Archive for the ‘Culture’ Category

As the stock markets (and local markets and gas stations) continue to ride the financial roller coaster, and as public perception about our nation grows more nervous, people are naturally clutching life a bit more tightly these days. Travel, investments, home and car sales, and just about everything else is down a bit because people are afraid to let dollars go. Either we’ve already felt the crunch of Wall Street crashing on our investments, or we’re holding our breath, waiting to see if the financial dooms-day that the media and Congress speaks of will arrive.

Here in Houston suburbia, where gripping the stuff of material comfort is a way of life, we’re now tempted to hold on tighter than ever. But I’ve been asking myself a question lately:

When my finances are tight, how often is it because I gave so much to ministry? Ever?

This is not about guilt. It’s about freedom. It’s about life in the kingdom of light as an adopted child of the living God. Why should my soul be downcast over the loss of money or the decrease in my ability to spend as days gone by? It doesn’t really matter how much money I have. It makes a difference of course, temporally. My Redeemer was a homeless man with friends that stole from him what little he did have and others who completely took for granted every generous act he did. Should I be so concerned about my investments? Or let me ask it this way

Why should ANYTHING that happens to my finances keep me from giving GENEROUSLY to the work of God? To the elderly, the orphaned, the prisoner, the outcast, the rejected, and to support those who labor in ministry?

Almost 2,000 years ago a man who Jesus himself sent to start churches wrote a letter to a church that was young and struggling with all kinds of junk. In that letter he encouraged the believers in that church to give generously out of whatever they had, much or little. He urged them to care for Christians in need and to be a blessing to all. Here’s what he said:

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you — see that you excel in this act of grace also.

I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”

Christians in American have for a long time been in an almost unique position to give abundantly to the needs and work being done local and abroad. There will likely come a day when we no longer have the ability to do so much for so many. I’m not a doom and gloomer, but I try to be a good student of history and as far as I can tell no empire has escaped extinction. Every great ruling society in history came to an end at some point. I pray that will not be the case for the US for another 200+ years. But we need to live and give in light of the opportunities we have now.

When you consider all you’ve ever earned and owned versus all you’ve ever given and sacrificed to uplift another, how do you fare? I fail miserably.

I’m working hard, daily, to allow the Lord to change me and reshape the core of who I am to include generosity. So this year, what if you tell your family and friends that the best gift they can give you, is to give to someone else…somone or some ministry in need?

Jesus the Messiah offers the ultimate gift of grace by faith unto salvation, forgiveness of sin and reunion with our loving Creator. I want to reflect that to others far more than trying to slake my unending lust for “things”.

This election has been really bizarre and it looks to get worse before November 4th. We could go on and on about the weirdness on display over the past year, but one aspect in particular is the passion-shifting among democrats and republicans, and even many independents.

Early on, before the parties settled for their nominees, there was no major push for either of the two candidates we’ve ended up with. Sure, they both had supporters, but both McCain and Obama were far away from any discussion of likely presidential nominees. Republicans were largely for Romney with a trailing faction for Huckabee. Democrats were largely for Hillary.

The republican nomination was pretty anticlimactic. It seems like the republican nomination just fizzled down to McCain. Of course, the democrat race needs no explanation. Hillary V Obama was like Rocky I or II…they just kept going regardless of how many vicious upper-cuts their opponent landed.

Once McCain and Obama were official nominees, an interesting shift happened. It seemed to me that most republicans felt like they ended up with the last guy they would have wanted. All the Hillary folks were equally disenchanted with Obama.

But those woeful cries quickly subsided and people generally started shifting their passion towards their party candidate. And within a very short while, it got nasty. The tenor of the presidential ads is cordial compared to how their respective supporters relate to each other. All the detractions and negative remarks about their candidate before they were the nominee have now turned to praise. Both of these guys were longshots, now they’re both touted as saviors to what ails America and the world.

So what happens when everyone wakes up on November 5th with a new president and has to look their co-worker, family member, or friend in the eyes after schredding the relationship over allegiance to someone they really don’t know and really can’t trust to accomplish any of what they promise?

Pick your hills to die on. There are some which are worth it. But your pick for president is not one of them.

I come from long line of broken marriages. Other than my brother, I can’t think of a single instance in my family tree where faithfulness in marriage can be found. I don’t say that to judge those in my family, just saying that it’s part of my heritage.

That’s why, in part, I’m deeply convicted about seeing marriage be what Yahweh intended, and to give my daughters a real and lasting biblical view of marriage. To that end, I had, until today, intentionally avoided explaining divorce with my six year old. But, as all kids do, she finally realized that something was amiss. She was writing notes of thanks to those who sent her birthday gifts when she sensed it was a little weird that daddy’s mom and dad live in different states. She’s a lot brighter than I was at six, so after I made sure my sweet wife was ok with me bringing the concept of divorce into our child’s thinking, I had the talk.

I explained that when daddy was a little boy, his mommy and daddy decided they did not want to be married any more. Her eyes got as big as the moon and her mouth dropped. I explained that that’s why they live in different states. I also had to explain that they both decided to marry new people. At that she got a bit indignant and informed me that such a move was wrong and they’re still married to their first husband/wife. She had no idea of the theological depths of her words.

Part of me was really pissed off. It’s one thing that I had to deal with the divorce of my parents…but I now I had to see their sinful choices reverberating a generation later and landing upon my own daughter. It seems we can never overestimate the lasting impact of choosing paths that run from Jesus.

The greater part of me is so grateful for grace (not my daughter…the Lord’s character trait of grace…though I am thankful for Grace too). It’s by mercy that the wounds of divorce can heal, but it’s by grace that those same wounds can be used by God for good. I pray as my girls learn more of our shared heritage, they will also gain a God given desire for marital fidelity and vitality. I’m so thankful that my girls have the umbrella of marriage in their lives. I remember with crystal clarity the awkwardness I felt as a kid when I was around friends whose parents were both there, married and under the same roof. I’m thankful my daughters are not stained by that and I pray they never will be.

One ingredient in the deception of sin is the notion that sin just won’t have much impact, that somehow nothing will come of it. Nothing is farther than the truth. My parents broke covenant almost 30 years ago and today that sin came back to bite, in my heart and my daughter. Our first parents put aside faith in Yahweh for one action and all humanity fell. Reverberations are unending apart from grace and until Jesus returns.

Ahh, good intentions and boneheaded execution…how often they are bed partners.

If you’re not aware, a group called the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is trying to pick a fight with the IRS. They have started something called the “Pulpit Initiative” (link is to their PDF summary statement of the initiative).

Short background: as part of the separation of church and state, the government is prohibited from taxing religion/religious entities, i.e. churches. In the 1950’s an amendment was passed which prohibits non-profit organizations (that includes churches) from participating in political campaigns. Longer background here.

Well, the ADF folks wants to challenge the legality of that amendment. Their strategy for initiating the legal process is to bait the IRS into filing a lawsuit against a church or multiple churches. They’ve found a group of pastors (around 30 nationwide) who have agreed to speak about the political candidates. Next, the ADF will send (perhaps has sent already) recordings of those sermons to the IRS, essentially thumbing their noses at them, double-dog daring the IRS to file suit.

While I’m certainly not a legal authority, this seems to me to be a seriously bone headed move.

At the minimum they seem to be risking the tax exemption for churches which, if removed, would likely put the majority of “churches” out of business. By that I mean that most congregations could not afford their property or the salaries of their pastors without the considerable tax breaks for churches as religious non-profits in the eyes of the government. Personally, I think if a church stepped up and voluntarily paid property tax etc it would send a huge message to the city that they see themselves as part and parcel to its livelihood instead of as a parasite to the city, which most are. That’s why Stafford doesn’t allow new churches…they eat up all the good real estate, don’t pay tax, and then do nothing for the community. Hardly salt and light.

The greater issue I take with the “Pulpit Initiative” (the name alone grates on my nerves) is that it is a prostitution of the venue where the Scriptures are to be primarily taught. There’s nothing sacro-sanct about the puplit itself, but the public preaching of God’s Word to the church is foundational to Christianity, a God given responsibility. They are actively seeking pastors to use their pulpit for political action in order to further their legal aims. Prostitution of the pulpit.

I will grant the ADF that their intentions seem fine. When you read through their site regarding this initiative, it’s sounds like they just want more 1st amendment freedom in the pulpit. But has it really been lost?

Pastors are free to speak to any issue they choose from the pulpit. The legal limit, in my amateur understanding, is that churches may not participate in political campaigning. Thus, a paid pastor who endorses (or is openly against) a candidate is essentially campaigning and in violation of the 50’s amendment.

But here’s the deal - there’s no limitation on speaking about issues. The ADF info makes it seem like it’s all about being able to speak about issues, but that freedom is in place now. When you read some of the comments of the pastors participating in this initiative (Example 1, Example 2), they’re not worried about addressing issues, they’re just pimping themselves out to their candidate.

The Bible and societal issues intersect all over the place. Where God takes a stand in Scripture, Christians should take a stand as well. Where the Bible is silent on an issue, Christians should use discretion and wise counsel, and encourage others to the same. For example, murder is clearly not ok with Yahweh. Drinking (without getting plastered) is fine. So don’t murder, ever. If having a Mackeson’s Triple Stout doesn’t go against your conscience or hurt anyone else, have at it (and call me so I can join you).

But using your pulpit to endorse a specific candidate is foolishness. Pastors, the goal is making disciples. That means, in part, to teach the truth, to educate and train people in wisdom and bring this culture into focus through a biblical world view, challenging people to think critically, prayerfully, biblically, and to decide based on Scripture and conscience. It is not to spoon feed their lives to them.

Derek Webb has a line from an older song, “I Want A New Law” off of the Mockingbird album that goes,

Don’t teach me about politics or government, just tell me who to vote for.

If we had one candidate who was openly opposed to Christianity, seeking to harm the work of the gospel, etc, that’s good grounds for breaking the law and encouraging people to vote against him/her. But in this election, like it or not, we’ve got two guys who both claim to be Christians and supposedly are seeking Judeo-Christian values for our country. So slice through the issues and think, pray, and discuss. Don’t start an Obama or McCain cult in your church.

For those of you who are reading this trying to peg which candidate I’m for, let me be real clear that I think they both suck and on their merit alone the US is pretty much screwed. This gives me great joy in the sovereignty of my God because he appoints leaders and sways the world to his decree. So even sucky presidents may turn out to be a blessing.

…because he was a baaadd mutha-shut ‘cho mouth.

I’ve been in Houston since ‘99. Without really checking, I think Ike was the fourth hurricane I’ve dealt with in that time. There are been many more in the region, but only a few that really threatened my county.

I grew up in southern California and I’ve been through a bunch of earthquakes, and some pretty serious ones at that. I’ve seen freeway overpasses tumbled down, glass sticking in walls which broke from a window across the room, sidewalks undulate like waves, etc. Ike’s aftermath is a close comparison to those earthquakes.

My time during the storm itself wasn’t too bad at all. My family was very blessed to be able to stay with my brother’s family in Richmond. It was just far enough west that there was little more than wierd sounding wind. We never even lost power. My street however, is another story.

Apparently a tornado touched down in the park behind my house. My neighbor on one side was sitting in a chair in his driveway watching the storm (why…I dunno). He said it was like a sci-fi movie seeing the various transformers in the subdivision blow and light the sky up green, pink, purple, and orange. He also saw a tin shed come flying up over the house at the end of my cul-de-sac, land in the street and then rocket out to find a final resting place somewhere else in the subdivision. He was then thrown out of his chair and against his garage door. He’s goes about 230, so I’m guessing it was no small wind.

I took a closer look today and could see the path of the funnel/tornado/whatever that passed through. It’s was odd to see a clear line of destruction winding around the park and through my subdivision and into the next one. It went pretty much right around my street. One of the commune members lost a beautiful tree, but thankfully it only took out their gutter…a great relief because it fell at their front door.

Other than that we lost several sections of fence, a gate ripped off, and another commune member had half a giant oak take up residence in his backyard. Earthquakes typically don’t do much exterior damage, but they tend to really tear up the inside of your home. Anything that’s on shelves, in cupboards, on walls…it all comes down. Hurricanes seem to typically be the opposite. Inside my home, I sit here comfy and cozy. Outside is another story.

Like many, I prayed quite a bit about this storm and have been reflecting on the lessons to be learned. I’ve already heard one sermon on how God was demonstrating his greatness through Ike, letting everyone know he’s in charge. I’m guessing a lot of sermons will be preached with that emphasis. I do serve a sovereign God, all-knowing and all-powerful. But saying God caused Ike to show off his power is not a conclusion I can come to biblically.

The truth is, we don’t know why God allowed Ike to happen. We know that all of creation is under his control. We also know at times he allows his adversary to effect the elements (God allowed Satan to effect the elements to tempt Job into cursing God). We know that God has used the elements in judgments (Pharoah, prophets of Baal, Jonah) and in blessings (manna, Red Sea, the long day, sun and rain upon the just and unjust). We also know that he uses the elements to teach (Jesus and the storm). But we don’t know why, specifically, God allowed Ike to happen. We know that Ike and all his effects were not unknown to Yahweh. He doesn’t learn anything. His knowledge is complete, perfect.

So what are we do with Ike? How should we as Christians respond?

For me, as I consider the Scriptures, I see a couple simple yet difficult things.

First, I do not know why Ike happened. Perhaps it was some judgment. Perhaps it was merely the outworking of a cursed world (remember, the entire creation is cursed, not just mankind). But although I don’t know why Ike happened, I do know the character of God. I know he is the LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, keeping steadfast love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. But who wil by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children’s children to the third and fourth generation of those who do not love Him (Ex 34:6 and following - Yahweh’s self-description).

Given that understanding, I seek to learn what he’s teaching me now that the storm is over. He has not revealed the implicit “why” of Ike. If he’s not overly concerned about telling us why, then we should not be overly concerned with finding out why. There is work to be done, burdens to be shared, and worship to be given. Dwelling on the “why” seems to me to be a tactic of distraction by the enemy. There is no fruit in it.

Second, people are hurting. I should not dwell so much upon God’s undisclosed motives that I miss His revealed will that I love Him preeminently and love my neighbor as myself.

I don’t know specifically why I was spared harm, but I do know I’m very able to help others who are enduring much worse.

Yesterday I took another listen to Derek Webb’s lastest album (get it free off NoiseTrade, thanks Derek!). For me, it was like his previous albums, containing a few songs that I resonate with and a few that for my taste fall flat. I was an angry punk white boy growing up so, like others of the same road, his sarcasm and wit is infectious. But, I’ve also had to become more diligent when I listen to his stuff than with many others. His lyrics are packed with innuendo and assertion, some of which is biblical, and some of which is his cultural preference. Because he’s so adept at articulating what’s wrong with the church in the west, it’s easy to be agreeing with him and not realize he’s gone from Bible to opinion. Nonetheless, in general I dig his music.

One song in particular stuck out, “A Savior on Capitol Hill”. As you can quickly guess, he’s exposing the way people in America put their hope in, of all things, a politican. We see this in every election, but it seems much more prevalent this time around. Maybe I’m just a little older and wiser, but it seems like this presidential election, more than ever, Christians are putting their hope for the “salvation” of our nation on their political candidate, whether Obama or McCain. The more I read, listen, and observe Christians in this election, the more they seem to be putting hope in one man (or woman) or another…hope which can only be rightly placed in Christ, and it’s hope that Yahweh is jealous for.

The US is not Israel, nor a theocracy, neither should it be one - but Christians in America certainly remind me of how ancient Israel clamored for an earthly king.

I’m speaking about the individual believer. I seem to recall it’s written somewhere that we should trust in the Lord, seek his ways and his righteousness. I seem to also recall that the ways of Yahweh are not the ways of man. Many of us have had our gracious, merciful, sovereign, just God eclipsed by the image of John McCain, Barack Obama (or perhaps Palin or Biden).

Does your stress level rise when you think of your candidate losing? Do you get angry about those who follow the candidate you don’t support? Do you think your candidate will really follow through with what they say once elected?

There are real issues in this election, I know. There is indeed a lot on the table. The world is already much different than only four years ago. There are serious problems in social, economic, military, and diplomatic arenas. We must be engaged in the process and act with vigilance. But we must not be deceived into thinking that either candidate is a savior.

I’m praying that Christians in America will remember, or learn for the first time, that we have but one God, one Savior, and he appoints leaders and takes them down. He establishes governments and lays them low. And his purposes are good and cannot be thwarted. And this merciful and gracious God calls us to seek him for what ails us, individually and as the Church. So pray Christian, but pray for His will to be done, not for your candidate to be elected based on your wisdom.

Have a listen