I know it's been a while since I chimed in about Rob Bell's most recent book, "Love Wins." Well I've read it, and it's already been passed around to people who were also curious and wanted to see for themselves what it was all about.
I've also had plenty of time to talk to friends, family and mentors about it, and it's comforting to know that after reading the book, we're coming to a lot of the same conclusions.
I went into reading the book with a high degree of optimism, because I remember just how much controversy surrounded "Velvet Elvis" when it came out, and how disappointed I was with the fundamentalists' grasp of what Mr. Bell was actually saying with that book. It seemed to me that so much of what he said was taken out of context that I gained a level of respect for his musings.
Final Conclusion: I both recommend "Love Wins" and warn against it. I recommend the first 2 chapters, and I caution the reader to be careful with everything following. Here's why...
The first two chapters are like an inoculation for the Church to remember that we believe in a more Biblical understanding of the kingdom and the people of God as both present and future. We're not supposed to simply occupy our time with churchy things until we get to really let loose after death. We're supposed to be, as a church, a bastion of God's love here on the earth, reaching out to people, because that's what God cares about above everything else: reaching hurting people. The first two chapters inspire a refreshing amount of hope, regardless of the background of the reader.
Beyond those two wonderful chapters, proceed with caution. First of all, because the method of Mr Bell's writing is very ambiguous and asks a great many more questions than he dares to answer or even attempt to lead the reader to answers. Socrates was a master at this ... he asked questions that led his students to answers. Mr Bell's questions seem to only lead to an agnostic void ...
Yes, ask questions; Yes feverishly pursue answers as well.
My second and most important caution has been echoed by every single Bible scholar and pastor whose opinion I've solicited: Rob Bell's logic, reasoning and exegetical conclusions take ENORMOUS leaps from question "A" to his own conclusion "B" that simply can't be made without a great deal more support. This is manageable for someone who is mature, but for someone who is perhaps more impressionable, it's just downright dangerous.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Starting Over
I absolutely hate putting together furniture. I'm pretty awful at it. Ask my wife, she's seen me in action. You know that place on instruction manuals that tell you the approximate assembly time? I've begun to simply add 50% extra time for myself to know how long it's actually going to take.
At our home, Rachel has a room that is dedicated as her photography studio/office. I also have a space of my own. Right now it's the catch-all room of the house, but before that, it was my study. I have a love of books, and coming from 3-too-many years of college, I have plenty of books to love. That also means that I have plenty of books to find shelves for. So in our second year of marriage, we invested in 3 identical bookshelves from Target.
When I set out to put together the first one, I was confronted with something I hadn't ever handled before ... cam bolts and locks, paired with wooden dowels. Now I'm sure you have some experience with these if you've ever put together office furniture. I have come to appreciate them and loathe their design all at the same time. I felt like I was making extremely good time (for me) and was ready to put the backing on the bookshelf, and then I saw it. The framing on the back of the bookshelf was backward, and because of that I couldn't complete it properly. The backing of the shelf was step #26. The framing was step #4. The cam bolts and locks had lied to me, and I didn't notice it until I was almost done.
Hence my hatred of office furniture.
As a perfectionist, I couldn't just Jerry-rig it to work as it was, so I was left with 2 options: Scrap it for firewood or work my way backward and start over. So I began the arduous process of taking it apart, lock by lock ... dowel by dowel. And no, I didn't whistle while I worked. I mostly grumbled incoherently, throwing in a profanity or two ... or twenty. In any case, I wasn't happy. Eventually I got it together properly, and then was careful not to repeat my error in the other bookshelves. They look marvelous.
On May 3rd, I will celebrate my 15th year of being a redeemed man, sold-out for Jesus and serving Him with everything I have. I'm a Life Pacific College Graduate, as well as a Life East alumnus. I've served several pastors in several churches in a variety of ways, but I find myself in an odd place at this major adult benchmark... You see, a little over a year ago, I discovered that in all of my effort and work at being a Christian man, somewhere along the way I skipped a step. I missed a detail. There was no way around it. I could not continue forward to embracing the destiny that the Lord had for me because something was off. Something in my framework was backward, and it couldn't be ignored. And for the last year, I've kicked and grumbled and swore under my breath (and at the top of my lungs), because I was working my backward rather than forward. I was undoing everything just to get back to step #4. It's been a painful process, but one I think was absolutely vital to my future as a man after God's heart.
Today at church, while listening to Pastor Dale speak, something settled in me that hadn't been settled until today: "If I am being undone so that I can be a healthy member of the body of Christ for the next 15 years, it's absolutely worth it." Being disassembled is infinitely better than being discarded and used for firewood. So tonight, after the blog post, dinner and some family time, I think I'm going to go upstairs to those bookshelves, grab two of my first Bibles (A blue pocket sized full Bible and a red leather bound New Spirit Filled Life Bible), and pick back up at step #4.
To Pastor Larry and Pastor Dave "Andre Agassi" Barndt, thank you for giving me those Bibles as a teenager and insisting that I mark them up as much as I wanted to. Without your love, starting over would be much more difficult. And to Pastor Dale Jenkins, thank you for fanning the flame and being like Jesus; "a smoldering wick He will not snuff out, and a bruised reed He will not break."
At our home, Rachel has a room that is dedicated as her photography studio/office. I also have a space of my own. Right now it's the catch-all room of the house, but before that, it was my study. I have a love of books, and coming from 3-too-many years of college, I have plenty of books to love. That also means that I have plenty of books to find shelves for. So in our second year of marriage, we invested in 3 identical bookshelves from Target.
When I set out to put together the first one, I was confronted with something I hadn't ever handled before ... cam bolts and locks, paired with wooden dowels. Now I'm sure you have some experience with these if you've ever put together office furniture. I have come to appreciate them and loathe their design all at the same time. I felt like I was making extremely good time (for me) and was ready to put the backing on the bookshelf, and then I saw it. The framing on the back of the bookshelf was backward, and because of that I couldn't complete it properly. The backing of the shelf was step #26. The framing was step #4. The cam bolts and locks had lied to me, and I didn't notice it until I was almost done.
Hence my hatred of office furniture.
As a perfectionist, I couldn't just Jerry-rig it to work as it was, so I was left with 2 options: Scrap it for firewood or work my way backward and start over. So I began the arduous process of taking it apart, lock by lock ... dowel by dowel. And no, I didn't whistle while I worked. I mostly grumbled incoherently, throwing in a profanity or two ... or twenty. In any case, I wasn't happy. Eventually I got it together properly, and then was careful not to repeat my error in the other bookshelves. They look marvelous.
On May 3rd, I will celebrate my 15th year of being a redeemed man, sold-out for Jesus and serving Him with everything I have. I'm a Life Pacific College Graduate, as well as a Life East alumnus. I've served several pastors in several churches in a variety of ways, but I find myself in an odd place at this major adult benchmark... You see, a little over a year ago, I discovered that in all of my effort and work at being a Christian man, somewhere along the way I skipped a step. I missed a detail. There was no way around it. I could not continue forward to embracing the destiny that the Lord had for me because something was off. Something in my framework was backward, and it couldn't be ignored. And for the last year, I've kicked and grumbled and swore under my breath (and at the top of my lungs), because I was working my backward rather than forward. I was undoing everything just to get back to step #4. It's been a painful process, but one I think was absolutely vital to my future as a man after God's heart.
Today at church, while listening to Pastor Dale speak, something settled in me that hadn't been settled until today: "If I am being undone so that I can be a healthy member of the body of Christ for the next 15 years, it's absolutely worth it." Being disassembled is infinitely better than being discarded and used for firewood. So tonight, after the blog post, dinner and some family time, I think I'm going to go upstairs to those bookshelves, grab two of my first Bibles (A blue pocket sized full Bible and a red leather bound New Spirit Filled Life Bible), and pick back up at step #4.
To Pastor Larry and Pastor Dave "Andre Agassi" Barndt, thank you for giving me those Bibles as a teenager and insisting that I mark them up as much as I wanted to. Without your love, starting over would be much more difficult. And to Pastor Dale Jenkins, thank you for fanning the flame and being like Jesus; "a smoldering wick He will not snuff out, and a bruised reed He will not break."
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Here is the New There
I love tuning forks.
I seriously do.
During my brief time at Radford University, I belonged to A Cappella groups that would perform in public places, most of which didn't warrant the use of a full size pianos to get our starting notes. So we brought tuning forks. If you don't know what they are, google it. Go ahead ... I'll wait.
In the movie Tin Cup, Kevin Costner's character says that a well-hit golf shot is like a tuning fork going off in your loins. And it's a funny way to think of golfing, but I know what he means. I've only had 1 or 2 golf shots where I felt the "That's what it's supposed to feel like" after the swing. I've felt it more playing disc golf, where when the driver releases out of your grip off the tee, holds that tight line down the fairway and makes the turn at the perfect moment. It's not a technical moment. It's something you just feel.
You know that feeling?
Reading Chapter 2 of "Love Wins" by Rob Bell, I had one of those moments, but it was the first time I can remember that was a spiritual tuning fork moment. To summarize, if you haven't read the book yet, Chapter 1 deals with the not-so-simple nature of salvation/faith. By the way, this was what I read last time that wouldn't allow me to continue reading. Chapter 1 asks a lot of questions. Chapter 2, on the other hand, begins answering them , starting with the nature of Heaven and how we relate to it.
Rather than paraphrasing, here is a trail of quotations that led to my moment...
"How we think about heaven, then, directly affects how we understand what we do with our days and energies now, in this age." ~p44
"Taking heaven seriously, then, means taking suffering seriously, now. Not because we've bought into the myth that we can create a utopia given enough time, technology, and good voting choices, but because we have great confidence that God has not abandoned human history and is actively at work within it, taking it somewhere." ~p45
"Jesus teaches us to pursue the life of heaven now and also then, anticipating the day when earth and heaven are one.
Honest business,
redemptive art,
honorable law,
sustainable living,
medicine,
education,
making a home,
tending a garden --
they're all sacred tasks to be done in partnership with God now, because they will all go on in the age to come. In heaven, on earth. Our eschatology shapes our ethics. Eschatology is about last things, ethics are about how you live." ~p46
"A proper view of heaven leads not to escape from the world, but to full engagement with it, all with the anticipation of a coming day when things are on earth as they currently are in heaven." ~p47
When I got to the words "They're all sacred tasks", I had to stop reading, because I started sobbing uncontrollably. It wasn't crying. It was deeper than that. It was like a tuning fork being struck in the deepest part of my spirit and resonating "I knew it. Thank God someone said it."
Rachel loves photography, not because of the prestige, but because of the deep belief that she is helping to shape this age (aion) and will change the world using that medium. For her, it is a sacred work with sacred purpose. Because of her perspective, she probably will change the world...
I love tending to people and anything that is alive. When I care for my wife, our dogs, the rose bushes and the lawn, there is a part of me that knows that I'm "about my Father's business." They're each a sacred work; which I sense that I'm partnering with Him every time I do them.
There is something intensely freeing about seeing seemingly secular, mundane, ordinary tasks as sacred tasks. It's a feeling and a heart understanding that I hope I never lose.
For those that can remember the movie Chariots of Fire, it's saying the same thing as what the character Eric Liddell is known for saying: "I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure..."
For all the skeptics, Rob Bell is not saying that Heaven doesn't exist. What he is saying is that Heaven is much more expansive than the current popular tradition of it, which is simply a place away from here that we'll eventually go if we're good enough.
I seriously do.
During my brief time at Radford University, I belonged to A Cappella groups that would perform in public places, most of which didn't warrant the use of a full size pianos to get our starting notes. So we brought tuning forks. If you don't know what they are, google it. Go ahead ... I'll wait.
In the movie Tin Cup, Kevin Costner's character says that a well-hit golf shot is like a tuning fork going off in your loins. And it's a funny way to think of golfing, but I know what he means. I've only had 1 or 2 golf shots where I felt the "That's what it's supposed to feel like" after the swing. I've felt it more playing disc golf, where when the driver releases out of your grip off the tee, holds that tight line down the fairway and makes the turn at the perfect moment. It's not a technical moment. It's something you just feel.
You know that feeling?
Reading Chapter 2 of "Love Wins" by Rob Bell, I had one of those moments, but it was the first time I can remember that was a spiritual tuning fork moment. To summarize, if you haven't read the book yet, Chapter 1 deals with the not-so-simple nature of salvation/faith. By the way, this was what I read last time that wouldn't allow me to continue reading. Chapter 1 asks a lot of questions. Chapter 2, on the other hand, begins answering them , starting with the nature of Heaven and how we relate to it.
Rather than paraphrasing, here is a trail of quotations that led to my moment...
"How we think about heaven, then, directly affects how we understand what we do with our days and energies now, in this age." ~p44
"Taking heaven seriously, then, means taking suffering seriously, now. Not because we've bought into the myth that we can create a utopia given enough time, technology, and good voting choices, but because we have great confidence that God has not abandoned human history and is actively at work within it, taking it somewhere." ~p45
"Jesus teaches us to pursue the life of heaven now and also then, anticipating the day when earth and heaven are one.
Honest business,
redemptive art,
honorable law,
sustainable living,
medicine,
education,
making a home,
tending a garden --
they're all sacred tasks to be done in partnership with God now, because they will all go on in the age to come. In heaven, on earth. Our eschatology shapes our ethics. Eschatology is about last things, ethics are about how you live." ~p46
"A proper view of heaven leads not to escape from the world, but to full engagement with it, all with the anticipation of a coming day when things are on earth as they currently are in heaven." ~p47
When I got to the words "They're all sacred tasks", I had to stop reading, because I started sobbing uncontrollably. It wasn't crying. It was deeper than that. It was like a tuning fork being struck in the deepest part of my spirit and resonating "I knew it. Thank God someone said it."
Rachel loves photography, not because of the prestige, but because of the deep belief that she is helping to shape this age (aion) and will change the world using that medium. For her, it is a sacred work with sacred purpose. Because of her perspective, she probably will change the world...
I love tending to people and anything that is alive. When I care for my wife, our dogs, the rose bushes and the lawn, there is a part of me that knows that I'm "about my Father's business." They're each a sacred work; which I sense that I'm partnering with Him every time I do them.
There is something intensely freeing about seeing seemingly secular, mundane, ordinary tasks as sacred tasks. It's a feeling and a heart understanding that I hope I never lose.
For those that can remember the movie Chariots of Fire, it's saying the same thing as what the character Eric Liddell is known for saying: "I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure..."
For all the skeptics, Rob Bell is not saying that Heaven doesn't exist. What he is saying is that Heaven is much more expansive than the current popular tradition of it, which is simply a place away from here that we'll eventually go if we're good enough.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
"Love Wins" by Rob Bell, First Impression
Yes, I know, it's been a while since I posted a blog. Please forgive me for springing this new post on you so suddenly.
If you follow me on twitter or are a friend on Facebook, you know that I've been trying to get my hands on a copy of "Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived" by Rob Bell. It took me a few days and a few trips, but Barnes & Noble came through today.
I sat down to start reading, and I stopped 20 minutes later. But it wasn't because I was offended or offput by anything that was said. I was so astounded at the preface to this very controversial book that I had to stop. I'll read it 2 or 3 more times before I make my way through the remaining 190 pages, because it's worthy of the attention.
Rather than quoting text or citing specific examples, I'll leave you with a brief first impression, in the form of a series of statements. Guess what that means... you're going to have to read it your darn self (that is, if you want to agree or argue with me).
I believe that Rob Bell has a greater grasp of the complexity of scripture than his most skeptical theologians and/or scholars.
I think that the reason this book has so enraged the Evangelical community is that the author asks questions that have been largely tossed aside by others. The preface is 80% questions and 20% research or statements. The danger with tossing aside questions about Jesus and the nature of salvation is that we can also toss aside the people sincerely asking them as well.
Most of the quotations that I've read in blogs, tweets and articles that are in opposition to the orthodoxy of this book are found in the first 10 pages. I wonder how many of those critics didn't actually make it throught the rest of the book...
If you follow me on twitter or are a friend on Facebook, you know that I've been trying to get my hands on a copy of "Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived" by Rob Bell. It took me a few days and a few trips, but Barnes & Noble came through today.
I sat down to start reading, and I stopped 20 minutes later. But it wasn't because I was offended or offput by anything that was said. I was so astounded at the preface to this very controversial book that I had to stop. I'll read it 2 or 3 more times before I make my way through the remaining 190 pages, because it's worthy of the attention.
Rather than quoting text or citing specific examples, I'll leave you with a brief first impression, in the form of a series of statements. Guess what that means... you're going to have to read it your darn self (that is, if you want to agree or argue with me).
I believe that Rob Bell has a greater grasp of the complexity of scripture than his most skeptical theologians and/or scholars.
I think that the reason this book has so enraged the Evangelical community is that the author asks questions that have been largely tossed aside by others. The preface is 80% questions and 20% research or statements. The danger with tossing aside questions about Jesus and the nature of salvation is that we can also toss aside the people sincerely asking them as well.
Most of the quotations that I've read in blogs, tweets and articles that are in opposition to the orthodoxy of this book are found in the first 10 pages. I wonder how many of those critics didn't actually make it throught the rest of the book...
Thursday, September 30, 2010
"Tolerance" is Overrated; A Top-10 List
You know what I don't want to tolerate? Tolerance being counter-intuitive. It seems that in the name of tolerance, we're scared to oppose anything, because being intolerant seems to be the easiest way to become an American pariah. Well, I guess that means I'm doomed to a life of unpopularity.
Bunny trail: I think the "Coexist" bumper sticker using religious symbols is just plain ignorant. Take a world religions class people. Read a book. Then form an opinion.
Back on track. Every belief is not equally valid. Either Jesus is the Savior of the World or He isn't. Either it is OK to kill infidels in Allah's name or it isn't. Not every belief system has equal merit, nor should they be given equal air-time. And in special circumstances, giving ground in the name of tolerance is actually offensive.
I'm sure you've all, by now, heard plenty about the Mosque being constructed at Ground Zero (the site of 9/11). Rather than ranting about it here, I figured the most constructive use of my words would be to make a list of things as/more insensitive and offensive than having a Mosque at Ground Zero. These all could be argued from the standpoint of understanding and tolerance.
10. The Handgun Appreciation Club (with indoor shooting range) at Columbine High School
9. The Andrew Jackson's Colonization Museum at any Native American reservation
8. Lebron James singing the national anthem at the 2010 Cav's home opener.
7. Changing all of the tour guides' uniforms at the Holocaust Museum to resemble Nazi Officers.
6. "Bloody Sunday's", an Irish pub in the heart of London, England.
5. A Michigan recruiter at a booth during Ohio State's Club Fair
4. A US munitions factory in Hiroshima or Nagasaki, Japan
3. A national law mandating that every "Martin Luther King Jr Blvd" in the country be intersected by "James Earl Ray Road".
2. "Hutu Gravedigger Services" in Rwanda, advertising "No one has more experience."
1. A Jewish Synagogue next to the Kaaba in Mecca, with a likeness of Mohammad wearing a Yarmulke
Tolerance should never take priority over respect; or better yet, love. And not all perspectives are worth listening to. Why allow something unloving and disrespectful in the name of tolerance? I think our response to those building Park51 should be "You are welcomed to build, as soon as Israel is allowed to build a Synagogue at Mecca." That should delay the project a while...
Bunny trail: I think the "Coexist" bumper sticker using religious symbols is just plain ignorant. Take a world religions class people. Read a book. Then form an opinion.
Back on track. Every belief is not equally valid. Either Jesus is the Savior of the World or He isn't. Either it is OK to kill infidels in Allah's name or it isn't. Not every belief system has equal merit, nor should they be given equal air-time. And in special circumstances, giving ground in the name of tolerance is actually offensive.
I'm sure you've all, by now, heard plenty about the Mosque being constructed at Ground Zero (the site of 9/11). Rather than ranting about it here, I figured the most constructive use of my words would be to make a list of things as/more insensitive and offensive than having a Mosque at Ground Zero. These all could be argued from the standpoint of understanding and tolerance.
10. The Handgun Appreciation Club (with indoor shooting range) at Columbine High School
9. The Andrew Jackson's Colonization Museum at any Native American reservation
8. Lebron James singing the national anthem at the 2010 Cav's home opener.
7. Changing all of the tour guides' uniforms at the Holocaust Museum to resemble Nazi Officers.
6. "Bloody Sunday's", an Irish pub in the heart of London, England.
5. A Michigan recruiter at a booth during Ohio State's Club Fair
4. A US munitions factory in Hiroshima or Nagasaki, Japan
3. A national law mandating that every "Martin Luther King Jr Blvd" in the country be intersected by "James Earl Ray Road".
2. "Hutu Gravedigger Services" in Rwanda, advertising "No one has more experience."
1. A Jewish Synagogue next to the Kaaba in Mecca, with a likeness of Mohammad wearing a Yarmulke
Tolerance should never take priority over respect; or better yet, love. And not all perspectives are worth listening to. Why allow something unloving and disrespectful in the name of tolerance? I think our response to those building Park51 should be "You are welcomed to build, as soon as Israel is allowed to build a Synagogue at Mecca." That should delay the project a while...
Monday, July 26, 2010
Christians are the Worst...
It's been a while folks. Good to see you again. Yes, I'm loosing weight. Thank you for noticing and speaking up. Encouraging bunch of people...
Now for the matter at hand.
Imagine that you work at Chili's. (Ok, I'll give you a few seconds to think about those Fajitas ... soooo good) Sunday afternoon, you go in to work. You make between $3-$4 per hour plus tips. Now imagine 12:43 in the afternoon rolls around. A well dressed, seemingly happy group of 7 walk in, and are seated in your section. Everyone gets soft-drinks, except for the one guy who asks for water, 2 slices of lemons and splenda stirred in. They get appetizers, entrees, but no dessert, because let's face it ... nap time is coming. Throughout the meal, they talk about the church service they all just attended, the message, the worship, and maybe a little gossip about that one family. You know the one.
Then you hand them their single check an hour later. It totals up to $78.75 pre tax, and $84.45 after tax. While you wait on other tables, they greet you as they walk out the door. You make your way back to the table, and discover something interesting. They have left $.55 as a tip to round up to $85, and a gospel tract for you to read.
That hour of your service, combined, was worth $3.55.
Do you read the tract?
If you think this is a baseless hypothetical situation, I DARE YOU to ask anyone who is a server in a restaurant. You'll hear stories that miror this. Even better, ask them what day they dread working the most. They will almost unanimously tell you Sunday. Why? Because Christians are the worst people to serve. They're demanding, condescending and cheap.
We're demanding, condescending and cheap. Right after service, where hearts are uplifted, lives are changed and people encounter the Living God, we let ourselves get away with being demanding, condescending and cheap. For a people who serve the best God, why do we let ourselves get away with being the worst?
For the servers out there, please know this: When Christians treat you this way, it's shameful. It is not behavior endorsed by the Bible we read, the God we serve or the values we strive to uphold. God's love for you is greater than that Bible tract. Your time is worth more than we've made it. We appreciate your service, because believe it or not, YOU are an example to US of how to serve others. Sometimes we just forget that as a people, we represent the God who didn't come to be served, but to serve and to give His life for many. Forgive us for forgetting.
To the Christians out there: don't you think it's time we changed the tides? After all, we are a people who once were lost, but now are found! We serve the God who formed the heavens and the earth, and the Savior who bore the sins of all mankind. Do you realize that we're known by our actions, not our intentions? No one cares about our theological disposition; rather, they care about and are impacted by the practice of our religion. Isn't it time that we let Sunday be a day that others look forward to also? Imagine how great it would be if Sundays were the day that servers looked forward to working, because of how generous those Christians are.
We serve a generous God, let's allow ourselves to be generous to the world He's called US to serve. We are a people overwhelmed by God's mercy, so let's pass that on, even if they spill your drinks or get your order wrong. Twice. We are a people transformed by nothing less than an encounter with God Himself. Let's give people more than tracts to believe in. Let's be a transformed people, no matter where we go.
As a complete aside, the mathematician won't let me conclude this blog post without a tipping lesson. Do you know how to tip 15% on $84.45? Yes, I said 15%. Think of it as a minimum, because traditionally, it was. If you can't afford to tip, then you can't afford to go out to eat. Buy groceries, go home and have a great afternoon with your family & friends.
If you have a smartphone, just use that calculator and multiply $84.45 x 1.15. Pay that amount. If you prefer to do the mental math, then do, but get it right: Add 10% and 5%. 10% is easy to come by ... $8.45. Now round it up to $9 (you big spender you). Then cut that number in half to find the 5%, and add it on. $9 + $4.50 = $13.50
If your server is average, just tip 15%. If they're above average, go ahead and tip 20% ($18). If they're really amazing, tip 30% ($27) or more and let their manager know ... compliments go a long way.
We serve the best God. Let's be the best at serving the world around us, even while they're serving us lunch.
Now for the matter at hand.
Imagine that you work at Chili's. (Ok, I'll give you a few seconds to think about those Fajitas ... soooo good) Sunday afternoon, you go in to work. You make between $3-$4 per hour plus tips. Now imagine 12:43 in the afternoon rolls around. A well dressed, seemingly happy group of 7 walk in, and are seated in your section. Everyone gets soft-drinks, except for the one guy who asks for water, 2 slices of lemons and splenda stirred in. They get appetizers, entrees, but no dessert, because let's face it ... nap time is coming. Throughout the meal, they talk about the church service they all just attended, the message, the worship, and maybe a little gossip about that one family. You know the one.
Then you hand them their single check an hour later. It totals up to $78.75 pre tax, and $84.45 after tax. While you wait on other tables, they greet you as they walk out the door. You make your way back to the table, and discover something interesting. They have left $.55 as a tip to round up to $85, and a gospel tract for you to read.
That hour of your service, combined, was worth $3.55.
Do you read the tract?
If you think this is a baseless hypothetical situation, I DARE YOU to ask anyone who is a server in a restaurant. You'll hear stories that miror this. Even better, ask them what day they dread working the most. They will almost unanimously tell you Sunday. Why? Because Christians are the worst people to serve. They're demanding, condescending and cheap.
We're demanding, condescending and cheap. Right after service, where hearts are uplifted, lives are changed and people encounter the Living God, we let ourselves get away with being demanding, condescending and cheap. For a people who serve the best God, why do we let ourselves get away with being the worst?
For the servers out there, please know this: When Christians treat you this way, it's shameful. It is not behavior endorsed by the Bible we read, the God we serve or the values we strive to uphold. God's love for you is greater than that Bible tract. Your time is worth more than we've made it. We appreciate your service, because believe it or not, YOU are an example to US of how to serve others. Sometimes we just forget that as a people, we represent the God who didn't come to be served, but to serve and to give His life for many. Forgive us for forgetting.
To the Christians out there: don't you think it's time we changed the tides? After all, we are a people who once were lost, but now are found! We serve the God who formed the heavens and the earth, and the Savior who bore the sins of all mankind. Do you realize that we're known by our actions, not our intentions? No one cares about our theological disposition; rather, they care about and are impacted by the practice of our religion. Isn't it time that we let Sunday be a day that others look forward to also? Imagine how great it would be if Sundays were the day that servers looked forward to working, because of how generous those Christians are.
We serve a generous God, let's allow ourselves to be generous to the world He's called US to serve. We are a people overwhelmed by God's mercy, so let's pass that on, even if they spill your drinks or get your order wrong. Twice. We are a people transformed by nothing less than an encounter with God Himself. Let's give people more than tracts to believe in. Let's be a transformed people, no matter where we go.
As a complete aside, the mathematician won't let me conclude this blog post without a tipping lesson. Do you know how to tip 15% on $84.45? Yes, I said 15%. Think of it as a minimum, because traditionally, it was. If you can't afford to tip, then you can't afford to go out to eat. Buy groceries, go home and have a great afternoon with your family & friends.
If you have a smartphone, just use that calculator and multiply $84.45 x 1.15. Pay that amount. If you prefer to do the mental math, then do, but get it right: Add 10% and 5%. 10% is easy to come by ... $8.45. Now round it up to $9 (you big spender you). Then cut that number in half to find the 5%, and add it on. $9 + $4.50 = $13.50
If your server is average, just tip 15%. If they're above average, go ahead and tip 20% ($18). If they're really amazing, tip 30% ($27) or more and let their manager know ... compliments go a long way.
We serve the best God. Let's be the best at serving the world around us, even while they're serving us lunch.
Friday, February 12, 2010
An Unemployed Man's Perspective on Daytime TV
First of all, let me just publicly dispel a myth I held going into being unemployed. You would think that once you didn't have a job, you'd have all the time in the world to do the things you enjoy, since, after all, you finally had the time you were lacking when it wasn't consumed by commute and committed employment. That's bunk. The structure that school or employment provide are what drive motivation to do all those other things apparently. I haven't been this lethargic in ... well ... I can't even remember.
Being unemployed stinks. I'm not gonna lie. It just plain stinks.
What's worse, since I'm unemployed we can't afford normal people TV, so we're forced to use antenna TV. There isn't a whole lot on during the day. The only show I really even care about is Dr. Phil. The rest of the day is filled with what I like to call "drama TV" (the View, Tyra, Days of Our Lives, Maury, etc). So since it's all there is to watch, I started watching.
Did you know that Jerry Springer is STILL on TV?
WHY is Jerry Springer still on TV?
The guy who spearheaded the brawling drama TV movement is still doing his thing, provoking screaming fist fights between lesbian love triangles, spurned lovers, and midget rodeo transsexual Olympians. Girls flash the camera to get Jerry Beads. Seriously? We're still funding this crap? And what's worse, there are at least 3 other shows that specialize in the same stuff. And that's WITHOUT counting the judge and divorce court genre...
I could blame Jerry for ruining TV as we knew it, but the truth is he's still on the air because he keeps finding people to be on the air with him. People call in and want to be on the Springer show with their drama, and he obliges.
Truth be told, I think we're to blame for his presence. After all, they don't supply the drama, we do. As much as I hate it, I've become wholly convinced that our American culture no longer revolves around values, but around drama. We don't care about character nearly as much as we want to get to know characters.
Thinking back over my life, I don't know a venue, whether it be school, church, or family, where I can't pinpoint people who seemed as if they couldn't go a month, week, or sometimes even a day without some kind of drama. I'm sure you know people like that. Maybe it's you. Tune in next week to find out if it is...
No, seriously, think back. Why is it that we can't get through a day without some kind of a plot twist? Wouldn't it be AMAZINGLY REFRESHING if we could just do the mundane and boring for a week straight? Wake up, go to work (I wish), commute home, have a family dinner, enjoy some downtime, go to sleep and then do it all over again. Or how about this: Go to church, greet people, laugh, sing praise and worship, grow through studying the Word, go to lunch, go home, grab a nap, and do it all over again next week.
Why is there always gossip? Or fights? Or mistrust? Why do we let things like this keep our attention? Or why is it that we know characters on TV better than we do the members of our own families?
Honestly, I need YOUR perspective on this. Please answer the following questions in the comment section, especially if you're able to think back and remember life prior to sitcoms and reality TV (i.e. if you're older ... just sayin'): Why do you think drama has such a high place in our society? Is it a greater problem to be bored with the routines of life or exhausted from the emotional swings of living dramatically?
And on a completely separate note, I have to confess: I do watch the View. It's easy to tolerate after you've seen the Tyra show. At least The View has both sides represented. You don't know the "liberal bias" until you've seen it masquerading in designer dresses, dramatic eye makeup and heels.
Being unemployed stinks. I'm not gonna lie. It just plain stinks.
What's worse, since I'm unemployed we can't afford normal people TV, so we're forced to use antenna TV. There isn't a whole lot on during the day. The only show I really even care about is Dr. Phil. The rest of the day is filled with what I like to call "drama TV" (the View, Tyra, Days of Our Lives, Maury, etc). So since it's all there is to watch, I started watching.
Did you know that Jerry Springer is STILL on TV?
WHY is Jerry Springer still on TV?
The guy who spearheaded the brawling drama TV movement is still doing his thing, provoking screaming fist fights between lesbian love triangles, spurned lovers, and midget rodeo transsexual Olympians. Girls flash the camera to get Jerry Beads. Seriously? We're still funding this crap? And what's worse, there are at least 3 other shows that specialize in the same stuff. And that's WITHOUT counting the judge and divorce court genre...
I could blame Jerry for ruining TV as we knew it, but the truth is he's still on the air because he keeps finding people to be on the air with him. People call in and want to be on the Springer show with their drama, and he obliges.
Truth be told, I think we're to blame for his presence. After all, they don't supply the drama, we do. As much as I hate it, I've become wholly convinced that our American culture no longer revolves around values, but around drama. We don't care about character nearly as much as we want to get to know characters.
Thinking back over my life, I don't know a venue, whether it be school, church, or family, where I can't pinpoint people who seemed as if they couldn't go a month, week, or sometimes even a day without some kind of drama. I'm sure you know people like that. Maybe it's you. Tune in next week to find out if it is...
No, seriously, think back. Why is it that we can't get through a day without some kind of a plot twist? Wouldn't it be AMAZINGLY REFRESHING if we could just do the mundane and boring for a week straight? Wake up, go to work (I wish), commute home, have a family dinner, enjoy some downtime, go to sleep and then do it all over again. Or how about this: Go to church, greet people, laugh, sing praise and worship, grow through studying the Word, go to lunch, go home, grab a nap, and do it all over again next week.
Why is there always gossip? Or fights? Or mistrust? Why do we let things like this keep our attention? Or why is it that we know characters on TV better than we do the members of our own families?
Honestly, I need YOUR perspective on this. Please answer the following questions in the comment section, especially if you're able to think back and remember life prior to sitcoms and reality TV (i.e. if you're older ... just sayin'): Why do you think drama has such a high place in our society? Is it a greater problem to be bored with the routines of life or exhausted from the emotional swings of living dramatically?
And on a completely separate note, I have to confess: I do watch the View. It's easy to tolerate after you've seen the Tyra show. At least The View has both sides represented. You don't know the "liberal bias" until you've seen it masquerading in designer dresses, dramatic eye makeup and heels.
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