Topical Tuesday 28 - Nice Things

I visit some websites that run special deals for certain items over the course of a few days. Depending on the day, you could find deals on clothing, toys, luggage, watches, jewelry and sunglasses. Deal, though, is a somewhat relative term. Instead of paying $80 for a pair of jeans, you might be able to spend $40; or you could get a $120 pair of sunglasses for $70. In a case like that, you could save yourself 50% on something reasonably priced. However, I was looking at some watches yesterday, and I could have bought a $2,800 watch for $1,399. That’s still 50% off but not much of a deal.

I was telling Alycia how someday it would be nice to be able to just buy a watch like that, to see a good deal on a really nice watch, and throw down $1,500 to purchase it. I like watches and I like sunglasses and I wouldn’t mind having really nice watches and sunglasses. Alycia is a much better person than me, though, and she said she’d much rather spend that money on something like a well for people without access to clean water. If I ever did but a $1,500 watch, every time I wore it, I would be reminded that I spent a large sum of money on myself instead of thinking about others first.

Looking around my apartment, I realize that there are a lot of reminders that I spent money on myself instead of thinking about others first. I’ve got books, video game systems, movies, sunglasses, watches, shoes and more clothes than necessary. How can I reconcile having nice things when so many in the world go without the basic and necessary things?

Is it wrong to have a nice watch?

Is it wrong to have a big TV?

Is it wrong to have a cool pair of shoes?

This whole year I have been wrestling with the desire I have to buy stuff. I like buying stuff; it’s so much fun. If I could, I would spend all of my money on shoes, watches and sunglasses. This year I have been curtailing that desire in order to live within a budget and have some financial peace in my marriage. However, curtailing the desire doesn’t mean the desire is gone; I still want nice things and I don’t know if that’s wrong.

It’s all rather moot at this point, though, because simplicity has been forced upon Alycia and me; all the desire in the world doesn’t mean I’m going to get a $1,500 watch or even a $150 watch. Maybe God will use this season to show me how to live simply and enjoy it, allowing me to live simply even when it isn’t a matter of necessity. Maybe God will be so productive and effective with this season, that by the end I’ll want a well in Africa more than a $1,500 watch. At this point, though, I’d take wanting them the same.

How do you reconcile having nice things when so many in the world go without basic and necessary things?

Music Monday 31 - Headphones

I may be a grumpy old man but I don’t understand why people walk around wearing headphones all day. I enjoy listening to my iPod as much as the next person but not at the cost of interacting with people on a regular basis. Whenever I see someone who constantly has headphones on, I think that they’re not interested in interacting with the world around them. If I didn’t want to listen to someone or talk to someone, I would definitely put on some headphones; it’s the musical version of a “Do Not Disturb” sign. And while I sometimes feel like I don’t want people to disturb me, I don’t think it’s good to go through life always listening to headphones.

However, I have recently purchased a lot of new music and I’m having trouble listening to it all. In the past month I’ve gotten new CDs by Maroon 5, Lincoln Park, John Legend & the Roots, Ray LaMontagne and Brooke Fraser. That is a lot of new music and I haven’t really found the time to listen to it all. I had plenty of time to listen to music when I was commuting to Pasadena twice a week for school and driving around all day for work. At this point in my life, though, when I drive 10 minutes to work and sit in an office, I don’t have as much opportunity to listen to music as I once had. This reality has made me think that I should start wearing headphones all day long.

Think about it. I could plug my headphones in as soon as I woke up in the morning and never take them off. I would get 16-18 hours of listening time every day, more than enough to listen to my new music and even mix in some old music. I wouldn’t have to interact with anyone at work, I wouldn’t have to talk to the baristas at Starbucks and I could easily ignore any solicitors outside of Target. The beautiful thing about constantly wearing headphones is that I could still be heard but I just wouldn’t have to listen.

Don’t bother telling me about your day, I’m listening to someone sing about hers.

Don’t bother telling me about ways to help those in need, I’m listening to someone sing about social justice.

Don’t bother telling me about ways to strengthen our relationship, I’m listening to someone sing about love.

If I listened to music all day long, I would get to choose what influenced me; I would get to choose what input I received. And if I didn’t like the message, if I didn’t like the beat, if something was too challenging, then I wouldn’t have to listen to it. If there was any prophetic voice calling me out to change my ways and make a difference, I could just turn up the volume, look interested and nod my head in agreement.

Topical Tuesday 27 - Creating Space

This evening at Endeavor I gave a message out of 1 Kings 19.

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” – 1 Kings 19:11-13

In my message I suggested that in order to truly hear the voice of God and build into our relationship with him, we needed to create space in our lives. When God spoke to Elijah he wasn’t in the noisy things, he was in the silence. If our lives are so filled with noise then it makes it almost impossible to hear the voice of God. (A lot of these thoughts have been influenced by Rob Bell’s Nooma video Noise)

So there needs to be space in our lives for God to speak; there needs to be margin in which God can work. A relationship with God simply means that we have a connection, involvement or association with him and we can’t connect, involve or associate ourselves with God on a daily basis if he is drown out by all the noise.

As I was telling the students that they needed to create space in their lives, God convicted me and showed me areas where I could create a little more space in my life. I love Twitter and Facebook; I am constantly checking them. In all honesty, most of my day is spent connected to Twitter, either through my computer or phone. While I don’t feel it’s pulling me away from God, I know it creates a lot of noise in my life. So, for 24 hours beginning Wednesday, October 6, at midnight, I’m going to create some space by abstaining from Twitter and Facebook. I don’t have any huge expectations for God to speak to me, but if he’s going to, at least he’ll have the opportunity.

What noise can you cut out from your life to create some space for God?

Music Monday 30 - Old CDs

I just imported Linkin Park’s new CD into my iTunes. I held off purchasing the album on iTunes or Amazon knowing that I might receive it for my birthday. My patience paid off and I received the CD as a birthday present. Now, however, after importing the CD into iTunes, I’m left with a shiny, plastic disc that no longer serves a purpose. In fact I have whole boxes filled with old CDs, safely tucked away in their jewel cases, filling up our small garage. The compact disc is a casualty of the digital age and one of the enduring questions has to be: what do we do with all of these old CDs? Here are a few suggestions.

#1 – Keep Them

Maybe it will be worth keeping all of your old CDs. Vinyl has made quite the comeback in recent years; perhaps CDs will go through a similar renaissance in another two decades. Think how impressed the hipsters of 2030 will be when you show them the original album for Savage Garden’s self-titled debut (Who isn’t impressed by a chica cherry cola?). So just like vinyl has made a resurgence in spite of its inferior sound, lack of portability and high cost, maybe CDs will be all the rage with all the cool kids. Sure they take up a lot of space, but your collection of 90s CDs could you make you the coolest person ever.

#2 – Coaster Collection

Let’s face it: coasters are practical but lame. No one wants the condensation from their frosty beverage to ruin a table, but to place that beverage on a boring piece of wood or ceramic tile does not adequately communicate how cool you are. Imagine if your coasters not only protected your overpriced Pottery Barn end table but also told a story of your musical past. CD coasters say so much more about who you are and could even provide a talking point when you have guests. Be prepared to defend yourself, though, when someone sets their Coke down on your copy of Cracked Rear View by Hootie and the Blowfish or Middle of Nowhere by Hanson.

#3 – Vigilante Justice

My large CD collection is symbolic of my own selfishness. Instead of spending $10 at a time to cure the ills of the world, I spent $10 at a time so I could listen to Third Eye Blind and Marcy Playground. It’s time for something good to come out of those selfish buying habits. I literally have hundreds of CDs which could be used in a vigilante war against crime. I’m not a billionaire playboy like Bruce Wayne; I can’t afford a utility belt or batarangs. However, I already have a huge collection of CDs which could easily be fashioned into some sort of ninja throwing star. Imagine the fear that would strike the hearts of would-be criminals as a rain of CD shuriken came flying down from above. And imagine the embarrassment that would come from knowing their crime was thwarted by Jock Jams 5 or …Baby One More Time.

Those are a few suggestions for what to do with your old CDs. What do you do with your old CDs?

Freeform Friday 16 - Seeds of Turmoil

The book Seeds of Turmoil by Bryant Wright looks at the biblical roots for the conflict in the Middle East between Israeli Jews and Arab Muslims. However, while examining the biblical roots, Wright ignores the complexities involved in the situation and simply attributes 1500 years of conflict to the decision of one man: Abraham. Wright argues that the conflict in the Middle East began when Abraham, who had been promised an heir by God, went outside of God’s timing and pursued his own course toward fatherhood. Wright says that Ishmael, the son of Abraham’s effort, is the father to all Arabs; the Jews are the descendents of Abraham’s other son, Isaac, the son of promise. Wright then surmises that the conflict we see today can trace its roots all the way back to the sibling rivalry between Isaac and Ishmael.

While I believe the biblical roots contribute to the conflict in the Middle East, I think it’s an oversimplification to say that they are the only cause. Wright simply believes that God promised Abraham and his descendents the land of Israel, that it is an enduring promise, and therefore belongs to the Jewish people. Moreover, Wright says that any Bible-believing Christian cannot see the conflict any other way; as Christians we should blindly support the nation of Israel and its claim to the land in Palestine.

That is my biggest struggle with Seeds of Turmoil. As a book I think it’s poorly written. Wright repeats the story of Isaac and Ishmael five times in the first 70 pages. Wright also follows little rabbit trails in each chapter, stepping away from his main argument to address personal and pastoral issues; the reader can easily see that sermons provided the foundation for the book since it’s filled with little teaching moments that have nothing to do with its main focus. As I stated, though, my biggest problem isn’t with Wright’s literary prowess but with his pro-Israel rhetoric.

I’ve been to Israel and I loved it. I still believe that God has a very special relationship with his people; I think the covenant of the Old Testament still holds meaning today. In spite of those facts, though, I cannot blindly support the current nation of Israel, even as a Bible-believing Christian. There are deep strains of injustice running through the nation of Israel today; Wright would have the reader believe that Israel is all good and Arab Muslims are all bad. The world is far too complex for that kind of simplification and we can’t buy into any rhetoric that supports it.

Not all Muslims are bad and everything that the nation of Israel does is good. Wright focuses on the town of Bethlehem as a microcosm for the influence Islam is having on the entire world. He writes that the Christian population of Bethlehem has been almost pushed out by the Muslim population, showing the true heart of Islam. He forgets to mention, though, that Bethlehem also shows the heart of the Israeli government. The Israeli government has built a wall around the city of Bethlehem, separating it and its Arab Muslim inhabitants from any natural resources the government found desirable. There are deeper issues of injustice running through the fabric of Israel today, which makes a simple “good vs. bad” understanding impossible.

The situation in the Middle East is dire, Wright understands that, and he sees Jesus Christ as the only solution to bringing lasting peace. However, Wright believes that peace can only come when Jesus returns and sits on his throne in Jerusalem. He suggests that Christians should pray for salvation for Jews and Muslims and then pray that Jesus would return. I think that the Gospel of Jesus has more power than that; if the love, peace and justice of the Gospel are shown to the Middle East in tangible ways, I think things can get better. God’s kingdom is present and active now and we shouldn’t simply rest on our laurels until Jesus returns. We have been invited to partner with Jesus in his work in this world and, with his power and strength, that work can make a difference.

This book was provided for me free by Thomas Nelson Publishers.