And Your Vote Goes To....??

Election day is only days away and some of you may have already voted but I thought I would take a little poll of 'A Journeyman's Catalog' readers to see who you are voting for and why or if you are undecided at this point, which way are you leaning or why still undecided.

I recognize that some of you may not want to share this information and I respect that so for those individuals might I suggest leaving an anonymous comment with your choice. It is simply the curiosity of the politics of those that read this blog that make me ask this question, not to mention I think it could be kind of fun to see what kind of response we get and the conversations that might follow. Feel free to get it started or keep it going.

Common Decency

This post is a few weeks overdue but I have finally gotten to the point where I can't take it anymore. Have we lost all decency as a consumer society that the lines have become so badly blurred that I have not only seen Christmas things in various store windows but have even seen Christmas decorations on the houses and in the yards of private citizens weeks before Halloween?!?

I feel like I'm a pretty tolerable person. It doesn't bother me in the least to have your yard telling me which political candidate or party you support; heck, go ahead and turn it into a used car lot but when I see an inflatable "snow-globe" at the beginning of October then we might have some issues. They might be my issues or theirs but clearly there are some issues.

Don't get me wrong, I really like Christmas, especially when it's Christmastime but since I've recently made a personal commitment to Fall as my favorite season, I'd like to enjoy it without being blinded by Rudolph's nose.

A Delicious Slice of Mudpie

"He who slings mud generally loses ground."

-A.E. Stevenson

Election day is getting closer by the minute and the mud flying through the air between the two campaigns is getting heavier and more frequent.

We all know there are people out there that don't like you or me for whatever reason. They would like nothing more than to throw a juicy mudpie right in our face or maybe they already have. What happens when the mud doesn't stick? What if, not only our elected leaders but you and I lived in such a way that because of the things we say or don't say, do or don't do the mud can't stick? What if we stop trying to serve up a delicious slice of mudpie to someone we don't like, wouldn't that make it that much harder for the mud on our face to stick?

If we want to clean things up, then we need to quit playing in the mud.

Angels Unaware

It was around lunchtime and I headed to the bank just down the road from my office at the church, literally less than a mile away. There happens to be a Speedway right across the street from my bank and so I thought I would zip in there really quick to fill-up then maybe grab something to eat before my 1:30pm meeting. It didn't quite play out that way for me. I was just about to get in my car after filling my tank when I noticed a lady walking toward me. I smiled politely and that's where the "adventure" began.

"Excuse me sir, I'm trying to get to a church a little further north from here and have walked quite a ways to make it this far. Is there any chance you could drop me off at the church?" Right or wrong I immediately started to size this lady up and wonder things like...could I take her in a fight if I needed to?...what if she has a gun?...I know exactly where the church is she's talking about and it really would be easy to drop her off...I have a meeting in less than an hour...weird that she is asking for a ride and not money. Those were thoughts that went through my head before I said, "Sure, hop in."

After introducing ourselves she proceeded to tell me how her grandma had just recently passed away in Orlando and she was trying to get help to pay for a bus ticket to get down there for the funeral. She shared how times have been tough for her as of late and that her disability check doesn't come until Nov. 3rd and that she was short the necessary funds right now. I asked her if the church knew she was coming and how they were planning to help her and that's where the story takes another "twist".

"Well the church didn't really say they could help but I was hoping to see if they could help come up with the remaining $77 I need for my bus ticket. I know that the church office is closed from 12:30-1:30pm for lunch so maybe you could find it in your heart to help me and we wouldn't even have to go to the church?" Of course all of this is taking place while we're driving north to this church and are over half way there. She goes on to ask if I would be able to drop her off around 42nd St. which is in the opposite direction we are currently traveling.

After turning around and promising she'll pay me back $100 I tell her that I don't have that much cash on me. She proved to be extremely flexible and courteous as she mentioned that she would not mind if I needed to stop by an ATM so that I would have enough cash to meet her request. At this point I'm thinking I need to end this "adventure" so that I can make sure I'm back in time for my meeting. I tell her that $100 is not going to happen but that I would give her $80 to cover the remaining cost of her bus ticket. So I get the cash, buy her a sandwich and drop her off at 42nd St. only to get back to the office to have the meeting be rescheduled.

I have no idea who this person was and I in no way condone or recommend letting strangers into your car. I have no idea if I got scammed. Is there a possibility that I did, of course but there is also a possibility that I didn't. I had a similar "adventure" a few years ago and I remember talking to our senior pastor about it and I'll never forget what he said to me, "If you're going to err, err on the side of generosity because ultimately it's between the individual and God." Was this inconvenient, yes. Was it awkward, yes. Was it the right thing to do, no idea. The only reason I was able to have the patience I needed to enjoy this "adventure" was because of Christ, it had little to do with me. I couldn't help but think of Jesus' words, "Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me." and who knows, maybe the writer of Hebrews had a point when he said, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."

Racing To or Running From the Church

Certain crises require different responses than others obviously but what I find interesting is our response to the Church in the midst of these different crises. A natural disaster or catastrophic event typically garners the response of people racing to the Church. People are seeking comfort, reassurance, support that the Church usually does a good job of giving. I'm wondering if this economic crisis is causing people to run from the Church. I'm afraid that people have a perception that the Church is out for their money and when people don't have a lot of it, they avoid going to church so they don't feel guilty for not giving. It's not so much that the Church is making people feel guilty on purpose but I think the guilt comes from inside the individual because they know the offering plate is going to be passed each Sunday.

Now I know this might not make sense but I honestly think that the best response to this economic crisis is to give. Giving to God is not about the Church, your checkbook or the economy. It's about forcing us to get our priorities in order which will not only help each of us make it through this crisis but I would argue any others that might come our way; whether globally, nationally or personally. I hope you don't find yourself running from the Church in a time when we can all benefit from what, or rather who, it represents.

Evil Inside vs. Evil Outside

"Evil" is such an interesting word, when used it tends to evoke strong emotions or reactions in people. I'm guessing part of the reason is because it sounds so extreme, so final, so...well, evil. If you checkout the definition of the word it's pretty interesting and really would seem that a lot of different things could be considered evil by a lot of different people. Does that make "evil" relative? Oh man, well enough of this, though it's definitely something to think about but not even what I want to talk about.

Remember just over 7yrs ago when a group of men used 4 planes as weapons and thousands of innocent people died and remember how the word "evil" was associated with that act? The response of our country was profound. We were united against a common foe, an evil from outside our borders that was attempting to instill fear into our hearts but we would not have it. We stood together and we stood tall, and though some have strong feelings about our current stand today, we continue, especially our dedicated men and women who serve in the military.

Fast forward to now. Our country (and arguably the world) finds itself facing another crisis as a result of what some could consider evil but the difference this time is that this evil is coming from inside. Through the greed of our very own banks, lenders, financial institutions and a lack of leadership from our government (both parties are at fault and I would hope we could all agree on that) we have actually created this crisis ourselves, the evil is coming from the inside.

Notice the different reactions in the face of these two evils. One united us as a country by allowing us to point our national finger at an evil from the outside; where we saw people do extraordinary things for other people and where heroes who sacrificed everything were made. The current evil is breaking us apart, making the divide between those that have and those that don't have as much wider than it ever has been before. Our national mood swing of "I'm going to get mine" to "I'm going to protect mine" is causing us to do extraordinary things to other people. It's as though we'd rather cut our hand off then point the finger at ourselves but maybe that's just the loss of blood talking.

So Many Thoughts

With all that is happening around the world right now I am finding that I have so many thoughts running around in my head that I'm having a hard time keeping track of which ones are coming and which ones are going. So over the next couple days I'm going to try and share some of them starting with this one...

I don't know how many of you know or care (either of which is understandable) that I work for a church but I have been wondering how the current economic and political times will impact the Church (I use 'C' to mean the church around the world, not just my local church or even a specific denomination). Will uncertain economic times cause us to "turtle" and retreat into our shells with an attitude of having to "hunker down" and ride this out? I can't help but think that this mentality doesn't exactly match-up with that of Christ's. The reason I say this is because as times continue to get tougher for so many people, whether losing jobs or homes, it seems that with so much need all around us the worst thing we could do as followers of Christ is retreat...is "protect" ourselves. I hope that if we've learned anything from this whole economic debacle it's that the very idea of "protecting ourselves" has been blown out the window.

What an opportunity for those of us that have to help those of us that don't have as much. I can't help but think about when Jesus said that those who have been given much, much will be asked.

Some other thoughts I've had that I'll be sharing: evil inside vs. evil outside; racing to or running from the Church; a delicious slice of mudpie as well as responses to any of your thoughts or comments...

Autumn

I know that Fall "officially" began on September 22nd but it is actually starting to feel like Fall and that made me remember how much I like Fall. It is easily one of my favorite seasons and quite possibly my favorite overall. There are a few things that are very vivid in my mind when I think about this time of year...

...the smell of fresh grass on a cool, sunny afternoon...

...pumpkins (carving, making pumpkin pies from scratch, roasting pumpkin seeds)...

...growing up in Michigan playing backyard football with my brother and friends...

...Halloween...

...blisters on my hands from raking leaves, which I HATE doing by the way...

...always wondering how fun it would be to go deer hunting with my uncles and now that I'm a little older realizing that the idea of sitting in the woods being really quiet and potentially never seeing anything actually sounds kind of boring.

Asking the Right Questions

I know it's been a while since I've posted...my sincerest apologies. Here is a sermon I gave yesterday.

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We have just finished a sermon series over the past couple weeks entitled Faith 101 which talked about some of the basic elements that make-up Christianity: creation, faith, temptation, this guy named Jesus and a few others. I want to spend some time this morning talking about taking time to ask questions. Can you think of a time when you found yourself in a situation, (maybe at work or school) when you weren’t exactly sure what was going on or maybe were a little confused but for whatever reason didn’t take the time to ask any questions? You walked away feeling unsure of what was expected of you because you missed the opportunity to ask a question.

Check out Luke 2:41-47. Jesus took the time to ask some questions, even as a 12yr old boy.

It can be the same way with our faith. If we don’t allow ourselves or others to ask questions and sometimes pretty tough questions, we fail to give faith a chance to grow. Typically, the point of asking a question is to get an answer, to gain some sort of knowledge or information. And when we ask questions about our faith, our faith is given the opportunity to grow because sooner or later we will ask a question we won’t be able to answer, at least not now. Paul says in I Corinthians 13:12 that there are some things we only know parts of now but we'll know fully then. It’s the lack of immediate answers that forces us to lean on our faith. I have no doubt there are some of us here that are questioning…asking why this or why that, how could this have happened, God how could You or why would You?

I was talking with a student the other day, just kind of catching up and I asked her how things were going and she mentioned that school was good, friends were good, family was good and then she said, "You know Matt, I’ve really been questioning my faith recently. I’m not sure I believe in God anymore." And I said, "Oh, cool. I would really love to hear about your questions." I believe that the God of Christianity isn’t scared by our questions or tries to ignore them but that He actually delights when we ask. When we take the time to ask questions, it shows that we are engaged, that we are thinking and paying attention to what is going on or what is being said.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7 & 8 to ask and seek so we'll find. I went to a small Christian school in college where I heard a saying that has stuck with me, “All truth is God’s truth” and it’s one of the reasons why I love questions. I love asking them, I love hearing them asked and I love discussing possible answers. I get excited when people start to ask questions of God, I don’t get nervous that there is a question out there that if asked will disprove Christianity or God for that matter. I’m thankful that we serve a God that is much bigger than any question we could ever ask.

I want to wrap-up our Faith 101 series by giving you some encouragement. Don’t forget that though there are times when all of the things that have to do with faith, religion, the Bible or whatever can seem overwhelming, it ultimately all comes down to a relationship. You may be just starting your faith journey or maybe you’ve been on it for a while now or maybe you haven’t even left yet, wherever this journey may be for you don’t stop asking questions. One of the things that I find really attractive about Christianity and Jesus especially is that He will meet you on your level but love you too much to leave you there. Maybe you've heard Christianity described as a river, deep enough to swim in and shallow enough to get your toes wet, regardless of how deep or shallow you may be in this river of faith, know that Jesus is holding your hand the whole time.

Too Big To Fail

This is a phrase that I've heard a number of times this week and has really made me wonder about the attitude not only of our financial institutions but our country as a whole. Whether it's Bear Stearns, Countrywide, Washington Mutual, AIG, Lehman Brothers or some other giant financial institution there is no doubt you have heard about the crazy economic times we find ourselves in. Most of this is a result of questionable management of some of these very corporations and has to make you wonder "Why?". Are greed and arrogance really the driving forces that have pushed our economy to this point? Greed that drives people to get as much as they can by whatever means possible coupled with an arrogance that thinks we are too rich, big, smart to fail will only ever equal disaster at the worst and disappointment at the least.

I've been asking myself this week if this economic mess we find ourselves in is really proving to be a barometer for our overall attitude as a country. Is it possible that this is just one area in which this attitude of "Too Big" has caught up with us and other areas such as: our relationships with other countries, our military presence, educational standards, our response to natural disasters, or our cultural influence around the world (just to mention a few) are next in line? If nothing else, watching some of these different institutions fail has solidified my belief that there is a better way, not only a better way for millionaire CEOs to manage giant corporations or a government to run a nation but also for little old me to live my everyday, boring life.

Hide-N-Seek

There are things we would rather not be found. Things we hide away inside our thoughts and our hearts that we hope no one would ever be seeking, and if they do, we'll do just about anything we can to keep these things hidden. Does the phrase "skeletons in the closet" sound familiar? I wonder how many of us walk around so afraid that we are going to be "outed" that we end up being a different person entirely, sometimes unfamiliar to even ourselves.

I've been thinking about this today because one of the things I like to read in my devotional time is Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, and today's was talking about the things that can sneak-up in our lives and we attempt to hide them away. Chambers writes, "Maintain a continual watchfulness so that nothing of which you would be ashamed arises in your life." Wow. Ouch. Certainly not an easy thing to do.

It can be pretty easy to hide things from other people, even people that are close to you but then I'm reminded that regardless of who I'm able to hide things from I just can't seem to hide them well enough from Christ. When I stop for a second and think about it, I guess I don't really need to hide anything from God partly because I can't and partly because He doesn't care. It's not that He doesn't care but unlike people who may treat or think of us differently if they found what it was we were hiding, He will only treat us with grace and love. It's pretty incredible to think that though I try to hide this and that from Him, He continues to seek me. A game of hide-n-seek where I don't mind being found.

Righteous Kill

I just saw Righteous Kill starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Maybe I was unfair to the movie going into it because my expectations were pretty high as I really like both of these actors, which could have led to some of my disappointment as I walked out of the theater. Besides the fact that a movie cost $10 (which is another rambling for another day) I came out of the movie thinking it was so-so. It certainly wasn't amazing but it wasn't awful either. I think what really bummed me out was that Pacino and De Niro are great actors, and both did a nice job but it just felt like the story wasn't deep or developed or intense enough to really let them work their magic.

This movie is rated 'R' for a reason and so I would certainly not recommend anyone under 18 seeing it or anyone that is offended by very strong language or violence. Ya know what's funny, as I just wrote that last sentence I thought to myself, "Shouldn't we all be offended by strong language and violence?" I guess I kind of just nailed myself to the wall on this one too huh?!? Well anyways, overall I would give it a B/B- and tell you to save your $10 and rent it when it comes out on dvd (and this is coming from somebody who typically loves Pacino and/or De Niro movies).

Made From Scratch

One of the promises of Christianity that I really like is the ability to start over with a clean slate. Of course this doesn't mean that the consequences of decisions or choices we've made disappear but it does mean that we don't have to be defined by them any longer. It really comes down to the idea of identity. When I enter into a relationship with Christ I no longer have to be defined by the stupid things I have done or said, the hurts I've caused or failed attempts at being "good".

No doubt there are times in our lives when we wish we could just start over. Sometimes it's as though we get caught in this cycle of doubt, depression and despair (sometimes out of our own creation and sometimes the result of others) and we begin to find our identities in these things rather than who we really are. I love that Jesus desires to burst into our lives and give us a fresh start that is only possible in and through Him. How many of us need to hear that promise that the old has gone and something new has come or is coming? Think of all this promise could mean for you in your life; your relationships, your attitude, how you deal with struggles, your physical and spiritual health...sometimes 'scratch' isn't a bad place to start.

6 Years and Counting

Today is mine and my wife's wedding anniversary. The big number six. For our anniversary we (mostly Tai but I was cool with it) decided to take a roadtrip to IKEA in Cincinnati. Now, if you have never been to an IKEA store before it's kind of like an airport, museum, tourist attraction, mini-United Nations, and a more modern design of Target all rolled into one. I have to admit that I really didn't know what to expect other than it was supposedly one of the greatest places on earth according to my wife of 6yrs and as soon as I walked in the door, I was blown away. It's HUGE and there seriously TONS of people. It was crazy!

After spending 2hrs there and only getting lost once we were able to find the checkouts and leave with a couple of things we're both pretty excited about. By this time it was about 6pm and we were pretty hungry. We wanted to do something somewhat special for the occasion so I suggested Skyline Chili but that was quickly vetoed, not to worry as we quickly decided to wait until we got back to Indy to hit up Naked Tchopstix in Broadripple for quite possibly the best sushi we have ever had. Though I was pretty hungry when we left IKEA, it was well worth the almost 2hr drive.

Well, I think I'm going to call it a great day and see if I can get some sleep while my wife works on putting a dresser together....

A Great Day for a Parade

When was the last time you marched in a parade? For me, it was this morning. I am the JV coach of a girls volleyball team for a high school in the area, an area which happened to be having their annual "Fall Fest" this weekend. Apparently, part of the festivities is having a parade through the middle of town and some how, some way the high school volleyball program got "invited" to be in the parade today. Fortunately for everyone involved it ended up being a beautiful day.

Believe it or not, this is not the first parade I have ever been in. See, when you grow up in Holland, MI you experience this thing every year called "Tulip Time" which lasts just about an entire week and has 3 separate parades on 3 different days. So needless to say there are plenty of opportunities to march in a parade one way or another. I wish I had a pic or two of me all decked out in my Dutch costume but I can't seem to find one, if I do I'll be sure to let you know. I was able to take a couple pics with my iPhone from the parade today...

*the names have been blurred to protect the innocent

A Decision for the Ages

Research suggests that something like 80% of Christians make a decision to follow Christ before the age of 18 and after that, the percentage drops significantly of people that decide to follow Christ. I was talking with a couple guys a day or so ago and one of them mentioned how they knew a guy that had decided to be a dentist when he was 18 and now in his 40's, has come to the conclusion that dentistry is not for him.

This led us to start talking about what the implications might be for someone who chooses to become a Christian at an early age, say sometime before they turn 18. Does the immaturity of the individual at the time of "conversion" make a difference in the significance of the decision? Or does the idea that choosing to follow Christ is more a relationship that grows and matures with the individual mean that it doesn't matter how young someone might be when they decide to follow Christ?

I think there is a difference between choosing a career-path at a young age and choosing to have a relationship with someone at a young age, especially if that relationship is with Jesus. It seems like a career "is-what-it-is" whereas a relationship is always able to change, grow, and adapt as the individuals involved change, grow and adapt to life around them but maybe I'm biased since I started my walk with Christ when I was 11.

None of Your Business??

With the Democratic National Convention behind us and the Republican National Convention underway it has been an interesting week or so in American politics. Obama gave a nice speech, lots of stuff he's said already and McCain picked a running mate that not many people could have guessed, Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska.

Now, I'm not going to spend any time talking about whether or not she's qualified or has the experience or what reasons McCain might have used to giver her the nod as his VP selection (but you are certainly welcome to and I look forward to hearing your thoughts) but I will take this opportunity to say something about the recent "scandal" involving her pregnant daughter.

I think Obama said it best when he said that "family is off-limits in presidential politics, especially children." It seems unfair to judge the competency of a candidate because one of his or her kids makes an unfortunate decision as a 17yr old. Sure you could try to make an argument about "what kind of parent" he or she might be if his or her daughter gets pregnant but that argument seems to fall to the wayside when we all realize that we have all made stupid choices at one point or another and weren't able to blame our parents for it anymore. I'm impressed that the candidates have no desire to even discuss this issue, showing a level of privacy and respect that seems somewhat uncommon in our more recent political campaigns and yet the media insists on pushing this so called "scandal".

What I've found interesting today is hearing how both sides, Republican and Democratic supporters respectively, are using this issue to make the point that she clearly is or isn't the appropriate choice as the potential VP. You say to-ma-to, I say to-ma-to...

The Wheels of Justification Go Round and Round

It's amazing to me how often we find ourselves giving in to temptations that we would have never imagined ourselves giving in to. I'm sure we all know someone that after doing this or saying that has found themselves in a situation they would have never thought possible. Maybe it's just me but I find it scary how easy it is to justify just about anything to myself. I wouldn't say that I am a masterful debater by any means but when it comes to convincing myself of why I should or shouldn't do something, I can make a strong case.

I'm finding that how I deal with temptation and the justification process that starts to take place in my puny little brain go hand-in-hand. I start telling myself things like: "I need this", "I like this", "I will gain something from this", "I've earned this", "I am the only one that will be impacted by this," and so on and so on.

I am guessing we all face different temptations on a daily basis, I know I do and ya know, sometimes I win and sometimes the temptation wins. The difference between who or what wins I've realized has to do with my focus. Obviously as someone who is trying to be like Jesus, my focus must first be on Christ and then on everyone else and when I find that I am out of focus, I become much more susceptible to giving in to temptation, even temptations that seem like they would never be a temptation for me. It's a slippery-slope when our focus becomes all about "me", its then that we find ourselves looking up from the bottom of the ditch wondering how we got there.

On A Crowded Street

Isn’t it great to walk in somewhere, regardless of the size of the room or the number of people, and feel like you belong there? For some reason I've been thinking about this lately and it made me think of a story that describes a radical act of hospitality by Jesus (Mark 5:24-34). I read this story and am blown away by Jesus’ willingness to be hospitable in an almost impossible situation. There were two things that really struck me about how Jesus was able to create an intimate setting for hospitality on an overcrowded street...

The first is that Jesus noticed the individuals around Him, regardless of how busy or how large the crowd got. What a great remedy for the “large church” syndrome of feeling disconnected or feeling as though you're lost in the crowd. Even while He was on His way to somewhere else, He was present with the people around Him.

The second is that Jesus sought people out. Not only did Jesus take the time to notice people but He went a step further and sought them out to make them feel welcome. Even, or maybe better said especially, in a large crowd Jesus looks for a way to practice radical hospitality by connecting with others on an individual level.

Jesus recognized that it wasn’t simply about being hospitable but rather about touching someone’s life. Radical hospitality touches individuals’ lives in way that makes them feel not only welcome but like one of the family. Imagine the impact this kind of radical hospitality could have on the life of your church family, the individuals you notice and seek out around you, not to mention yourself. Now, I’m not suggesting that if you and I practice this kind of radical hospitality like Jesus did some sort of healing will take place…or maybe I am?

A Different Kind of Judgment

A lot of people struggle with judging others, deciding whether or not it is the right thing to do or if it depends on the situation and circumstances. It seems that a lot of Christians are confused by this whole passing judgment thing and often times are too quick to do so. I think there are definitely times when we have a responsibility to other brothers and sisters in Christ to make them aware of things in their life that may be in conflict with the way Christ calls us to live.

The more I've been thinking about this the more I've started wondering if maybe we're missing the things we should be passing judgment on. I don't think it is anyone's place to judge the state or eternal destination of someone's soul but maybe instead we should be "judging" when someone is hurting or lonely and instead of responding by passing judgment, responding with and because of, the love of Christ. I wonder how much hurt could be avoided in people's lives if we "judged" with an attitude of service and love as opposed to an attitude of arrogance.