Politics and The Church

The political climate these days is really depressing to me. I can't remember a time when things have been more polarized, and it seems that people are only talking at each other instead of to each other. Bill Clinton recently jumped into the fray when he angrily wagged his finger at Chris Wallace over questions about his administration's actions, or lack thereof, in the years preceeding 9/11. In the meantime, George W. Bush is being hammered in the media, the entertainment industry, and the polls, for his job performance. These are only a couple of examples of the tempermental political culture in our country today.

I try to stay out of the political scene, but I want to be an informed citizen. The problem I have is not a personal problem with politicians, but a philosophical problem with the process. I really see politics as ultimately futile. Our political system is not the solution to our human condition. There is something deeper going on here than politics, and as a pastor, it's my role to remind people of that truth.

That's why I found this article on pastor Gregory Boyd so interesting. Boyd, the pastor of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, recently preached a sermon series on the difference between kingdoms of the world, and the kingdom of God. He has also written a book on the subject entitled, "The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church." I find his story fascinating, and what is really interesting is that he lost over 20% of his congregation when he started preaching on this topic. Amazing how politics could have that much of an effect on the church.

Trent's Football Video

OK, I put Cale's video on here, so I had to put Trent's up as well. Trent's team started with a bang, but they've lost some momentum lately. Trent is a good player, and he tries really hard. Let's hope his team can turn the corner this week and win a game. Way to go Trent!!

Check out Trent's highlights here.

Cale's Highlight Video

My second son, Cale, has been a mad man on the football field lately. It seems that everything in his world is starting to click, and he's excelling in school, sports and at home. We couldn't be more proud!

This Saturday, Cale's flag football team, the "White Texans" (a very uncomfortable name, by the way), played the "Yellow Texans." This game was unbelievable!! Each team scored at will, and in the end Cale's team fell by the score of 60-59. What a game!!

Anyway, here's a little video I put together of some of Cale's plays. He's #88, and he plays on the team with the white jerseys, hence "White Texans." Thankfully the team name doesn't refer to a group of racists in white sheets, although those guys aren't all that rare in this part of the country.

Check Cale out here.

Just a Beating

LSU scored 45+ points for the fourth time in five games on Saturday as they just destroyed Mississippi State, 48-17. Aside from a very close loss to Auburn, LSU looks like one of the best teams in college football. There's not a team in the country they couldn't hang with.

JaMarcus Russell had the best passing day of his career (and one of the best I've ever witnessed), going 18-20, 330 yards, and 3 TD's. Russell only threw two incompletions, and was extremely sharp and confident. The defense was stout, and all of MSU's points came when the game was way out of reach. Watch out for the Tigers. If they can keep playing like this, they'll get some BCS attention at years end.

Next up is the hated Florida Gators. LSU goes to The Swamp for this one, where they have won 3 straight. Tiger bait!!

The Hills Are Alive...

Just wanted to post a few of the cd's, or albums, or whatever you want to call them's that I've been listening to lately. I'm a bit of an old fogey in that I usually listen to talk radio (Sports radio 1310 - the Ticket, to be exact), but I've been listening to a lot of fun new music lately, and I thought I'd share it with you. Wanna hear it? Hear it go:

1. Guster, "Ganging up on The Sun" - Really cool stuff. Kind of Ben Folds meets Coldplay. Catchy music and good writing with a dash of contemplative pop. Very cool.
2. Keane, "Under the Iron Sea" - A real U2-ie kind of band with a 80's flare. Loves me some Keane.
3. Anything by Spoon - I like everything I've heard from them. Kind of remind me of The Cars on some stuff, but much more broad. Good stuff.
4. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, "Howl" - This group is just cool. Accoustic and raw, yet polished. If you like Blues, but don't like the redundant licks, you'll enjoy this fresh band. This is the kind of stuff Doc Savage, Spyder Monkey and I would've listened to on road trips. I like 'em a lot!
5. John Mayer, "Continuum" - OK, so many of you will ask me to turn in my "Indie music cool guy" card for putting a mainstream guy like Mayer on the list, but this is a great album. Lots of Jazz and Blues, and no radio "hits" in the whole bunch. This is one guy who deserves to be on a major label. Check out "Gravity." Great song!

OK, that's all I have for now. Sometimes I just have to post stuff like this in a feeble attempt to make myself feel relevant and cool. Just indulge me, ok?

Tigers Overwhelm Wave - 49-7

LSU bounced back big time this weekend in an absolute destruction of Tulane. The Tigers were clearly the superior team, and freshman running back, Charles Scott, showed that he has the ability to emerge as the next great LSU back. Then again, it was Tulane, and the Green Wave can make anybody look like world beaters.

Up next for the Tigers: Mississippi State. Look for LSU to have a big day against the Bulldogs next week. This one will get ugly quick. LSU 35, Miss. St. 3.

A Worthy Revolution

Been thinking a lot lately about money. It's a constant stressor. Money is like a relentless ruler who demands more of those under him than they can give. It is cruel and decietful, and as active as a school boy at recess.

On a recent trip with my Mother and sister, I was refreshed at Mom's view of money. I usually look forward to trips with Mom because she pays for everything. Lunch... it's on Mom. Movie... Mom's got it covered. Souveniers for the kids... What are Mom's for? But this trip was different. Mom had several opportunities to treat my sister and me to good food and fun. Instead, she was sure to make us lunches that we took with us on our travels. There were no nights out at the movies, but there were plenty of moments filled with what my friend Mike Spratt would've called "Free Fun!!" In all, it was a great trip, and it was a cheap trip.

I asked Mom about her new philosophy of spending, and she told me, with all the passion of a conscietious objector, that she was on a budget, and had set a meager spending goal for herself on this trip. Her main motivation was to save a significant amount this month in order to help a woman in her small group who needed help paying her rent.

I learned a lot from that conversation about generosity. I learned that generosity is our way of sticking it to money's propensity to rule us like a tyrant. I learned that money can't impose it's will on us if we make it work for the benefit of others. Most of all I learned that I am selfish and spoiled. I hate the way money rules over me, yet I willingly bow at its alter almost daily. I fall for the lie that money can make my life better, and in so doing, I turn my back on generosity and my front toward the evil ruler.

Thanks, Mom, for being an example of generosity. You're on the front lines of a wonderful revolution. Viva la generosity!!

Tigers Go Bottom Up.

Well, I'm almost finished mourning the gut-wrenching LSU loss this weekend to Auburn. There were several calls in that game that may have affected the outcome, but in the end LSU had every opportunity to win, and they just couldn't capitalize. On the last drive of the game, the Tigers were driving deep into Auburn territory. With no time-outs, QB JaMarcus Russell allowed himself to be sacked with only 30 seconds on the clock. LSU lined up for two more plays, the final one being a pass to Craig "Buster" Davis that was completed a mere 4 yards from the endzone. That's right, folks, only 4 yards seperated the Tigers from victory over Auburn, and first place in the SEC West. Instead, we fell to the War Eagle 7-3, in what was one of the toughest defensive battles I've ever seen.

This week LSU will face off against the Tulane Green Wave in what should be a rout. Tulane used to be a huge rival, but LSU is simply in another league now. There's no way that Tulane can keep up. This game should have a very different tone because both LSU and Tulane were so disrupted by the hurricane's last year. I'd be shocked if this contest weren't very respectful and clean, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if the tiger faithful give Tulane a standing ovation. Lord knows they deserve it after Katrina ravaged their campus last year.

Defending The Lion

Two weeks ago, while burning a couple of hours at Barnes & Noble, I overheard a tense conversation between a mother and her adult son about whether or not God should be defended. The mother, speaking in a thick southern accent, was vehemently opposed to her son's idea that God doesn't need to be defended. I pretended to read the back jacket of the latest best-seller, while intently listening to every muffled word of this awkward interaction. The quote that caught my attention was when the mother quietly shouted, "He died for me, you better believe I'll defend Him!"

I can remember a time when I felt the same way. People in school would talk about abortion and how a woman has the right to choose, and I'd take it as a personal shot at God. Others would bad mouth certain conservative politicians and I'd get all huffy because to me, those politicians were upholding the kinds of things God would want us to uphold. I got to the point where I'd read books about defending God from the evils of a society that was out to push God further and further to the fringes of culture (the same culture, by the way, that was founded by God-fearing men). After all, somebody had to defend God or else we'd lose Him for good, and then what would we do?

I'm not sure when it happened, but at some point I came to realize that God is big enough to defend himself. There was freedom in that thought for me, I guess because it made me feel secure, like God could handle it. Stuart Briscoe tells the story of a Royal Marine in the British army who demonstrated his faith by kneeling on the floor of his barrack to pray. The other men in the room, seeing that he was in prayer, threw their boots at him. The man, instead of defending God and scolding his bunkmates, cleaned their boots and returned them. What a beautiful picture of the way Jesus himself defended his character.

Charles Spurgeon, the great British preacher, once said, when asked if we should defend God, "Defend God?! Do you need to defend a lion? You don't defend God, you turn him loose!!" Turning God loose doesn't mean that we treat people like adversaries because they don't believe as we do. It means that we live lives of powerful impact that can't help but be noticed and respected. It means that we stop "doing" ministry and start "being" ministers. It means that we are moved and led by God, and that we rally around the revolutionary idea that we were made for a purpose and there is no greater cause than to live according to that purpose. We no more need to defend that than we need to defend our need to eat, for this purpose is as gnawing and natural to man as hunger.

Cats beat Cats in Week 2; Face Cats in Week 3 (Confusing)

VS
Last night the LSU Tigers took on the Arizona Wildcats before a sold out Tiger Stadium. LSU was dominant from the opening bell, and the #6 Tigers (2-0) did their part in setting up this week's showdown with #3 Auburn (2-0).

LSU quarterback, JaMarcus Russell, continued to show that he is improving in both confidence and ability as he led the Tigers on several long scoring drives. Wide reciever Dwayne Bowe also demonstrated that he is over the case of "dropsies" he had toward the end of last year. Apparently his off-season Lasik surgery has proven to be a wise decision. The rushing game was much improved, and it looks like LSU is poised for this week's early season SEC showdown with Auburn.

Speaking of which, Saturday's game with Auburn will be one of the best games of the year. LSU and Auburn have a long history of great games, and this one is usually decided by less than a touchdown. Auburn comes into the game cruising through it's first two opponents, and LSU is coming off of its second straight 45-3 victory. Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn will be jumping for this game!!

So, after dismantling the Wildcats, the Tigers now face... the Tigers. Just for the record, LSU has a real, live Tiger on campus (Mike V). Auburn's only live "mascot" is an eagle (I know, it's unstable to be the "Tigers" and the "War Eagle" all at the same time. I don't get it either). Now, who do you think would win that fight?

RIP Steve Irwin

I used to watch a lot of Crocodile Hunter when it first came out, and was constantly amazed at this nut-job, Steve Irwin, and his fascination with crocs, snakes, and other potentially deadly animals. I remember one show in particular where Irwin battled a green mamba, one of the deadliest snakes in the world, for about 10 straight minutes. The first five minutes had me jumping around the room as I nervously watched Irwin try to contain the lightning quick killing machine. Somewhere toward the middle of this epic showdown I turned my allegiance toward the snake. I actually thought about what this guy was doing, and I started rooting for the snake to bite him. I thought, "Why am I worried about this dude? He's holding a green mamba! The laws of nature dictate that he should be bitten and die!!"

Anyway, there's no way I'd even go near some of the creatures that Steve Irwin held, caressed, and claimed "crikey, this animal is so beautiful!", but I had fun watching him do it. Even though I once actively rooted for his demise, I truly enjoyed watching his passion and energy. He was a cool dude, and I'm really sad to hear that he passed away. For those of you who haven't heard, he was killed by a stingray a couple of days ago. It punctured his heart with it's barb. You can read the story here. What a way to go.

By the way, the stingray is now #1 on my list of most hated creatures. It is followed closely by the wretched, red-bottomed baboon.

Tigers - Game One

LSU claims its first victim of the season as they hammer The University of Louisiana at Lafayette 45-3 in their home opener. The Tigers looked pretty dominant, but the level of competition was less than challenging. I was encouraged, though, to see Alley Brousard, LSU's vaunted running back, return from last years season ending knee surgery with a good performance (he averaged 7 yards per carry). The most impressive aspect of this team in game one was the passing attack, led by massive quarterback, JaMarcus Russell (6'6", 260lbs). Russell looked fantastic, and Tiger fans are pumped to see if the canon-armed Russell can continue to improve upon his 15-2 record as a starter.

Next up, Arizona. Let's see if the Tigers can work their Tiger Stadium mojo on Mike Stoops' Wildcats this Saturday.

Geaux Tigers!!

What is War?

War. What is it, and what things characterize it? Here are several things that Wikipedia lists as "Effects of War":

• Death, injury, and destruction of property
• Unexploded ordnance
• Destruction of works of art
• Rape of women and children
• Territorial changes
• Liberation/Institution of new social/economic/political order(regime change)
• Resolution, continuation, or increase of political, economic, or social conflict
• Increased or decreased probability of future armed conflicts
• Environmental/Infrastructure damage
• Famine
• Disease
• Scientific advances
• Negative psychological effects on individuals
• Drain on resources(economic, material, manpower, etc.)
• Displacement of refugees/strain on surrounding states due to conflict
• Social upheaval
• Destabilization or strengthening of involved/interested/surrounding states position due to conflict

Now, take a look at these numbers of war casualties:

• The number of World War I casualties (military and civilian) was over 37 million - over 15 million deaths and 22 million wounded. This includes almost 9 million military deaths and about 6.6 million civilian deaths. The Allied Powers lost more than 5 million soldiers and the Central Powers more than 3 million.
• The total estimated human loss of life caused by World War II, irrespective of political alignment, was roughly 62 million people. The civilian toll was around 37 million, the military toll about 25 million. The Allies lost around 51 million people, and the Axis lost 11 million.
• 600,000 Korean soldiers died in the Korean war according to US estimates. More than a million South Koreans were killed, 85% of them civilians. According to figures published in the Soviet Union, 11.1% of the total population of North Korea perished, which indicates that 1,130,000 people were killed. In total about 2,500,000 people were killed. More than 80% of the industrial and public facilities and transportation works, three-quarters of the government offices, and one-half of the houses were destroyed.
• US casualties in the Korean war are as follows: 33,686 battle deaths, 2,830 non-battle deaths, and 17,730 deaths of Defense Department personnel outside the Korean theatre.^[17] There were also 8,142 US personnel listed as Missing In Action (MIA) during the war. US casualties in Korean war are fewer than in the Vietnam War, but they occurred over three years as opposed to 13 years (1960-1973) in Vietnam.
• 58,239 US troops were killed in action during the Vietnam war. 128,000 were wounded in action. 1,000,000-5,000,000 North Vietnamese were killed in action, and 2,000,000 to 3,500,000 Vietnamese civilians were killed.

Let's take a look at the casualties of the current war in Iraq:

• The Iraq Body Count project puts the total of civilian deaths reported in major media between 41,041 and 45,613 through August 24, 2006.
• US casualties: 2,637 total deaths, 19,323 combat wounded (8,773 evacuated), plus an unknown number of non-combat injuries.

Now, the purpose of this post isn't to justify the Iraq war based on the fact that casualty totals are significantly lower than other major conflicts. The purpose of this post is to simply state that war is long, ugly and full of death. If you believe that we are truly at war in Iraq, your expectations should be lots of casualties, significant time and resources, and victory. If you believe that we are not at war in Iraq, but are instead stuck in the middle of a civil war that doesn't involve us, your expectations are that we have failed and should withdraw before we suffer further casualties. The way you view Iraq seriously depends upon whether or not you think we are truly at war.

This has no bearing, by the way, on whether or not this is a just war, or is the best way to carry out an advance on our enemies. That is for you to decide. If, in fact, we are truly at war, no one should be at all surprised by massive casualties, difficult, time consuming conflicts, and even civilian casualties. I hate to say it, but that's what war is.

I'd love to read your thoughts on this. Please feel free to share.

Ya Gotta Have Faith

I Just hung out with a close friend who is struggling right now on a number of levels. Most of all, he's dealing with a life that is absent of faith. His main reason for this startling lack of faith is that he doesn't see the benefit in the here and now. In the present, he is full of sorrow, pain and a "loneliness that most people can't comprehend." He fails to see how faith can replace the lack of companionship, happiness and purpose that he enjoyed during his 10 years of marriage, which recently ended in a sudden divorce.

This guy is smart, handsome and just flat out cool, but he's lost right now, and nothing seems to comfort him. What's a pastor to do with a situation like this. I guess I could quote a bunch of scripture and try to force this guy to see the obvious wisdom of a surrender to Christ. I could condescendingly tell him that life's not fair, and he should just deal with it. I could rebuke him for living a less than moral existence, and show him that good works are the way to find truth and freedom. There are a lot of things I could do, but I don't like any of these options.

Instead, we sat on his porch, relaxed to some good music, enjoyed some fine tobacco, and just talked. Sure, the subject of Christ's sacrifice and offer of redemption came up, but it was one among many things that we discussed. You see, I can't make that call for this guy. I can't wrestle through the depths of belief for him, but I can walk beside him in his journey. I can tell him my story and pray that he will find the same peace that I've found, but I can't walk that path to faith for him. I so wish I could, and I honestly believe he does too. I think he'd be thrilled if faith came as easily for him as it does for me, but that's not the way it works.

The way it works is that we talk about the ups and downs of life, and in so doing, we naturally cross the path of faith. When we do, either faith will win out or it won't. Either the path of faith will irresistably lure him down it's wonderful trail, or he will continue to travel down other, more certain dead ends. Either way, all I can do is listen, share my story, and continue to be a friend no matter what. After all, if he can have faith in my friendship, maybe he can one day excercise faith in my best friend. Without my unconditional friendship, my best friend may look more like a tyrant. With my friendship it's obvious that God loves those who are weak, and faith is less about being happy and more about being needy.

I'm praying for you, friend, and God knows I'm all about being your friend. May faith find you in your time of need, just as it did me.

Does Baylor Hate Black People?

I'm a college football fanatic, and am interested this year to see, of all teams, the Baylor Bears. I think Guy Morriss is a good coach, and enjoyed watching his team when he coached at Kentucky. he did a great job for the Bears last year, and I think you'll finally see some continued improvement by Baylor this year. I wish them well.

On another note, I was a bit shocked when i saw the new Baylor Football teaser that the school produced for the upcoming season. It's just funny to me that they did a video that depicts several lilly white (no doubt rich) Baylor kids running from a giant black guy.

While on the subject of Baylor, how many Baylor girls does it take to change a light bulb? Two: one to hold the diet Coke and one to call Daddy!

Anyway, I really do hope Baylor football does well this year.

A Cut Above!

Pierce, my little Autistic dream child, recently got a haircut. He's had his hair cut in the past, but it has not been such a pleasant experience. Cutting Pierce's hair is like bathing a cat. He squirms, screams, and scratches, and that's just when they put the apron on him. When the hair starts flying, he goes absolutely ballistic.

We wouldn't even worry about cutting his hair because we think it's cute when it's long, and Pierce is just one of those kids who looks adorable no matter how you style his mop. You could give the boy a mullet and he'd look magazine cover good. But when it gets long, his hair hangs over his eyes and creates a shade that allows him to hide in his own little world. The whole struggle with Autism is the isolation that it fosters, so allowing his hair to further isolate him is a big deal.

Thankfully, Pierce's therapy center started introducing elements of a haircut into his therapy, and he has been getting more and more comfortable with the apron, clippers, scissors and blow dryer for the last couple of weeks. This past Friday was the big day to finally cut his hair, and he did great! It's amazing what his therapists are able to teach him, and we couldn't be more pleased with his progress.

If you're interested in helping with Pierce's therapy, click here to read more about how you can help.

Smells Like Tiger Bait!!

Only 11 days until my beloved LSU Tigers take the field at the legendary Tiger Stadium. I know everyone's got their favorite places to watch a game, but I want to invite any of you, even if you're not a fan of the Tigers, to try to make your way to Baton Rouge on a fall Saturday night for a game in Death Valley. I'm a bit biased, but I think any fan of sports would love the environment. I've been to many great stadiums; Auburn's Jordan-Hare, A&M's Kyle Field, Colorado's Folsom Field, Florida's Swamp, Tennessee's Neyland Stadium, and many others, but I've never been anywhere like Tiger Stadium. It's loud, low-rent, and flowing with great food and drink.

I'm getting goosebumps just talking about it!!

My favorite game that I attended was the Florida game in 1997. Florida came in ranked #1 in the nation, and Steve Spurrier's team was poised to take another national title. The 14th ranked Tigers were supposed to be out of this one early, as everyone was confident the Gator's passing attack would prove too potent for the Tigers. LSU won the game 28-21. We stormed the field after the game, and it was awesome. That was in the second year of my marriage, and Kim and I celebrated that victory with my brother-in-law and the girl who would become his wife. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Anyway, I love Tiger Stadium, and apparently so does this guy. He ranks it #1 on his list of college game day experiences. Geaux Tigers!!

This Chick's Got Guts

What do you think of this lady's views? This was aired live on Al Jazeerah, the Arab television station. Pretty interesting stuff. You have to think that those Muslims who were really listening to her might be thinking, "Well, when you put it that way it sounds so bad." Is there any other way to put it?

Click here to read the entire transcript.

The Irresistible Revolution

I'm reading a really cool book called, "The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne. I'm only in the first chapter, but already there are several quotes that I've found encouraging, insightful and super challenging. Here's a sampling:

- While musing about the entertainment industry's propensity to support global initiatives like Live 8 and the One Campaign, Claiborne writes, "...but most Christian artists and preachers have remained strangely distant from human suffering, offering the world eternal assurance over prophetic imagination. Perhaps it should not surprise us that Jesus says that if the Christians remain silent, then the rocks will cry out... or the rock stars, I guess."

- While reminiscing about the great influences in his life, he writes, "In college, one of my professors said, 'Don't let the world steal your soul. Being a Christian is about choosing Jesus and deciding to do something incredibly daring with your life."

- On the humor of God: "I've grown to admire the humor of a God who uses the foolish things to shame the wisdom of this world, and weaklings to remind the strong that they may not be as mighty as they think they are (1 Cor. 1:27). And in an era of smart bombs, maybe the world needs more fools. There have always been 'fools' in the imperial courts, but it's an interesting age when folks trust the court jesters more than the court itself."

- On being an "ordinary radical": "I have a confession I'm sure many of you will find refreshing and familiar: I don't really fit into the old liberal-conservative boxes, so it's a good thing we are moving on to something new. My activist friends call me conservative, and my religious friends call me liberal. What I often get branded is 'radical.' I'ver never really minded that, for as my urban-farming friends remind me, the word radical itself means 'root.' It's from the Latin word radix, which, just like a rad-ish, has to do with getting to the root of things. But radical is not something reserved for saints and martyrs, which is why I like to compliment it with ordinary. Ordinary does not mean normal, and I lament the dreadful seduction which has resulted in Christians becoming so normal. Thankfully, there is a movement of ordinary radicals sweeping the land, and ordinary people are choosing to live in radical new ways. So this is a book for ordinary radicals, not for saints who think they have a monopoly on radical and not for normal people who are satisfied with the way things are."

So, if you get the chance, grab this interesting little book and give it a whirl. Ordinary Radicals Unite!!

The Evolution of Grumpy

Man, I'm grumpy today. I told a little white lie to my wife last night, and she caught me (I told her I changed the filter on the A/C, and I didn't. What a stupid lie!), I missed a deadline at work, and it's haunting me, and a good friend informed me that a ministry I'm involved with isn't doing so well. I'm not upset about these things as much as I am just angry. It's irritating to live this life!!

I find myself asking, "why can't everybody just leave me alone!", but I still have this desire to be around people. I hate being alone, but I also hate the pressure and responsibility I face each day. What a silly, confused little man I am.

Today is the staff day of prayer, and we heard a beautiful message from Jackie Roese, our women's pastor. Jackie's such a gifted communicator. She summed up my frustrations, and led me to see the one thing that I need in order to continue to live this life with joy instead of grumpy irritation. She spoke of Martha and her tendency to value "distractions" more than a place of honor and knowledge at the feet of Jesus. I could relate.

So what does it mean to sit at the feet of Jesus? Maybe it's that sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seet kind of listening that you do when you hear to a song that is saying something important and moving. Maybe it's living life with the same kind of optimistic anticipation that you have when your favorite team runs onto the field for the first game. Maybe it's confessing all your anger and frustration on a blog and learning as you write that Jesus loves you and will give you peace... even though you're a liar, a deadline misser, and a manager of a failed ministry. Maybe it's just taking the time to sort it all out and be still.
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I'm calm now, and Jesus has done his thing with me again. He has shown me that I'm deeply flawed, but his love is deeper. He's given me a desire to love and know him, not by making me feel bad and guilty, but by reaching down in grace to pick me up, dust me off, and send me on the way. He's been good to me. I'm not so grumpy anymore.

40 Feet of Meaning

We used to live in a 1,100 sq ft home on 2nd Avenue in Corsicana, TX. We were very thankful for the house, but it was definitely nothing special. The house was drafty, creaky and roughly the size of a sardine can, but the rent was low and it was a good fit for us at the time. It had a particularly interesting kitchen, and that was the room where I did some serious pondering about life and death.

There was no dishwasher in this joint, so each evening I would stand at the kitchen sink, look out the window, and hand wash the dishes. The view from that tiny window was profound and disturbing, and I'll never forget what it taught me. You see, just beyond that kitchen glass - spread across a 40 foot span - lay a grassy front lawn, the busiest street in town and a somewhat eerie cemetary. It was a seriously strange view, but at least the neighbors across the street were quiet!

There were three specific meanings associated with each of these very different changes in scenery. The grassy lawn symbolized the safety, fun, comfort and simplicity of childhood. The busy street signified the responsibility, risk, challenge and frantic pace of adult life. This thought was only intensified by the fact that we were constantly afraid that our kids would escape our view, if only for a moment, and run into that busy street. I guess that could be symbolic of the varitable car wreck that most families experience when their kids become teenagers. The cemetary vividly represented the hopeless, dark, frightening and inevitable nature of death. These were the thougths that would run through my mind while taking in life's panorama from that silly window. Pretty deep stuff for a guy washing dishes, eh?

It was at that point in my life when I began to realize that there were no divisions between the sacred and the secular. All of life, whether a busy street, a cemetary or an episode of Spongebob Squarepants tells something about a greater story. I see it at the movies, or in a sporting event or at a family picnic. There's no such thing as a moment void of greater meaning.

Does that mean that we walk through life looking for "deep" stuff to the point that we can't enjoy a brainless moment while zoning out in our easy chairs to mindless sit-coms? I hope not, as that's one of my favorite past-times. I thnk it means that we have to open our eyes, even in seemingly ordianry moments, to something bigger. Pastor and author Erwin McManus says that most people he knows want to be people characterized by great faith. Unfortunatly, says McManus, most people "resist the tedious journey of being faithful." The journey of faithfulness, in my estimation, begins with perspective. It seems to me that the true Christian perspective is one that sees the panorama of life and is compelled to be faithful because the stakes are so high. After all, life and death are sometimes only 40 feet away.

Man, Look at all that Stuff!

So lately I've been thinking a lot about the world we live in. Our church staff talked yesterday about being "good managers" of "God's economy", and it got me thinking about what that really means. Does it mean that we rearrange our lives so that we can have enough money to be generous financial givers? Does it mean that we change our priorities so that we can send our kids to college and retire with financial security? Does it mean that we quit buying cars with borrowed money and pay our houses off in 15 years? Just what does it mean to manage what God's given us with wisdom and responsibility?

Well, as I sit in a Starbucks writing this, I'm looking out the window at our world. There's a lot to look at. Cars, convenience stores, shops, auto repair garages, laundry and dry cleaning services, colleges, hospitals, restaraunts, churches, Radio Shack's, and the list goes on, and on... and on... and on (this could go on forever...). And that's just from my window view at the corner of Gaston and N. Haskell in Dallas! We live in a culture of goods and services, and quite frankly, we have more goods than is good, and more services than we can possibly service.

Our culture used to make stuff because we needed it, but those days are over. Now we make stuff for the same reason dogs lick themselves: because we can. There was no need to advertise stuff in the old days because there was no need to be "sold" on something you already knew you needed. Now we can't escape advertising. It's on the sides of busses, it's kalidescope frames the freeway, and a pregnant lady recently sold her belly on ebay as advertising space (the winning bid was $1,000). Anybody ever wonder why we're so marketing driven?

The reason is that we make more stuff than we need these days, and in order to sell all that un-needed crap we have to convince people that they need it. Problem is after we've convinced them, we have to come up with a way for them to pay for it. Enter the credit card. After all, you can buy anything on credit! So now we find ourselves as the richest country in the history of the world, but we're also more in debt than ever!! Nowadays, over 50% of US families routinely spend more each year than they earn, and roughly 70% of US families live paycheck to paycheck. Shameful considering the fact that millions of people throughout the world are living on beans and rice while we struggle to payoff our mini-van.

I'm as guilty as the rest of us. We've made our fair share of ridiculuous financial mistakes, and I've never been motivated to get a handle on it. I think it's because I've been coming at it from the wrong standpoint. I've been looking at it from a practical point of view. If I get a handle on my money, I'll be able to retire with securty, pay for my kids college and give more generously. Those are all good things, but they can't be the primary motivation for a change. This change has to be radical. It's about a lot more than money. This thing is about a revolution in the way that we view all of life.

It's time to get back to our needs and not our wants. It's time to view our finances as a luxury and not a right. It's time for us to view money as part of the same spiritual perspective in which we view worship and discipleship. It's time for us to downsize. Now, that's a radical shift, and I'm motivated by it.

It's time for me to leave Starbucks. I'm getting some weird vibes from the young corporates in this place who seem to be able to sense what I'm writing about. I have this way of making people in business attire who order skinny white chocolate fraps very nervous. I guess I'll hop in my 1988 Buick Park Avenue and make my way home. I'm going to keep looking at the world as I head that way in hopes that I may someday see less and not more.

10 Years... and Counting

In ninth grade I met a cute blonde with a great sense of humor and an impecable reputation. Little did I know that she would one day become my wife. In this day and age of high divorce rates and low committment levels, I consider it a rare blessing to be able to say that I've never regretted being married to Kim for one moment. She's a true gift, and she's as beautiful as ever. Thanks, Honey, for 10 wonderful years. Maybe we can celebrate by taking the kids to McDonalds!!

What's your Worldview?

Take this quiz to see what your theological worldview is. I'm going to take it now!!

This and other great stuff at Bag of Nothing!!

Mel Gibson Recieves Counseling

OK, it's bad, but I couldn't help posting this picture. Lord, please forgive me.

Many people have wondered, while reading this very blog, why the name "Cajun Roast Beef" was chosen to represent my thoughts on life, faith and stuff. The name comes from my favorite sandwhich, served at Pronia's, a Lake Charles, La deli. This sandwhich is a beast - loaded with cajun spiced roast beef and some sort of "special sauce" that I dare not ask the ingredients. I've been eating the CRB for years now, and it's one of the many things I look forward to partaking of when I return home for a visit.

So why name my blog after this one of a kind sandwhich? How should I know? I like the sandwhich, and I like the name. I don't have to worry about anyone else stealing the name, and it fits my personality. I love food and culture, and this blog represents my somewhat spicy and kind of unique perspective on life (at least I'd like to think so). Anyway, if you're ever in the big L.C., be sure to stop by Pronia's deli for a Cajun Roast Beef. Until then, this blog will act as the digital embodiment of the kind of strange deliciousness that you experience when eating the sandwhich itself. Mmmmmmm.

Israeli History and the Current Conflict

Israel and Lebanon are in quite a mess. There are a lot of opinions floating around about this conflict - The US should put pressure on Israel for an immediate cease fire; Israel is overreacting; Hezbollah deserves what it gets for its terrorism; Israel has a right to defend itself. What's a white bread American dude to think? Is there any way I can even have an opinion on this thing given that I live in a peaceful suburb in freaking Texas, and my only worry these days is whether my grass will survive the August heat?

Well, I'm not sure I have much of a solid opinion on this conflict. I can certainly see why there are such varying views on this matter. It is, no doubt, a complicated issue, so I thought I'd give a brief history of the conflict surrounding Israel. This is not a comprehensive history, but it should give some insight as to why Israel is such a hotbed of activity in the Middle East. This is not a history of the Israel/Hezbollah conflict as much as it is a history of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The two are certainly tied closely, but not entirely the same. This should, however, help give the average person an idea of why the region is so divided. I can't claim to be completely objective in this report because of my Judeo-Christian worldview, but I will try to just give the facts that are pertinent to this issue. Here goes:

Judea, home of the Jews in ancient times (From the time of Jacob until just before the time of Christ - some 1,500 years), was conquered by the Romans and renamed Palestine (Remember when Jesus was crucified by Roman order, and Paul was imprisoned in Rome?). Palestine was later conquered and inhabited by Arabs for over a thousand years. The Zionist movement arose to restore the Jews to Israel, largely ignoring the existing Arab population. Following the Balfour Declaration in 1917, Palestine was granted to Britain as a League of Nations mandate to build a national home for the Jewish people. The Arabs resented the Jews coming in to take their land. Led by Grand Mufti Hajj Amin El Husseini, they rioted repeatedly and later revolted, creating a history of enmity between Jews and Arabs in Palestine. Britain stopped Jewish immigration to Palestinein 1938.

Following the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis, pressure on Britain increased to allow Jewish immigration to Palestine. In 1947, the UN partitioned the land into Arab and Jewish states. The Arabs did not accept the partition and war broke out. The Jews won a decisive victory, expanded their state and created several hundred thousand Palestinian refugees. The Arab states refused to recognize Israel or make peace with it. Wars broke out in 1956, 1967, 1973 and 1982, and there were many terror raids and Israeli reprisals.

In the 90's, negotiations occurred at Camp David and Taba, Egypt. Israel offered to turn over 97% of the land in the West Bank and all of Gaza, as well as Arab sections of Jerusalem. This offer was turned down by the Palestinians. Israel is currently implementing a controversial disengagement plan proposed by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. So far, Israel has removed all of its civilian and military presence in the Gaza Strip, (namely 21 Jewish settlements there, and four in the West Bank). Israel does maintain exclusive control in the air space of Gaza, and continues to conduct military activities, including incursions, in the territory. The Israeli government argues that "as a result, there will be no basis for the claim that the Gaza Strip is occupied territory."

The Israeli/Hezbollah conflict is similar in that Hezbollah is an Islamic civil and military force dedicated to fighting the Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon. Hezbollah was formed out of the Iranian movement that was responsible for the Iran Hostage Crisis in the late 70's/early 80's. Formed in 1982, Hezbollah has carried out many terrorist activities throughout the world. The United State's first introduction to Hezbollah was the April 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut that killed 63. Since then, Hezbollah has continued its assault on Israel and friends of Israel by carrying out the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, a suicide truck bombing that killed 241 U.S. Marines in their barracks in Beirut in October 1983; bombing the replacement U.S. Embassy in East Beirut on September 20, 1984, killing 20 Lebanese and two U.S. soldiers; and carrying out the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 en route from Athens to Rome.

Hezbollah has also resorted to kidnapping in its quest to fight Israel. In 1994, Hezbollah kidnapped three Israeli soldiers and exchanged them for over 1,000 Lebanese prisoners held by the Israeli government. The current war between Israel and Hezbollah is the result of the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers. Rather than surrendering to the release of prisoners in exchange for the soldiers, Israel has decided to instead engage Hezbollah in a conflict. This is an ugly mess, and there do not seem to be any easy answers to this war.

I hope this is a helpful overview of the history of the Israeli conflicts. I don't think we in the US have any idea of the kind of zealous measures that people are willing to pursue to maintain/recover the land they claim as their own. The only thing I could relate it to would be if Native Americans were to displace US citizens claiming that the land was rightfully theirs. Nobody could blame Native Americans for wanting their land back, but it would be difficult to blame US citizens for fighting against such a claim. Even this kind of conflict wouldn't be sufficiently analogous to the conflicts we see in the Middle East. These are ancient conflicts that have been ingrained in the lives of those on both sides. I wish I had more hope that a resolution were attainable. In any case, I pray for peace in this region. It's all I can do.

If you love Jesus, say "Ho!"

I showed this video at our collge worship service last night, and it brought the house down. It's from the Saddleback Worship Conference, and might be the best Christian parody I've ever seen. The dance moves are my favorite. Check it out and enjoy!!

The Statue of Liberation!!

My man Keith and his amazing site, bagofnothing.com, has given me a virtual gold mine of information. I'll be stealing lots of stuff from Keith, but let's begin with a post that I wrote a little while back about the fine line between idolatry and celebration that many churches walk on traditionally patriotic holidays.

You think this church went over the line?

The Statue of Liberation also replaces the famous inscription with the lines “Give me your tired, your poor … ” with Roman numerals representing the Ten Commandments, and in place of a torch, she held aloft a large gold cross

A tear falling from her right eye represents her concern for America, church pastor Apostle Alton R. Williams said.

Beef Jerky!!

Sometimes you just see something that makes you "sad/happy". That's the feeling you get when your heart aches to the point of tears, but you also want to belly laugh at the same time. This strange blend of emotions doesn't occur often, but when it does it's quite a sensation.

I recently experienced sad/happiness at the sight of a wretched animal in Mexico. I didn't recognize this vile beast until it was almost too late, but when he made a full appearance, sad/happiness is the only way I can describe my emotional response. I was pushing a small Ford car backward down a crusty dirt road when one of the ladies in our group shouted "Watch out for that dog!" "He'll move" I replied, but I never saw any movement, and it appeared that whatever was taking refuge from the heat under that Ford may not have been alive. Suddenly a black 4 legged creature appeared from under the car. This... thing... scurried off into the distance, and it looked like gristle with legs. I swear I've seen charbroiled meat that looked more alive than this thing.

We affectionalely named the beast "Beef Jerky", and joked that he was under that car stroking a ring, whispering "My precious". He was Gollum meets charcoal, and he made me sad/happy. I was sad that we were witnessing an animal that was so beaten down and void of love that he was literally wasting away, and I was happy that I got to see something that was so ugly any description wouldn't do it justice. I know it sounds cruel of me to ever be happy about something like that, but c'mon, how many times in your life do you get to see creatures that are the things of myths and legends?

I'm obviously not a card-carrying member of PETA, but my heart really went out to this dog. He was a microcosm of his community; poor, hungry and in desperate need of help. That was the most tragic thing about Beef Jerky... he needed more help than we could give him... just like the community from whence he came.

Praise for "Hallelujah"

I'm a big fan of the song "Hallelujah", originally written and performed by Leonard Cohen, the Canadian writer/musician. This song has been covered and re-covered, but my favorite version has to be Jeff Buckley's haunting rendition on his 1996 release "Grace". The song is a bit depressing, but there's not a better sit-in-your-car-after-a-long-day-and-look-at-the-moon-and-drive song, ever. You've got to listen to it when you're in the right mood or else you'll miss the greatness.

Anyway, here's a link to a vast collection of "Hallelujah" with renditions by Buckley, Sheryl Crow, Imogen Heap, Bono and Bob Dylan, just to name a few. Check it out and enjoy!!

Special thanks to my man Keith and www.bagofnothing.com for the list. You the man, Keith (and you have one of the funniest and most interesting sites I've seen in a while)!!

The Upside of Primitive

I'm still digging rocks out of my shoes and nursing blisters on my hands from a trip I recently took to Mexico with 11 college students. We participated in a vacation Bible school for Mexican children, poured a concrete floor in a small church (Power and Victory Church in Acuna, Mexico), built a latrine for the church and cleared the land around the church of those pesky mesquite bushes. I feel like a zombie today in large part due to the hard work we did all week, but there is something else gnawing at me like a Mexican street dog on a rare scrap of food.

Everything we did in Mexico was as primitive as it gets. We mixed concrete in the dirt, leveled the floor with a 2x4 and dug the latrine with a pick axe and a large rock-crushing steel wedge. The VBS was nothing special, just a few crafts, some games and a puppet show. It was not even comparable with the mega-entertaining VBS's that many churches pull off for thousands of kids each summer. This thing was dirty, gritty and hot. Most of us clean, suburban parents wouldn't have allowed our kids to attend for fear of dehydration. So, with all the poverty we witnessed, the heat we endured and the dirty little kids we hugged and kissed, this might have been my favorite trip ever. And that's where this thing starts gnawing at me.

Why in the world do we think we have to be so sophisticated to get the most out of life? In our culture we constantly hear that without an education, or money or some level of luxury, we can't really be a part of the "American Dream." Well, if being a part of that dream means that we can't find meaning in the primitive aspect of serving each other, the dream is more like a nightmare. Since when did our culture begin to value the almighty dollar over the kind of riches that can only be found in sweating to the point of dehydration for someone else's benefit? When did we start to place more weight on entrepreneurialism than charity? When did the primitive things that taught us things like hard work, community and helping your neighbor get replaced by the sophisticated things that showed us that the bottom line means more than the least of these, efficiency matters more than the process and rugged individualism is better than community support? How could we have been so stupid as to buy into this junk?

Here's how... after all I've shared with you in the lines above, I'd still rather live in my suburban home, chock full of comfy furniture and amenities, than live in a Mexican hut in a bario community. As long as I/we value comfort over community, we're doomed to sleep in the shallow beds we've made for ourselves. When will we begin to see through all the stuff and get to the heart of the matter, which, for that matter, is the heart. How would our culture look different if we got more primitive and actually cared about things that mattered more than things that materialized? In other words, what would happen if we loved each other more than our stuff? Personally, I think we'd be much better off... or do I? Question: If I really felt that way, why wouldn't I live every day like my trip to Mexico? Answer: Because I'm too comfortable living with things just as they are.

Ever get the feeling life would be much better if we were more primitive?

Corporate Church?

OK, I had this funny thought last night (it doesn't happen often, so when it does, I have to write it down). We were talking about church building projects, and somebody said that it's always better if a church can find an investor to front a large portion of the money needed for a new building. That got me thinking that we're not far from acquiring corporate church sponsorships.

Say hello to your new church staff!

Think of that picture: The pastor stands at the "Interstate Batteries" podium in a three piece suit with patches on the lapel and sleeves reflecting the logos of sponsors like "Slim Jim" or "Yahoo", or - heaven forbid - "Viagra". Before delivering the sermon the worship pastor, wearing a suit adorned with logos of hair care products like "Paul Mitchell" would ask everyone to turn to hymn #44 in their "Black and Decker" Hymnals. The pastor would then stand and thank all the sponsors for making the service possible, while opening a bottle of "Coke" only a few inches from his face.

It was just a funny thought, that's all. Shoot, I wouldn't put it past some of these guys in the church growth movement to go to any lengths to get that nice, shiny new auditorium. Let's just all pray that we don't go the way of major league baseball by having corporate sponsorship for our churches.

"I'd like to welcome you all this morning to Ameriquest Sanctuary at First Baptist Church." Sheesh!

A Restless Tale

I am very restless lately. I kind of have that same feeling I had in college when only the slightest amount of down time promted a spontaneous road trip. That phrase - "road trip" - was really a tangible expression of the concept of freedom, a chance to leave it all behind and throw caution to the wind. If I'm honest, the thought of spontaneous freedom still tugs at me like mid-day hunger pains.

It's silly, I know, to still think in those terms. After all, I've been happily married for nearly ten years, have 4 kids, work a full-time job and live in suburbia. When am I ever going to grow up? If, after all these years, I haven't learned to quench the restlessness of my soul, what's it going to take? Of course another question might be, if all the road trips I've taken never quenched my restless soul, is there anything that could?

I've always looked at this restlessness as a bad thing, something that should be despised and curtailed. Now I'm wondering if restlessness is just as natural in this life as traffic and mysterious itchiness (you know, like when your back itches for no apparent reason?). Maybe it's just selfishness of the highest order, or maybe it's the sting of living a small life in a big world. G.K. Chesterton, the great British writer, said "With every step of our lives we enter into the middle of some story which we are certain to misunderstand." Chesterton may not have stated it strongly enough. These days it's more like we are so sick of misunderstanding the story that we no longer embrace the story, but the misunderstanding. We're left with grave uncertainty and empty restlessness, and it seems there's not much of a cure for either.

The only time I feel alive and free is when I connect the dots to this great masterpiece in which we live. When I see the great story at work, when my heart is awakened by an element of nature or art or relationship, and I see God's great story unfold. Only then - if just for a moment - does freedom infiltrate this world and fill my heart with hope. As Frederick Buechner writes,

"It is a world of magic and mystery, of deep darkness and flickering starlight. It is a world where terrible things happen and wonderful things too. It is a world where good is pitted against evil, love against hate, order against chaos, in a great struggle where often it is hard to be sure who belongs to which side because appearances are endlessly deceptive. Yet for all its confusion and wildness, it is a world where the battle goes ultimately to the good, who live happily ever after, and where in the long run everybody, good and evil alike, becomes known by his true name... That is the fairy tale of the Gospel with, of course, one crucial difference from all other fairy tales, which is that it is true, that it not only happened once upon a time but has kept on happening since and is happening still." (Telling the Truth)

I am restless, but I believe. I believe because this story has been written and continues to play itself out in my life and the lives of those around me. Sometimes it's just not as glamerous as Buechner makes it sound. But there are those occasions where it is that exciting and noble and adventuresome. If you've ever had those times, you probably want to take a road trip with me right now. Maybe restlessness isn't all bad.

Soccer A Flop

OK, I gave it a shot. I really did. I tried my best to give World Cup Soccer a chance, but I'm sorry to say I didn't find it satisfying. There was only one game that really intrigued me, and that was the Germany vs. Italy match. All I got to see of this game was the extra time minutes, and there was some fantastic action. Aside from that, I found the matches to be slow-paced, boring and full of some of the worst fake injuries I've ever seen.

Take for instance the guy from Italy who was head-butted by the guy from France in the finals (I'm so into this sport that I refer to its top athletes as "the guy"). Now, the guy from France is trained to head balls all over the field, and that makes his head a weapon of sorts, but it literally looked like the guy from Italy was hit at point blank range by a civil war cannon ball. I've never seen anyone that damaged in my life! To be honest, that was one of the more legitimate flops in the World Cup. Guys were flailing around all over the field, as if a sniper on the roof had just nailed them with an assault rifle, at the mere thought of a collision. It was ridiculous.

While on the subject, I'd like to know more about those stretchers that they used to carry "injured" players off the field. Were they made from the Shroud of Turin? There was obviously something supernatural about them because each time they'd carry an injured player off on one of those things, he'd return to the game only moments later with no signs of injury. After writhing on the ground for five minutes, and being hauled to the locker room on a stretcher, these guys would lolly-gag right back into the game and take off after the ball like a cheetah after a gazelle. So much for the life-threatening injury they seemed to have attained.

Look, I'm a sports nut. I love competition, but I just can't seem to make the leap from great games like football, basketball, baseball and hockey... to soccer. If you love the game, I mean you no disrespect. You probably hate football or some other sport that I adore. I'm not offended by that thought at all. I might give your game a second try if they stop all the ridiculous flopping. This is sports after all, not the Academy Awards.

My Brother Wrote a Book!

My brother just published a book called "All Things New: A very basic training on the End Times". Rusty has always been an achiever, but I can't imagine the kind of discipline it takes to put together such a work. Congratulations, Russ, on your first book. It won't surprise me at all to see another one come along soon.

Rusty has been generous enough to donate a large sum of the proceeds of this book to Project Pierce, my autistic son's educational fund. Thanks a bunch, big bro!!

An Eye Opening Experience (Warning: not for the faint of heart)

OK, this probably falls under the "too much information" category, but I went to the doctor today, and got more than I bargained for. Most of you know that I've had quite the struggle with anxiety, and the thought of going to the doctor is definitely not what the doctor ordered for those of us who get nervous at the thought of sharp needles (don't even bring up the dreaded rubber glove).

Well, needless to say, my doctor is very thorough. He asked me a few questions, and insulted my home town ("I'm surprised I can understand you. I've been to Lake Charles, and I have no idea what those Louisiana people are saying"), and then he directed me like a cow at a meat processing plant. I just blindly followed his every instruction! It's hard to remember the last time I was so completely under the spell of an authority figure. You'd have thought I was six years old again, following the instructions of my first grade teacher.

Not only did I get a shot, but I also had to go through the light-headed misery that comes when a person with General Anxiety Disorder gets their blood drawn by some lifeless, soul-less phlebotomist with no bedside manner. I swear this woman had shark eyes. Nothing's more creepy than shark eyes.

The worst part of the visit came when the doctor calmly asked me to drop my pants, and lean on that sanitized prefabricated cushion with the tissue paper draped across it like a coffee table runner. I swallowed hard, dropped my drawers, and listened carefully for the latex glove to pop against his clammy wrist. Then it happened. It's difficult to go into any detail here, but let's just say lubrication was involved, kind of like when you use liquid soap to get a ring off of your finger, except not like that at all.

Anyway, even though my appointment was at 7:30AM, I was certainly not sleepy when I left. I managed to get out of there with updated shots and records, but I also lost something pretty important. Noticeably missing from my person when I left was my dignity. Oh well, I guess it's better to lose your dignity for a day than to find out you've got prostate cancer. I think I'll take that trade any time.

No spiritual message here. I just thought I'd share with you the kind of stuff you go through when your doctor decides to get serious about your health. It's a pretty eye opening experience!

When Church Becomes State

I'm sure I'd disagree with this guy on many issues of faith and politics, but he got it right in his journal entry entitled "Red, White and Blue Idolatry & Why I Walked out of Sunday Morning Service". I've often felt this same sentiment as I sat in church and watched the service turn into a 4th of July celebration. I love America with the best of them, but church exists to give worshipers an opportunity to pledge their allegiance to much more than the stars and stripes.

When churches equate nationalism with divine faith, they head down a dangerous path. Ask Nazi Germany how all that worked out. Maybe it's time that churches adopted a "Separation of state and church" clause. It's toatlly appropriate to thank God for the blessing of living in a place that embraces freedom, but it couldn't be less appropriate to dedicate a service to the blessing rather than the blesser. That's the highest form of idolatry.

Warning: Product Endorsement

OK, I never do this, but I am going to promote a product on my blog. In this day and age of rampant commercialism, I am very reluctant to do this, but this product is just too good for me not to share it with you.

Boulder, CO based "Crocs" are the best shoes I've ever worn. They're extremely light (6 ounces), really soft, bacteria and odor resistant (when your feet smell like mine, that's a huge selling point), and extremely comfortable. I can't bring myself to wear anything else. If you get a chance, buy yourself a pair of Crocs. Your feet will thank you!

Oh yeah, and rumor has it that Crocs are made of edible plastic. That's right, if you're lost in the middle of nowhere, you can eat your Crocs to stay alive!

Noonan!!

Peggy Noonan does it again with a funny new piece entitled "Stop Spinning: Contrarian thoughts on Hillary, flag-burning, the Times and 'The View'". Man, this is a smart lady, and her mix of wit, cynicism and common sense makes her my favorite "political" talking head. This is one person who manages to see through all the crap.

These days I'm less conservative, more (gulp) liberal, but very cynical about both of those classifications. I guess you could call me a "conservaliberal", or maybe just an independant. Either way you want to classify me, I like Peggy Noonan. It's almost like she's reading my mind. Stop it, Peggy, or I'm going to have to start charging you royalties.

Trouble for The Times

The New York Times has come under quite a bit of scrutiny lately for its decision to publish an article that apparently used classified information to detail how American forces use finances to track terrorist groups. Lt. Tom Cotton had a few harsh words for The Times in in a recent letter. This is pretty interesting stuff.

I think what we're starting to see here is that those who strongly disagree with the war are starting to let their hatred of George Bush get in the way of their message. As a result, they find themselves compromising the same kind of ethical standards that they continually accuse the Bush administration of compromising. Irony bites.

Beautiful Messes

How do you think they would’ve felt if we would have screamed and yelled at them because they were covered in mud? When I first saw them out there, practically naked, playing in the mud, I was mortified. I thought I was going to blow a gasket. They were going to bring all that stuff into the house and make a huge mess of the place, and I’d have to clean it all up. What in the heck was the matter with those boys?

Then my wife came to the rescue. She ran outside with the camera and started taking pictures of the kids. She was telling them to throw more mud at each other so that she could get some “action shots”. What was her problem? Instead of yelling at those little dirt daubers, she was encouraging this mess! I curtly shouted Kim’s name, and gave her that look that parents give each other when they don’t want to say in front of the kids, “What in the name of mud bugs are you doing?” She looked back, rolled her eyes, and said “Don’t look at the mud, honey, look at the kids.”

So I did. I looked at my naked boys, drenched in a muddy stew, and then I looked past the mud. It was like a Magic Eye poster where you stare and stare at some random design, and then a delightful image suddenly appears just beyond the surface. This delightful image was comprised of smiling mouths and gleaming eyes. It was a picture of joy and freedom, and I soon found myself grabbing the camera from my wife and joining in this beautiful mess.

John Burke, in his book No Perfect People Allowed, writes about the feeling you might have if you found an original Rembrandt covered in mud. He writes:

“Your primary concern would not be the mud at all – though it would need to be removed. You’d be ecstatic to have something so valuable in your care. But if you tried to clean it up by yourself, you might damage it. So you would carefully bring this work of art to a master who could guide you and help you restore it to the condition originally intended. When people begin treating each other as God’s masterpiece waiting to be revealed, God’s grace grows in their lives and cleanses them.” – pg.97

Burke’s basic question is “Do you see the mud or the masterpiece?”

What kind of person am I? Do I look for the mud in the lives of others, or do I patiently perceive, Magic Eye style, the masterpiece’s around me? I’m afraid I usually don’t take the time to look for the beautiful messes of life. Instead, I walk around soured by this dirty world. I use my faith like a bottle of weed killer. In so doing, I kill the good plants with the weeds. Rather than allowing God to convict and change peoples lives, I feel the need to relieve Him so that he can take a lunch break, and I can be the boss.

Well, I’m not the boss (thank God), and it’s not really my job to clean people up. All I can do is accept them for who they are and point them toward the one with the ability to change them. What happens next isn’t up to me. If it were, I’d probably be looking for cleaner people. Unfortunately, I think we’ve all had our fair share of mud baths.

"Pocket Guide" Better than Pocket Lint

Not long ago I read a hilarious little book called "The Pocket Guide to The Apocalypse" by Jason Boyett. This book was sheer joy. Finally something on the end times that didn't take itself so seriously! At last a book about eschatology that made me laugh out loud! Any book that has within its pages an "apocalyptionary" that defines end times terminology, and a list of possible anti-Christ candidates (repute with Hitler, Reagan, and Clinton, among others) is a must read. I'm telling you, if you haven't read this little gem, buy it today.

Well, Mr. Boyett is at it again with his "Pocket Guide to The Bible." He was recently interviewed by noted Caedmon's Call drummer and really cool guy, Todd Bragg, for the Common Grounds blog. I've linked the article for your perusal here. Check out this taste of the interview and enjoy the read! It's one of the funniest interviews I've ever read.

Bragg: What sort of impact would you like to see the Pocket Guide to the Bible make on the reader, or culture at large?

Boyett:I'd like the individual reader to buy the book, enjoy the process of reading it, and find themselves intrigued enough by the Bible to, upon finishing my book, crack open the source material. If my book were to be considered a biblical appetizer, I'd be thrilled.

As for the culture-at-large, I'd like it to have the same impact as The Da Vinci Code, which is to say, I want it to be so powerful it makes Tom Hanks grow his hair weird. That's not overly ambitious, is it? Am I aiming too high?

Bragg: Have you thought of making a Pocket Guide that actually fits in your pocket?

Boyett: Have you thought about buying pants with bigger pockets? It's time to scrap those dungarees, Todd, and graduate to cargo pants.

Funny stuff!!

Land, Ponds and Freedom

Roughly twenty five years ago there were ten or so kids who threw down their bb guns in the middle of a cow pasture in order to jump into a small pond for a swim. These kids threw mud at each other, splashed each other in the face and frantically screamed as imaginary snakes attacked. It was dirty, raw fun, and although there were no Gameboys or Playstations, there was some serious entertainment.

Last weekend I watched as my children and their cousins swam in the same pond my siblings, cousins and I enjoyed so many years ago. They threw the same mud, splashed each other in the face with the same water and frantically screamed at the same imaginary snakes that so wonderfully terrorized us a quarter of a century back. That old pond still sits nearly 150 yards from my grandparents house, and as we watched the kids I could almost see Nana shaking out the rug on the front porch as Paw paw sorted through his tackle box for just the right bait for a trip to the pond that afternoon. It was a flood of simple yet delightful memories.

My Father used to call that land his "therapy", and he said a few days at the 7HR ranch (the name my grandfather gave to his land) was better than any phsychologist he knew. My uncle, whose grave now rests a mere twenty feet from the pond, spent every free hour of his adult life working the land of that ranch. He successfully raised cattle and built a small empire on the west side of the land. His wife and children still live there today. As a child, I remember every important person in my life gathering at the ranch for a nice meal, some great family time and a few moments in the country where the hum of the interstate couldn't be heard, and every star in the sky looked as bright a well decorated Christmas roof.

Those were the simple times of freedom and rest. There was no worry that a deadline wouldn't be met, no stress about an overdue project. We listened to old country music (the real stuff), and ate like kings. We'd tell ghost stories and put grass between our teeth, and there was nothing like the acres and acres of freedom that was found in that remote setting.

As I looked at my kids swimming in that pond I felt free for the first time in a long time. I was reminded of the kind of freedom that Paul talks about in Romans 6-8. The kind of freedom that you know you have, but find difficult to attain. The freedom that comes with knowing Christ, but is hidden by the hopeless cycles of life. As I looked on, I prayed that God would set me free to embrace the freedom that Christ has already given me. Just like that old pond, God's freedom is always there. Sometimes we just need to forget about all the "stuff" and just play in it.

Leadership the Hard Way

I've learned a ton about leadership this year. It's been a very successful year in many respects, but I've definitely had my share of failures. The year has taught me vital lessons about what it means to lead. Ultimately I've found that leadership is very hard work, and is not for the faint of heart.

This year I've had to fire an employee, confront several people who suffer from various mental disorders and deal with my own personal demons along the way.
Leadership lesson #1: It's a mixed bag. There are so many wonderful people whom I have the pleasure of knowing as a result of my priviledged position as a pastor. There are also many relationships that are challenging, and some that are downright unpleasant. Leadership is a door with hinges that swing in two directions toward two separate rooms. One room is warm and wondrous. The other is cold and cruel. Both rooms, however, lie under the same leadership roof.

Another aspect of leadership that I've encountered is the principle of overactivity.
Leadership lesson #2: People will gladly bite off more than they can chew. Most folks are terrible at knowing their limits. Unfortunately our current leadership culture takes advantage of people's good sense, and we make them feel guilty if they're not doing enough, and guilty if they're doing too much. As a result we have a huge throng of people who have either dropped the leadership ball altogether or are pants-on-fire busy with various projects they have no business getting involved with. There is no middle ground these days, but the majority of people I know have a very hard time limiting themselves to the core aspects of their effectiveness.

My final leadership lesson is one that I've always known, but have never truly experienced until this year.
Leadership lesson #3: Be transparent about your own struggles. Effective leadership is not ivory tower, untouchable leadership that never honestly expresses the true nature. Real leadership is broken about personal and corporate struggles. It is these struggles that make leaders approachable and tolerable, while building loyalty from those who follow.

My greatest leadership successes this year have come as a result of quite possibly the biggest shortcoming I've ever experienced. Shortly after my diagnosis of General Anxiety Disorder, I wrote an article for our church magazine entitled "Too Sick to Pray." In it I detailed how this struggle had taken hold of my life in a very serious way, and how shocking it was to experience my own limitations. That honesty has resutled in greater impact on others, and deeper loyalty from others. People have responded to this struggle with open arms, and they've taken me more - not less - seriously because of my honesty.

Leadership is an industry these days. Everywhere I look there is a new leadership best seller. It is often over-analyzed, and definitely over financed, but it feeds people's desire to feel important. Hopefully these few lessons I've learned will demonstrate that leadership isn't always about getting ahead. Sometimes it's about getting hurt, humbled and haggard. One thing's for sure: you'll learn a lot more about leadership from leading than from reading a book about leading.

Abortion Makes My Head Hurt

My Good Friend, Dr. Denny Burk, wrote this post on his blog, and I couldn't help but use it here. I'm going to post it in its entirety because it makes some fantastic points about abortion. I still, for the life of me, can't understand how so many peace-loving Americans can buy in to such barbarism. I'm truly baffled by the abortion debate... or even that there is a debate at all.

Here's Dr. Burk's post:

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Peter Berkowitz reviews Ramesh Ponnuru’s anti-abortion tour de force The Party of Death. In this critical review, Berkowitz puts forth the same pro-abortion arguments that have been refuted time and again by pro-lifers. He writes:

Invisible to the naked eye, lacking body or brain, feeling neither pleasure nor pain, radically dependent for life support, the early embryo, though surely part of the human family, is distant and different enough from a flesh-and-blood newborn that when the early embryo’s life comes into conflict with other precious human goods or claims, the embryo’s life may need to give way (source).

The problem with Berkowitz’s critique is that none of the deficiencies he lists make a human a human. His argument is essentially this: “Since the unborn are really small, since they are not fully developed, since they are after all invisible to us in their mother’s womb, and since they are dependent upon another for life support, they therefore do not have a right to life as other persons do.”

Is this really what Berkowitz believes? Do we treat small people as less human than bigger people? Do we treat one-year olds as less human than fourteen year olds because the one-year olds aren’t fully developed yet? Do we treat the person who depends on insulin or kidney dialysis as less than human because of the degree of their dependency on another for life? Of course not. We don’t treat such people as less than human because we all know that personhood is not dependent upon size, level of development, environment, or degree of dependency.

Berkowitz really misses the point here, and his critique of Ponnuru rings really hollow precisely for this reason.