Money doesn’t change anybody, it reveals them. Same with success.”

I know it often looks to us like people change whenever they come into money or some measure of success, but perhaps he is right. I like to think character (or the lack of it) runs deeper than our circumstances. So if people become arrogant, deceitful, or unfaithful when their circumstances in life change, maybe that’s who they truly were before. They just didn’t have the opportunity to show it.

Certainly money and success present people with very different options than they had before and that’s why it is often more a trap than a blessing. I think character is best displayed by how we’re willing to treat people when we most think we are right. If we are less than loving, gracious, or self-sacrificing in such moments, it only shows us there is more work to be done by the only one that can shape our character—-Jesus himself!

And didn’t he say that if someone is faithful with something small, they will continue to be faithful when they have more. In the end, our character really does matter more than our circumstances!

I know many don’t like the words to the song, but the sum total of this story and song struck a deep chord in my heart as I listened to it this weekend. No, I don’t agree with all the words of the song, but I do agree with the theme of it. God does want a world without war and will one day make it so. And there is perhaps no one better to proclaim that truth than someone who has been so impacted by it. I don’t know if I can tell you to enjoy this one, because if you’re like me you might need a box of Kleenex nearby. But its end your heart will feel triumphant as the purpose of God unfolds in our world. This is as close to God’s heart as anything I know. Only the selfish, greedy heart of broken humanity keep this from being a reality. Lord Jesus, come judge the world and set right what sin has so twisted!

Toward the end of the movie as the main characters stand at the edge of Aslan’s country contemplating whether to go further, or stay in their respective worlds. At that point King Caspian offers a breath-taking observation, “I’ve spent too long wanting what was taken from me and not what I was given.” It hit me smack between the eyes. There are two ways to live in this world, either being thankful for what God has given you, or growing in bitter frustration at what you’ve lost.

We’ve all lost stuff living in this darkened world. Some lose their innocence through abuse, a place in ministry because of betrayal, a part in business because of a dishonest colleague, a marriage because of unfaithfulness, or a hundred other things. The enemy thrives in our world to steal, to kill, and to destroy and can seem to find no end of humans who will cooperate with him in that passion. None of us our immune and thus our lives have painful moments as well as joyful ones.

Focus on what you’ve lost in this world and you’ll become a bitter person, driven to destroy others in your misguided attempt to get what’s fair. Focus on what you’ve been given by God, however, and you’ll understand the true joys of heaven. Maybe some of us we have wasted so much time and energy focusing on what we’ve lost, that we’ve lost sight of the gifts he has given us. If Jesus’ life taught us anything it’s that there is still much life, grace, and love even where others seek to exclude us, lie about us, and persecute us.

When you focus on what God has given rather than the things you’ve lost, you can know great joy and gratitude even in the painful realities of the age we live in. God is the redeeming influence in your life, not the destructive one. Those who seek your destruction are pawns in the hands of a diabolical enemy. As painful as they can make our lives, God is bigger still. He can even turn our losses in this age into a treasures far greater by making himself known in the midst of our pain and disappointment.

True treasure is not in the material things of this age anyway. I don’t understand people who use material reward as the bottom line for their actions. Last week the sports writers in our country were incredulous that a baseball pitcher gave up an offer from the New York Yankees to play for another team at $40 million dollars less than the Yankees offered him. The lead story here for everyone was what he gave up. People thought he was stupid for not taking every dime off the table that he could have. Their compass is only set by maximizing income. The pitcher was more concerned about being on a team he would enjoy playing for. Lost in the story was that he was offered $100 million to play for the team that he wanted to play with. Sure he could have had more, but there are lots of things that aren’t worth trading your pwesonal well-being to have.

Just how much money does it take to be happy anyway? A recent study in the U.S. said that it’s about $75,000.00. As people’s income rises to that point their personal sense of happiness increases. They don’t have to worry about the necessities and have enough left over to enjoy. But the study also showed that happiness decreased as income increased beyond $75,000. I thought that was fascinating. More money doesn’t make people happy. Above $75,000 the stress of protecting it, keeping it, managing it, and the complication it brings into real relationships became destructive to the well-being of the people who have it. I know that’s hard to believe. Most in our culture believe that the more money they can get their hands on will only add to their joy. It is not true. Money is not what really matters in life.

I have found a fresh joy in no longer whining about the things I’ve lost. Life in this age is filled with loss. Like King Caspian, I want to enjoy the things God has given which do not rust away and cannot be stolen by the enemy or his pawns.

It was a pretty honest time about our own journey and our hopes in marriage. It was taped and I’m hoping to put that in the audio library when we get some copies or a link to their site. They also asked me to stay over for three Sunday morning services. Did that bring back some memories! But instead of teaching their pastor and I sat at a table and talked about the challenge to live inside a relationship with Jesus and how some of the religious elements of Christianity do more to undermine that reality than support it. That was pretty cool and the people seemed to eat it up. That was so much more fun than giving a lecture, and I think had much more impact as well. The pastor told me later that CDs ordered after the service was off the charts.

I also want to share some quotes with you. Chalk this up to finding truth in the strangest of places. And I mean really strange.

A few months ago I read a book called Beautiful Lies. It caught my eye in a bookstore and I thought it might be an interesting mystery to read when I needed an escapist novel, like when I’m pounding that exercise bike. I can’t tell you that I love the book. Parts of it were interesting, other parts were more graphic than I enjoy, and a lot of it is more girlie than I want in a mystery, but I paid for it so I was determined to read it. But there were some magnificent observations in there that transcended the plot line of this book and have come to mind often sense. I thought I’d share them here:

When you love someone, it doesn’t really matter if they love you back or not. Having love in your heart for someone is its own reward. Or punishment, depending on the circumstances. (p.51)

Nobody likes people who speak a truth you’re not prepared to hear. (p. 132)

Isn’t it just like a man to pretend that trying to control you is the same as trying to protect you? (p. 134) (I don’t know that women get a pass on this experience either!)

Recently professional golfing legend Lee Trevino was asked what is the greatest lesson he’s tried to pass on to his children. I loved his answer.

“One thing I’ve told them is that your word is your bond. That once you’ve lost your word, you’ve lost all your dignity. So when you tell someone that you’re going to do something, you do it. Regardless if it costs you. And it will cost you money sometimes, cost you time. But you gave them your word.”

I read that to Sara and lamented how few people live by that anymore. Everyone wants the freedom to make every decision new each day, even if their change of mind betrays the trust and love of others. I really don’t understand people who live that way. If people won’t abide by the simplest words of their own mouths how can any meaningful exchanges take place? Our society has concocted an entire legal system of contracts, lawyers, and courts, in hopes of getting people to stand by their word. But even that is a bit of a sham, because it may not count if you don’t sign a document or swear an oath. Like all systems it eventually becomes something to manipulate, rather than rely on for the truth.

That was one of my father’s bedrock lessons to me. The quality of your character rests in whether or not people can trust the words of your mouth. Even David talked about the one God loves “keeps his oath, even when it hurts.” (Psalm 15:4) Even Jesus sought to instill that in his followers: “And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matt 5:36-37)

How much clearer could Scripture be? If you don’t fulfill your promises when it hurts, then what good are they anyway? If you don’t respect your own words and promises, how can you expect other people to have any respect for you?

The two greatest betrayals in my life came because people wouldn’t follow through on promises they made, and refused any conversation that might have found a better way forward through any legitimate frustrations in their commitments. Interestingly enough both brothers who couldn’t justify their actions with any reasonable explanation resorted to the same lame line, “God told me to do this.” The fact that they refused any discussion of their decision tells me God didn’t. One thing I know about people who listen to God, it makes them more humble and open even to being wrong, not more arrogant, demanding and dark. Those who truly hear God are always willing to discuss, to listen and to care about those their decisions affect.

I agree with Lee Trevino, if you lose your word you lose your dignity. If you want to live in the power of friendships, let your yes be yes and your no be no. Even when your promises cost you something you didn’t expect, stay faithful to them anyway. God will do marvelous things out of your faithfulness even to your own hurt. And Jesus was right, the enemy has a field day where people deny that simple reality.

As I was getting dressed this morning the news was playing in the background that included a story about last night’s Country Music Association Awards. One of the things that absolutely confounds me is our celebrity culture’s infatuation with itself. I know it is in part it is driven by the publishers, agents and producers to keep their products in the marketplace. These award shows are the way to give further shelf-life to books, records and movies already in the marketplace.

But it is more than that. I’ve brushed shoulders enough with many celebrities to note their constant fascination with themselves and their expanding circle of famous friends. Watching video clips of them fawning all over each other made me shake my head in sorrow this morning. They are so delighted with their own success they have no idea how out of touch with real life and real people they actually are.

That may be painting with a broad brush, and I do hope there are some genuine souls among the celebrities of our day, but my experience tells me otherwise. And I’m not saying that celebrities are bad people, but rather that our celebrity culture damages people in ways we don’t get to see. What amazes me is how much fascination our world has with these celebrities. Look at any magazine rack, or entertainment show. It is all about exalting other humans with admiration, most of which you wouldn’t be friends with if you had the chance.

Two thoughts came to mind this morning while watching this. Why are so many people driven to live in that space? I can’t tell you how many interactions I have in year’s time with people who are driven to be the next big author, musician, actor, or movie-maker? Some want it for ‘Godly’ reasons, or so they say, but I don’t think they have any idea what celebrity will do to them. I know precious few who fly at that level that stay grounded in reality and appreciation for the people who they knew before it happened.

I read an interview this weekend with American actor Robert De Niro. He talked about how rich and famous people only surround themselves with others who only tell them what they want to hear and who give them permission to indulge their own selfishness because they have earned it. Sad, isn’t it? Believe me, there is no amount of money that makes it worth living in that space. Celebrity culture is a lie at its very core.

That was even more clear to me during my time in Australia. Most of my time there was spent with brothers and sisters on the journey of learning to live loved who saw me just as another brother on a journey. But I also did some media interviews and had some interactions with people who put me on the author pedestal for my own books, or for my work on The Shack. They are groupies, enamored with fame more than they are the Father I write about. Those conversations are less enjoyable to me and far less fruitful. One driver I had for an interview even apologized to me for even mentioning someone else’s book in my presence. When I expressed dismay that he would think to apologize for that, he told me that he knew how much famous people wanted to be the center of attention.

So my second thought in hearing this news clip this morning was this: The best thing about celebrity is that it makes you irrelevant to the people who matter. People enamored with celebrity have little else going on in their lives. People who are really grounded in the life of God aren’t impressed with celebrity. They don’t put people on pedestals, and aren’t too interested in those who are. They look for people to walk alongside them knowing we are all flesh and blood with the same human experiences, hopes and fears as anyone else. As I have often said the people I know who live most alive and free in Jesus are unknown except to the friends and family that live in their corner of the world.

Whenever we are tricked into the lie that there are people above us, or beneath us, we have lost the truth and the reality that Jesus invited us into. That’s why James warned the followers of Jesus:

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? (James 1:1-7)

Today is Veteran’s Day in the United States, where we honor those who have served in the military in defense of freedom and against those who would do great harm in the world. I want to pause today on this blog to do exactly that. Though our military has not always been used by our political leaders for the purest of purposes, I’m grateful that is the narrow exception not the rule. My own father took up arms as an 18 year-old fresh out of high school to help defeat Nazism’s spread over Europe in World War II. He grew up on a vineyard in central California, and was wounded by a mortar shell fragment in a vineyard in northeast France, just miles from the German border.

I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be exchange gunfire with another terrified 18 year-old on the other side of the battle. I can’t imagine what these young men and women face in the brutality of war, the death of comrades, and being separated from loved ones in far-off countries for extended periods of time. But I am grateful for those who have taken up the call and served this country in the defense of freedom in the world.

His war experiences shaped my dad in ways that have borne fruit through the whole of his life. He has not been afraid to stand up in the face of injustice or to confront those who do harm to others. He has lived with a heart to serve others in any way he could help them and with an integrity of word and honesty that I’ve seen in far too few.

For him and all others who have served (or are serving today) our country with distinction and honor, I am deeply grateful for your sacrifice, your courage and your conviction. May God bless you today and pour out his grace upon you.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The Declaration of Independence is truly one of the most amazing documents ever penned by humankind. To think that 56 men from 13 colonies with all the differences between them could come together and agree to sign their names to a statement that could have most likely resulted in all of them being executed for treason by the British Crown is almost unthinkable in our day.

The words they published are so commonplace now, we forget how much they truly pushed the historic envelope of human dealings and in fact, how much they still do. The defining paradigm of culture prior to 1776 was the divine right of kings. Those who had by money and power vanquished more helpless people divided the world into haves and have-nots—royalty and serfs. Your station in life was mostly determined by birth.

The idea that all of us are created equal on the planet was virtually unknown, and certainly not even believed by the men who signed that Declaration. By “all men”, they only meant those who were white, Anglo-Saxon, male, Protestant landowners. Even in ensuing decades they never considered their ideals to the native Americans they lied to and pillaged, the slaves many of them owned and exploited, or the women they claimed to love.

Yet, our understanding of all of us being created equal in the eyes of God is a close to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the way he treated people as any other summary statement. He offered to everyone without reservation the same love and light be they exposed sinner, Pharisee, king or Roman governor. This gospel was for every person, with no distinction, no favoritism, no lording over another human being. And that reality is still finding its way into human culture even at the beginning of the 21st Century.

At least in government the divine right of royalty is succumbing to the forces of freedom almost all over the world. Except for some figurehead monarchies in Europe and some Middle Eastern and South American dictators, the notion that some people are born to privilege and leadership has largely been discredited in the world. Interestingly enough the only place the royalty/serf distinction still carries any weight is in the clergy/laity disparity in our religious institutions. And in some older (and newer) incarnations the clergy even have the audacity to dress and act like royalty. How sad is that?

Isn’t it interesting that in most significant cultural shifts recognizing the equality of people, the impetus has rarely come from those who most claim to understand Jesus’ message or his example? It shows how little they do. Freedom is an easy term to throw around conceptually, but its real power doesn’t describe a governmental form, but a understanding of people that invites us to treat them differently. Every human being merits the same respect and opportunity as any other. When we lose sight of that, we can excuse our calloused and cold lives toward the needs of others.

So, actually July 4 is one of my favorite holidays not so much for the country it began, but for the revolution of thought it represented. For the first time in human history statesmen recognized what Jesus said in Matthew 23. “You have one Father and you all brothers and sisters.” That’s the way to live. That’s how Jesus shapes us in his reality. It is true of everyone around you. No one deserves to lord over another, and no one deserves to suffer at the hands of those more powerful.

And that is not yet true, even in America. There are a class of Americans—government leaders, the rich, and celebrities in the arts—who consider themselves above the rest of us and above the rules of respect that govern a free society. It has never been more evident than the last few decades where people of privilege and power reassert their control over the culture. How many powerful politicians have been exposed as moral frauds? How quickly did our Congress and presidents crawl into bed with the fortune hunters on Wall Street who were willing to secure their fortunes by looting the trust of common folks.

The economic disaster we’re in was not the result of an economic downturn. It was completely manufactured by dishonest men and women who thought they could benefit at their fellow-citizens’ expense. Our government has done anything to restrain that and simply threw more money at them and loot our grandchildren’s futures as well. This is not freedom. It is the tyranny of the wealthy over the powerless who have no lobby in Washington, no ability to buy the influence they they think they deserve. And instead of calling them on the carpet for betraying the public trust, most people only look to find their ladder to power and influence as well, willing to walk over anyone to get their piece of the pie.

When I see the celebrity adulation in this country, whether it be of American Idol singers, famous authors or even in moments like the death of Michael Jackson, I realize that we still have our own version of royalty in America. No, it’s not the divine right of kings, but the idolatry of fame. When I saw people enraptured in the presence of someone they think famous as they seek to live vicariously through the life of another, it only affirms how sick our culture is. To think someone is a better human being because they sing well, play sports well, or write well flies in the face of the Gospel itself. We have royalty now because we create it ourselves an ungodly heritage of a media and culture fascinated by fame and seeking it themselves, instead of dismantling its illusion at every opportunity.

All men and women are created equal. The words roll of the tongue with ease, but the reality is much more difficult to embrace. We are all the same in Father’s eyes and everyone who crosses our path on a given day is as significant as the next. Each has a story to tell, a life to share, and a hope to encourage.

Lose sight of that and you’ve lost sight of the most blessed truth of the American revolution.

This also comes up because many public school students will observe a Day of Silence as a means to protest harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It has been going on for almost a decade and many parents who are against ‘the gay agenda’ feel the need to keep their kids home that day, or participate in a Day of Truth that makes sure everyone in their district knows they consider homosexuality to be immoral. Is this the way Jesus would respond.

Perhaps a better way to encourage faith-based students to respond would be to adopt the Golden Rule Pledge. “I pledge to treat others the way I want to be treated.” It allows a pro-active response to sharing the burden to increase mutual respect for all, regardless of our differing points of view. While some of it is a little ‘religiously’ with having to quote a Scripture to justify their actions, I appreciate the sentiment.

Dr. Throckmorton, Professor of Psychology at Grove City College and organizer of the pledge says, “There can no doubt that GLBT students and peers as well as other who appear different have been the target of harassment, bullying and violence. We believe Christians should stand with a loud voice to oppose this.”

“Participation in the Golden Rule Pledge helps to demonstrates Christian respect and concern and builds bridges instead of walls,” added Michael Frey, his associate and Western Pennsylvania Regional Director of Campus Ministries for Campus Crusade for Christ.

The Golden Rule Pledge may also be conducted in schools where the Day of Silence is not being observed. For more information you can see their websiteThe Golden Rule dot com, or link up with them on Facebook.

Beyond the program, however, this is the way Jesus asked us to live. You don’t need to throw a Scripture in their face to do it. All you have to do is live differently and it will speak volumes!

I can appreciate the concern, but it seems to fall into a bit of the Christian paranoia that the world is always out to get us and to intentionally distort our message. In the early translations of THE SHACK, we have not found that to be the case. Believers we know in those countries, who were concerned as well that the translations wouldn’t stay true to the book, have since written to tell us that the books are remarkably accurate to the spirit and content of the story.

And why wouldn’t they? Publishers have a vested interest in getting the story right. If they unfaithfully translate books, they will get caught by the many readers who can and will read both translations. If they change a book’s content their credibility and future sales will suffer in irreparable ways.

Why didn’t we stick with Christian publishers? We wanted this book to get into places Christian books don’t normally go. And we’ve had wonderful results from early translations that have been done by secular companies. Even those that had fears a nonChristian publishing company would water down the book or change its meaning, admitted later that the translation was far better than they expected. But no one agrees on every detail. Translation is more an art than a science, since many phrases and words do not have exact counterparts in other languages. Some interpretation is essential to the process, but we have been pleased to hear that translators have been faithful to keep as close to the original as possible.

It has been said that just because people are paranoid doesn’t mean there aren’t others out to get them. Maybe it’s also true that just because people disagree with us, doesn’t mean they are going to distort our words to further their agenda, especially when it is in their financial interest not to do so. I find many believers by and large live with far too many suspicions of other people. They’d prefer to live inside of those fears, then let circumstances play out and see if there is in fact a problem.

I think Jesus said it best. Be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. Keep your eyes open, but don’t live to speculation when reality will always unfold on its own. That we can be kind and gracious to all, but not be played as a fool by those who are truly malicious.

So while I take a break and most others re out shopping today, let me tie up these loose ends from the recent election discussion on this blog. Though I still like some of the language our new President-elect is using about working together and getting rid of government programs that don’t work, I’m still concerned about a cabinet he is appointing that is recycled Clinton-era politicians. He has some outside that box, but not near enough for me. I’ll be interested to see how all of this pans out.

The reason I posted a bit of my political thinking on this blog was in hopes of doing the very thing these two letters I received recently indicate. I hope it produced this kind of fruit in others as well. And please don’t jump to the conclusion that all of those who voted for McCain did it out of irrational fears, but that’s not my point of view or the writers of these letters. They simply illustrate our tell our political positions might be.

I meant to write last week & congratulate you on your bravery in saying publicly that you voted for Obama! I’m not very political, but I was glad he won – he seemed to be the one with more compassion, inclusiveness, and a larger view of the world & America’s place in it. I know the world has unreasonable expectations for him. I’m just hoping he can begin to move our country in a better direction.

I have a very dear friend, who is a conservative Republican Christian. She tried to get me into political discussions before the election, assuming that I would agree with her. I sidestepped the discussions because I didn’t agree and I knew it could potentially cause a rift in our relationship due to her extreme views & certainty that hers was the proper Christian position. I had hoped that with the election over, she would turn her attention to other things. I was surprised to find that since the election, she has posted many times on her blog (which I read just to keep up with her life) what has to be called rants against Obama. She has expressed her great fear in many different ways, all of them very condemning and extreme. We normally get together every week or two for coffee, but I’m not sorry that we have been unable to the last few weeks. It really makes it hard to have a conversation when the other person is so steeped in their own viewpoint they can’t see or hear the reasons for yours.

I find it interesting that she is so afraid. The Christian right has really whipped up the emotions this time around. It sort of reminds me of the days of George Wallace, when many ‘good Christian people’ were rabidly racial, or the early days of this country when ‘good Christian people’ felt that African-Americans were less than human. I think it’s another instance of the “church”‘s stance being off the mark. The amount of fear makes me think of the scripture “Perfect love casts out fear”.

In thinking about the required conformity within the institutions, I think that a large part of the issue is control. Without being told how to think, vote, dress, etc., a lot of people feel out of control. It’s just too much freedom, and they are too afraid of messing up & getting zapped by their angry god. That carries over into politics as well – they want to be in control, to have everyone agree with them. If you don’t, you must be unGodly.

I also think that many of those in control of the institutions, whether they are aware of it or not, use that fear to keep control of their congregations. Fear is a powerful motivator. For me, the reaction that the Christian right is having to Mr. Obama is telling. It isn’t rational, or spiritual, it’s totally emotional and fear-fed, which doesn’t speak well for where it is coming from at all.

Anyway, I mostly just wanted to say thanks for being open & honest & unafraid!

And then this:

Isn’t it amazing how loving, godly, holy, and peace-loving saints can throw down the gloves and become raving lunatics when it comes to politics? I respect you for your courage and honesty, in sharing your convictions. You probably knew that some would react adversely to your decision and you shared your opinion anyway. I felt that you were very gracious in how you presented your opinions. You know voting a canditate from the “D” party is as close one can come to denying Christ without actually denying him.

I voted for John McCain. Yet, I respect your right to vote for whom you choose. In fact based upon the authority of the scriptures, you did not lose your salvation and I am at liberty to call you brother and enjoy fellowship with you. I have the fortune or misfortune of living in one of the bastions of Evangelical Christianity–Virgina Beach, Virginia. I work with a good number of professing believers. I notice that leading up to the election that many brethren seemed to despair over the idea of a Barack Obama presidency. The only thing holding him back from revealing himself as the Anti-Christ was that the rapture had not taken place(said tongue-in-cheek). You know what I am talking about. My thoughts were even if Barack Obama were elected as president, God is still on the throne.

Well, God has spoken and Barack Obama will be President of the United States on January 20, 2009. Because of the fear that seems to be resonating amongst many believers, I decide to start a discussion thread at a Christian website. My topic was “Could a Barack Obama Presidency be a Blessing in Disguise for American Evangelicals?”. Needless to say it had 116 replies over the course of about a week. I premised it with the fact that I was supporting John Mcain and that I felt that many brethren were getting caught up in the political mess. They were losing sight of the fact that Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour transcends any worldly election. He who loves us more than we can truly imagine is in control of the universe. If He is able to fulfill his will with men such as Nebuchanezzar, the Pharoahs, the Caesars, and the many ungodly men who have ruled nations through out history. He can accomplish his will with Messiah Obama (again, only kidding).

Accept my feeble attempt at encouraging you and keep up the good work as the Apostle to the relationaly challenged. I of course am speaking for myself.

I hate fear and all that it destroys in the human heart. People still don’t see how horribly binding it is and how it distorts us into really creepy people. Emails from Christian friends driven by fear and appealing to fear in hopes of conforming the culture to their expectations, sickened me. I know they are just misguided. I know God loves them deeply, and that they are responding the only way they know how. But it is time for God’s children to move beyond fear. This whole world is in HIS hands and we are his children living in it. We need not fear anything, because God’s kingdom is the unshakable one. His purpose will endure and we dare not look to the governments of men as our hope.

Even though I disagree with many of Obama’s social policies, the Republicans needed their comeuppance. I am a life-long Republican, and have never voted for a Democratic presidential candidate. But eight years of Republican arrogance and corruption in Washington has devastated this nation and destroyed our reputation abroad. How could I reward that with my vote? Are the Democrats any less arrogant or corrupt? Of course not!

But Obama sings a different tune. He speaks of hope and sacrifice, of bringing people together instead of manipulating our political differences to chop this country up into little pieces. To be honest, I’m ready for some sacrifice. My generation has saddled future generations with a horrible debt and an irresponsible, short-sighted, selfish approach to the problems of our world. It is time for a different course. Yes, I know when President Bush in his first campaign talked about being a “uniter not a divider”, he completely ignored his own promise. I can only Obama won’t do the same. I hope he’s serious about being a President for all of the people, even those who didn’t vote for him. I hope he brings diverse factions together and helps them learn to work together, rather than running headlong into a Democratic agenda. Time will tell.

This was a hard vote for me. McCain was my favorite Republican candidate from the beginning. I was surprised he won the nomination, but then even more shocked that he once nominated he became a mouthpiece for the worst elements in the Republican party. He quickly abandoned his life-long principles to appeal to the base of a party sadly out of touch with the demands of our time. I was disappointed by the lack of experience and gravitas in his vice presidential choice. I was disappointed in his negative ads that depended on rumor and innuendo. McCain has served this country well in days gone by. He didn’t do it so well in this campaign, except for his concession speech last night. That’s a McCain I could have voted for, even though I was disturbed by the mocking anger of those in his audience. He had to keep rebuking his own supporters who demonstrated such contempt for Obama. I hope that tells him something about the campaign he ran.

I know this won’t make sense to those who only focus on gay rights and abortion in voting for president. But I look at other issues that are being ignored to the detriment of our country. We need to build credibility abroad and make significant reforms at home. Obama offers us a fresh course and seems to display the intelligence, passion and fair-minded resolve to help us accomplish that. I do regret that he will serve with such overwhelming Democratic majorities in both houses. That doesn’t bode well for serving the interests of all of the people. But I’m rooting for him to get this right and demonstrate a generosity of spirit to those who don’t see the world the way he does.

And when I watched the faces of my African-American brothers and sisters last night overwhelmed at the election of one of their own to the highest office in the land, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. The greatest stain on our nation’s history is the white arrogance that first owned slaves for hundreds of years, then when freed kept them repressed economicaly, socially and politically for over a century and a half.

Sara and I just spent a week in Virginia visiting Thomas Jefferson’s home in Monticello and the historic colony of Williamsburg. To think that the man who penned our Declaration of Independence citing that “all men are created equal,” and then returned to his plantation in ownership of African men and women only shows the extent to which human blindness can reach.

What a moment in history! An African-American family will occupy the White House. So many said it couldn’t be done. And while it alone won’t make up for 400 years of abuse, it does open a very wide door of hope for those who have been most marginalized in our culture. How could we deny them this joy, this fulfillment that all men truly are created equal. I will pray that this reality further heals the despicable divide in our culture and allow us all to celebrate what we hold in common.

The stakes are high. The opportunity is great. I do pray that Obama will be blessed with wisdom and insight and that he will live up to his promise to not represent the narrow interest of party, but do work for a common good that offers equal justice for all.

On January 20, Barak Obama will take the oath of office, looking down the Mall past the Washington Monument to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King gave his famous “I Have a Dream Speech.” His election doesn’t fulfill all that King hoped for on that day, but it is a giant leap forward to fulfill a promise too long denied to people of color.

Some day I’ll be able to tell my grandchildren that I voted for the first African-American president of these United States, not because he was black but because he held the best promise to reverse the course of our failed politics and open a new chapter on American public life.

I pray he lives up to that promise. If he doesn’t, it really can’t be any worse than the last eight years.

The industry seems to pander to a religious mentality deeply ingrained in Christianity-as-religion that is based on performance not grace, rules and rituals instead of vibrant relationship, exalting the trappings of institutions and leadership instead of the reality of the ever-present Christ, and turning the joy of community into an obligation to sit through a meeting, rather than the irresistible opportunity to share the life of Jesus with other followers.

And I’ve found I’m not alone. The run-away popularity of The Shack has opened a lot of doors for Paul, Brad and me to be in conversations with some of the key publishing people around the nation. We are hearing from authors, editors and executives who have struggled under the same constraints and are celebrating the fact that The Shack has helped to identify a massive spiritual hunger that lies outside the lines of our tightly-package Christian machinery.

This came from an email exchange with an author based in the Chicago area:

You have an eloquent way of putting words to thoughts I’ve had after writing five books and several articles for Christian (and secular) publishers. I couldn’t agree with you more that, ‘It is tough for Christian publishers to do a good job on books that challenge the status quo, and almost impossible for secular publishers to deal in positive terms with the reality of Jesus.’ This – ironically – makes authentic, cutting-edge, Christ-loving, truly grace-driven writing into some kind of anathema.

And this, from the Mick Silva, the editor of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House and one of the leading Christian publishers:

Briefly, my dream is to bridge the gap between safely packaged (often sanitized) Christian messages, and honest, warts-and-all God-encounters. I’m sure you’re aware that too. Too often God is given short shrift in Christian publishing. And that supposedly simply reflects American Christianity—many trappings, little substance.

That’s what I’ve had to accept—until the success of The Shack. Now I can ask: what if CBA (Christian) publishing doesn’t necessarily just reflect the problems in the church, but also perpetuates some of them? I used to believe that changing people’s hearts was the only way to show that the commonly held publishing assumptions about the “what’s-in-it-for-me?” audience have been off. But now The Shack may be proving there’s an audience hungry for something different—or at least intrigued enough to buy it.

I believe, like many of us, Eugene Peterson has seen this shift coming. The big Christian houses may not be ready to cut ties with their big accounts to chase this awakening audience—and the secular market is certainly not ready for that. But a small company like Windblown can be much more strategic. And that’s exciting to me, not least of all because God has been tapping me on the shoulder to consider my next step.

Honestly, I’ve been surprised to find so many people among the rank and file of Christian publishing who have longed for something that better reflects the breath of God to our culture. They, too, feel stymied by the corporate culture that markets to a demanding demographic instead of taking the risk to put something real and creative into the marketplace.

Brad and I have called this space ‘the Missing Middle’. We are convinced that there was a large group of Christian readers who are looking beyond the plastic answers and petty power structures of the Christian marketplace, and nonChristian readers who are ready to interact with stories and literature about the God of the Bible if they are engaging and relevant to the human struggle.

And now we’re finding that some publishers have been looking for that kind of material as well. Due to the success of The Shack, we are being invited to participate in some of the dialog that goes on in the top echelons of publishing across the U.S. Yes, we know they are wanting to share in the popularity of The Shack, but the invitations and the conversations have been wider than that. First of all, they have the capability to distribute far more books in far more places than we can. But more than that, they are inviting Windblown Media to a place at the table of putting books out there that encourage an out-of-the-box view of relationship with God, Christian community and engagement with the world that demonstrates that love and reality.

This is an excerpt of an email exchange from a C.E.O of one of the top-tier international book publishers:

Now that we’ve read So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore and He Loves Me, we are even more enthused about utilizing our skills to spread the messages of these books, plus the Shack. In fact, ever since we acquired (our Christian imprint), we have been in discussions with them about finding books which would appeal to those Christians who feel dissatisfied by the traditional Church, who are challenging the tenets of received dogma, who are no longer happy with the religion they acquired as children (emphasis mine). So it was with great pleasure that we discover these books at Windblown Media and see the strength of the message and stories in them!

I was quite impressed with the ways in which Wayne and his co-author, Dave Coleman, were able to put into words many thoughts I’d had myself about the ways in which today’s churches had become mostly rituals and rules, mostly about judgment and not about love or forgiveness. So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore is an empowering book, which can really enable the reader to discover not only his or her own relationship with God, but also where and how he or she wants to express that relationship and, yes, worship.

I realize this is a market-driven industry and we’re a message-passionate team. We wouldn’t even be having these discussions if The Shack hadn’t been such a run-away best seller that has caught the industry by surprise. And I realize our opportunity to publish into that space will only last as long as we find an audience there willing to buy it. But Brad and I have felt for a long time that we wanted to speak into that space—not just through books, but movies as well. Now, we’re being invited to do so at a shockingly high level. Whether it will work out or not, is more in Father’s hands than ours. We realize he has been behind all of this.

We haven’t made a decision yet as to which company we will work with, but that decision is immanent and involves finding contractual language we can all agree upon. No matter which way we go, however, this will decisively impact my life and vocation for the foreseeable future. In many ways the last 12 years has been almost retirement for me. I’ve been in the background working on the books I love, traveling and meeting with people who are living this journey and dabbling in other opportunities such as BridgeBuilders and other people’s books as God has opened doors. I couldn’t have been more blessed at the simple life I was allowed to live. But it seems Father is inviting me into a different season that will put different demands on my life.

And add to all of this the fact that we are ramping up now to make the movie version of The Shack in which I will be significantly involved and you’ll see that my life is changing. We have been in meetings over the past few months with so many people in believers who are in the film industry, that we see Father assembling a pretty incredible team to help make that adaptation.

As fun as all of this might be, however, this increasingly invites me out of carefree schedule I’ve treasured for these past few years and into a workload and responsibility that will change some of those realities. I won’t be free to travel as often, at least in the short term. I won’t have as much space to do the articles and blogs as I have in the past, or even to have the extensive email dialogs I have had with people. But I am a firm believer that fruitfulness comes by our being responsive to different seasons in our lives and realizing that God calls us to different things at times, and we must have the freedom to respond.

Even with all of my misgivings, I am convinced that God is asking me to step into some space that will bring some radical changes into my life. I will be able to get back to some of the books I’ve wanted to write and to help others, who have something valuable to say to the body of Christ, find the place to say it.

I wish there was more I could say at this point, but there is so much that is still up in the air. Don’t worry about The God Journey. We have every intent of keeping that going as well as expanding it in some interesting ways in days to come. But I covet your prayers and your wisdom as God might speak to you about all of this. I will need some resource people alongside to help in the tasks that I’ve been able to do myself over the years and I have no idea who those people might be. One very specific request here is that God will provide an administrative assistant that is gifted in administration, editing and writing. I have no idea how to even begin to find such a person where we live.

But I know God is an amazing provider. And that he has things already lined up that I couldn’t figure out if I spent all day racking my brain. So, I’ll just move on like every other day—doing what he has put before me, knowing that my view of these things will get better in days ahead.

Stay tuned. There will be more details to follow.

There’s no spiritual take-away here from the presenter, but for those concerned about the health and welfare of the world, there is much here to think, pray and ruminate on in days to come. The entire presentation takes about 20 minutes.

See presentation here.

Even if you find statistics incredibly boring, you will be transfixed on this presentation and you’ll come away more aware of the economic and cultural disparity in our world.

Christianity in America is totally lost—so shame-based and twisted as evidenced by the books being peddled and the TV programs they were pushing.”

I’ve been in places like that in times past. If you ever go you’ll understand better Jesus’ frame of mind when he saw all the moneychangers and commerce going on in his Father’s temple. There is much many of those folks wouldn’t do for a dollar or a chance to expand their ‘market share.’

As bleak as his assessment was, however, he surrounded his comments with a few interesting asides.

Amazing how the whole environment did not bother me as much as it did the last time I was there….

and

At some point it is going to change… I think another generation is coming.

I was surprised that he saw it as far worse than before, but also that it didn’t bother him as much and had hope even beyond it. I asked about that and here’s his reply:

(I think I) less identified with it, is the phrase that fits best with my perception at this point. I also felt a tremendous freedom not to convince anyone there of anything. And I had a real sense that everyone is on their own journey, yet comforted by the fact that it is the same God that loves us. So, the word that comes to mind is “trust.” Trusting him with my journey and the journey of those around me.

You’ve got to love grace. Besides, this wasn’t Father’s temple, it was just a convention center built by people to host such activities.

On an unrelated note, I’m off to Central California today to a mountain retreat to help some men understand the cross and the implication of God’s love for them. You can pray for us all if you like!

Then this morning, Christopher from the Portland, Oregon area, sent me a wonderful story of his Haloween. He’s a listener of The God Journey podcasts, and wanted to share how God was helping him think outside his boxes. I know this isn’t everyone’s answer for the day, but I sure see Jesus’ voice and grace evident as this story unfolds. It renewed my heart in the ways he works as we simply respond to the nudges on our heart…

Since it was your book (the Jake story) that has helped my wife and I to embrace the liberating truth that God speaks to us individually rather than just within the framework of the system, I wanted to share this amazing story with you about our experience last night. I’ll call it reverse trick or treating.

Historically, we’ve always felt that as Christians, we shouldn’t participate in Halloween in any way. Most people in our former fellowship were adamantly opposed to it. In the past, we usually would either go to a church alternative (where our kids would receive candy and have fun), orturn off all our lights and retreat to some room in the back of the house for a quiet evening.

Last night however, I felt really convicted when I came home from work, shut my garage door and turned out the lights while there were kids trick or treating just one house away. I felt like I was turning my back on them.

As I sat there for a moment, I asked the Lord “What do you want me to do?” And I felt like he was saying to me “Did I ever ask you to completely avoid others on this night?”.

So I went and told my wife that I’d rather not be hostages in our own house and that we should go ahead and turn on the porch lights and let them come. Her first response was that we didn’t have anything to hand out. When I mentioned that our own kids have an abundance of candy in their own stock from previous birthdays and holidays, we both quickly discounted it as a bad idea to take that from our kids and give it to others’. However, my five year old (who was busy peeking out the window at all the other kids), overheard me and became excited at the idea of giving other kids his candy. Although we were shocked (he treasures his candy), we decided to let him hand it out.

As kids came to our door (some of them teenagers with deeper voices than mine), they were greeted by my two kids (ages 2 and 5) eagerly serving them “treats” and having fun doing it. Some of the kids had puzzled looks on their faces and some of them were clearly touched by it (I could tell by the adoring “oohs”).

There was a concern about whether we had enough or not, but I told my son that if God wants us to give out candy, He’ll provide enough. Not only did we have enough before the night was over, but our neighbor across the street came over with her bowl of candy to give some to our kids. I thought it was an awesome lesson to them of God’s provision in a language they could understand (candy)!

I’ve never seen him so excited to serve others and give away his own things before. It was a great opportunity to talk about kindness as a fruit of the Spirit and the joy of giving that God puts in our heart. I probably didn’t even need to explain it*he was experiencing it!

The lesson for me was that God is big enough to reveal Himself even on a day that doesn’t bring glory to His name. It’s amazing how much easier it is to hear His still small voice when there’s not the constant mooing of sacred cows in my head. I’m enjoying listening to your podcasts. Thank you, and keep up the good work.

The dinner was designed to highlight the vast inequalities that exist around the globe in the distribution of food and wealth. Sixty people attended the banquet. Fifteen percent were given a three-course meal on a linen-covered table, complete with silverware and utensils. Twenty percent were given ‘middle income meals’ consisting of some beans, rice and a glass of water. Like their wealthier counterparts they had chairs, but no table. Most of those attending, sixty-five percent sat on the floor and were fed only some rice and water. They had to eat with their hands.

Think about that the next time you sit down to eat. The vast majority of us reading this blog are in that 15% that has way more than we need. And we probably spend more time frustrated by things we want rather than concerned over those who are starving to death or being slaughtered in tribal genocides. Especially for the U.S., where we are only 5% of the world’s population yet consume over 25% of the world’s resources.

When you wonder why people in impoverished countries overseas are angry at the U.S., this is much of the reason. How would you feel if you put your children to bed each night watching them suffer in malnutrition and disease if your neighbors were were feasting on steak and running around in their Hummers?

I don’t think such inequities exist in our world because the wealthy are so callous, but because we cannot maintain a grasp on the disparity of our world. It can only exist because we don’t eat every night in the same room and have no sense of the incredible abundance we have and the desperate need that exists elsewhere. And when we do, we don’t have the foggiest idea what to do about it.

But maybe this is something some of us can have some prayer and dialog about. I know my heart is increasingly touched by my awareness of my abundance in the face of the hunger and violence in the world. Undoubtedly it is a result of the fruit of the chaos of creation due to the sin and selfishness of humanity, but that we doesn’t mean we should blindly enjoy our own good fortune while ignoring the plight of brothers and sisters around the world.

And I’m talking way beyond charity here for the poor. I love this quote by Eduardo Galeano, a journalist from Uruguay:

“I don’t believe in charity. I believe in solidarity. Charity is so vertical. It goes from the top to the bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects the other person and learns from the other. Most of us have a lot to learn from other people.”

Eric, Thanks for writing. I love you’re perspective and your heart. Maybe you’re right. It was a bit tough.

I certainly do not believe nor mean to intimate that folks who work for Christian magazines are evil. But this piece was not directed at individuals who work in the industry, but at the industry as a whole and how groupthink can make the subobjective of making a profit more important than helping people discover the truth of God’s work on the earth. I tried to make it clear that they don’t see it that way, and as you say are doing what they think best to spread the kingdom.

But isn’t that what is scary about it? When I was a pastor I was deeply convinced that by building my institution, I was buildilng the kingdom. My passion for God was the same then, but the groupthink of the institutional enviornment took those passions and twisted them into manipulating people with guilt and commitment, saying what would not offend even if it wasn’t quite the truth and thinking the success of the institution was more important than the growth of individuals. When the subobjective of buildling an institution replaces the key objective of living loved and loving, horrible things can happen by well-intentioned people. I wasn’t writing about anything I haven’t also experienced firsthand. And yes, that is a confession.

I wrote the original blog because of the number of people that thought I could influence Charisma to give more weight to those thinking outside the box. I know the futility of that given their readership. I don’t know the editor there at all, though I have tried to write him on a number of occasions and have never had him respond. I have LOVED a lot of his editorials that challenge religious ways of thinking. I’ve often wondered how he stays there given the overall humanistic and materialistic feel of the magazine and those it covers. I stopped reading it years ago because it beckoned the wrong motives in me.

That said, I do think there is a huge difference between people reading what I write because it resonates with them, and me writing what I write to draw the largest audience I can. Very different. Pleasing people is not a trap I hope to fall into yet again. I’ve been in that pit way too many times before. It’s muddy at the bottom and the sides are steep and slippery. There’s no way out without a firm and loving hand from above!

What’s more, (the culture) is already changing – constantly, ceaselessly, seamlessly – changing whether we want it to or not, in ways we can’t predict, much less control. If you take the cultural temperature at any given moment, you will find that some of the bad things are starting to fad, and improvement is beginning to appear; simultaneously, some good things are starting to fall out of place, and a new bad thing is emerging.

Not only can we not control this process, we can’t even perceive it until changes are so far developed as to be entrenched. Chasing the cultures is a way to guarantee that you will always be a step behind the times.

God has not called us to change the weather. Our primary task as believers, and our best hope for lasting success, is to care for individuals caught up in the pounding storm. They re trying to make sense of their lives with inadequate resources, confused and misled by the Evil One and unable to tell their left hand from their right.

This focus on an external, public sign is contrary to the mission of the church. Christ planned to attract people to himself through the transformed lives of his people.

But if someone should actually see our billboard, and be intrigued, and walk in the door of a church, he would find that he had joined a community that was just creating another billboard.

Culture is not a monolithic power we must defeat. It is the battering weather conditions that people, harassed and helpless, endure. We are sent out into the storm like a St. Bernard with a keg around our neck, to comfort, reach, and rescue those who are thirsting, most of all, for Jesus Christ.