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Blessed

I hear this word all the time in the church. "God blessed me with a good job..." "God, please pour out your blessings...". You probably have a good idea of what my reaction is to this. I hate it. I hate it because it undermines the love of God and the Gospel. What more could we ever want than salvation? Money? A new building for our church? A better job? Why do we want these things? What exactly is a "Blessing"? The church thinks a blessing is getting what they want. Right? The interesting thing about the Gospel is that built into it is the inability of the believer to actually believe it. Our inability to fully believe, fully understand, fully live like Christ, is the very thing we're saved from. This is more beautiful than anything I've ever conceived of.

I know that there is more joy in the trusting of God than anything else. I think peace, true peace, comes only from the knowledge of God's sovereignty. There's a large part of me that DOESN'T want God to give me what I want, because I know how corrupt my heart is. And you know what? I'm in luck. He doesn't. No matter what anyone tells you, the truth is that he doesn't.

For those of you who love business and leadership, and have an hour to kill

Good to Great is one of the best books I've ever read. Certainly the best business book I've ever read. Jim Collins is a brilliant man and this is a GREAT interview.

Better

I love God. I get so worked up because of ideas being propagated throughout this country, and this world for that matter. If you just observed my behavior, you would probably not come to the conclusion that I really believe what I say I believe. I say that God is sovereign, and that nothing in this universe falls outside his government. So, then, why would I become so upset when I see our government and population misbehaving? If God is sovereign, it's all good, right? Well, yes. On the deeper level, the most important level, I do believe this. But this is an abstract concept, this idea of God's control. And most of the time we do not exist in the abstract. We exist in the here and now. But I love God because it is precisely at this moment of my frenetic pontification regarding the folly of man that I am saved all over again. Not that I'd lost my salvation, rather, I go through the same experience which led me to salvation in the first place. I realize that, at the end of the day, I am not in control of a whole lot. This rub I feel is my desire for control vs. those things I actually do control. This desire for control is the most powerful feeling we have as humans, and it is the most depraved part of us. It is a complicated force, this desire for control, because implicit in it is the idea that we can be happy, if. If I had this, if I didn't have that. If so and so would quit doing this or that, then I'd be happy. Happy. We all know what happy is. We all have the idea of contentment, but very few of us would ever say we've experienced this state in a complete sense. Even in the happiest of moments, there is still some head room. The contentment isn't complete. How could it be? With all the suffering and corruption in the world, how could one ever be truly content? So, we all have this idea of happy. We all have this idea, from birth even, of a complete existence. The Ought. But we have no evidence to suggest that such an existence has ever been had, or is even remotely possible! Why do we all pine after something we've never had, seen, or felt? What is it in us that drives this search? On a purely logical level, this is insanity! Franticly trying to obtain something that doesn't exist!

You can't quantify this stuff. You can't make an excel spreadsheet to break this down. But that doesn't make it any less valid or true. Herein lies the beauty of Christ. What he had to say was SO counter-intuitive. SO counter-cultural. And he didn't care about my chart that I made detailing this or that. He didn't care about my degree. He cared about my soul. He lived in the true reality. He wasn't here to argue. He was here to preach. He wasn't here to debate. He was here to save. And if the inability to graph and spreadsheet this stuff is a big enough turnoff to you, so much so that you choose not to believe in Him, well, that's your choice. But the wise are honest. The wise listen with their hearts as well as their heads.

I'm not there yet. I'm not complete. I have the knowledge of completeness, but I am not complete. Yet. And so this life goes. I react with frustration because of my desire for control, but am ultimately reminded of the love of God and his sovereignty. It's at this point that I follow Solomon's advice: work hard, come home and love your family, have a few beers.

If 40 is the new 30...

Then shouldn't the legal voting age be 28? I've always thought it hilarious when large groups of young people rally around a cause. There are a TON of young people supporting Obama in this election, especially out of hollywood. The funny thing is, this should reflect badly on the candidate. Most young people don't know a whole lot. They aren't wise, they just have a lot of energy. But in our culture, we ignore our depravity and celebrate youth above all else, so just the opposite effect is enjoyed by Barack. I was JUST having a conversation with a young friend of mine yesterday, who believes that even though big government has never worked in the past, we shouldn't say that it can't work in the future. There is the effect of the 60's on our culture right there. This blatant denial of the human condition, which for the liberal mind, wins every argument. As soon as they go there, they stop debating, believing that they've won. I've seen it over and over again.

Gay Marriage

So, I think I know one or two people who hold traditional values, like myself, and feel the way I feel about gay marriage. You ready? Here's my stance: I DON'T CARE! Let them get married! Right? What are we afraid of? Here's the thing: most people aren't gay! Never will most people be gay! Right? The whole procreation thing? So, I say let them get married. Now, things get hairy when the discussion goes to what our kids are being taught in public schools. I have no reason to trust our school systems to behave themselves when it comes to what they teach on this issue. So it's a tough one. I think homosexuality is something to be discussed with our kids at a certain age, and it really should be left up to parents. So in that sense, I feel much tension over this issue. But as far as their being allowed to marry, I want them to get married. Why do we care SO much about what the state recognizes as marriage? My marriage to Kristi is a commitment we made to each other, in the context of the values we both hold. The state can kiss our... um... I don't care what the state says. We'd be married wether or not they approved, and our marriage doesn't exist because the state says it does. So there you go. Discuss.

Every once in a while

I am reminded of what we have in Derek Webb. He is one of the most prolific artists of our time. I love Derek because of his personality. His "stage presence" is not engaging at all. He almost seems uncomfortable. But the content of his songs is so powerful, so poignant, that any awkwardness on stage becomes nothing but endearing. He is also honest.

Real Peace

I am a case study in the ridiculous. When it comes to theology, all I talk about is God's sovereignty. I'm all about his being in control. And I really do believe that. I am completely convinced that there is no way to have any sort of spiritual peace without believing that God is actually in control. His being in control is the very thing that makes him God in the first place!

But I get so frustrated with so many things. Politics, the Church, seeing people make stupid decisions. You would think that I actually don't think God is in control. But in reality, this paradox is the supreme illustration for my need for salvation in the first place. I become frustrated with all of these things because I feel out of control when presented with them. And our depravity is ALL about control. Control is what Satan sold to Eve. So I thank God that in my frustration, I am reminded that God is the one who fulfills. I think being in control, or being right, or being the winner of an argument is going to make me happy. But I know it won't.

Facebook

When you think about it, what Facebook has done is amazing. I know part of it's success was timing, but Mark Zuckerberg is arguably a genius. He saw an unbelievable opportunity and took it. Just killed it. How many 50 year old parents do you know on myspace? How many trashy adds have you seen on facebook? (I know they do have some trash, but it's far less prevalent than it is on myspace).They're the Nordstrom of social networking. Oh and also, 24 year old Zuckerberg is a freaking billionaire. With a b. What Facebook has done is created the future. It has shown the world the seemingly limitless value of social networking, and done so with buy-in from adults. My old college professors are on facebook. Several of my adult family members are as well. This is not to be overlooked. This is a big, big deal.

Please Don't Vote

I always laugh when celebrities promote voting. "Get out there and vote!" "Vote or die!". It's like encouraging people to get out there and get married. "Get married or die!". Now I understand that it doesn't actually matter who we vote for or wether we vote at all, but as a matter of principle, it's beyond ridiculous to encourage people to vote. This is why:

It's Happening, Isn't It?

So in the last week or so I've had a couple sobering experiences.

1) Ty has a student here at the school who is about my age, maybe a little younger, and is getting his grad degree in finance. Nice guy, really loves business. Last time he was here he said "yeah man, I knew you were an entrepreneur. you can always tell an entrepreneur when you see one. You know, they're kind of fat. I mean, you look sharp but... um... well you know what I mean..."

2) Yesterday a woman walked into the school and said "are you Chris"? "Yes!" I said, thinking I was about to sign up a new student. "Oh my, I hardly recognize you! I was at your wedding and am a friend of your in-laws. Oh my gosh, this is just amazing, I really didn't recognize you at all. Did you gain some weight?"

AHHHH! AND about a week ago Kristi and I uncovered some pictures from when we first met. Wow. Amazing what has happened over the past three years. We literally put the pictures down and went for a 90 minute walk.

GOOD LAWWD!

Thoughts On The Bailout

As I'm sure everyone knows by now, congress voted down the Bush administration's bailout plan. This issue has been quite an interesting one, as many conservatives have surprised us all by actually supporting this bill.

My take on it is this: THANK GOD it didn't pass! This is one of the few times in my life so far where the system has worked the way it ought to. I emailed both of my congresswomen and asked them to vote no on this bill, as did tens of thousands of other Americans. There is a word we need to teach our government: NO!

This bill is the perfect example of an idea I often speak of. Somewhere along the line, our government and now our society has become convinced that no one should ever experience any pain at all. How often do you hear a politician talking about how people should suffer the consequences of their actions? How often do you hear a politician talking about the "middle class" making stupid decisions? You never hear that. Politicians only have one message for the American people: "You are a victim. We have all the answers, and will solve all your problems". It makes me sick to hear both ends of the political spectrum speak this way.

Now, I know that our current financial situation is EXTREMELY complicated. I know that there are thousands of people who are to blame, from the borrower to the lender to our government. But the engine that drove us here was fueled by the idea described above.

The other thing I know is that by this time next week, a bill of some sort will most likely have passed. And you'll get a long rant from me when that happens.

The thing that is really good about this situation we're in is that some people will wise up because of it. Some people will feel the pain of the hot stove they touched and adjust their behavior accordingly. See, we think we're so sophisticated. We think we live in the brave new world and are far beyond the mistakes seen in history. Turns out that the boring old wisdom taught by Judeo-Christian values wasn't arrived at arbitrarily.

Gotta Say It

Phil Wickham brings it. On both the songwriting and performing fronts. Cannons, the title track from his latest record, is pretty freaking huge.

The Thing About Liberal Thought

The thing about liberal thought is that it tells me who I am. It tells me what I care about, and what I need to regard as important. When liberal thought reigns, I support social security, medicare, welfare, huge amounts of foreign aid and a myriad of other programs. Wether or not I actually believe in these ideas is irrelevant. The net result is my support for them, because I am forced to pay for them.

Conservative thought only tells me who I CANNOT be. I cannot be a murderer, I cannot be a thief, I cannot harm others. Contrary to popular belief, conservative thinking is actually the MOST "tolerant", the MOST accepting of others. The other side of that coin, however, is that people must be allowed to touch a hot stove. People must have the right to be stupid.

Over and over again, we see the result of liberal thought, versus the result of conservative thought. Over and over again, we see where we ought to derive our values from, and why traditional wisdom says what it says. Turns out personal responsibility and consequences for actions are the building blocks of a great society

The Thing About Money

The thing about money is that it's really only valuable when it's earned. How many people do you know who've worked hard, made sacrifices, become wealthy, and then spent their money frivolously? While it does happen, it's pretty rare. But when a person is given money, or anything really, it's pretty common to see that money vanish, or that possession destroyed. Because free stuff just isn't that valuable. How could it be? Value is inextricably linked with struggle.

This is why liberal philosophy doesn't work. It's also why libertarian philosophy works as wonderfully as it does. People behave very predictably, and as we've seen time and time again, countries only become great when adhering to a pretty strict set of rules. The net result is: countries become great when people have the ability to earn and keep an unlimited amount of money.

When Barack Obama talks about his plans to raise the capital gains tax, corporate taxes and payroll taxes, he at best knows not of what he speaks and at worst in an ego maniac who's desire for power is more powerful than anything else. I tend to lean toward the latter.