Category Archives: Culture

So Jesus, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney are Walking Down the Street

A funny little scenario that Steve Guttenberg gave in an interview talked about how Clooney and Pitt are so popular:

“If we walked Jesus, Brad Pitt and George Clooney down Fifth Avenue, I think Clooney and Pitt would get a lot more attention”

To which I would reply: “Of course they would. Jesus was barely recognized in HIS day at times!” 

I’m glad it’s not about a popularity contest. 

You Need a Good Scrubbing

There are times when kids go out to play and you call them in for supper. You look quickly at them as say, “Go wash up.” Mainly, we mean, “Wash your hands.” (Which also means we will check them again when they get to the table and make them REALLY wash their hands.)

Then there are times when the kids are out playing and somehow found the mud pit in the middle of the desert. Your area could be in a drought and somehow those kids came back caked in mud. “Washing up” isn’t the phrase you use at that point.

Reading through the Old Testament prophets is like that second scenario. When I get through these tough words, I realize what I need in the presence of God is not some dainty little “touch up.” I need a good scrubbing. I thought I was doing okay and along comes some wild eyed guy from the Old Testament to wreck my perception!

Malachi is that way. Israel thought they might have a few “quirks” or “issues.” Malachi was there to say, “No… it’s called sin, and you are full of it!”

The way out wasn’t some nice little prayer. The way out was a good scrubbing.

Look, I am sending my messenger who will clear the path before me;
suddenly the Lord whom you are seeking will come to his temple.
The messenger of the covenant in whom you take delight is coming,
says the Lord of heavenly forces.
2 Who can endure the day of his coming?
Who can withstand his appearance?
He is like the refiner’s fire or the cleaner’s soap.
3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver.
He will purify the Levites
and refine them like gold and silver.
They will belong to the Lord,
presenting a righteous offering. (Mal. 3:1-3, CEB)

We need to realize there is a thing that is still called sin. God dealing with us is sometimes going to go beyond “brushing ourselves off” like we picked up a little dust from the windy day. We need the get scrubbed down. We need a fire lit to draw out the gross junk that has accumulated.

We too often think we’re doing “okay” when “okay” isn’t God’s best for us. He delivers the extraordinary to our lives… and we just settle in like we’re going for another walk in the park. We still insist on doing things our way, offending God, and then wonder why we just can’t seem to get going in our spiritual lives.

Maybe we don’t need to just “wash up.” Maybe we need a good scrubbing!

The Mistake of NOT Believing in Human Depravity

David Brooks is one of my favorite commentators today. He is concise, insightful, and almost always right. His column for May 18 is once again on target. I found it interesting that as he was discussing governmental systems I was comparing that with church structures, especially denominational or other organizational structures.

But his main point on the American drift from how our Founders saw the world is a great observation. We keep wanting to do away with the thought that people have a possibility for evil. We just don’t want to admit it, and it is to our peril.

This is one of the reasons why Europe and the United States are facing debt crises and political dysfunction at the same time. People used to believe that human depravity was self-evident and democratic self-government was fragile. Now they think depravity is nonexistent and they take self-government for granted.

I remember being in seminary and the professor was about the begin his lectures on the devil. I thought of that as I think about Brooks’ quote. Before the lecture I was listening to a student behind me drone on about how there is no evil or devil in the world. Evil is just the absence of good. Blah, blah, blah.

The professor walks in and begins his lecture with this: “Some say there is a devil. Some say the devil doesn’t exist. Either way, he doesn’t care.”

Americans ignoring depravity is one thing. The CHURCH ignoring depravity is far more dangerous.

Longevity

He who finds a wife finds what is good,
gaining favor from the Lord. (Prov. 18:22, CEB)

I have been at my current church for 14 years. It has been a wonderful journey. I have believed in longevity as a pastor. I about have that down, so I better be learning all that other stuff now!

My wife and I celebrated 24 years of marriage yesterday. As we talked about life we realized there are some FUN things about being together so long. We blurt out the same thought almost at the same time a lot. We think of the same movie line, or some quote, and even if we don’t both say it, we both know we thought it.

There are so many things that are comfortable for us. It’s not a rut. It’s comfort. We are planning ahead to our 25th Anniversary, and it is interesting to think about being able to do something a bit more spontaneous simply because the boys will be all grown and almost out of the house. It’s a good place in life.

For all the talk of “gay marriage,” the Church has lost its voice on heterosexual marriage because we quit preaching on divorce a long time ago. Our mistake back then was probably preaching against divorce rather than FOR marriage. We didn’t instill covenant language. We didn’t instill the beauty of the long haul, or lift it up.

Our big date last night to celebrate our anniversary was a trip to the ball game. My wife REALLY loves me to do that for me! On the big scoreboards they had a video of a couple who were at the ballpark celebrating their sixtieth anniversary. The whole ballpark erupted in cheers when they saw the scoreboards. THAT is worth celebrating.

I am FOR marriage. I am for God’s best in marriage. I am for the long haul. And I am so deeply grateful for the partner God has given me for this incredible journey.

(NOTE: the picture below is NOT me and my wife!)   ;)

This picture is NOT me and my wife

Politics, Messes, Blindness, and Such Stuff

My friend, Joel Watts, is always trying to “out” me as a liberal. I love his effort. It’s futile, but it’s noble.

I am a fiercely political creature. I grew up talking politics and in my young adult years listening to talk radio. I still listen to political news, but with much more sarcasm than before. The days of an individual being able to actually engage an elected official with a meaningful discussion are long gone. No politician will listen to anything other than dollars going into their political campaign accounts.

To be honest, I’ve been a Republican. That’s so hard to type.

The main thing that has always kept me from being a Democrat is I am pro-life. And not just concerning the unborn. There are other key issues, but I am pro-life, and in the Democratic Party you don’t get higher up that city dog catcher if you let it be known you are pro-life. I understand over the last decade or so there have been many evangelicals try to be a part of the Democratic Party and hopefully influence them to a better conversation on the issues of abortion. And that has failed miserably.

The other thing that keeps me from being Democrat are people like Paul Krugman and Keith Olbermann. They are as vitriolic as Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage, but just like conservatives who live Rush, liberals refuse to acknowledge the foolish things Krugman and Oblermann spew out. Krugman’s column today is a good case. The world would be SOOOO much better without Republicans! All we need are sensible Democrats because there are NOOO extremists in the Democratic Party.

But that’s an easy case to make for me. (And I prepare for the cannon fodder to come.)

But the Republican Party is such an incredible disappointment as well. A colleague of mine has a personal story about how the extreme right of the Republican Party sabotaged his brother’s job. It’s becoming utterly ridiculous.

I have gone through the years of the Republican Party promising the moon to evangelicals on issues like abortion and family values … and then delivering nothing. They would argue, “Well, if we had a SUPER majority in the Senate…”

That was the mantra the Democrats held out going into the 2008 election…

My point is this: They are all sounding the same now. That could have been said 30 years ago as well. The difference 30 years ago was they all sounded the same and stuff could get done. Today, when I say they all sound the same, I mean they are all divisive.

It’s Krugman on the left saying the world would be a better place without the Republicans. It’s Rush on the right railing against anything that sniffs of the Democratic Party. It’s stupid… and no one is stopping it.

Truthfully, as Christians we should have never hitched our wagon to any political party. Evangelicals did it with the Republicans and got burned. Post-moderns are doing it with the Democratic Party and they will find the same result. At first they will just blame the Republicans (like I did the Democrats), and then the realization will slowly sink in: no one is listening. And it leaves a hard knot in your stomach.

A friend of mine who studies Church History loves Francis of Assisi. He tells the story of Francis having friendships with the Crusaders AND the sultans. There were times when Francis would ride between the battle lines calling out prophetically to both sides, urging them to not fight.

Both Democrats and Republicans are incredibly arrogant with their political gamesmanship. It’s foolishness. It’s foolishness to think that if the other party just didn’t exist things would go better. It’s foolishness to think that only YOUR side has something of substance to add to the conversation.

We need healing from our blindness. I know I’ve needed healing from my own blindness.

I want to be able to pastor Democrats AND Republicans. I want to be able to ADD to people’s lives… not destroy them philosophically or with some political rhetoric.

I wish I could mount a horse like Francis of Assisi and ride between the battle lines of the Republicans and Democrats and cry out, “A pox on BOTH your houses!”

Instead, I will take the hits from those who have been offended by turning on the Republicans… or railing against the Democrats.

Such is life.

Throwaways

The death of Junior Seau will cause some debate on concussions again. Good.

But beyond that I’ve been reflecting on athletes and entertainers and our culture of idols.

I don’t want to take away from personal responsibility. Athletes and entertainers need to learn how to live life beyond the big stage. So many do it well.

Yet, we have a throwaway culture that cheers loudly for the young and talented, then tosses them aside when the next hot thing comes along. In our hunger to see the next hot talent, we drive people to live for that particular moment without regard to what is next.

Again, there are certainly great entertainers who have lived a long career either as an entertainer or in some other field. There are athletes who have gone on to other careers once they retire. But many just are lost. They’ve been conditioned for the spotlight and once that light is off and the adoration is gone, they are lost. And our culture has some blame to share in that loss.

Many years ago I had the incredible fortune of sitting in the same waiting room as a former major league pitcher and a current (at that time) NFL player. I introduced myself to the pitcher because he had overcome some incredible adversity earlier in his career and I wanted to thank him for his inspiring story. The NFL player then came over and introduced himself to the pitcher. Both men then talked about lives outside their sports. They were searching for their identities. It was an amazing conversation to listen to.

We are a crazed culture living for the moment. We have no problem using up athletes at the collegiate level in hopes of cheering them on in a professional arena. But if they don’t make it to the pro level, we just toss them aside and wait for the next “one and done” player (in NCAA basketball) or the next great linebacker that we can turn into a human missile so he can maim some quarterback and we can all cheer.

We have no problem churning through hundreds of auditions for the next “idol” or “voice,” not caring if we hear of them five years from now. We just love that talent NOW. And it’s the talent we love. Not the person.

And don’t even get me started on ministers and ministry! ;)

We are not doing very well in our culture (or in our churches) in the area of building legacy and long-term growth and development. We are living in the NOW… and it may just be killing us. For Junior Seau, it’s certainly has.

Doing Better in Adversity

I was thinking about the Western Civilization class I am finishing up (as a teacher) this semester. Reflecting on the 60s and a movement started by a generation that had not known hardship or war, there were some things that reflect well on that generation. Civil rights is at the top of the list. (I would argue THEY didn’t get that battle won, but they were there to raise a lot of awareness.) But there were things that went terribly wrong as well. It was like they had to create their own adversity in some ways.

The 1920s and the 1960s were probably generations that had so much given to them… and then squandered. I may be a part of a generation in much the same mold.

I then think of a generation molded by adversity. A generation hit by economic depression and war. THAT is a generation that knew adversity and was strengthened.

We don’t do well when we are handed ease. We don’t like adversity, but truth be told, we are better FOR adversity in our lives than without it.

As Christians, it is much the same. Adversity tests the mettle of our faith. We have the precious metal forged in us. We don’t like it. Who does? But adversity is a far better gauge of genuine strength than ease.

Speaking Truth Has Little to do with Response

That said, it is still up to us as believers to take up the admonition to speak the truth in love. That still may not go well, but it does not release us into the depths of this world’s system of “taking it to the man” (or whatever phrase they are using these days).

But when we communicate truth, the reality is that the truth does not always evoke a “positive” response. What we need to remember is that it is not our call. Our call is obedience.

10 He said to me: Human one, listen closely, and take to heart every word I say to you. 11 Then go to the exiles, to your people’s children. Whether they listen or not, speak to them and say: TheLord God proclaims! (Ez. 3;10-11, CEB)