned Jesus into a slot machine savior. We offer a token prayer, insert our coin, and pull the lever; waiting for the holy signs in our life to line up just right to read JACKPOT. Sometimes something incredible happens, and like a gambling addict we go back to serving up our approximation of praise so that we might somehow profit. This leads to a perplexing emotional roller coaster that is mentally, physically, and spiritually unhealthy. Because inevitably, when the results aren't what we were expecting we are met with colossal disappointment.

Again, let me be clear. When God chooses to do something in our life, whatever way it may come to be, it is because He, and only He is good. If you have come into a financial blessing, it's not because you were a good little tither and wrote your check for your ten percent. It is because God's resources are unlimited, and He will bless, who He will bless. If you were sick and He made you better, it's because it somehow fit into His sovereign plan, resulting in His glorification.

My son is now at the age, where he undoubtedly knows mommy and daddy. He giggles more, smiles more, and jabbers more, with us than he does with anyone else. Why? Because at this stage, all he knows is unbridled affection for those that he loves. He has basic needs, but no contemplative concern for how those may be met. He has wants, but no assuming nature. All he has for mom and dad is an unfettered innocent love. He expects us to take care of him, in as much as his developing mind can comprehend such a thing, but he has no cognitive capacity for the details, nor does he yet have the mental faculty to formulate a cockamamie plan for producing those details.

Why aren't we like that? Why can't we simply be satisfied with letting God be, and expecting that He has it all well in hand. The simple fact of the matter is that whatever your issue, desire, or need may be--God is already there, Has already been there, and in fact is still there. Time has no affect on the immutable Creator. The day of the week does not alter His proximity to your life, anymore than your haircut, or the decibel level of your singing does.

Some of us really need to bring our expectations back into check. I know I do. We need to do good for the sake of honoring our Heavenly Dad and loving the people around us. That's what He expects from us. Stop sweating the details, stop assuming we can help, and especially stop expecting Him to fulfill our expansive spiritual (or literal) wish list.

God is. That's what He told Moses on the mountain. That alone should be enough. Anything else is the gift of a good Father to His beloved children.