Thanksgiving

For this Thanksgiving we traveled down to Austin to visit family. What used to be an easy 4 hour drive has turned into a restless 5 hour drive the past few months now that we have a baby. And this time, those 5 hours seemed like 50. my son has decided he doesn't like road trips or his car seat, so every moment he's awake is either filled with the noise crying that continues to escalate until it's frantic frenzy and we have to stop, take him out, and calm him down.

That little stress item aside, the trip went pretty nicely. We had a great Thanksgiving Day lunch at my grandma's house with lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, 1st cousins once removed, etc. We ate, watched a little football, played with the kids, and caught up with each others' lives. After the festivities wound down at the first grandmothers, we trekked across Austin to my other grandparents to visit some more and eat left-over turkey, etc again for supper. The traditional Thanksgiving Day.

The traditions continued on Friday when we got up and did a little After-Thanksgiving shopping. Now, don't think we're those freaks that wake up at 3 so we can get in line to be first in the store at 5 am for the extra special deals. No, we slept in a little and then went in, shopped some, and then met more of the family again for lunch at the one and only Mexican restaurant in Austin, at least according to my family - El Gallo, with its strange little advertisement by a Garfield-likeness on a picket fence at the edge of the grounds. My family has been going there since my dad was a boy, and maybe before that. We had a nice lunch while I jumped back and forth to the bar to watch the Aggies come from behind to take the lead against t.u. and then crumble under 2 back-to-back touchdowns by the longhorns. It was an exciting game, and I was proud of my Aggies considering their poor performances the rest of this season. Now that I supported my team and their valiant efforts, I can root with a clear conscience for a Texas team as they look forward to the Big 12 Championship and hopefully the National Championship after that.

That night, we and my brother's family stayed at my parents' where we played with the kids. We both have a boy - Ethan's 4 1/2 months and Micah is 8 1/2. They enjoyed discovering each other and we enjoyed watching. The other big news of the day was that Ethan cut his first tooth that day, which was exciting but added to the discomfort on the ride home the next day.

On Saturday we all just hung out at the house before Sunni, Ethan, and I loaded back up and headed back for Tyler after lunch.

Family is a wonderful thing. I'm thankful for having such a large one that all enjoys being with one another. Sometimes we express that love for seeing one another in not the best ways. We had a few moments that could've been so much better spent celebrating our time with one another instead of bemoaning the fact that we don't get to be there more often. I guess dishing out a little guilt along with the turkey is a long-standing tradition in any family. That aside, we had a great time.

Technorati Tags : Thanksgiving, roadtrip

Nicaragua

Here's the new image I'm using for my personal profile image. It's a picture of Sunni and me on Corn Island, Nicaragua. We went there on a medical mission trip a couple of years ago. In this image we’re standing in front of a little convenience store owned by one of the ladies we were able to help. She also went to the church where we set up clinic. At the end of the trip, she asked us to all come over to her shop where she gave each of us a souvenir Corn Island mug to remember them by. She asked that we pray for her and for Corn Island whenever we drink from our mug. It was very sweet, and I’m sure quite a gift for a poor working woman like herself on that island.

I got a little nostalgic yesterday, was looking at old pictures of some of the trips we've taken. This one seemed to summarize the combination of our love for traveling and for doing God's work. We really feel like God has called us to minister in missions. Currently, we try to go somewhere at least once a year. In the future, I feel like we'll do more as God enables us. For a look at this trip and others we've taken (both missionary and vacation), take a look at the travelogue section of my website.

Technorati Tags : Nicaragua, christian, mission

Stigma, Pt II

Since posting Stigma of Christianity, I have been thinking about the general idea of relevance. As the church, we believe we need to be relevant in our culture influence souls for Christ, and we see that in practice in the scriptures. Paul made a great effort at relevance with sharing the good news with the Greeks by working his explanation through their Tomb to the Unknown God in Athens. All of the Gospels are written so as to be relevant to their audiences. (The Epistles were as well, but I see the Gospels as more missionary in purpose while the Epistles were instructional to the churches.)

Today, one of our relevance attempts en mass have been through politics: by-in-large aligning ourselves with one party for religious reasons and defining every political action through the lens of Christianity. Has this been successful? Politically, we're a force to be reckoned with, but we're also the enemy and/or laughing stock of so many that do not align with our stances. Personally, I believe this "religious right" political force has peaked and will wain at least some in the near future.

Has this made the church any more relevant? It has definitely given us more media headlines, but do headlines and relevance align. I'd say no. On a national scale, these headlines and activity have created the very stigma I'm talking about. Relevance comes, in my opinion, when the church is quietly meeting the needs in each of its individual communities, when we are touching lives around us rather than debating issues.

But now I'm brought back to John 15:18-25 where Christ tells us the world will hate us. If we're working to be relevant in our world, then aren't we working to not be hated? My natural tendency is definitely to try not to be hated as best I can within my own moral guidelines.

This seems to be an enigma to me, but I am coming to this conclusion:

I believe our charge is to spread the good news. We are given examples of doing this in many ways: through open-minded discussions, through preaching, with miracles, through our living testimonies, etc. All of these are methods that find relevancy in the situation at hand to better share that gospel. Christ concludes his discussion in John 15:25 with the statement that we are fulfilling the prophecy that "they hated me without reason." So, I'm not to work to be hated. I don't have to worry about that. It's coming in some form no matter what. I'm not to condemn or shout or display banners and protest signs, or push my morality (even though correct according to biblical teachings) upon those who are lost and thus by definition don't follow that same code. I'm to love them, tell them the good news in a way relevant to their situation, and then disciple those that accept that news.

(note: This doesn't mean that I become apolitical or a wet blanket when it comes to morality. I stll intend to vote and to even express my views. But I don't think my religion is best proclaimed through taking political or moral stances on issues.)

Technorati Tags : christianity, stigma, relevance, gospel

Stigma of Christianity

preface:

I have this slightly addictive little add on to my browser (I use Firefox, but I don't think it's required) called "StumbleUpon." Once you install the bar and choose your topics of interest, just click a button and randomly stumble around the internet to new sites in your topic list. Sites are included by other "StumbleUpon" members who recommend it. It's a neat little tool that can easily consume a lot of my time. Check it out.

Anyway, I was "stumbling" through the internet the other day and fell on this site:

It of course is a parody site used to make fun of us wholesome Christians and includes a satirical list of museum exhibits of those people groups that are obviously destined for eternal darkness. People like Homosexuals, Mary Worshipers, Kennedys, Democrats, and Abortionists (rooms one thru five in the museum). I'll admit, I did chuckle a bit. However, it got me thinking.

The museum here, as it turns out, is merely one of several sub-sites that jeer at Christians from this single web address alone. There are also many other outlets of media out there doing the same thing. This of course is disappointing to me as Christian, but it's even more disappointing that their attacks are based on a belief that we are a people full of hate and fear. The most disturbing part, however, is the realization that I believe they may have at least partial cause for making these claims.

My good friend Mike has a nice blog entry on Islam where he witnessed at least a little fear and a touch of reproach from congregants when discussing Muslims. I grew up being taught as an evangelical Christian that Catholics were idolators. Our current political climate, especially here in the bible belt, leads us to believe that Democrats are baby-killing communists and true Christians vote Republican.

Have we really taught ourselves to act in these malign discriminations while hiding behind the phrase hate the sin, love the sinner? Or, are we being misrepresented by the world who has skewed our efforts at righteous separation from worldly sin into "hate speech"?

Or...and this is what I dread....are we a house divided? Are there those in the name of Christianity who are spreading the very hate we are being accused of and thus smearing the name of Christ and all of his followers?

So, back to the little museum: maybe all Feminists and other Lesbians(room seven) are going straight to hell. Maybe I should take that stand and prophetically proclaim this to the masses. Maybe sites like these of Ms. Betty Bowers America's Best Christian (whose true creator/organization I have yet to identify) are part of what we should expect when we're told that there will come persecution.

I know Christ told us in John 15:19:

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

I ask myself, however, are we wasting our energy getting hated for the wrong reasons?

Technorati Tags : christians, stigma, church, hell

Roll over

My son Ethan rolled over on his own for the first time this morning. He's a genius I tell ya!

Technorati Tags : baby, rollover

Hoot 'n Nanny

Here's my boy and I getting ready for the Hoot 'n Nanny at our church. It was a fun time of chili cook-offs and pie baking contests, eating, and hoe down music. I actually won the hillbilly fashion show. I think it was the nice "tobaccy" stains on my shirt that did it. I also got 3rd in the pie bake with a chocolate pecan pie. Mmm mmm!



Disclaimer: anyone reading this blog from Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, etc, please do not take offense at this get-up. It's in no way intended to offend. We love hillbillies. Thank you.

Faith by works

It seems that God is driving home one direct lesson to me right now. That is: "Show me your faith through your works." In church over the past several weeks, we've been talking about the Holy Spirit and the power that he gives to work for Christ (among his other attributes). Yesterday, our whole Sunday service was about missions and the missionaries we support. The crux of the message was to encourage financial support of missions through church giving, but for me talk about missions is always an encouragement to act. In fact, we did discuss being missionaries in our own home. Then, in my small group that meets Sunday evenings, we're studying James. Last night was the signature passage of James where he gets right down to his whole major point: James 2:14-20:

¹⁴What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

¹⁵If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,

¹⁶and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

¹⁷Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

¹⁸But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

¹⁹You believe that God is one You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

²⁰But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

OK - I think I'm starting to get it. Not that I didn't know all this before. I have, and I do. But, I need to be showing my faith by my works, not just through my knowledge alone.

So, God, here I am. Guide my works day-to-day. Today is an average simple day for me. Work, family time, sleep. What specific works can I do to show you my faith so that you may increase it?

Technorati Tags : faith, works, James

Greetings

Yesterday, I had to get something off my chest. Not the first blog entry I imagined I would have.

Actually having a hot topic to write about in which I could voice a counter position to that of the little world around me was finally inspiration enough to push me over into this wacky world of blogging. (Is this how all bloggers work?)

I had been toying with the idea for a couple of weeks. I've been a blog reader for a while and have really gotten caught up in this crazy world. However, I wasn't sure how many valid topics I would be able to think of every day, and I didn't want to only be one of those guys who writes about how he went for a jog this morning with his dogs, then raked the leaves in his front yard, then had half an "everything" bagel - lightly toasted - with some cream cheese and then took a shower. Well, now I've failed at that, so I don't have to worry about it anymore.

I also didn't want to be one of those guys who's always trying to write in a quirky, funny to only himself type of way where he thinks he's making profound points about deep topics but all he's really doing is blabbing about nothing. I guess you can be the judge of if I failed at this one, too.

My guess is that this blog - through the course of its existence - will contain a bit of both of these faux pas, but my hope is that it will also entertain some (maybe only me) and create discussion (again, perhaps with only me).

Enjoy.

Proposition 2

So let's start this blog off with a bang. I was going to start it with a nice little greeting and description of myself, but I'll save that one for another day. Instead, let's look at our religious politics here in the great state of Texas.

Tuesday, we here in Texas by a vast majority passed Proposition 2, which strictly defines (according to the government) marriage as being between one man and one woman. Great. I believe that God designed marriage to be that way as well, and as a Christian I do my best to live according to God's laws and his calling on my life. However, I also am in this world and not of it and I expect to be different from the rest of the world. Otherwise, how would I be a light set apart if I live in the midst of a government designed to be just like me. So, here are my top five reasons why Prop 2 stinks (in no particular order of stinkiness):

5. Constitutional amendments should be enabling freedoms, not restricting them.
Though I theologically agree with the basis behind this limitation, making it law only sets a precedent. What right will I my government take away from me just because the majority feels like it at the time? I am glad our nation was founded by forefathers who were men of faith. I'm glad also that they had knew (many through their only religious oppressions) that a theocracy is not the best form of government but a democratic republic that strongly stressed freedom of the individual, not restrictions based on their personal beliefs at the time.

4. Scripture says to love my neighbor as myself, not force my beliefs on my neighbor.
What form of Christianity is this?

3. Marriage is God's design, not man's.
Jesus said to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's (Mark 12:17). I believe in the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman and that this sanctity truly comes from God. Why would I want to force nonbelievers into a covenant in which they do not believe? I choose to render this to God and not put my faith in the government to protect God's covenant.

2. "Come out from them and be separate" (2 Cor. 6:17)
As temples of God, we are to be separate from the world. There should be no agreement between us as temples of God and "idols" aka this world we are in. Scripture says we are not to conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom. 12:2). I would say that it follows that we should not conform this world's government to our convictions.

1. Outlawing gay marriage is detrimental to our call to spread the gospel to all people.
Christ called us to go into the world and make disciples (Matt. 28:19), not make law. He does tell us in this passage that we should teach those disciples to "observe all that I commanded you". But a state amendment is no way to teach. Disciples will learn and obey out of love, not grudgingly under the law. Paul spent a great deal of time in Romans teaching us that sin takes opportunity to reproduce through the law's acknowledgment of it. How are we going to gain an audience with someone who hates our new law?

One final question: when do we get to start getting all riled up about an amendment to outlaw no fault divorce? If we are truly looking to preserve marriage, I think this one would be more effective.

Technorati Tags : marriage, freedom, theocracy, gay