Don't be lukewarm!

Have you heard about this hullabaloo about the Republican candidate for president, Mitt Romney, being Mormon? Basically, there are some people out there who feel the country isn’t ready for a Mormon president. But if you think about it, the winner of the presidential election next year will likely be the first something: first woman, first African-American, first Mormon, first person to be president having not served in a higher elected office than mayor, and the list goes on. Barring something unforeseen, business-as-usual (from an election standpoint) is going to get tossed out the window.

Is Romney a Christian? I think the question itself is a red herring. Here is the breakdown of the top 6 affiliations of the 110^th Congregation, according to wikipedia (by the way, don’t trust everything you read on wikipedia…):

Roman Catholic: 28.8%

Baptist: 14.1%

Methodist: 11.4%

Presbyterian: 9.7%

Episcopalian: 7.9%

Jewish: 6.9%

And further down the list there are 16 Mormons, 2 Buddhists, 1 Scientologist, 1 Muslim, and 1 Atheist.

My question is that out of these people in Washington, how many of them are living out their faith when they get to work and are in front of crowds and cameras, as opposed to leaving it for at home and occasional worship attendance? A thought that makes me tremble is that the atheist might be the most genuine one there.

Now, of course, the bleak picture I paint makes the situation sound worse than it really is. But sometimes you need to shout to get your voice heard even a little bit. Our mainstream society is not only secular, but it is becoming increasingly anti-Christian. So how is it that these people, who designate themselves as having faith of one type or another, manage to keep getting elected? Chew on that one for a while.

Don’t hide your faith. Embrace it. You can authentically be a disciple of Jesus Christ in America without offending the person sitting next to you. Don’t believe the madness out there that says you need to hide or minimize your faith in order to be in community with others or not impinge on their rights. Listen instead to your heart, and live out boldly the faith that you find there. Check out Revelation 3:15, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!” Don’t be lukewarm with your faith.

[Note: This blogger does not support any specific party or candidate…unless Jesus comes back and decides to run for something.]

Peace,

Kevin

The Dalai Lama does not go "Baaaaaaaaa"!

Stop! Before you read any further, I rather insist that you go here and watch this segment from Caddyshack…

So, who is this Dalai Lama character anyway? Well, the current Dalai Lama is a 72 year old man named Tenzin Gyatso. He is the 14^th reincarnation of the Lama. What does that mean? So glad you asked. Well, a good place to start is by mentioning that the Dalai Lama is Buddhist (which has several different sects) and hails from Tibet (it’s that place that China continues to bully for no particularly good reason). The Dalai Lama is believed by his followers to be one of the incarnations of an enlightened being that embodies compassion. It is thought that the Dalai Lama reincarnates continually. So, once the current Dalai Lama dies, a child will be born who will (once located) be recognized as the 15^th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.

The reason I’m mentioning this today is that the Dalai Lama is visiting the US, and it’s caused a bit of a hoo-ha in international politics. He’s been in the US a lot since going into exile in 1959 and has given many speeches and written many books. But this time is a bit different because he has received the Congressional Gold Medal from President Bush for his tireless effort in the cause of religious freedom and human rights. China has taken offense at this open expression of support.

I’ll sign off with a couple of good quotes from the Dalai Lama.

-“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.”

-“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”

-“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”

Be well my friends,

Kevin

Let me tell you a story...

Greetings All,

The man sat quietly at the dining room table, looking over his Bible. “I still just don’t know what to make of this thing”, he thought. “Some people say that every word in it is literally true. Some people say that it’s just an informative piece of fiction. I just don’t know what to believe anymore.” He sighed heavily. “Hey God, if you could give me some way cool sign I’d really appreciate it.” With a fanciful hope in his heart he looked and listened intently. Nothing. He sighed again. “I guess I’ll start on the bills”, he thought, moving his Bible off to the side.

Just then, his children got home from school. They were two years apart and thankfully hadn’t reached an age where they didn’t want to tell dad what happened at school that day. His daughter came running in and said “Dad, dad! We studied birds in school today! It was sort of icky and I learned a lot, but I’m not sure I like birds so much.” Close on her heals the man’s son burst into the room. “Dad, dad! We studied birds in school today! It was totally awesome – can we get a bird?”

Why the difference? What could raise two different responses?

…

The daughter had learned about birds through biology class, by dissecting it with a scalpel. The son had learned about birds by going on a bird-watching fieldtrip. To have well-rounded knowledge of the bird, we need both. To have just one or the other leaves us short.

Consider this story when feeling that Bible in your hands. We need both. We need to be aware of scholarly knowledge about the Bible. It is informative and provides us with relevant information for understanding the context of the Word. But never let that detract from the assurance that it is a living Word that speaks to us today in our lives. If we encounter the text on it’s own terms, rather than trying to control and analyze it, it’s energy and it’s message will leap off the page. We need both.

Be smart, but be deep. Peace!

Blessings,

Kevin