Recapturing the Spirit of Christmas

I can’t remember the last time I was able to slow down enough to enjoy Christmas.  I have always made a feeble attempt to apply the brakes around the beginning of December but usually end up skidding past the exit, missing the off-ramp completely.  As my younglings grow older I have come to the realization that it is time to put all of my effort back into the Christmas season.

Mom and Dad always did Christmas right.  The photographs and reel-to-reel film from my childhood are glaring examples of what Christmas should be like for my girls.  This means that I need to put the Christmas tree up sometime before December 20^th.  I should throw some lights up on the roof and map out areas for other Christmas themed decorations to be placed around the house.  I need to make sure the house is warm and cozy.  Hot chocolate needs to be readily available and Bing or Frank needs to be singing to us softly in the background.  And Elvis.  Elvis was always great with those Christmas jingles.  

We can’t forget those classic films playing in the background.  A Christmas Story, It’s A Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Rudolf the Red-Nose Reindeer, and Charlie Brown Christmas playing in the background for the children.  Christmas Vacation and The Nightmare Before Christmas playing for mommy and daddy later in the evening.

First, and foremost, we have to remember the reason why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.  Tim Keller says, “At Christmas God moved into a very bad neighborhood and began rehabilitating it.”  Jesus' three-year ministry had more of an impact on this world than any other event or any other person in documented history.  This is why it is important for me to show my kids the real reason why we celebrate Christmas.  We have so much to be thankful for.  

As I mentioned above, Mom and Dad made Christmas magical for my sisters and I.  They made every effort to fill our stockings and pile gifts under the tree.  The milk, cookies, and carrots were always missing on Christmas morning which served to make our smiles that much bigger.  And the letters to Santa showed a return or two in one way or another.

Heather and I are looking forward to making this a magical time for our kids.  Just like our parents did for us.  

Don't Cheat Yourself (Counterfeit Concert)

Forbes wrote an article in May (2012) regarding the streaming of live concerts so that others are able to enjoy the show from the comfort of their couch.  Does this make anyone else cringe? DIY Live - Streaming: The Future of Concerts? - Forbes

I don’t mind convenience when it comes to certain things in life.  It is nice to be able to punch in an address on my phone when I am lost or call the sushi place down the street for a delivery order if I don’t feel like going out.  But watching a concert on my laptop?

I think that in some cases this works.  For instance, ITunes streamed the ITunes Festival in London which featured one of my favorite bands Jimmy Eat World (among others).  I don’t mind watching a few songs from a show like this on my laptop because there is absolutely no way I can attend.  So in some cases, I think streaming live shows isn’t so bad.

Having said that, let me say this.  There is no way that live streaming shows should ever take the place of being at a venue in person.  It is worth what some might call the “inconvenience.”

The Killers

The Tickets.  This is where the excitement begins for me.  I pay the extra two bucks for the hard copy.  I think E-Tickets are sacrilege.  I want the tickets in my hand.  I want to see the name of the band, the date, and the venue on that same piece of heavy paper I’ve been collecting since I was old enough to drive myself to Soma (San Diego).  

The Parking Lot.  I’ll pay the ten bucks to park.  Who cares?  The venue employs parking attendants who have traffic directing nailed down to a science.  The parking lot is where you see the patrons.  They are clad in tour tees, skinny jeans, heels, and they are sleeved up like me.  Some are taking that last flask hit and others are smoking one last grit before entering.  True rock n’ roll is blaring out of numerous car speakers in the lot.  

The Floor.  It’s dark.  There are a thousand people all vying for that open spot where you don’t have to stand behind the tall guy.  Everyone is patiently waiting for the opening act to get off the stage.  Sometimes that opening band rocks, sometimes they don’t.  There are the close encounters with that one guy who screams his favorite song into your ear as his Budweiser breath creates a warm film on the side of your face.  There is always that one girl who is dancing much like a gypsy to music that she can only be hearing in her own head (because it certainly doesn’t match what is coming from the speakers).  And buying a beer is pointless because there is always that guy who starts the mosh pit in the weirdest places at the weirdest time.  Mostly, there is unity.  Fists are pumping and we all belt out the lyrics as if we are the rock stars.  We are gripping each other's shoulders and helping each other up when we fall in the pit.  We are waving our arms in unison to the beat of the anthem.  We are one.

The Killers - Denver

The Headliner.  The house lights are cut and the crowd screams.  The crowd pushes to the front.  The band walks out on stage and that first chord is struck.  The kick drum and bass hit you in the chest over and over and over.  The guitar reverberates through every strand of hair on your head.  The front man screams “DENVER” and throws his hands in the air.  The band slams into the first song and it doesn’t stop for over an hour.  Every emotion can be found within the set list.  There are songs about anger and frustration, love and joy.  There are songs about heartbreak and loss, old times and new times.  You relate to the lyrics because you have been rocking to them for most of your life.  The front man can relate to you.  He is not singing to a massive crowd, but directly to you.  

The Encore.  The show's climax.  The band can never play enough songs.  And we aren’t leaving until they play a few more. The chants begin.  The feet start stomping.  We start clapping to the beat of our stomps.  One more song, one more song, one more song!  We scream as we see the drummer fly up to his kit.  The band launches into a mini set that resolves the show perfectly.  You leave feeling complete.  You drive home in a state of bliss.  Everything, other than the masterpiece you just witnessed, is forgotten.  Nothing else exists at that moment in time.  The show is burned into your brain. 

The Killers - Denver

 None of this can be captured with a camera.  It cannot be captured with surround sound and it cannot be felt from a 72” television screen.  It was meant to be heard from the front of the stage.  You were meant to sweat, bleed, and move out there on that floor.  Don’t let convenience ever rob you of this experience.  It cannot be replicated and it never will be.

The Killers - Live in the U.K.

Legalism (Spiritual Terrorism)

I have a confession to make.  I hold a strong disdain toward legalist/fundamentalist Christians who choose to shove their unsolicited opinions down the throats of the unwilling.

This is a sinful feeling on my part and I am praying for healing and direction with regards to my issues.  What I hate the most is that I let them get to me.  

Here are the reasons why:

I spent the first half of my life living in fear.  I don’t have a beautiful story to tell about asking Christ to be my savior.  My story really sucks.  I was at a Christian youth group meeting and the youth leader told us about the rapture mentioned in the book of Revelation.  He told us that if we weren’t Christians we would be left behind and would be killed for being Christians during the seven-year tribulation.  When he was through with the lecture, he asked any of us if we wanted to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.  My hand shot up immediately.  Why?  I was scared out of my damn mind.  I didn’t want to be left behind and I surely didn’t want to be (decapitated) during the seven-year tribulation.  I was around nine or ten years old when this happened.

Ugly on the Inside

I spent the next fifteen years soaked in self-righteousness all while walking on eggshells.  I should have had a massive white board with two sections.  One section would hold tallies for all the good deeds I was responsible for.  This might include telling someone about Jesus at least once per day, sharing with my sisters, raising my hands during worship, or strategically placing my Bible in an area that was visible to the lost.  The other would hold tallies for all of the moral laws I broke on a daily basis.  This might include listening to Guns N’ Roses, watching a PG-13 movie, saying a cuss word, or missing church.  

In my mind, the tallies should offset on a daily basis otherwise God would be pissed.  My salvation would be lost and I’d never attain it again.  If I broke one of the commandments, I would simply have to work harder the next day.

I spent about fifteen years saturated in fear.  I was petrified that Christ would return and I would be left behind for not accomplishing enough “stuff.”

I drug a lot of people down during that time.  If you weren’t a Republican then you were going to hell.  If you listened to anything other than Newsboys or DC Talk, then you were living in sin.  If you were gay, then you were unsavable.  If you dated girls, you were sexually immoral and living in sin.  Basically, if you participated in culture you might as well have slung a scarlet letter across your breast.

How did the curtain fall?  Christ broke me under the weight of my own self-righteousness.  Severely.  This is what it took for me to realize my absolute need for a Savior. 

I spent close to twenty years memorizing Bible verses, going to Church,  singing praise songs, and even participated in thorough discipleship studies through my youth group program.  What did I have to show for it?  A relationship with Christ that was based in nothing but fear and a book-smart knowledge of scripture with no real understanding of its relevance or application within my own life.  I was pathetic, in a nutshell.

Over the last four or five years, I have been a "recovering Christian."  I finally understand the true meaning behind the Gospel according to Jesus Christ (not Steven Christ).  I have strong mentors who I can lean on with stupid, but relevant questions.  I know that if I make a mistake, or two, or a hundred, that Christ’s forgiveness and grace remain constant even as I am inconsistent. 

Romans 10 v. 9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”  I did that a long time ago!  This shows the complete ignorance I held regarding everything Jesus ever said about salvation!

Additionally, Romans 8 v. 38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Nothing.  Nothing can separate us.  You remember that scene in A Good Will Hunting where Robin William’s character has to tell Will that “it wasn’t his fault” over and over again?  I had to pound this verse into my head in the same manner!

This brings me to my current issue.  I have no problem dealing with unbelievers.  No problem at all!  My biggest source of frustration, as I mentioned in my opening statement, is with fundamentalists/legalists.  They are a stumbling bock in my walk with Christ.  In their eyes, I am not saved enough.  I don’t do enough.  I don’t look like a Christian, and I don’t talk like a Christian.  I don’t eat like a Christian, vote like a Christian, dress like a Christian, or listen to music like a Christian.  And most importantly, I don’t “evenly distribute” the news of God’s wrath, judgment, and anger when speaking to unbelievers.  

Here is my message to these people.  God bless you in spite of yourselves.  You are a hurtful people, drowning under the weight of your own self-righteousness.  A beautiful consolation would be to watch as God allows all of those you have judged, condemned, and ridiculed into Heaven before letting you enter.

God loves me.  His blood was sufficient enough for my sins and all others who choose to accept the same.  Today, I am thankful that my judgement and salvation does not fall on your shoulders (the legalist).  Shame on you for bringing others down to your level.   

Forgive me for writing this.  I am human, and flawed.

The Anti-Christ Has Been Revealed (Again, and Again...)

The election is over right?  Is it safe to come out?

The political ads aren’t polluting my TV screen anymore so I guess we’re safe.  Wait, nope!  The Armageddon predictions are coming out of the woodwork now.  The doomsday preppers have emerged from the ground long enough to condemn all who are not making preparations for the end of the world now that President Barack Obama has been reelected.  He is, after all, the anti-Christ right?

You have every right to live your life the way you see fit.  If that means teaching your eight year old how to dry tomato seeds for future use as “currency,” then so be it.  If you feel it absolutely necessary to bury a metal cabin fifty feet under your back yard, fitted with fully automatic weapons and a flame-thrower door alarm system, then you have that right as an American citizen.  When you tell me that I, and others are un-Christian for not doing the same thing, then you’re going to get this frustrated response from me.  

Lets take a quick glance through history.

When President Franklin Roosevelt initiated relations with the former Soviet Union, he was thought to be under direct control of the anti-Christ.  Roosevelt was also responsible for the labeling of the “United Nations,” hence, a one-world government.  FAIL

All eyes turned to President John F. Kennedy.  He was a Catholic, so Protestant leaders were quick to label him the anti-Christ for that reason alone.  666 votes during the 1956 Democratic convention didn’t help his case much.  And finally, everyone really started to lose it when President Kennedy was killed by a gunshot wound to the head.  The fringe Christians were expecting Kennedy’s imminent resurrection.  Did it happen?  FAIL

Ronald Reagan’s shooter was under the impression that Reagan was the anti-Christ and had to die.  FAIL

Bill Clinton earned a place among the anti-Christ predictions due to his smooth tongue and deceit while in office.  FAIL

George W. Bush?  Yes, even George W. Bush made the cut.  Why?  Because someone came up with a mathematical equation (equalling 666) for George W. Bush’s name based off the Hebrew alphabet (which ended up being a mathematical error).  And we also had 9/11 which really didn’t help his cause among the Protestant predictors.  Did the prediction come to fruition?  FAIL

These are just a couple U.S. presidents.  How about regular ole’ predictions from your average guy?  How many times did Harold Camping set a date for the end of the world?  Four times right?  Those days came and passed.  FAIL

Now, Barack Obama, the evil “Muslim” president who “hates Israel” and wants to “take our guns” has been elected to a second term.  Only the Armageddonists  have the true answer as to why Black Hawk helicopters are buzzing around major cities in the U.S.A.  They are practicing maneuvers to take over our own country!  Really?  I mean really?  

Look, I have no doubt that every prophecy revealed in the book of Revelation is true.  I believe the entire Bible to be nothing but the purest truth ever printed.  I know Christ’s return is imminent.  This does not give me an excuse to live in fear, nor would I ever freak my family out with paranoia of this sort (anti-Christ predictions).  Are our efforts not better spent amongst those who are still lost?  How are we to accomplish this if we are hiding in the bushes guarding our property with a tank? 

Essentially, the dedication to propaganda of this magnitude is idolatrous and completely contrary to what Christ tells us in the Gospel.

Christ will return!  He told us that He would!  And we eagerly wait for that day!  He also told us that we have no idea when it will happen!  A bunch of people must have missed that part in scripture (Matthew 24:36).

Please understand where this frustration comes from.  I think that the use of prophecy and Armageddon to scare someone into Christianity (or your way of thinking) is deplorable.   When you, as a Christian, scare someone into the church you are practicing spiritual terrorism.

Check it out.  Barack Obama just barely squeezed out a win during this last election which means that your prediction is well on its way to failing.  Just like every other anti-Christ prediction throughout history.  When four years come and go, please, bow out of your fear and use another failed prediction as a lesson in humility.

God is in charge.  Prepare your family to live the life that Christ meant for them to live. 

My Little Black Heart

My inability to love others perfectly affects my ability to believe God’s perfect love for me.

There, I said it.  I am capable of love, but it is critically flawed.  I love my wife, but there are times when we disagree.  I love my kids, but there are times when I lose my patience.  I love my family, but there are times when we don’t see eye to eye.  I love my friends, but there are times when they annoy me.

My ability to love has matured tremendously, but I’d like to travel back in time for a moment.

Love is a funny emotion.  Remember using this term when you were a kid?  At sixteen years old, I used the word "love" because it was the strongest term available for showing the utmost admiration for another person.  It typically fell on a girl who may, or may not have had the same feeling for me.  I shared that word because I was appreciative that a human being, of the female type, actually took time out of her busy schedule to talk to me on the cordless phone and hang out with me on campus. 

Later in my teen years, and into my twenties, the term "love" came into play when the touch of another person sparked emotions I had never felt before.  "Love" was used as a level within the relationship to completely define our status as a couple.  17-31707-1. Pager lingo for some of you younger folks.  We "loved" each other deeply, until one or the other completely screwed up and the relationship was over.  "Love" went out the window pretty quickly.

I have built quite an impressive resume with this emotion since those early days.  I have used love to temporarily destroy the life of another human being.  I have wreaked havoc on others who came to love me.  I claimed the love of another and discovered the evil that resided within.  As a result, I concluded that the word I had used all my life had no true meaning. 

Numerous conversations and several solid mentors later, I am on the road to recovery.  I found that I had to come to terms with my inability to live up to Biblical moral law.  Part of my struggle had to do with seeking forgiveness for my terrible misuse of such an important emotion.  I felt that there was no way in the world God could love me after all of the terrible things I had done to others.  I felt that my own definition of "love" was irreparable and beyond salvageable.  Additionally, my upbringing led me to believe that God was unapproachable.  He was the CEO with an office on the top floor of the Sears building who only had time for meetings with people who were perfect and blameless.  Why would he come down to the lobby for a slob like me?

Romans 8 v. 37-39 says, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Additionally, Romans 3 v. 20-24 says ,“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

I cannot comprehend God’s love because God’s love is completely antithetical to human standards.  God’s love is perfect, unconditional by grace, and preserved through times of despair, angst and toil.  It is the type that no other human being is able to provide.  It is the kind worth fighting, and dying for.

I have a family now.  A beautiful, loving wife, and two beautiful little girls.  These three human beings, along with the realization of Christ’s’ love for me, have strengthened the way I am able to love ten fold.  My old way of thinking has no place within my new little world.

I have a responsibility to love my family, and others, effectively and without pause.  Just the way Christ loves me.  I will continue to lay it down until my last breath leaves.

I Am the Moral Authority

I’ve written hundreds of papers and participated in numerous discussions over the past decade regarding a vast array of issues.  In school, it is important to master the subject.  One must be able to speak to all posed questions with proven understanding. 

As I started to present my ideas within the public arena, my school experience shifted right over with me.  I was no longer making a sales pitch to a professor in hopes of a high grade.  Instead, I was presenting my own ideas in the form of opinion to a group of people who had far different opinions.  When the debate became cyclical, or if the others did not disagree, it would affect my opinion of them.  They were wrong and I was right.  They were stupid and I was brilliant.  I feel like an idiot admitting this, but lets go ahead and clear the path.

I’ve already written of political comparisons so I am not going to go there again.  I wanted to speak of a fascination I have with myself.  Whenever I would debate, or write about something I was truly passionate about (in the past), I always felt like I was the authority, as well as the moral authority, over the subject matter.  This is what I thought in my little brain.  Out of the billions of opinions and billions of personalities, somehow my way of seeing things was the correct way.  I would be lying if I said this self-righteousness doesn’t pop out now and again.

It is important for me to pinpoint how this affected my relationships.  As I continued to push, others began to pull away.  As I insisted, others resisted.  As I stomped my foot, others were crushed.  The world became a lonely place, and I was the victim.  Right? 

How is this so?  For me, it wasn’t just the issues.  I took everything personally.  If it wasn’t Conservative, then I viewed it as offensive (I have grown to hate this word).  If it wasn’t Christian, then it was satanic and irreparable.  So if you weren’t like me, then we weren’t cool.

Over the past few months (election season), many strong, stubborn extremists, from both sides, have arisen and are overbearingly present wherever I look.  Discussion no longer exists.  All that remains is finger-pointing, damnation, judgement, spite, and the ugliest vitriol I have ever seen.  It reminds me of all the time I spent in that dark, lonely place where my time was spent in the study of how to defeat others intellectually and morally.  It reminded me that I have no desire to be in that place ever again. 

So allow me this moment to laugh at myself.  I have become tame.  I really enjoy reading the thoughts of others, especially when the writing is filled with true thought, respect, and love for other people.  The conversations are fruitful and further the issues at hand.  The type of love that should exist, actually exists.

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." - Philippians 2 v. 3.

Post Script:

I wrote this piece last night and sat on it for a moment.  During this time, I stumbled across a video on YouTube that supplements this piece well.  Give it a whirl through the link seen below.

A Girl's Message to All Christians

True Christian = Republican. Right?

Got you!

Every election year, I am reminded of the waves of political rhetoric that pour out of every corner of the earth all vying for a foot forward in each specific race.  I am bombarded with junk mail, email, television commercials, grocery store stalkers, and worst of all, social media opinionates.  I used to think hell would consist of a small room with a record player spinning the “Best of the Eagles” for all eternity.  Maybe, instead, it will be a room with a television set playing political adds with the Eagles playing softly in the background?

It is what it is.  I have a mute button on the remote for a reason.  I use it during election season. Extensively.

I cannot escape, however, the constant comparisons of Christianity and political affiliation.  These comparisons come from a vast amount of people.  I find these comparisons to be satirical and blindingly ignorant to the Gospel.

I consider myself to be a firm believer in Conservative values and will argue them accordingly.  I will not, however, draw a proverbial line in the sand when it comes to making some sort of parallel between Liberals and their perceived inability to follow Christ.  Who are we to draw that line? 

Now I know my fellow Conservatives and Republicans are foaming at the mouth with answers.  Check it out.  I know what you are going to say about abortion, gay marriage, and the dangers of socialism.  Hear me out.  It is fundamentally irresponsible to say that all Liberals are on board with the issues I mentioned above.  It is also fundamentally wrong to say that everyone on the right, or in the middle, has the same feelings regarding these moral and political issues.  You have no idea what God might be wrestling with in the heart of a person.

I am going to say something right now that is going to piss a lot of my friends off.  There are Liberals that are also Christians!  How do I know?  Because the blood shed on the cross from my Lord and Savior soaked the earth for them as much as it did for me.  To even suggest that a Liberal, Democrat, or Republican, cannot be covered by the same pure act of love and mercy is to be completely ignorant of everything Christ ever taught.

Political affiliation does not save us.  It does not define who we are as Christians.  Who we are in Christ is all that matters.

I was having a discussion regarding this issue the other day through a social media outlet.  This person indicated, essentially, that a new Christian, who is a Liberal, will mature and grow in Christ until they hold Republican/Conservative values (this is me breaking the conversation down in a nutshell).  I was floored!  I pictured Christ hanging out at the pearly gates with the Book of Life denying entrance into Heaven because they never quite came around to the Republican view on illegal immigration.

Here is a hard fact.  I sin just as much as any Liberal out there.  You sin as much as any Liberal out there.  We are all in desperate need of a Savior.  If a Liberal comes to this realization and makes a step toward Christ, then who are we to take a shot at their political affiliation?  Christ will move in the life of a Liberal.  He will also move in the life of a Republican.  Isn’t it all equally necessary?

I have mentioned this quote before but I want to mention it again.  A friend of mine hit the nail right on the head with this one.  “If your politics gets in the way of your ability to love others, I’d suggest trading your gospel in for the gospel according to Jesus” (Jason Lohse).

Think about that.  If your politics does not allow you to look at another human being through the true lens of Christs' Gospel, then your politics have become the god that you serve.

Post Script:

I understand the fact that there are those who claim to be followers of Christ who miss the mark completely.  There are even those who claim to be followers of Christ who champion moral issues that are completely opposite of what Christ taught.  I get it.  My argument is against the general labeling of all Liberals and their perceived inability to be Christians based on a political affiliation label.

Also, this is not an argument for suppressing the argument that exists between the right and the left.  I have friends that do this brilliantly and respectfully.  These arguments are necessary.

Tell All Your Friends

Heather and I attended Taking Back Sunday’s ten-year album anniversary show for Tell All Your Friends at the Ogden last night. I have seen Taking Back Sunday on several occasions, but last night held a special place in my heart.

In 2002, my band had just finished the final leg of the U.S. Warped Tour.  Rob and Darin flew home.  Allen and I decided to drive the van up to New York City to play a couple of acoustic shows for our label and distributor.  We spent a few days in New York City and then headed west, back to San Diego.

Taking Back Sunday had just released Tell All Your Friends and Allen had become an instant fan. The record grew on me quickly.  We listened to Tell All Your Friends all the way home.  I remember Allen and I screaming those lyrics at the top of our lungs for hours at a time. The record was so good.  It is still a great record.

Oasis’ Heathen Chemistry was also a popular record in the CD player for that trip.

The guys from Taking Back Sunday have gotten a little older and have lost a little steam.  Granted, they have been touring forever.  I give them some credit.  Last night’s show was good.  It brought back a lot of memories.  I am really glad I was there to be with Heather as she saw them for the first time.

Steven

Tell All Your Friends - # 1185 of 2000

On The Business of Church

A large percentage of people hold bitterness toward the church regarding the idea of tithing.  Let me join the argument by saying that this makes me uneasy as well.  I think we are all overly conscientious when it comes to allocating our money.  This is especially true when it comes to giving money to the church. We have the image of numerous televangelists burned into our brains and the numerous monetary scandals that have come to light over the decades. I think that the concern is legitimate.  Can we discuss this a little?

I don’t get the business of church. Honestly? I think it is poisonous to the intended message. How can one lead a church and expect that the business involved will not have an affect on the intention? While there are many pastors who have done this effectively (through the use of administrative staff and a separation from the business end of it all), numerous others become way too involved in the bill paying process and have allowed the "business" to take over the overall motivation of the intended church.  Allow me to explain.

The church has to worry about overhead and cannot function without money.  This is the reality. Money comes through tithing so it is important to have a decent amount of “butts in seats.”  So when a church grows, it must maintain its numbers or possibly face financial ruin.

A church can deal with this in one of two ways. They can overcompensate by being cutting edge, overly-culturally relevant with a message that bends under the weight of pop-culture, and through cunning business strategies.  Or, they can hand the reigns over to God and allow Him to do His work through an intended message and a crowd of transparent, broken people. I have seen churches grow in both ways. So which choice is legitimate?

Lets think about this for a moment.  Jesus was homeless.  He didn’t have a regular meeting place (church), a worship band, or a microphone.  He had stones to sit on, a mountainside for a venue, and thousands upon thousands of people eager to hear His word. 

Do you see where I am going with this? I don’t understand the business of church because it was never a business to begin with. It is a message that everybody needs to hear. Matthew 18 v. 20 says, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” This is your church! Where you are has no bearing on what Christ will do!

What about tithing? There have been long-winded debates surrounding this issue. Tithing is an issue of heart. It is about letting go of everything that is important to you. Money is important to a lot of people including myself. I spend more money on vinyl and tattoos then I do at church. This is a flaw that has plagued me for years.

Ten percent of your income is the popular figure pushed by the church.  Lets compare this with the widow’s offering as seen in Luke 21 v. 1-4. “As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.  He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.  ‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

The widow in Luke 21 didn’t give ten percent. She gave everything she had. This story has a profound impact on the issue of tithing. 

So what does this look like? Do we give ten percent, or do we give everything?  My answer would be to give something. Time, effort, money, or whatever it is you’ve got.  When you start to give, there is a change of heart. That is the point.  We don’t give out of obligation. We give because we want to. Giving out of obligation is religion. Giving out of total willingness and complete submission to a Savior is the realization of undeserved grace.

Let me wrap this up. I feel the church is very important. For me, it is a place where I go to recharge my batteries.  There are guys at my church who can explain the Bible to me in ways that I cannot comprehend on my own. These leaders supplement my own study and help me to grow in Christ in ways that I never have before. So giving, in my opinion, is important. Churches should survive. It is where the sick should be healed.

Finally, Christ will grow his church naturally. There doesn’t need to be a human push, or unnatural nudge. To do so, is to hold a proverbial hand in God’s face while telling Him that He isn’t working fast enough. When it is time to grow, we will know. It won’t be a secret. It will be completely obvious.  That’s how powerful God is.

Crucifixion at Galgotha

Fundamentalist Me

This drawing, entitled “Fundamentalist” by Robert O. Hodgell, serves as a mirror into my own life.  I have lived through this piece. I have been on both sides of the mask. It was absolutely necessary for me to be that man, crushing others with misguided words bent on a skewed ideology. I had to be that man so that God could truly break me under the severe weight of my own self-righteousness.  When I broke, I broke hard.

This drawing serves as a reminder as to why God became unattractive to me when I was younger.  God didn’t like boys to go on dates with girls unless it involved thirty other Christian teens in a group.  And God didn’t like PG movies unless, of course, it received the thumbs up from Focus on the Family.  God preferred Steven Curtis Chapman to Guns N’ Roses and despised the idea of attending a rock concert that took place anywhere but a church.  God hated homosexuals, anyone who wasn’t a Republican, or anyone who wasn’t Christian. Nothing was good enough, ever. 

Truth be told?  I thought Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith were jokes. Toby Mac was the biggest fraud I had ever seen.  At the time, I would have rather burned in hell than listen to that garbage.

This piece reminds me that the fundamentalist mentality still exists.  Honestly? I struggle with these types of people because it reminds me of the chains I chose to bind myself with when I was younger.  I sank quickly under the weight of the law. I held no concept of the beauty of the gospel.  I spent thirty-plus years studying, memorizing, applying, and never once understood the true application of what I was reading. I spent a lot of those years doing exactly what is seen here in the art. This is why you are going to hell.  This is why liberals are wrong.  This is why homosexuality is wrong.  This is why cussing is wrong.  This is why abortion is wrong. This is why I am right, and you are wrong.

 Does this sound kind of ironic?  I am a professional sinner telling other sinners why they are wrong, and I am right. 

This is not a plea to bow out of everything you are passionate about.  Quite the opposite.  I am still passionate about the issues I have spoken to in the past.  My wife can attest to this. My discovery of God’s grace has simply led me to other venues.  I see people differently, regardless of who they are, or what they represent.  I still hate sin, but have come to love the sinner. 

Hodgell drew other pieces that complete the story.  His depiction of the crucifixion reminded me of the most important truth of all.  A truth that Mr. Fundamentalist fails to see under the tip of his own finger. Christ’s own words, “It Is Finished.” Oh, the joy of true freedom!  Robert Kolb writes, “God promises righteousness and freedom to sinners. That promise contradicts ordinary human expectation. Sinners ought to receive punishment rather than pardon, incarceration rather than freedom. But by the double work of his law and gospel, God teaches sinners to close their eyes to ordinary human expectations and the conclusions of common sense and to open their ears to the promise which offers life and freedom.”

 It took utter ruin to realize this truth.  I still grapple with it, even today. But God’s love is that perfect. It is that flawless. It is un-human.

This is an ugly reminder, and a joyous celebration all in one.

Safety in the Form of Social Media - The Story of Your Average Keyboard Warrior

     Social media, for me, contains two different stories on each side of the paper.  On one side, it is a platform for me to express thoughts, ideas, ideologies, rants, and any other nonsense I feel worthy for the i-world.  On the other side of the page, it is a newspaper for friends and family to see how my family is growing.  Many of you know that Heather and I are not native to Colorado.  Heather is from Chicago, and I am from San Diego.

     As I have dissected my social media usage, I have found that a good percentage of my past posts contain messages that I really don’t care to speak to any more.  I am still a staunch believer in things I have spoken of, but have found that my passion for these things started to interfere with my ability to love and care for others.  It has come to a point where I am actually starting to annoy myself.  In the end, I found that I loved hearing the sound of my own “educated” voice which is, essentially, another form of self-righteousness.

     After years of watching governmentalist propaganda, extremist religiosity, and moral agenda fodder flood my Facebook news screen, I have finally decided to bow out of the argument.  I am as guilty of this as any.  Thank God for the “unsubscribe” button!  In my opinion, there is no honor, or human decency attached to the ability to lob [spiritual/moral/political grenades) in all directions with the hope that the shrapnel falls where it may.  These actions define cowardice in every sense of the word.  Mom and Dad always used to say “if you don’t have something nice to say don’t say it at all.”

     This is not true of everybody.  There are some who present political/religious/moral ideas in a respectful, articulate fashion.  They can do so without affecting their ability to love others.  I have found that this is something that I am personally unable to do.  Jason Lohse said something great a couple months ago.  “If your politics gets in the way of your ability to love others, I suggest trading your version of the gospel for the gospel according to Jesus Christ.” – Jason Lohse.

     This is merely an argument for ideas.  I would encourage anyone to reevaluate what you intend to accomplish in this forum.  This place is a door that is wide open into the depths of your mind.  It allows people to see things in you that they might never see otherwise.  The power contained in one sentence from your brain-to-fingertips is immeasurable.  It allows others to gauge whether or not you are approachable.  It allows people to gauge whether you are genuine, or a whitewashed tomb.  It showed me that I was a walking contradiction.

     Finally, this medium is not comparable to real, genuine, face-to-face friendships.  Comments on a Facebook wall should never replace a phone call.  Chatting online should never replace meeting someone at the mom and pop coffee shop to catch up.  Forge your friendships in steel.  Leave the comfort of your computer and find yourself walking 16th Street with friends.  Enjoy the beauty God created around you.  LOL in person and xoxoxoxo when you are leaving a friend’s house after a planned meal.  I think you get the point.

Disclaimer:  This is directed at myself as much as anybody else.