Tag Archives: America

Go Ahead and Wish Me a Happy Holiday

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I used to be one of those Christians who would get upset about the removing of the word “Christmas” from the holiday season. I don’t exactly remember when my thoughts on “the War on Christmas” changed, but it has over the last couple of years.

I will fight to keep Christ in my Christmas celebrations and traditions. I have intentionally made decisions on what decorations, activities, and music I will include in my celebrations.

But I know that not everyone celebrates Christmas. I try to be sensitive of this and not throw my Christmas celebrations in your face (though I don’t hide them). I’ll even wish you “Happy Holidays.” Why?

Because I don’t want to put one more obstacle in the way of you celebrating Christ.

I don’t care what holiday you celebrate this time of year. But I do care who/what you are worshiping at that holiday. Sadly, most of the celebration around Christmas is un-Christlike. Why would I want you to go into debt giving landfill fodder and stuffing your guts like a glutton (all while convincing your kids there is an omniscient being who is not Yahweh)? I don’t want you to do any of that, whether it’s for a holiday with “Christ” in the name or not.

In fact, if you’re going to do those things, please don’t do them in the name of Christ. Isn’t that the very definition of blasphemy?

I’m afraid with the whole “War on Christmas” has made Christians look downright ridiculous. Why should we care what someone calls their tree-lighting ceremony when there are those who are without the Light (or a home to light)? I don’t want to focus on a minor issue when people’s lives weigh in the balance.

I know I’m not the first one to express these thoughts. I apologize that I’m not able to credit those whose ideas I have gnawed on and spat out as my own.

Photo by [ henning ]

FQF: Freedom and Growth

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1.  What is your favorite Bill of Rights right?

Freedom of religion.  Though I’m quite fond of the whole of the first amendment…thankful that I can believe what I believe, practice what I practice, and share it with others.

2.  If you could host a Reality TV show, which one would it be?

The Amazing Race would be cool because it’d be fun to go all the places they go without the stress of the race.  Plus, with all that traveling would come a lot of time to read! (Now the real reason I like to travel comes out…)

3. How would you describe your taste in the opposite sex?

Besides the obvious (that I’m looking for godly, single man), I’d definitely say I’m attracted to the nerdier type and guys that can make me laugh.  I want to be able to have intelligent discussions AND have fun.  I’m not picky physically, though I do tend to be intimidated by taller men.

4. What is your policy on book lending?

I love to do it.  While I’d like to say that I’ve gotten back every book I’ve lent, that’s not the case.  But I’ve been blessed with books, and if they’re good, I want to share!  If it’s not good, then I won’t even keep them.

5. In what way are you better than you were six months ago?

I’m stronger, I know.  I can swim longer than I have in years and faster than I ever have.  (The other day I was the fastest one in the pool, though that’s not saying much…there were only 5 others there, all older than me.)  I hope I’m godlier as well, but I feel like I have further to go than ever.

Short Stack

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“We order our worship services around our age groups, with music designed to remind each generation of whatever was playing at the youth rallies of their college days. Our congregations are made up of people who look, talk, and think just like we do. And it never occurs to us that this is the same kind of unity the world has to offer. Even in our churches, we seem to identify ourselves more according to the corporate brands we buy and the political parties we support than with each other.” – Adopted for Life by Russell Moore, p. 38

“Becoming a Christian might look more like falling in love than baking cookies.” – Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller, p. 155

“Beauty often seduces us on the road to truth.” – Wilson
“And triteness kicks us in the nuts.” – House, House, “Occam’s Razor”

“…it makes me wonder if secretly we don’t wish God were a genie who could deliver a few wishes here and there.  And that makes me wonder if what we really want from the formula are the wishes, not God.  It makes me wonder if what we really want is control, not a relationship.” – Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller, p. 12

“The quiet scares me ’cause it screams the truth” – “Sober” by Pink

“There’s something about patience that God deems necessary for our life in the age to come and so, whether through agriculture or discipleship or bodily development or eschatology or procreation, God makes us wait.” – Adopted for Life by Russell Moore, p. 142

“And I’ll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I’ve cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm.” – “Praise You in This Storm” by Casting Crowns

“He had forgotten how American children slept. They stretched out long and wide, dreaming of sugar-plums while they waited for handouts from tooth fairies.” – Run by An Patchett, 100

“It seems like, if you really knew the God who understands the physics of our existence, you would operate a little more cautiously, a little more compassionately, a little less like you are the center of the universe.” – Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller, p. 38

“…the masses of the people could not be held back from Nazism, so powerful was its appeal, and this same priest, who would not leave his people, went with them to Nazism, too.” – They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer, p. 219

FQF: The Federal Government, Fires, and…Eminem?

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1.  Would you ever consider working for the government?

Sure.  I mean, I do want to be a teacher in a public school.  But I also wouldn’t mind working in a bureaucratic position, though I’m sure some things would drive me batty.

2.  You are on a flight from Honolulu to Chicago non-stop. There is a fire in the back of the plane. You get enough time to make ONE phone call. Who would you call?

At least I got to see Hawaii before I die, right?  Without question, I’d call my parents.  And not only because their number is one of the few that I actually have memorized, but also because they’re the obvious choice.  So please pick up, okay?

3.  If you had to wear one color every day for the rest of your life, which would you choose and why?

Blue, because I look good in it and enjoy all the shades.  If I had to pick a particular shade, I’d say periwinkle because it’s what I look best in and it’s my favorite.

4.  What is your dream for America’s future?

I dream that we’ll recognize that we’ve allowed our federal government to grow unconstitutionally large, and have it start pulling out of things such as education.  I dream that we’ll elect representives that recognize that like our own personal budgets, we have to cut spending in order to pay down debt.  But I’m afraid this is all a dream.

5.  What’s your favorite song of the moment?

I know this will be strange unless you’re familiar with my music tastes, but I’d have to say Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie.”  I can’t relate to it (I promise I’m not nor have ever been in a violent co-dependent relationship), but for some reason it resonates.  Looking back at my favorite songs from the past, it’s clear I like the darker, from-the-soul type of songs.  Plus I’ve always been a fan of Eminem (or at least the cleaned-up versions of his songs).  Hope I don’t lose any favor in your eyes!

Blind Spot

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I’ve been thinking for a while about my step back from party politics.  I think that giving up their heart to the Republican Party en masse was one major downfall of the older generation of Evangelical Christianity.

While I do believe that our spiritual views should influence how we vote and what political candidates we support, I think we’re foolish if we think any party (unless it’s explicitly based on the Bible…then maybe) is going to have the same beliefs and priorities that we do.

I know I’m not the only one who has recognized this, and I’m glad that more and more people in my generation are picking up on this.  I can’t wait until we can say together, “We are followers of Christ, not of the Republican Party.  We are not them.”

I don’t intend to bash the GOP (they’re not better or worse than the Democrats), but there is a reason why politics get a bad name.  And by saying that to be a Christian is to be a Republican, we’re dragging Christ’s name through the mud, too.

While I’d love us to get beyond the 2-party system, I’m not a fool.  It’s almost as old as our country.  We love to fall into an “us” vs. “them” mindset.  But that doesn’t mean that I have to identify with either party.  Instead, I want to evaluate each candidate individually.  I’ll never fill in the “vote straight Democrat” or “vote straight Republican” bubbles…even if all of my candidates I’m choosing to vote for are of the same party.

So why I think that we’re on the right path by separating ourselves from the Republican Party, I know that there must be something else that my generation of Christians is missing.  Each generation in the past had a flaw so obvious to other generations but that they were blind to.

What is ours?  Could it be our greediness in holding on to our great wealth?  Could it be our reliance on programs?  Could it be the idea that we can be followers of Christ apart from being a part of His body?

Whatever our blind spot is, the thought that we have one (and that I, individually, do too) humbles me.  May we always be teachable.

FQF: Dinner and a Movie (or 2)

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1. What’s your favorite science fiction movie? Make it a double feature. What’s your second favorite?

Favorite is probably the new Star Trek. I actually didn’t see it in the theaters (wish I had!), but I really enjoyed it. When picking a second, it’s really hard not to pick Inception since I just saw it and loved it. Instead, I’m going to have to go with a Star Wars…maybe Episode III? Sorry to purists out there, but I prefer the ones actually made when I was alive.

2. Which ethnic group has the best food?

LOVE Mexican food (both real Mexican food and Tex-Mex, though I must admit I prefer Tex-Mex). I could literally eat it every day. Chinese is a close second, but I’m pickier in which kinds of Chinese food I like.

3. What is your favorite Disney princess?

Toughie. Aurora, probably. I’d love her life in a rural cottage with plenty of time to think (and presumably to read).  Or maybe Cinderella.

4. What is America’s gift to the world?

Wow…hmmm. Though we are merely the bearers of this gift and not the originators, I think I’d have to say the Gospel. While it’s also been distorted here–often beyond recognition–America has also been the place God has chosen to incubate the Gospel, and many Americans have been major instruments God has used to spread it. The downside is that Christianity and America are often linked in a way that is highly unflattering to God. May God help us to de-Americanize the Gospel and continue to selflessly share this wonderful gift.

5. Excluding romantic love, when was the last time you told someone you loved them?

This past weekend to sweet little “Abby,” my friend’s 5-year-old girl. I treat her like a niece. She started calling me “Erica” to be silly, so I started calling her “Abby.” Then she started calling me “best friend” and then “sister.” She knows how to wiggle her way into your heart, that’s for sure!

FQF: Independence Day Version

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1. Are you “proud to be an American”?

I’m not very patriotic, but I am happy to be American-born. I don’t think that America is irredeemable, and I’ll continue to pray and work for positive change. I think that we have a good thing going for us and shouldn’t forget where we’ve come from.

2. What is the best fireworks display you’ve ever seen?

I don’t know about best, but I can tell you worst. I was in DC in 2000, and had what we thought would be a good view. Unfortunately, there was no breeze, so after the first few fireworks, all we could see was lit-up smoke. That was a first for this Kansas girl (usually the concern there is that it might be TOO windy for fireworks).

3. What is your biggest patriotic moment?

Voting in my first presidential election (2004…I was a month too young for the infamous 2000 election). My parents had just moved so I didn’t have enough time to request an absentee ballot (I was going to school in Oklahoma), so I drove up just to vote. I missed a quiz that morning, but my professor gave me a 100 because she felt like that was an excellent reason to miss.

4. What is your favorite patriotic song?

I’ve always enjoyed Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” but perhaps not all the sentiments behind it.

5. What is your favorite D.C. monument?

The Vietnam Memorial. I think that the symbolism is the easiest to get and therefore the most meaningful.

Some Thinkers

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“God does not exist for our comfort or happiness or satisfaction, or to provide us with ‘religious experiences,’ as if these were the most interesting and important things in life.” – Knowing God by J. I. Packer

“Regardless of what we say or sing on Sunday morning, rich people who neglect the poor are not the people of God.” – Radical by David Platt, p. 115

“That’s the problem with being desperate for attention.  You never ask who the other person is–he could be a serial killer, for all you know–you’re too busy feeling grateful he picked you to notice.” – Blue Plate Special by Michelle D. Kwasney, p. 306

“Some of the BBC people had to return to Chad, where they were in a medical clinic for three days to recover from what they saw, and smelled, and learned about the nature of what simply must be called evil.” – The Translator by Daoud Hari, p. 113

“Some wonder if it is unfair for God to allow so many to have no knowledge of the gospel.  But there is no injustice in God.  The injustice lies in Christians who possess the gospel and refuse to give their lives to making it known among those who haven’t heard.  That is unfair.” – Radical by David Platt, p. 159

“But it was ten years ago, and twenty, that the United States Air Force (in its own words) ‘produced more casualties than any other military action in the history of the world’ in its great fire raid on Tokyo, and Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson appalled by the absence of public protest in America, thought ‘there was something wrong with a country where no on questioned’ such acts committed in its name.” – They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer, p. xv

“Carter, nothing good comes easy,” she says, “Adversity is just opportunity in work clothes.” – Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford, p. 24

“…all these material discomforts which were yet to be account as so many privileges soon to be withdrawn kept constantly before her the disadvantages of her state.” – House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

“We express enthusiasm, emotion, and affection for football and other sports, and it begs the question, what would happen in our culture if the church prayed with such passion?  What would happen if Jesus dominated our affections more than the superficial trivialities that garner our attention?” – Radical by David Platt, p. 188 (ignore the misuse of “beg the question” as the quote is worth it)

“It’s sometimes easier to believe what everyone else believes.”  - The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, p. 104

“It is interesting to me that people bother to shout at you, or even to hurt you, when they are planning to kill you.  What lesson will that teach you if you are going to be dead?” – The Translator by Daoud Hari, p. 153

“Mah-mee believes she does more than her share by donating to charities.  She would rather live her own life of mah-jongg games, while pretending all those starving in the streets are invisible.” – The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, p. 118

Book Review: The Translator by Daoud Hari

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The Translator: a Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur is the story of Daoud Hari, a member of the persecuted Zaghawa tribe, who returns to the Darfur region of Sudan.

Hari had been in Egypt and Israel seeking employment in order to provide for his family, but got arrested for doing so illegally.  After being held in Israel and then Egypt, he is finally going to be handed over to Sudan.

Fortunately, with some help, he was able to escape to avoid being handed over to the government that wants his people dead.  Now released,  he wants nothing more than to see his family again.

Yet, he doesn’t make that his only goal. He decides to do what he can to help his people by using his language skills to translate for researchers and journalists who will get the word out about the genocide.

I must admit, I was quite ignorant about this region. This was a great introduction for me in to what Hari describes as the complex genocide in Darfur.

Of course, the details of the genocide are quite appalling. But Hari does a good job of not focusing on the graphic natures of the horrors nor glossing them over.

He had some interesting things to say about genocide prevention and the American government. He had good things to say about the American people, but not necessarily about the American government. He says, “The proof of a democracy is surely whether or not a government represents the hearts of its people” (p. 86). In context, he seems to be implying that the American government in fact does not represent its people, as the people want action in Darfur, but the government remains inactive.

I also find it saddening to see the role that imperialism had on the region and the negative consequences still felt today. Of course, I’ve seen the negative impact of forcing “superior” Western political ideals on other peoples in my studies of other regions (even after the Western nation relinquishes sovereignty), but here’s just another example.  We in the United States and Western Europe can’t just sit back and point our fingers…our nations aren’t innocent.

If you are as ignorant about Darfur as I was, I’d recommend this book (and even if you know something about the conflict in Darfur). It’s short and personable, and a easy way to begin to grasp the complexities and atrocities in Darfur.

Privilege: a Wake-up Call

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I don’t remember what I was doing, but somehow I stumbled on a website that would tell you demographic stats on specific US zip codes.

For kicks, I entered the zip code I grew up in.

For whatever reason, the results surprised me.

Compared to the rest of the US, this zip code has:

  • a high number of high school and college graduates
  • a high median income (though Kansas has a fairly low standard of living)
  • a higher than average number of married couples
  • 2/3 of adults working in white collar jobs
  • only 4% of its residents below the poverty line (national average is around 15%)

I was born into privilege.

Not only am I a part of the 4.5% of the world population who lives in the US, I’m among the 6% of that population that has a Master’s Degree.  While I myself don’t quite make enough to reach the US median household income in the US, it’s just me, so obviously my costs are much lower than most.

I was born (and raised) into privilege.

I thank God for the blessings He’s given me and my parents who gave me so much, but that’s not what I want to talk about.

I’m a numbers person, so when you show me my blessings numerically, it really sinks in.  I’ve always known that I was overwhelmingly blessed, but when everyone around me is too, it’s easy to forget.

These thoughts were already on my mind, when I started reading Radical.

Here are a few things that David Platt said that stood out to me:

“We are an affluent people living in an impoverished world.  If we make only $10,000 a year, we are wealthier than 84% of the world, and if we make $50,000 a year, we are wealthier than 99% of the world.” – p. 194

“But the reality is, if you and I have running water, shelter over our heads, clothes to wear, food to eat, and some means of transportation (even if it’s public transportation), then we are in the top 15% of the world’s people for wealth.” – p. 115

“The reality is that most everything in our lives in the American culture would be classified as a luxury, not a necessity. The computer I am writing this book on, the spoon and fork I will eat my dinner with later this evening, and the bed and pillow I will sleep on tonight (in additon to many other things in my life) are all luxuries.” – p. 127

All this merely starts to illustrate how blessed we are in America.  Yet we, the Church, wrap ourselves up in our own cares, ignoring the extensive needs of those all around us (even if we have to close our eyes to them).  If you’re like me, these facts might make you pause for moment, but then you shut them out because they make life too uncomfortable.

I don’t want to live comfortably at the expense of others (and that’s what it is…I don’t “deserve” a better life and haven’t earned it…I didn’t choose to be born here, to my parents).

I’m still thinking through what the implications of all of this.  I don’t have everything (anything) figured out.

While I don’t have much “stuff” by American standards, I’m sure if I added up the costs of everything I owned, I’d be shocked.  I do have more than I need.

I’m sorely tempted to give some of my income away and turn around and spend the rest on my own excesses.  I can placate myself by saying that I give more than most.   But would I except that excuse from my own child?  ”Mommy, I know I didn’t clean up my room like you asked, but I spent 2 minutes more on it than any of my friends.”

That’s not what God has called me to.

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