When Politics Trump Grace
Originally posted on my personal blog. A few weeks ago I mentioned that I try not to talk about politics much because: 1). I’m not educated enough to articulate my views in an intellectual manner, only short sarcastic remarks. 2). I end up getting into shouting matches with the Tea Party folks. But there is also a third reason why I try not to talk about politics much: too often politics prevail over grace. In politics it’s not enough to simply explain why your viewpoint and your agenda and your policies are better than the other guy; you have to drag your opponents through the proverbial mud. You have to paint your opponent as not just naive or misguided, but a subscriber to the deadliest ideology since fascism. You have to make people believe a...
Always Room for Repentance
I normally don’t like repenting because of two reasons: 1). I hate admitting when I’m wrong, and 2). I have this fear that God will eventually lose His patience. Even after nearly 10 years of being a Christian, I still don’t have my crap straight. I’ve made progress, of course, but there are still moments when I screw up. And I mean really screw up! One thing I struggle with is anger. I’m incredibly defensive, so when some one is giving me constructive criticism, that’s when Passive Aggressive Travis comes out. “Well,” I say, “excuse me for not being perfect.” Sometimes I say worse things. Then I realize, “Wait, did I just act like a jerk?” Not too long ago I was talking with a friend,...
People of Doubt
Jason Boyett recently wrote in his blog that he’s not as religious as he used to be. Don’t worry, he still believes in God, goes to church, and says grace with his family before meals. But the older he gets, the more his doubts increase. As a kid, I didn’t know to ask a lot of the questions I ask now. As I’ve aged, and as those questions have come up — and not always with satisfactory answers — I’ve seen myself becoming less faithful, less spiritual, less religious. I hate to admit it, but I know what he means. When I first became a Christian, I went through the whole “on fire for Jesus” thing. Everything made sense for the first time in my life. I no longer had an excuse to wallow around in my own misery...
Judging Precious
Last week I finally saw the movie Precious. I thought it was great, even though some parts were really hard to sit through. Mo’nique definitely earned that Oscar! As I watched Precious, one thought kept going through my head: “I think I know this girl.” I work at a public library, and some of our patrons are from the “other side of the tracks,” so to speak. I get along well with everyone, but I find myself sometimes silently judging them. “Oh look, another sixteen-year-old with two kids, and neither one have the same father. How stereotypical.” But after watching Precious I wonder if I’ve got it all wrong. What if there’s more going on? What if she’s carrying a dark secret? Maybe that’s why...
Something To Do While We're Waiting
I try to avoid discussing eschatology because, to be honest, the subject depresses the heck out of me. It really does. However, with all the earthquakes that have been going on lately, I can’t help but think about Matthew 24:7-8. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be an alarmist. I hate it when Christians run around saying, “OMG, the end is near! Don’t get left behind!” They sound too much like Chicken Little. Having said that, though, there is a chance that the Second Coming will be sooner than we thought, and the Bible does tell us to be prepared. But let me explain what “being prepared” means, based on my understanding of Matthew chapters 24 and 25. First, I need to stress this point: WE DON’T...