I might be wrong, but the smell of burning leaves on a crispy evening must be the most satisfying aroma ever consumed. I say consumed because when I encounter one of those familiar, pleasing smells, I breathe it in with a perpetual anxiousness that grows into an overwhelming sense of comfort.

I love the little things that bring comfort...

Hot chocolate when you should be sleeping.

Morning stretches in the afternoon.

Really good sweet tea... I figured out my recipe for great sweet tea today. Delicious.

I hope you'll stop and take part in some little comforts when you get a chance. You need it.

Society as the Death of Innocence

I’ve yet to come to a complete decision regarding the Bible as literal or metaphorical. I believe it includes both, but there are many specific passages that I haven’t made up my mind about. I think the fundamental plot is based in reality. So if you tell me there was a group of people called Israelites who descended from a man named Abraham, I’ll agree. If you tell me Jesus was an actual human who traveled the ancient Middle East teaching about what love is and about the realities of God, that's just fine with me. But then again, if you tell me that a man named John ascended to heaven and got a personal tour of the place, I might play the devil’s advocate and tell you it’s metaphorical. It’s one of those passages that might make more sense if we take it as symbolism. I’m not in the mood to solve the great debate, I’m just looking into some of the lessons we can learn if we view some Bible stories with new eyes.

Society as the Death of Innocence

Genesis 3: 1-7
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?"
The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’"
"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Enlightenment… Industry… The battle of man versus nature… Science… Society… Call it what you want, it’s all about discovery and fighting the battle against ignorance. In this passage, Adam and Eve have a desire to understand more, but of course, we all know their motives don't make their disobedience the right thing to do. God told them not to eat the fruit, and the command alone makes their actions wrong. But imagine for a moment that there was no rule against eating the fruit from this tree. Imagine you have the choice between eating a fruit that tastes good and satisfies your hunger and eating a fruit that does the same, but also provides some new bit of information, like some applicable fortune cookie. If the rule wasn't there, none of us would hesitate to make that same decision. We have a desire to know things... what's wrong with that?

Every child goes through the "Why?" phase at some point. It’s practically a never-ending sequence, but parents have figured out how to trump the question "Why?" Their answer… "Because I said so." Eventually, they start skipping steps and the "Because I said so" shows up after the first "Why?" I remember questioning the reasoning behind so many little things my parents wouldn’t let me do. But just because I had questions doesn’t mean I was missing out. I was looking out for myself and so I wanted to know what was going on, but it all made sense to them because they were looking out for me in a way that went above and beyond all my three-year-old questions.

If Adam and Eve had been in the "Why?" phase, would God have chosen to skip to "Because I said so," or would he have given them a reason? And if he had given a reason, what would it be?

Maybe he would say something like, "Because you’ll have a new understanding of some things, but knowledge is a double-edged sword."

Maybe God was just looking out for his children in a way that was superior to our notions of "what’s best for us." Maybe our pursuit of knowledge isn’t always the perfect product we see it as. Maybe knowing more has consequences that are both positive and negative.

The Age of Enlightenment established reason as the highest of authorities. Throughout this movement, freedom and democracy became important themes that saturated almost every culture around the globe, but this avenue of thought is also characterized by a worldwide faith deficiency and eventually led to societal unbalances like totalitarianism. The industrial revolution changed every aspect of life. The development of new technologies allowed business to drastically improve efficiency and allowed the world to be connected like never before. However, the technology for mass production resulted in a virtual mass production of humanity. No longer could individuals make a living expressing themselves through their chosen trade. On the contrary, they were plugged in to assembly lines where they tightened the same screw for the rest of their lives.

Humanity has an appetite for knowledge, and it takes only a small loss of ignorance for us to start losing our innocence. Ignorance and innocence: the two co-exist like bees and honey. Unless we put it in a jar, you won’t find honey unless there are bees close by, and visa versa.

I don't know what the point of all this is exactly. I don't know if we should just slow down and live simpler lives or make cell phones and sitcoms illegal so that people have nothing else to do but act human again. What I’m not saying is that humanity shouldn’t be working to cure diseases and figuring out ways to help people in need. We should be doing all that, but considering the innocence of Adam and Eve prior to the Fall and the humanity that we experience because of the Fall, I think there’s something to be grasped that I have found in my observations of children. My cousin has two boys. One is three and the other is six months. They are adorable, and since I get to give them back to their parents, I never get sick of them. But it doesn’t take long to see that three-year-olds get into trouble sometimes whereas six-month-olds just need to be loved and held and cared for.

As I think about a possible move, it reminds me of the last time I packed up and moved...

I’m driving down a two-lane road surrounded by cornfields. The U-Haul is packed to the door. I hate clutter, but it seems I’ve accumulated a lot of things over the last couple years. I’d furnished a small apartment with knickknacks from thrift stores and hand-me-downs, all which had seen better days. But it’s not worth throwing it all out just to start over. So I rented a truck, and my cheap little car is clinging to life on the trailer. I named the car Gus, and we’ve been through a lot, so like the rest of my clutter, I can’t leave him behind. However, I am leaving behind everything else from every category of life: family and friends and memories and geography.

Only a few days ago I was entrenched in normality. Indiana had been my home during all the conscious moments of my life. I finished up with my bachelor’s degree a few months ago, but I guess I needed a few more months to sit around the cheap little rented house with a few other guys. I would work a few days each month to pay off my rent and other miniscule bills, and the rest of the time was reserved for nothing important.

Since I was across the street from the university, I used up a large portion of my time taking advantage of every available facility. I spent a couple hours at the gym every day. I ate at the cafeteria every chance I could get so I could go to the grocery story less often. I would visit friends in dorm rooms, and even, occasionally, meet with some of my former professors. It was a little awkward being on the campus as a graduate, but worth it to get out of the house and have something to occupy my time other than watching a film. The other guys were all taking another semester or two, so by over-indulging in sleep, I would manage to chisel the rest of my time down so I only had enough free time to hang out with them. Everything was easy. I watched Football games at a buddy’s house every week. I would hang out with a girl I liked, but never enough to consider it a relationship. Everything was mediocre, but I only had to do what I wanted to do, and nobody made me to do any more.

So I’m hoping that a change of scenery will shake things up a bit, but I can’t say that there was one single reason why I decided to move to Georgia, it’ definitely a combination of factors. Sure, the job offer prompted the idea and my older brother lives there, and yes, all the songs make it sound so nice. But I think more than anything, a person gets sick of monotony. It’s nice to have a schedule, it’s nice to have comfort, but most people want some excitement in their lives. I guess that need for a thrill was the main reason, maybe a bad one, but the biggest reason among many others why I packed up on a whim and I’m headed south.

So as I drive south on State Road 37, passing through little Mid-western towns, I’m thinking of everything that has just ended. Of course there’s the familiarity of my surroundings. Due to random midnight drives for no other reason than to explore, I know a lot about Marion, Indiana. I’ve explored all the abandoned warehouses inside and out. I know the streets that are better to avoid. I know the little bar on the downtown square and all the people who play there on Thursday nights. There’s the mall with nothing good in it that’s just as fun to wander around as any other mall. There’s the church where I would take people and we’d climb onto the roof. We would keep warm next to the heating duct. There’s the drive to Indianapolis which I’ve made countless times. I can’t get past all the memories, and I think I’m paying more attention to them than the road.

I made the decision so quickly that I had no time to realize its finality. I think about all my friends from four plus years of school, the countless people from my home that had such a fantastic stake in my life, my family. It’s hard to say good bye, but it’s easy when it’s the right thing to do.

Patriarch

My Granddad is the patriarch. A Godfather type aura surrounds him. He’s so dignified, so proper; he’s modern day nobility.

I’m the airport chauffeur. It was his turn this morning. So I woke up early and fought the morning traffic down to the south side of Atlanta.

I haven’t figured out how far off of normal I am yet. I communicate differently than others. I don’t have the standard inner filter that most are born with, so there’s nothing to keep me from talking about the most random things. On the other hand, I think I can make people feel a little awkward because I don’t mind silence. Everybody moves so fast; conversations can’t have silence. I like it a little bit. I like people that I can share that with.

So I’m on the way to the airport with the Godfather.

"How’s that nice young lady your brother was spending time with?"

"Actually," I had to decide very quickly how much of the information I should make known, "they aren’t really seeing each other anymore."

"Was that something she decided or he decided?"

"He did."

The buzz of his electric shaver snapped on once it was clear my answer would be brief, and I listened to it consuming stubble. It snapped off after ten seconds.

"It’s really starting to look like a nice day," he said.

I look as though I’m participating in the conversation but no words come out. Maybe some sound, but no words.

Snap. The buzzing consumes all the faint sounds outside of the car for another ten seconds. Snap.

Artist...

Artists should not be trusted. If an artist is not deceitful every so often in the cause of his art, then he is a poor artist. No one will listen to what you have to say unless they are convinced you have mastered it. Only one who has mastered a tradition has a right to attempt to add to it or rebel against it. As an artist, you are responsible to no one and to nothing, except to yourself and the truth as you see it… an artist is responsible to his art.

The artist should have a powerful will. He should be powerfully possessed by one idea. He should be intoxicated with the idea of the thing he wants to express. Every great artist is a man who has freed himself from his family, his nation, his race. Every man who has shown the world the way to beauty, to true culture, has been a rebel, a "universal" without patriotism, without home, who has found his people everywhere.

HOLY EXTRAVAGANCE BATMAN

Last week Senator Charles Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on Finance, decided to take a deeper look into the finances of six media-based ministries. Since non-profit organizations, including the various ministries of Benny Hinn and Joyce Meyers, receive very significant tax breaks, Grassley is simply making sure that these benefits, as he states in his letter to each ministry, "are being used for the tax-exempt purposes of the organizations." The Committee on Finance has a recent interest in uncovering the truth because of many complaints from the public and recent news coverage which portrays a less-than-ideal image of these organizations.

Letters were faxed to the ministries of Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Eddie Long, and Randy and Paula White with intentions of explaining how the leaders of these "non-profit" groups are living the high life with outstanding salaries, choice automobiles, lavish mansions, private jets, and anything else to catch their eyes. Initial responses to the letters all portray a sense of openness, integrity, and extreme adherence to all laws. However, with specific price tags including gifts as hefty as $2 million, "layover trips" made during business travel, a $30,000 conference table, jewelry donations, a $1.4 million real estate transaction, "love offerings" given to visiting ministers (sometimes in the form of convertible Bentleys), a $23,000 "commode with marble top," and credit card charges made for cosmetic surgery and clothing, (Michael F. Haverluck of CBNNews.com) it can be hard to view these individuals with the same integrity and piety that they see in themselves.

The common denominator among these six ministries is that they preach the "prosperity gospel," the promise that God will reward those who give to the church with material wealth. Never mind the fact that this is completely anti-Christian and has no Biblical grounds, people who seek material wealth are buying a winning lottery ticket. "There's little fear of donor backlash when your donors see opulence as a sign of God's blessing," said Ted Olsen, managing editor for news and online journalism at Christianity Today.

Combine God, capitalism, and a charismatic leader and you can rake in the dollars. It’s actually a great business model, and there’s plenty more than six organizations who have put it into practice. MinistryWatch is an online database that profiles over 400 of the United State’s largest church and parachurch ministries in order to help donors be informed and responsible with their giving. According to MinistryWatch.com, there are twenty-seven current organizations that are not being transparent with their finances, a major red flag to donors. Additionally, MinistryWatch is devoting special attention to the Trinity Broadcasting Network, who didn’t get a letter from Senator Grassley yet continually urges their audience to give more and more despite the abundant savings it has stockpiled away in short term and long term investments. Paul and Jan Crouch, founders of TBN, each have salaries well into the six-figure range, and the organization’s program expenses are at 46%. That means less than half of the money they bring in goes into use for actual ministry; compare that to MinistryWatch’s database of organizations whose average program expense is 80%.

"It is looking more apparent that [Randy and Paula White] are the 21st century version of Jim and Tammy Bakker," commented one reader in response to an online article by the Tampa Bay Tribune.

In an online survey by the Saint Louis Post Dispatch, 60% felt that the Joyce Meyer Ministries did not handle their finances properly, with the other 40% being slightly more inclined to answer "I don’t know" than give the organization their approval. If you take time to read long lists of comments and reactions to this situation, you’ll find an astounding majority of people who have been looking forward to the day that someone would/could do something about these "blatant frauds." Even more surprising than the viewpoint of these reactions is the point of view they come from… Christians. Nobody wants to be thrown out with the bath water. The small majority who wish Grassley would mind his own business hide behind Separation of Church and State issues, but according to Senator Grassley, "I'm not interested in doctrine, just the tax laws."

Thoughts on the 3rd Commandment

Once upon a time, a sports caster said "boo-yah," and the world has watched the term grow. Years back, an "m" and a "c" were strategically placed in front of others words to associate them with the common fast food restaurant. On any given day, words are used that are not exactly words. It will start on a whim, become a trend, and before too much time, you will find it in the latest version of Webster’s. Look up the newest words added to the dictionary and you’ll find a list. I remember them being slang, and now they’re words in the dictionary. Go ahead, get out your dictionary. You’ll find some. My guess is, these words probably don’t even mean what they were originally intended to mean. Here’s one. An individual named Alan, who was referred to as Ollie by his friends, and who happened to be a skateboarder, developed a new trick in the late 70s. To make a long story short, an ollie is no longer a skateboarder from South Florida, it’s the most basic trick for any modern skater. Our culture shaped the term into something more than it originally was and forever altered what we think of when we hear the word "ollie."

During the first few centuries AD there was a group called "the Way," and they were Christians. In fact, they were the first Christians. The average person could tell there was something different about them, and when they found out that this strange behavior was because of Christ, they were termed Christians, which of course means, "little Christ." But these pioneers accepted this insult as a compliment. The insult was a badge of honor for those who gave all in the pursuit of Christ. And after all, being associated with their Savior was a compliment for them, even if others laughed. So the term "Christian" was coined as "someone who does what Christ did."

Ah, yes… Christian. I am a Christian. Except for some reason, I don’t really care for that title.
After hundreds of years of use, a change has occurred. Gradually, the term morphed. For whatever reasons, "Christian" no longer refers to "someone who does what Christ did." In fact, people who call themselves Christians don’t even try to do what Christ did, at least the ones I know. So what is a modern Christian? Here’s a few guidelines:

1 Go to church. Details don’t really matter here, you just show up.
2 Follow rules. There’s a lot of room to elaborate on this one. They don’t have to be relevant, and you can follow them completely blind, but you have to emphasize them, especially towards other people.
3 Say the right thing. The important thing here is that you say what sounds right, but don’t worry yourself about doing the right things, just sound good.

If that’s what a Christian is in my world, and sadly, that’s most of what I see it as, then I don’t think I want to be a part of it. Our culture has shaped the way we hear the word Christian. I prefer the original definition. But there are a lot less people doing that than there are "Christians." "Christian" has become the new Pharisee. It’s ironic, because "Pharisee" used to mean, according to Webster’s, a member of a Jewish sect of the intertestamental period noted for strict observance of rites and ceremonies of the written law and for insistence on the validity of their own oral traditions concerning the law. Basically, they were intensely pious religious leaders. They were their culture’s pastors. But the term changed over time. The reason Pharisees have such a bad reputation is because, for the most part, they were hypocrites. They made themselves look like they had everything together, but they were just following the rules and saying the right things. They weren’t doing the right things, and they weren’t even following the right rules.

But not us, we’re right. And we want to know we are right so we just keep following rules. We aren’t satisfied with needing and with thinking for ourselves so we get guidelines to follow. It’s because rules are comfortably. If we follow the ten commandments then we win. What about the third one; You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. "Christian" rules tell us that we shouldn’t use God’s name irreverently. We shouldn’t, but how about using that dictionary again.

Vain:
1 an improper or irreverent manner
2 excessively proud of, or concerned about one's own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc.; conceited
3 ineffectual or unsuccessful; futile
4 without real significance, value, or importance; baseless or worthless
5 senseless or foolish
6 proceeding from or showing personal vanity
7 without effect or avail; to no purpose

Christians got the first one covered. The second and sixth both sound like Pharisees. The third, fourth, and seventh are all similar. It means, if we use God’s name, but nothing really changes. We have broken the commandment. And that’s what most modern Christians are doing. They categorize themselves as being among God’s people, yet there is no change. They go to church, yet they sing to an unknown God (like the pagans in Athens). They follow rules passed down from generation to generation, yet they do not seek to follow the heart of God. They say the right thing, but when it comes time for action, they are unheard and unseen. I know it, because I am among these Christians. At one time or another, I think anybody would have to admit the same.

Where are the Christians that will once again "do what Christ did?" There are masses of people who, for centuries, have taken the name of God and used it in vain. Culture has seen and concluded that this (foolishness, futile, worthless, senseless, conceited) vain effort is all that Christ has to offer. There’s no way for me to show the world that "Christian" means something completely different. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything I can do to tip the scale, but I’m standing on the scale.

There is a massive presence, an unspoken…

I’m being attacked. Uncertainty, doubt, stress, isolation… I miss all the comforts which had become the norm. My life feels empty and dark, but on the move. I am sacrificing comfort for growth. I no longer seek the next comfort or positive feeling in a series of "pick-me-ups." So many live in that pattern. I want so badly to break the habit. It is costing me.

"Is your love declared in the darkness,
Your faithfulness in Destruction?
Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
Or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?"

I’ve been described as a "jack of all trades, master of none." I’m a bit quieter around my family, but then again, that’s when I spare no wit. I get plenty of opportunities to be the jokester, and I have a lot of fun playing that role. At work, I end up being friends with everybody, but then again, I do take things seriously enough to know when to quit with the fun and games and get things done. I have so many personalities that surface when I’m around different groups of friends. Sometimes I try to be the quiet, serious thinker, other times I just goof off and act like a complete idiot. One friend describes me as a poser, not in the sense that I’m a fake, but that he always catches me in some dramatic stance, like the catwalk is lit and cameras are snapping. I think it’s more of a joke than anything. Another friend always wants me to recite some joke that she’s heard a hundred times, but apparently, "you tell it so perfect."

There are many things in this world that I love; many things which I can give my heart to. I am absorbed in music, art, sport, literature, exploration, history, you name it. Yet I realize that I lack the one great passion of my life. I observe others who have given everything up in the pursuit of their great passion. Yet, like a warrior in times of peace or a performer with no audience, I find no outlet to discover and exhibit the passion of my life. I am not hopeless, just homeless.

I’m like Jonah: the guy in the Bible that runs from what God wants him to do. He eventually realizes that he can’t escape from God’s purpose for his life. Except for me, I haven’t figured out the purpose yet, so I get to unsuccessfully try to escape from monotony.

I’ll go to work and go home. Not that life is boring, not at all, but everything gets too easy sometimes. Unfortunately, I’ve found that I tend to fall into that tedious life that necessitates change. That is, I let myself get stuck in the pattern of life every so often and I have to shake things up.

I think there’s something to be said about people who take initiative. It’s not always the most logical path taken, but when everything in your life becomes normal and vague, dominated by a schedule that doesn’t leave room for spontaneity, something has to be done. It’s those moments of purpose and boldness that I realize where I am and where I am not.