Caricatures, God, Politics, and Responsibility

I received one of those political e-mails the other day. I am sure you know the type.  It told a story about a certain candidate and some of the evil things he has done in the last few years. As it continued, I was reminded of our nation's founding principles. Then came the question, “How could anyone call themselves a Christian and vote for this person?”

            I don’t necessarily mind the mixture of politics and religion. Worldviews inevitably influence our decisions. Being a Christian informs the decisions that I make including voting.The major problem I have is that the information sent to me was blatantly false.  I am not talking about opinions. I think we could do a better job in how we discuss differing opinions. In this case, I am talking about verifiable historical facts. The individual did not say and do what the e-mail said they did. I am not upset because someone is saying something against a candidate that I like. I am not voting for this person.  I am upset because in the name of Jesus we are willing to distort the truth.  Please note the irony of questioning someone’s relationship with God based on falsehood.

            I wish I could tell could tell you that I only see these types of messages from one side of the aisle.  Christians and non-Christian from the right, left, and everywhere in between send out these messages.  It’s like a competition to see who can create a better straw man or caricature of the other side.  It is easy to see the ridiculousness of the image we present. Of course only a fool would vote for this distorted image.         

            As a young Christian little challenged my faith more than how we handle politics. We often appear no better and sometimes worse than the world around us. We have allowed a culture of lies, ridicule, division, and elitism to cloud our judgment.  Over the years this has caused me to question not only my political but my theological beliefs. How do I know what some Christians are saying about God is true when I can’t trust what they say about things that are easily verifiable? Is it truth we believe in and seek after or are we trying to protect our way of thinking and believe in what brings us the most comfort? Thankfully God and truth are not dependent upon our beliefs and practices.  But I often wonder what kind of disservice are we doing for those who are seeking after God?  Why would they believe our message?  Maybe it is not God they have a problem with after all, it is His people. 

Christians do not need to be un-opinionated. Jesus wasn't  He had strong opinions, but he didn't lie about those with whom he disagreed.  In fact, He was the embodiment of truth.  When people rejected Him they rejected truth. How do people discover truth if we do not speak it?

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

The Grace of God

I evidently did not know much about Andy Stanley until I read his book, "The Grace of God."  I fully expected the book to be loaded with overused cliches and simple formulas.  But, like the title of one of Stanley's chapter titles, I was "Surprised by Grace." This is a great book by someone who understands and lives out grace.

Stanley does a masterful job as he highlights God's grace towards us as he weaves through biblical history.  He does not avoid difficult passages or complex ideas.  In fact, he reminds us that Jesus was paradoxically "full of grace and truth." His book not only informs but challenges the reader. He does not hold back as he reminds us that it is easier to receive grace than it is to give it to others.

Overall this is a great read for anyone seeking to know more about grace and the God who gives it. As with other books I have reviewed this will be added to our church library.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

The Story

Rumors Of God

In the opening chapter of Rumors Of God the authors quote from the C.S Lewis Classic Mere Christianity. "The world is a great sculptor's shop. We are the statues and there is a rumor going round the shop that some of us are some day going to come to life." In this excellent book John Tyson and Darren Whitehead remind us that the rumors about God are true. The faith and life God speaks of is for real. Through biblical exploration and their own authentic experiences the authors reveal a God worthy of our worship and our lives.

If you are longing for a deeper authentic relationship with God and the people around you this book is for you. If you have heard of God's fame and want more read and you will be challenged and encouraged.


I received this book through Thomas Nelson BookSneeze...I received this book for free in exchange for my review of it.

Lesson's from the Sneetches

Now, the Star-Bell Sneetches had bellies with stars.
The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars.
Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small.
You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.

But, because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches
Would brag, “We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches.”
With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they’d snort
“We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!”
And, whenever they met some, when they were out walking,
They’d hike right on past them without even talking.

If you have ever read the Sneetches by Dr Seuss you'll find that the Sneetches are not so different than people. One group of Sneetches looked down upon the other. That was until one day when the crafty Sylvester McMonkey McBean offered a solution to their problem. For a small fee he offered to put stars on the bellies of Sneetches without. When the original star bellied Sneetches saw this they were upset. They were the superior Sneetches, but now no one would know. McBean, being the kind soul that he was had another machine that could take stars off for another small fee. Sneetches shuffled in and out machines until they ran out of money and no one knew who was who.

In James 2:1-4 we are told, "My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, 'You sit here in a good place,' and you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,' have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?"

James' audience had the same problem as the Sneetches. They made superficial distinctions among themselves. McBean offered an external solution to an internal problem of the heart. People, governments, and organizations do the same thing today. The Sneetches were fortunate to learn a hard lesson when they came to the end of their resources. The story tells us, That the Sneetches got really quite smart on that day. The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches. And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.

How did the Sneetches get to the place where some were thought of as better than others? It certainly wasn't because stars were better than none. The thoughts of superiority were still there when the stars were gone. This probably started years and years ago. For centuries the stories have been passed down the reminded Sneetches who and what was best.

We have our stories too. They shape what we believe about each other, God, and ourselves. God has a better story. It is a story that tells of our common beginning and problem of all humanity. The story introduces a common Savior and a shared family identity and destination for those that follow this Savior. In this story we have been told there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.(Galatians 3:28) What story are you living from?

Fullness of Joy

There are things that all of us long for. We were created to experience real and lasting pleasure and joy. Many times we seek this in destructive ways. I understand and have experienced the pain from those decisions. I suppose my real struggle is when I don't understand the difficulties that come into my life and those around me. Loved ones die too soon. The good things in our lives seem to give less than what we thought they would. People we love and respect fail us. Is there something more? Is there hope?

I have been contemplating this verse all week. Psalms 16:11 "You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever." The Psalmist, David tells us that in God's presence is fullness of joy and in His right hand there are pleasures forever. It is important to note that David isn't some guy that is out of touch with the difficulties of life. He is not some guy whose life is perfect and writes about some mystical joy we will never experience because we live in a real world of pain, disappointment, and suffering. No, David is for real. He knows death, suffering and loss. He knows his own depravity as well as the brokenness of those around him. He knows hunger, homelessness, and humiliation. But, David also knows the secret to real joy. Real joy is found in the presence of the living God.

To be honest, I can't quite wrap my mind around what pleasures forever would be like. I do know that if this is a promise from a holy and loving God, it has to be incredible. Can you imagine pure, holy, and unending pleasure? What an awesome loving God we serve. I can not think of a better deal anywhere. Today, in spite of my questions and struggles I chose to enter His Joy. I will seek to come into the presences of our loving God.

Praying Mantis

I left my house yesterday with a lot on my mind. While driving to work I thought of the world economy and the ongoing turbulent political situation in our country. As I got out of the car I started thinking about the things I needed to accomplish. The list is unending. What was I going to do first? As I reached for the door I noticed a praying mantis right at my eye level. I thought "this is funny." A praying mantis came to church to pray. In that moment, I could hear the voice of a good friend. If Bill were here he would say something like, "What do think God want us to do this morning?" Thanks Lord for sending a praying mantis and a good friend.

The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:11-12 "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.'" The Lord has good plans. He wants us to call upon Him. He wants us to talk to Him about our worries, concerns, and agenda. He wants to hear from us and us to hear from Him.

What our your concerns today? Are you calling upon the Lord?