As you’ve noticed I’ve been off the blog quite a bit in the last two weeks. My apologies. It’s been a very rough couple of weeks in my family. In the last 13 days we’ve traveled back to Michigan twice in order to bury close relatives. No fun. Very sad.
If you get a chance, keep the Popovits clan in your prayers. I’ll be back.
Jesus lives.
I’m surprised. I thought Christians were concerned about the state of marriage in America. I thought followers of Jesus had a lot to say about how marriage was intended to be one man, one woman, committed to each other for one lifetime. I thought that those who loved both God and God’s world were going to be there to remind us that marriage between a man and a woman is not simply a construct of society but the actual bedrock of society. I thought that thousands, no millions would be there to voice their alarm, their dismay, and to to fight back with a vengeance. But I was wrong. And I am suprised.
More than three weeks ago the California Supreme Court struck down the state’s ban on gay marriage. And yet it seems that there has been little to no reaction from those who believe in the biblical (as well sociological and anatomical) view of marriage. Perhaps what little reaction there is was overshadowed by debates over possible Democratic nominees for president, or earthquakes in China. Or, they’ve just stopped caring. Or, they’ve just given in to the inevitable. Or, they’re gathering steam for a big offensive…somehow I doubt it.
For an troubling but intriguing take on this ruling read Anna Quindlen’s Newsweek article. She cites a great quote about gay marriage from second century Rome. Although she fails to mention what ended up happening to Rome. Yes “love won” as she writes, but the people lost…then and now.
Right now I am sitting on an American Airlines flight getting ready to depart Chicago. The flight attendant dude with highlights in his hair (didn’t the whole guys with chick highlights thing go out in abou 1999?) just announced that “Yes, pillows and blankets are available…for 5 dollars.”
Yeah, you heard it correctly. If you’re cold or in need of a mildly comfortable nap you’ll first have to pay up like a kid being bullied on the school yard.
What the hades is going on?
Amen. Come quickly Lord Jesus.
After this post there will be no more Starbucks discussion for a while. I promise. But this morning I found something just too crazy to ignore.
A Christian group in San Diego has called for a boycott of Starbucks claiming that the retro-style logo the company has been using over the last several weeks is extremely offensive. The logo - a throwback to their original branding of the 1970’s - features the barely discernable image of a topless, two-tailed mermaid, which apparently has its origin in some 16th century, norse folk art.
Now, I’m all for Christians taking a bold, vocal stance against things like pornography or the excessive and degrading sexualization of almost everything in our culture - right on. But this? This? Am I alone in thinking this is nuts?
We live in a world where babies are getting aborted at an ever-increasing rate, our kids are being sexualized from the day they are born, gay marriage is about to become a national norm, and almost 150,000 people have died in the last week from natural disasters [pause] and this is what some followers of Jesus have their undies in a bunch over? That alone makes me want to go there even more.
Now, I do think there is a larger discussion here about the common Christian struggle to discern art from atrocity. That is, many Christians struggle to figure out when something is “okay” to look at and when something is a “sin” to look at. The human form is a great example. Are we to believe that Michelangelo’s David is art but an old Scandanavian drawing of a naked mermaid is inappropriate? Why - because one sits in a museum and another is printed on a coffee cup? I don’t think so.
Besides, even if we did decide to boycott Starbucks where else would we go for our overpriced coffee? McDonald’s? “Yeah, I’ll take a McGriddle and a non-fat latte…” Now that would be a sin.
It’s official. I have any addiction. It started so innocently. “I’ll just try it. I can stop if I want to.” Pretty soon, it was any everydat thing - something I found myself thinking about from the moment I woke up and looking forward to at night.
Yes, I am addicted to Starbucks. I love it. My drink of choice? A grande Americano with no room for cream. I’m not even really sure what that mean! But I love it.
Here’s how bad it is. Right now Lisa and I are enjoying a quick getaway in New York City. We are sitting in the midst of one of the richest, most diverse communities that has ever existed. And where am I? Sitting in a Starbucks - one that looks exactly like the one I frequent in Katy, Texas.
Sure, I could be sitting at the Carnegie Deli right now or clamoring to get a glimpse of Al Roker’s bald head. But instead I’m listening to a barista yell the words, “Iced chai tea late’? Hello? Iced chai tea late’?!”
In a world so diverse and so unique - a creation that holds within it almost infinite possibilities for enjoyment - I have often wondered why God would seemingly wire us to be creatures of habit. Why would he give us this world and then place something in us that desires continuity, stability, and that “just like I’m used to” feeling? Any ideas?
Why do we crave egg Mcmuffins - or fricking Fruity Pebbles - when we could have almost anything else, particularly in North America?
One thought is that our desire for routine is not a part of how we are created but a response within us, a survival reflex in response to the fall into sin. Once death entered the picture in the garden of Eden and our relationship with God and peace in our earthly relationships were ruined and life became more of a crap shoot, we responded by grabbing hold of the things we CAN control and trying to find peace in them.
I’m not sure. What do you think? But then again I could be over thinking things. It’s just coffee. (sip) Damn good coffee.
Is it just me, or does every pastor either have a shaved head or some kind of intricately groomed facial hair creation plastered on their head? The only reason I bring it up is because at this very moment I find myself at a conference full of pastors and as I look around the room, nearly every dude (myself included) falls into one of two camps: they’re either completely, utterly bald or they have some kind of well-groomed follicle creation plastered to their mug.
For real. I am looking around the room and it is frightening to me. And then, there are the handful who have chosen to combine the best of both worlds: the shaven head, facial hair combo - which only a select few people on the planet have been known to successfully pull off.
Is this phenomena limited to the world of guys who preach, teach, and hang out at churches for a living or is it spreading across the country as a whole?
For the record, the only reason I sport the chin-strap style facial hair is because a). God gave me no distinction between face and neck. I have a “fack” - a strange combo of face and neck that makes me look like Beaker from the Muppet Show; and b.) without it there is little distinction between me and a 12 year-old version of me.
Here’s one thought. Perhaps (being pastors and all) they’re using their growth and management of hair as a type of spiritual discipline? Maybe they’re taking a cue from Martin Luther who once compared our tendency to sin with facial hair? He wrote: “Original sin is in us, like a beard. We are shaved today and look clean, and have a smooth chin; tomorrow our beard has grown again, nor does it cease growing while we remain on earth.” Maybe?
I doubt it. Most likely they are going bald and trying to be hip.
That’s all I’ve got. I just had to share.
Yesterday Barack Obama sold out. He knows it. His pastor knows it. And most importantly, the Democratic Superdelegates know it. If he wasn’t already, Obama is now officially a politician.
If you didn’t catch it, yesterday Obama officially and completely denounced his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. This comes after Wright - a pillar in the world of Black Liberation Theology, a liberal “Christian” movement that focuses more on social justice issues than the gospel of Jesus Christ - had made a series of completely racist, ignorant speeches over the last few days. You’ll recall that just last month Barack took major heat due to clips of Wright’s sermons making the rounds on cable news wherein he “damned America” among many other things.
So yesterday, needing to protect his run toward the Presidency, Barack did what a ‘good’ politician must do. He threw his pastor, their relationship, and likely, their future under the bus.
As one born in the 1980’s I am proud member of the video game generation. I have never known a world without video games. And while some struggle to see the value they add to society, I have always been quick to come to their defense. Video games provide great escape, they engage the mind, they can be great learning devices, and not to mention the fact that they’re just plain fun. Did I mention that they are fun?
Today marks the release of the newest installment of one of the most popular game franchises of all time: Grand Theft Auto. When the first edition arrived on the scene it was a completely harmless, almost laughable game where one ran around stole cars and tried to outrun the police. Okay, so that sounds bad, but trust me - this thing was so disconnected from reality that it could hardly inspire anyone to do anything other than smile.
But this game has advanced. Over the last few years it has evolved into a highly realistic, first-person game where one can do everything from steal a car to murder a prostitute, run from a drug deal gone bad, or engage in a shootout with federal authorities. Yeah, really nice. Needless to say the thing is surrounded by contraversy.
I know that many of you have been waking up every day for the past two weeks hoping, “Perhaps today will be the day when Matt returns to the blog!”
Well alas, the day has arrived. I apologize for pressing “pause” on the blog for the last several days. Life has simply been hectic. But no fears, we’re back at it and hopefully such breaks in the blog will be few and far between. Thanks, guys!
I think I’ve figured it out. I think I’ve finally been able to put my finger on what it is that makes our current culture tick. Are you ready? [Pause] Facebook. Yup. That’s it. Actually, it’s not Facebook per se, but all that it stands for: the desire to be known.
If you don’t believe me, just take a look at the landscape of current pop-culture to prove it. Pop-culture has always been the place where those who shape culture the most (15-25 year-olds with expendible income) go to express their values and have fun with what they feel is important. Therefore, it’s really the best place to do a little self relflection.
Social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, etc) have been insanely popular for almost 4 years now. They thrive on the idea of gathering friends, sharing information, and making as many connnections as possible. You also have the entire genre of reality television, which has expanded to literally hundreds of shows and thousands of opportunities for one to grab their 15 minutes of fame. It’s no wonder that so many teens equate success with celebrity.
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