politically homeless?

---

Once upon a time...

there was a rich, famous man who became political,

who was known for regularly building huge structures,

who barked at people regarding what he thought

and who generally didn't care what they replied back to him.

His name was Pharaoh.

Pharaoh was popular among a certain segment of people who liked those things about him.

Then again, there were other people who wished some sort of plague would swoop in and take him out of the spotlight.

---

Once upon a time...

there was a man who was a public servant known for slamming the wealthy.

Some people nicknamed him Robin Hood.

Remember Robin Hood? He was either a villain or a hero, depending on who you spoke with.

Maybe he was both.

Perhaps it was an appropriate nickname for many reasons, for by all means he was within the system yet outside of it; he had resources but didn't take resources. 

In fact, at the end of the day he was sort of a hard guy to pin down.

Should he really be in power?

---

Hi, my name is Tony Myles and I am politically homeless.

What I mean by that is I have no interest in living under the roof of a particular political party.

Can we still be friends? I ask because I can already hear some of you cracking your knuckles to reply.

I wrote the two anecdotes above not to stir up trouble but to make a point - every human leader is flawed and can be stereotyped away so we don't have to pay attention. To top it off, messing with someone's candidate is like messing with that person's family. I get that.

But... do you? 

Do you get how they aren't your family, but you think they are?

I've spent multiple elections trying to help people lean into praying for wisdom in how they vote. Voting, after all, is a human idea that doesn't always reflect the truth and will of God. We have this belief that if many people say something must be a certain way that we have no choice but to agree.

Voting never has, nor never will, overpower the pure truth of God or His standards. 

What's common isn't Normal. What's Normal isn't common.

Another hurdle is there are many people who aren't sure that they fall into one camp 100%, if even 10%. Rather than jumping into another round of "WE'VE GOT SPIRIT, YES WE DO! WE'VE GOT SPIRIT, HOW 'BOUT YOU?" they elect (pun intended) to not elect.

I'm not sure that's entirely the best approach either.

Here's what I believe about all of that, right or wrong:

• The issues matter more than the candidates: You'll likely never in my lifetime hear who "my candidate" or "my party" is. God is my leader in all things, and I believe what He cares about and proclaims transcends party lines. In fact, to be even clearer - what God cares about and proclaims transcends even my personal preferences or previous affiliations. If you or I are inclined to vote on something a certain way that conflicts with something He's made clear, then we are the ones who are to change - not Him.
• The Gospel matters more than the parties: Jesus' teachings are highly political yet incredibly bi-partisan. As a follower of Christ and a Story-teller of His Story, I am called to do what I can where I can while realizing I can't do it all. No human platform, speech or rally cry - not even the snarkiest of Internet/meme graphics - can overshadow even the smallest punctuation marks of the Bible.
• The Church matters more than the government: Someone just got really angry reading that. Again, apologies... but not really. I can't use the title "God" without letting Him be God. Makes sense, right? He gets to be first in all things. His agenda matters more than anyone's agenda. He says everyone in the whole world matters and not just one country. He says we're to go all into the world to make this known because eternity is a bigger deal than the next four years. Granted, the next four years play into eternity, but the mission of the Church must always take precedence over the mission of government. They work hand-in-hand sometimes, and we can show our faith in how we treat our rulers, but again - they are different.
• The faith matters more than the skills: While I know none of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are perfect, I have a sense that many of them are teachable. You have to be in order to follow God. I'd like to see that in a political candidate a bit more than mere skills. Meaning, I'd love to see an "all-in" follower of Jesus who nods His life before God every day than someone who speaks well and plays political games better than others. If we only vote for the lesser of two evils, we're still voting for a form of evil.

Why did I write all of this?

Why does any of this matter?

1. I have strangely angered people simply by talking about politics. There are people in my life who constantly post about political topics, from the economy to sexuality; from health care to the poor. It's all worth talking about, because these are issues God does have perspective and guidance for us on. My hurdle is I sometimes find that if I even dip my toe into those waters I lose friends. Literally... I can think of five people right now who scaled back their friendship from me simply because I said, "You know, here's another way to think about this." For real.
2. People want to know what I believe. As a pastor I understand that this is not my role in their lives. While I will happily give people a framework of things to think about, I've found that promoting a party or a candidate is ridiculous. I'd rather introduce people to Jesus and let Him work inside of them and reshape how they handle the political piece of their lives. To top it off, there are legit Christians in both of the major parties - and following Jesus together is one thing we can agree on. 
3. I see too many of my friends just recycling what they already think and labeling others who think differently. If you assume someone else is idiotic, stupid or anything in this realm for not thinking as you do then you're missing out on a key truth in the world - everyone generally is trying to do what they think is right, whether or not it actually is. If we can speak to one another personally versus with punchlines, perhaps we could form a real relationship that transcends the topics.

So...

have you read all of this up until this point to simply see if you can I match up so you know what to write in the comments?

I'd suggest instead we keep growing, praying and developing.

The main way God wants to change the world is by changing people.

Maybe we can be two of them?

"But the people refused to listen... 'No!' they said. 'We want a king over us.'" (1 Samuel 8:19)

rant: who's right about rights?

I don't often get into arguments about "This country was founded on _____, so ______" with people. However, I posted this on a friend's blog regarding whether or not government should impose morality on people, especially in light of issues regarding the gay community, marriage, and everything else that combination stirs up.

----------------

Unfortunately, any time you have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, you run into the problem of who is the loudest voice. Our heritage has paved the way for marriage to be defined heterosexually, which in many cases stems out of a Judeo-Christian belief. So it isn't a reach to say that morality is a part of government since the people who started the government had a sense of morality to do so.

There was that whole, "What England is doing to us isn't right, so let's have a revolution." This is steeped in morality, is it not?

Since that whole thing is "worked out," why should we be surprised or objectionable when morality continues to be a factor in how we live and govern? Granted, the sinfulness of man keeps creating a snowball of obliviousness to our own blind spots and rationalizations, so why shouldn't we grab back onto the very values that started this country to begin with? Again, values in many cases have their roots in a Judeo-Christian belief?

As a Christian, I have no issue with realizing that the sinfulness of man will always rationalize manufactured rights while only an unchanging God gets to call the shots on what does and doesn't qualify. It's our understanding of God that changes, and sometimes that change isn't always for the better... other times it is.

I wonder which one this is.

Thanks for the dialogue.

----------------

As a side note, may we never presume that heterosexual sin isn't as powerfully rippling as homosexual sin. The Good News is that the love and direction of God is more powerful than us all, lest we be stuck in a place that our own weakness couldn't get us out of.

secretary day?

As of this writing, nothing is official. But the news seems to want to indicate that Hillary Clinton will be taking a Secretary of State role under the new President.

I always wondered about that "secret meeting" she and Obama had toward the end of the Democratic ticket race, figuring it would be a Supreme Court nomination.

Either way, I find that sometimes politics remind me of high school. Perhaps you do, too.

rant: this really isn't another political post

Cute, eh? Of course, only because we're all so burnt out on political ads. It was reported that the highest amount of money ever was spent on ad campaigns for this election, and almost every one seemed like a jab against another in order. Apparently we believe you make youself look better by making another look worse... which gets back to the childhood kind of thinking.

I recently found this website that allows you to manipulate an ad to show how easy it is to make a candidate sound great or awful. Even MTV decided to let its airwaves finally allow political ads - something that they've never done up until this particular election. Hmm.

In light of all of that (and on the heels of my last post), I have a bit of a rant...

I have a hard time when Christians are quick to demolish others with their words, fists, and fingers (whether they're pointing, or, well, being used as a profane symbol). Not that anyone asked me to do that, but man... what if instead of just avoiding that we chose to run in the other direction more often that we do?

There comes a point when you have to stand for the essentials, but I don't believe that means the goal is to destroy or belittle others in the process. It's easy to promote yourself by being against things... it's harder (yet more authentic) to promote what you are for and let that be enough. I've seen this in way too many churches, including new ones that try to establish a draw by talking about all the things they aren't - "We're not like those guys over there," they'll begin, "because they are stuffy and we are hip."

Unfortunately, this isn't anything new under the sun. Some of the early church fathers missed the boat when Catholics and Protestants spent a lot of time making snarky pictures of each other to make their points. Ironically, it was often the same picture... like a "fraid not," "fraid so" mentality.

Although both sides claimed to be the true church of Christ, their little sketches seemed to be less about reconciliation and more about manipulation... in many cases it was less about God and more an almost political struggle of who was right. I'm sure the goal started out well, but quite a few historians have cited these pictures as being more about control than theology - they had all the appearance of morality, yet by hardening their hearts they were actually denying its power.

Obviously, I write that as a Christ-follower who lives a "perfect" life and never puts anyone down.

*cough, cough*

Um...

But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. (Jude 1:17-19; KJV)

If that is you or I today, may we begin a new way of living starting now. It would seem God has provided a Way that embraces Truth and Grace and Love at the same time... not one at the expense of another. Yes, Jesus did say that He came to bring division... but that's His job, and it seems everwhere else I read in the Bible of someone causing division in the Church on purpose there are harsh words provided.

Conservatives? Liberals? Moderates? Writers? Rappers? Actors? Comedians? Pastors? Priests? Skinheads? Televangelists? All have something in common - they all believe that have a distinct version of the truth... but it takes the individual to really care and really readjust to what the truth is beyond what he/she thinks it is. Maybe it's easy to be a bully and a critic - to deconstruct instead of reconstruct... some may even gain a national radio audience off of it, but that doesn't make it right.

Again, I'm not perfect in this... but I won't use that as an excuse to try.

I am secure in that insecure journey, for I no longer feel the need to prove myself. I'm just tired of all the work that we can spend belittling others instead of joining God where He is working and celebrating that together.

Whether that's a "denomination," "village," "friendship," "network," "association," or a streak of "independence."

separation anxiety

Some days it feels like our hands hold the power of the world, and yet other days it seems impossible to get a grip on life. From pushing buttons to vote for a President to squeezing the nozzle at the gas station, our fingers grasp for something solid... and yet often slide right off whatever they grab.

Many suggest that we are living in confusing times, for a lot of everyday people find themselves in challenging situations. Perhaps this is why the cadence that both the Republican and Democratic candidates called out was one of "change" (and why "Joe the Plumber" became so iconic). The tension is clear - those who believe our hope is found in government have either been tremendously happy or exceedingly disappointed at the revelation of who our next president will be.

Here's the catch - no politician will ever be equipped to offer the hope that an entire nation seeks, let alone the global community. He might be able to fix a few matters here and there but our holes have been dug by or own hands... and the irony is that we keep digging more holes everyday. We believe the answer is "change," and yet that is a short-sighted reaction to a deeper matter altogether - we are separated from the Answer that is right in front of us.

Whether or not you believe in God, you have to admit that there is a great sickness we live with everyday. Its origins are in our rebellious hearts and its culmination is in our disconnection with our Creator, each other, and all of creation. The weeds in our lives are of our own making, and they can't be pruned by the leader of a country or in the passing of laws.

Only a Gardener can tend to the overgrown issues of the Garden...

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener." (John 15:1)

only a Healer can cure the sickness of our self-centeredness forever...

And the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all. (Luke 6:19)

only a Savior can pick us up out of our lifeless prisons and offer us an epic adventure unlike any other.

a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11b)

Yes, today is a day to celebrate that there are presidents and policemen and soldiers - external roles and structures in place to help us manage the logistics of living on planet earth. But let's rejoice even more that internal change can come about by the One who loves us most! Thankfully, His term is longer than 4-8 years... for only in Him does the matter of change become a permanent one.

For only in Him does separation get resolved.

"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." (Matthew 22:15-22)

a brief and final political rant

Hi. I'm an undecided voter with a few words of advice for all the decided voters.

Keep in mind that any of the promises and plans being made by dominant candidates will typically need the approval of the Senate and/or Congress.

So you may not be voting for what you think you voting for.

And keep in mind as well that until the questions of the American people become more selfless and bi-partisan, we will merely elect our favorite errand boy and call him President.

a guy whose business just got free national advertising

This is Joe the Plumber.

But you know him best as Joe the Policeman on the "What's Goin' Down?" episode of "Who's Momma Is Dat?"

someone's policies or everyone's responsibility?

Read this over on another blog - great insights.

Our banks aren't failing because of Bush's economic policies. Actually stronger links have been made to a Carter decision, which was morphed by Clinton into federal prodding of banks to make loans to unqualified applicants. But even those policies aren't completely to blame. We're in an economic mess because of our national greed.

Our appetite for more and better no matter the cost has led us to an empty trough. Our capacity for spending enormous amounts of money that we don't have via our own personal decks of credit cards has finally brought the house down.

deconstructing christian cliches - pt 3

This isn't a political post, but I am going to use political language to critique a Christian cliche that I saw in this week's Presidential debate. It involves a "NO" moment - a personal practice of mine where I deliberately say the word "NO" out loud when I hear something that is promoted as truth but actually isn't.

(Try it sometime.)

Toward the end of the debate, both candidates made affirming statements that declared their belief that America is a supreme force of good for the world, potentially in all of history.

Ah... "no."

It's Jesus Christ and His Church.

(I wonder if they would have said the same thing in front of Rick Warren's audience.)

I don't know if you've ever considered this, but what we call "patriotism" the early church called "idolatry." I know in saying that I run the risk of an ultra-patriotic Christian reading this and getting upset at me. That's fine... because I understand your passion and have heard it before in appropriate and inappropriate ways. For the record, I do enjoy the country I live in and I humbly appreciate the "rights" America has afforded me that I don't see in any other country to the same level.

But America isn't the ultimate hope of the world, and it's not where my ultimate allegiance lies. If you cut me, I don't bleed "USA!" - I bleed for Jesus. Ultimately, I am a Christ-follower and would be no matter what country I lived in... even the ones where it's illegal to do so. (It would just be trickier, of course... and at times downright fearful - especially if it involved violence to my household.)

Our sense of identity as people (or as a country) must not be found in an imperfect President-to-be, nor in his policies on the economy, nor in whether or not he has "great experience" or "fresh perspective."

Power that fixes the world can only be found in Jesus Christ... and yet so many in this country cry out for a President to fix things. In fact, I've read that the rest of the world watches our debates and political updates with as watchful an eye as we do. So many expect one "superpower" to actually have "Super-Powers."

Hmm... sounds familiar.

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have."

But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."

Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day."

But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." (1 Samuel 8:4-20)

Israel wanted a king, but they wanted wrong kind of king — a good looking guy who they thought would bring about the change they wanted. God rejected him.

Then one day God installed His own king in his place... Himself as Jesus Christ. Only Israel rejected Him.

Similarly, somewhere along the way we created in the church an ironic cliche of our own - American Christianity. Here's how it often shows up during election time for many Christians:

• We say, "Jesus is Lord," and yet believe a human candidate will provide all the change the world is looking for.
  


• Folks pick fights with each other about two candidates who both claim to be Christians, citing to each other that only their party's canididate "really is."
  


• Christians don't think twice about listening to and laughing alone with radio/TV personalities who slander, spread gossip, and belittle the "other" side.
  


• Many would say they believe that God wants to redeem the world, but are most concerned about their own country's interests.
  
  
• Rather than recognizing how the American Dream is self-centered, we buy into the inward pursuit of happiness over the eternal pursuit of goodness.

Granted, an election is a time to cast a vote about your country's leadership. The problem is that somewhere in the process the concept of "God and Country" becomes "Country and God." The sequence matters, for the first word far outranks the second word.

And when that happens, we start looking for security in all the wrong places.

How are you doing on this?

• Have you been taking your cues from CNN and Fox News more than God Himself?
  


• Are you fixated on reading the stock market, or are you fixated on reading the Bible?
  
  
• Is the roundtable discussion on who won the debate most important at the end of the day, or is the conviction of the Holy Spirit your guiding factor?

Don't worry... I'm not going to tell you who to vote for. Honestly, I'm not telling you whom I'm voting for. (We all know that whomever wins the vote is going to stand at the plate and give his best swing at the job... and he'll fall short, give late night TV shows material for monologues and skits, and let the country down on more than one occasion. The good news is that God can use even that to further things forward..)

Instead, I'd rather inspire you to arrive at a place of peace and security that comes from prayer. Consider your life in light of the Truth of God.... and then respond. If you want to look at how each of the candidates takes part in or rejects God's story of redemption, the best way to start is by taking part in it yourself.

Because you don't discover security by looking for security (or manufacturing it through patriotic words). You find it by a U-turn back toward your Creator - He'll help you become the someone who is freshly overcome by the awe and desperation for Him.

In the first century, Julius Caesar believed that his country was the greatest force for good in the history of the world. He used this belief to justify whatever was in his country's best interests, even if it flew in the face of what true goodness is.

Then along came some Christians who spoke of their hope in Someone greater.

• The said it was the peace of Christ - not the peace of Rome - that surpassed all understanding.
  
  
• They decided that the way of peace was better than the way of the sword.
  
  
• They fought against patriotic language that declared "Caesar as Lord" by saying "Jesus is Lord."
  
  
• They died alnong with all those whom Rome sought to conquer when all it would have taken was a simple retraction of one's faith.

Maybe the best summary of all of this lies in a praise someone shared during a gathering last Sunday.

"Thank you Jesus for ruining my life and giving me Yours."

the only thing we have to fear

Recently I was talking with a friend who manages a rather well-known financial investment firm. The topic of conversation was last week's crazy stock market stuff and all the attention the media has placed on it. He said something that both shocked and reassured me.

"Change nothing."

Perhaps that's advice that is specific to my situation, but he said it was the same advice he was giving everyone he knew.

In other words, be still... don't let the fear of fear create unhealthy reactions.

This is a smart guy who has served me with some sound financial counsel in recent years. Keep in mind, my wife and I only have a meager amount of money invested in fancy words like "portfolio" and "diversified" and "mutual exchange traded untraded money market bond closed open ended unit investment thingies." Nonetheless, it's good to hear from someone who knows what he's talking about how sometimes people panic and get emotional during such times... and sometimes the best advice is to not be afraid of fear.

Sometimes if you wait you'll see a gain over the long-term... even though it seems like a short-term loss.

Apparently there's already been some bounce back in the market. But you wouldn't know it from the talk shows trying to stay on the air or the political ads that use our fears to manipulate votes. One candidate cites that the high gas prices are the other person's fault... and then the other fires back, "Fraid not. You did it." And back and forth, and back and forth because they know that the average soccer mom or dad who's just paid $90 at the pump is going to watch that commercial during Dancing With Stars and freak out. More emotions... more fears... more confusion.

It drives me crazy when in order to gain a vote a politician's party doesn't realize the damage they do. Maybe that way they look like a miracle worker when they're elected and "fix" all our problems. Or at least appear to do so for the first 100 daze days.

Be still. Don't let the fear of fear create unhealthy reactions.

This applies to more than business, politics, and economics, though.

I can't tell you how many households I've connected with in the past several years who are going through something amazingly tough. This person hurt that person; that child disrespected that parent; that parent ignored that child; this marriage isn't what it used to be; and so on. Guards are raised and fingers are pointed - "Fraid not." "Fraid so."

The fear of fear often gets in the way of anything productive happening.

This doesn't have to be true, and I've seen some rather amazing people defy that in recent days. In our local church, I've watched many courageous men and woman pursue others who are going through broken times, sacrificially give to help a new building get ready for others in our region, give stretchy finances to resource what God is doing, forgive one another from the heart, and lay down their schedules in lieu of God's priorities. This group of people have decided that life isn't determined by the ticker tape of Wall Street - what matters are the everyday connections with God that ripple into home, 'hoods, work, and play.

What matters is BEING the Church.

Certainly, it's easy to instead become conservative in all of this. I'm sure many Christians feel the temptation to hold back on tithing, offering other resources, start putting their guard up, and make sure they don't risk themselves in any capacity. That's okay if you're in a season where you and God need to get right... but once that's happened, it's time to overflow.

Just today, though, someone told me they had a washing machine to give away. And yesterday another person provided some finances to purchase some much needed resources for our new meeting space. A meeting space that is filled with grocery bags of food many people brought in this past week to love their neighbors in a practical way.

Open handed living in the name of Jesus. Wow.

Be still. Don't let the fear of fear create unhealthy reactions.

I learned recently that Google was started during the dot.com melt down and made it because they made smart decisions... they seem to be doing fine. In fact, many of the largest and most successful sustainable businesses have been started during economic downturns. Perhaps during such times the "lamer" ideas are quickly shown to be lame and the "better" ideas are revealed as practical - there is less noise to deal with.

I believe that if churches could be established during the Great Depression to provide God's powerful hope to a hurting world, then they can and must also be formed during a Great Recession. Hope must always be present in times of despair… and the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Be still. Don't let the fear of fear create unhealthy reactions.

Perhaps we we can't control everything happening in our world, but we can focus on what matters and Who it all matters to. May we be irrationally committed to the One who does not change in shifting times... but instead invites us to become ourselves.

After all, if you trust somebody who died and was resurrected, you're trusting in Somebody who doesn't fear death. May we truly be "Christ-followers" in that respect... and uncover the Life that follows the crucifixion.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17)

So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6)

obama mama and the gender bender

This is Barack Obama and his mother.

I found this picture and it made me wonder if the Democratic Party really should be promoting him as the first African-American Presidential nominee ever.

Granted, this is his dad - who is truly from Africa.


Of course, none of this matters, right? In our world today we've learned not to talk about someone's race because it simply doesn't matter.

Remember the TV show Doug?

Maybe you do, maybe you don't. It was Disney's attempt to have a show of kids drawn with odd colors because (as they'd often say about the colors) "It doesn't matter."

Because... it doesn't matter.

Yet when it is convenient, we claim our candidate by race.

Or by gender - as Governor Sarah Palin's nomination seems to be adding to the Republican Party.

Apparently our culture tries to say that this shouldn't matter, either.

And yet for some reason it has.

Odd.

Why does our culture seem to live a life of contradictory truths? We desire things to not be one way, and yet we somehow propogate that very thing. Maybe it's just easier to scrap it out 2-dimensionally than it is to let another person be a complex balance of tensions.

So is this Presidential race now (beneath the surface) about which is bigger and more marketable - race versus gender?

(But not too bigger, because I'm sure we're not really allowed to talk about this anyway. Quickly... move on to something else... I'll meet you back here later.).

P.S. I hope you enjoy this video we made recently. This is our church worship guy and resource guy duking it out. I'm quite convinced you will find the same quality of debate in this ad as you do the ones on TV.

that's it

I can't stand this political indecisiveness any longer, so I'm going to do something about it.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT here.

The time is now, people.

The good news is that I already have quite the following.

(rated PG)