A post that I'm going to blatantly rip off from Mike Cope, but it's one that I think it especially important during this time as we realize that putting our hope in our savings and investments might have been misplaced:
We remember, Lord, that Jesus told one of the Seven Churches that they appeared to be rich but that they were actually poor. They needed his wealth so they wouldn’t be poor; they needed his clothes so they wouldn’t be naked; they needed his salve so they wouldn’t be blind.
We also remember that he told another of the churches that while they appeared to be impoverished they were actually rich. Their wealth wasn’t financial; it was much more valuable.
In these uncertain economic times, help us proclaim again through our words and our lives:
- that some trust in chariots, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God;
- that some trust in nations, governments, and politicians, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God;
- that some trust in retirement funds, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
And so, O Lord, we join our voices with those of our brothers and sisters from many nations and many languages:
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and glory forever. Amenn
I don't know if you're tired yet of me talking about politics. And if you are, I'm sorry. But this campaign has been one of the most fascinating that I can remember. Maybe as interesting as Bush/Clinton in 1992 (oh, Lord, that's 16 years ago...)
However, if you are at all interested in the inner workings of political campaigns, I HIGHLY recommend this article in the New York Times on the McCain campaign.
It's fairly well balanced, and presents the journalist's view of 6 different campaign narratives of the McCain campaign.
#1 The Heroic Fighter vs. the Quitters #2 Country-First Deal Maker vs. Nonpartisan Pretender #3 Leader vs. Celebrity #4 Team of Mavericks vs. Old-Style Washington #5 John McCain vs. John McCain #6 The Fighter (Again) vs. the Tax-and-Spend Liberal
It's long, and it will be interesting if a different article is written if McCain wins and if they publish a similar piece on the Obama campaign. But for political junkies (like me) this article is like crack.
This last weekend, Sheryl took a girls weekend to Atlanta, and I had both kids. For one thing, this really made me appreciate what single parents have to go through, because you have to be ON the whole time. I was especially missing her on Sunday morning at church as I was doing my set up and tear down from the Sunday morning worship. Keeping an eye on both kids and trying to do all the stuff that I need to do was very stressful.
At any rate, even with that, we had a ton of fun this weekend. One of the things I really try to do for the kids is create memories that they'll look back on fondly, and one of the fondest memories I have is jumping in leaf piles. (btw, all these were taken with my iPhone, so sorry about the quality.)
Well, in case you missed it, Governor Sarah Palin appeared on Saturday Night Live this weekend. I've read some commentors and commentators who have found it interesting and disappointing that she decided to go on a comedy show like SNL, but not a more serious news/interview show like Meet the Press or This Week. Whatever you think of that, she was pretty funny on SNL. I do wish she'd done this rap though...
Transcript:
1, 2, 3
My name is Sarah Palin You all know me, Vice-Prezzy nominee, of the GOP.
Gonna need ya vote, In the next election. Can I get a "woot woot!" From the senior section.
McCain got experience. McCain got style. But don't let him creep you out, When he drops that smile. 'Cause that smile be creepy! But when I'm VP, All the leaders of the world gonna FINALLY meet me.
Jeremiah Wright, 'Cause tonight I'm the preacher, I got a bookish look, And you're all hot for teacher.
Todd lookin' fine on his snowmachine, So hot for each other, He the "go-between."
In Wasilla, We just chill, baby, chilla, But when I see oil it's "Drill baby! Drilla!"
My country tis of the Thee, From my porch I can see, Russia and such.....
All the mavericks in the house put your hands up, All the mavericks in the house put your hands up, All the plumbers in the house pull your pants up, All the plumbers in the house pull your pants up!
When I say "Obama" you say "Ayers!" Obama! Ayers! Obama! Ayers! I built me a bridge, it ain't goin' nowhere!
McCain/Palin, gonna put the nail in The coffin of the media elite! (she likes red meat!) Shoot a mother humpin' moose 8 days of the week!
(shoots someone dressed in a moose costume)
Now ya dead! Now ya dead 'cause I'm an animal! And I'm bigger than you! Hold that shotgun, Rockin the pump. Everybody party, We're goin' to hunt!
la la la la la la laaaaaaa
(shoots at the audience)
Yo I'm Palin and I'm out!
However, Republican former Secretary of State Colin Powell did go on Meet the Press and formally endorsed Barack Obama for President. Some people will question whether or not he was ever a "true" Republican, since he supports gay rights and is pro-choice. However, whether or not you agree with Powell, I think he did make some interesting points.
Transcript:
MR. BROKAW: General Powell, actually you gave a campaign contribution to Senator McCain. You have met twice at least with Barack Obama. Are you prepared to make a public declaration of which of these two candidates that you're prepared to support?
GEN. POWELL: Yes, but let me lead into it this way. I know both of these individuals very well now. I've known John for 25 years as your setup said. And I've gotten to know Mr. Obama quite well over the past two years. Both of them are distinguished Americans who are patriotic, who are dedicated to the welfare of our country. Either one of them, I think, would be a good president. I have said to Mr. McCain that I admire all he has done. I have some concerns about the direction that the party has taken in recent years. It has moved more to the right than I would like to see it, but that's a choice the party makes. And I've said to Mr. Obama, "You have to pass a test of do you have enough experience, and do you bring the judgment to the table that would give us confidence that you would be a good president."
And I've watched him over the past two years, frankly, and I've had this conversation with him. I have especially watched over the last six of seven weeks as both of them have really taken a final exam with respect to this economic crisis that we are in and coming out of the conventions. And I must say that I've gotten a good measure of both. In the case of Mr. McCain, I found that he was a little unsure as to deal with the economic problems that we were having and almost every day there was a different approach to the problem. And that concerned me, sensing that he didn't have a complete grasp of the economic problems that we had. And I was also concerned at the selection of Governor Palin. She's a very distinguished woman, and she's to be admired; but at the same time, now that we have had a chance to watch her for some seven weeks, I don't believe she's ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the vice president. And so that raised some question in my mind as to the judgment that Senator McCain made.
On the Obama side, I watched Mr. Obama and I watched him during this seven-week period. And he displayed a steadiness, an intellectual curiosity, a depth of knowledge and an approach to looking at problems like this and picking a vice president that, I think, is ready to be president on day one. And also, in not just jumping in and changing every day, but showing intellectual vigor. I think that he has a, a definitive way of doing business that would serve us well. I also believe that on the Republican side over the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party and Mr. McCain has become narrower and narrower. Mr. Obama, at the same time, has given us a more inclusive, broader reach into the needs and aspirations of our people. He's crossing lines--ethnic lines, racial lines, generational lines. He's thinking about all villages have values, all towns have values, not just small towns have values.
And I've also been disappointed, frankly, by some of the approaches that Senator McCain has taken recently, or his campaign ads, on issues that are not really central to the problems that the American people are worried about. This Bill Ayers situation that's been going on for weeks became something of a central point of the campaign. But Mr. McCain says that he's a washed-out terrorist. Well, then, why do we keep talking about him? And why do we have these robocalls going on around the country trying to suggest that, because of this very, very limited relationship that Senator Obama has had with Mr. Ayers, somehow, Mr. Obama is tainted. What they're trying to connect him to is some kind of terrorist feelings. And I think that's inappropriate.
Now, I understand what politics is all about. I know how you can go after one another, and that's good. But I think this goes too far. And I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It's not what the American people are looking for. And I look at these kinds of approaches to the campaign and they trouble me. And the party has moved even further to the right, and Governor Palin has indicated a further rightward shift. I would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court, but that's what we'd be looking at in a McCain administration. I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America.
I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards--Purple Heart, Bronze Star--showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life. Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourself in this way. And John McCain is as nondiscriminatory as anyone I know. But I'm troubled about the fact that, within the party, we have these kinds of expressions.
So, when I look at all of this and I think back to my Army career, we've got two individuals, either one of them could be a good president. But which is the president that we need now? Which is the individual that serves the needs of the nation for the next period of time? And I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities--and we have to take that into account--as well as his substance--he has both style and substance--he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into the world--onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama.
In oursmall group on Sunday nights, we're studying the book of Luke. Last week we talked about a chapter that has frustrated me in understanding it and I had a flash of insight about two stories that helped them make more sense. Specifically Luke 8:26-48.
After Jesus apparently woken up very grumpy from a nap and calmed the waves, he and his followers come to a man possessed by a number of demons. When Jesus casts the demons out, the man returns to his normal self and even though he wants to follow Jesus, Jesus tells him to return home and tell people about what God has done for him. Immediately after Jesus returns to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, he's approached by Jairus a synagogue ruler about his dying daughter. On his way to heal the girl, a woman with bleeding for years touched Jesus' cloak and she is healed.
Now on hand these two stories don't appear related outside the healing aspects. But there's something deeper I think. By removing the man's demons and healing the woman, both of them have been made "clean" or rather acceptable in the sight of the community. We tend to think of healing from only the physical aspect, but there was a societal aspect of it as well. A man naked among the graves would not have been allowed to be a part of the larger community. A woman bleeding for years was so unclean that she could not be with a man or even worship God according to the Jewish customs; she was ceremonially unclean.
By healing these people, Jesus not only took care of physcial infirmities, but just as importantly helped restore them to their communities, giving them a witness of God's miraculous love. Which causes me to think about ways that I as a follower of Jesus can help in that same mission, to restore people to community.
With all the political heaviness going around, I thought it might be fun to have a clip the girls' names Dr. Cox has called J.D. on Scrubs (Seasons 4-5). Enjoy.
Here's my thing. I wish to high heaven that the McCain from 2000 were running. That was a true centrist maverick who didn't "sell his soul" to the right wing side of the party. That's a McCain I would vote for.
But that McCain isn't running.
Right now, primarily because of the negative campaigning as well as choosing someone I think is underqualified for VP in order to placate the right side of the party. Admittedly a side that delivered the presidency to Bush in 2004. And so, my leaning right now is to Obama.
But here's the thing. If McCain comes out at the next debate, looks Obama in the eye and says, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for allowing my campaign to get out of control in its attacks on you. I apologize and hope that for the next three weeks we can conduct the civil campaign that so many voters hoped from the two of us," that would begin to sway me. I lean moderate to conservative in my political feelings anyway and so I tend to be more sympathetic to McCain anyway.
No, I don't believe McCain is Satan and Obama is the Messiah, and maybe, just maybe the rest of this campaign can be on real issues and not on fear, from either side.
On Wednesday night, my friend Lee Camp has spoke at Otter Creek's Vespers service and it was fascinating talk. I think he'll have it on his site soon.
One of the ideas that he talked about was judgement and the interesting point that when the Bible talks about judgment, one of the assumptions that Christians make is that it's talking about the outsiders, those that aren't Christians. But the point that Lee made is that typically when the Bible talks about judgment, it's almost always brought to the "house of God" first. So when the Bible talks about judgment, we who claim the name of Christ should be careful how we proclaim judgments on others.
As a child of the 80s, I was amazed at music videos and can even remember the first one I ever saw (Lucky Star by Madonna). I remember being scared over at friend's house when Michael Jackson's Thriller first aired (we didn't have cable) and staying up late for NBC's Friday Night Videos. One of the seminal videos during that time was a-ha's Take On Me, which combined live action and pencil-like animation.
Now, this is one of those videos that when you watch it, it makes absolutely zero sense in relation to the lyrics.
And so, some kind soul has redone the lyrics to make much more sense in context of the video. And it made me laugh so hard I had tears coming from my eyes.
Ok, so it wasn't really a debate last night. In fact, we don't really have debates anymore. We have someone asking questions while the candidates desperately search for a way to shoehorn their stump speeches into it. It seems to be the general consensus that Obama "won" the debate, whatever that really means. CNN MSNBCABCCBSFoxNews Contributors To me, McCain seemed to attack more and Obama seemed to lie back some and then pounce here and there. I thought McCain's best moment was with the Naval Petty Officer, and Obama's was the one about his mother spending her last days fighting insurance companies.
Do these debates help anyone? Or do they really just confirm people's choices?
Oh and if you'd like an alternative election experience, try this. Kung Fu Election :-)
Sheryl and I are pretty lucky with Connor. He's a pretty good kid, listens to us (mostly), and is even known to do what we tell him to. The one area where this is not true is his eating. And we are trying everything, but he's getting really stubborn about this now. It's almost like he has a block about eating at the table. He likes snacks and stuff and will have fruit or some Goldfish, but as for eating table food, it's almost impossible.
I'm thinking we might have to go with the eat-what's-on-your-plate or nothing idea, because otherwise we might never get him to eat, and if you've ever tried negotiating with a two year old, it's almost impossible.
The Zoe Conference was this weekend at Woodmont Hills Church of Christ/Family of God this weekend. The theme this year was Fearless and that was obviously very relevant to the turbulent times that we're all in right now (although I find it interesting that we are fearful of what threatens our ability to have comforts, rather than what could threaten our lives as so many others experience throughout the world).
It was a good weekend. Sheryl and I had houseguests in our basement (Adam, Matt, and Chris) and that was fun for me and for the rest of the family too. I got a chance to spend some time with Brandon, which I haven't done for a while now. It was good to see him and Sheryl and their kids. I got to talk to Murray Sanderson, the incoming worship minister at Otter Creek, as well as renew some acquaintances from earlier conferences.
Some highlights for me. I enjoyed hearing Scot McKnight's talks and his reflections on James in the leadership conference. I really enjoyed watching the movie "Lord, Save Us From Your Followers" Thursday night. I thought the worship during the conference was excellent, even with the numbers being down quite a bit from previous conferences. I really enjoyed Jeff Walling on Friday night, even though he's not always my favorite speaker. I thought he did a really good job with this part. Cope and Harris did fantastic jobs, of course, and I really enjoyed the final session's walk through Revelation. Larry Mudd did a great job as John during it.
I do always regret that I'm not able to do more interacting during the worship conference itself. For the last couple of years, I've been running the MediaShout, so that's meant that I've needed to meet with people to get things straight and not go to any sessions or interact with people. This year was bittersweet, of course, because it was my first time to run MediaShout with Brandon, since he resigned from Otter Creek almost 9 months ago. It was like slipping into an old shoe with knowing how he likes his transitions done and when he needs the slide changed to make sure he won't sing the wrong words. I will say that it was especially weird not having the Zoe team at Otter Creek on Sunday, and knowing that they were all down at Woodmont Hills. Having the team at OC on Sundays after Zoe was always something that made me feel like OC was deeply involved in Zoe and it felt like more of a disconnect this year from that.
So, all in all, a good weekend. A weekend of thinking about what makes us fearful and the God who can be with us, even in those fears.
In order to keep liking Heroes, I think I'm going to have to stop reviewing it. The main reason is that if I think too much about it, I'll stop enjoying it. I can't think about the idea that Bennett would willing work with Sylar, even for a short time, after what he did to Claire. That he wouldn't shoot Sylar (or the screaming guy) through the glass to prevent Sylar from taking his power.
We had no Mohinder so we don't get to continue to see how stupid he is. I think Nathan Petrelli's arc is interesting, especially with the religious twist they're putting on it.
At any rate, I still really like the show, but it doesn't stand up to deep analysis. As one critic said after last week's episode... "people have argued the point with me, but my feeling is that the show wasn't even that good in season 1, outside of a handful of episodes ("Five Years Later," "Company Man"), but the novelty of it, the cliffhangers, and our misguided belief that this was all going somewhere fooled us into thinking "Heroes" was better than it actually was. Once we got the season one finale, and especially once we got season two, the blinders came off and we realized the emperor has no clothes, and probably never did." I think I agree with him, but it doesn't stop me from liking the show.
If your church were going to start a Peace and Justice Ministry, what would that look like? What would be the goals? The methods? Should churches have peace and justice ministries? Is that too political?
Like I said, I'm just curious about people's thoughts on that.
I'm going to take a minor break from the faith stuff that I typically do on Fridays and talk about what many others are thinking about and it's the bailout stuff. Maybe you're tired of it, but for the last two weeks, I've been basically glued to the TV news stations with the coverage of the election and now the financial meltdown. As with many things, I'm of two minds on this, so let me share.
Fiscal Conservative: Let'em burn. People can talk about CRA and lower income people taking out loans they shouldn't have and those are important points. But here's the deal. Wall Street got greedy. They (stereotyping for effect and ease of writing) wanted to keep their share prices up and keep themselves in power and so many of the financial firms got so deep into loans that they had 1) no business backing and 2) no business investing in that they deserve to go down. Was there governmental pressure on this as far back as Carter? Yep. More so with Clinton? Probably. But the enthusiasm with which the firms sold and invested in these loans was staggering. Were they so blinded by greed that they couldn't see what even I an English major/user interface designer could see? That the housing bubble had to pop and the whole meltdown could really happen? Or did they see it coming and just want to find the fine line between profit and meltdown?
And bailout? Why the frak should we bail them out? With my tax dollars! I work hard. I don't live extravagantly, outside my means. My wife is at home with our kids. We have a paid for car. We don't have credit cards. We give, we save. We pay our bills on time. Why should we bail out people who got so greedy that they screwed themselves? If I got in over my head in bad debt and investments, would Bernanke and Paulson ride to my rescue and take over my debt? I doubt it. So let'em burn. It'll be bad for a while, but those of us who can ride it out will be better on the other side and maybe we can stop basing our economy on bad debts and bad credit and pursuing the mythical "American Dream." Maybe the Americian Dream shouldn't be home ownership any more; maybe it should be having a $1000 emergency fund in the bank.
Bleeding-Heart Liberal: Yeah, but if we do that, what about the people who are able to save and to pay and could potentially be roadkill in the path of a crumbling economy. If the financial institutions fail, what are the repercussions of that? How many jobs will be lost? How many more homes foreclosed?
And if the government mandated that loan regulations be relaxed to help low income families get houses, doesn't the goverment have a moral responsibility to help take care of the families that got into those loans and the businesses that enabled that? Even if there was too little regulation before, we've got to get it right now. The government needs to help solve what it helped cause.
Reality (or one version of it): Look, there's almost assuredly going to be a bailout. It's mainly just the details that have to get worked out. What needs to be decided from this point on is whether the culture of greed in the financial markets will be held in check or if they'll view the bailout has helping them dodge the meltdown bullet. There will most likely be more banks to fail. There will be more businesses collapse, but unless the culture changes, it's just forestalling what seems to be inevitable at some point.
"I was convinced an Obama/McCain campaign would be measurably different on almost all standards. And to watch it become Bush/Kerry, Bush/Gore, has been one of the most dissatisfying experiences. " - Jon Stewart
Look, the 2nd season of Heroes wasn't good. It just wasn't. There were good things about it, but they got really locked into the same pattern as the first season with new characters, when we'd all grown attached to the characters from the first season and didn't really care much about the new ones.
The premiere Monday was... Ok, here one thing that I've learned about watching Heroes is that I really have to turn my brain into its lower gear. I can't nitpick as much because then I realize how ultimately dumb the show is. And it's ok to like a dumb show. I can't do things like think about how people should use their powers. For instance, when Claire locked herself in the closet to hide from Sylar, was this his thought process? "I'm evil. I have magnificent telekinetic powers. The thing that I've been pursuing for a long time is on the other side of a wooden slats door chained with a thin chain. I think I'll wait her out, instead of using my powers or say... my foot." See, I can't think too deeply about it. It's almost the opposite of Lost where they want you to OVER-think it.
At any rate, on a purely dumb show level, Monday night was great. I thought they did a great job setting up the arcs for the season and coming up with tolerable solutions to the last season. I really think that where they're going with stuff is going to be fun and as long as I don't think about why FuturePeter didn't just teleport away from FutureDarkClaire and the like, I'll be just fine with it.
I've used this blog a lot to talk about the issues that I've had with raising kids, and there are always issues with busy-ness and life and such.
But I have to say that I really love it right now. My morning starts with getting Connor up and out of bed and dressed and so I get to see him every morning. He gives me hugs and I send him in to help wake Kinsey up. She gets up and they watch Playhouse Disney together while eating breakfast. That's usually where they are when I leave so I get goodbye kisses and tell them to have a Magnificent Monday, Terrific Tuesday, and so on.
When I get home in the afternoon, I change and then will play with them for a while. Right now, we can go outside and play in the backyard, swinging or playing ball or something. We eat dinner together and then it's bath time. If they have time, they play for a little while (not too much splashing) and then we get them in their PJs and get them into bed. I'll read a few pages of the Harry Potter book we're currently on (Prisoner of Azkaban, right now), and get them into bed. Last night, Kinsey read a chapter from her Magic Treehouse series and it was so good to hear her reading so smoothly and enjoying it.
Are the kids perfect? No. Sheryl and I still struggle with Kinsey being polite and listening to us and we had to force Connor to eat last night and bribe him with ice cream. He's getting into his 2 year old stage where he gets very selfish and wants to say "No" a lot.
But all in all, we're in a really good place right now. I know it's not going to last, and that's ok. I just want to make sure I hold onto these times for the times 6 years from now when Kinsey slams her door shut and tells us that she hates us and we'll never understand her because we're too old and don't remember what it's like to be a teenager. Ahhh, good "future" times...
There has been a old line that atheists used about God: "Can God make a rock that God cannot lift?" Of course, this kind of physical limitation of God is one that's supposed to drive theists nuts, but it actually leads me to another thought, specifically about the atonement.
The traditional idea behind the atonement (death of Jesus as payment for our sins) is that the relationship between God and humans is irrevocably broken. The sin that we commit separates us from God. And because God is Holy and cannot be in the presence of that which is not holy, we cannot be in relationship with God. Only because Jesus died as a sacrifice for us was God's anger/wrath removed and God could could then return to relationship with us.
So here's the thought. The implication of this idea is that there is a law that even God cannot break. That what is Holy and Other cannot mix with that which is not. Some might say that God's Holiness is not really a part of a law per se, but a part of God's nature and for God to mingle with unholiness would be as foreign to that nature as a cat trying to fly.
But here's the question that I have. Is the Law/Rule of Holiness more powerful than God? Is this a law so powerful that even God cannot break it?
Do you know what RickRolling is? It is/was basically a bait and switch tactic where you would tell someone to watch a video, give them the link, and they would get the Rick Astley video for "Never Gonna Give You Up." So I would potentially say, "Hey check out this video of a cute baby!" And there you go.
Well someone put up a video where John McCain gets Barack-Rolled. It's pretty amusing. If you like that sort of thing....
On Sunday morning, the elders at Otter Creek announced that Murray Sanderson would be joining the ministerial staff as the worship minister. You can read his perspective on the move here.
Honestly, I don't know Murray well and my only experience with him and his family was on Sunday morning. However, just from that experience, I don't doubt that he is a great choice for this position and will be great at guiding OC in worship for years to come. Plus the fact that he really appreciates the tech side of things in the worship experience and is a Mac guy are just pluses for him anyway.
Sheryl and I are both looking forward to working with him regularly and getting to know him and his family further.
CNN ran a good report the other day about some of the false rumors going around about Sarah Palin: cutting special needs funding, banning books, mandating the teaching of Biblical Creationism. Worth Watching.
For my entire high school, college, and teaching years, I was a Mac guy. I wasn't one of those annoying Mac guys that believed that Steve Jobs had cried tears of gold on every Mac produced, but I really liked using them and enjoyed it. When I left teaching, I went to work for a company that didn't use Macs and to be able to work from home, I needed a PC. And based on being a Screensavers fan, I knew that I could probably build it myself and so I went for it. Which means that for the last 6 years, I've been a PC guy. Except for the iPod and then earlier this year, the iPhone.
Well, last Wednesday, I suffered a major hard drive crash. Couldn't get back into Windows at all. And I hadn't backed up in a while... Lots of lost data and especially pictures. Lots of pictures. I was crushed and Sheryl was fairly unhappy with me. The computer had been having issues for a while and we'd been thinking about replacing it. When this happened we decided to take the plunge and return to the land of Macs by getting a refurbished iMac. But that didn't solve the problem of the existing crashed hard drive.
Well, I tried putting the hard drive into an external enclosure to retrieve the info and that didn't work. I then purchased a program that I could run to try and retrieve the data. It kept hanging and wouldn't recover. And so I tried the last resort before taking it to a professional.
I stuck the hard drive in the freezer.
Yes. I put it in a plastic bag and stuck it into the freezer for an hour.
After that time frame, I put it back into the hard drive enclosure, and lo and behold, the hard drive appeared on the Mac and minus a few hangups here and there, I was able to get ALL the data off it that I needed, especially the precious pictures we had. And so now, we've had a successful switch. I'll be loading Windows onto the iMac in the next week or so for those few times that I need it, backing up regularly (in a couple of places), and enjoying my excursion into the land of Mac.
Addendum: For those interested, here's an article about why freezing a hard drive can help recover data.
If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook (or even here from a couple of weeks back), you know that Kinsey started soccer a couple of weeks ago and on Saturday, she had her first game. I've got pictures, but haven't had a chance to upload them. I'm honestly not sure if her team, the Pink Polar Bears won, but Kinsey did score a goal that I'm pretty sure was accidental, but she was still very excited by it.
Soccer still makes Tuesdays very busy days, but playing on Saturday was a ton of fun.
I’ve always loved the story of the Good Samaritan. I’ve always loved the idea of someone showing kindness to someone else, but only recently have I begun to realize the serious call this puts on our lives as Christians.
As I’ve read the Gospels, I’ve noticed that Jesus reserves his harshest criticism for those who think they’ve got their beliefs right, but do nothing to act on them. This parable is no different as there are two members of the Jewish clergy who pass by the beaten man. Jesus always had strong words to speak against the religious authorities whether in Temple, or calling them a brood of vipers, or here in this story.
And to make it even more remarkable is that a Samaritan is the one who is the hero. He’s the one who gets off of his donkey and cares for the man. An outcast; a heretic. And when Jesus says, “Go and do likewise,” he’s telling a Jew to go and act like this Samaritan. To show mercy and kindness and compassion.
This is the call of the Gospel. This is the call of Christ. Jesus says here that our neighbor is anyone in need. Faith is good. Believing certain things seems important to Jesus. But if we do not act on those beliefs with compassion and love for each other, that faith is dead. If we don’t bother to get off our donkeys to care for people, we are not truly followers of the Christ whose name we purport to wear.
So I pose the question to the readers: What is our obligation to the poor? How involved to we get? Is donating funds enough? Should we get involved with the lives of the poor rather than kowtowing to the rich?
I am an unabashed fan of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I make no apologies for it. I know people don't like him, but frankly, they're just wrong. (I'm kidding, of course).
Last night, in their continuing coverage of the Republican National Convention, the Daily Show did what it does best and hoisted political blowhards by their own petards (Non-English major translation: let them hang themselves by their own words). And it was abso-frakkin'-lutely brilliant.
This was in the spirit of the classic Daily Show segment (President) Bush vs. (2000 Candidate) Bush from 2003.
I know that there are some outliers who read my blog to keep up on some level with what's going on at Otter Creek, and obviously we're in a major time of transition right now, so here's what's going on.
As you remember, Brandon Scott Thomas resigned from his position back in December and if you keep track of his blog, you know that he's become the Cruise-Meister. On the worship leader front at Otter Creek, we've had some tryouts but no one has fit the position yet. We're having another one soon, but as of now the position is unfilled. It's been interesting because Otter Creek is very blessed to have some really talented people to lead us in worship, but I know that many are ready for a worship leader.
Also, Tim Woodroof announced his resignation in June. Since then, he's been preaching part time at OC and doing other seminars. As of right now, there's been no announcement about the process for finding the next teaching minister, so most of us are just waiting to see what happens next.
Finally, as I also wrote, Scott Owings resigned his position back in April to go to work for a hospice here in Nashville. It's obviously hard and draining work, but work he's well suited for. However, I am excited to say that he will continue (in a voluntary position) his work on the Otter Creek Vespers service, that restarts TONIGHT at 7pm. If you're looking for a contemplative service that has a more liturgical feel (yes, within a Church of Christ), drop by 409 Franklin Road in Brentwood at 7. See you there.
I saw in Connor another glimpse of myself the other day. He was playing with a toy that was supposed to fit together nicely and it didn't, because, well, he's 2 and can't work that stuff out as easily. He took the pieces and with a loud grunt/growl threw them to the ground. I immediately went over and asked what was wrong. He babbled something at me and then together we put the pieces where they went.
It was weird to see that, because I had a terrible temper as a child, up through my teenage years. If ANYTHING didn't go the way I excepted it to go, I would explode with anger. It caused me quite a bit of trouble too, getting into fights and the like. I guess it's just one of those things where you see it and hope to guide him as best as possible to avoid having to learn some of the hard lessons that I had to learn too.
Or, it could be that he's two years old and had a temper tantrum. What do I know? :-)
The other day I read an article in the Christian Chronicle (a Church of Christ publication) which was a discussion between two men, one a McCain supporter and one an Obama supporter. You can read it here.
There were some very interesting points and discussion between the two men about the level of involvement a Christian should have in politics, race, terrorism, and other such subjects. One of the most striking things to me was the final comment that both men had.
What else would you say to our readers?
BOWDRE: I would just say that it’s important for us to pray and pray and pray and then vote prayerfully.
McADAMS: Think about a Supreme Court with two or three Barack Obama appointees on it.
Look, I can understand disagreeing with someone. I can understand disagreeing with principles and perspectives on issues. But when given a chance to give readers a good reason to vote for their chosen candidate and the McCain supporter goes immediately to fear, fear of an Obama administration, I just find that sadly baffling. Maybe it's an aspect of someone not being truly satisfied with McCain, but I've found that resorting to fear to achieve an end might achieve an end, but it's a hollow victory. It was used in 2004 when mailers were sent to voters claiming that the liberals would ban the Bible if elected (link). It was rumored to be used against John McCain in South Carolina by the Bush campain (link). It's not limited to political conservatives either. The whole "McSame" or "More of the Same" talk currently about McCain, could be motivated by some level of fear about Republican policies.
For instance, if someone is converted to Christianity because of a fear of Hell, what happens when the fear is gone? When we raise our children, if we use fear as a primary motivator, what affection is left when the fear is gone?
To me, motivation from fear is empty motivation. Because truly, "...God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." Support whatever candidate you like, but if we have to resort to fear to convince people, maybe we should re-examine our support for that person.
Cribbing a bit from my buddy Adam, whose staying in our basement this week (and getting better and better at Guitar Hero), here is the prayer that Donald Miller author of Blue Like Jazz prayed at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night.
And here's the text of it:
"Father God,
This week, as the world looks on, help the leaders in this room create a civil dialogue about our future.
We need you, God, as individuals and also as a nation.
We need you to protect us from our enemies, but also from ourselves, because we are easily tempted toward apathy.
Give us a passion to advance opportunities for the least of these, for widows and orphans, for single moms and children whose fathers have left.
Give us the eyes to see them, and the ears to hear them, and hands willing to serve them.
Help us serve people, not just causes. And stand up to specific injustices rather than vague notions.
Give those in this room who have power, along with those who will meet next week, the courage to work together to finally provide health care to those who don’t have any, and a living wage so families can thrive rather than struggle.
Hep us figure out how to pay teachers what they deserve and give children an equal opportunity to get a college education.
Help us figure out the balance between economic opportunity and corporate gluttony.
We have tried to solve these problems ourselves but they are still there. We need your help.
Father, will you restore our moral standing in the world.
A lot of people don’t like us but that’s because they don’t know the heart of the average American.
Will you give us favor and forgiveness, along with our allies around the world.
Help us be an example of humility and strength once again.
Lastly, father, unify us.
Even in our diversity help us see how much we have in common.
And unify us not just in our ideas and in our sentiments—but in our actions, as we look around and figure out something we can do to help create an America even greater than the one we have come to cherish.
God we know that you are good.
Thank you for blessing us in so many ways as Americans.
I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice.
Let Him be our example.
Amen."
As you might imagine, this prayer has not made many people happy: ranging from political conservatives to Reform thinkers (Calvinists). Political conservatives are decrying his promotion of liberal programs. Reform thinkers think that he downplayed the true meaning of Jesus and could have spent his time better telling people about the atonement and their own fallen nature and need for Jesus.
So, last night, Adam Ellis and I got out to see The Dark Knight in our local IMAX. First off, if you loved TDK in standard format, you will love it in IMAX. Remember what I said in my first review about the Hong Kong scene being kind of superfluous to the rest of the movie? Ok, NOW I understand why it's in there. When Batman basejumps off the skyscraper into Lao's building, it's simply jaw dropping. The whole film is just gorgeously shot and the director Chris Nolan really uses the IMAX format to the fullest.
So, after seeing the film, I naturally have a few more thoughts on it. Because I wasn't distracted with the ins and outs of the plot this time, I could really focus on the characters themselves and of course the most compelling is the Joker. Adam has read Nietzche and I haven't so I'm going to trust his point on this, but he says that the Joker is the ultimate Nietzche-an agent. An agent of chaos as the Joker refers to himself. What struck me about the Joker this time is that I was wrong about him in my first review. The stuff the Joker does isn't without purpose. It has a purpose. It's to strip away the thin veneer of civilization that he thinks we all put on our interactions with each other. The little barriers that keep us from slipping into barbarism. And he's about exposing our hypocrisy. The Joker was right in the movie that if he'd said a gangbanger was going to get shot or a truckload of soldiers was going to get blown up, we'd all simply accept that as the way of things in the world, because we HAVE accepted them as the way of the world. But when he threatened the Mayor of Gotham, people freaked out.
To me the Joker was about finding for each leader what would drive them past civilization. For Batman, he knew it was killing. And so he constantly tried to goad Batman into killing him. For Dent, he knew that Rachel was his anchor and so he took Rachel out in the most twisted way possible. Driving Dent into madness was also two fold. Not just did it drive Dent into barbarism, threatening Gordon's family, but his plan was for the rest of Gotham to find out about it too, bringing the hero that they'd all looked to down below them. The Joker's chaos had a purpose, but because we all fear chaos, it's hard to see the purpose in it. But again, the entire crux of the movie comes down to the ferries. The Joker has taken his experiment en masse and is trying now to strip the civilization from the people there, and it was there, in the ordinary people of Gotham City that he was proven wrong. In a convicted criminal, who throws the detonator out the window and even in the business man who loses his nerve, civilization and decency cannot be completely stripped away. There are limits that people have and in this case, they were still bound by that decency.
One last point: I'm not sure Dent is dead. We saw a memorial service, but never saw the body, never got a confirmation that he is dead. While the Joker won't be back (I wouldn't think), it's very possible that Dent could.
Once again, great movie. Perhaps the best of the year.
So, for the last couple of years, Kinsey has been doing dance class. She has a lot of fun doing it and also is pretty good at it.
This year, we (I) decided that we (I) would like her to play soccer. She's played baseball the last two summers and while she's had fun, she's not shown a huge amount of aptitude for it. But while she and I have been kicking the ball around the yard, she's actually been pretty good. Now, I know this is different than having someone mark you on the field.
However, what's a bit frustrating is that we found out yesterday that soccer practice is the same day as dance rehearsal, one hour later. This throws a crimp in our days and makes them very long, not including homework she has to get done. I know that extracurricular activities are not always going to be convenient and I think doing them will be good for her, but I do wish they weren't on the same day.
OK. This may be a long post, because I’m thinking out loud on this. This is a topic that requires some explanation of my history to understand where I’m going with this. Also, I’m really hoping for dialogue with all of my 4 readers on this, so if you see holes in my thinking or think I’m on the right track, let me know.
For most of my adult life, I have fought against a works-based salvation. Growing up in the Church of Christ and becoming very angry at that due to a couple of reasons, I decided the Church of Christ was dead wrong about having to do something to earn salvation, whether baptism or going to church or whatever. Kind of an “if saved, barely saved” ideology. I started attending a charismatic church in high school and through my first two years of college, but went to a Church of Christ college (Lipscomb) with the intent of showing all the Pharasiacal hypocrites how to be a real Christian. Ah, the folly and arrogance of youth.
Well, long story short, I learned that being Church of Christ and being spiritually minded were not mutually exclusive (Thanks Doug Varnado) and even ended up back at the church I grew up at (Otter Creek). However, my views on grace and works didn’t change and I even found people who agreed with me. We all viewed the works that we did as a response to the grace we had received, but not an obligation at any time that would earn us salvation (defined as our ticket to spend an eternity with God).
And then I start reading Brian McLaren. And rereading the Gospels and the OT prophets. And I start reading this stuff in those about what we do mattering, about what we do having eternal consequence. And my brain starts to feel twisted up. Let me explain.
Matthew 25:31 - 46 is one of Jesus’ clearest statements on judgment. He’s talking about the end of the age from chapter 24 and in this section he talks about when he (the Son of Man) comes in his glory. In this section, Jesus talks about how he’ll separate the sheep from the goats. And the basis for his judgment is NOT what these people believed, what statements of faith they ascribed to, what church they attended, what acts of worship the did or didn’t do or mixed together. The standard for his judgment is how they cared for the needy among them, the sick, the imprisoned.
And as I look through the gospels, Jesus talks very little about what people believe. He is much more concerned with what they do. Now, do I think faith is unimportant? No. I think it is, but it seems that it is less important than what I do with that faith. James said this. “Faith without works is dead.” Works are important.
As I wrote about two weeks ago, being saved by grace is great. It is a wonderful gift given by God. BUT if we don’t do something about that, we will be judged. We will be held accountable for that. When we are saved by that grace, we are all given a joyful responsibility: to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven. That’s the message that Jesus preaches throughout his ministry. When the gospels talk about the good news of the Kingdom, this is it.
This also begs the question of what does judgment mean. Traditionally, I’ve thought that when I die (or if Jesus comes back before that), I’ll wake up in a big room with everyone that ever lived and because I’ve got grace, I’ll be a sheep. I’m not so sure about that anymore. I do think judgment is an important part of eternity, but (and now I’m really thinking out loud, so take this or leave it) what if judgment is eternally occurring? What if my daily walk is being judged in how I help bring about the Kingdom? That can sound scary on one hand, but on another, it’s extremely hopeful. Because what if judgment and mercy are two sides of the same coin? What if the mercy that God offers is a part of his judgment? I don’t know how all of that plays out. I don’t know what all of this means, honestly.
Here’s what I think. My job as a follower of Christ, as a disciple of Jesus, is to help bring about the Kingdom of God. I’m going to try my hardest to do that every minute of every day. I’m going to find a community that will try and do that with me. And I’m going to genuinely love (no matter how hard it is) the people I come in contact with.
I think that’s the Law and the Prophets. I think that’s the message Jesus came to bring. And the grace that we receive through his death and resurrection both empowers us and makes us responsible for that mission.
So, how off base am I? What holes do you see? What resonates with you? Looking forward to the dialogue
This is one for the Christian music old schoolers.
I was big into Christian music in the 80s and early 90s. Huge fan of Michael W. Smith, Petra, Amy Grant, Rich Mullins and a few other more obscure groups and artists (Michael Gleason, anyone?) This was also a part of the reason I got a job at a Christian bookstore. But perhaps more about that time in my life another day.
There was a CD that came out in 1989 that were remixes of Christian songs called Adventures in the Land of Big Beats and Happy Feet, and one of the remixes was for Amy Grant's song Wise Up off her record, Unguarded. And after seconds and seconds of copious searching, I present it here for you today.
Connor put pee pee in the potty last night. Yes, we're pretty excited by this. And Connor, when you're reading this 15 years from now, no, I'm not sorry I put this out on the internet for the world to read.
Kinsey has had a great first week of school. She's getting her school work done at school. This was a bit of a struggle last year, since she can tend to be a very social girl and get easily distracted. I know this isn't a shock for those of you who know her.
Also, in a bit of blatant church promotion (which I'm sure I'll do again later this week), Otter Creek is hosting its bi-annual consignment sale www.ottercreeksale.com, organized by Amy Westerman et al. Sheryl volunteered there last night and they already have a ton of stuff. So go get good deals on clothes and toys and furniture.
Saturday night, I watched a bit of the Saddleback Civil forum where Barack Obama and John McCain separately answered questions posed by Pastor Rick Warren.
There were several interesting things in this. The first is the complete difference in the personalities between the two. Obama was thoughtful and nuanced in his responses, talking about his points but also acknowledging that people who claim the same God and the same Jesus can interpret things differently. McCain was straightforward and unwavering in his positions on life, on the war, and on government.
To me, this is what the crux of the entire election is going to come down to and is indicative of a shift in thinking by both Christians and nonChristians. How much nuance is allowed? People that want black and white in their thinking: right and wrong, good and evil, clearly defined; these people are going to tend toward McCain. And by the applause he received from the Saddleback audience (3 times for every 1 that Obama got, according to MSNBC), quite a few Christians will tend toward him. However, people that acknowledge that there can be gray areas in belief will tend toward Obama.
What do the American people want? In times of crisis (war, down economy, etc.), will we trend toward the straight talker or the nuancer?
Another thing that I found very interesting was the unwillingness of Obama to back down from his beliefs and convictions. Appearing in such a forum was putting him at a natural disadvantage. Obama knows that he's not going to get a lot of evangelical votes, but what this does is say, "Yes, we disagree, but if I become president, I'm not going to be a boogeyman against Christians. I'm willing to dialogue." And for the "younger evangelicals," this is a big deal. Younger Evangelicals seek conversation and discussion, especially from people with different viewpoints. And even if they don't agree on everything, they can find levels of agreement.
All in all, an interesting night that really highlighted the differences between the two candidates.
btw, there is now apparently some dispute on whether McCain knew about the questions ahead of time. He wasn't in a "cone of silence," but in his limo on the way to the church. The McCain staff says he didn't watch it.
Back, many moons ago, when I started to write consistently on this blog, I started out writing about spiritual things. I started out writing on Fridays only and it started with just spiritual issues I was thinking about. I was reading a ton of theology back then. Almost only theology. I was reading Brian McLaren, Donald Miller, NT Wright, Lee Camp, etc, etc. I was being exposed to a lot of new ideas that were outside of my experience and I used this blog as an outlet for a lot of that and as a result got to meet new friends (both "real life" and Web friends) and engaged in some serious dialogue with people about serious issues.
For some reason though, lately, I've felt singularly uninspired about spiritual things.
I've stopped reading a lot of theology (some manner of burnout, I suppose). Church governance and organization have become less interesting to me, even with the transition that Otter Creek is going through right now. It's almost as though in the last 3 years, this focus in my life on trying to figure out what it means to live as a follower of Jesus has been like trying to drink from a firehose and I've had to recently turn it off to catch my breath.
I've been exposed to a lot of new ideas over the last few years and it's convinced me that even seeing new ways of following Christ, I have a LONG way to go. There are calls on life that Jesus makes that, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I'm a strong enough follower or have enough faith to follow. Perhaps I love this life and the things of this world too much. What I don't want is to be one of those people who sees the way things could be in my own life and then just walks away from it, but perhaps I need to be satisfied with the "baby steps" that God is helping me through and take the ones I can.
Maybe I'm more like the rich young ruler than I want to admit. Maybe I'm more satisfied with the "ease" of Christianity than difficulty of following Jesus completely and wholly.
I don't know how much I'll be writing on Fridays right now. I might stop writing for a while. Taking breaks has often been good for me at times and this might be a good time to fast for a bit.
If you're a regular reader (I'm still not quite sure why someone would be), I appreciate you walking with me in this for however long you have. I would covet anyone's prayers as I ponder these things and take a breath from pondering them.
Yesterday, Sheryl, Kinsey, and I went to the cemetery where some of my family is buried. We went there for a visitation for a dear saint of Otter Creek who passed away Saturday night. But while we were there, we stopped by the area where some of my family is buried.
This first one is my grandmother and grandfather, my dad's parents. I have really solid memories of them, since I was 7 and 8 when they died. They both smoked (a lot), but I always remember looking forward to going to their house (which we moved into after they died). They always sat in the same place at the old Otter Creek building and they always had Chiclets for me and my sister when we ran down to see them.
This one is my great-grandfather and -grandmother. I obviously don't remember them, except the stories that I've heard about my grandfather, mainly. He was a preacher at Otter Creek and the first one in the Granny White building. I also know that he helped found a Bible school for African-Americans here in Nashville.
It was a nice little excursion to see this and to show Kinsey a piece of our history.
In our small group, we're reading (somewhat slowly) through the gospel of Luke. We're getting some good discussion and thinking going on, which I always enjoy.
Last week, we talked about the Sabbath keeping passage in Luke 6: 1-10
1 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"
3 Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions." 5 Then Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. 8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there.
9 Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?"
10 He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored. 11 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.
As I was reading it, it struck me more clearly than ever before how much like the the Pharisees we can be when it comes to our Sunday morning worship times. As I was thinking, I think I realized for one of the first times that truly, the Sabbath was not for God; it was for Israel. When you're a slave and you're given a day off every week, that's a big deal. That's a rest. The problem with it came when people like the Pharisees and teachers of the law started mandating what work was and wasn't that the Sabbath became onerous to the people. Having the Sabbath helped remind the people of God (not that they always remembered anyway), but God didn't NEED them to honor it for God to be able to function as God.
The mistake that we as Christians can make is making our worship services as restrictive. Are there aspects of things that should be done "decently and in order"? Sure, but if our times of worship become as onerous as the Sabbath became, if they become as much a hindrance to us, then we can lose focus on why we go on Sundays (or whenever).
About three years ago, I went through a kick where I loved mashups. For those of you unfamiliar, mashups are taking two separate songs and mixing them together to form one song. My criteria was fairly stringent. I had to know at least one of the songs and the mashup actually had to be good. Fulfilling these criteria proved more difficult to meet than I'd thought, but I found some good ones:
I Wanna Dance with Some Bono - U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday mashed with Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance with Somebody
Oops Slim Shady Did It Again - Eminem's Slim Shady mashed with Britney Spears' Oops I Did It Again
Booty-stitious - Destiny's Child's Bootylicious with Stevie Wonder's Superstitious
Owner of a Lovely Butt - Yes' Owner of a Lonely Heart with Sir Mix-A-Lot's Baby Got Back
And a bad ones like the Chariots Killed the Radio Star - Vangelis' Chariots of Fire with The Buggles' Video Killed the Radio Star.
However, one of the best ones I found was this one which is a mash of Ben E. King's Stand By Me and the Police's stalker hit Every Breath You Take.
Still one of my favorite ones. Now, if I could just find a good mash of Queen and David Bowie's Under Pressure with Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby.... Seriously.
On occasion, I'll listen to a midmorning conservative talk show here in Nashville. We'll call the host Mike.
Yesterday, there was an author on talking about the Obama cult of personality. And he literally said that he hasn't seen stuff like Obama's power over people since Hitler or Stalin or Mussolini. (palm to face)
A couple of weeks ago, I was listening and they played Obama's speech in Berlin and Mike would make commentary during the speech on occasion, making comments like "Is the running for president of the world?" and topping it off with "I seriously think he might be the antichrist." (Head into steering wheel)
OK look. I understand that conservatives don't like Obama because, well, they're conservatives. They accuse him of socialism and playing the race card and being an empty suit and many other things like that. And that's fine. Unfortunately it's par for the course.
However...
When you bust out the mass murdering dictators card and when you lay down the dispensational eschatology (belief that the rise of the antichrist will bring about the rapture and Jesus' return) on a candidate, you've gone past political commentary into the realm of the unChristian. Which is important, because Mike claims to be a committed Christian who is outraged at how the "radical homosexual left" is tearing down the fabric of society and that he has to fight for conservative values. And apparently part of being a committed Christian is tearing into Barack Obama when he mentions tire gauges and the environment (I think that's in the book of First Hezekiah).
Look, I don't agree with everything Obama espouses or everything McCain talks about. I'm not even sure how much I trust how much either of them are saying, since I tend to not trust politicians when their mouths are moving. But even if I were in the sludge pit known as conservative talk radio, to compare someone to Hitler or say that they could be the antiChrist is beyond the pale. If you want to talk about a cult of personality, compare them to FDR or JFK or RWR (Ronald Wilson Reagan [wait, each of his names has 6 letters in it: 666; maybe Reagan was the antiChrist {j/k}]). If you want to say that someone is more interested in the opinions of the world than those of the United States, say that. But calling someone the antiChrist... It was mind blowing.
Besides, Obama can't be the antiChrist; his last name isn't Carpathia.
Addendum: Apparently, I'm way behind the curve on this Obama=AntiChrist thing. Check out these Google results for Obama antichrist.
Seriously, school starts next week? Where did the summer go? It feels like it was just a month ago that we were heading out on our jaunt across America but that was really 2 1/2 months ago? That's not right.
1) That OC would be associating with a larger worldwide group of believers and followers within our own movement.
2) I think it was great for us to hear from an international perspective. One outside of our walls and even the conclave of Churches of Christ that we have here in Nashville.
I don't know why but for a lot of my life, summer time has always been a "down" time spiritually for me. Ever since high school, where the fall and spring could really include times of feeling "close" to God, summer hasn't been that way as much.
That's part of the reason why these "spiritual" posts on Friday's (a schedule I've had since I began this blog several years back) haven't been as long or as thought out as previous ones. Part of that too is because I'm not reading as much spiritual or faith based writing as I have in years past. I almost feel like I ingested so much over the last three years or so, that I almost gorged on theology and so I've taken a bit of a break from that reading and listening as well.
And maybe part of it too is that the details and minutiae of faith don't interest me right now as they have previously. Part of me just wants to say, "Just live it out. Just try to be like Jesus."
I'm sorry if these posts haven't been as thought provoking or conversation stimulating as they might have been in the past. Perhaps they will be again soon.
I am a pragmatic idealist trying to figure out what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and what it means to live in the Kingdom of God.
I'm married to Sheryl and the daddy of Kinsey and Connor.
