The answer is “Yes you can!”  I couldn’t pass on that pun, sorry.

In a previous post I said that Christians should be issues voters (abortion, marriage, poverty, etc) versus party voters.  This raised a good deal of questions about whether or not a conservative, Jesus loving, pro-life, traditional marriage believing person could reasonably vote for Barack Obama, a guy who supports a woman’s right to choose and is very friendly to the LGBT community.

My answer is “sure” - for a couple of reasons, and again, it comes back to being an issues voter over a party voter.  Neither party perfectly aligns with an orthodox Christian worldview on every issue.  For example, the Democrats tend to fare better in most minds on issues of peace, poverty, and social justice while Republicans get better scores on things like life and marriage issues.

A Christian could reasonably argue that while Barack Obama is out to lunch on some things he does great with others - other issues that matter a great deal to our God.  For instance, some Christians argue convincingly that Obama touts a humbler approach to foreign policy, an approach that could save many lives by avoiding conflict.  Some also posit that an Obama presidency would mobilize a government of greater compassion and care for the poor, hungry, and hurting in our nation and around the world.

And while many good, conservative Christians (rightly) focus on issues of abortion and gay marriage one can definitely aruge that gay marriage is an inevitable reality and that state-sponsored abortion will never be undone by elected officials.  The hope of turning those tides through government is done and it’s time to tackle them through other means.  Therefore, one might as well take those issues off the table in selecting a candidate and turn to other issues that our elected officials actually have a shot at effecting change in.  When you do that the field is wide open.

In the end, for the Christian the issue is less of “who” you vote for and a.) that you vote and b.) that you seek to do so according to honest, Biblical values.

Personally, I still think that in this particular election doing so should lead people in one direction.  But it won’t always.  And we should never, ever assume that someone is not our Christian brother or sister or that they do not take our God and his Word seriously simply because of who they vote for.  Your thoughts?

There are very few people I know who would argue the fact that our culture seems to be sexualizing our daughters at a younger and younger age.  Just take a trip to your local mall and check out the clothes being billed as appropriate for elementary aged kids and you’ll no doubt agree.

Not too long ago I saw a little girl walking around with a t-shirt that said, “HOT” across the front and I almost died of an aneurysm on the spot.  The only thing I could think was, “You’re 10 years old.  You’re not hot. You’re cold - ice cold.  You should be so cold that I can’t help but cover you in an oversized skiing jacket!”

But nonetheless our culture seems hell-bent on portraying our young girls as having a sense of sexuality.  Again, don’t believe me?  Just take a look at an image of the number one selling doll amongst elementary and preschool ages girls.  Click HERE.  By the way, the manufacturer’s recommended age for this doll is 4.

The reason that all of this comes to mind is because just the other day I saw THIS article about the dipping age of girls who are frequenting salons.  More specifically, the ages of girls going to salons to receive bikini waxes are getting younger and younger.  9 years old.  Sick.

Look, I may be a guy, and I recognize that there are always reasonable exceptions for crazy things from time to time, but I can’t help but think that for the most part this is yet another case of trying to treat our little girls like grown women.

The sad thing is that when you treat little kids like adults, very often they start to do adult things.  And then, as parents, we try to act surprised and brokenhearted.  Please.

This is precisely why the Bible tells us that we should first make sure that our little girls adorn themselves with things like faith in Jesus and good works towards others.  That way when it does come time to adorn themselves as a woman they’ll be well equipped to do it right - and hopefully not look like a whore.  I’m just saying.

Here’s my take: Christians should not join political parties.  I’m not saying that it’s sin to be a registered Democrat or an abomination to be sold out to the Republican party, but I am saying that it is not the ideal.

Here’s why:  Parties change.  Their agendas shift, their focus alters, and their causes morph.  On the flip-side the basic values of an orthodox Christian worldview stay the same: Human rights for all stages of life, from conception to natural demise; marriage as a commitment between one man and one woman for one lifetime; mercy and assistance for the helpless and weak, just to name a few of the biggies.  These things and more stay the same.

Therefore, Christians should be values or issues voters rather than simple “party” voters.  Now, for a season it may seem that these values align more with one party than another and you might find yourself aligning quite often with one party over another.  But don’t be deceived things will shift, they will change…that is the very definition of politics.

We should be very cautious about hitching our wagons without reservation to one group or another.  Why?  Because we’ve already hitched our hearts to God the Father through Christ the Son, He should therefore be the driving factor in our decisions.

But then again, Jesus did ride into Jerusalem on a donkey.  Maybe he was trying to tell us something.  I’m just saying…

You’ve probably heard the sad story surrounding the death of Steven Curtis Chapman’s 5-year-old daughter.  Playing in the yard, she was accidentally run over by her older brother as he she ran to greet him when he pulled into the family driveway.

It’s been a couple of months since the tragedy and the family is starting to talk about the whole deal - what happened, their pain, their faith, their questions.  As an aside, I could write a freaking book about how incredible this family seems to be.  They are very shaken but their love for one another and for Jesus almost outshines their pain as they speak.

In their recounting of what happened something stuck with me and has been ringing in my ears since I heard it.  Having a 3-year-old of my own this story has really torn me up.

Apparently, as dad was racing out of the driveway to take his near lifeless little girl to the hospital he had the presence of mind to stop, roll down the window, and yell as loud as he could muster to his 17 year old son who was crumpled in the front lawn, fearing that he’d killed his sister.  With tears streaming down his eyes and a rattle in his voice Steven yelled, “Will Franklin, your father loves you very much!”

Commenting on it Steven said that all he could think was, “I will not lose two children today.”

For me, there is no better metaphor - picture - whatever, of the gospel than that moment.  As a child lays broken with guilt and overcome by the magnitude of his mistake, his dad sees him, calls out to him, and says, “Your father still loves you.”  Isn’t that what God has done for us?  Despite our mistakes, despite our outright disobedience He tells us that He loves us, that He forgives us, and that He’s determined not to lose us.  To prove it, to accomplish it, He gives us Jesus.

Yeah, I know a little on the Hallmark side but I had to share it.   Man, fatherhood has made me so emotional…..

I’ve never liked the Green Bay Packers but I have always appreciated Brett Favre.  Growing up a Lions fan I have spent much of my life watching him run all over my boys in blue and silver.  And he did with it grit, with sweat, with hard work and ingenuity - which has endeared him to millions, particularly the working class folks that make up the majority of the Upper Midwest.

But earlier this year, Favre retired.  Like many guys who spend their careers putting wear and tear on the body as a welder, a roofer, or a mechanic, eventually your mind is in it but your bones just aint.  And using very similar words, Brett said, in no uncertain terms that he was “done.”

However there’s a big part of the blue collar work ethic that Favre seems to be missing: being a man of your word.  For some time now, word has been leaking out that Favre wants back in.  No, he hasn’t said anything but his relatives have, his friends and his agent have.  But him?  Not a peep.  That is, until a few days ago when he came out and said, “Yeah, I want to return;” making sure to also share his shock that people are frustrated and annoyed at his last second, about-face.

Forget the fact that there is a billion dollar organization, players who’d like to fill his spot, and crazy ‘cheeseheads’ who all thought the Favre-era was over.  Apparently, in the Favre world, “done” doesn’t mean “done.”
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I’m off of work this week, just hanging out at the house soaking in the family.  It’s crazy to me how when I’m home like this the amount of stuff I notice about my kid that I just don’t seem to catch when I’m zooming in and out of the house doing ministry.

Yesterday I discovered that she likes to use the word “delicious” to describe just about everything.  Apparently petting the cat is “dee-wish-us.”  Also, her new favorite phrase is, “I promise.”  Even though she clearly doesn’t grasp it’s appropriate context, which makes for good comedy.

Me:  Ava, how old are you?

Ava:  I promise!

Me:  Honey, that doesn’t make any sense.  You’re gonna be 3 in a few weeks, remember?

Ava:  Delicious.

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Right now I’m traveling back from attending the funeral of my grandmother. My mom’s mom was a fascinating woman. The wife of a World War II vet, married for 61 years, mother of 5, lover of chocolate. The list is long.

And with every funeral I attend or officiate I am reminded of the stark reality that no matter who you are, what you’ve accomplished, how great your family is, how loved you are - no matter what - unless you die a child of God, you not only die without hope, you have lived, labored, and loved ultimately, in vain.

The verse that resonates in my head as I type this is Psalm 127:1. “Unless the Lord builds the house, it’s builders labor in vain.”. Why? Because it won’t outlast the biggest and baddest of storms: death.

We often think of this truth in the context of some rich dude who does a lot of nice stuff yet doesn’t know Jesus and thus loses it all in the end. That would be the accusing, “law” side of it all.

But I prefer the Gospel side - the good news side. You see, this also means that if you happen to build a modest house, a house of love and family, yes, but also a house of mistakes, struggles, and imperfections, yet build that imperfect house holding on to Jesus then you’re all good. Your house will have all it needs; your house, your life will endure forever.

My grandmother spent her 79 years allowing God to build a beautifully imperfect house. And in the hour of her death we were able to celebrate not just who she was, but who God is and the fact what they built together still stands.

Some of the most common questions I get asked is about the sermon writing process.  For whatever reason people seem very intrigued by it.  I usually tell them, “Think about having to write a term paper every week for the rest of your life.”  That’s kind of what it’s like - except the papers are always about Jesus, which makes it fun.

So, having just wrapped up this week’s message I thought I would do something completely pointless and publish my prep notes on the blog.  So for that one person who finds this kind of thing interesting, you can check it out and smile.  For the rest of you, check back next week for something pithy and related to pop-culture.

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Click HERE to take a look at this offering from TheOnion.  They were in the mock news business back in the day when Jon Stewart was still making bad movies.  But, you know how it goes: start making fun of Republicans and soon enough you’ll be hosting the Oscars.  But that is beside the point.

While funny, the video hits on a major cultural issue: What should you do with the kids when both parents feel the need to leave the house every day to go make money?  Do you pay someone else to watch them?  Do you get the retired relatives involved?

What I find even more interesting is that a good deal of the young couples I encounter on a daily basis, the majority of whom are just starting their families, have never even considered the option of one parent forgoing work outside of the home in order to focus on nurturing and encouraging their little ones for a few years before the kids have to leave the house for their formal education.  What I have found is that a two-income home, with children in some form of third party childcare, is simply looked at as a given.

Now please, I have no intention of starting a firestorm of debate on this issue but I do think that followers of Jesus and students of the Bible are called to question such cultural assumptions and seek to lay them before the feet of God and ask, “Okay, what is your design?  What’s best for building my family around you?”

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A few days ago a friend and I were having a conversation about Easter.  We were comparing it to Christmas and taking note that while Easter is technically the highest of Christian Holy Days, it tends to lack the sense of excitement and anticipation that comes so naturally to our birthday parties for Jesus.

While there are likely a lot of factors that contribute to this attitude in our churches and in our culture - (that’s assuming you agree that Easter gets treated like the ugly second-cousin to Christmas) - my guess is that it stems from a general ignorance as to ”why” Easter is such a big deal.  In other words, other than Jesus pulling the greatest party trick of all time by showing up alive, people have very little grasp of the historical, theological, and personal impact of Easter.

Christmas however is different.  Even a die-hard pagan can tell you that Christmas has something to with Jesus being born to save the world.  But Easter?  Not so much.  Ask your buddy at work why Easter matters and chances are he’ll stare at you like you’re Britney Spears fresh out of rehab.

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