My New iPod Playlist: Really?

Yesterday I was doing laundry and listening to music. As you may know, my iPod has over 1400 songs and is full of oldies, weird stuff and obscure music. Much of it is organized into playlists so I can find it more easily. I recently created a playlist called Really? It is a group of 50 songs that even I am a little suprised to find on my iPod. So while piddling around the house yesterday I set the device to shuffle- and here were the first 10 songs that played from my Really? playlist. Really...

1. Miss Atomic Bomb - The Killers
2. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
3. What You Do To Me - Carl Wilson
4. Massachusetts - Bee Gees
5. Creeque Alley - The Mamas & the Papas
6. So What? - P!nk
7. Alone Again (Naturally) - Gilbert O'Sullivan
8. Crow On the Cradle - Jackson Browne
9. I've Got the Music In Me - The Kiki Dee Band
10. Losing My Religion - R.E.M.

Anything strike you as particularly odd, or do they all seem pretty normal coming from me? Yeah...that's what I thought! Have a wonderful Saturday- and go wherever the music takes you!

Oh...one more song from the list...if you don't know the 2012 song Bruises by Train (featuring Ashley Monroe) you should check it out. It has so much to say about life...

Loving the (Oxy) Morons

I have always had a thing for oxymorons. The late comedian George Carlin introduced me to the word in a bit where he talked about "jumbo shrimp" and "military intelligence" as being classic examples. We live in a world in which doublespeak and misleading facts are often leave many of us clearly confused (oxymoron). In fact, recently I have been aware of a number of oxymorons being lived out in our world- often by, if you'll excuse my judgement and name calling, plain ol' morons! Witness the following accounts...

1. In the just completed election, voters seemed very certain of two things. They wanted to throw out anyone who has supported the policies of President Obama, and as many as 78% of them indicated their primary reason for this was the state of the economy. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, of course. But Forbes Magazine (not exactly part of the liberal media) just recently published an article documenting how every major economic indicator has greatly improved since Obama took office. In fact, THE business and money magazine in our nation rated him the 4th best President ever when it comes to the economy. There are plenty of things to disagree with the President about, but choosing the part of his job in which he has been most effective as the #1 reason to "throw the bums out" is definitely a living oxymoron.
2. Many people here in the Tampa Bay area are very upset that Joe Maddon opted out of his contract to manage the Rays baseball team and immediately signed with the Chicago Cubs. They accuse the Cubs of tampering and have grown very angry with Joe, the best thing to happen to baseball in Tampa Bay in any of their lifetimes. They can't imagine why he would leave, except for more money. Well...duh!!! No one will miss Joe more than me, but there are so many reasons why leaving was smart. In Chicago, the Cubs, even when they are awful, play in front of a packed house every day in one of baseball's true cathedrals- Wrigley Field. They are not only developing outstanding young players like the Rays do, but they have the money to keep them once they become great. Plus, if Joe can get the Cubs to a World Series like he did the Rays in 2008, he will be legend- wait for it because they haven't been since 1945- ary among baseball fans. Most baseball fans in these parts know these things and in their hearts wish him well, yet they publicly whine and cry, "Why Joe? Why???" And they hate him for leaving. Oxymorons.
3. A 90 year old man and two pastors were recently arrested in Fort Lauderdale for passing out meals to homeless people. They were in violation of a city ordinance, the type of which is being pushed in cities all over the country now. If feeding and caring for the homeless and others in need is a crime, then in Matthew 25 Jesus calls each and every one of us to be criminals. He doesn't suggest it- he says if we don't do it we are goats and we are gonna' burn! In fact, Jesus says that "whatever we do to the least of these we also do to him." Arresting those who are feeding the homeless is just like arresting our Savior. Protecting our communities by turning Jesus and those who truly follow him into criminals seems incredibly oxymoronic to me. 

It's easy to point out these foibles in others; the problem is my life is full of them as well. I am often judgemental of people I find to be too judgemental. I am a Diabetic Dessert Lover. My frustration levels rise when people don't understand my pacifism, and I become an Angry Peacemaker. My writing often indicates a hope for a bright tomorrow, but I tend to live in the past. I am a Pessimistic Optimist. I am a longtime registered Republican who is repulsed by what the party has become and some of the things it stands for today. You read it hear first- I am a Blue Republican. And while I spent many years  in the the service of the institutional church, it frustrates me to no end. I have a serious Love/Hate relationship with organized Christianity. Is there anything more oxymoronic than love /hate?

But there is Good News. Jesus totally gets (oxy) morons just like me! He often spoke in our language, teaching that the first shall be last, that we should love our enemies and that to find our lives we need to lose them. He was born into life on earth so that he could die. He died so that we might live. He taught us that laws do not lead to love, that love IS the only law that truly matters. And most importantly, he gave us grace and mercy so that we might know that connecting to God is not about some neurotic perfectionism, but about that the fact that we are sinners who are loved ANYWAY  by the Creator of the universe. Is there any better oxymoron than Forgiven Sinners? 

So what is the message today? That God loves us all, even when we are morons- and that Jesus calls us to love each other without restrictions or conditions. It is an open secret (oxymoron) that loves seems to be growing smaller (oxymoron) in our world. It is my least favorite (oxymoron) true myth (oxymoron) about the random order (oxymoron) of our society. Following Jesus is not about always being right, it is about always loving. It is my prayer today that all of us morons can learn that is the real truth. Like there can be a fake truth. I am such a moron...  Have a blessed weekend!

Because of Jesus,

Throwback Thursday: In the Beginning

Over the course of my 28 years in youth ministry I was blessed to work with many amazing teenagers and adults who were a part of a wide variety of exciting student ministries. Choosing "the best this" or "my favorite that" has been part of this blog since its inception, and those are very subjective awards that change in my mind from day-to-day. But labeling the group that started me down the road to my calling as a youth pastor is much easier and much more concrete. It was the summer of 1978 (I was 18), my first official year on staff at Quaker Lake Camp. The second week of camp was a Junior High Camp, and for 6 amazing days the guys in my cabin and the girls they were "in love" with became my family. We laughed, we cried, we got in trouble and we loved each other & Jesus. They were, in every way that really matters, my first youth group. The fact that this picture (taken with a classic Polaroid camera) still exists is a testament to what they meant to me:

I confess that I do not remember every name anymore. But many of them I will never forget. The bonds between us grew even stronger a few weeks after this picture was taken when one of them (Robin Davis) was killed in a car wreck and we all came together to grieve and remember her sweet life. The relationships we formed that summer lasted many years, and some of them are still my friends. For a variety of reasons, several of them have been on my mind and in my prayers in recent weeks. And today seemed like a really good day to tell them all how much they still mean to me.

It's been over 36 years since that week of camp. And despite all that has transpired in the years that followed, I still maintain that stealing the girl's suitcases from their cabin and hiding them in the cornfield was a really, really funny prank. No matter how mad they got...

Because of Jesus,

One of These Things Is Not Like the Other

This coming Sunday (November 9th) churches all over this country will take time during their worship services to honor those who have served our nation in the armed services. Veteran's Day has become a major event in many churches as they use patriotic music and lots of flags to bring feelings of national pride to the Sunday service. I am all in favor of recognizing those who serve our nation with a special day, parades and heartfelt gratitude. I am not, however, a big fan of doing it in church. As Rachel Held Evans tweeted this past weekend, "when an American flag has replaced the cross at the center of a church, I'm not expecting much Kingdom." We gather in church to pledge our allegiance to Jesus, not the flag. So I struggle with services on the Sunday before patriotic holidays, often choosing to skip those weeks and worship on my own, because if I hear I'm Proud To Be An American in church one more time I may forget I am a pacifist!

But every year the second Sunday in November makes me especially distraught. While so many local congregations recognize our national heroes they are completely ignoring the opportunity to recognize true heroes of our faith. This Sunday is once again the annual observance of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. All over the world there are thousands of Christians who risk their lives to be faithful to the work of Jesus. Many are in prison for refusing to deny our Savior; others lose their lives. This Sunday is a day set aside to pray and to remember these saints and martyrs, and yet the day is so often ignored in the USAmerican church. The reasons why are unclear to me. Most weeks our churches seem happy to take any pre-arranged theme they can find and use it to guide worship planning. This is a very biblical concept, as Jesus himself preached that those persecuted in his name were "blessed." It may be as simple as the fact that far too many U.S. church-goers like to believe that they are among the persecuted. We fret that "those people" are trying to take the Christ out of Christmas, or keep us from praying, or mess with Duck Dynasty. My friends, none of those things make us persecuted; they make us WHINERS! When we pay attention to what real persecution is, we can't help but be ashamed of our trivial complaints. Maybe that is why we often ignore this important day. We simply can't conceive of this type of persecution in our midst:
On 31 August, while the pastor of the New Blessing Church in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, his family and 1 other Christian were walking home following a visit to a Christian neighbor, a group of 8 masked men accosted the Christians and assaulted them with wooden poles studded with nails and iron rods. The pastor, who received a blow to his hip with a wooden pole, was injured in the incident. The pastor’s wife, their 12 year-old daughter, 15-year-old son and the other Christian were also brutally beaten up by the mob.

Visit the IDOP website to read more and experience what it means to be a Christian in places where following Jesus is illegal. Then ask your pastor, your elders, your deacons, your church council or whatever the powers that be are called in your local congregation why the IDOP is not a MUCH bigger deal in your church. Are we or are we not a part of the worldwide body of Christ? If we are, then this day of prayer should be mandatory for us all!

Veterans deserve our recognition because they serve and sacrifice in the name of our country. Persecuted Christians deserve our prayers because they serve and sacrifice in the name of Jesus. The question in my mind is simply this: Which of these most belongs in a worship service? One of these things is not like the other...

Because of Jesus,

A Political Parable

Tomorrow is Election Day, a day when everyone who can should get out and vote in their local elections. It is also a high holy day for many of us, because after tomorrow we will get a break from the annoying, hateful, I-can't-believe-they actually-sway-anyone campaign advertisements. Like many of you, hearing how terrible the opposing Candidate B is without ever hearing any legitimate reasons why Candidate A is any better makes me a little crazy. Here in Florida the nastiest battle has been the one for governor between incumbent Rick Scott and former governor Charlie Crist. It's been ugly for 18 months now, and has gotten worse as tomorrow approaches. At this point I find myself hoping that they both lose. How bad is it? The following is a parable- but just barely. It could easily be a true story...and either candidate could be the guilty party!

Charlie Crist was holding a press conference by the pool at a local resort when a young boy of about 10 found himself in water over his head and began to thrash about and scream for help. As others panicked, Crist calmly turned, surveyed the situation, and began to walk across the pool- on the water! He reached down, pulled the boy up, and carried him to safety. The gathered crowd could not believe what they had just seen. The former governor had walked on water. Some were amazed at this miraculous feat and wanted to proclaim him Saint Charlie. Others scoffed at the whole thing, asserting that it was clearly some sort of plot to allow him to show off for the cameras. It was an amazing scene.

The next day the Rick Scott campaign released a new attack ad. There was no mention of the little boy or the rescue. There was simply footage of Crist walking across the pool, with a very serious Darth Vader-like voice narrating the following:

Florida is a peninsula, surround by water on 3 sides. Rick Scott was in the Navy, and is very comfortable around water. Charlie Crist? He claims he can walk on water. But here's the truth, Florida...he only did it because

Charlie Can't Swim!!!

Political ads all over the county are almost that ridiculous. Voting is supposed to be a privilege. These days it far too often just seems like the end of our misery- until the 2016 presidential primary campaigns kick-in. Next week...  

Have a happy Monday, and please, if you are able tomorrow, get out and vote!

They Say

John 13:34-35: (Jesus said) Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples—when they see how you love one another.

A couple of years ago my family and I came out of church and found a pamphlet on our windshield. It was from a group called The Christian Coalition, and it told us who to vote for in an upcoming election. It told us of the evils of those running against "God's candidates" and suggested that voting for any of those not chosen by them could result in apocalyptic consequences, or perhaps even having your salvation revoked. Even apart from my belief that such political things have no place at a house of worship, this really ticked me off! Then yesterday a youth pastor friend tweeted that he had just been told that the church is best represented in our world by conservative politicians. These things reminded me that many of the things that THEY say in the name of Christianity do not represent me and have little to do with Jesus. Who are THEY? I don't really know, but every day on TV or in the paper THEY certainly have a lot to say. What are THEY telling the world about the best ways to identify a Christ-follower? Things like this:

THEY say people will know we are His disciples by which church we attend and which translation of the Bible we have collecting dust on our end tables.

THEY say people will know we are His disciples by our doctrine and the ways we keep riff-raff and ragamuffins out of our churches.

THEY say people will know we are His disciples by our knowledge of scripture- and the way we use it to make others feel small and stupid.

THEY say people will know we are His disciples by the things we don't let people see us do, such as smoking, drinking, gambling and sexual promiscuity.

THEY say people will know we are His disciples by the things we are against, like abortion and homosexuality.

THEY say people will know we are His disciples by the amount of money we make, because God blesses the faithful with wealth.

THEY say people will know we are His disciples by the bumper stickers on our cars and the t-shirts on our backs.

THEY say people will know we are His disciples because we are patriotic and worship the flag.

THEY say people will know we are His disciples by the way we point fingers, judge people and tell them that they are sinners. You can't be a good Christian if you haven't told someone they are going to hell!

THEY say people will know we are His disciples because we understand this to be true:  God is good, and you are not, so try harder! We can save ourselves, because this world is all about us!

THEY say people will know we are His disciples by our intolerance of other religions, other races and anyone who disagrees with us. Also the way we ignore the homeless, the poor and the different.

That's what THEY say; what do I say (and more importantly, do)? Do I represent God with love and grace, or do I too enjoy pointing fingers and making my own words more important than His?  Do I remember that whoever THEY are, I must love them too, because in Jesus we should be "one in the Spirit."  As my friend Ashley Goad loves to say, "It should be simple; love God, love people." Why do we make it so complicated? I have to believe that God is shaking His head at the nonsense that comes out of His church. We may fool ourselves, but God is no fool. His word is the truth. You cannot focus on being anti-anything if you become pro-love. God's word says that there is only one way the world will know if we are followers of His Son: "They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they'll know we are Christians by our love..."  We need to get out there and love each other before THEY convince this world that Jesus is who THEY say He is. Have a blessed Sabbath, everyone!

Because of Jesus,

It's That Time Again- #SaveThanksgiving

This was my post on November 1, 2013. It generated a ton of response during the month of November, and as they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" So with a few updates, here it is again. So read, remember, and  let's spend the next 27 days seeking to #SaveThanksgiving!

Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I love Christmas. I love the music, the movies, the decorations, Santa, the traditions and the trees. I love that for many people it is still about the birth of the babe of Bethlehem and what that means in each of our lives. I even love shopping on Christmas Eve, one of my grand traditions! I love the Christmas season. But I have to tell you,  what "Christmas" has become in our USAmerican society is really making me a little crazy. Christmas and I have a problem...it's killing Thanksgiving!

Maybe it is the faulty memory of an aging man, but it seems to me like Thanksgiving used to be an actual holiday, one we could enjoy and savor as families. But increasingly it is become the red-headed stepchild to Christmas. Stores have their Christmas displays out before Halloween is over. The TV commercials have already started. A house in my neighborhood already has a frickin' wreath on the door! Thanksgiving used to be the kickoff to the Christmas season. Now it is just a blip on the radar as we scream full speed ahead towards December. It's Black Friday: The Prequel. And I think it's time to do something about it.

I suppose it would help if there were more cultural landmarks associated with the holiday. Eating, The Macy's Parade and football in Dallas and Detroit (plus some other random city from the "can't leave well enough alone" minds of the NFL) are the first things that come to most people's minds. There are few Thanksgiving movies (Planes, Trains & Automobiles is the only GREAT one, although my son Will recommends The Hoboken Chicken Emergency!), no one sings Thanksgiving carols, and even Hallmark doesn't really push the holiday. A couple of years ago I wrote down a few suggestions on how to change all of that (see The Holiday That Time Forgot) but I don't see it happening anytime soon. 

The bigger issue to me is that with all of the attention given to the "Holiday Season," Thanksgiving has lost its meaning.  People fight all the time to keep the "Christ" in Christmas. I am fighting to put the "thanks" back in Thanksgiving!  When the Pilgrims and Native Americans sat down at that first feast, they weren't there to kill time before the Cowboys played the 4 o'clock game or Walmart opened with two big screen TVs on sale for 10,000 shoppers to fight over. They were there to give thanks to God for the simple reason that they were still alive! They could have starved, frozen, been killed by wild animals or killed each other- but they hadn't. They sat down to share in a bounty provided by God and to praise God for all the many things they had to be thankful for in life. They didn't worship the same God- and it didn't matter! They gathered as family and friends to count their many blessings. It was from those beginnings that the Thanksgiving holiday was born. And it is by returning to those roots that we can #SaveThanksgiving.

Every day in November (through the 27th) I will be sharing something I am thankful for in the upper left-hand corner of this blog. You can see I have started today. I will also be tweeting my blessings using the hashtag #SaveThanksgiving. I am asking Marilyn to do the same on Facebook. And I am asking all of you to join us. Share with the world through social media the things in your life that you need to thank our loving God for providing. Let's remind our friends of WHY we have a Thanksgiving holiday. And if you are not the hashtag type, then share with your family and friends around the dinner table or in the car on the way to school, work, dance lessons or wherever you may be headed. The point is that we GIVE THANKS. 

So by all means, look forward to the turturkeykey (a shout out to all the HIMYM fans) and the trimmings. Remember the Mayflower and the history of the day. Make an elaborate styrofoam cornucopia for your table centerpiece. Boycott shopping on Thanksgiving Day and by all means take the day to be with your family and friends. But all along the way, remember the reason for the season (stole that one from Christmas- HA!). "Count your many blessings- name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done!" If we do that, my friends, we just might accomplish something heroic. We just might #SaveThanksgiving.

Because of Jesus,