Why Theology Matters

During a recent conversation with a friend he hinted at the fact that I need to lighten up on my blogs a bit. He also suggested that I focus more on the simplicity of Christ's teachings and not make theology such a focus, meaning perhaps I focus too much on the theoretical and not enough on the practical. In some ways I take that as a compliment since I actually think I am rather pedestrian in my theological knowledge, and lean more towards simplifying biblical themes. I am a recovering journalism major after all...lol!

One thing I disagree regarding theology is this notion that it is not practical. Perhaps you can go too far spending time in ivory towers writing long winded academia for pointy headed scholars that no ordinary Joe can understand, but this in no way can wipe away the importance of good theology and its practical implications. Ideas have consequences and this is most true in the study of God.

My theological leanings come from an historic reformed perspective. There has been a resurgence of this theology, particularly among the young, and Time Magazine wrote an article on the "new Calvinism" which is a reference to John Calvin, an historic prominent figure in the protestant reformation. Calvin, Martin Luther, and St. Augustine going way back for that matter had a view of salvation that has great implications in how we view our roles in bringing the gospel message to those we meet in our daily lives.

For those who believe in the idea of a "new birth" being essential for salvation, meaning a man must be "born again" to enter the kingdom of god, this occurs one of two ways. One way is that God the Holy Spirit illuminates the human heart of an individual to see its sin and need for a savior (Jesus Christ) and hence then the spirit of God enables the person to repent from sin and turn to faith in Christ and accept his sacrifice for sin as a means of forgiveness, and then being accepted by a Holy god because of what Christ did on the sinner's behalf. This happens as the sinner cooperates with the aid of the Holy Spirit to bring about this process of what theologians term "regeneration" or being "born again."

Another view of the "new birth," and the one that I and the "Calvinists" hold to is that God "regenerates a "dead" sinner, one who is a slave to sin, and makes him "alive." In turn, the now "regenerate" and "new creation" exercises repentance and faith in Christ as the result of what the Holy Spirit has done. This act of salvation towards a sinner is God's act of grace and mercy from start to finish; a monergistic form of salvation (theological term) as opposed to the first idea which is synergistic, meaning man's cooperation is needed for the salvation to ultimately occur.

Why does this matter? It matters a great deal actually since the view you hold can determine greatly how you go about life and especially in dealing with people. On my facebook page I have had the fortune of meeting interesting people and adding them as "friends." One friend I particularly like is at best undecided about God, and at worst an outright unbeliever. Because I care about her and about her need for salvation by accepting Christ as savior, I feel compelled to do something. If I hold view number one, then I do all I can to try to persuade my friend to cooperate with the gospel message. In many ways I have to be prepared to be a "good salesman" for lack of a better term to make her see the seriousness of her need for salvation. One problem with this, one that can be very stressful, is what if a person just does not want to hear it? Many people reject all kinds of things that are good for them. What if a person is from a different religion and have been reared all their lives to follow the ways of mom and dad and not betray the religion of your youth? My problem with view number one is that while in theory God may give all men a chance to be saved, He still leaves only legitimate options for salvation only open to those who are reasonable and willing to change. This seems to me that God favors merit and the people who have some "good" qualities such as willingness and reason are the only ones who can enter His kingdom.

In view number two, there is the troubling idea that only "God's elect" can be ultimately saved. But uncomfortable that idea is, can we really hold out hope that mankind is capable of accepting Christ? Does not man, first and foremost in his life, want to be the "captain of his own destiny." The idea of submitting to a Holy and Just God who demands worship and obedience of people is an idea that stiffens up the necks of sinners who will shake their fist and say, "I will not bow the knee." Am I wrong in believing that a sinner will exercise their "free will" only in accordance to things that satisfy their selfish desires, rather than use their choices for God? I expect a lion to behave in ways that reflect his being a lion. Likewise I expect a sinner to choose for sin rather than righteousness. And does not a creature of darkness run away from light rather that walk towards it?

My heart is troubled by a friend who by her own admission does not know Christ in a personal way. The consolation I have, and one that is tied to my theology, is that God can change her heart. The Lord Jesus Christ can do to my friend the same thing that He did to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay;
fast bound in sin and nature's night;
thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

Another Banking Crisis

Some years ago my wife and I almost went on staff for "Family Life," a division of "Campus Crusade for Christ." We filled out all the paperwork, did well during all our phone interviews, and were among 5 couples who were flown down to their Arkansas headquarters to possibly get into their ministry. I still marvel at the fact that of 60 couples that applied for a possible position there, among the 5 finalists were my wife and I. Needless to say things didn't work out there and God had me stay put in my current line of work.

Though not an "official expert" on marriage and family life, I do believe I have gleaned some things about marriage over the years that may be helpful to those struggling in by far the most "sanctifying" of relationships. I know that many who enter in the covenant of marriage have done so through a church service of some sorts. I wonder how many really pay attention to their marriage vows they recited on their glorious day. This, is a good place to start. A written reminder of those vows placed in a conspicuous place in the home for friends and family to see is a good idea so a couple can be frequently reminded of the oath they took before God and many witnesses. This is no cure all by any means but I think it is helpful to go into a marriage expectations that it will be difficult and you need to be reminded of that so you can both have your "A" game going on even when you may not feel up to it.

There are some other things to consider as far as roles are considered. Husbands must realize that they need to submit first and foremost to Christ. He alone will teach you how to model a biblical manhood that will demonstrate love for your wife. Wives, need to submit to their husbands, and respect them. This in turn will make it easier for a husband to love his bride since a nagging, independent wife often will be like a "dripping fawcett" to a husband. These concepts hopefully resonate to most who have at least a rudimentary understanding of orthodox Christianity, and hopefully reminding oneself of these precepts now and again will help in the often "roll up your sleeves" type work that is marriage.

I'm sure though you would like some specific practical advice to help out in your current marriage, to keep yourself tempted from and affair, and most of all protecting your covenant with God from disintegrating into the ugly realm of divorce. A good place to start is by thinking of your marriage as like a bank account. Obviously the money you place there is your investment and you want to preserve it and even watch it grow. There are 2 important transactions you make with your account; withdrawals and deposits. These same transactions in some ways are made in your marriage, but instead of money, you are either making deposits of love to your spouse, or you are making withdrawals.

Let me illustrate a point. When I come home from work and see my wife busy with dishes or other mundane household tasks, at this time I begin to make a transaction. If I say, "Honey, let me finish what you are doing and you go take a break," then I am demonstrating love and care for her and this in turn is a love deposit that I place in our account. If I decide to park my ass in front of the boob tube and decide my relaxation is the most important thing in life at that time, then I am making a withdrawal and demonstrating a lack of love and care for my wife. Now these transactions are constantly taking place throughout the life of a marriage, and if there amount of withdrawals reaches a "tipping point" then a marriage may reach a crisis level and before long you may end up "hating each others guts."

A best way to avoid this is to evaluate your relationship with God and make sure you are in a covenant community with other Christian believers, a.k.a. the church. This is the where the pulse of God is and is a safety net for a couple to avoid isolating themselves from the larger community. Too often, couples having struggles, become defeated by the bad habits they have created within their marriage. Perhaps if they had been involved with other Christians, those who model good, healthy, relationships, they would have been able to avoid some of the pitfalls that ultimately ruined their marriage.

I am not suggesting this is easy. The above advice is not a magic "twitch of a nose" Samantha Stevens, "Bewitched" type of thing. Still, God is a loving father who can change hardened hearts. The question is whether one is humble enough to show repentance, and willing enough to pursue a loving relationship that entails lots of sacrifice.

One last point. A marriage counselor once told a story of a married couple who were persuaded to try counseling as a last shot to save their marriage. The counselor asked the husband to say one good thing about his wife. The man who was seated far from his wife and whose body langage clearly demonstrated his displeasure with being there and in the company of his wife said he couldn't think of any. The counselor said he would wait. After about 5 miinutes of deafening silence the husband said, "She is a good cook." The counselor asked the same question of the wife and she had a similar response. This tit for tat went on for about an hour and over time the couple began to soften and realized there were lots of good traits the other had, yet somehow became lost in their anger and bitterness. This was all due to a "banking crisis" that was never addressed where love deposits were never made and in turn were replaced by anger and ever hate.

Sobering stuff. But God is a great physician and He can heal even the most hurting of souls. If this blog is speaking to you, have hope if you have been hurt by divorce. But if you can work to restore a marriage on the ropes, please don't give up, God can help.

Sex Education and Abortion

When it comes to battles in the "culture war" not only do opposing sides yell over each other so much so that listening becomes pointless amidst the noise, but folks have their set "talking points" so mastered in their heads that different options never are discussed or explored. The best and most frustrating example of this is in the abortion debate.

With the skyrocketing rate of teenage pregnancies in our culture, you would think cools heads would prevail in trying to find a solution in reducing pregnancies among teens and this in turn would reduce the number of abortions. But cool heads never seem to prevail in the culture war and therefore accusations are thrown around and both sides play the blame game about why both teen pregnancies and abortion continue to exist and in great numbers here in our nation.

On the one hand you have those who believe sex is a given among young people and if we only have greater sex education available for our teens than things will change for the better. They want abortion to remain available of course, feeling it is a woman's right to choose what she does with her body and her unborn child or fetus. On the other side you have those who wish to overturn Roe V. Wade, feel abortion is murder, and yet at the same time want to promote abstinence education in school so kids follow the "just say no" mantra that is uses in the drug debate.

I have an alternative solution that I think will tick both sides off and therefore I think it is the best we can hope for in a pluralistic society such as ours. I'll start off with the abortion question first. Aside from the notion of late term abortions which I think the overwhelming majority of Americans are against, I think it is unreasonable to think that making abortion illegal is going to happen. Roe v. Wade for better or worse is the law of the land and unless there is overwhelming support to ban abortion, I think those opposed to abortion should best concentrate their efforts on reducing abortions and lowering teen pregnancies.

For those who think that sex education is the way to go since kids are going to have sex anyways, I have this observation to make. Has it ever occurred to those who are liberal and conservative for that matter that kids can have sexual gratification without risking getting pregnant? Though not a philosophy I endorse necessarily, I am smart enough to know that teens and young Christian people for that matter engage in what used to be called "heavy petting." It wasn't that long ago that young men knew there were certain limits he had with a young lady and he was not supposed to go any further. Is this not a reasonable approach to have even in this day and age?

I, myself, prefer the idea of having my children have dates in public settings, double date etc, and avoid any form of sexual contact prior to marriage. This is the Christian view and I believe the best view. However I am a realist and I know that I can't expect those who may not be Christians to behave as Christians any more than I can expect a dog to start behaving as a cat. But since many in the culture war have no trouble preaching to kids about what may harm them; smoking, drugs, alcohol, etc. can we not agree that we should tell our children not to pursue the "most intimate level" of intimacy?

I think most people would reason that men have everything to gain and women have everything to lose in "going all the way." The cards are all in favor of the man and should we not put that all out there when discussing the repercussions of teen sex or sex outside of marriage in general? I would be perfectly comfortable in telling a young man that he is a selfish jerk if he pressures a young lady with the "if you really love me you will show me line nonsense." Young ladies, particularly teens who may not have the best relationships with their fathers or may have no fathers at all, understand the "biblical oneness" that comes with intercourse. Hence, how can one measure the harm a break up has on a girl who has permitted a boy to have her most intimate possession? Boys, unfortunately, are governed by their penises while young, and this in turn can harden (pardon the pun) them to the value of women and intimacy should they be permitted (with no societal sanction quite frankly) to get their rocks off with as many conquests as they can find.

Don't get me wrong. I am not endorsing oral sex or hand jobs for young people who are hot and horny. Still I know this exists and I know it has existed in cultures that were far less permissive than ours. I just hope that both sides in the culture war and abortion divide would endorse a" form of virginity" that would be much better for our youth and in turn would result in fewer teen pregnancies and abortions.

An Olivia Newton John Moment

Funny how ideas for a blog can change overnight, literally. I had intended to write a blog about sex education and abortion, but after last night's dream, I changed my mind. Don't be fooled by the title of this blog, it actually is difficult to write and challenges me greatly to play the "truth or dare" thing and really be the personification of "faith unfiltered."

My blogs for the most part have been about things that I think ultimately can hinder the cause of Christianity and turn off those outside the faith community. I feel it is better to be real with the "world" so to speak, even air dirty laundry from time to time, rather than put up a united front to showcase our piety even if it is just surface stuff that may in time come crashing down like a house of cards.

For this blog I write about me...."being real" and open myself up to things that hopefully may resonate with others who are just part of the human family. And this I think is so important to do; show myself as a Christian in the broader context of being part of the human family. I'm sure many men and to a lesser degree women can identify with "checking out" members of the opposite sex. I, for one will never fail to miss a "bubble butt" or "quite a rack" that passes by even if I am busy doing other things. And like I said, the ladies I'm sure do this as well when some good "eye candy" passes their way. I believe for the most part people understand this and don't get overly judgmental about sexual beings checking out "hot" looking or just attractive people.

Of course this happens to married folks just as often as single, available people, and because of this, the subject of "looking but not touching" may get dicey if you mention to others that this is no big deal. But I as a married person am going to touch upon a far more provocative subject than just looking, one that is about feeling and connection that is "dicey' to say the least but one that I feel I need to tell.

I have had at least 4 (what I would call crushes) with other women since I have been married. These have been far away longings so to speak, with the objects of my affection having no idea of how I felt. I think these crushes had lots to do with the difficulties of married life; being so familiar with another person is not always such a good thing if you get my meaning. You can be married to someone, love them, and at the same time they may drive you to drink on occasion...lol! But whatever the thing that may cause a married man or woman's hear to stray doesn't really matter. The fact is sometimes you meet someone who is the "cat's meow", "all that and a bag of chips", whatever phrase captures you best.

I had a dream last night about someone who really is "putting an added skip to my step." I just was dreaming about walking with her on a shady road full of trees off to the side, and just by being with her and enjoying her company, life seemed so much like a glass of lemonade on a warm, spring day. I bring this up because this person may know herself oh so well, know her flaws, sin struggles, the things that hinder her from having the wonderful relationships that she longs for, yet I can see in her in the way that she longs to be seen. This is so rare and people need to hear that when the opportunity arises.

Thinking about an Olivia Newton Song years back, one line i particularly like is..."I'm not trying to make you feel uncomfortable, I'm not trying to make you feel anything at all, but this feeling doesn't come along everyday." Those special feelings that you have towards another member of the human family are so important to express even if one worries about "the so-called slippery slope" of maybe hurting a marriage. There is no reason to believe that telling someone how you feel about them is going to lead you to be obsessed with pursuing a relationship with them when you know it can and should not happen. This is the same as fearing enjoying pleasure means you will turn into a hedonist and end up being on nude beaches in Jamaica. God is a good shepherd who watches over His flock and will not let them go too far astray.

A couple of months ago I was leaving work, tired from another mundane afternoon and the battle scars of life in this world, when I stopped at a traffic signal. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a girl in a car to the right of me. She had a friend in the passenger seat who was punching her, looking all red and what appeared to be embarrassed. The driver was speaking to me and though I couldn't hear her, I was able to read her lips. She was saying, "She likes you," all the while this girl was banging on her shoulder furiously like a school girl who doesn't want the friend to tell the boy of a secret crush. I bring this up because, though in a way I found the incident amusing, my very being felt so so good. And even though I know myself all to well, for a moment I felt like "I was all that and a bag of chips" and boy did it feel nice. I hope by sharing a dream and telling someone when you have the feelings that don't come along everyday...that others can sure feel nice.

Enjoyment As Our HIghest Aim

If you were to ask many Christians today what they thought was the greatest Christian virtue, many I believe would answer unselfishness, or at least something along these lines. This is understandable since so much of scripture speaks about self-denial and the idea of "dying to self." Many prominent Christians would cite, "The Cost of Discipleship," as one of the best Christian books of the 20th Century, a book that deals at length with this notion of "dying to self." Yet while unselfishness is certainly a biblical theme, I believe it misses the point of what I think is most necessary when understanding human nature and how man ultimately can please God.

What exactly does please God? That is the $64,000 question is it not? For those who have faith and want to live and please God in all that they do, have to be aware of a certain principle or else they really can't worship God as they should. As much as we may laud the idea that humankind needs to be more altruistic and less individualistic in their daily lives we can't escape the simple fact that all men seek happiness. As Blaise Pascal writes, "This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will will take the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of man, even of those who hang themselves."

Agreeing with Pascal's premise about the human motive, I think a better virtue for Christians to strive for in their daily lives than unselfishness would be one to seek enjoyment. This, I understand, makes one shake their head and say "how can that be?" It seems to run contrary to everything Christianity is about. Or does it? Think about a time you may have read a book that you especially enjoyed. If you had the opportunity later on to meet the author and told him how much you enjoyed his book, is there a better way that you can show your appreciation for him than that? But I understand how you still may question how seeking enjoyment is the greatest of virtues. Could this be because of the fact that too often we see people seeking enjoyment by "making mud pies" as C.S. Lewis would call it?

Man by his very nature is a worshiping creature. All over the world at this very moment man is worshiping something. It could be work, play, philosophy, sports, entertainment...the list goes on and on. And we always will worship things that give us enjoyment even if it is in the most primal of ways. This is what C.S. Lewis means when he speaks of gaining enjoyment from making mud pies. Seeking enjoyment as our highest aim is not wrong, it is as natural a law among humans as is the law of gravity in nature. Where the problem lies however, and perhaps why Christians don't place a value on enjoyment, is the fact that so many find enjoyment in the most common of things. Not that all things common are bad. I enjoy going out weekly with my friends just to hang out and have a couple of beers . There is nothing wrong with this in and of itself. By contrast though I get to see my friends once a week at church where we share in the worship of our God and know the joy that comes with being one of God's covenant people. I know what it is to be basking in the sun at an exclusive resort as well as making mud pies. But for too many people, and not just those outside the household of faith but people in the kingdom as well, life is too many days creating mud pies like a toddler at the beach.

All the unselfish acts that we long to practice as Christians to help out our family, friends, and neighbors all need to go piggy back on our first enjoying God and knowing Him. Nothing else compares to God and the beauty of His very nature. Finding other ways to please God without making it ones highest desire to live as Psalm 37:4 says..."Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" is simply putting the cart before the horse.

In closing I'd like to make a reference to a book by John Piper that explains this subject in greater detail that I can. "Desiring God, Meditations of a Christian Hedonist" is a work that magnificently explores the idea of the Westminster Divines who penned the first question to the their shorter catechism to be, "What is the chief end of man?" The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. May we all come to learn that enjoyment is a good thing and may we find fulfilling enjoyment in knowing God.

Are There "Safer" Tyrannies?"

One of the biggest regrets I have about the planning of my wedding was the decision not to include alcohol at the reception. This was a decision that at the time seemed like the wise thing to do. After all we belonged to a church that had baptist roots and the partaking of alcoholic beverages is frowned upon in "baptist circles" and many other denominational sects within Christianity. While I never agreed with the notion of drinking alcohol to be sinful or even remotely wrong if taken in moderation, I was captured by another idea that made me "play it safe" within Christian circles.

There is almost a universal notion among Christians to do the things that do not damage our personal testimony or do potential harm to another "brother." This belief, which has merit in some respects, too often can fall into the trap of the "better safe than sorry" idea which I spoke of in my previous blog. This idea of playing it safe is really akin to a form of tyranny that ultimately does more harm than good to the cause of Christianity.

Getting back to my regret about not having beer or wine at my wedding reception was really my falling victim to the "tyranny of the minority." First was the notion of some that drinking "strong drink" was somehow damaging to a Christian's personal testimony. This minority point of view believes that somehow drinking alcohol would make one appear to be part of "the world" so to speak and therefore might make one display conduct unbecoming of a Christian. Interesting that I never challenged this notion especially since the Lord Jesus was considered a "winebibber" by the Pharasees...and sinners seemed to delight in His company. And while the idea of protecting a "weaker brother" from the potential dangers of alcohol may seem on the surface a good idea, doesn't it actually enable the "weaker brother" to remain weak? I am not suggesting that we never use discretion and there may be times when we refrain from some things, like maybe not taking an alcoholic to a tavern. But at a time of celebration, a wedding no less, should we let the ideas of the minority run tyranny over our lives?

When reading the bible it is obvious to even the most simplest of readers that it is an R-rated book. God chose to write about things that are far from the land of "Mary Poppins." Yet why do Christians find it so necessary to live a life like Mary Tyler Moore or Julie Andrews and always stay in a G-rated world. Too often I go to events held by "church folk" that have mild salsa with their tortilla chips, decaffeinated coffee with their pastry, and certainly never a beer or a glass of wine when they host a dinner. This is all about "being better safe than sorry." But by avoiding risks are we really saying more about ourselves and our lack of comfort in our own skin? Too often we want to present a picture of ourselves that is actually not attractive to the world at all. How often do people who are perceived as "goody twoshoes" ultimately decide to "cut loose" and do something wild because they don't like to being thought of as Ward or June Cleaver. God wants us to be ourselves, step out in faith and engage the world where we are, and take some risks, and yes make some mistakes. Most of all He wants us to love and trust in Him and not fall prey to "tyrannies" of any kind. Remember it was Ghandi who said, "I love your Christ, it's just His Christians I don't like. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

A Different Road

I have yet to see the film, "Revolutionary Road" with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. I'm not sure what the film is about not do I know what is the significance of its title. I am interested in the use of the word road as a metaphor. It is an effective word picture and I am sure many who are making a decision that could ultimately change the course of their lives are familiar with the idea of facing the so-called "fork in the road."

There are also meaningful references to roads in Holy Writ that should give us pause and cause us to examine our lives. Saul of Tarsus, later the Apostle Paul, had a meeting with Jesus Christ while on the Damascus Road which made him confront his role in persecuting Christians and having them put to death. But the most important reference to a road in scripture is the idea of a "narrow" road that leads to life and a "broad" road that leads to destruction.

Rather than get into a conventional explanation of how a broad life implies a libertine, eat, drink, and be merry epicurean type of existence, or being a worldly do gooder without any care or concern for God is not what I wish to address, though it is of value. Nor do I want to demonstrate how living a pious, holy life, one that focuses more on eternal matters than temporal satisfaction or pleasure, though that certainly has great merit.

I am here to bring up the notion of a different road; one that falls under the umbrella of a "narrow" way or road, but I think it is one not much discussed and one that may make many uncomfortable. This is fine because the goal of a preacher or one who wishes to write about matters of faith should be two-fold; one to comfort the afflicted and the other to afflict the comfortable.

I believe one of the most popular and potentially damaging bumper sticker slogans for Christians is the "better safe than sorry" idea. It carries so much weight of course because on many levels it is true. You could decide to not lock your car when you stop off at the store for a few moments and probably not have your vehicle stolen. But who would disagree that it is "better safe than sorry." And while that practical advice is good in that instance, too often I believe, people take that idea, and this occurs with many good ideas, simply too far.

In his excellent book, "Blue Like Jazz" Don Miller writes about growing up in a conservative Christian home and how mortified his family was when he determined to go to a university in Oregon that was considered to be one of the most liberal and promiscuous in the country. His initial decision to go there was motivated by his desire to "cut loose" so to speak and be part of a place so unlike his own universe that he thought it would be fun. But what Miller discovered while being in the college was how much of a risk he was taking by being there. He soon discovered that many of the students he met there, many who would become his friends, challenged his faith and made him realize how he could learn from others, even those who had a world view that was completely different from his.

What Miller did was take a risk. This was far from playing it safe. While befriending a girl on campus, he realized just how far he had to get to enter her world and get to know her better.He went to poetry readings about homosexuality, went to bars where people did much more than just drink alcohol, all kinds of places that Christians are supposed to avoid..."come out from among them and be ye separate" type of thinking. By gaining her trust he began to share the person of Jesus Christ and hoped to show her His love. Miller frankly shares how his discussions with his friend rarely appeared to gain no traction. She seemed entirely without interest in Christ or Christianity. Miller was discouraged because in so many ways his friend was such a nice person, highly intelligent, and so willing to accept others and do good things.

Throughout the relationship, Miller's commented on how his friend made a point to tell him how she didn't like his message but she enjoyed him and valued their relationship. She sensed there was something different about him and she couldn't quite understand why he wished to spend time with her; particularly in light of her liberal, live and let live lifestlye, and how she often would poke fun of Christianity and at Christians. Something happened one time when Miller was consoling his friend during a difficult day. Inevitably when we have close friends, there will be times when all of us will feel a need to share our sadness and vulnerability...all part of being human, no one is exempt. After a time of listening and offering hope to a hurting young college girl, gentling sharing Christ's love with her, the young girl turned to Miller and he could see that a "light" went on. After a moment of silence she spoke to her friend these words and I paraphrase (since I lent out this book and am using recall) "Jesus was a revolutionary, a beautiful revoltionary, and I see this because I see you as one too." She then began to cry and say that she didn't know how much she could believe about all the claims of Christianity but she did know that she wanted to know more about "this revolutionary Jesus."

Thinking about this wonderful testimony of God and His love, I can't help but mention the limitations of the "better safe than sorry" idea, and is not the true Christian ideal, the road we are to follow is one that is not at all safe, no it is more a revolutionary road....one that takes great risk, but one that may yield great reward.

I conclude with a personal story and may I state that I am not telling anyone exactly what they need to do to get out of their safe comfortable lives. I just hope that people do examine whether it is a good thing in life...."to move out of the city and head for the suburbs." Years ago when my wife and I got married we thought it might be a good idea to become foster parents. We decided to give it a go, we knew others who did it, so we moved forward to explore the process. When we discussed placement options my wife and I decided upon teenage girls. Rather than be placed with small children, ones who may ultimately be reunified with a non ideal family situation, we thought that having teenagers, ones we could share life lessons with and model healthy relationships would give us the best opportunity to "make a difference."

After several months of interviews, background checks, and finding a suitable girl to take in, my wife became pregnant. Family and church members close to us asked us if we would withdraw from the process. Well meaning people freely gave us advice, typically along the "better safe than sorry" lines. "You need to protect your new family, who knows what these kids in state care are about, what they have been subject too, and obviously God is closing the door on this means of ministry at this time. You are newly married, a newborn on the way, and this need to be your focus. God has given you more than enough to handle." This, of course, is sound practical advice, advice that many would agree with. We however decided to move forward in the process and eventually were placed with a 13 year old girl named Felicia who lived with us for over a year.

Why did we decide to go ahead and be foster parents? It had to do with a revolutionary named Jesus Christ who said His Kingdom was not of this world....and " better safe than sorry" is definitely the road and the wisdom of the world. And by the way, Felicia is 28 today with a 10 year old son. We see her and "Joey" regularly and have for several years. So yes our great risk did yield great reward and though Felicia does not follow Christ in her life, I hope in some way she has a visit with Him when she spends time with our family. Perhaps the road we took was not revolutionary but just a risk we decided to take. Whatever you call it, people who have sacrificed their own comfort and made a risky investment in the lives of others, ask those who benefited from those who chose to take a risk, if it did not often yield revolutionary results

Repercussions of "girl talk" or God "taking someone out"

My wife is an opinionated lady so sometimes it comes as a surprise to me when somebody says something, something that I know she disagrees with, and she just moves on. In fact when I've mentioned this on a few occasions she says she only vaguely remembers the comment in question. I've noticed that this occurs in the context of "girl talk" or trying to establish a relationship with someone new.

This got me to thinking why so many thoughtful, intelligent people can listen to some outlandish things and seem to not blink an eye. Sometimes when I watch a Christian worship service, I will hear a televangelist say something clearly off the wall and the congregation will nod in approval and holler out "amen." I wonder if what is going on here is not so much about people actually believing what is said , but is more about what occurs from time to time with my wife during "girl talk" or building a new relationship.
I would characterize this under "church talk" or" trying to fit in" that may explain this puzzling behavior of listening to some nonsense. One may argue my premise that the folks in question are actually intelligent or thoughtful, maybe they are simple sheep looking for a shepherd. I would be biased if I were to say that my wife is intelligent and thoughtful so maybe all those in the congregation are just simpletons.

Still think about this for a moment. Would you not agree that all humans (bright and slow) are relational beings and because of this they really long for a sense of belonging. Would it be surprising that in a busy world where time is hard to come by, that those who had a yearning for spiritual things and who wished to belong to something...that maybe that desire for relationship may cause them to turn off their brains and their ears just a bit.

Let me give an example of something that happened at my church recently. Those in the presbyterian denomination tend to be more anal about theology and making sure things are explained precisely. Many here have jobs that require considerable intelligence and some have advanced degrees. Still there are things that may be said that are way out there and may still fly under the radar, at least with some folks. Years ago I went to a church that was a bit crazy to be charitable. This makes me sensitive to aberrant thinking and helped me catch on to a comment made from the pews at a recent adult sunday school class. I know some folks there caught on to it but I'm not sure how many.

We had been discussing communion or "The Lord's Supper" and how serious are its implications. Scripture states that if we partake unworthily we will place ourselves into judgment and may even die. One of our church members then commented on how he saw a pastor "taken out" right in the middle of the service during communion. On first glance this may seem okay to say and it is a curious thing that someone would die during the partaking of the Lord's table during communion. But let me ask this. Did anyone ever prove this pastor was engaged in sinful behavior prior to his death? Did anyone consider that this pastor's death may have been appointed by God as a means to wake up somebody else in the congregation of their particular sinfulness? How bout this. Could it be possible that cause and effect may be taking place and the pastor just finished his 10,000 bacon cheeseburger the night before and this finally clogged his arteries ( that hadn't been checked for years) to the point where a massive heart attack was inevitable?

Why is this important and why be so sensitive about conclusions reached from scripture? You may say that there was no harm in using this pastor as an example to gain attention even if may not be accurate. I disagree. First from the example of the book of Job we should not conclude that when bad things happen to someone it is because they were in sin. Second and perhaps more important for Christians is this. We should do what we can not to look like unthoughtful idiots to others. At any time skeptics or unbelievers may walk into the "household of faith" to see what is going on. And just as I have noticed how foolish this "girl talk" or "church talk" can look when you are on the outside looking in, imagine how it is to skeptics or unbelievers who walk in and see people who may have dulled their brains a bit or stopped being inquisitive all for the sake of "belonging" and "relationships."

More Than Just a Playground

For a good five years or so I have been on some form of social networking site. I'm certainly not alone in this; millions and millions of people of all ages have a myspace, facebook, twitter, or some other page that they go on from time to time. I imagine there are all sorts of reasons people create these places for themselves, but I guess a big reason is that it can be fun. It's a big giant playground of sorts. This is not a bad thing to help break up a day. Even if you are just on here to say, "Whatup dude"...that's probably better than frying your brain to a 125th rerun of "Spongebob Squarepants" while eating a giant bag of doritos. Still, thinking about why I go on here as often as I do, and I'm sure others will agree, there has to be to going on here than just hanging out at the playground.

Many people have jobs that leave them unsatisfied. I'm being charitable when others may more accurately describe them as "dead end" jobs. Years ago some Christian authors wrote a book, "Your Work Matters to God." This book tried to help people realize that all work was of value to God, there was no difference between the so-called secular and the sacred, and people should do their honest jobs all to the "glory of God." To their credit the authors did a good job and I'm sure their thesis on the value of work was helpful to many. Perhaps some took a second look at their job and learned to be content at the job they found so dull and uninspiring. As for me though, I found only temporarily relief in that worldview and before long I was asking, "Can we be real?"

Most of us are at work at least 8 hours of our day or a third of our day. If we sleep 8 hours a day then half of our day is spent in the workplace. Our hours here shape us and mold us in many ways into the people we become to those who see us outside of work; family, friends, neighbors. Let's say you pick up trash, or work in retail, or some other mundane job...a question I ask is this. Would you be missed if you were to die tomorrow? I'm not speaking about your co-workers or people you have relationships with, but rather would your work be missed or would you just be replaced by someone else and everything would proceed without missing a beat?

See work needs to have meaning. Malcolm Gladwell in his laterst book, "Outliers" describes 3 elements that are vital for "meaningful work." One is a person need a reasonable amount of autonomy. Tim Conway and the rest of the cast of the "Carol Burnett Show" didn't have complete autonomy of the humor they could use on CBS, but certainly they were permitted enough freedom where they probably never even thought of restrictions. This was different for Lenny Bruce obviously who fought against censorship because he thought he had no chance of being funny without "pushing the envelope" so to speak. A second is creativity in work. People need variety in work and having a chance to put their own signature on their work. Even building something as simple as a holiday display at a retail store qualifies as doing something different. Lastly, people need to know there is greater reward for harder work. The more songs a song writer can create the greater chance he has at fame an fortune. A dishwasher still gets paid the same after an 8 hour shift no matter how many dishes he washes. I'm sure you get the point.

I can't imagine how many people have jobs that do not fit the category of "meaningful work." People can adjust and make do but I think it is vital that they find an outlet that meets the meaningful criteria. On Facebook, we all have our place. This is a place managed by us where we have independence. It is also a place where we can be creative. We can do things to make others laugh, bring encouragement, voice opinions, share about God, advocate for social change, whatever one can think of. Finally, the more effort you put into facebook the greater the return. The pages that are viewed the most and get the most comments and discussion going are the ones where the creator puts time, thought, and effort into it. So by spending time on Facebook, my preference, or other social networking sites....there is great opportunity to have "meaningful time." This for many sure beats the hell out of work. So in this sense Facebook is "more than just a playground.

Ongoing Struggles

Nobody ever promised me life would be easy, or I'd get a rose garden for that matter. But this process of sanctification, well, that's a whole different ball game. Being conformed more into the likeness of Christ, jeez...sometimes I wonder if I'll ever graduate from being a self-centered jerk.

Thinking about the gospel and sharing it with others makes me acutely aware of ongoing struggles in my personal life. Struggles with besetting sins and lack of visible personal growth makes me wonder if I have any right to share Jesus Christ with others particularly when my life often seems such a mess.

But as I think of my current sluggishness in my faith, a light bulb went on in my head. Fortunately that happens now and again...lol! How much is my lack of energy, enthusiasm, and current malaise in my life; work, marriage, family, etc. due to my lack of going out and telling others of what God and a personal relationship with His Son can do for them. Being overly concerned with how Christ is or is not working in my own personal life has somehow caused me to take at least from a practical point of view, that Christ may not be worth talking about. This makes me guilty of self-centeredness. This is not only a devastating sin in that it makes me both ineffective in my own personal walk with God, but it also blinds me to what can be a simple and powerful remedy.

Sin and man's own desire to be the master of his own fate, dismiss God as irrelevant, and reject the offer of salvation by placing faith in Christ are the barriers that prevent sinful humans from having a personal relationship with God. These are clear fundamental orthodox principals that people need to hear for them before they can ultimately repent and be brought to faith in Christ. This is great news for those who do wish to see those outside of the household of faith actually be adopted into the family of God. I am among those who like to hear of this great news.

It has been said that, "those who can't do, teach." I don't know how measurable that is but even if it is to a great degree, one can still say what is so bad about that. A baseball hitter who knows about hitting, but can't hit worth a damn, if he can teach others how to hit, does not this give him great reward. And with that great reward does not this give him great enthusiasm and energy to share with others the fundamentals of hitting. Like I said, he still may not hit worth a lick, but is not his life now lifted to a different level and will this spill over and cause positive repercussions in many areas of his life? Just a thought.

I know as I write this much of my struggle with mid-life crap and problems that never seem to let up will continue to be front and center. Demons from the past and the ongoing struggle with being a self-centered jerk is not going away anytime soon. Still, God is. He is there and I can know him and tell others about Him. I can know Him and learn more about Him with the same passion I have with other hobbies. Even if you have no musical ability but have a passion to talk about and listen to something like jazz, will that passion not be contagious and make others who know nothing about jazz, perhaps become jazz enthusiasts because someone like you turned them on?

May a lesson like that be learned by both you and by me even when the difficulties of life and our own sins may drag us down.

Nobody Left Standing

Clearly there is a place for protest and activism among people of faith. When a person's conscience feels convicted to the need to say or do something regarding a particular issue then I commend those who exercise that right in a free society. We have that right under the first amendment and those who use it should be commended for standing up and having the courage to speak their mind.

There are lots of things that may get people off the sidelines and into the action so to speak. Family values are a hot button issue with many folks, particularly church folk, and many of them will voice their opinion when an organization promotes certain things which many may find offensive, indecent, sacreligious, etc. I'm sure many will agree that there are causes that are worth fighting for because they affect them personally. Many mothers who've had children die in automobile accidents may protest advertisements that somehow glamorize alcohol. Parents who may have had a child who is gay may protest information that they believe may incite gay bashing. Citizens who homeschool their children were mobilized greatly to protest legislation that may have made homeschooling practically impossible. The list goes on and on.

One of the things used by protesters is the boycott. An example may be consumers threatening a company by not buying their products because they may be promoting something the offended group may deem inappropriate. This is all well and good and people have every right to do that. I have one observation though for thoughtful educated people who keep up on all the issues of the day. Recently as I was listening to a very opinionated sports radio show following the Super Bowl, one of the hosts mentioned how great Bruce Springsteen was during half time. That comment caused ire with another of the hosts who called Springsteen a "commie pinko, " a remark that made me spill my coffee from laughing out loud. The first host then said, " You have to separate." To this the anti-communist sports host said,"You can't separate." After a brief pause a third host threw his two cents in with this classic and I'll end with it, "You got to separate or their will be nobody left standing."

The Need To Make Things Right

Going to a church where creeds, doctrine, history are important is something I am thankful for. I would have no interest in attending a church that had ambiguous beliefs and is just as much about fluff as it is about substance. But while I have found common ground about theology with those in the church, I find it interesting that when it comes to political ideology, there are differences of opinion in the church of Jesus Christ. It would be one thing if different denominations would sway to particular political positions because of their doctrinal beliefs, having a kind of biblical worldview that would logically follow towards a tendency to fall into a particular ideological camp regarding public policy choices. However, as much as I wish this might be the case, I have discovered that this is not the case at all. In fact, some close friends I have, as well as people i admire and respect have political philosophies that are far removed from the ones I have.

Recently I have been trying to cultivate a look, listen, and learn approach in my dealings with people. It is common for me to listen to a persons ideas and determine what I think of them. This often has left me shaking my head because often after a person has established credibility with me on their reasoning ability they may later take a position that makes me think, "Is he or she kidding me.?" But I am now beginning to understand that their are other factors that cause a person to have a belief, particularly a political one, that may be rooted more in what a person thinks is important that what may be better rooted in sound thinking.

I hope not to be condescending to those who take a approach different from mine and in fact in some ways I feel those who have a different view than mine are in some ways nicer, sweeter, more compassionate people than I am. Let me explain some things. Politically I think the governments main responsibility is to preserve and protect the liberty of the people. More than anything else, I wish for government to establish laws to preserve a civil society, and then do all that it can to make sure the citizenry has the "right to be left alone." Others I know have a different view of the government and that is for it to have a more active role, not just preserving and protecting, but also to try to find a way to make things right in a society that isn't always fair.

These two views were best illustrated to me a few years ago at a party. It was a parent get together that was a year end celebration as our children finished another school year. I am fortunate enough that my children attend a prep school via a scholarship and because of this I get to meet many parents who have careers that pay the kind of wages that are far beyond my imagination. This particular party was hosted by a senior vice president from a very successful company and he had a huge, beautifully decorated home, a great table spread of appetizers, fine wines, imported beers, and he hired people to serve us for the evening. I was there prepared to enjoy myself. A woman friend of mine, who I've known for 5 years while are kids have been in school together, looked around and said to me something like, "How can people live like this, in such wealth and luxury, while others who slave away and work just as hard, struggle just to have a modest home and pay their bills."

I looked at her and noticed how sincere she was. It genuinely pained her that life was full of inequities and she wanted somehow to make things right. This type of thinking never occurs to me. I just think, "Nice house, great life, good for them." I also can see there are stresses and trade-offs to this type of wealth, but I wasn't going to get into it right then. But then it occurred to me from previous conversations that my friend was a "liberal." I've attacked liberalism from many angles and have always felt confident that liberalism is a worldview that is deeply flawed. Later that evening, she brought up the idea that when people get to a certain income level, then they should have to give above that level to charitable causes and give back to the community someway and use their wealth less for themselves and more for the common good. I am terrified of the notion of having government coming into people's lives as some sort of referee, to make sure we have a more just world, a world where we can make things right.

Back to making things right. I have observed from conversations I've had that many people who have this desire to "make things right".... that this desire shapes how they view so many things. If I see a pregnant woman smoking a cigarette while walking down the street, I may think, "What a shame, that woman should really know better." But others who perhaps "care" more than me they just feel that they need to do something about it and find a way to stop it. This can and does have far reaching implications. We must stop fat people from overindulging in saturated fat for their own good, using speech that may hurt people's feelings, you can probably name dozens more. I on the other hand don't think that much about it, I just go about my business and let people be.

I am not saying that these observations are the norm for where people fall on their political ideology. Liberals can be self-righteous and self-promoting. Those more conservative or laissez-faire may be community activists and the most compassionate of do-gooders. But I think my observations deserve consideration. How often when there is a problem coming from Washington do you hear liberals say, "We've got to do something." This is the mantra even when common sense shows that there is really nothing that can be done that will not ultimately make things worse. Others on the other hand can just let things be and live with the fact that life isn't fair. Knowing these facts I think is important while we engage in public debate. Perhaps knowing that what we find important is different may help prevent us from shounting at one another.

My Intense Longing

an intense longing
deep and inescapable
my heart's filled with love

eyes focused outward
creates passion for people
want to know their needs

i'm moving so fast
yet i find time to slow down
people who have needs

this intense longing
as i look at my neighbor
pray that it not be short lived

i see flesh and blood
those who are hurt and have fears
let me be their friend

my intense longing
may this feeling fill my heart
move me to action

living with neighbors
seeing Jesus in others
let my heart be touched

you want to see God?
do you long to touch His face?
see Him in broken people

Johnny's Psalm

O' Lord, again i am here
my heart toubled, and yes, selfish
i'm able to keep the thought from passing through my lips,
yet my heart is still corrupt..."another f***ing day"

free my soul from this bondage, My God Almighty,
on and on and on, i think of me, and complain
Lord, redeem me from my ungreatful ways,
why, why, o' Lord do i seek my ease, my enjoyment

my heart is wicked, yea, i am a sinful man
Lord, many days i hate and fight your ways,
those around me seem to prosper and have more fun,
yet Lord, where could i go?

it's so simple, Lord...yet i fight, deny your greatness,
deny You are God, oh that i only have a glimpse of my
utter wickedness..i could not bare it.
i sin Lord, and for just two horrible reasons.

i want to do what is right with me, what's fun for me.
i feel, deep down, that you are not good...if you were,
you'd leave me alone.
my heart is deceitful, Lord...and where could i go?

i follow my own ways, my sinful ways...over and over,
cause You, My Lord, aren't powerful,
you can't deliver me from the power and bondage of sin,
Lord, my sin is great...please, please forgive me

Where is the grace of God?
Lord, let me taste and see that the Lord is good,
and in a sinful, dark, world,
let me see the God who parted the Red Sea

Lord, i need rest
i sin over and over again,
i wonder if i make any progress,
Lord, love me...i am your child Johnny

and Lord, like me too
show me that not only are you preparing me...
yea, to be more like Jesus (is this really true, my Lord?)
but show me that you like spending time with me.

Lord, i may be back soon..tomorrow or maybe in just an hour,
be patient with me, hear my psalm...your boy, Johnny's psalm,
He hurts, he's weak, he doubts, he fears, he's stubborn,
yet Lord, i'm yours, and because of Jesus, the cross, hear my prayer

Some Old poetry

I got some old stuff when I was in a poetry phase...man, so unlike me. Still I got quite a few and I thought I would cut and paste some. Unfiltered means I'll show all sides of me. Love some feedback!

that we would not slip

hate, despise, and take no delight
Lord, let not these feeling be made against us,
O' that our worship be not a stench

may we not be hypocrites...pleasing you by our good deeds
O' that our dress, our smiles, our attendance in your courts,
be not like burnt or grain offerings

Lord, that our hearts are broken and contrite
may our music, our songs, overflow with devotion...
and repentence, or you will not hear

O' that we would not slip...stumble as the saints of old,
may we trust in Your grace, and not in ourselves,
knowing that we're to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God

The Groom's Intention

being here, the wedding of a close friend,
it's a beautiful day;
the sun, the backdrop of boats on the ocean...
all is perfect and right in the world.

the message...the charge given to the groom.
at first it's just background music,
my thoughts are simply of the peace of the day,
even the ant walking on my sandal, well, i'm content to leave him be.

yet then words hit me...gravity like an apple
falling from a tree,
INTENTION, the groom chose his bride purposely,
with that...a singular event, a wedding, brought to me the wider context.

it was a purposeful act, done with intention,
Our Father set out do find a bride for His beloved son,
that bride is the church...those who are chosen,
and the bridegroom is Our Lord Jesus...and He who calls us is faithful.

but this marriage is not secured by a ring...not even the most
loftiest of carats, no it's bought by a willing sacrifice,
a groom laying down His life for His bride, securing a marriage
that will last all through eternity.

and the INTENTION is this, one that should not fail to capture
the brides love and adoration,
the sacrifice...a degrading death on a cross,
was not intended that all men COULD be saved,
no, its INTENTION was that the groom's bride WOULD be saved.
*************************************************************************

Matthew 1:21 "And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call His name
Jesus, for He WILL save HIS people from their sins."

No Small Task

I made a profession of faith to Christ in the early 80's but it wasn't until 1987 that I began attending a "bible" church. After about 2 years there I realized the church had crazy cult-like beliefs and fortunately I was able to get out of there before the church came crashing down amid a scandal.

While I was there I had been warned several times that there were things not right about the church. But I was never interested in any of the warnings because this was "my place" and these were "my people." I wish I had a tape recorder of some of the arguments I would make with critics of the church, and I was never short of reasons why the church was sound. Amazing how when something is important to you and you like it, you can come up with all kinds of convoluted reasons for why you like it there.

I think reason has little effect when you have discourse with someone who you disagree with. And I think that is greatly in part because people like what they believe and have yet to find out that it is broken. I was watching a a Christian station and was watching a preacher spit out false teaching to a huge flock of adoring worshipers. Now if I had a chance to explain to them why they were receiving wrong teaching, even documenting several inconsistencies with their own doctrine, I doubt it would make a difference to them. As a matter of fact I bet they would come right back at me confidently defending their own position, doing it in a way that makes no sense at all, while at the same time be convinced that I was the bad guy.

This has everything to do with me attacking "their place" and "their people." Somehow we as orthodox Christians seem to think that knowing the truth is the most important thing for people of faith. We believe that those who are genuinely converted will somehow pick up on erroneous teaching and make it a priority to follow "sound doctrine." This is not how life works it seems to me, at least not with many people. The reason many crazy churches work is because they speak the language and have the pulse of the people. I realize this is hard to measure, yet some preachers are very good at it and therefore find people who love their ministry and love their pastor as an apostle-like figure.

So how do you find a way to stir people away from a church that is ultimately bad for them and maybe in the future leaves them shipwrecked from the faith. First, we need to be aware that the people who are there are there because the church works for them and language is being spoken that resonates with them. As crazy as a ministry may be, we have to admit that these places may be a safe haven from where a person has come from. I have many fond memories from my crazy church even though there was damage done from attending it for 2 years. And with the knowledge that at least on a belonging and surface level that the church works for people we have to kindly come up with ways to get them to explain to us specifically how the church works for them. If they come up with a crazy premise, say something like, "I haven't heard of that before can you tell me more about it."

Having said that I think it is far more likely that we will have to be there for them when things fall apart due to the aberrant or heretical teaching that will not nourish the soul. Hence the "my people/my place" glue will slowly come apart. Then we need to find them a place that has "sound doctrine" yet still speaks the language and has the pulse of the people. This is no small task yet I find that both are of equal value.

Thoughts On Health

There is lots of talk about health care in Washington and how to make it a affordable and even universal to all. One of the things that has been pushed in the past several years is prevention. Public services announcements flock the airwaves with the dangers of cigarettes, the importance of exercise, and others. Many private sector groups have jumped on the bandwagon offering fitness plans to employees, schools have taken out sugar and soda pop from lunch menus and so on. One can argue that this is a good thing and may curb health expenses down the line and may save the country millions of dollars down the line, who knows?

Of course there are those who feel so strongly about it that they vigorously wish to find ways to mandate lots of health measures feeling the public may not be wise enough for their own good, so their are creative ways to coerce Jane and John Doe to "do the right thing." These can include banning "unhealthy" products or levying substantial taxes on things that ultimately may lead to heart disease, cancer, or other who knows what.

This got me to thinking about Jesus and how a relationship with him would be a most healthy thing for people. I know from experience that believing in Him and being a part of a church would make people healthier both physically and spiritually. I guess like a parent would do with his child, I could find those on my streets who know nothing about the love of Jesus and have no interesting in hearing me tell them about Him, maybe I could just round them up, make them come to church and bible studies with me, have them subject to all the benefits of the medicine that Christianity can bring, and in time they would feel better and their countenance and health would be demonstrably better. Of course I would have to force them and state laws may not allow me to do that, but hey wouldn't it be a good idea?

Most know that we don't do things that way in a free society. We may inform, encourage, try to persuade others to do things we sincerely believe will help them, but at the end of the day we let them make their own decision. But though most probably aren't cool with Big Brother type of stuff from those conducting public policy, many are fine with information being passed on that may pinch a nerve or two or some folks and how they live. Hence, people who smoke and are overweight often take a hit in our culture.

This brings me to an observation that I've discovered thanks to the new book, "Outliers," by Malcolm Gladwell. He became aware of a place in Pennsylvania called Roseto. The small town originated back in the mid 1800's when a group of Italians from Roseto, Italy arrived in the new world America and made a home of their own. A physician discovered that people who lived in the town of 2200 hardly ever had heart disease, they were considerably lower than the national average. In fact after looking back over the 100+ years of the town's history researchers discovered very few health problems with the people of Roseto. No suicides, little depression, little crime, few cases of ulcers, cancer, alcoholism, all in all the people were remarkably healthy and most died of old age.

What is the reason for this and how can this perhaps be used for public information so that others can learn what makes these people so different? Well, much of what was learned has to be discouraging to those invested in the health community and the information being spread to help the population become healthier. The people in Roseto cooked not with Olive oil but rather with lard which made their diet about 40 percent saturated fat. There was very little exercise going on with the folks in the town, in fact the majority of the folks were obese. It was also observed that many of the people smoke cigarettes. Researchers discovered time and time again that the people living in the town had a lifestyle that should have made them very unhealthy.

But was their lifestyle unhealthy? Researches decided to carefully observe the people of the town and see how they lived. Each day the folks spent time engaging with their neighbors; hanging out on the porch, having meals together, doing things with their children together. The people of the town who made the most money never flaunted it or bought extravagant things, and commonly they would help out those who had less. The town had 22 civic organizations which is a remarkable number for a town that size. The people all worshiped at the same church and they all retained their native Italian language. Marriages were intact, divorces unheard of. And it was common to see 3 generations living under one roof. Researchers wondered if maybe community and relationships played perhaps more a role in health than anyone ever imagined.

I'm giving out this information. Process it as you wish. I doubt you will hear much about a lifesyle like this over the public airwaves as a form of prevention to help alleviate public health costs. We don't want to judge people and tell them that divorce might be a bad thing, or that maybe we shouldn't move far away from our parents once we get a spouse and career, or tell people later when parents get old that it may be better to have them move in with us than be sent off to a nursing home, or to tell people to try out a church even if they may not be into it at first. No we can't do that because it is judgmental and it might hurt somebody's feelings. Funny how we don't mind singling out the smoker or the chunky housewife and their one or two bad habits, but we are uncomfortable looking at a person's life as a whole. I guess this hits too close to home.

Davey Crockett, and ex-girlfriend, and other characters or outsiders

I am not a great student of history. I enjoy the stuff actually but I am a victim of public schooling and laziness quite frankly so I can't properly evaluate many famous historical characters. I was flipping stations on t.v. the other night and came across "The Alamo" movie with Billy Bob Thornton as Davey Crockett. It was the tale end of the film so I didn't bother to watch it, yet it got me to thinking. Man, it was an incredibly different world not that long ago. I often wonder how characters like Davey Crockett, Lewis and Clarke, others from the pages of history textbooks would fit in to the 21st century. I think of this particularly in light of the fact that all people generally are sort of the same in today's world.

I know that there are all different kinds of people and even personalities so that is not what I mean. What I mean is that people who truly are different and are real characters have a hard time fitting in unless they are so talented that they can afford the label eccentric or "a real character." I wonder how many people in our society may be homeless or in prison because they just have always felt outsiders wherever they may be. Perhaps Davey Crockett would have been classified as having ADHD if he were growing up today. Who knows? I know now that society has an outlet for the real testosterone, courageous tough guys who can find a niche in Ultimate Fighting. A good thing I guess.

Brings me to the church. I've talked to many people who seem to understand the gospel, claim to be Christian, yet never go to church. I can easily point out to them the error of their position of it's "just me an Jesus" individualism. I also think one may use that as a smokescreen because a good church will preach about sin and cause conviction and clearly it is good to weed out those people who really aren't serious about following Christ. Still, there is reason for me to think that those things that make one an "outsider" in the world, then I am sure they exist within the walls of the church, perhaps even more so.

An ex-girlfriend of mine made me aware of this years ago. Many times we end up in relationships because of close proximity. I met my first girlfriend on the job and I'm sure if we met at another place we would have never "hooked up" so to speak. She was a tomboy to say the least and so non-intellectual, yet she was so trusting of people and just a deep down good person. She was the person who first brought me to church and we were together for about a year. And over that time I tried to change her, tried to refine her, make her more presentable. I wanted her to read more, go back to school, quit smoking, and a few other things. While I was doing that she also sensed the same thing happening at church only it was different. Nobody at church to my knowledge ever said anything to her but she clearly felt like an outsider there. Women's groups were totally foreign to her and she always want to hang out with guys over girls ( and she sure could throw a fastball..lol!) Many people who first join churches feel like outsiders but because they wish to "belong" they observe and find a way to fit into the mold. I guess because some new people join churches and find "their way" that many in the pulpit and in the pews tend to take a hands off approach to new faces walking in the door. This is not going to happen for some new faces and nor should it. I admire people who remain true to themselves and don't become a cookie cutter Christian and quickly latch on to the Christian sub-culture. Unfortunately these authentic people often are left behind and are shipwrecked from the joys of being part of the family of God.

I have no answer as to how the culture is going to condescend to those out here who may have been valued in a different time or a different place. Most likely there will be those who will slip through the cracks because no one is giving them direction on where an "ADHD" or another misfit person may succeed here in America. But as far as the church goes should'nt this be a different matter? Shouldn't we as followers of Christ, rather than be above the fray of the so-called "character," "outsider," or "misfit"....instead should we not condescend to make those "unlike" us feel the joy of "belonging, while at the same time feel no need or urgency to make them more "like us?"

Professionalization of Faith and Politics

I never want to shy away from mixing faith and politics particularly when it makes for some good discourse. Now that President Obama has taken the oath of office, I've been thinking of some things that I believe are an indicator of where our culture currently is at. I'm not going to say that Americans are all about style over substance, though that argument can be made, but rather I am going to make an observation about our citizenry wanting professionals running the show both in government and maybe even in our churches.

I thought of this as I watched a recent interview with former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. I'm sure there are those who were against Palin for reasons other than what I am about to bring up, still I have observed and heard in public debate from many casual voters (the determining voter factor in who will ultimately be elected) that Palin was "unqualified" to run for the second highest position in the free word. But upon close examination it was clear to me that these same casual voters were uncomfortable with Palin because she was just not professional enough. Before I go further let me give the reader of this blog a definition of terms. Most debate gets stifled because of a disagreement of how to define terms. I am using the term professional (perhaps incorrectly) more in the context of one who has high academic training and is an excellent communicator. As a "professional" Sarah Palin fell way short. She may have had a fan base who liked her for different reasons; endearing, mom, charasmatic, etc. but among the masses of non partisan voters she never had a chance.

What's wrong with this? Many who may accept my definition of professional may say, "What's wrong with electing politicians or having pastors for that matter who are high in academic training and excellent, even inspiring communicators?" Well, on first glance nothing. I thing leaders should be smart and know how to articulate their views. What is more problematic is how we place a premium on people being "more smart, more articulate" than what may be necessary. In life it would be ideal if all leaders were both good talkers and good doers. More often though there are talkers and there are doers. And just as the biblical book of James describes 'Faith without works being dead," likewise, reason would conclude that talking without doiing is dead.

Leadership requires making decisions. For a president of a country and a pastor of a church this requires executive ability. Many who have had this ability (hopefully along with ability and a dependance upon God) throughout history have not been the smoothe James Bond figure that Barrack Obama seems to be. Great leaders from history, if their lives would be brought to the silver screen, many would look rather "ordinary." But we live in a very visual world where a premium is placed on appearing "presidential" and Obama fits that mold beautifully. This world is far removed from the one where Eisenhower became president simply because he was a General and known as a great leader of men.

I lament this "professionalization of politics" and unfortunatly as in many other areas of culture people of faith seem to follow the same course. Consider the ministry of megachurch pastor Joel Osteen, who like Obama speeks of hope and many other feel good buzz terms, and looks great behind a pulpit. The only difference may be that people of faith don't seem quite as smitten with the academic credentials that political voters do. Whether this is a benefit or not means little to me. What does matter and what question we should be asking to our postmodern culture is....What role does character play in who we choose to be leaders in our secular and spiritual worlds?

Is He Serious?

Much has been made about Mark Driscoll who is the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. He is a provocative and controversial pastor who has a unique approach to presenting the gospel in this postmodern age we live in. Though he is highly orthodox in many ways he tends to rub many people the wrong way because he speaks to men (in particular) in raw language. He meets people where they are, speaks the language of the culture, and is very direct about matters of sex.

One thing Driscoll discusses matter of factly is masterbation. Christianity over the ages has frowned on masterbation, calling it a sin, and has preached against it. Driscoll gives the go ahead on masterbation and speaks frankly about it I presume because he thinks that the church's view on masterbation has hurt the cause of Christ and has made Christians out to be victorian characatures who think sex is a dirty thing. I think Driscoll is right in many ways and I have little problem with him talking directly about an something that people universally do, yet many feel guilty about doing, and many others shy away from even talking about the subject.

Having said this I think Driscoll adds a condition to his masterbation seal of approval that makes me scratch my head and say, "Is he serious?" He tells people that while they can go ahead and masterbate that they should make sure they do it without lusting. While I am not advocating lusting or giving permission for people to have sexual fantasies while they are masterbating, still I think we need to get in the real world. People masterbate when they are thinking about sex, and are creating an image that helps perpetuate an eros whereby making masterbation enjoyable. I think it is good for both single people and married people for that matter to have experiences in life where they are not overly preoccupied with sex. What i mean is don't allow sensuality to become an idol and find ways to feed it.

I think it is good for masterbation to not be the big bad demon that many want to call it. Many people do it in moderation and don't turn "blind" from it. Having said that and realizing that people are going to do it, don't turn around and say make sure you are doing it without any sexual stimuli attached to it. This is ridiculous and an insult to reasonable people. Those who have any knowledge of the Christian faith, know that sexuality is a gift from God designed for the marrital relationship. Masterbation is simply a matter of economics, people doing something that works to fill a need. Can it be a sin? Yes, it can if it deters from your relationship with God and becomes an addiction. But to say that it's okay to do it but do it like an exercise you can do while watching a sports event or thinking about baseball cards just won't work. If you feel that way, just be honest and say you really don't approve of it.

Just Wondering

Marriage is hard. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. 24/7 proximity and seeing close at hand each others faults makes the relationship difficult. In the old testament there was polygamy and concubines. I can't imagine a second wife, but most men will admit to being attracted to other woman and even having connections to women either at work or other places. Men have affairs all the time and I just wonder if God had no clear ordinance against keeping a concubine how many men would jump at the chance.

Throwing of Flags

Coming up with the idea of a blog called, "Faith Unfiltered" I thought would be a cool idea to create some provocative discussions. However, I am becoming increasingly discouraged with the idea that you can delve into any controversial issues with Christians that will not include the typical "talking points" that Christians recite whenever topics fall outside of their comfort zones.

Still I plan on moving forward, heeding the charge of a radio minister I like, knowing that it is the duty of a Christian to make time to offend another Christian at least once a day. His charge is perhaps hyperbole, yet I find so much truth in it that I often find that I have to call my "brothers and sisters of the faith" to the carpet when they think so pedestrian in their Christian world view.

Some examples of what I mean are found on my "Facebook" page, the postmodern community networking site that millions flock to as an escapists playground. It's a fun little place to do the tag, hide n' go seek thing, but some decide that what is needed are overactive referees to come in and make sure that everyone is playing nice and following the rules. Did you ever notice that when you are watching sports that the best games are the ones when you never notice the referees? Same is true of facebook. Let things play out and really think hard before you are going to throw the flag on someone.

Christians are the most guilty of throwing flags, and the penalty most called has to do with sexual suggestiveness. This does exists and arguments can be made that it is inappropriate to use sexual images over public sites to perhaps incite flirting or lustful behavior which could be harmful to some people. However, the guidelines of what constitutes inappropriate images of sexual images, can vary tremendously from person to person, and some folks never even consider if there may be a valid reason or context of why one may post a provocative photo of someone on a public social networking site.

Let me give you 2 recent examples of things that got me into "hot water" with some of my Christian friends. One even decided to "defriend" me over a photo on my facebook site. I had been on a blog site of a friend of mine that discusses the objective philosophy of Ayn Rand and how he is writing a book about Christian Objectivism and how those who "follow" the philosophy of Ayn Rand can have a conversation with Christians about objective worldviews and see where there is common ground. This is an interesting idea and ambitious since Rand was an atheist and many would not want to take the time to engage in debate with "Randians" who are clearly anti-religion and anti-Christian. But back to the main point. On his site was a link to a blog site about libertarian views of government (something that I am particularly interested in and one that I believe Ayn Rand was astute on as well) and I decide to click and check it out.

One little blurb (unrelated to the general theme of this site I may add) that caught my eye was a reference to the 50's pinup, "Betty Page" who had just passed away in her 80's. Because this happened right before Christmas, the author of the blog posted of photo of her in a Santa hat. She also was nude, though strategically covered, the words Merry Christmas posted across her breasts. Under the photo was a quote from Page with these words...I paraphrase since I don't have the quote at hand, "After turning to the Lord Jesus late in my life, I realize that the funds that I have to preserve me late in my life, are from my work as a model and pinup girl." She then went on to say that she doesn't feel particularly bad about it, rather it is just the way it is.

I posted this on my facebook page with the photo which I think was germain to the quote and left the comment, "Interesting!" People can have any opinion on her quote, comment on it or not, and that's just the way I left it. What happened however took me by surprise. A friend was highly offended by the photo, accused me of somehow endorsing Betty page, and even made it seem like I was out to harm "children." There was no looking at context of what I was getting at, I'm sure no reading of the quote, nor any questions directly to me of why I put it there. All I know is that some people at church heard about it, and she was no longer on my friend's list. Obviously, she hit the delete button on facebook, twitched her nose like "Samantha Stevens" on the 60's show, "Bewitched" and poof....I was gone. Oh, well, as my boss at work says, "I will live to see another day."

Now the most recent example and perhaps a little more complicated, though I don't really think so, is my posting of a picture of Helen Mirren on my site. Facebook allows you to become "fans" of celebrities and this is one way for people who visit your site to know some things about you and perhaps get a feel for your personality. I like the actress Helen Mirren and I posted a photo of her on my site. She is looking into a mirror, putting on make-up, and she has on a dress that shows substantial cleavage. For a caption I put, ..."like the finest of wine." With this I got a comment like, "yeah, this looks like ___(wife's name). "What are you thinking?" I take it this implies that I shouldn't be looking at anybody but my wife, and why am I posting sexy women on my page, which I guess by "the Christian definition" is as the valley girls would say, "totally inapproriate."

As a person who wants to be "real" I wish to let you in on a secret. I work with the public and see many people every day. I also see many women on a daily basis. Many guys I work with often say when they see an attractive woman, "Isn't she hot?" For years after my conversion to Christianity, I felt at a loss as how to respond to that. Looking back I don't know why because my sentiments were clearly, "yes." I guess I felt that as a single person, or married person for that matter, I shouldn't be looking at women for their physical appeal or heaven forbid, their t & a so to speak, but, you know what, I was. It would be nice to say that I only have eyes for my wife, bride of my youth, but it isn't the real world. Women get my attention and I do look at them. I agree that it's not good to have the cavalier attitude that, "you can look but not touch" philosophy that many men have. This potentially leads many to become disenchanted with their spouse, checking out all the babes, and lead them to have unrealistic expectations of what their wives should look like.

Back to Helen Mirren though. Over the years she has played many roles and has showed great diversity as an actress. Honestly though, I have been very attracted to her confidence in her own skin and her comfort level with her sexuality. I realize that "biblically speaking" women are most highly prized when they are "modest" in their sexuality....something that I have no evidence that Helen Mirren is. Then again I have no reason to believe she is a Christian or the woman of "noble character" spoken of in Proverbs 31. I conceed that this is the type of woman I should find most appealing and many times I find charm in other kinds of women. To this I plead guilty and Christians can chide or challange me on this poiint. However, I still find Mirren, at least as far as her feminine characteristics go, intoxicating. Here is a woman, now 63, who ages gracefully and doesn't do the cosmetic thing. If anyone would have told me that at 46, I would find a 63 year old woman "stunning and sexy" I would never have believed it. One publication called her, "the thinking man's sex symbol" which I find to be right on the mark. Forgive my lack of humility if I consider myself a thinking man...lol!

Mirren was a looker and sexy from her early films like "Age of Consent" and the scandalous "Caligula", and even as the 2nd law of thermodynamis applies to her as well as all of us as we advance in years, she remains a looker and sexy in her 60's, "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Jones" she was 59 I believe. She may have a wrinkle, two or three that she didn't have in her 20's or 30's, but like fine wine she surely ages well.

I can hold this view totally apart from my relationship with my wife. My wife is the one I am with day in and day out. We have the better for worse, sickness and in health covenant of marriage. Helen Mirren is an actress and my sentiments about her just tell you a little bit about me and how I think. Now if I go around stalking Helen Mirren or have photos of her as a shrine all over my house, then you as a Christian can do the Joan Rivers..."Can we talk" kinda thing. But unless these things are obvious and you are certain of context, please do me a favor. Be a good referee and stay out of the way. We need less throwing of flags and more of thoughtful conversation.

New Year's Day

Happy 2009 to everyone. Hope to post more often in the new year. Have to admit that right now my energy levels are low with the details of life. Got some things on my mind yet I just haven't been motivated to get moving on them.