They Say I'm Supposed to be Branded

This past weekend the small town I live in was met with some unhappy protestors. In their bright red shirts with pictures of crosses on them the group walked around handing out pamphlets that spoke against (among other things):

• Obamacare
• Islam
• Homosexuality
• Abortion

No matter what you think of these different topics, one thing is clear: that is way too much for one brochure. It looked like an exercise to see how many inflammatory topics you could fit on one sheet of paper. Perhaps the most unsettling thing was that each diatribe in the pamphlet was coupled with a less-than-inviting gospel messages.

Here’s the thing: I’m a huge fan of the right to protest and freedom of speech. Even if I disagree with you I respect the right to protest. Actually, I’m glad for protests. But I think that when we as Christians get the word out there it is best for us to stick to one topic at a time. Are we looking to get people to hear the gospel, or are we trying to spread a pro-life message? Pick one and go for it. That way the wires don’t get crossed and it is easier to have a discussion without unnecessarily offending the audience. The gospel is offensive enough, no need to help it out.

Also, it’s a bad sign for your protest if none of the churches in town support your methods. We have very good, active churches in town and none of us wanted to be on board with this protest for its blatant disregard for peace and level-headed discussion.

In short, get your messages out there. Go for it! But let’s remember to keep civil and keep it down to a few points.

My brother had an excellent suggestion lately for a book called No Man Knows My History by Fawn M. Brodie. It is about Joseph Smith, the man who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as Mormonism.

You don’t have to know us long to understand that we are both passionate about debunking Mormonism. There are many reasons for this, but the most obvious one is that Mormonism is a pretty blatant sham. It doesn’t take much digging beneath the surface to discover that Joseph Smith was a man very given to imaginations so long as they accomplished his goals. Since Nick did an awesome seminar on this topic and we did several episodes of our Glowing Nose Podcast about Mormonism, I’ll spare the details. Though it is apparent to me, many are drawn to the LDS church because they (to make generalizations) emphasize good morals, are clean, and have a strong community. In fact, that has been their legacy from basically their start. So, though the belief system is shaky at best, folks follow.

Today I want to talk about avoiding obvious errors. One of the most common arguments I hear when sharing my faith in Jesus is that there are so many religions. How could I possibly claim to have the right one? Which brings me back to Mormonism and Joseph Smith. A cursory look at the history and theology of the religion would quickly give you reason to doubt the authenticity of this belief system. Go back to the beginning. See the obvious thread in Joe’s life where he changes his mind to fit his circumstances, note his bent for lies and money digging, his dabbling in the occult. Put that together and it is easy to see that the man had wrong motives.

One religion down, several more to go.

Rather than run down the list, I’d encourage you to think the others yourself. Are you willing to believe something that is an obvious lie? If not, then you have to discard the trash and look for the truth.

If you believe that there is a Higher Power out there, it should lead you to search for who He is and be prepared to let what you learn change you, not the other way around. Start with the founders of the religion and work your way up. Look beyond the behavior of its followers (good or bad) and seek out the core. I’d strongly suggest cutting to the chase: find Jesus in the Bible and read the book of John. That’s the real deal.

And I’d love to hear what is on your mind! Let me know!

After yet another friend of mine walking away from their faith over this, I feel obligated to put out a warning…

The modern church seems dead-set on pushing a verse into our collective brains that appears only twice in the entire Bible. This would not be a problem if this verse were not held up as the sole theology a lot of people know, but it is.

Did you know that the phrase “God is love” appears only twice?  It also occurs in the same book and the same chapter. 1 John 4:8 and 4:16. To understand what it means, it is important to look at what the writer is referring to. In both instances, the evidence of God’s love is that Christ died on the cross for us. That’s it. The verse does not imply that God’s love is demonstrated any other way than that Jesus died for our sins. 

It does not mean: 
I can keep sinning, that God will not allow people to go to Hell,  homosexuality is okay because it is a form of love, having an affair with my secretary is okay, driving over the speed limit is permissible, starting unjust wars is okay, and it does not mean that He is required to give me whatever I ask for.

This one phrase does not negate the entire rest of the Bible. The truth is that the god that we push in modern Christianity often does not reflect the true God of the Bible. The God of the Bible does lay down rules, He does have ways he wants us to live. This God does still show His wrath (the greatest act of wrath in the Bible is in the New Testament — Christ’s dying on the cross). In fact there is tons of wrath in the New Testament: Revelation, Jesus on the cross, God vaporizing a couple in Acts for lying about their gifts, etc. Not only that, but He commands us to love other believers, no matter how vile they are, no matter how they vote, or what they think about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. That is a hard thing to do sometimes. And we are told to keep each other accountable for our actions, not just overlook them when someone is being nuts. Also very difficult.

This is important because too many people have walked away from their faith claiming that they were scared away by a doctrine or by “Christians”. If I hear that quote about liking Christ but not Christians one more time… The fact is, Christians are not the foundation of this religion, Christ is. So, until you have a complaint about Christ, don’t go leaving the faith. Otherwise, you suggest that you never really believed in the God of the Bible in the first place, but something you wanted to believe in because it fit your agenda.

The truth is, there are things that every one of us struggles with that come from the Bible, stuff that we kinda wish wasn’t there. But if we’re going to believe Jesus is alive, we have to be willing to let the Bible change us, not try to change it to fit us. It takes time, humility, and a willingness to look at big pictures. But, man, is it worth it. 

Both of my new novels are dramas. I don’t know what got me interested in drama, but it happened a long time ago. I’ve been bouncing back and forth between comedies and dramas for years, long before we started making films. The first movie, Between the Walls, was a drama. My third book (unpublished and, mercifully, never read) was a drama. But why does a guy who loves comedy as much as I do get himself tangled up in drama?

While discussing my new novels with friends and the kind of stuff I read and watch, I’ve seen a strong trend. I’ve come to realize that I like drama because it hits me deep in the gut, makes me sit up and pay attention, and resonates in my soul. That’s why I love Les Miserables (they’re making a movie of the musical! Praise God…), Puccini operas, and the music of Jessica Ripka.

Her new album (all of five dollars, and worth every penny) includes a song called “Actress” that is all about trying to win the love of another by putting on a face for them. It… is… heartbreaking and lovely, maybe my favorite on the album. In full disclosure, Jess has been a friend of mine for almost twelve years now and I have been her fan for a long time. But this album has a heightened orchestration, mature tones, and a very strong recording, setting it high above her already excellent work.

And I love this song… Because it speaks to something that I think we all know about. It’s not a strong bargaining position, but we want people to love us and sometimes do silly things to make that happen. That is a real thing, my friends. And it is what I look for in movies, TV, and music. If I may make a bold sweeping statement, I think it’s what our generation is looking for — something real.

What do you look for in your entertainment?

You know… Nick and I have had a lot of products over the years! One of the odd things about that is trying to keep them all alive while you work on the next project (my novels being the next thing in the pipeline). Pint Size Parables is one of these projects. We made them to be sermon illustrations and to so a Christian version of homestarrunner.com. 

What we want to see is these videos going viral. All that means is getting you and your friends to share this one. What would that help? Good question! It would mean that I’d have a better audience with the publishers and could get folks to take interest in them. And you can help! Just by passing along this video…

What are some good rules for roommates? I think we’ve all had some rough patches with college roommates, or those that make you feel sorry for their future spouses. I see being a roommate as good practice for marriage — it reminds us that there are others on this planet than ourselves. For me, it also keeps me from getting too rooted in my own routines.

And doing just a few small things can show your roommates that you respect them. Cleanliness is a sign of respect. Keeping your word, paying rent on time, all of that is showing respect.

So, seeing as though I have lived with a lot of people, I thought it would be helpful to assemble a list of helpful tips for roommates:

• Laundry Detergent is not a Cover-Up for Not Showering -  Also important to note is the fact that too much soap stuffed into a washer that is already cramped will not get your clothes extra clean. It just leaves you smelling like Xtra.
• Morning Showering Makes No Sense -It means that you sleep in your filth all night and then your sheets (which you probably never wash) smell like sweaty you.
• The Snooze Button is Not an Option -This is especially important with roommates who share an actual room with you. Set your alarm for when you will actually get up and then follow through on that plan. This rule also applies when you don’t share a room. No apartment in the world is insulated enough to block out your clock. In fact, your neighbors might appreciate your sacrifice too!
• Do the Dishes - Easy enough. And if you are standing in the kitchen anyway, why not do the whole sink worth? How economical! It may mean not texting for two minutes, but nothin’ says respect to roommates like a clean kitchen.
• If Your Friend Has Slept on the Couch for More Than a Week, He’s Paying Rent.

Maybe this will be a series…

What about you? What are some rules around your place for roommates? Do you do a schedule for chores? What are some horror stories (ie times you learned patience in Christian speak)?

In thinking about a future post, I’d like to know what you think is the minimum amount an American family of four can live on… Put your thoughts on the comment section or on the Facebook page.

Thanks!

If you haven’t already seen this, you should. This video reminds me of the joys of growing up with supportive parents who were always quick to give their kids a furnace box to play with. Supportive parents are really important to the growth of a child. 

One of the best gifts we ever got from our parents was a pile of dirt. 

Just about once a year, my parent’s got a delivery of dirt for their garden dumped in the turnaround of our driveway. And each year before they smoothed it out across the yard they let us play in it with our Tonka trucks. 

Best. Gift. Ever.

They let us be creative. I would ask my mom if I could use a roll of tin foil to make things out of and she gave it to me. If we needed loads of boxes for a fort, my dad found them.

How can you support the kids in your life?

And God bless every person who buys lemonade at a roadside stand or purchases a fun pass. I buy lemonade all the stinking time in the summer.

Ya’ll know what’s going on…

One of the resolutions I recently made was to find a pastor/ public speaker that I really liked. I’m one of those kids who grew up listening to Moody Radio via headphones as I went to bed (What? You didn’t???). So, I’ve heard just about every variety of sermon based on Jesus walking on water. It’s actually a really big issue for me, something that snags me a lot of times and (regrettably) drives a wedge between me and God’ people.

So, wasn’t I excited when one of my friends recommended that I look up some of the sermons from this year’s Shepherd’s Conference. That’s how I came across this sermon by Austin Duncan called “I Can’t Find Dating in the Bible”. Here is why I love this sermon so much — it is willing to admit that we sometimes make our opinions into doctrines that get imposed on others. And he doesn’t leave it there — he’s willing to challenge us to stick to what is in the Bible and let that shape us.

What a rare treat! My hat is off to Mr. Duncan. 

I can’t tell you how much the fear of other people’s opinions has shaped my work in the past. I remember when Nick and I would sit around and have long theological discussions debating whether or not we could include playing cards in a scene (Between the Walls) or whether or not Terry (Bringing up Bobby) could actually wear a pantsuit. Some men find pants offensive on women, and entire congregations are terrified of playing cards. But they were things we felt needed to be there, so there they are. Maybe that’s why they aren’t selling… cursed pantsuit!

Even writing this blog is somewhat terrifying. What if someone out there is reading this and will not buy my books because I liked something from the Shepherd’s Conference??? These are real fears we have, and it limits my freedom in Christ because I’m so concerned about what the legalists will think. Yes, I need to not cause others to stumble, but, let’s face it, it’s just plain impractical for women to wear dresses all of the time.

Am I right? And where does it say that homeschool moms have to wear denim jumpers? It doesn’t. So why is it a federal case when one doesn’t?

Thanks, Mr. Duncan. I hope to hear more from you soon!

P.S. - How does it impact you when you see folks making a practical application into doctrine? Let me know!