Politics & Religion

Note: This single entry will probably be the extent of my political blogging this election season, so enjoy it. Just saying.

So there was a Vice-Presidential debate on TV last night. Most of you probably watched it. I watched it too, but really only because it knocked The Office off of the air for the week. And the group I was with wanted to watch it. See, you have to understand, I really can't stand politics. Now voting, I'm all about voting, I vote every chance I get. But that has to do with people and government. Politics, and especially election politics, is just talk. In fact, the single greatest benefit for me of having a DVR has been being able to skip the commercials this time of year. But I digress...

We recently got a new small group going at Centerpoint of 18-20somethings. Very cool. There aren't a lot of us that age in this particular church, and it's been nice to be able to get together, enjoy a little food and wine, and talk about things from a different perspective. We meet on Thursdays, so last night's discussion naturally drifted to the impending debate more than once... we ran a little late, so we all ended up watching it together, too. Here's the thing, though - a large part of our discussion last night centered on honesty. We talked about some "little white lies" we've all told to keep people happy, and then posed the question: "Would Jesus have told those lies?" The answer was a resounding "no"... which brought us back to politics. Somebody mentioned that a straight answer from the politicians would be nice once in a while, which I think is the point. It's all about telling you what you want to hear. Jesus wouldn't have done that. He would have given us the straight truth, even if it was hard to swallow. That's why I trust in Jesus, but not politicians.

The truth is, every one of these folks has a group (or rather lots of groups) that they're trying to appeal to: the conservative right, the liberal left, moderates, Christians, Jews, whites, blacks, small business owners, rich folks, poor folks, or even the American public as a whole. The vast majority of politicians will say whatever those groups want to hear... and that goes for both sides. I've already seen news stories today exposing lies that both of the Veep candidates told last night. Aren't we better than that?!? Aren't we, the American people, smart enough to rise above our petty partisanship and demand straight answers from everyone, whether they be Republican, Democrat, or anything else?

I've seen great blogs written by Christian leaders that I deeply respect in support of both candidates (and additional stuff about their VP picks). All of it has been pretty balanced. Everyone admits that they have disagreements with their own candidate; that there are some things they like better about the other. And that's the way it should be. I won't be revealing my own pick here on this blog (although I have decided), because that's not what it's all about. Don't trust what celebrities, other politicians, or other pastors say. Don't trust what I say. Above all else, don't trust what the candidates say. Instead, get online, and do your homework! Find out what these guys are really all about. See what they say and do and vote for when the entire world isn't watching. See what lines up more with your own views and beliefs and what lines up with the teachings of Jesus, and then make your own decision. Because that's the point. And because politics suck.

Life Update

Well friends, it's been a while. My absence is not intentional, I promise. I've actually got a lot to write about these days, but just no time to get it out onto the keyboard! Tonight, though, I need to write. Therapeutic and all that. There has been a lot going on as of late... brief recap of the month I've been gone:

-Band camp #2: Otterbein's this time. Great camp, great band, LONG days! Plus lots of continued work with both Otterbein and Big Walnut. Marching season is pretty consuming this time of year. Competitions with BW start this weekend.

-A week on the road with the Van-Dells: This was a BLAST. The Van-Dells are a traveling 50's and 60's rock and roll revue that has been on the road for almost 35 years. I got to fill in on the drums with them for three shows a couple of weeks ago, complete with bowling shirts and letter sweaters. Good times. Good guys and great music, too!

-Lots of other stuff, including: Another performance with the Westerville Symphony, rehearsal accompanying for Otterbein's production of Smokey Joe's Cafe, the beginnings of plans for my third year of directing the 4th-5th grade retreat at Kirkmont, and of course lots of Centerpoint stuff... phew!

Things aren't necessarily slowing down, but they do seem to be settling into more of a routine for the next couple of weeks... hopefully that will allow more time to write. In the meantime, check out a couple other blogs that I've really been enjoying lately:

1. The Shlog - This is the blog of singer and speaker Shaun Groves... I've honestly never listened to a lot of Shauns music, but this blog is sheer genius. Check it out.

2. Vintage Faith - This is Dan Kimball's page (he wrote that little book I liked so much: "They Like Jesus, But Not The Church"). Very insightful.

3. donmilleris - As you might guess, this is Don Miller's new blog. 'Nuff said.

Now go read! Enjoy, and I'll hopefully talk to you sooner than later!

A Recommendation

I'm at my parents house for a couple of days - which is nice. Sometimes you just need a break. Here's something I've been meaning to share for some time. If you haven't check out Garfield Minus Garfield yet, you really have to. Here's the description posted on the site:

"Garfield Minus Garfield is a site dedicated to removing Garfield from the Garfield comic strips in order to reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle. It's a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb."

Ok, so first, let me just say that this thing isn't really nearly as serious as it sounds from this. It's actually really funny. In fact, Jim David (the creator of the original Garfield strip), has some really good things to say about it. Here's an example of one of my favorite strips:



Get the idea? Good! Now go read the rest!

I Want More Than My Lonely Nation...

...that's a quote from a Switchfoot song that we played in church last weekend. We're doing a series right now about community; about moving out of the isolation that our society and lifestyle creates and experiencing real, life-giving community in Christ. This is something I've been thinking quite a bit about, and I had another reminder this morning. On my way home from practice at the high school, I saw a couple riding their bikes, side by side. So far so good, right? When I pulled up beside them, though, I realized that they both had headphones in! They were physically together, but that was as far as it went. How often do we live like this? I know I do it. I spend my whole day around people, with people, but I'm not necessarily experiencing community. I mistake being surrounded by people for actually spending time with them, and then I come home at the end of the day and just want to be alone, because I "spent the whole day with people."

Only that's not the case.

I've been reminded of this several times recently, not only through Pastor Dave's messages the past two Sundays, but also through my own personal interactions with people. We need community. I need community. I've been in prayer about this as of late, on both individual and church levels. I know that others have been, as well. May God reveal direction, may God bring us out of our isolation and help us to find a way to live life in community with others. May we have more than our lonely nations.

It's All Relative

Today I saw gas for $3.46 a gallon. There were cars lined up around the block to get into the station, and even I got excited for a bit (though I didn't need gas) because of this low price! But then I started thinking about it... 6 months ago, or if not, certainly a year ago, people would have been (or rather were) absolutely outraged to see gas selling that high. It's all relative. Looking at the long term, gas prices are very high, but they're lower than they were last week, so we're excited. Most things in our lives are this way. Everything changes so quickly, we can barely keep up. We expect things to be new and different all the time. New clothes, new music, new cars, new houses. Nothing ever stays the same. I think this is one of the reasons that the church sometimes has trouble relating God's love and the love of Christ to the world: it's constant, it never changes. And yet, that's the very reason that we need it! In a world where nothing is guaranteed, and everything changes constantly, we know that God's love and Christ's sacrifice never change. They will be the same tomorrow, and the next day, and next week, and next year, and for all eternity. That's why we can take rest in that love, that's what makes it a refuge from the rest of the world. Why don't we realize that? Why don't we take comfort in it?