Five Years Later

I will never forget when my parents sold their business. To be sure, growing up on a campground of grumpy old people had its headaches. But with all the headaches and the Christmas Eve dinners that we were pulled away from to fix this or that, there were also some memories that are precious to me. Mostly, these memories are the ones of working side-by-side with my Dad, Grandpa, Uncles, cousins, and siblings. When I think back to it, these were the forming years of my life. These years were where I was taught to be a man.

It was on the campground that I learned how to work hard and to analysis a situation before working because as my grandpa always said, "Brain power beats man power." I learned generosity and compassion from my Uncle Chip who took his time and his money to weld and assemble a trailer for use of the campground. I learned how to be a good teacher and loving father from my Dad who always took the time to show me what he was doing and when I would screw something up would lovingly show me how to fix it. My Uncle Steve would greet and be willing to talk with anyone and would often demonstrate compassion to some of the most difficult people.

It was five years ago today that I was on the campground and heard the news of my Uncle Chip's death. I had come home from college and was working with my Dad on the campground. It was unbelievable. Story after story, we heard of the true character of Chip Vater and his heart. Even in his last moments, he told a coworker that he loved him. Looking into the faces of friends and family, we all shared stories of Uncle Chip's love for his God and love for others. The hours he poured into helping start a church in Cincinnati, the mission's trip he took to the Ukraine and the adoption story of my cousin, the four-wheeling, the donkey, the farm.

I wondered then, how can a family recover from the loss of a dad, a husband, a brother, a son, and an uncle who had so much life and love? I honestly have never been so moved then to see how Christ has healed the broken pieces that were left in the wake of his death. His sons have grown up to be men that serve God. His wife has fallen even more in love with Jesus who teaching her youngest son and daughter of Uncle Chip's life. My mom, aunts, and uncle have clung to each other in these five years and realized the importance of family. Grandma tells the stories of Chip, her son, to everyone. My siblings and I keep his memory fresh in our minds. We wonder, would Uncle Chip be proud of us? In the passage of five years, I reflect to think of the husband, brother, son, uncle, and one day father that I am. Have I shown Christ to my friends and my family? What will others say of my legacy?

One year later in August, my world was changed again. My grandpa passed away after battling health problems for most of his life. My grandpa shared many of the same personality traits that I have. He was a man that I dearly loved. An uncle and a grandpa…five years later.

Tomorrow is my birthday. Each year we mourn the loss of my uncle the day before my birthday. I heard often from others five years ago that this is a tragedy that the day before my birthday would always be filled with mourning the loss of my uncle. In five years, I have realized that every year I have the opportunity to reflect on my life along with the life of my uncle. I pause and think of the legacy that I am leaving and what I have done in the past year to bring God's kingdom to earth as in heaven. I think about the things I will do this day and in the future to proclaim Good News to the poor in a way that would honor my Uncle Chip. I think about the journey that he was a part, is the same journey that I am on which goes all the way back to the calling of Abram.

Thank you Uncle Chip for your life, your love, and your legacy. We love and miss you.

Your nephew,

Noah

 

The Love Feast

When heaven comes crashing into earth it truly demonstrates to those around that God's vision is becoming a reality for the creation story. These cosmic events are a prelude to God's kingdom coming to earth as in heaven and we who are able to see it happen, can become encouraged and renewed once again to join in the revolution. It is the sunrise of the morning horizon which brings light to a world covered in darkness, illuminating everything around us. Restoration and redemption are beckoning us to be resistor's of the broken promises of old creation that says we are mere products of our circumstances.

Yesterday, I was able to watch the body of Christ enacted through a community of believers who truly believe that love wins. Amidst the backdrop of a holiday marked by gluttony and consumerism, stands a body of Christ followers who are searching out to find the marginalized, hungry, and poor. One Community Church whose philosophy states that they are to "love without agenda" hosted the local community in a "Love Feast" on November 30^th. I saw faces that looked like Jesus everywhere around me. Smiles, laughter, joy, and pure love without condition flowed from these Christ followers. It seemed that everyone was watching the door in anticipation for the next person that walked in, so they could shower them with love. As people walked through the door, everyone seemed to jump up out of their seats and want to serve them.

Paul Dudley, the pastor of the church, gave me a tour of the facilities and casted his vision. The church meets in an old furniture store below an abandoned theater. This large space looked less like a traditional church with Sunday school rooms and more like a community center. From future career centers to give away garage sales, each room had a function that served a purpose to help love and serve the community.

After dinner, one of the ladies from the church got up and told her story. The story told of her life and experiences; of brokenness and redemption, and how she was bringing heaven to earth with her career and her life. She is a new kind of beautician, who takes a day out of the week to provide her services for free to local ladies who can't afford to pay. Her story not only demonstrated God's redemption of her life, but what she herself was doing to bring that love and redemption to others. Her love is extraordinary and her service of others is remarkable.

Afterwards spontaneously, a man stood up and walked towards the front. He told a little bit about his life and how his daughter was murdered. He spoke of how Jesus had changed his life and how this community had demonstrated to him God's perfect love. With an amazing voice, he sang of God's Amazing Grace which moved many in the room to tears, including myself.

This Thanksgiving holiday will go down for me as one of the greatest. This community took a holiday that propagates selfishness and overcame it with good. I wonder if more people would take initiative in creative redemption how this world would start looking more like God's vision?

Speaking for God

"The main thing is the GOSPEL. The Gospel is simply the good news that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ's finished work on the cross -- period. We can never earn salvation or add to it. . .only accept it."

The above statement came from a website of a church I came across yesterday. Let me first begin by saying that I do not want this to be derogatory post on a church or churches who would state the same ideas, but more of a reflection on the statement. This statement embodies beliefs and ideas that are deeply rooted in modern thought and are foundational to many churches and individuals. It is a doctrine that distinguishes communities as evangelical and sets itself apart from Roman Catholic belief. This is not unique to the modern Protestant movement. Without a doubt, both Catholic and Protestants have worked hard at providing a set of distinct positions on theological issues in order to provide Christians with a foundation of, "Truth".

William of Ockham

William of Ockham produced a very influential philosophy known as Ockham's razor. The razor basically states, "All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best." William, who was also a Franciscan friar, carried this philosophy to a host of theological positions. The working out of many of the "Simplest" solutions had yet to be done by the time of his death in the late 14^th century. However, most of these continued to be worked out by the Enlightenment and modern era.

A Simple Gospel

Modern evangelism has sought to explain the story of God to an easy-to-understand method whereby people can either chose to accept or deny God. By boiling down the Gospel to a mere propositional statement (s), we have minimalized large sections of Scripture. We sought to find the truth out of all the stories, miracles, and other odd elements by ascribing them to ways of understanding the truth instead of seeing them as truth. Modern conservatives blame liberals for denying miracles but have failed to see that by their reductionism, they themselves have denied miracles as having any weight. With each theologian, scholar, pastor, professor, and lay person comes the lenses by which one understands value. Each of us has our own set of lenses or presuppositions. Approaching Scripture is a daunting task and perhaps breaking down our presuppositions is impossible. We must acknowledge our presuppositions and be able to think in a historical manner that is able to embody first century eyes.

If the word Gospel is translated to "Good news" than what is the "news" and for who is it "good"? Only too easy can we arrive at an answer to this question and although many books and articles have been written concerning this, I will not attempt to go that route suffice to say this; can the Gospel be simplified to a belief and not include action? Such emphasis placed on faith apart from works was the heart cry of the Protestant Reformation. It is very important to note that the Protestant Reformation was good in many ways, but there were also many failures upon those who did the protesting. In the next blog I will unpack this a little bit more.

 

Jubilee…

To live, to act, and to embody the Divine love shown to us is the call of a voice over generations.  It beckons us as a voice crying out saying, "My way is perfect."  Yet, we turn and search for our own way; a way that is destructive to our very core.  How and why do we ignore this voice?  Our way is failing and was doomed from the beginning.  We believed and were united by our own minds at the conception of Post-Enlightenment ideals like the free market, capitalism, and a new country that promised us freedom.  But our freedom has turned to chains and shackles under the guise of patriotism.  We are united for a purpose that is nonsensical.  We state that we are patriots, but what is patriotism and to what end?  Do we want the globe to fully realize that the Western Empire is glorious or do we just want peace for our own hedonism to thrive?  Either way, it is a path that is diametrically opposed to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

The way to freedom is through Jubilee.

Jubilee

God from the very beginning provided for her to be prevalent in society.  He taught her ways to His people and has wanted them to fully grasp her grandeur ever since.  Jubilee is to provide for the poor, the marginalized, and the sick.  It is to give away what you have to those in need.  Jubilee is to set the prisoners free and to love your enemies.  

The way that was taught by Christ was in essence teaching us to be Jubilee people.  Christ was not calling us to pacifism, for pacifism is idle and he wasn't calling His people to war mongering, for that is destructive.  Jubilee is perhaps the strongest action and it is a continuous fight.  As brother Shane Claiborne once noted, "The command to give up your robe to one who sues you was to expose your nakedness and expose their greed."  It disarms our enemies.  Then again, who is our enemy?

I am not sure that you can have dual citizenship in the kingdom of God, especially when the Kingdom of God flies in the face of our empire. There is rumor that we may be living in the last days of society as we know it. The question is are we ready to start living out Jubilee or are we going to melt down our gold and build a new calf? Many people are saying that it isn't the government's place to enact jubilee but it is for the church to do this. I would agree.

 

Maybe instead of giving the responsibility over to an autonomous body like the government or the church, we should think locally. What am I as a stay at home mom doing to teach my kids about giving to the poor? What am I as a pastor doing to love the "Least of these"? What am I as a businessman doing to reverse the systems of this world? We must give this responsibility a body, a name, and a face. The same is also true of the poor. It isn't enough to know that there are poor people in this world that need help. We must look in our neighborhoods, schools, and churches for the needs. We must know and engage with people and cultivate relationships.

Am I a traitor for praying that the empire falls? I am not sure. Maybe I just long for the world to be put to rights. Maybe there will always be empire that draws me into her, promising the intangible. But her fruit is a lie and we have been deceived to think it is from God. We mark God on all of our money and are disgusted when the government removes symbols that represent our faith. What happens though, when the church uses that same money for her immorality, gluttony, and for systemic injustice?

 
 

The Lamb or the Eagle

July 4^th rolled around this last year and for the first time in my life, it meant nothing to me. Over the span of my life time, I have celebrated Independence Day in two different countries and for most of my adult life been away from my family on this American holiday. This year was different. My wife and I celebrated by spending time together like we do on July 3^rd and July 5^th. It was basically like any other day. It was really weird for me. I had this feeling that something wasn't right. I thought that maybe it was because I was tired or sick or something. I wondered if maybe it was because politics were getting so ridiculous.

They say ignorance is bliss. When President Bush was elected, I was jubilant to say the least. Having Bush as my president caused a deep seated patriotic spirit to rise up within me. He would be the man to lead America into prosperity and America would be like it use to be when our grandfather's had a love of country. So when I think about the passion I had for America back then and compare my attitude to now, I am pretty sure that my old self would want to beat up my new self. I imagine this conversation.

Old Noah: Hey who are you going to vote for in this election?

Noah: Not sure.

ON: What!?!?! How can you not know!?!? I thought you were a Christian?!?!

Noah: I didn't know Jesus was running for office.

ON: You are an idiot!

My bedroom in high school looked like the Republican Party headquarters threw up all over it. Hugh American flag along with political signs were situated on every wall. The irony was that I had this small wooden sign that hung over my bed that said, "God always keeps his promises". My trust and hope, however, rested more on which political party was in control. I trusted in the chariots of American idealism over and against God.

So what happened? Well, I guess I found out that eight years of a Christian president didn't lead America to a higher morality or lead America to become more Christian. The reality though is based more off the fact that I began to examine my heart and my life.

Socrates once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." So, in a sense I feel that I am better off. However, the pride that I once had for being an AMERICAN Christian fell away. I realized that embodying the Gospel may in fact fly in the face of American pride. TO be sure, America preaches a gospel, but the gospel of America is a golden calf that is hollow. It is the gospel that tells us that in order to be happy, we are to buy and consume. The American gospel's saints are equipped with guns who are instructed by the American messiah to go forth and kill the enemy. And the church has lost her sight and is being led to the fire by her lover the State.

I began to realize that if I truly wanted to live out the Gospel that I would love my enemies. I realized that humility, not pride, was to be lived out in my heart and life. In a sense, it became impossible for me to hold the weight of the flag and the weight of the cross. I was forced to lay down the flag. In that action though, I discovered that the burden of the cross was lighter than the yoke of the State.

 

 

Greedy Little Pig

This morning I woke up and went to make a sandwich for lunch. When I grabbed the bread for the sandwich I discovered that the bread was moldy. No big deal, just throw it away. When I went to pull out the lunchmeat and mayo I saw at the bottom drawers of the refrigerator apples and lettuce that were bought several weeks ago that were starting to rot.

One of my good friends, Scott Childress, posted a great blog about his journey after understanding the Gospel and discovering the conviction of consumerism. It has been an interesting year. After engaging in many conversations with my friends, reading books, and watching movies I have felt a deep conviction over the American dream of buying and consuming.

I am six months into my protest from buying new clothes. This last June, I felt a stirring in my soul to go on a strike from buying new clothes for at least a year. After going through my closet, I discovered (And am still discovering) clothes that have tags on them or else have been worn once or twice. The question in my mind arises, "How many pairs of jeans do I need?" or "How many shoes can you wear at one time?"

I confess, I have come very close to buying new clothes several times in the last six months. It is amazing how many sales and great deals I have found since June. I also confess that I have not felt anything at this point that would lead me to feeling free or feeling…anything really. I have been comfortable and haven't felt shame for the clothes I am wearing. They are all really nice clothes that are relatively in good shape.

One thing is for sure though when journeying on the path of Christ, is that as you begin to understand more of the Gospel that is when it changes again and goes deeper. This morning I have discovered this. I feel a conviction for buying groceries and letting them rot. More than buying junk food and more than buying organic; I am beginning to be convicted about waste. I am ashamed that I have bought food that sits in a pantry and rots.

Perhaps the hording of food and clothes is an attitude that is deeply rooted in the disbelief of God to provide for my needs. It disgusts me how far removed I am from my global neighbors who don't have shoes and go without food for days on end while I stockpile more food and more clothes. How can I say that I care about people and I love them when I think so selfishly?

I am concerned as we head into another holiday season that I will forget completely about God. To be sure, songs, prayers, and Scripture readings will all be present; but will Jesus? I tend to think that he won't be as close to me as I stuff my face full of turkey and unwrap presents as I sit cozy in a warm house. He probably will draw close to those who are hungry, cold, and alone for the holidays.

A Prayer for the Vote

Father hear our prayer,

Bring peace to us, your people. May we not demonize those we disagree with and may we all stand on the issues that are important to you. We are your children and us such we think selfishly. We make decisions that fatten our wallet or give us the greatest power. We confess that we have lost sight of the Gospel which proclaims justice, peace, grace and love of our enemies. Remind us that our neighbors and our enemies exist not only in America but in every part of the world. We pray that you will be our President for your Kingdom is where our citizenship truly lies. May we not build a golden calf in the name of a nation and may we not be known as Americans, but as your children. We ask that you remind us that there was never a President or king that laid down his life so that others may live. Remind us that out of all the principalities, there was never one who took off our sandals to wash our feet. We long to live in a place where swords are made into ploughshares. Give us the strength to be the ones to show initiative in making your dream for this world a reality. Encourage our hearts to be the voice crying out in the wilderness. Mold us into Jubilee people, setting the captives free and bringing peace to the nations. We pray that our hearts will not be settled on November 5^th and that we will continue to lead people into recognizing your presence. Give us a fire in our hearts to be a prophetic voice to our countries. Give us boldness to protest and protect the marginalized in the country and abroad. May we remember Nathan the prophet, who called out David's sin, give us the strength to do the same. Forgive us when we lost our way into believing the lies of redemptive violence. Bring us to a place where we practice resurrection and a life eternal that begins here on earth as it is in your Kingdom. Father, show us your work by opening our eyes to see the beauty in the mess. We have perverted your world in large ways. Open our eyes to see the hungry. Cure us of our apathy and heal us of our hate. Our hands are stained with the blood of the poor, the blood of your son. We thank you for the grace and mercy that you have shown us. May we have the constitution to have that same grace and mercy for those who trespass against us. This is your Kingdom and power from this day and for all of eternity.

Undecided

I love this time of year with the leaves changing, the cool crisp air, the smells of fall, and political signs. I believe over the last several months my emotions have been high as well as low concerning this election. I started off with a very joyous feeling as one political candidate stood for the ideals that embodied everything that I wanted to see happen in this country. I knew he really didn't stand a chance against the bigger candidates in his party, but I held out and thought that he may drop out of his party and run third party. It didn't happen and so I was forced to look at two candidates that were left.

Never in my life have I been so undecided. The last several months since my choice dropped out has been a rollercoaster. I watched both the RNC and the DNC and after I watched one of these I really thought that I had made the right decision as to who I would vote for. A couple of weeks later, I changed my mind again and thought about not voting at all.

After awhile, frustration sets in as I become confused more and more. I am not only confused on who is telling the truth, but I am also confused on which issues I feel most strong about in this election. Prior to this election it was an easy answer, abortion. What happens though when Jesus starts to open your eyes to other issues that are equally important? The whole thing gets really awful when both candidates are slinging mud at each other and acting rather childish.

I really am disappointed with some of my favorite authors, activists, and fellow sojourners who have continually shared in their writings in the past about the caution that Christians must have when dealing with American politics. They remind us of the horrors of the Religious Right and the marriage of Republicans with the church. Why is it any different then, when these same people now have substituted one political party with another? The strategists of these parties are smart. When the church becomes disenchanted with their party, politicians then have the opportunity to tell us that they have the better party; the party that is most like Jesus.

Is it manipulation or do these politicians really care about Jesus? I guess the better question is, what does Jesus care most about or how would he vote?

There might be a deeper theological question though, that must be asked. How has the church been an advocate for civil religion? Have we taught that a person can have a separate life from Jesus and still be a follower? It is ironic to me that there is this section of Scripture where Jesus says, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's." We use to think that this was a section of Scripture that stated that God only cares about your soul. This is a lie. Think about it in this context. What exactly is God's? Would not Caesar's empire actually be all God's?

My dad tells this story of a businessman that attended his church. My dad said that he did a contract for this guy and things got really shady in his dealings with him. My dad became really frustrated that a leader of the church could act the way that he did and on Sunday greet him as a brother. My dad finally confronted the guy and this businessman said, "This is business, it is different."

Civil religion

I voted before for the candidate that was a Christian. Of course, his running mate also claimed to be a Christian, but nobody believed him. Civil religion doesn't just exist in politics, but it is a great example. The church has taught society that you can have a Jesus-in-a-box and have the rest of your life. I guess that is why a Christian t-shirt company can still buy material made in sweatshops.

Going back to politics, there is no Christian party and this is not a Christian nation. To equate a certain party with Christianity is like equating a television to a donkey. They may share attributes, but they have way too many differences.

The story goes about a protester who stood outside the Whitehouse with a candle to protest the war. A guy stopped him and asked, "Why are you doing this? You are not going to change anything." The protester said, "I don't do this to change them. I do it so I am not changed."

Yesterday Emily told me she was going to write in her vote. She told me that she would rather stand for ideals than to settle for the "Lesser of two evils". She said that she knows that the person she will vote for will not be in office, but she feels that maybe if she voted for the popular vote that maybe it wouldn't be a disappointment when the next president screws up because at least she can say, "I didn't vote for him." I thought that was great.

I have been thinking a lot lately of this scenario of two neighbors. On the one side of the fence lives Mr. Jones who drives his SUV into the city everyday as the corporate executive of a major corporation. He lives in a huge house filled with the latest new electronics. He doesn't pay attention to his next door neighbor except the ole' tip of the hat before going to work. On the other side of the fence lives Mr. Johnson who is a progressive liberal who is an advocate for the working class. He rides his bike to work and lives for life after work. They both are political and both have their candidate. One morning, Mr. Johnson goes outside before work and plants a sign for his political candidate. Meanwhile, his next door neighbor Mr. Jones is doing the same thing but for the other candidate. They both glare at each other with hate in their eyes. The two of them never form a relationship with each other. If they would have met, they would have discovered that they share a lot of the same passions. For example they love the outdoors, enjoy the same foods, and are both followers of Jesus.

I don't like my choices. I do believe that the political situation we are in right now is a lesser of two evils scenario. Not that I think either candidate is "Evil" per say, nor do I think that either one is "Good". Besides, I think both the donkey and the elephant have done a good job at trampling the cross.

So which issue am I going to fight for? I guess it is all of them. What candidate do I want to be President? I don't know. N.T. Wright once said that Western politics are very strange. He said that it isn't about the right man for the job but it is about the man doing the right job. Whoever is President let us pray for him to do the right thing.

Re-imagine

Re-imagine… It is time to take new steps and to rediscover our world. Creativity has been lost and hope has gone along the wayside. A world of color has been nearly washed out by black and white. On the surface is a dull picture, lifeless and dead. The surface is starting to peal and a new life is shining through. Creation is being restored and we stand on the brink of a new revolution. This revolution was begun in the Middle East a few thousand years ago. The revolution is bringing restoration to all things. The music resounds in downtown streets and along the mountain trails. The refrain is coming from all around promising life and setting captives free.

Free to imagine…

Free to create…

Free to love…

This freedom has a call from our Revolutionary Leader to carry a responsibility of care for all people which includes those we disagree with. We are to care for creation and to care for the things that he cares about. He told us that his plan would not be too heavy and that his burden would be light. In Comparison, His burden is a hell of a lot lighter than the burden of old creation.

Old creation…

Old creation promises death, injustice, brokenness, and loneliness. It promises that those who are held to her yoke will be crushed under her weight. The poor will inherit the rich's problems and the rich will inherit the problem of their own lust which can never be satisfied. Each person held to old creation's yoke will feel the pain of living a sub-human existence. Her inheritance is hell.

New Creation…

She tells a different story. A story of life, community, love, and renewal. True humanity.

 

It is now the time to stand up and say that we do not need money and material in order to be happy. It is time to say that the economy does not determine our happiness and joy. Our worth is not determined by our production. We are not purely a cog in a machine. We are people who love, live, and laugh. We are those who show true life…eternal life that is not void of joy. This life is not worthless and has true purpose with a regard to all things in heaven and on earth, bringing heaven crashing down to earth and putting the world to rights.

Oh the Humanity

I am no longer using the term, "Human". Several years ago I conducted a survey amongst many of my contemporaries as to the feelings they get when hearing, "Human". Several people replied back that they felt like it is antiquated and they felt ill when hearing it. I have been chastised from many pulpits as have many of my friends who still use this term. I realize that in order to keep the peace that today will be the beginning of the end for me using the term. I came to this conclusion after conducting a survey on my website that asked if we should still use the term. 60% of people who visit my website said that we need to stop using it. Grant it, 60% are about 3 people including my mom, me, and a guy that thought he was a character from Star Wars, but nevertheless the survey speaks for itself. For me, I will keep doing what I am doing and let people label me if they want. It just needs to be known that I will not use it any more. Oh and by the way, because I am not using the term it means that it is dead. I just decided this so that's what just happened.

Human lived a good life and served a lot of good while it lasted. We, who originally started using the term, have come to many different conclusions about using the term human. Jony Tones said in his book that, "In order to be a human, you must wear a hat." I am not sure where he wrote that in his book being that I never read it, but I am sure it is in there and I don't always wear a hat so I must not be a human. There have been a lot of good people who will still use the term, but they are old school and should probably reconsider. Also, a few of us are starting our own group that is going to distinguish itself from those who still use the term human, but don't worry. We are all in this together and are still working alongside each other; it is just that we are more correct in our views and probably are more relevant.

Now that we are embarking on a new journey that is post-human, we can look to the future and look down on those who use the term human. It is so freeing to be post-human and to not use labels. By the way, our new network will be called Post-Human so if you are feeling like you are sick of labels that mark you as human, come and share in a new network as a post-human. See you in the blogosphere!

The Awkward Turtle

There are two lights that send shivers down my spine when they come on. First, is the light on my car indicating that I am low on gas. This is always frustrating because I always think back to the last time I filled up and argue to myself or my car that it wasn't that long ago. Then the haunting feeling of price paid for said gas. Sounding much like the iconic grandpa character, I say something like, "I remember back in 2001 when I paid .89 cents a gallon." But in all honesty, 2001 wasn't that long ago. I digress. The second of these lights that cause nausea is the oil light on my dashboard which indicates that I need to change the oil. When I got into my car yesterday morning, both of these lights came on. It was the perfect storm.

Let it be known that I do know how to change my own oil. It is one of those things that dad taught to me in my younger years. But something that dad also taught me was that unless you have time to spend, better to let someone else change your oil. Well for me yesterday, I didn't have the time. I knew what must be done. I also knew that there is only one place between my house and work that changes oil; enter Jiffy Lube.

There are very few establishments in this society that I feel an absolute loathing for at the mere mention of a name. Nothing makes me feel less like a man than having another man work on my car. It is as if in our society there was this code that was given to all men saying, "You are to work on your own car and watch ESPN and to enjoy both." I missed this code completely. In fact, when men are gathered together talking about sports, in my head it is like watching a foreign film without subtitles. Needless to say, the auto shop isn't quite my scene.

Whenever I know that I am going to get my oil change, I rehearse to myself in the car. I try to think of questions that I will be asked and to rehearse my response, "No thank you" which translated means, "I am not sure, but I think you trying to scam me." It is always the same scenario. The mechanic, Shiesty McGee, attempts to give me a long detailed explanation of how my car may or may not blow up if I don't get the supreme oil. It is usually demonstrated on a computer that displays a chart that places my car in the red zone. I don't know much about cars, but I do know that you are to stay away from the red zone. Shiesty McGee then explains that this oil is recommended by Jeff Gordon and to not choose this supreme oil is foolish and will cause irreparable damage to my car. What do you do? If I say, "No" it is like I just kicked his puppy. This is the scenario that plays out in my mind. So after a good bit of rehearsing on my part, I feel that I am ready to face Shiesty.

As I pulled up into the docking station, I start to devise a plan that would calm my nerves while I awaited persecution from Shiesty McGee for getting the bare minimum service. I grabbed my book and went into the waiting room to bury my head into a book. Once I sit down, I notice a gentleman standing next to the television turning the volume up. He looks at me and explodes about the latest news on the United Nations. It didn't stop. He kept yelling at me about his frustrations. Mind you, they were the complete opposite of my own views, but I wasn't going to let Crazyguy Mcgillicutty know that. Whenever I am in this situation, I always try to look for something to diffuse it. A quick glance around the room revealed nothing. Then I had a great thought, a fake phone call. I reached to feel for my phone and realized that I left it in my car. For a moment I thought that maybe I could throw my book at his face and run out of the door. Then I realized that I really liked my book so I was kind of stuck. I started to pray that Shiesty McGee would show up to save me. It was a strange prayer indeed.

There was a lull in our conversation. I use the term, "Conversation" lightly. In fact, the conversation was actually not an exchange of words between fellows but rather a discourse of words directed at a meaningless stranger. I figured I would use this to my advantage and step outside while my car was being worked on. Shiesty came to me and directed me to a computer to show me how far my car was in the red zone. I gave my rehearsed response and paid the man for the bare minimum. As I turned to leave Crazyguy looked at me and with a smile said, "It was great talking with you."

 

 

The Avett Brothers

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I found out about the Avett Brothers coming to concert in Roanoke, about 45 minutes away. Very few good concerts come so close to Lynchburg. Most bands that are reputable tour D.C. and very seldom come within an hour of Lynchburg. This is much to my dismay, but is nevertheless the situation with living in a semi-rural part of the country. It truly is an enigma with me and somewhat unsettling that this part of the country is largely ignored. It seems that many authors, musicians, and other artist tour areas of the country that are overpopulated with avant-garde, postmodern youths who blog behind their Macbooks in local Starbucks complaining about the "Man". Don't get me wrong. I would be found in the same environment if I lived in a different context. So here I go, starting a blog about one thing and probably hopping a couple more subjects and going for something else.

We live in a society that is networked throughout the country where friendship and conversation are so easily attained by turning on a computer. I should know. This is how I remain sane while driving and being cut off by a Ford pickup covered in mud with a giant sign that reads, "Screw the environment get me my oil" (This is an actual occurrence a few weeks ago…just ask my therapist/wife) My frustration is that the connectedness of people who are likeminded in this area is increasingly difficult to find. Maybe that is why many artists don't come to this area? Regardless, I digress.

I love going to concerts. Ok, so I confess that most concerts I have been to have been Christian. Not that there is anything innately wrong with that, but it is to be noted for sure. The concert experience is always a blast wherever there are fans. The energy exudes off the stage and begs the audience to participate in the grander of emotion being expressed by the music. The Avett Brothers were masters of this art.

Everyone young and old couldn't help but to sing their refrains and stomp their feet to the music. It always amazes me that there exists this other dimension in concerts. I am not trying to make a concert more than it is, but I think all concert goers can agree that where there is good music, there is often community. Before the concert got started, it was pretty cool to overhear a few people talking about their favorite song. Emily sat by a group of people who said that this concert will be their fifth time hearing them perform. The audience on Friday night was so engaged with the band that at one point before the concert, one of the stage hands came out to tune the guitar, and having a beard much like Seth Avett, people started to cheer really loudly. The guys from the band remarked several times that they were truly grateful for the warm welcome from the audience.

There always exists for me this disappointment after a concert. It is the great sadness that overshadows the show that I just saw. It happens when I get in the car and try to play the music that I heard. It is never as good as the show, no matter how great the album is, it can't capture the feeling. I wonder if it has anything to do with the audience or maybe the musician's elation with performing to a crowd rather than in a studio in front of a producer.

 

Lobbyist of Love

This morning I am praying for peace in this nation and in the world. Rumors have been circulating more and more of our nation heading back into a cultural war and I pray that this does not happen again. I believe that the polarization of positions can destroy creativity and love. A vs. B scenarios have pitted brother against brother in an unending battle of moral superiority. With contributors on both sides bring slanderous remarks towards the other and waging a war that is not grounded on Biblical community and love. The words of Paul resound in my ear that there is neither, "Jew nor Greek" and I think we need to remember that there is neither "Republican nor Democrat". Pray that we don't become known as Democrat nor Republican. Pray that we be known for our love and compassion for others that exudes from deep inside us where there is rest and confidence to know that we have a love that surpasses all understanding. It is a love that shows a man from a small town in the Middle East who when the authorities came to kill him, he healed a man's ear. I don't believe that we are all going to believe the same things and I don't think that we have to. But hostility towards one's neighbors is the very context that Paul urges the church to stay away from. It is the very nature of hell to divide us. America has fallen prey to division and the church has married itself to the state, and as Claiborne writes, "This love affair is killing the church's imagination". We no longer are looking for transformative peace and bringing God's kingdom to earth. There is a fear that God's kingdom may mean that I must separate myself from the riches of power and put on the rags of humility; picking up my cross and following heart after God.

We must come to a point where we need to ask ourselves, "Are we happy living in old creation?" For many, facing the demons of old creation is hard because old creation has made us fat. But isn't new creation more inspiring? Why is it that when we hear stories of compassion being shown to those who are living on the margins of old creation, that we pause and find a resonance with this transformative love? Last night, my wife and I watched a preview for a movie that caused emotion for me just from the preview alone, a story of a journalist who befriends a homeless man. Certainly it is easier for us to watch a movie or read a story about unconditional love, but what about you and me? It isn't enough to watch a movie about love; it is now time for us to see past the political lines of demarcation and see a brother or sister who needs to be shown this same love. If this love lives inside us, than we need to be ready give it away liberally and without reservation. After all, isn't that what happened to us while we were still sinners?

I remember the story of the Israelites complaining to Moses when he led them out of Egypt. The Israelites said that they were better off in Egypt in bondage. The task had become too hard for them. The church has been called to come out from among the state and be separate. Biblical scholars have said that this "coming out from" is a sexual intercourse reference between a man and a woman. It is strong language that shows the union between the church and the state. The church by all intensive purposes has in recent years been so closely linked to the state. Maybe it was out of her love for power or maybe it was political manipulation. Regardless, the mandate is clear and the consequences have already been seen of this unholy fornication. We must divorce and cut off this union. The journey is arduous and long and it may mean that we will be in the desert for awhile, but there is the Promise Land and it is good.

So Sean Hanity, get ready because her comes some love headed your way.

And Hilary Clinton, get ready because you are next.

Pray that the church is the first to become bipartisan. Pray that we are the first to say that love is here and love is coming. We need to be those who are the lobbyist of love teaching old creation that she is broken and new creation is here. Hope has become a very popular word for one political candidate. It is perhaps a great move for it embodies the very essence that brings life to every person. Hope is how each one of us can get out of bed in the morning. It is the essence that causes a single mother to press on at her two full-time jobs. Each one of us must have hope to carry on in life. But if we are to have hope in any entity may the church show the history of hope and its destination. Hope begins with the church saying that America is a golden calf and her promises are broken. And Hope's destination is with those who follow God displaying that Hope is risen and breathing.

Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek; to walk the extra mile; and to give our clothes away to demonstrate love and the greed of those who persecute. He not only taught us our response to the authorities, but he demonstrated it with his own journey to the cross. If we are in a cultural war then pray that we desire to be the ones who lay down our life for those who want to destroy us in a demonstration of love like our God.

Jesus for President Part 2

I want to give my endorsement to Shane Claiborne and his brilliant book by the same title of this blog. Shane has helped me remember some important things that I needed to remember. Read this quote by Claiborne and his reason for writing this book.

This book is a project in renewing the imagination of the church in the United States and of those who would seek to know Jesus. We are seeing more and more that the church has fallen in love with the state and that this love affair is killing the church's imagination. The powerful benefits and temptations of running the world's largest superpower have bent the church's identity. Having power at its fingertips, the church often finds "guiding the course of history" a more alluring goal than following the crucified Christ. Too often the patriotic values of pride and strength triumph over the spiritual virtues of humility, gentleness, and sacrificial love. (17

Jesus for President

In a time when all around me scream and yell at each other about their political candidate or mock each other for believing something is important, I will stop and pray for peace.

When I turn on my television and see more struggles going on in the world then I can handle, I will pray for justice.

When I go to the gas pump and struggle with my finances, I will cry out to God for rest.

When I feel alone

When I feel depressed

When I am afraid to go on

I will remember that you are my President

Passion

Life seems to be spinning out of control lately. It is one thing after another. I keep this false hope that things will slow down. I am not sure that it will though. For years I have thought this same way that things will slow down eventually and I will be able to do this or that. It has kept me from doing things that need to be done because I say to myself, "I will get to it eventually. I just need to wait until things slow down." One of those things that I have put off for so long is serving in the community at church.

Right now I am going to a fantastic church and have been going for the last year and a half. I love it and have enjoyed being a part of this local body. At least for a year since I have been going, I have been challenged to serve in some capacity. The problem for me was that my life was so busy and so I just kept saying to myself that, "Yeah it would be nice to have the time to serve but I have a hectic schedule. I am lucky to even be at church let alone take more time to serve."

Every person that asks about my passions I will tell them, in some form or another, the same thing. "My passion is people." I love people. I love talking with people and serving people. I love to love people. I love to make a person smile when they have had a hard day and I love to make people laugh so hard that they do their bizarre laugh (You know the one that says to the world, "I don't care what I sound like, that was funny.") At the same time, because people are my passion they can also frustrate me to the point that I want to kick over an ant hill and rip a phone book for Jesus (*Please see more details under "The Power Team"). I love what Brian McLaren says regarding our passions. He says that we each have passions that draw us closer to God. If we are passionate about rock climbing, how much greater is God who formed the rocks and created them? I know this to be true because when I think about how my passion is God's same passion, it takes on a new dimension.

But it is amazing how you can have a passion and walk away from it because your life is too busy. In some ways, I think we feel more responsible as adults for not pursuing our passions. When I was in high school my passion was guitar. Live, breath, and sleep revolved around the next riff or song that I could play. This passion extended into my college years. A couple of years ago, I had pretty much stopped playing for like a month or two because I had found that it was taking too much time away from other things. Since then, I haven't played like I use to meaning that instead of playing for a few hours every day, I play for about a half hour every couple of days. I am completely resolved in this and recognize that my passions have changed a bit since high school. The interesting thing is that during the time that I had stopped playing all together, there were moments that I wanted to play but I would just say to myself that I needed to focus on other areas of my life.

I think what can so often happen to us as humans is that we forget our passions and become machines for the sake of growing up. We think that if we can just focus on success that our lives will be fulfilling and we can live out our passions in the future. It is a mistake to think in this regard. If there is no promise of tomorrow, what am I doing today to fulfill my passions? As we lose our passions, life becomes colorless. Passion is the pallet of color that brings light to the outline of the picture that is our lives. In order to feel human, we must be aggressive with finding time for our passions.

We have all had days, and will have days, that consist of waking up and going to sleep and never bringing color to our lives throughout the day. These days lead to dull lives and then when we get a day off or time away, we don't know what to do with ourselves. We forget what life was like before work, school, church, etc.

 

As I have come to this realization and have decided to make room for my passions, I have also realized that my passion for people must be developed in the church. It isn't an obligation or a thing that I am resentful for. I am actually excited about it and can't wait to get started. The truth is, I have wanted to serve the church in some capacity for awhile and every Sunday I have wanted to join those who are serving. I am excited about the opportunity to do so. Hopefully, I won't have to tear many phone books for Jesus in the next several months either.

Reconcile me oh God

The message of reconciliation is the embodiment of love. Without reconciliation we are expressing a message of hate either from our lack of action or our lack of care. I believe that reconciliation is what leads people to stronger friendships, healing, and relationships. I believe that reconciliation is what the underlying message of Scripture is. It is what God is doing for His creation. The culmination of the ages was God in flesh making reconciliation with all of creation. This was the message of Christ…this WAS Christ…Truth became human and lived among us. God challenged us to join in the celebration of our reconciliation by bring restoration to all things…to restore our relationship to God and to each other.

As we embark on the new paradigm shift out of the ashes of modernization, we sound very similar to Pontius Pilate who says, "What is truth?" Truth has been for many years captive to metanarratives, fundamentals, abstract notions of God, systematic theologies, and doctrinal statements leading others to a subscription of belief. As this has been going on, there is the beckoning of the God-Man asking for us to follow…asking us to sell our possessions and go with Him…to live the life of a vagabond. N.T. Wright says that new creation lives alongside old creation. It is up to the first fruits to teach old creation and to show what has been done and what truth is.

Truth is alive and breathing; truth ate with us, drank with us, and prayed with us.

Truth cried when he was broken hearted, thirsted when he was out in the desert, and laughed when someone told a joke.

Truth had late night conversations about religion with his friends; he went to feasts and weddings and drank wine

He was the one that everyone wanted at their party; and at this same party would invite the homeless and hookers

Truth danced, loved, and mourned

Truth was born, lived, and died

But Truth defeated death and showed us the new life,

The life of restoration of all things which was God's dream from the beginning

And from there, Truth became hidden

Not somewhere in the sky or alone in a cave, but in the eyes of the hungry and in the needs of the children.

Truth told us where he would be and challenged us to find him

He said that he would be in the margins of life, where people were oppressed and down trodden

He told us that we would know his voice, even though it would be different each time

His voice was a begging woman, or a child orphaned by AIDS,

Truth has been living on the streets for awhile now, downtown close to the mega-church on the corner

 

Chasing Static

I knew that things weren't right pretty early on. There was this urge that can only be described as the inner part of my soul. I could never quite describe it, thinking that either it was the devil at times or an angel. Sounds crazy, I know. It wasn't that it was audible. This urge was like this static from an AM radio turned to a very low volume and gradually becoming louder. Like an AM radio, I could hear something coming through the static and I knew that it was the voice of God. I would spend years trying to hone in on the signal. I would gradually turn the dial this way or that to get a clearer signal and know Him. There were times when I detested this feeling, thinking that I could fake it and make myself like everyone else that claimed they heard Him. I tried to become…safe, secure, and caulis to the world and enter a state of blissful peace knowing that I would be in heaven one day. The other alternative I tried, which was to walk away from faith altogether and turn off the radio completely. I was able to bring a pretty good defense as to the reason for walking away, making statements and building a philosophical basis for a creating God who was devoid of relationship. The problem was that it didn't fix the urge or quiet the sound of His calling that was deep in my soul. The sound became louder and more static driven. I was becoming miserable and tired.

I finally decided to wait. I decided that if God wanted me to hear His voice I needed to wait for his voice to become clear and that he would need to do the adjusting. It was at that moment that the signal became like a high definition frequency. It was like the sound of a symphony orchestra with the metallic brass, the gentle woodwinds, and the light airy strings. It was a song that begged its participants to dance in its melody and to enjoy the reverie of God. It was a groaning for redemption from the creator God that was beyond my own "Personal" conversion and beyond panhandling for Jesus.

Praise Cheeses

July 4, 2008. The sun was shining overtop of the sky scrapers casting rays of light and shadow in downtown Brooklyn. The sun was hot and the crowd that gathered watched with sunglasses waving fans to cool themselves as they watched the competition. The competitors that gathered were from all over the world, but two of these athletes stood out from the rest. It was Japan vs. the US. These two men stared at each other knowing that only one could walk away as the winner and be hailed by their respective countries. The smells, the taste, and the feeling were all focused on one attribute, victory. The athletes took their mark and awaited the sound of the gun to begin. Ten minutes. Ten minutes and their fate would be decided. A year's worth of training boiled down to ten minutes of competition. The sound of the gun and both competitors sprung into action. They opened up their mouths and threw a hotdog in. Quickly they both were consuming as many hotdogs as possible. The crowds cheered and when the ten minutes were up, the two "athletes" walked away tied with 59 hotdogs in ten minutes.

Out consume.

There is no doubt that this country is composed of consumers. I watched a credit card commercial the other day which stated that, "There is nothing wrong with being a consumer." I wonder if that is true. Innately, we all have to consume at least the bare essentials. Food, water, medicine, air etc; all must be consumed into our bodies in order to survive. But I don't think this is what is meant when a person is defined by the action of consuming. The story of the hotdog eating competition struck me this morning on my way to work. I was thinking that it is interesting that people praise others for consuming more than anyone thought possible. It seems backwards to me. Is it any wonder that we have a nation who is fatter than the entire world and who are so far in dept that it will take several live times for people to pay it off?

And yet we still ask God to bless us. I am seeing that we are like the servant who squanders the master's money. God placed in our hands as Americans freedom and resources. These things have caused us to enjoy their pleasures and have caused our nation to be very wealthy. But God never asks in the Scriptures for anyone with a blessing to keep it and consume it for all its worth. He asks instead for the blessing to be spread to all the nations and to the entire world.

Webster's defines consume in several ways. The first is to enjoy thoroughly and the second is to spend wastefully. I believe that we as Americans are participants of the later. This is so easy to do when you have things like buffets, supersizing, and credit cards. I have said before that we are dehumanizing our enemies, but I think we also are very good at dehumanizing ourselves. We are forgetting the basic three responsibilities that we have as humans which are mandated by God; to be fruitful, multiply, and be good stewards. It seems we are living with the direct opposite; be fruitless, subtract, and rape the earth.

We fail to realize that this attitude has/is destroying us in our humanity.

Pax Romana part III

After reading the last blog, I am sure it can be easily understood the correlation between America and Rome and for that matter any other empire. What I find the most interesting though is that in the times of greatest, "Peace" no peace was to be found for those who lived in the margins. You don't have to go very far to find people who live with a mindset that to serve is weakness. N.T. Wright points out that while the Evangelical Christians are crying out that evolution is being taught in school, they (And we all) live with a social Darwinism, meaning that in order to survive we must be the strongest. This can be seen from the earliest civilization in the East to the business executive in London. Worse, Empire is built on these ideals. From the very beginning of American history we see a, "By your own boot-straps" mentality. Climbing the corporate ladder meant that you climb over those at the bottom. This is how empires are made.

Rome's peace was for those who were in the highest positions of leadership and wealth, those who were on the margins, only need to keep quiet about their quality of life. Complaining or uprising came with the price of a cross. The marginalized thus had no voice and were silenced. Rome not only internalized this attitude towards its own glorious city, but made it the staple for all the conquered territories including Jerusalem.

Perhaps that is why God chose the nation of Israel to bring his kingdom to earth through Christ.

One of my favorite stories in the Hebrew Scriptures is the story of Israel's exodus from Egyptian captivity. The power and majesty of God's rescue is remarkable. God's kindness and his mercy in dealing with is people, is like the love of a Father. As God leads them to their new land, it becomes quickly evident that they are not concerned about God nearly as much as they are consumed by "…being like the other nations".

Something I learned very early on in my education was that God had placed them in a location to teach all nations about his love. Israel was centrally located in a sort of cross-roads of the nations. Canaan, the land that the Israelite nation settled, was the center of the main trade route. God's original plan was to teach all of the nations about him from the lowliest nation on the earth. But the people turned their back on the mission of God and served themselves. Israel began to see itself as a, "Better off" nation than any other and mocked and hated the Gentiles even up to the time of Jesus.

And then you have the message and heart cry of Jesus who teaches the same thing that God has been trying to teach the world for centuries. He starts saying controversial statements that unravel the very fabric of empire. Things like, "Turn the other cheek" and carry your enemy's load an extra mile. Those who followed Jesus (Including in large part the disciples) wanted a revolution. They wanted Jesus to rise up and make an empire that would squash the Gentiles. But Jesus had something else in mind.

Jesus says that he wants the disciples to teach all the nations about his love.

After the glorious resurrection, the church starts to take root and grow. In the background, you have men who were strongly against this new…"Way". I feel strongly (On speculation) that hate had crept in to the followers of the Way towards those who were persecuting them. Saul enters the scene. God reaches down and teaches Saul about his love and Saul is given a new name and a new calling. This calling would reach out to the furthest regions of the known world and to those who are on the fringes of the Empire both geographically and socially. God calls a man who was a truly wicked oppressor to do this. Equipped with a new name and new calling, Paul enters the scene.

I see throughout Scriptures that God is continually reaching out to those who are the lowest. I have been challenged with my response to this calling. I wonder in my own context who is the lowest, the marginalized, and the outcasts of society. I didn't grow up in a time when any certain race was hated. To be honest, my context makes it very hard to see any of "the least of these". Instead of seeing them, I hear them. I hear their cries in orphanages where mommy and daddy were killed by a bomb that dropped out my country's airplane. I hear the little boy, who is no older than my nephew, who is making shoes in Vietnam for American business men. I hear the prayers of the moms and dads for their children to have a better life than their own which has been victimized by American's need for oil.

Sometimes these voices from other countries are silenced by American Peace. TV shows, consumerism, politics, and religion silence those who are on the fringes of society. Painted as either our enemy or something to laugh at, these destitute cry and only God hears them. When I started to peel back American Peace, I saw the ugly skeleton that was underneath. It was rotting and decrepit. The voices became a thunder that I could no longer ignore.

It is no longer good enough to pray. It is no longer good enough to watch the evening News and ignore the problem. It is no longer good enough to forget these people. It is time for action. It is time to show the kingdoms of this world that there is only one Kingdom and only one peace. We do not bow to Caesar, king, or president.

It is through the Pax Christi that we all will have peace. Christ who taught that if we want to be great in his kingdom we must become low.

Pax Romana part II

I think I had too much coffee this morning. I was wound up tighter than ever for a Friday. I wrote the last post as sort of a sarcastic jab at some encounters that I have had as of late, rather from blogging or from actual encounters (Please see Vote Green for further reading). I titled this series "Pax Romana" in honor, once again, to my friend NT Wright.

Yesterday I had left my i-pod on shuffle when I went into work in the morning. When I came out at the end of the day, I turned on my car and it was half way through a sermon of NT Wright's that I had left on there some time ago. It instantly caused me to think a bit more of what was said and the application of life as a Westerner living in the 21^st century.

For those who don't know, "Pax Romana" was the slogan for the Roman Empire from about 27 BC to 180 AD. The slogan literally meant the peace of Rome. It was during this time that the Roman Empire ceased from military expansion and focused its efforts towards boarder control and warding off enemies. It was during this time that Roman became very prosperous in agriculture, economics, and military. But peace came with a price and those who were at opposition to the Pax Romana were publicly displayed on the sides of roads on wooden crosses. This peace was not meant for anyone who didn't line up with the Empire.

Pax Romana

As an American I recognize my freedom, privileges, and my wealth. I am far from the "War zones" that I hear about on my television. It is stupid how people say that I am contributing to the problem. Things have always been this way. If I want to buy a trinket made in China for 5 dollars than that is awesome! I only had to pay the price of 5 dollars which is nothing. The reason why I can afford to pay for frivolous things is because I work hard for my money. The problem with poor people is that they are lazy and have terrible work ethic. Besides, I am not going to give them any money. If I did they would probably buy whiskey. Me, I am a hard worker. Bring on the Wal-Mart, shopping malls, and convenience stores. The cheaper things are for me, the better off the world we live in. It only makes sense. If products are cheaper than it will be more affordable for poor people too. If the rich keep getting richer than it will eventually trickle down. My life is great! Child labor? Yeah, I have heard about it. I think it is terrible. I mean, if I lived in a country that had that sort of thing going on, I would be furious. America is the greatest nation on earth. God has blessed us so much. I think it is probably because our country was founded as a Christian nation. What other country do you know that gives you so much freedom? Some of the liberals would love to change all that. Welfare! What a joke! I am taxed and the money that I earn goes to help lazy people! Isn't that the church's job to help those in poverty? The government certainly shouldn't be responsible. My fear is that the liberal agenda is pushing for the degradation of marriage with the approval of gay marriage. Worse off, the liberals want to take God out of this country and stop war. War is necessary. It's not like we want war, but they force our hand. We are there to help those people in their land. It is funny how the liberals will want us to help people suffering but when we go over to their country to liberate people, they get upset and tell us we need to stop. I know that there are those who get caught in cross-fire, but that is the way things are. It is their fault that their country is in the state that it is. They were the ones who allowed the government to act in the way they do. I heard that their religion teaches them to kill Americans. It certainly makes sense. They are so desensitized to violence.

Vote Green

I gotta say, I have not received nearly as much controversy over a t-shirt in my entire life. It is so strange that a statement as simple as, "Vote Green" can get people fired up. The other night I went to Sheetz and saw two guys out of the corner of my eye. They both looked me up and down and the one guy says, "Vote Green!?! Is that some kind of joke?!?"

My liberal training came in handy at this point. Our secret meetings prepared me for such an occasion. In fact, I think it was one of the first classes I took in the Fine Arts of Handling Guys in Polos and Pleats. Quickly, I thought of a response, "Nope". Ahhh pure genius! I knew that by saying, "Nope" it was more than saying, "No". The word "Nope" was a statement of my attitude. I was in reality saying, "Nope" to the man…"Damn the man." I was on the road to pure liberalism "No turning back, no turning back". This guy retorted back to me with a smug look across his face, "Why?!?" Crap!! What do I do now?!? I started to panic. My knees quivered as I tried to think of a response as equal to his barrage of questions. It was as if I was under scrutiny for everything that I am and believe. "Why God?!? Why do I suffer under persecution?!?" I started to think back to the recesses of my mind and wonder what inspired me to get a t-shirt that would have such a bold statement. I started to flash back to a scene in the store and remembered that they were all out of "Flaming Liberal Cannibal" t-shirts and I had to settle for, "Vote Green" instead. Then I thought and responded, "Because I like the environment." Boo ya! In your face Polo guy. I now had the upper hand. He just shut up. The victory was won. I was smarter.

Sorry for the sarcasm. I just hate to feel the need to deal with someone who is ideologically far removed from where I stand. It takes a lot of nerve to attack a random stranger for an article of clothing. I think if I were wearing a t-shirt that said, "Abortion kills" or a bumper sticker that says "Say yes to Marriage: Husband + Wife = a God who smiles" that I would be seen as a hero or ignored as the norm (At least in this town). Please understand, I am not equating issues of abortion and the environment. I am saying that I really don't think that I have to personally make a choice between two issues. I know that Polo guy was thinking to himself, "There are more important issues." That is the typical attitude towards anything that is anti-agenda.

Political groups have their agenda and anything that strays from that is nonsensical and is of no importance. I think that is the lot we find ourselves in today. There have been a ton of issues that have been ignored because we thought that abortion and gay marriage were more important than anything else. What happens though, when a politician starts to realize that these issues are "important" to so many Americans? They run on this premise while being backed by lobbyist who advocate for their own issues. These politicians will still sing the same song that, "Abortion is wrong!" But words without action are meaningless. Their technique of "Bait and switch" is unmatched so that you have people who voted for a politician based off the fact that he was against abortion and the politician switches it with war or whatever else lines the lobbyist or his pockets.

I digress. I don't believe there is one candidate who will do or believe everything that I believe and stand for. But that doesn't mean that I don't vote and it also doesn't mean that what I believe must conform to the candidates' views. I can believe in social issues like fair trade and the environment and also be for anti-abortion legislation and gun control.

 

Discouragement

I have felt pretty discouraged in the last couple of days. The crazy thing is that I can't exactly pinpoint it. I think to be really honest it is multilayered and there is not one specific thing that I can point to for the source. So I decided to write this blog hoping that it would release some of my feelings.

Working in a job where you are essentially a salesmen can be exhilarating on some days and terrible on others. Most of the time, when I hear the words "No thanks" I am able to handle it and brush it off. I think though that when you hear those words enough you become weary and start to think that it is you. At least, so is the case with me. I feel like I am either useless or not doing my job. It becomes very personal and depressing. As if working in a cubical wasn't depressing on its own. Finding the strength to push forward in the face of "No" however is what distinguishes an adult from a child. In these moments I know that I must hope…

I find a great source of discouragement from George Bush. I don't know if there really is a worse president than him. I think that I am especially discouraged in the fact that I was partly responsible for him being in the white house…twice. The good news is that he is almost done; the bad news is that I fear for McCain being our next president. I know that I shouldn't take too much stock in American government or think that is what God will use to bring His kingdom on earth. But I can't help to think that if we had a better president than we may be able to have better relations with people outside the U.S. or that we might be able to stop this war. It really bothers me some days.

There are so many people that tick me off it is unreal. I mean, from the guy who is crossing the street in front of my car to the coworker who continually acts like she is better than me. People are obnoxious and stupid. How could I ever find anything hopeful or good about another human being?

I am frustrated by my own lack of action in regards to my convictions. There are things that I know to be right and instead of taking action and doing something about it, I sit and do nothing. Where is the love of God towards to poor in my own heart? Where do I serve those around me? Convenience is a dirty word and is a great excuse for laziness.

Emily the other day pulled a David to my Goliath of frustration by saying, "Just think one day this will all be restored in God's kingdom". Ouch! Why does she have to be right sometimes? I am losing sight of hope and as such I need prayer to renew my strength. I am weak and need the Gospel to restore me and bring me newness of life. It is weird how my theology teaches me that God has/will bring all things to restoration, but I lack the understanding to seek it in my personal life. Work is not my center, nor George Bush, nor stupid people. They are counterfeit and the second I allow this to happen is the second I will be met with discouragement. My head knows this, but I must make strides to believe it.

Radiohead insight

What is this video about?

A Word about War part III

I surf YouTube a lot. I really enjoy seeing some of my favorite authors, speakers, musicians, etc. I could essentially spend hours on that website. Yesterday I had some time to watch a clip and wanted to see if there were any new clips featuring Tony Campolo. I plugged in the name in the search engine and one of the first clips that came up was John McArthur. I should have known better but my curiosity was peeked.

John McArthur has classically been known for his outrageous statements, but I found it most interesting when he criticized Tony Campolo for making the statement that, "…Jesus central message was the kingdom of God and bringing that 'to earth as in heaven'". McArthur said that the problem with people like Campolo, Mclaren, etc is that they are classic liberals who seek to make the Gospel social when in reality it is, "…about rescuing people from a literal hell and getting people to heaven."

I sat there and wondered if Jesus would have said the same thing. Please understand that I don't hate McArthur or think that anything he said was new. I have heard this same message preached from many pulpits. I find it interesting that God is not concerned with poverty or social justice when God's economy is set up in such a way that the "Meek shall inherit the earth". I fear that this attitude leads to countless believers thinking that Christ message was divorced from context in socio-economic meaning. In this way, Christ message has been minimalized into an individualistic compartmentalized consumeristic acceptance. The call and conviction of the believer has nothing to do with caring for the poor in their economic status, but only for their soul and getting them to heaven. St. James is very clear and explicit on this issue.

I was a little disturbed this morning when I turned on my computer to find Senator John McCain plastered on AOL News saying that we should keep sending cigarettes to Iran because that is a way of killing them off. That was not what disturbed me because it is classic McCain. AOL News typically has a survey that they ask you regarding the news headline. The Question was "Do you think that John McCain's joke was inappropriate?" 53% of people said no and 63% said they trust him on foreign policy.

My heart aches as I hear that people are so filled with hate that to joke about killing ones' neighbors isn't marked as inappropriate. The idea that the Gospel has nothing to say about this type of behavior is ludicrous. If the Gospel is truly the good news, I am not sure that this good news would be good to those who suffer and are only told that God cares for your soul and not your stomach. I am also not sure that the Gospel would be good news if those who are to enact Christ are crying out for vengeance and war.

A Word about War part II

Bishop Desmond Tutu once wrote that "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality." Last night I had to go to the auto shop to pick up my car. On the ride back to the house I listened to Shane Claiborne tell a story about a little boy who worked in a sweat shop. He said that the boy spoke at a conference and pointed to a scar on his face and said that his master hit him and fearing that he would bleed on the material that the boy was working on, the master held a lighter to his face to stop the blood. The boy pointed to a shirt and said so that you can have that.

Rather the sweat shop worker or the Iraqi people, the sanctity of life run deep and to all people rather it is a white American fetus or an Afghani terrorist. If we are called as people to care for life and to see God's image in others, than we are to protect not only ourselves but everyone. So often we forget the words of Christ who said, "Whatever you do to the least of these you do also to me". We victimize ourselves when other countries or religions come against us, thinking that we are being persecuted for our freedom. It is arrogance to think that we have not violated and hurt others.

It is the words of Christ that brings me back to "turn the other cheek". The Gospel is not just for the oppressed but also for the oppressors. In order to transform injustice, we must consider that all people need the love of God to be shown to them. We love them, who are our oppressors and we love those who we find ourselves oppressing. We seek to change our ways by bringing awareness of the problems and put a face to the system. The Gospel is the great equalizer that demonstrates the need for the proud and rich to see their righteousness is as "filthy rags" but it is also the Gospel the brings light to the hopeless and poor that they are loved and precious to God.

A Word about War part 1

Disclaimer: I have been wanting to write this blog for awhile now but feared for the responses of my friends and family. I apologize up front for anyone that is offended by this blog. I hope everyone knows that my heart hurts for the things I write about and I am continuing to learn and grow, always seeking wisdom and council. No doubt, I will probably look back at these blogs years from now and want to change some of them. I hope you will join me in the journey and pray for me as I seek to find the path that most lines up with the Way.

I have always thought of America as a "Christian nation" and thought that I was patriotic. I often said that I would go to war at the drop of a hat if my country needed me and in fact, when September 11^th happened I very seriously considered joining the military. I thought that since Bush was in office that he would lead us in the right path, knowing that he was a Christian brother and that he followed God.

War was further idealized in my mind as I heard old stories of WWII and was exposed to war through the media. In my mind, it was the pot smoking hippies that opposed war and I never much cared for dreadlocks and tie-dye. I hated all the right people, from liberal democrats to abortion doctors to Arabs.

With the ushering in of the Bush administration and the fact that the Republican Party was in the majority, I remember thinking that God was going to bless this nation once again. Shawn Hanity assured me that this was the case. When we went to war, I was firmly for it. It made sense. If they attack us, we attack them with shock and awe just like we did in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

I don't know what happened specifically and I don't think that it was all of a sudden. When I started to hunger for hope and change in my life, I think that was when I started to want the same for the nation and more importantly the world. The only hope for change is through love. This love for others was best demonstrated in the words and actions of Christ who taught us to love both our enemies and our neighbors. Love Osama and love Bush; love the Republican and love the Democrat; love the rich and love the poor. Is it by loving our enemies that causes us to bomb another nation or put a man to death?

Arts and Crafts

Recently, I have been feeling increasingly nauseous about buying clothes. This feeling had its roots in a friend of mine who told me about his conviction and his "Protest" to stop buying clothes for a year. He turned me over to the likes of Shane Claiborne with the warning that, "Be ready for your life to be turned upside down". Right now I am going through Jesus for President as well as Irresistible Revolution. He writes with passion about caring for the poor and about no surrendering God's politics for government. Irresistible Revolution has certainly been convicting. I started to have some dialogue with Emily about what God has been teaching me. We started to really research through some harsh realities of our buying and spending and became more aware of the systemic injustices that we were contributing to. We watched a documentary called the Church of Stop Shopping. This satiresic documentary showed not only the poor quality of the treatment of laborers in foreign markets, but also showed the sick consumerism that has taken this country by storm.

The other day, Emily and I were shopping at Ross. We were initially looking for something for her to wear at a wedding that we are going to at the end of the month. We came across a dress that had written on it in bold letters, "Made in Vietnam". Emily looked at me and made this statement: "Why would they advertise that so boldly?!? Of course I guess for most people they really don't care." Unfortunately, that is true. No one really does care about where their clothes are made. It was only until recently that I started to care. Otherwise, I just bought at low prices. What prices are we really paying by purchasing items that 1. We don't need and 2. Are costing people their very lives?

I became dizzy a couple of weeks ago when I ran into an emergency buy. These scenarios are always bad news for both the wallet and consumer conscience. I found myself in a department store that was so overpriced that the store clerk confessed to me that he couldn't afford the clothes. I needed a dress shirt and a tie. When I knew I needed these two things I had thought that I would face the battle between buying cheap or buying something more expensive but in better quality working conditions. What surprised me was that both of these were not options. Every single shirt and tie came from countries that have poor (Understatement) working conditions. I finally found a tie and shirt that was cheap enough, or so I thought. It pained me and I felt sick about buying these clothes. In my head were flashes of children starving to death and working on the clothes that I just bought. I felt defeated and wondered if my conscience had been seared to appease my need for a shirt and tie. The story has both good news and bad. Fortunately Emily called and I told her how much I spent which caused me to action to take back said clothes. I went to Kohl's and bought a shirt and tie for a fraction of the price, but they were both made in the same countries that are known for abuses in the working environment.

I have to say, I felt a lot better after I came out of Kohl's than Dillard's. Why? I know why, but it pains me to say that it wasn't because I cared more about where my clothes were made. It was because I saved a dollar. My concern for the poor was out measured by the price I paid. This mindset haunts me. I know what my true humanity was concerned with and knew that I chose my own comfort over others.

Emily and I have decided that we want to start thinking creatively. Knowing that Emily is way better at this than I, we went to the craft store and got some painting supplies for her. She is really good. I find it extremely interesting to find her creating something from a blank canvas. As we started to talk about getting those creative juices flowing, we discovered that we wanted to start thrift shopping and making our own clothes out of them. So far, she has modified a hoody that is extremely cool and unique. We are going to start doing this to both save money and to make sure that our money isn't going to enslave people.

I think we both realize that there will come a time when we have to buy something that is at a department store made in Vietnam or another country. But we do it with gull in our stomachs and pain in our heart. To be honest, I am glad for it. I am glad that it will hurt when we are forced to make these choices. I don't want to be numb to my buying. I want to be conscience of my buying. Perhaps if more of this would happen, we would see change.

Love, Hope, Pray

Noah

On Faith and Politics

 

My friend (I can say that now that Mclaren posted my question on his site) Brian Mclaren posted this today and I found great comfort in voting in this election. I hope this is just as much a source of comfort.

 

To vote or not to vote?

Some folks I've talked to are not going to vote in the 2008 elections. Some are disillusioned. Some don't like either candidate enough to vote. For some, not voting is an act of protest against the whole system, which they believe is hopelessly corrupt. Some believe that their citizenship in God's kingdom means they shouldn't become involved in "earthly" citizenship.

While I respect my friends who aren't going to vote - especially those who have prayerfully thought the decision through from multiple vantage points - I will vote in this election for several reasons.

1. True, there are plenty of reasons to be disillusioned with US politics (corptocracy and plutocracy being major ones). But in my travels in other countries it has become clear to me that even though our system has a lot of problems (and that was a gentle understatement), many other nations are far more corrupt, far less transparent, etc. If we in the US don't try to make our system work, we're setting a pretty poor example. Besides, in every other area of my life - church, family, business, etc. - I don't let disappointment or disillusionment or setbacks make me withdraw into inaction. Rather, I become more committed to make things work.

2. I don't expect any candidate to be perfect. In fact, my theological beliefs tell me that I will always be choosing between the lesser of two evils - or more positively put, the better of two less-than-perfects. The fact that candidates are willing to endure the hard work, the media scrutiny, the pressure, the responsibility - of both the election and the office - can be seen a sign of something good. After all, if all a candidate cared about was personal peace, personal comfort, or personal wealth, there are a lot better ways to get ahead. So rather than say, "I don't think either candidate is good enough for my vote," I'm more prone to say, "Thank God that people are willing to run at all, and thank God that we have two candidates as good as the ones we have." We could be choosing between Mugabe and Mugabe.

3. I believe there is much to protest in our current system. But noninvolvement, it seems to me, generally empowers those who are in control. So non-voting becomes a kind of passive vote for the people in power.

4. I believe that a commitment to Christian discipleship should make me a better neighbor, employee, spouse, child, or parent too. Similarly, I believe that "citizenship in God's kingdom" should make me the best kind of citizen possible, not the worst. Of course, because of my commitment to God's kingdom, I have a broader range of concerns than I would without that commitment. (More on this in the next post.) But I believe that those concerns would in the big scheme of things make me an even more valuable citizen. My civic responsibility would certainly not end with voting, but I can't wee why it would stop short of voting either.

One final thought ... for those of us who do vote, it is a mistake to think that electing the better of two candidates necessarily guarantees things will get better. (Electing the worse of two candidates, however, can definitely make things worse!) I've lived in the DC area most of my life, and it's clear to me from where I live that there are powerful forces that resist the leadership of every new president - political and economic lobbies, bureaucratic and institutional inertia, plus the frightening ever-present momentum of the military-industrial complex. I agree 100% with my friend Jim Wallis who says that what changes society is not just elections, but the wise and ongoing pressure of social movements on elected officials. Politicians are always checking the wind, Jim says - and our job, through social movements, is to change the wind. And I also agree 100% with my friends Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw who remind us as followers of Jesus that we don't elect our ultimate commander-in-chief. Rather, we discover that he has elected us to join him in his mission. In that light, I believe our vote must ultimately seek to express our fidelity to his good news - which is (according to Luke) good news for all people, and especially good news for the poor.