Bathroom Quarrels

I enjoy following politics and I have my fair share of opinions that I’m more than happy to debate with those who may disagree with me, but as I look at a lot of the headlines lately it seems like a lot of folks are only fighting because they don’t know any other way.  For me the whole transgender bathroom issue is representative of this.  It’s just the latest issue they have at their disposal to remain angry at the opposition.  Contrary to how some are trying to portray it, I just don’t think the transgender bathroom issue is that big of a deal. 

Having said that, I can already hear the counter argument that goes something like this; “What if your own child had to go into a bathroom with a transgender person?”  Okay, let’s play that argument out.  When our children are young we go into the bathroom with them so no real worries there.  As they get a bit older we start letting them go in the bathroom on their own and we will occasionally step inside just to make sure everything is okay. Eventually they become old enough and we are no longer concerned about their wellbeing when they have to use a bathroom.  So let’s say your child has reached that age and they go into a bathroom on their own and they encounter someone who strikes them as a little confusing in appearance.  What would happen?  They’d probably come out and tell you about the person they just saw and perhaps this might lead to a good parent-child educational moment.  Would that be the end of the world?  And let’s also be honest about the likelihood of all of this happening as well.  Think about the percentage of those who are transgender, and then think about the likelihood of your child being at the age where they start going into bathrooms on their own and then going into a particular bathroom at the exact same time a transgender person goes.  What are we talking about here, maybe 1 in 100,000? 

It seems to me to be just another issue people can use to make mountains out of molehills and keep on fighting.  As someone who is a Christian and leans conservative, once upon a time I used to get pretty worked up about the culture wars.  But I must admit I now find I’m tiring of them.  Don’t get me wrong; I do think there are plenty of things worth standing up for; I’m just not all that interested in getting worked up over the lesser things.  I think the powers that be in North Carolina were simply looking to keep a fight going when they passed that law.  I also thing President Obama took the bait on the other side of the issue in trying to allow transgender kids their right to choose the bathroom they want in public schools.  Is all of this really about rights or is it more about trying to stay angry at the other side?  2^nd Timothy 2:23-24 comes to mind.  Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil.  I don’t want to get caught up in foolish ignorant controversies because I know I can have a tendency to be too quarrelsome, so I think I’ll sit this one out.

Sex, Drugs, Rock-n-Roll, and Dead Guys

Since the passing of Prince more and more seems to be coming out about his addiction to a various assortment of drugs.  I highly doubt anyone is surprised by this.  It seems to be the norm for so many in the entertainment industry.  I recently posted a question on Facebook that drew the ire of some of my Facebook friends.  I asked “am I the only one who remembers Prince as a creepy and perverted little guy?”  The Prince defenders came out hard and fast.  Perhaps it was a bit too early to pose such a question.  Understandably when someone passes we try and focus on the good things we remember about them.  In the case of Prince I received a lot of posts about his awesome guitar playing skills, his ability to entertain (although in hindsight we’re discovering that ability was primarily fueled by drugs) and his humanitarian efforts.  These are all legitimate points, which makes his probable death by overdose all the more frustrating.  Why did he have to do drugs in the first place?  Why do so many in the entertainment industry get involved with not only drugs but a life of debauchery in general?  I’m getting a little tired of people talking about the demons that must have plagued their life every time another musician or actor dies from drug use.  Somewhere along the way, long before they ever become addicted to any kind of drug, these people made conscious decisions to do something they knew may not be good for them in the end.  They choose a “party and player” lifestyle all on their own.  That’s where the old “sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll” saying comes from in the music industry.  It seems the money and fame comes and they just can’t help themselves.  Except they can help themselves.  They just choose not to.  They can make a conscious choice to not get involved in risky behavior.  While it may seem like they all do drugs, we know that’s not true either.  There are no doubt plenty who don’t.  Plenty with tough backgrounds, coming from dysfunctional families, who still don’t.  Plenty who are able to say “I’m not going to use the difficulties in my life as an excuse to get involved in such a lifestyle.”

The book of Proverbs is full of passages about the long life we can have by pursuing wisdom and righteousness and the short life we have when pursuing a life of debauchery.  Perhaps Proverbs 10:27 is the one that sums it up the best.  The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.  I have to admit I found the Message translation of this verse sadly funny when considering the recent death of Prince.  The fear of God expands your life; a wicked life is a puny life.  But I really don’t want this blog entry to be about poking fun of Prince.  The truth is none of us are perfect and we all have struggles.  I really do hope that Prince was able to discover what it means to be a follower of Christ.  I hope he was able to discover God’s love and grace for him.  But the evidence thus far isn’t encouraging.  I’m concerned that all that humanitarian stuff we have heard about him doing was done based on a false religion.  One that emphasizes good works to earn your salvation, instead of excepting God’s love and grace through the person and work of His son Jesus Christ and choosing to live one’s life for Him.  It occurs to me there are a lot of folks in the entertainment industry living incredibly sinful lives while at the same time doing a lot of good, getting involved in charities, and the like.  Why do you suppose that is?  Could it be they view their lives on some sort of cosmic scale?  And they’re hoping that the good is going to outweigh the bad when it comes to the sex and drugs part?  Could it be that’s what Prince was doing?  It wouldn’t surprise me. 

If you get nothing else from reading this blog, please know this one thing; the order matters.  We can’t perform good works to somehow earn a right relationship with God.  We have to accept God’s love and grace for us first and give our lives to Him, and then the good works just come naturally as a response to the love God has shown us in the first place.  The only thing the first order gets us is an eternity separated from God.  Accepting God’s love for us and choosing to live for Him first on the other hand gets us eternal life after death and abundant life in the present; a life that has no need for drugs.  Which order are you choosing?   

Shrewd as Snakes and Innocent as Doves in a World Full of Wolves

This Sunday I will be preaching on a section of Matthew 10 that includes the following verse.  I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.  Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.  This was Jesus speaking to his 12 apostles about to be sent out to do ministry in His name, and it wasn’t going to be easy.  When given the picture of persecution Jesus goes on to paint it’s not something most of us would want to sign up for.  And yet if anyone claims to be a follower of Jesus then signing up for it is exactly what we have done.  But why do we have to be sheep in this metaphor?  Sheep aren’t exactly impressive or fierce animals.  I’ve never heard of any sports team mascots as sheep.  Bears, Lions, Bulls, Tigers, and Sharks yes, but never a cute little lamb.  But perhaps that is the point Jesus is making.  It’s a reminder that He is the shepherd.  He is the one who will be watching over us and we need to remain humble and rely on Him.

But make no mistake we are called to go into this world among the wolves.  I’m calling on all my fellow Christians reading this to remember that.  It’s sometimes so easy for church folk to stay in their own little Christian bubble only associating with other Christians.  Let’s face it; that’s just not biblical.  I’m at that stage in life where my son is about to make a decision on what college to attend and that’s got me thinking about this Christian bubble concept a bit more.  A couple of the schools he has applied to are Christian.  I’m okay with that.  I graduated from a Christian college myself.  But I have to say I’m glad he has not chosen to apply to some of the more fundamental and strict options out there.  Because the more rules and regulations there are, the less it resembles anything like the real world.  My college used to have a tag line that I always loved; “Freedom within a framework of faith.”  I think that captures the proper balance a Christian school should have.  I don’t mean this blog entry to turn into one about college choices so I’ll stop here.  My point is whether its school or any other area of life I think we need to be intentional about remaining in this world God has called us to.

And in this world we need to be shrewd as snakes and innocent at doves.  That snake reference goes all the way back to Genesis chapter 3 when the serpent is referred to as the shrewdest or craftiest of all the animals.  When you look at the term shrewd from that perspective it seems quite negative knowing the serpent represents Satan.  But to be shrewd in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  Many business minded and successful people in this world would be considered shrewd.  A shrewd business person is often insightful and will seize opportunities and leverage them for the good of their company.  And all of that can be done with integrity, although many times it’s not.  There can be a dark side to shrewdness.  If you are shrewd with less than scrupulous intentions and motivations that’s when it can be a very bad thing indeed; which is why Jesus follows up with the command to be as innocent as doves.  Our innocence gets at those intentions and motivations.  Our innocence gets at what is really going on in our hearts, and God calls on us to have clean hands and a pure heart.

I’m thankful to have a number very successful people in my life who have done incredibly well in their vocations who are great examples for me.  I can say of these men and women I’m thinking of that they are both shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.  They have followed the example of Jesus and been servant-leaders in their areas of business.  I have an uncle who worked at one of the nation’s top accounting firms.  He did so well he was able to retire at age 55.  He didn’t retire early so he could enjoy the easy life; he retired early so he and my aunt could head off to China and do mission work.  That’s a “shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves” lifestyle you can look up to; which brings me to one final thought on the current presidential election.  Don’t you think being shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves could be a good metaphor for helping us choose who to vote for?  My hunch is if we only used the shrewd as snakes part one candidate in particular might rise to the top.  A certain businessman who has shrewdly made a lot of money.  Now throw in the innocent as doves part for the same guy.  I don’t think I have to write anything else.  You can figure it out from there. 

As we all live our lives in the midst of this crazy mixed up world, may we all remain as shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.

       

Just Wondering

Just a few things meandering around in this messed up head of mine.

Just wondering….. How is it that during the M.V.P. ceremony at the Superbowl Ray Lewis who was likely an accomplice to murder gets cheered, and Tom Brady who may or may not of had a role in deflating a football or two gets booed?

Just wondering….. Is any of the stuff Donald Trump is spewing true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy? (Philippians 4:8)

Just wondering….. When Ted Cruz discovered a female actor in one of his commercials used to do porn, why did he take the commercial off the air?  As a Christian couldn’t you make a good case for forgiveness and grace by keeping it on the air? 

Just wondering….. If you’re giving something up for Lent are you doing it out of tradition and obligation or are you making it a true act of worship to God?

Just wondering….. If it’s okay that I’m a New England Patriots fan and I’m happy that Peyton Manning got his second ring?  I think he’s probably nowhere near the saint the media makes him out to be, but then again he would say the same.  In an article I read on him recently he said he’s not perfect but he is forgiven.  He’s a Christian from the age of 15 but chooses not to be outspoken about his faith and to let his actions do the talking.  I’m okay with that and in some ways find it refreshing.  I’m not all that convinced that pointing to the sky after touchdowns or thanking God in the post-game interview does a whole lot to promote Christianity anyway.

Just wondering….. As someone who is more conservative than not, should I be upset about Beyonce’s Superbowl halftime tribute to the Black Panther movement?  I realize they promoted violence as opposed to peaceful protesting, but I’m still struggling to get too worked up over it.  It's harmless entertainment and unlike past halftime shows at least she kept her clothes on..... although I suppose there wasn't a whole lot there to take off.

Just wondering….. Speaking of the halftime show, is it blasphemous of me to suggest that I think Bruno Mars may be an even better dancer/entertainer than Michael Jackson was?

Just wondering….. With all this talk of Beyonce and Bruno do I need to have my man card taken away?  

Just wondering….. if it’s okay that I’m still not all that impressed with most Christian movies.  Don’t get me wrong; I love that more and more of them are coming out and folks are getting out and seeing them, but in an honest moment I still find most of them to be unrealistic and even occasionally insulting to one’s intelligence.  I think progress has been made with Christian movies, but we still have a long way to go.

Just wondering….. If you are tired of my wondering.  Well at least you’ve made it to the end.  May the Lord draw you close in this Lenten season and may you know the power of the resurrection of Jesus in your life.

Terrorism, Gun Control, and A Christian Response

In the wake of recent terrorist attacks I find I’m thinking more and more about the gun control issue.  For whatever it’s worth, my two cents to follow.

I’m wondering why politicians always seem to make a big deal out of gun control after a mass shooting.  I know as some of you read that you’re thinking “if a politician is for more gun control isn’t that the exact time they should bring it up?”  Yes, I suppose so but here’s what I’m getting at.  I agree that we have a gun violence issue in our country, but I also believe mass shootings are not our biggest concern when it comes to gun violence.  They make up a minute fraction of overall gun deaths; less than a tenth of one percent to be exact.  By comparison its estimated gang related gun deaths make up around 80%.  Eighty percent!  Maybe our focus should be more about what we can do to get guns off our city streets.  Maybe it would be helpful to see politicians speaking up about this issue a bit more and proposing stricter legislation around hand guns.  I came across another interesting statistic the other day.  When you look at mass shooting deaths per one million, America ranks 9^th behind many countries with stricter gun control laws than ours.  I’m not saying we shouldn’t find ways to try and reduce mass shootings, I guess I’m just saying there doesn’t seem to be a direct correlation between gun control and gun deaths.  There are many other variables to consider.

More importantly, I’m thinking a lot lately about what the Christian stance should be.  To profess to being a Christian is to profess to being a follower of Jesus Christ.  So would Jesus be in favor of more gun control?  Would he want to ban all fire arms and do away with the second amendment all together?  Personally I have a hard time saying yes to those questions but here’s what I do know; Jesus is always about life.  He came that we might have life and life to the full (John 10:10).  Jesus sees value and dignity in all people.  Poor people, rich people, Republicans, Democrats, old people, unborn people; everyone! We can also safely say he was against violence in general in his command to turn the other cheek and when he told Peter to put away his sword.  For me personally, when I think of these things it’s one of the reasons why I have no real desire to own a gun.  Don’t miss me on this.  I’m still in favor of the second amendment, and if I ever find myself staring down the barrel of someone else’s gun I’m hopeful there will be a third party somewhere nearby ready to exercise his right to bear arms on my behalf.  But should I not be so lucky, I’m okay with my time being up whenever that might be.  And I’ll trust that the example I’ve shown as a follower of Christ will live on in those who have been a part of my life.  I trust they will say of me, “that Pete Axelson was the real deal; he really loved God and loved others.”  That’s enough for me.    

Four Observations on the Starbucks Red Cup Fiasco

For the record as I write this I’m sitting in my local Panera and not the Starbucks down the street, although my reason for that has nothing to do with Starbucks choice of cups.  It’s because THE PRICE OF COFFEE AND COFFEE RELATED PRODUCTS AT STARBUCKS IS ABSURD!  That and for my tastes nothing at Starbucks can beat Panera’s cinnamon crunch bagel.  Since it seems to be everywhere I look these days I thought I would share my thoughts on the recent Starbucks news.

1.     The guy who started this is publicity driven and probably cares more about his image than legitimate Christian concerns.  I should note I’m not using his name on purpose because I don’t want to draw any more attention to him.

2.     No right thinking Christian agrees with him.  There are plenty of things Christians should get upset about.  This isn’t one of them.  Remember, just because a video goes viral doesn’t mean everyone who watches that video agrees with what’s being said. I’m sure many watch his videos with more of a “what’s this idiot rambling on about now” attitude.

3.     More liberal leaning Christians need to realize this isn’t a conservative Christian thing.  Perhaps just as disappointing to me as the video was the numerous liberal Christian voices decrying this as a problem with the evangelical right wing Christian movement.  It’s almost like they were happy to point this out as a right wing Christian issue.  It was simply more ammo in their efforts to rail against what they see as what’s wrong with more conservative leaning Christians.  I feel like some need to be reminded that we’re all on the same team; saved by grace and living for Jesus.

4.     The culture war is real and worth fighting for.  What Starbucks decides to put on their cups for the Christmas season need not be a part of the culture war, but there are plenty of other issues worth taking a stand for.  On social media, many rightly pointed out our call as Christians to care for the widow, the orphan, the sick, the poor, etc.  The problem comes when they add “instead of getting caught up in culture wars.”  It shouldn’t be an “either or” kind of thing, it should be about both.  Yes we seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus caring for the least of these, and yes we also seek to take a stand for Christian values in our communities and the nation.  Jesus came to this earth full of grace and truth (John 1:14) and we too can be full of grace as we care for others and stand for truth as we seek to make a difference in our world.

Deciphering God's Will

I’ve been thinking a lot about God’s will lately; His will in my life and His will for things in general.  I suppose His will for things in general is a bit easier to grasp.  How about anything that helps to bring about His kingdom here on earth?  I say that both in terms of people coming to relationship with God through Jesus Christ as well as the social aspects of bringing about His kingdom and making our world a better more loving place for God’s glory.

But what about our personal lives?  I think both of my grandmothers prayed for me to find the right wife from the time they knew I was conceived.  I guess they did well because after 23 years I still love my wife more than ever and can’t imagine my life without her.  But was she the only one for me?  On a similar note my son is a senior in high school and looking at colleges.  Should I be praying that he finds the one specific college that is God’s will for him?  Or on a more superfluous note, my mom always used to pray for a good parking spot when we would go to the mall or similar places.  If she got that spot was it God’s will, and if she didn’t get that spot did God want us to get some exercise?

I’ve always like Romans 12:1-2 when it comes to figuring out all this will of God stuff.  Therefore I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good pleasing and perfect will.  Here’s what I think this passage is telling us.  I think it’s telling us that God’s will isn’t so much about the specifics of life as it is about wholeheartedly living your life for Him.  To offer our bodies as living sacrifices is to give every aspect of our lives over to God.  So often we like to pick and choose the areas we want to give to God and the areas we want to hang on to for ourselves.  God is also in the business of transforming lives, but we usually have a part to play in that transformation (Sorry if that last sentence offends some of my Calvinist leaning friends out there). When our hearts are stubborn we can quench the Holy Spirit’s work in us so we need to be open to and desire God’s transforming work.  When we are our minds are renewed.  That is we start thinking about things differently.  We start thinking about things more like Jesus thought about things.  The desires of God’s heart become the desires of our own hearts.

The more this transformation takes place the more we find ourselves in line with God’s will for our lives.  So let’s get back to some of those specific situations.  Do you have a girlfriend or boyfriend you think might be the one?  How about you start by making sure both of you are allowing God to do His transforming work in your lives and that you’re giving your entire relationship over to Him.  If you’re doing this than I say you are in God’s will.  You’ll still want to get a feel for whether or not your boyfriend or girlfriend is a good complement to your personality and if you naturally get along and think of him or her as a best friend.  These are things that may help a marriage to thrive but they are not necessarily about God’s will.  Or to use the college example; no I don’t think there is just one college out there for you; or one grad school, or one career for that matter.  Students, if you’re planning to use college as a time to party, womanize (or manize) and conveniently forget about the convictions of your faith than it doesn’t matter what school you choose, you will not be in God’s will.  On the other hand if you take Romans 12:1-2 seriously and seek to worship God with all aspects of your life than you can pick any college and still be in God’s will.

I think when we start to see God’s will in this light it becomes very freeing. Suddenly there’s not so much pressure surrounding all those big decisions; like finding the right parking spot.