Idols, and How to Avoid Worshipping Them
Here is a list of things that are NOT GODS (although we some times treat them as such) but that can be enjoyed in such a way (read: in moderation, in the right context, or to the right degree) to help us experience and celebrate God.
A good meal
With a fine wine
And a delicious dessert.
A new dress or
pair of jeans
or t-shirt.
A new car,
In which to take a roadtrip,
Because you make more money at your new job.
The latest Apple product.
You listen to music on your iPod while doing yoga,
Or you take a beautiful picture while climbing a mountain.
Drinking coffee,
While reading a great book,
And then just being still.
(or add your own here)
Israel used to bow down to their idols. They were not worried about people seeing. They were very upfront about what they worshipped.
What do you worship, whether in the presence of others, or alone, in the dark?
How do the things you worship make you feel in the short term? In the long term?
How do we train ourselves to worship eternal things – the things of God? Beauty. Truth. Justice. Faith. Grace. Mercy. Love. Compassion. Kindness. Joy.
We remind ourselves of what we believe. When we get frustrated, and want to close our eyes, and just push through, and not think about what we’re doing, and whether we should be doing it, we STOP – and we ask, “What’s going on here? What’s the real issue here?"
We renew our minds – we preach to ourselves. And we surround ourselves with people who will lovingly do the same.
Kanye and Redemption
Maybe some of you follow Kanye West on Twitter. Maybe some of you don’t. Maybe some of you don’t have a Twitter account. Maybe some of you think I’m a narcissist or egoist for having one. Maybe you think, “Facebook’s good enough for me dude!”
That’s a conversation for another day.
Kanye tweeted like a MADMAN this past weekend. I don’t know if it was in honor of Beyonce’s 29th birthday, or if he got drunk, or just real emotional, or what, but he tweeted 96 times in a 14 hour period. He talked about music, the media, his “Good Friday” songs (he releases a new song, for free, every Friday... which is a great reason to join twitter in and of itself), Taylor Swift, George Bush, Wicked, racism, haters, pride, humility, and on and on.
I read it all, and towards the end, I was actually sort of moved. It was like I had read a short story, albeit, one without any sort of editorial involvement. But that was part of the beauty. The grammar was bad, sure, but it wasn’t political-speak, so who cares?
Kanye admitted that he’s done some stupid stuff in the past, including the telethon mishap, and the Taylor Swift snafu.
He told us about how those experiences humbled him, and made him step back and realize that he needed to change.
He talked about the punishment he underwent – from the media, to the blogs, to face-to-face contact with people – and about how much it sucked.
And then, he started talking about how he wished he could make things right – with people who are still upset with him, with the haters, with the people he let down – so that they would know “the real Kanye.”
Isn’t there a universal principle there? Something is broken, something is hurt, something is wrong, and, as Kanye often tweets, #ITSAPROCESS to see that something be made right.
We’re broken. We make mistakes. We need a Savior. Creation is longing – as scripture says, in a starkly clear metaphor – like a woman in childbirth, because we live in this “already/not yet” tension… we live in this inbetween world. We live with the sehnsucht, with the “inconsolable longing for we know not what.” We are always wanting things to be made right, whether we are cognitive of that desire or not.
Kanye wrestled with that idea, that principle, that phenomenon, in a simple, clear, passionate manner. He wants to make right on his missteps over the years.
We all want things to be made right in varying degrees. We all see injustice, whether we see it only when it is done to us, or only when it is done to others. Some times we close our eyes, and push on through, and try not to think about it too much. Some times we react – some times with love, some times with anger – and we do what we can to fix it.
Speaking of fixing things – my next three posts will be about lessons I learned from the TV shows I’ve watched this summer. Jack Shepherd always wanted to fix things, so I’ll do LOST first. Friday Night Lights will follow. I’ll do Mad Men last. Hope you’ll join me.
And here are some of Kanye’s tweets, if you missed them:
“I've hurt, I've bled, I've learned. I only want to do good. I am passionate I am human I am real. I wish I could meet every hater
I wish I could talk to every hater face to face and change there a opinion of me one conversation at a time.
I wish they all knew how much I really cared about music and pop culture and art and peoples feelings.
I wish they could accept that I've grown and only want to do good for the world. I want to help as many people as I can.
I want to win there hearts back so I can continue to bring my take on culture to the masses with a clean opinion.
It starts with this...
I'm sorry Taylor.”
And here’s a song from Derek Webb on this subject…
As well as a chapter from Isaiah…
Isaiah 35 - The Voiceless Break into Song
“Wilderness and desert will sing joyously, the badlands will celebrate and flower — Like the crocus in spring, bursting into blossom, a symphony of song and color. Mountain glories of Lebanon—a gift. Awesome Carmel, stunning Sharon—gifts. God's resplendent glory, fully on display. God awesome, God majestic.
Energize the limp hands, strengthen the rubbery knees. Tell fearful souls, "Courage! Take heart! God is here, right here, on his way to put things right and redress all wrongs. He's on his way! He'll save you!"
Blind eyes will be opened, deaf ears unstopped, lame men and women will leap like deer, the voiceless break into song. Springs of water will burst out in the wilderness, streams flow in the desert. Hot sands will become a cool oasis, thirsty ground a splashing fountain. Even lowly jackals will have water to drink, and barren grasslands flourish richly.
There will be a highway called the Holy Road. No one rude or rebellious is permitted on this road. It’s for God's people exclusively — impossible to get lost on this road. Not even fools can get lost on it. No lions on this road, no dangerous wild animals— Nothing and no one dangerous or threatening. Only the redeemed will walk on it. The people God has ransomed will come back on this road. They’ll sing as they make their way home to Zion, unfading halos of joy encircling their heads, Welcomed home with gifts of joy and gladness as all sorrows and sighs scurry into the night.”
How the Buffalo River Taught Me to Tithe: Part 2
Tithing is always a weird one. 10 percent, right? That’s the way it’s always been. But it’s not real comfortable to talk about it in church. Speaking of which, should we pass the plate, or just have a little box in the back? Do we mention it? Do we set something up online? Do we make financial records public?
Anyway.
The noise violation wasn’t too pricy. $100? $120? I don’t remember exactly.
There were at least ten of us staying at the campsite that night, so I figured $20 would more than cover my share. I paid up, and my partner in crime threw in $20 too.
If the fine really was $100, that leaves $60 that one dude had paid out of pocket. This happens to be the same dude who tried several times to stop us from driving around like idiots with the music at full volume. He had kind of been the dad trying to keep us all in line last night. And like a lot of dads, he had also forked over the cash when his “children” screwed up.
I don’t think anyone else ended up pitching in. So he shouldered most of the damage. He had also reserved the campsite, and brought lots of supplies, and figured out where to rent the rafts – he put a lot of research into the whole deal, and he had all agreed to help out accordingly.
But when it came down to it, most people in the group didn’t pitch in, even though, for the most part, everyone was being at least somewhat loud and obnoxious.
What does all of this have to do with tithing?
We were a group of friends, united by a common purpose: rent a campsite, have fun, float the buffalo. We understood the commitments – monetary and otherwise. If one person screwed up, or started drowning, or got sick, we would all take care of it – together.
Church is (at its best, at least) a group of friends, united by a common purpose: to learn about, worship, and share the love of Christ. Hopefully members, understand the commitments – monetary and otherwise.
I don’t know the answers to the questions that I listed above. I just know that, watching my buddy shoulder the load of the fine, it shouldn’t be the same way at church. If I care about people, and like meeting together, and agree with the mission of the church, I should be GLAD to give 10 percent. At the minimum. All of a sudden, tithing wasn't just something cerebral, i.e. I know that I must give 10 percent of everything I earn. My heart finally understood why it is important, and good, and not something we have to do, but something we get to do.
I think this quote explains the principle of the matter pretty well. I’ll leave you with it. (thanks for passing it on, Dad.)
”Never ask: 'How much of MY wealth should I give to God?' Ask instead: 'How much of GOD’S wealth should I keep for my own use?'"
-Mark Driscoll
It’s a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God
I'm still working/reflecting on Part II of the Buffalo River saga, but since I'm about to go show my car to a potential buyer, I wanted to leave you with an encouraging word from Jeremiah. I read the book of Lamentations this morning, and this passage stuck out. Enjoy. I'll have Part II up tomorrow. Send prayers/good vibes/thoughts/whichever it is you do my way re: the batmobile!
Lamentations 3:19-36
The Message
I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there's one other thing I remember,and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:
God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.
God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God.
It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times.
When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear. Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face. The "worst" is never the worst.
Why? Because the Master won't ever walk out and fail to return. If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
His stockpiles of loyal love are immense. He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing roadblocks in the way:
Stomping down hard on luckless prisoners, Refusing justice to victims in the court of High God, Tampering with evidence—
the Master does not approve of such things.
How the Buffalo River Taught Me to Tithe: Part 1
I’ve been meaning to write this blog post for over a year now. It’s a story about this one time when I went to the Buffalo River with my friends.
We rented a campsite, and set up tents, and cooked hot dogs, and after a while I got really sad about some stuff, and started feeling all down on myself, and called up a couple ex-girlfriends, and texted all sorts of nonsense to people, and eventually I just turned off my phone and decided it was time to go for a drive.
So I grabbed my buddy and we hopped in my car, and turned up Lisztomania by Phoenix and we probably listened to it about 400 hundred times while we drove around the entire campsite, with the windows down, and the system at full volume, and waking up all the sleeping kids, and having our friends tell us to just stop driving around like idiots, and the guy in charge running out towards our car and me speeding away and us eventually coming back about 30 minutes later.
And when I woke up the next morning it was to the sound of a park ranger knocking on my tent and saying, “Anybody in there?! Time to get up.” And so I got up and everyone else was getting up, and some people looked ticked off, and some looked tired, and some looked confused and I sorta felt all three of those things all at once.
And apparently the guy in charge from last night had called the park ranger and he sorta knew that we were being stupid college kids and being loud and obnoxious and he came over to give us a very stern warning as well as a noise violation ticket. And I think a couple of people wanted to come say “I TOLD YOU SO” to me because they had tried to stop me from driving around like madman.
And one of my good buddies forked over the cash for the ticket, and we all looked up to the clouds to say Thank You to God because it could’ve been a lot worse.
Then we went to the country store to get a big breakfast and forget about it.
And tomorrow, I’ll tell you why I started taking tithing more seriously because of that experience.
The Trip of a Life
I've spent the last week or so doing a lot of research on the Greyhound website, emailing friends and family, and piecing together this little journey that I am affectionately referring to as The Trip of a Life.
Go ahead, call it the typical twenty-something thing to do - it probably is. But I can't wait. The busses are gonna be stinky and uncomfortable. My butt will probably be numb for the majority of the trip. But I get to see the country, and the people I care about, and clear my head, and write, and pray, and listen to music, and try and get a grip on where I'm supposed to live and what I'm supposed to do, and all that stuff.
Here it is:
Sunday, September 26th – Fly to Portland to attend Donald Miller’s conference.
Tuesday, September 28th – Depart Portland to St. Louis via Greyhound at 12:40 PM.
Thursday, September 30th – Arrive St. Louis at 12:10 PM. Lance picks me up. The National at 9:00 PM.
Sunday, October 3rd – Depart St. Louis to Indianapolis via Greyhound at 1:20 PM. Arrive Indianapolis at 6:40 PM. Ride to Upland with Amy.
Saturday, October 9th – Depart Indianapolis for New York City via Grehound at 4:10 PM.
Sunday, October 10th – Arrive New York City at 10:25 AM. Meet up with Katie and Elliott.
Saturday, October 16th – Depart New York City to Kansas City via Greyhound at 10:15 AM.
Sunday, October 17th – Arrive Kansas City at 11:55 AM. Meet up with Micah, Ben, David, et al. Sufjan Stevens at 9:00 PM.
Monday, October 18th – Depart Kansas City to Little Rock via Car at 9:00 AM. Arrive Little Rock at 3:00 PM.
Friday, October 22nd – Celebrate Grandma’s 90th birthday.
Sunday, October 24th – Dawes at Sticky Fingerz.
Monday, October 25th – Depart Little Rock for Memphis via Greyhound at 4:15 PM. Arrive Memphis at 6:40 PM. Ride to Jonesboro with Seth.
Saturday, October 30th – Depart Memphis for Nashville via Greyhound at 1:40 PM. Arrive Nashville at 5:40 PM. Jacob picks me up.
Monday, November 1st – Mumford and Sons at 9:00 PM.
Friday, November 5th – Depart Nashville for Birmingham via Greyhound at 11:20 AM. Arrive Birmingham at 3:50 PM. E.A. picks me up.
Sunday, November 7th – Depart Birmingham for Little Rock via Greyhound at 4:30 PM. Arrive Little Rock at 12:15 AM.
That's all folks. With a possible trip over to Tulsa at the end of it, if my brother will have me, and if I can stand another bus trip.
Love to all, and a real post coming tomorrow...
Pah-tay-toe, Pah-tah-toh
I’ve filled out a lot of forms and applications over the past couple of months. I’ve found most of them to be similar in terms of information they request. Most organizations and institutions want to know where you live, and how old you are, and if you’re a convicted felon, and where you’ve worked in the past couple of years, and why you think you’re qualified and all.
One of the more interesting questions I came across was something to the effect of, “What are your thoughts regarding people of other (religious) denominations and races?”
I think the point of such a question is to attempt to determine whether the person applying for the position is intolerant of those who believe or look differently than they do.
I think the type of answer they are looking for goes something like this:
I realize and value the opinions of others, regardless of whether they agree with me on every issue. I am willing to work with any and everyone, and always hope to be agreeable, without comprising my core beliefs, which make me who I am today.
I get the question. I understand the response they want. I think it is an odd way to word it, especially coupling denominations with races. Anyway, we are all one “race.” The human race. Different “ethnicities” comprise the human race. Different cultures paint the mosaic of humanity.
I sort of think denominations are a result of two things: arrogance and preference. I wrote this down a couple of weeks ago:
denominations are preferences expressed as absolutes
Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Church of Christ, Church of God, emergent, charismatic, black, multi-cultural… whatever it might be. It seems like it started as people reading the Bible and deciding, “It is more important that my interpretation of this non-essential issue be viewed as truth than it is that we find unity in the broken, bloody, beautiful body of Christ.”
Continued: “Accordingly, all who agree with me, all who prefer the way I do things, all who want to inflate my ego – you come with me. We will start our own community. And when we get to Heaven, regardless of whether these other people make it, I am positive that God will give us an extra jewel or two for getting this issue right. He will say, ‘Good job! You are so smart! I can’t believe those other people didn’t think you were right… they obviously did not understand me as well as you do.’”
Maybe that’s not what it’s about anymore, and maybe some of those theological issues are essential, and maybe I need to be more aware of that. Maybe people just adhere to whatever denomination there parents liked. Or whatever ends up being the most comfortable. Or a specific section of Scripture sticks out to them, and they choose to focus on that. I don't know.
I guess maybe denominations are a result of humans taking something simple and beautiful - the Gospel - and although life is still hard with Jesus as our Savior, we've made it even harder by bickering with each other about what that means. Maybe everything that humanity touches will in some way be tainted.
All I know is this: I’m non-denominational, and I LOVE people, no matter what they look like or what they believe about the why questions in life. I think that’s my real answer to that question, and I think that’s how Jesus was, too.
Next week, I’m hoping to start the conversation on Apophatic Theology using this verse as a springboard:
"can you picture me without reducing me?"
-isaiah 46:5
Plans to Prosper, and Other Popular Bible Verses
Jeremiah 29:11 goes a little something like this:
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Sound familiar? It’s one of the more “popular” verses in the Bible, probably rounding out the top 10, with other well-knowns like John 3:16, Romans 8:28 (and 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, and 10:9), Ephesians 3:23 (and 2:8-9), Philippians 3:14, and all of Psalm 23. For church-goers, and especially AWANA kids, those verses are familiar, and probably still memorized.
I’ve been reading through the book of Jeremiah for the past couple of weeks, and I have to admit that I’ve been getting sorta tired of it. Most times it seems like the same thing over and over – Israel keeps on sinning, rejecting and forgetting about God, and instead, they take up with the religious leaders of their day, or sex-gods, or Baal, or whatever. They are more interested in the latest religious fads than they are in the God with whom they made a covenant – the God who has been faithful to provide.
So anyway, that verse up there – it’s in this letter that Jeremiah has sent from Jerusalem to the exiles who are now in captivity to Babylon. It’s a message from God, and I wonder what Jeremiah was thinking when he wrote it. Cause God promises to deliver the people after 70 years, and Jeremiah has been putting up with their crap for a long time, and they still ridiculed him, and even threatened to kill him, and I can’t help but wonder if he had a little bit of Jonah-like jealously when he was writing that letter, thinking, I can’t believe God is going to be gracious to them AGAIN. Does he really think they will learn their lesson after just 70 years? These people forget him after 70 minutes!
Anyhow, Jeremiah writes the letter, telling them to be patient and pursue God and that he’ll take care of them. Then he warns them against the false prophets, or “Babylonian specialists” who are going to tell them otherwise.
So, what’s my point? It’s that, when I’ve heard this verse mentioned, it’s normally in the context of someone who is down and out, anxious about the future, and wanting a quick response from God.
And I feel like the people who share it, as well-intentioned as they might be, fail to mention that the context of the letter is that God’s sinful, rebellious people are in captivity, and will be for 70 years. And that no matter how much they pursue God, it’s still going to be tough, and frustrating, and taxing.
And it’s not just, Oh, well if you’ll notice right here, it says that God has plans to prosper us and take care of us! So I know you are going through a hard time, but don’t worry, God will give you a lot of money and a bright future!
Because it’s also important to mention that… It might take 70 years or so… and I guess it might not even be in this lifetime. Which, you know, really should be okay. It’s not like this is our true home anyway, ya know? Life here is sort of supposed to be tough, and although it’s gonna be really beautiful and enjoyable for many seasons, it’s also going to be full of grief and sorrow.
The Gospel isn’t “health and wealth.” Jesus was dirt poor, and he only made it 33 years on this earth.
Money isn’t evil. A well-toned, well-working body isn’t evil. But if you’re in love or obsessed with either, or both, my guess is that you’re not living life the way you’re supposed to.
So maybe God does have plans to “prosper” you. To give you great economic gain. Maybe he doesn’t. But all that that verse is saying is that he was gonna give Israel yet another chance, removing them from captivity, and building them strong, once again. It shows us that, although God’s anger and desire for justice are STRONG, his unending grace is even STRONGER.
And that, at least for me, is what God is saying through his prophet in Jeremiah 29:11.
Don’t Be Afraid to Wake People Up: Part 2
I started yesterday’s post about four months ago, picking it up and finishing it within the past week. With that said, I’ll admit to you that I had to sit and think for a while before I started writing this post – I had to recollect my thoughts and emotions and try to put it together in a coherent fashion.
So here’s what I’ve come up with:
Five Reasons I Should’ve Woken Those Guys Up in a More Direct Manner
- Our producer said he would be back at the studio around 10:00 that morning. When you are four guys living together in a small area, things can get messy and cluttered and unorganized. We needed at least an hour and 15 minutes to wake up, clean up, get dressed, get something (non)nutritious in our bellies, and be ready to record and listen at 10:00.
- Waking someone up to say, “I’m going to go get coffee” without including some kind of, “Would you like some?” or “Why don’t you get up and come with me?” is a pretty idiot thing to do. It’s sort of like walking up to a hungry person and saying, “I’m going to get lunch.” Everyone hungry needs to eat, and everyone in the morning needs to wake up.
- Some times, in attempting to be non-confrontational, we can cause even more problems. I didn’t want to upset anyone by waking them up, but I felt that it was time for us to get going. I can’t live in both worlds.
- But, just because I’m being direct, i.e. “Hey dude, I’m going to get coffee. It’s 8:45. Wanna come with me? Or I could bring some back with me…” incoherent mumbling… “Okay, well we should probably get going on the day.” - that doesn’t mean that I’m being a jerk. I’m actually just being considerate. There are many worse ways to be woken, and if a dude really needs to sleep, a dude will keep sleeping.
- I was the leader in the band, and we all wanted those three days to go well, and we are all grown men, and we shouldn’t be getting our feelings hurt because we’re so busy trying to not to hurt others feelings.
So it’s a balance of being direct, and not a dictator. Of being firm, but gentle. Of being committed, but flexible. Of being kind, but strong.
And I just want that kind of spirit for myself, and for all of my friends – but especially the dudes. I want us to respect one another, and to be respectable ourselves. I want us to be men.
And if you want to know more of what “being a man” means to me, I MORE OR LESS agree with what Mark Driscoll has to say about it. Check it out here.
Don’t Be Afraid to Wake People Up: Part 1
Back in March, a couple of buddies and I took three days to travel on up to Austin, Arkansas, and record a five song EP. I told you about it in a post a while back. We had a blast, and while I still nitpick when I listen to it, overall, I’m happy with how it turned out.
We spent both nights at the studio, sleeping on fold out couches and pallets and sleeping bags. We spent all day recording, and all night hanging out, eating and drinking good things, listening to music, bumming around Cabot, whatever. It was a lot of fun.
I woke up one of those mornings, and it was just pitch black in the studio. It was about 8:45, but it could’ve been 3:00 in the afternoon for all I knew. That’s how dark it was.
I decided that I could really go for some coffee, and that I should get a jump on the day, and get everything cleaned up before our producer got there.
But I have this thing where I REALLY, REALLY hate waking people up. I’m not sure exactly why I’m that way; I guess some of it might have to with the fact that I used to REALLY, REALLY hate being woken up.
So anyway, I’m all trying to tiptoe around and find my wallet, and keys, and smokes, and sunglasses and all, and trying to be quiet as heck, and keeping the glow from my cellphone hidden.
But about halfway through I start thinking, “Well, these dudes need to wake up at some point, to be ready to listen and record and make the most of our time.” So I decided that I’ll just sort of whisper that I’m going to get some coffee on my way out.
Ben was sleeping in the same room as me, so I told him on my way out, not exactly waiting around for a response. And then I ducked my head into Tower and David’s room and said, “Yo dudes, I’m going to get some coffee.” And Tower fired back, more quickly than I expected, “OKAY.” And it made me feel like a jerk, and so I said, “Okay,” and took off.
I got some gross gas station coffee and came back, unbuttoning my shirt, and laying on the back of my car, doors open, with music in my ears, the sun on my chest, a cigarette in between my lips, and the coffee in my left hand, cooling down.
Tower and I talked later on, and I told him that he sort of hurt my feelings by being so snappy, and he sort of apologized and told me that he just mainly wanted me to ask if any of us wanted to come along to get coffee or a donut or some Pringles, and I explained my fear of waking people up to him, and then it was okay.
And tomorrow I’ll tell you what that early morning mishap has been teaching me about leadership and being a man.