Hey, Ya Know What?

Derek Webb and His New Controversy

So, Derek Webb, who I really enjoy, has a new album coming out, Stockholm Syndrome. It will actually have a “Clean” and “Explicit” version. For those who don’t know his music or why that matters, this guy sings about Jesus and the Church.

So, the huge controversy is his song “What Matters More”. As with most of his songs, it is very well written and very challenging. I am going to post a link to the song and the lyrics here. Tell me what you think. I will post my thoughts later…

You say you always treat people like you like to be
I guess you love being hated for your sexuality
You love when people put words in your mouth
'Bout what you believe, make you sound like a freak

'Cause if you really believe what you say you believe
You wouldn't be so damn reckless with the words you speak
Wouldn't silently conceal when the liars speak
Denyin' all the dyin' of the remedy

Tell me, brother, what matters more to you?
Tell me, sister, what matters more to you?

If I can tell what's in your heart by what comes out of your mouth
Then it sure looks to me like being straight is all it's about
It looks like being hated for all the wrong things
Like chasin' the wind while the pendulum swings

'Cause we can talk and debate until we're blue in the face
About the language and tradition that he's comin' to save
Meanwhile we sit just like we don't give a shit
About 50,000 people who are dyin' today

Tell me, brother, what matters more to you?
Tell me, sister, what matters

Good for You Falwell Jr.!

I killed him on the banning of the Democratic Club ban. So now that he has applied the standard across the board I will give him props. Good on ya Jerry!

College Republicans Banned at Two Religious Universities - Political News - FOXNews.com .

Liberty's chancellor, Jerry Falwell Jr., told FOXNews.com in an interview that he did not de-list the school's Republican club in response to pressure he received from booting the Democrats from campus. Rather, he said, he was applying standards equally. He said he decided that both clubs would become "unofficial" -- meaning they receive no student funding but can meet on campus under approved circumstances.

How Big (or small) is Your Gospel

Many years ago I knew a pastor who had a very simple formula for ministry. He told me it was tried and true and for a time, I believed him and believed completely in the method. If you asked him what the key to sharing the Gospel was and what it was he wanted to accomplish, his answer was this:

“Get ‘em in and get ‘em saved.”

As far as getting them saved, he was a “Romans Road” guy, and so, spent a lot of time in the book of Romans and in Paul’s letters. He had everything boiled down to this philosophy and had complete tunnel vision. He wanted to get people saved and into heaven. It was (and still is) his life’s work. I hold much respect for the man and know that God has used him to bring many to salvation.

But I always knew something was amiss. Something wasn’t quite right with it all. What I didn’t know then is not that he was wrong, but that his presentation of the Gospel was incomplete. It wasn’t until sometime around 1994 that I began to see what was missing (although I was far from getting past the trap of the “ticket to heaven” gospel.)

I was asked to teach a class to some teens in an inner city church. I had no idea what I was doing or what to even teach. So I just opened my Bible with the intent of rereading the New Testament until something jumped out. It didn’t take long. :)

I reached the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and while I had read it before, I couldn’t remember hearing many sermons or a lessons on it. The ones I did remember I discuss below.

Here was Jesus on his “Galilee Tour” with huge crowds following wherever he went. He goes up onto a hill and sits down with his disciples and begins to teach.  And the things he teaches them are revolutionary for the times (actually, they are revolutionary today).

He starts with the beatitudes, you know the “blessed are the _____” statements. As I reread these, I had a bit of an epiphany. What I though I knew about these sayings was that because Jesus said them, we were to take on these postures. Like, if those who mourn are blessed, then we should mourn for our lost friends and family. Also, because of the last line in these Beatitudes, they became rules and regulations for, yep, once again, getting into heaven. But these things just weren’t quite right.

No, as I reread these and looked back over all the heartache and hard times I had suffered from childhood up to that very point, I realized he was talking to those already in some of these postures if not all. He was speaking to me. Then I thought of the tough times the young people I was about to begin teaching were having. We were all in the same boat and this was some good news for sure.

More than anything, this encounter with scripture made me realize that while salvation was of the greatest importance, the Gospel was bigger and more all encompassing than that. As I read the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, I could see that Jesus not only wanted us back into relationship with him and his Father for all eternity, he was giving us good news for right now! He was laying out a blueprint for redemption and atonement that could give us a glimpse of his Kingdom here.

Like I said before, it took at least the next 10 years for this to sink in. At one point I became very angry with those who had taught me before. I couldn’t understand why they would skip this when it was what I and many of those close to me desperately needed to hear. And even today, I am still figuring out how all of this works together.

There is so much more I could say but will save it for future posts. But I will close this post with this question: “How big is your Gospel”?

Technorati Tags: Sermon on the Mount,Gospel,Jesus

Why Conservatives Scare Me as Much as Liberals Do

I lean conservative. Lean. I am not a crazy right winger. I've said it a million times. However, many of those "conservatives" who lean WAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY past where I am scare the hell out of me sometimes. The liberals that go just as far the other way scare me too. The further you go in one direction, whether left or right, the greater the risk of turning into a mean and hateful person. Now, on to the article I link to in this post...

Background on the dude who is the subject of the article: Don Miller is one of my favorite writers. Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What made huge impacts on me. His style is perfect for my sarcastic and humorous side and his ideas and thoughtfulness add much to my own ideas of ministry and being missional.

I do not know who Mark Tooley is, but he writes for the Weekly Standard and slams Miller hard. See, Miller, who attends a conservative evangelical church, campaigned and voted for Barack Obama. Tooley does not like this, not one bit. He also throws up the "emergents" and "emerging church" people that Miller knows to prove his devilish cred. The thing is Miller has never claimed to be a part of the movement. While these emergent people are liberal and I can't agree with them on many things, they are not the epitome of evil.

The article is so full of untruth I could scream. He doesn't even get the city that Miller lives in and attends church in correct (he lives in Portland, not Seattle). He takes pieces and parts of what Miller has said and written and builds the biggest straw man I have seen recently. The fact he doesn't toe the conservative Christian line on abortion (he is pro-life actually) and gay marriage, he becomes the evil liberal evangelical poster boy. This is where I get in trouble myself with my conservative evangelical friends. My answers and the weight I give these issues is not up to snuff.

I am not going to get too far into a defense of Miller. That is not what this post is about. I have linked to his response and he does a fine job. No, this is about scary mean people. This kind of attack is why far right and far left people scare me so much. In order to push their agendas, they have to lie and distort the truth. They use quotes out of context. They seek to destroy people. And before you know it, those on their side are whipped up into a frenzy based on NOTHING! Both sides do it. Don't even try to tell me they do not.

Why can people who stand on principles not JUST stand on those principals? Why do they have to instead go on the attack and attempt to destroy the lives and reputations of those they disagree with? Why can't they be more like Donald Miller who says the following in the blog post answering this article:

The one thing my very conservative friends and my liberal friends have in common is that they are extremely kind. I think kind people are kind and mean people are mean and it hardly matters whether they are conservative or not. It has more to do with irritable bowels, I think, or a persons controlling personality vs. their ability to trust Gods grace and speak His truth without associating a persons response to that truth with their own threatened identity. Regardless, I keep the kind friends and slyly slip away from the mean ones. Life’s too short.

I wish people could be more like that. Moreso, I wish I could be more like that.

Post-Modern Prophet

Miller's Response

Falling for Phony Jobs

Interesting article from the Wall Street Journal (not Foxnews). Go ahead and pipe in and say that the GOP and the right offer no real solutions, blah, blah, blah. They aren't allowed to. They are not in power anymore. They are not even allowed to meet with the majority Democrats to talk about many of the issues that our country is struggling with.

Anyway, this article gets to the heart of one of the biggest concerns I had and voiced: the "saving and creating" of jobs by our government via a huge stimulus package. First, it is impossible to measure how many jobs the government has "saved and created" and second, it's obviously not working, even by their own predictions. Emphasis below is mine.

Mr. Obama's comments yesterday are a perfect illustration of just such a claim. In the months since Congress approved the stimulus, our economy has lost nearly 1.6 million jobs and unemployment has hit 9.4%. Invoke the magic words, however, and -- presto! -- you have the president claiming he has "saved or created" 150,000 jobs. It all makes for a much nicer spin, and helps you forget this is the same team that only a few months ago promised us that passing the stimulus would prevent unemployment from rising over 8%.

So when do those who think the stimulus was a great idea start getting "antsy"? Or will they ever. Will pride keep them from admitting that maybe this stimulus was not a great idea? Who knows. All I know is, summer is already here and this money has done no good whatsoever...

McGurn: The Media Fall for Phony 'Jobs' Claims - WSJ.com.

Musical Marathon Today

In a little while I leave the house and be gone till after midnight. We don’t call ourselves the hardest working band in the Tri for nothing!

Here is the itinerary:

11:00 AM Arrive at Black Wolf  Harley Davidson in Bristol VA

11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Set up and sound check

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM On the stage

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Break down and pack up

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Drive to Lakeview Marina and maybe grab some food

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Setup and Sound Check (and maybe some rest)

7:00 PM – 11:00 PM On the stage

11:00 PM – 12:00ish – Break Down, Pack up and head home

Long day, but the extra money sure does help and I know we’ll have some fun, meet some new people, and hang out with plenty of friends and family.

It’s Not About Biased or Un-Biased

I have been accused of saying that in political matters I am un-biased. Actually, I never said that. In fact, it would be silly for ANYONE to say that. Of course I have biases. We all do! There are certain convictions that most of us stand by. Those who don’t, well, God help the. We all have a particular world view and our stances are shaped by them. No, I have never claimed to being un-biased and if I did, I must have been loopy that day.

What I have claimed is that I will, to the very best of my ability, be open and listen to another view. And I do that. I can listen to another view, take it in, and process it against what I currently think or believe. At that point I make a judgment. Some times I will agree and adopt/reconcile it into my own views. Other times I will not be able to agree with it and will say so. Not a thing wrong with rejecting an idea.

Here is the problem. There are too many people who think a person is close minded if they reject an argument from the other side. The only way a person can be open minded is if they hear your side and accept it. That is pure nonsense. Again, it comes back to convictions, and if we slide on those for the sake of “open mindedness”, we are weak minded and spineless. And beyond that, some people called you biased and close minded for even stating an opinion contrary to their own.

I love when someone makes a good argument about their position. Even if I don’t agree afterwards, I can appreciate and respect the way they communicate their convictions. What irks me is when I feel I have made an argument and the responder takes whacks at my convictions by changing the terms and content of the debate. We should listen to what a person is saying and respond to that. When I comment on a blog or a Facebook post, I aim at what is actually being said and do not try to pull other factors in.

Look at my post yesterday as an example of this. If I am posting about Obama and how I think he is not making good on his promise of promoting a post-racial, unified society, don’t respond with Bush comments and the GOP is evil. I am not Bush. I am not the GOP. I am not even a republican! I am someone who is a stakeholder in good race relations and if our President does something that I think is harmful to them I will speak out. I don’t care if his name is Bush or Obama. And I have spoken out against both of them.

So, am I biased? Yes. Do I go right down the line with one party? No. Can I listen to the other side? Absolutely. It is not a crime to disagree and have convictions. It’s not even a bad thing. What is bad is when being open minded means agreeing with the other guy all the time. If that is what a person expects, they are the most closed minded of all.

Surprised by Love - Liberty U Infiltrated

A friend sent me a link to this book review. I really want to read the book now. The article is really worth a read and I think the book will give non-Christians and skeptical(of far right Christian organizations) Christians like me, who have problems with Falwells school, a look at some of things about the place that are good.

Basically, a Brown University student enrolled at Liberty for a semester to go "undercover" to right a book about Liberty from the perspective of a secularist.

Here is the opening of the article.

Surprised by Love - Books & Culture.

The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University isn't the book its author, Kevin Roose, thought it would be. It's certainly not the book he pitched to his publisher as a left hook in the ongoing fisticuffs between secularists and believers. And it's not the book I anticipated when I first heard rumors among students at Liberty University, where I teach, that a young man from Brown University had come here and spent a semester undercover in order to write an expose on command central for one side in America's culture wars.

It's not the book it was supposed to be because, as it turns out, Liberty University wasn't what it was supposed to be.

This isn't to say that some of the worst stereotypes of evangelicalism, fundamentalism, the Bible Belt, and Christian higher education aren't reinforced by Roose's experience. They are. Nevertheless, Roose largely gets beyond the stereotypes and humanizes even those whose views he finds "reprehensible." And in the process, Roose gets a good dose of humanizing himself.

Obama, Race, Discrimination and the Sotomayor Selection

I knew of the New Haven Conneticut case (Ricci v. DeStefano) in which appellate judge Sonia Sotomayor found against firefighters who did well on promotion tests. So well, they did better than all the applicants of another color, save one. They didn't all receive their promotions in spite of doing everything they were asked to do. Their only short fall? They were white.

This is the person that post-racial Obama has nominated for the Supreme court. Here is a short snippet from the commentary I have linked to.

...Sotomayor and two colleagues simply brushed aside the important constitutional and statutory questions raised by the city's decision to discard the results of a race-neutral test given to applicants for promotions within the department. Too many men of the "wrong" color had passed it -- that is, all of those who scored highest were white except for one Hispanic.

Those firefighters had worked hard to get the test results they did; the lead plaintiff, Frank Ricci, is dyslexic, but he had been on the force for 11 years and was determined to become a lieutenant, so he paid an acquaintance more than $1,000 to read textbooks onto audiotapes and make flash cards. Ricci gave up his second job in order to study long hours -- and aced the test.

Most of the people I know have not heard of this case. It didn't make it into the news cycle with the same gusto as other stories. Many may decide she was right in her decisiopn on the case, but most would not. Even many of those I know who are not white would not agree with this. One thing they would question is the assumption being made that the blacks and hispanics aren't smart enough to beat our their white counterparts on a test, so let's give them a charity promotion. That wouldn't sit well with me were I part of a minority.

If we are going to fight discrimination based on color by discriminating based on another color then it's not about discrimination anymore. And if Obama is going to nominate such lightening rods to the highest court in the land, he is no more post-racial than the idoits who would call my wife and kids the "N word".

In spite of electing a black man to be our president, we are still caught up in the same old same old. He is not going to help heal the deep wounds of our nation and it's sordid history of discrimination and racism. No, not so long as he makes decisions like this one.

We can no more live in a country where a white man gets passed over for a job, in spite of following the rules and working hard than we can a country where a black or hipanic man can't even sniff one because of his skin color. But that IS the country that Sotomayor wants to live in, and by extention, maybe our president does as well.

This commentary is worth a read.

Commentary: Identity politics in the age of Obama - CNN.com.

When Social Networking Gets it Right

There are horror stories out there about online social networks. Most of the stories we hear are negative. We hear of sexual predators on Myspace. Craigslist has it’s very own killer. Even Ernie posted earlier today about one of the huge problems with Facebook.

But every now and then, I see see this medium get it right. Sometimes, it gets it right in a huge way.

Social networks are popular for many reasons. Some use them to pimp themselves. They post all kinds of pics of themselves and it’s all about creating an online image.  Some people actually use them to market products. Still others use them as a virtual soapbox to get their thoughts and opinions out to someone, anyone, who will read them. I do this often. But most of us are using them to reconnect and keep in touch with others. In this, these services have served me well.

As most of you know, my 10 year old daughter spent 4 days and 3 nights in the hospital with a severe kidney infection. It was a trying time for her and our family. We are still worn our from the whole ordeal and she is still in recovery here at home. But there were some bright spots during this time. We were showered with love, care and concern. We received phone calls, visits, emails, and yes, notes of encouragement via Facebook and Twitter.

I was able to keep most of the people we know apprised of the situation. I posted updates as I could and asked for prayer. And guess what? BOOM! We were getting encouragements and notes from not just a few people, but dozens! Every time one of you would send in a kind note, I would look over at BeBe in the hospital bed and read it. Some of you she knows, but many of you she does not. It didn’t even matter. Every time we got one she’d smile. It made her feel important and special.

So good on ya Facebook and Twitter. You’ve created something that allows us to report and receive in a way we’ve never seen before. I am very grateful. Thank you.

And one more time, and probably not the last time,  I want thank all of you who called, visited, tweeted and posted notes during our trying time. It was awesome and helped more than you know.

Technorati Tags: Facebook,Twitter

Really Liberty University?

I dunno. I know they are a private university, but still. This is the stuff the same people go nuts over when the shoe is on the other foot. Imagine a liberal college doing this to Republicans or other Conservatives.

The club is barred from using Liberty's name, advertising events and holding meetings on campus. Violators could be reprimanded and face expulsion for repeated offenses.

What do you think about Liberty banning the College Democrats Club? I guess they can do what they want to, and I understand a Christian university wanting students to uphold their moral code, but this is kinda tough I think.

Here is a nice quote from Falwell Jr. Emphasis mine:

He said he likes the group's members and knows they mean well, but that the university has received "lots of complaints from parents and donors" about the club's existence.

I am curious as to why a Democrat would go there to begin with.

Conservative University Founded by Jerry Falwell Bans College Democrats Club - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com.

Make a Difference

I had a wonderful lunch today with my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Bowden. It was awesome to be able to catch up on the last 25 years or so. But even more than that, it was a pleasure and an honor to have the chance to tell her how much she meant to me and how she made a difference in my life. God has placed so many people in my path along the way and she was one of the first.

As I drove back to work I was wondering if (HOPING that) I have made that sort of difference in someone’s life myself. And if I haven’t, I really hope I get the chance to. I think it’s all a part of the plan that we do this. In God’s work in redeeming both us and creation, he invites us in to become a part of the work. We become salt and light as Matthew tells. We are to add flavor to and shine in the world. In other words, we are to help make things better.

Obviously I want to have this kind of influence on my children, and I am working hard on it. But I have to think that in living a missional lifestyle, I can do the same in someone else’s life. Mrs. Bowden did and I am quite sure she did it many times over.

I just pray that God gives me the patience, spirit, and drive to impact lives. It’s not something that comes easy to me. I mess up regularly and am easily bothered by people.  But there are so many people who pass through my life that I have to think  need someone to care. They need someone who can listen. They need someone to understand and have compassion.

Do you have someone who made a difference in your life? Tell them! It’s a great experience. If you need to seek them out, it will be worth the time. Are you this kind of person in someone’s life? Are you open to being? I challenge us all to make a difference. Touch a life and then another. Take the time to invest yourself into others. It’s all a part of the plan after all…

Technorati Tags: missional

'Idol' Upset: Did The Evangelical Christian Vote Push Kris Allen Over The Edge?

I knew the media would bring this up...

'Idol' Upset: Did The Evangelical Christian Vote Push Kris Allen Over The Edge? - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment - FOXNews.com.

According to an 'Idol' insider, support for Kris most likely surged over the last week when Danny Gokey (who was extremely open about his involvement with the church) was voted off and thus Christians turned their full devotion to Allen who epitomizes the all-American, talented and moralistic role model.

Gotta Love Government Waste!!!

Really?!?! Seriously?!?! And we want these people running our Health Care???

Antoniette Santopadre of Valley Stream was expecting a $250 stimulus check. But when her son finally opened it, they saw that the check was made out to her father, Romolo Romonini, who died in Italy 34 years ago.

Dead People Being Sent Stimulus Checks - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com.

I Should Know Better (Homeschooling AGAIN)

I made the mistake of asking in a comment on Facebook what WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) has to do with homeschooling your kids. Because it seemed the inference was that he would home school. It was deleted because the poster changed the comment, but before it was, someone responded:

"Jesus has everything to do with homeschooling.  Proverbs 22:6  Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.  Homeschooled children have the benefit of sitting at Jesus feet for their education instead of the world's feet."

So, here we are again. This is so simplistic to me.

Honestly, if I were forced to say that Jesus would do one or the other (he wouldn’t, either would be fine with him I think) I really think a case could be made that home school would NOT be the choice. But that is not what this is about.

I just grow very weary of the attitude that there is a certain way and if you don’t do it that way, you are going against Jesus. Seriously? Come on people. I think it is great for those who choose to do it. I won’t throw up the “they won’t be ready for the real world” argument. If you want to do this, great! If it works for you, I am glad. But do we have to toss around things like the above? Are these the kinds of bombs we should drop on other followers of Jesus?

And God, please show me the bombs I drop that I might stop dropping them myself…