http://www.sojo.net/action/alerts/080307_paths_of_peace.html
Pray for peace.
Mike
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
AT&T Sucks Too
A while back I was ranting about how mad we were at Charter for all the problems we were having with our internet connection, so we switched to AT&T. Bad move. Slow connection and I am pretty sure they have an entire department whose only job is to make it so difficult and burdensome to contact them about any kind of customer service issue that people will just get so pissed off waiting and wading through endless automated electronic menus that they will just hang up. Well, next week they will discover that I am more than patient enough to stay on there long enough to cancel their service. Phttbb.
By the way, what happened to calling up a business and talking to an actual person? I mean, who decided that the best way to deal with people was by not dealing with them? I called my doctor the other day and after 5 minutes of menu driven madness I was finally able to leave a message! Thank God I wasn't sick.
Is it possible to love gadgets but hate technology?
Mike
By the way, what happened to calling up a business and talking to an actual person? I mean, who decided that the best way to deal with people was by not dealing with them? I called my doctor the other day and after 5 minutes of menu driven madness I was finally able to leave a message! Thank God I wasn't sick.
Is it possible to love gadgets but hate technology?
Mike
Clarity
Ever have one of those moments when you actually recognize, however briefly and fleetingly, that you are very blessed? It's like the noise fades into the blackground and for a few seconds there's clarity. You realize that you have great kids who make you proud; that you love your wife; that you have good friends and that your faith is real. You are blessed. Store that moment away and bring it back later when it seems like everything is sucking. It's not a cure, but it helps.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
China and the American Conscience
This will seem very obscure and obtuse to many people, but there are some important questions that we need to ask about China that our government (read "big business interests") are not likely to ask. And the answers are not so black and white as many would suggest (as is often the case).
First, it's somewhat perplexing that several years ago the IOC (International Olympic Committee) chose to award the largest sustained spectacle on the world stage to a country that has a documented record of failure in terms of human rights. I think that perhaps part of the reasoning runs along the lines of applying pressure on the government to make positive changes because of the intensified public scrutiny that will, by definition, be applied as a result of being chosen. On the other hand, there is also the valid assertion that to award the Olympics to a country like China is tantamount to endorsing their behavior. I can see both sides and my allegiances are split between the two. I suspect that had I been given the power to decide, I would have given the games to another country (was Great Britain the other finalist?).
What's frustrating to me is the systemic commitment by the Chinese government to denying basic safety assurances to the workers producing the tens of millions of products that are shipped from there to the rest of the world each year--a huge percentage of which come to America. Our businesses close production facilities here (often after being coerced by WalMart--but that's a subject for a different post) and produce their products in China where workers make a few dollars a day and live in squalor. They're forced to work 12 or 16 hour shifts in factories with virtually no safety oversight. Broken bones and amputations are commonplace (e.g. one particular factory assembly line averages 40,000 broken or amputated fingers per year--that's just one factory). Several hundred thousand--yes, thousand--workers died there last year from exposure to poisonous chemicals and dusts in their workplace. Where oversight does exist, it is typically corrupt.
Not everyone--not even all businesses--ignores this. But those who don't (the businesses, I mean) only respond under pressure from consumers; not out of any real sense of ethical responsibility. Most of our businesses and the government as well (is there still a difference?) ignore the atrocities in favor of the profits. Lots of small and medium sized companies are forced into importing from China because they can't compete otherwise. As a result, good paying jobs in America, where safety and benefits are protected, are gone and we become increasingly dependent on a service based economy which will eventually consume itself (again, a subject for another post).
Sub-poverty wages, substandard housing, zero benefits, not just unsafe, but dangerous, working conditions, sixteen hour workdays--all these things are just another day in the life for millions of Chinese workers. Where is our outrage? It only exists when the danger spills over into our country in the form of tainted or dangerous products. Apparently, our safety is more valuable than theirs; our lives more worth saving.
Check out a good editorial on this subject at www.ishn.com.
I realize this is a break from my normal subject matter, but it is what I do for a living (as noted in my profile).
Pray for China and for peace.
Mike
First, it's somewhat perplexing that several years ago the IOC (International Olympic Committee) chose to award the largest sustained spectacle on the world stage to a country that has a documented record of failure in terms of human rights. I think that perhaps part of the reasoning runs along the lines of applying pressure on the government to make positive changes because of the intensified public scrutiny that will, by definition, be applied as a result of being chosen. On the other hand, there is also the valid assertion that to award the Olympics to a country like China is tantamount to endorsing their behavior. I can see both sides and my allegiances are split between the two. I suspect that had I been given the power to decide, I would have given the games to another country (was Great Britain the other finalist?).
What's frustrating to me is the systemic commitment by the Chinese government to denying basic safety assurances to the workers producing the tens of millions of products that are shipped from there to the rest of the world each year--a huge percentage of which come to America. Our businesses close production facilities here (often after being coerced by WalMart--but that's a subject for a different post) and produce their products in China where workers make a few dollars a day and live in squalor. They're forced to work 12 or 16 hour shifts in factories with virtually no safety oversight. Broken bones and amputations are commonplace (e.g. one particular factory assembly line averages 40,000 broken or amputated fingers per year--that's just one factory). Several hundred thousand--yes, thousand--workers died there last year from exposure to poisonous chemicals and dusts in their workplace. Where oversight does exist, it is typically corrupt.
Not everyone--not even all businesses--ignores this. But those who don't (the businesses, I mean) only respond under pressure from consumers; not out of any real sense of ethical responsibility. Most of our businesses and the government as well (is there still a difference?) ignore the atrocities in favor of the profits. Lots of small and medium sized companies are forced into importing from China because they can't compete otherwise. As a result, good paying jobs in America, where safety and benefits are protected, are gone and we become increasingly dependent on a service based economy which will eventually consume itself (again, a subject for another post).
Sub-poverty wages, substandard housing, zero benefits, not just unsafe, but dangerous, working conditions, sixteen hour workdays--all these things are just another day in the life for millions of Chinese workers. Where is our outrage? It only exists when the danger spills over into our country in the form of tainted or dangerous products. Apparently, our safety is more valuable than theirs; our lives more worth saving.
Check out a good editorial on this subject at www.ishn.com.
I realize this is a break from my normal subject matter, but it is what I do for a living (as noted in my profile).
Pray for China and for peace.
Mike
Farewell to Friends (sort of)
With only 3 days left at Ameren (my current employer), I want to say that, even though I am very excited about the new opportunity we are being given by UtilX, my time at Ameren has been great. I've made some incredible friends and have had opportunities to learn, grow and influence people and am a better human being for it. No company is perfect and I think they are still struggling to find their new identity in the 21st century, but I have no regrets and few complaints. I wish them all the best and will miss them.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
New Job
I got the phone call Friday from Seattle and they have offered me the job...woohoo! We took the weekend to think it over, but we had really already made up our minds about it. I'll be talking to the VP tomorrow to accept the position. We'll still be living in St. Louis, but I'll have to travel a bit. But when I'm not traveling I'll be working from home. I'm looking forward to the change. My current job is solid, but it's time to move on.
More later; just wanted to get that out there.
Mike
More later; just wanted to get that out there.
Mike
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Troop Support
I'm in Seattle for a couple of days and when I travel I like to catch the local news to see what people have going on in different parts of the country. You can tell a lot about what the people of a region think is important by what's communicated to them. One thing I've noticed that's common to most everywhere I've been is reports of local men and women who are killed in combat. Almost every place has been touched by our current war in some way and the local stories are important to people.
I try not to get too political on this forum, although I'm not sure why. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I want it to be an opportunity for dialogue (although I have no clue how many people might ever see any of it) and politics is a polarizing topic. We've made it something that mandates rigid choices and denies the opportunity for dialogue. That's a shame, really. Although I do talk a lot about faith and many people want that to be a polarizing topic as well; when what really seperates us is trying to talk about religion. They aren't the same thing.
Back to the war--and what I really want to say about it is also about faith (religion?). So many of the people that I interact with--at my church and at others--have this basic assumption that if you are someone who claims to be an evangelical Christian then you have to be a Republican and that in so doing you have to blindly support whatever comes from the party, and especially this administration (Bush). To them, anyone who does otherwise is not a patriot and just may not even be a Christian.
Here's a couple of clues for those folks. First, Jesus was a peacemaker and he made it a point to specifically tell us that peacemakers will be blessed. Does that mean that I am a pacifist or that I believe that the Bible teaches that all war is wrong? No. But I think we (humans, Christians) better be very careful about how we choose to enter into armed conflict and aggression and how we choose to support such acts. Augustine laid out some very Biblical tenets for evaluating whether or not such actions can be considered "just" and they are just as valid today as when he wrote them several hundred years ago. I'm not going to revisit the theology or the academic treatments of what he wrote, but if you're interested just Google 'Augustine just war criteria" and you'll have enough material to keep you busy for a while.
Part 2 is that our current involvement in Iraq does not meet Augustine's (or anyone else's) criteria for a 'just war'. Over 4000 of our men and women, many of them National Guard and Reserve soldiers, have died on foreign soil since the first attack. The reasons for us being there in no way minimizes their sacrifice. They do what they do in the name of their country, their families, democracy and, in many cases, their faith. I pray for them and their families often. Now that they are in this situation I understand that they need the full support of all of us--most of all their government (which, by the way, hasn't been very forthcoming; especially for the survivors, wounded or otherwise; what does that say about patriotism and motives?). What our being there should do, especially for Christians and especially under the circumstances (hidden agendas, lies, profiteering), is demand that we ask why. We should ask it again and again and again until we get a real answer and not a truck load of political BS and excuses.
If you read this and it pisses you off then do me a favor before you comment--read about just war, read about what happened leading up to our invasion and think about it for a while for yourself. Don't write and recite what your pastor or somebody else told you was the truth. Figure it out for yourself. If you still disagree with me--that's cool. Let's have a dialogue about it, not an argument. I've learned the hard way that I'm not always right, but I've also learned that it's OK for us to disagree and that we can talk about things and still be friends, still respect each other. And I've also learned that the church is not always right, even though getting it to admit such a thing is harder than juggling chain saws. If you don't believe me just read the post from last night about WBC in Topeka--especially what they say about why our troops are dying in Iraq. That's something you should really be pissed about.
Whether you are for the war or against it, I think we can all agree that peace is better. Pray for it and pray for our kids' safety while we wait for it.
Mike
I try not to get too political on this forum, although I'm not sure why. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I want it to be an opportunity for dialogue (although I have no clue how many people might ever see any of it) and politics is a polarizing topic. We've made it something that mandates rigid choices and denies the opportunity for dialogue. That's a shame, really. Although I do talk a lot about faith and many people want that to be a polarizing topic as well; when what really seperates us is trying to talk about religion. They aren't the same thing.
Back to the war--and what I really want to say about it is also about faith (religion?). So many of the people that I interact with--at my church and at others--have this basic assumption that if you are someone who claims to be an evangelical Christian then you have to be a Republican and that in so doing you have to blindly support whatever comes from the party, and especially this administration (Bush). To them, anyone who does otherwise is not a patriot and just may not even be a Christian.
Here's a couple of clues for those folks. First, Jesus was a peacemaker and he made it a point to specifically tell us that peacemakers will be blessed. Does that mean that I am a pacifist or that I believe that the Bible teaches that all war is wrong? No. But I think we (humans, Christians) better be very careful about how we choose to enter into armed conflict and aggression and how we choose to support such acts. Augustine laid out some very Biblical tenets for evaluating whether or not such actions can be considered "just" and they are just as valid today as when he wrote them several hundred years ago. I'm not going to revisit the theology or the academic treatments of what he wrote, but if you're interested just Google 'Augustine just war criteria" and you'll have enough material to keep you busy for a while.
Part 2 is that our current involvement in Iraq does not meet Augustine's (or anyone else's) criteria for a 'just war'. Over 4000 of our men and women, many of them National Guard and Reserve soldiers, have died on foreign soil since the first attack. The reasons for us being there in no way minimizes their sacrifice. They do what they do in the name of their country, their families, democracy and, in many cases, their faith. I pray for them and their families often. Now that they are in this situation I understand that they need the full support of all of us--most of all their government (which, by the way, hasn't been very forthcoming; especially for the survivors, wounded or otherwise; what does that say about patriotism and motives?). What our being there should do, especially for Christians and especially under the circumstances (hidden agendas, lies, profiteering), is demand that we ask why. We should ask it again and again and again until we get a real answer and not a truck load of political BS and excuses.
If you read this and it pisses you off then do me a favor before you comment--read about just war, read about what happened leading up to our invasion and think about it for a while for yourself. Don't write and recite what your pastor or somebody else told you was the truth. Figure it out for yourself. If you still disagree with me--that's cool. Let's have a dialogue about it, not an argument. I've learned the hard way that I'm not always right, but I've also learned that it's OK for us to disagree and that we can talk about things and still be friends, still respect each other. And I've also learned that the church is not always right, even though getting it to admit such a thing is harder than juggling chain saws. If you don't believe me just read the post from last night about WBC in Topeka--especially what they say about why our troops are dying in Iraq. That's something you should really be pissed about.
Whether you are for the war or against it, I think we can all agree that peace is better. Pray for it and pray for our kids' safety while we wait for it.
Mike
We'll soon know
One more interview to go and then it's just wait and see. I met with one of the regional managers and the VP today and will be meeting with the senior safety specialist tomorrow and then all I can do is wait to see if they offer me the job. Everything so far has been very positive and I'll be surprised if they don't offer it; then it's just a matter of agreeing on the terms--salary, vacation, benefits, etc. I don't foresee any problems with that part either.
It's kind of scary to be changing companies at this stage in my life--especially after being with my current employer for over 15 years. But, the opportunities with the new company will be much better, whether we're talking about finally being able to move back down South or being able to move up within the organization. It's very exciting; I'm even looking forward to the travel, especially since it will involve opportunities to go overseas--probably within the next year and a half to two years. They have operations in Australia, Japan, India, Korea, Europe...
Wow. Life can sure change in a hurry. God's always good, this is just one of those times when it's easier to celebrate what's going on.
Pray for Peace.
Mike
It's kind of scary to be changing companies at this stage in my life--especially after being with my current employer for over 15 years. But, the opportunities with the new company will be much better, whether we're talking about finally being able to move back down South or being able to move up within the organization. It's very exciting; I'm even looking forward to the travel, especially since it will involve opportunities to go overseas--probably within the next year and a half to two years. They have operations in Australia, Japan, India, Korea, Europe...
Wow. Life can sure change in a hurry. God's always good, this is just one of those times when it's easier to celebrate what's going on.
Pray for Peace.
Mike
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Lord, Help Us
I've been hearing about the website for the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, KS. Their web address is 'Godhatesfags.com'. I finally visited the site because I had to see for myself if it was as bad as I had heard. Sadly, it was worse. It's no wonder people look at the church and see bad things. I don't think it's because the church is full of bad people, but the churches that seem to get the publicity--or, at least, the kind of publicity that most folks remember--are the ones that make God the saddest. In their own words they "insist that the sovereignty of God and the doctrines of grace be taught and expounded publicly to all men." Wow. How could they have any idea of what grace really is? Any so-called Christian who uses the word 'hate' in reference to another human being has never read any of the letters that John wrote because, according to John, as soon as you hate someone else you condemn yourself. You declare yourself to be a liar; someone who has no clue who God is. WBC even has links to other sites such as 'God Hates Canada', 'God Hates Sweden', 'God Hates Mexico', 'God Hates Ireland', 'God Hates America' and 'Priests Rape Boys'. WBC does not know God. And guess what? We still have to love the people of Westboro; no matter how much hate and venom they spew or how much they tarnish the church and, worse by far, the name of God. Man, Jesus was right when he said this wouldn't be easy.
Pray for WBC.
Mike
Pray for WBC.
Mike
Monday, March 31, 2008
Internet Woes, etc.
It's been another week and an half since I made a post because we still are between internet providers. I canceled Charter when they continued to screw up correcting our problem and call AT&T. And, of course, they started the relationship off by screwing up the switch-over. Hence, we were stuck waiting an extra week to get them hooked up; and the story isn't over yet because tomorrow is the day they are supposed to get it done...finally. It's even money with the Vegas bookies that it still won't be done. *&!*
I'm traveling today--currently sitting in the Salt Lake City airport waiting for a connecting flight that has, to this point, been delayed 2 hours. It was coming from Chicago and I guess the storm in the Midwest has everything screwed up. Although we did leave St. Louis right on time. I'm trying to get to Seattle for a couple of days of interviewing for a new job. I'll write more about it if I get it. No reason to bore anyone with details if it doesn't work out--I'll only bore you if it does work out.
I'm reading a book by Margaret Feinberg called The Organic God. I've gotten through 4 chapters and so far it's been great. I just finished a book by Dan Merchant called Lord, Save Us from Your Followers--it was excellent. I recommend both of them if you feel like there's something missing in how the church approaches non-believers and difficult social and ethical problems. In fact, I recommend them even more if you DON'T feel that way. We (the church) have to realize that the U.S. is the way it is in large part because we have created battle lines and demanded black and white choices be made when the issues don't support that kind of reaction.
One example is homosexuality. Now, I have no misunderstanding about what the Bible has to say on this subject. God considers it a sin. But he also considers adultery a sin, drunkenness, pornography, extra-marital sex, oppression, etc.--all things that are much more prevalent and, I believe, dangerous (because the people in our churches are just as guilty of these things as the people outside our churches). But we ignore the latter, refusing to preach on them except with rare exceptions and often refusing to discuss them. But we constantly hear sermons condemning homosexuals, churches post websites claiming to hate them, we condemn them to hell and refuse fellowship with them. Guess where Jesus would be spending time if he were here today? Yep...with the sinners, the sick, the lonely and outcast. Not because he approved of what they were doing but because he loves them and won't abandon them. The hypocrites get the boot and the sinners get the relationship.
I'm sure this won't be the last time I get off on this subject (it certainly isn't the first). In the meantime, pray for peace.
Mike
I'm traveling today--currently sitting in the Salt Lake City airport waiting for a connecting flight that has, to this point, been delayed 2 hours. It was coming from Chicago and I guess the storm in the Midwest has everything screwed up. Although we did leave St. Louis right on time. I'm trying to get to Seattle for a couple of days of interviewing for a new job. I'll write more about it if I get it. No reason to bore anyone with details if it doesn't work out--I'll only bore you if it does work out.
I'm reading a book by Margaret Feinberg called The Organic God. I've gotten through 4 chapters and so far it's been great. I just finished a book by Dan Merchant called Lord, Save Us from Your Followers--it was excellent. I recommend both of them if you feel like there's something missing in how the church approaches non-believers and difficult social and ethical problems. In fact, I recommend them even more if you DON'T feel that way. We (the church) have to realize that the U.S. is the way it is in large part because we have created battle lines and demanded black and white choices be made when the issues don't support that kind of reaction.
One example is homosexuality. Now, I have no misunderstanding about what the Bible has to say on this subject. God considers it a sin. But he also considers adultery a sin, drunkenness, pornography, extra-marital sex, oppression, etc.--all things that are much more prevalent and, I believe, dangerous (because the people in our churches are just as guilty of these things as the people outside our churches). But we ignore the latter, refusing to preach on them except with rare exceptions and often refusing to discuss them. But we constantly hear sermons condemning homosexuals, churches post websites claiming to hate them, we condemn them to hell and refuse fellowship with them. Guess where Jesus would be spending time if he were here today? Yep...with the sinners, the sick, the lonely and outcast. Not because he approved of what they were doing but because he loves them and won't abandon them. The hypocrites get the boot and the sinners get the relationship.
I'm sure this won't be the last time I get off on this subject (it certainly isn't the first). In the meantime, pray for peace.
Mike
Friday, March 21, 2008
Charter Sucks
This won't be a very long post, but I wanted to get something on here since it's been almost 2 weeks since my last post. Why so long, you ask? Because Charter Communications has the absolute worst customer service process of any corporation with which I have dealt. The people with whom I spoke were nice, and it's likely not their fault that their company sucks--they've been set up for failure by the idiots who run the place. Anyway, I digress...our service went out and rather than the 24-48 hour return we were promised it's been over a week and still nothing...I cancelled the peckerwoods and we will be switching. In the meantime, I guess I'll be making periodic trips to local joints with free wi-fi.
Since my last post several things have happened. Liz went to and returned from NYC with her high school choir. Apparently they had a great time. She still loves NY and claims she wants to live there some day, but it was gratifying to see that she was also excited to be home.
Sandi and Becca left this morning for an overnighted to Springfield, IL. They took the train and they're going to visit the Lincoln Museum with a friend and her daughter.
I am in the final run-up to changing jobs again--only this time changing companies as well--scary but exciting. I should hear something early next week.
That's all for now; keep praying.
Peace
Mike
Since my last post several things have happened. Liz went to and returned from NYC with her high school choir. Apparently they had a great time. She still loves NY and claims she wants to live there some day, but it was gratifying to see that she was also excited to be home.
Sandi and Becca left this morning for an overnighted to Springfield, IL. They took the train and they're going to visit the Lincoln Museum with a friend and her daughter.
I am in the final run-up to changing jobs again--only this time changing companies as well--scary but exciting. I should hear something early next week.
That's all for now; keep praying.
Peace
Mike
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Special Day
Sandi and I celebrated our 19th anniversary today. Amazing. It's not easy and it's not always fun; but it's worth it. I think that's what you have to keep your eyes on to have a marriage that lasts. We've had chances to give up on it, but that would be the easy way out. I love her and she loves me back (Lord only knows why). We enjoy the good times and love through the hard ones--we persist. I guess that's all pretty cheesy, and not terribly eloquent, but it's honest. Would we do it again? Yeah. And I guess that's the most important question...and answer.
And having God right in the middle of it all is the key.
Peace.
And having God right in the middle of it all is the key.
Peace.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Fear and Loathing in STL
Another one of those days marked by self-loathing. I don't have many of them, and thank goodness for that. I'm not very good at it.
I found out some more stuff today that just serves to convince me that I got the message wrong when I thought God was calling me to something more than volunteer service. The depression is wearing off. I'm not good at that either. I like to laugh too much; but it hurts beneath the surface. I imagine that 'this, too, shall pass'.
I was just thinking about a radio talk show that I was listening to the other day. Now, as a rule, I don't listen to talk radio, for a million reasons; most of which have to do with the unbridled rancor and crass attitudes of the hosts. But in a moment of weakness I paused on one of them long enough to be drawn in by the sheer lunacy of the topic--is Barak Obama the anti-christ? Obviously, it was a Christian themed station and the callers were (possibly) well-meaning souls desiring to express their concerns about someone who doesn't meet their criteria of a qualified candidate. (Holy crap...I kept a straight face almost all the way through that last sentence.) I just wish that for 10 minutes these ultra conservative types would pull their heads out of their behinds and look around at what's going on around them. In defense of the host, he seemed to be pretty fair-minded and didn't really believe that Obama was the devil's chosen, but he could have shut it all down and moved on.
Jesus gave us 2 things to do that would show the world who he is and how much we care about him and his teachings: love God and love each other. And then he even told us how to do that: take care of the people who can't take care of themselves. Feed the hungry; cloth the naked; support the poor--get them back on their feet; give drink to the thirsty; visit the prisoners. And, guess what...if we don't follow through on these instructions he's going to look us right in the eye and say that he doesn't know us. It will make him sad; he won't like doing it; but he's going to show us the door. Read it for yourself in Matthew. He told John to write in one of his letters that any one of us who claims to love God, but hates a fellow human being is a liar! We are so full of hate in the name of God that people are turning away from the church because of it. The souls that Jesus holds so dear are turning away from him because of what they see in the church.
While this isn't true of all Christians or all churches, the people who have the loudest voices in this country--who claim to represent us and God--are sending this message. I have a message for these guys: Stop pretending to speak for me! I don't need or want your help!
I read some cool things that Tony Campolo had to say about all of this in a book I'm reading right now. I'll try to reproduce some of it in a future post. Great insight into the true nature of what the church should be and what we should expect from our government.
If you think Obama or Clinton or McCain or anyone else in our God-forsaken political system is the anti-christ: please get into therapy.
Read the Beatitudes (in Luke) and resolve to be humble, merciful, makers of peace. God loves us all--even those of us who blow ourselves up in Jewish shopping malls. Our sin is his sadness. The mercy and grace of the cross are our only claims to who he created us to be.
Mike
I found out some more stuff today that just serves to convince me that I got the message wrong when I thought God was calling me to something more than volunteer service. The depression is wearing off. I'm not good at that either. I like to laugh too much; but it hurts beneath the surface. I imagine that 'this, too, shall pass'.
I was just thinking about a radio talk show that I was listening to the other day. Now, as a rule, I don't listen to talk radio, for a million reasons; most of which have to do with the unbridled rancor and crass attitudes of the hosts. But in a moment of weakness I paused on one of them long enough to be drawn in by the sheer lunacy of the topic--is Barak Obama the anti-christ? Obviously, it was a Christian themed station and the callers were (possibly) well-meaning souls desiring to express their concerns about someone who doesn't meet their criteria of a qualified candidate. (Holy crap...I kept a straight face almost all the way through that last sentence.) I just wish that for 10 minutes these ultra conservative types would pull their heads out of their behinds and look around at what's going on around them. In defense of the host, he seemed to be pretty fair-minded and didn't really believe that Obama was the devil's chosen, but he could have shut it all down and moved on.
Jesus gave us 2 things to do that would show the world who he is and how much we care about him and his teachings: love God and love each other. And then he even told us how to do that: take care of the people who can't take care of themselves. Feed the hungry; cloth the naked; support the poor--get them back on their feet; give drink to the thirsty; visit the prisoners. And, guess what...if we don't follow through on these instructions he's going to look us right in the eye and say that he doesn't know us. It will make him sad; he won't like doing it; but he's going to show us the door. Read it for yourself in Matthew. He told John to write in one of his letters that any one of us who claims to love God, but hates a fellow human being is a liar! We are so full of hate in the name of God that people are turning away from the church because of it. The souls that Jesus holds so dear are turning away from him because of what they see in the church.
While this isn't true of all Christians or all churches, the people who have the loudest voices in this country--who claim to represent us and God--are sending this message. I have a message for these guys: Stop pretending to speak for me! I don't need or want your help!
I read some cool things that Tony Campolo had to say about all of this in a book I'm reading right now. I'll try to reproduce some of it in a future post. Great insight into the true nature of what the church should be and what we should expect from our government.
If you think Obama or Clinton or McCain or anyone else in our God-forsaken political system is the anti-christ: please get into therapy.
Read the Beatitudes (in Luke) and resolve to be humble, merciful, makers of peace. God loves us all--even those of us who blow ourselves up in Jewish shopping malls. Our sin is his sadness. The mercy and grace of the cross are our only claims to who he created us to be.
Mike
Saturday, March 8, 2008
What color is envy?
I guess one of the harder lessons in life is how to deal with friends' success. And maybe it's especially harder if it's a faith lesson to boot. Maybe that comment needs a little background.
I have several friends who were just out there doing life, with regular jobs and all the regular stuff that goes along with that. About the same time (relatively speaking--like, within a couple of years of each other) we all were called into ministry--in a vocational sense. Of the 5 of us, 4 made the transition relatively quickly; in a way that made it almost seem easy, although nothing like that ever really is easy. But offers from churches came pretty soon after they started to seek an opportunity. In fact, in 3 out of the 4 the offer came from our church (we all attended the same place); and the one who didn't get his start at our church is now back there. (Worth noting is that 2 of the others who started at our church are now on to other churches--their choice; not kicked out or anything.) It should be obvious by now that I'm the one that didn't get the ministry job.
They are all still friends of mine and I'm glad they are. They are great guys; committed to God and to his ministry and very good at what they do. I guess what's hard for me is when some of us are together and they talk about all the stuff that's going on for them and comparing notes on ministry strategy and logistics, etc. I really feel like an outsider. Now I know that that is my problem and not theirs. And I know they don't intend to make me feel that way; but it's hard nonetheless. I make a very honest effort not to be jealous but it creeps in. And there are always the feelings of self-doubt. Have I lived in some way that makes me less worthy? Am I not doing enough to impress God (as if any of us can do a crapping thing that will impress God)? Did I completely misread what I thought was a calling?
More self-pity? I guess--don't know for sure. I suppose some of it has to be. The real point, ultimately, is that I'm through waiting and hoping; especially on our current church. If they, or God, don't want me on the staff then that's fine. I have a shot at a new job and if it pans out maybe we'll be moving back down south in a couple of years (Lord knows I'm sick of living in the Midwest). If God throws something my way in the mean time then he does. If not, screw it. I have a good job and a great family. We have good friends and a place to serve. It's not perfect, but none of them are--nor will they ever be. I'll keep plowing through the anger and bitterness and just try to keep it all real. It all boils down to the fact that, no matter what we do or how holy we might think we are, none of us are worthy of what Christ did for us. We just have to love him as much as we can and keep trying to live the best life we can.
Pray for peace and pray for the poor.
Mike
I have several friends who were just out there doing life, with regular jobs and all the regular stuff that goes along with that. About the same time (relatively speaking--like, within a couple of years of each other) we all were called into ministry--in a vocational sense. Of the 5 of us, 4 made the transition relatively quickly; in a way that made it almost seem easy, although nothing like that ever really is easy. But offers from churches came pretty soon after they started to seek an opportunity. In fact, in 3 out of the 4 the offer came from our church (we all attended the same place); and the one who didn't get his start at our church is now back there. (Worth noting is that 2 of the others who started at our church are now on to other churches--their choice; not kicked out or anything.) It should be obvious by now that I'm the one that didn't get the ministry job.
They are all still friends of mine and I'm glad they are. They are great guys; committed to God and to his ministry and very good at what they do. I guess what's hard for me is when some of us are together and they talk about all the stuff that's going on for them and comparing notes on ministry strategy and logistics, etc. I really feel like an outsider. Now I know that that is my problem and not theirs. And I know they don't intend to make me feel that way; but it's hard nonetheless. I make a very honest effort not to be jealous but it creeps in. And there are always the feelings of self-doubt. Have I lived in some way that makes me less worthy? Am I not doing enough to impress God (as if any of us can do a crapping thing that will impress God)? Did I completely misread what I thought was a calling?
More self-pity? I guess--don't know for sure. I suppose some of it has to be. The real point, ultimately, is that I'm through waiting and hoping; especially on our current church. If they, or God, don't want me on the staff then that's fine. I have a shot at a new job and if it pans out maybe we'll be moving back down south in a couple of years (Lord knows I'm sick of living in the Midwest). If God throws something my way in the mean time then he does. If not, screw it. I have a good job and a great family. We have good friends and a place to serve. It's not perfect, but none of them are--nor will they ever be. I'll keep plowing through the anger and bitterness and just try to keep it all real. It all boils down to the fact that, no matter what we do or how holy we might think we are, none of us are worthy of what Christ did for us. We just have to love him as much as we can and keep trying to live the best life we can.
Pray for peace and pray for the poor.
Mike
Friday, March 7, 2008
Ch,ch,ch, changes
Well, tonight was Infusion for the middle schoolers; pretty good fun. The theme was Thrift Store Fashion Show. Some of the kids had some pretty funny get-ups. Mine wasn't bad either--sort of a south Florida retirement village sort of thing. It's fun to watch Josh with the kids now that he's back. He really connects with them. He's got a great gift for the kind of story telling they really engage in.
Liz had auditions for Les Miserables this week. Call-backs were this afternoon so she won't know if she got the part or not until tomorrow--fingers crossed for her.
The job thing is getting kind of interesting for me. I got an email early this week from a company based out of Washington (state) that is looking for a safety supervisor in the Midwest. They treat underground cables with an injection system that extends the life of the cable by about 20 years. They have crews all over the country, and even internationally. It will be a significant change for us because I'll have to travel a pretty good bit. But there's a company car and good benefits--as good or better than I have now--and the same or better salary. The details have yet to be worked out; one big one being that they haven't offered me the job yet, but I'll be very surprised if they don't. Sandi's cool with the change so if they come up with the right offer I'll probably take it, although there's still some trepidation associated with it. After all, I've been where I am now for over 15 years so there's a lot of security in that. But I guess security has never been my highest priority. Plus, they have operations in the deep south so we might get lucky and be able to transfer down there one of these days--fingers crossed.
Liz had auditions for Les Miserables this week. Call-backs were this afternoon so she won't know if she got the part or not until tomorrow--fingers crossed for her.
The job thing is getting kind of interesting for me. I got an email early this week from a company based out of Washington (state) that is looking for a safety supervisor in the Midwest. They treat underground cables with an injection system that extends the life of the cable by about 20 years. They have crews all over the country, and even internationally. It will be a significant change for us because I'll have to travel a pretty good bit. But there's a company car and good benefits--as good or better than I have now--and the same or better salary. The details have yet to be worked out; one big one being that they haven't offered me the job yet, but I'll be very surprised if they don't. Sandi's cool with the change so if they come up with the right offer I'll probably take it, although there's still some trepidation associated with it. After all, I've been where I am now for over 15 years so there's a lot of security in that. But I guess security has never been my highest priority. Plus, they have operations in the deep south so we might get lucky and be able to transfer down there one of these days--fingers crossed.
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