I went to sleep last night praying for this nation, about to make history. I woke up at 1 a.m., and checked CNN online, to find out we had: Barack Obama will be our next President!

There are tears in my eyes as I think about the struggle for civil rights, the work that we as a nation have done to get to this momentous occasion. I feel a swell of hope, knowing that we have come so far, and I also feel a tinge of reality setting in: we have so much farther to go.

The fact is that Obama will not be able to do the things he wants to do alone. He will need each and every one of us stepping up in whatever ways we can, supporting him, and praying for him. Even if we disagreed with the outcome of the elections, we can be proud of our country, and stand behind him in the dream of making America stronger and better than it ever has been. “Yes we can” is now “Yes we did”, and it needs to be, “Yes we will”.

Scot McKnight over at Jesus Creed has posted a marvelous prayer for Obama, one that, regardless of party affiliation, many of us can say amen to. And so, in that spirit, I offer my own prayer:

Father God, thank You for this new day in America. This is a day of hope awakening, of dreams renewed, of courage reborn. And so, on this day, I pray that You would infuse Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and all those with him with strength and wisdom that only comes from You, wisdom that will enable them to bring needed justice and righteousness to this great nation. Grant, Father, that they would seek Your will above all things, even above the interests of their own party. Help them to bring unity and healing to this beautiful and troubled nation at a time when they are most needed, and peace to the conflicted places in the world that need it. Be glorified in their actions and decisions, Father, so that a little more of Your kingdom comes to America, our little plot of earth, as it already is in Heaven. Through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever, amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen. +

I have to say, I threw up (a lot) in my mouth when I read this document: the so-called “Letter From 2012 in Obama’s America”. Warning: It’s not for the faint of heart, and it’s not exactly light, pleasant reading. (Hence the title of this entry).

Where to start in tearing this thing down? First, on the issue of Christian character. This fictitious piece of nastiness is associated with Focus on the Family, a supposedly Evangelical Christian organization. I will say that I have long appreciated their work in strengthening Christian families. I respect that. However, I would say to them right out front: stay out of politics!

They are clearly overstepping their bounds with this fictitious piece, and it’s bordering on slander. Surely Christ would never have slandered anyone! It goes back to Proverbs 11:13, and other texts like it, which contrast wisdom (holding confidences) and foolishness (gossip and slander). It wasn’t enough, then, for Focus to advocate their positions honestly, they went one step farther and spread a bald-faced lie about Obama and what he would do as President.

This obviously calls their integrity into question. (And yes, by providing the link, I realize I’m complicit in passing on that flaming douchebag. Nothing I don’t know there). What would they possibly hope to gain by this, other than manipulating people’s emotions, and by doing, insulting their reason? Sure, they gain the notoriety, but that only lasts a few minutes. The wounds created by these kinds of lies will last for quite some time, though.

Second, this calls into question the nature of their commitments. How aligned are they with the world, with seeking political power instead of righteousness and justice? What will they stop at (it looks like next to nothing) to see that their kingdom comes on earth (even if it’s not their way in Heaven)? The fact of the matter is that God does not bless political agendas, regardless of where they are on the conservative-to-liberal spectrum.

I could go on, but I won’t. It would be too easy for me to sit around and bitch about this, but that makes me, on some level, no better than those who wrote the document in question. So, what’s the antidote?

First, a little more reading. This has got to be one of the most cogent cases I’ve seen of someone who’s a conservative Christian, who is also voting for Obama. Even though my politics are solidly liberal blue, I find so much in common with the author of this piece. It’s awesome.

Second, engage your brain. Read the positions of both candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain. Engage your spirit, and prayerfully read the statements, then vote! For heaven’s sake, vote! Regardless of who you vote for, the important thing is that you vote–not just for Presidents, but for Congresspeople, Senators, and local officials.

Second, don’t be afraid to deal with the issues at hand, without resorting to manipulative character attacks, appealing to fear, or any other diversionary tactic. Those don’t help anyone; in fact, they make an already sharply polarized political climate worse. We don’t need that.

Third, pray. Pray about how you can become part of the healing of our wounded country and world. Engage in, to use Gary Haugen’s phrase, the “more demanding climb” of seeking justice and righteousness, both in this nation, and in the world. Then, as the Lord leads you, move in Him to share His hope and His love. That’s how this sick fiction will be stopped, regardless of who takes the oath of office on January 20, 2009.

Sitting here on a Tuesday night, I find myself thinking again about how this collection of thoughts, poetry, rants, and questions can be a force for good in this beautiful and broken world I live in. As I reread my previous posts, I see a common thread emerging as a question: how am I using my voice in the choir of redemption God is leading?

I’ve written anti-materialist rants, denounced racism, questioned authority, made fun of what this world values. I’m going to try a different tack: encouraging those who read this, who also blog, to use their voices on a specific subject, that of poverty.

It’s widely known that about half the world lives on less than $2 (US dollars) a day. I had a moment of conviction about that a few days ago as I stood counting my cash drawer at the end of my shift. As I stood there counting the singles and complaining about how tedious it was, I realized that I was holding the equivalent amount that someone lives on for a whole month. All I could think was, Wow, hot damn, my priorities are incredibly misplaced!

That conviction, coupled with some of the things I’ve been reading in Rob Bell’s new book, and a very timely Compassion Bloggers assignment have given me the chance to resift some of my thinking about poverty, my own experiences, and what I hear as I (to borrow Charlie Hall’s incredible phrase) “take a walk in the burning heart of God”.

First, poverty as an issue. The fact is, so many times I feel so overwhelmed by the needs around me that I’d just as soon pretend I don’t care. But underneath that, as it is for so many, is the unvoiced question: In the face of all the needs, both at home and abroad, can the little I do make a difference?

However, I’m seeing as a Compassion International sponsor, that what I’m giving is having a huge impact. It’s allowing two little kids access to food, water, health care, education, and most importantly for me as a Christian, a chance to come to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. It is a joy to me to know that the amount I’m giving (which breaks down to a little more than a dollar a day, less than it takes to ride the CTA) is having such a huge impact, changing the lives of two little kids.

In more tangible ways, I’ve worked in homeless shelters, tutored underresourced kids, and gone on several home rehab/new construction mission trips, working with people who otherwise couldn’t afford to repair or build homes for themselves. The construction work I’ve done isn’t about a hand-out, but a hand-up, supporting them along the way to creating a better life for themselves and their families.

As I look back on all the experiences I’ve had, I’m reminded of Jesus’ haunting words that from those to whom much is given, much will be required. (500 points to the reader who can point out that Scripture reference to me; I don’t happen to have it). I think about all the other Scriptures about the calling I have to be an active participant in God’s mission among the poor: Isaiah 58, and Matthew 25:31-46 especially come to mind.

Yes, I know, I know, those are the two seemingly most hauled-out passages when dealing with poverty-related issues. But what they together indicate that one’s true religion is found, not in ritual, but in really sharing one’s self and resources with the most helpless in one’s world. It means being humble enough to be grateful for the resources you’re entrusted with, then, as an act of faith, giving them away, knowing that the person you’re giving them to could be Christ Himself in His “most distressing disguise” (thanks to Mother Teresa, may she rest in peace, for that term).

Therefore, in light of all this, I submit to a project called Blog Action Day. For those of you who do blog, I’d highly encourage you to get your blog registered and make your voice heard on the issue of global (and local) poverty. It’s worth half an hour of your time. For all you know, you could save someone’s life with what you write. How awesome would that be?

Editor’s note: I saved this as a draft, but completely forgot to post it. Ooooops. Here it is anyway.

If asked why I blog, I blog for many reasons. To think out loud about issues of spirituality, politics, psychology, sports, popular culture, you name it. I blog to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, in advocating the work of International Justice Mission. I blog to sound out what God might be challenging me to do, and to share what He is speaking into my heart. I blog to encourage, to teach (albeit as a student myself), and to blow off steam.

But tonight, I found a million little reasons to blog: the work of Compassion International. I’ve submitted myself as a Compassion Blogger, realizing that I can use this forum to get their work, and it’s incredibly important work, out there to those who are also looking for an opportunity to enflesh Jesus’ challenge to serve and support “the least of these”.

I am so excited about the work I’m about to undertake. In fact, the “1,000,000 little reasons” is Compassion’s tagline about their blog project. It really brings home the importance of using a forum like this for good, to have an impact on the world, and on the people who most need our help. I pray that what I write in the days ahead will inspire you, my readers, to consider how you can get involved in making what Bono once called “stupid poverty” history, and making a difference in the lives of those most deeply affected: children.

Note: this is where I’ll be putting my thoughts on books that I’ve read. I’ve got several in my queue waiting to be processed into some sort of coherent review. Hopefully you’ll enjoy reading about them–if not, reading them.

That said, this one’s about an unusual book: Mark Batterson’s Wild Goose Chase. (If the link doesn’t work, hit up Amazon.com for it. I might have screwed up putting in the HTML! Oooops.)

From the outset, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill book on discipleship (aka following Jesus). It starts out introducing a Celtic term for the Holy Spirit: An-Geadh-Glas, or, the Wild Goose. I had a little problem (traditional Methodist coming out in me) of likening the Holy Spirit to a common bird, much less one–thinking of the ugly brown Canadian geese that plague my area–so dirty, so seemingly feckless. I thought, What the…what’s with that image?

Then I looked deeper, and got into the book itself. I began to see through Batterson’s writing just how accurate that image is. I realized that when I follow the Holy Spirit, He shows me just enough of Himself to let me know where He is, but is never so close to me that I can finally catch Him. It is precisely this image of pursuit that makes the book so fascinating–as well as the things that lock me, and so many others, out of the only chase worth pursuing: that of following God.

His theory, and he’s right on about this, is that “we have clipped the wings of the Wild Goose and settled for something less–much less–than what God originally intended for us” (pgs. 1-2). However, as he’s very clear about, the book isn’t about us; it’s about God, and what He intends to do with–and through–our one and only lives, and the cages we lock ourselves into: responsibility, routine, assumptions, guilt, failure, and fear.

When we live in these cages, I began to see, we make our lives about us, and in so doing, make them so much smaller than they could be. I saw this especially in the chapters on routine, assumptions and fear, the ones that challenged me the most. To say any more would be to run the surprise, and to not allow the compelling call of the Holy Spirit (cue the cry of a goose in flight over a sun-streaked sky) to speak through this book as clearly for you as it did for me.

Bottom line: I highly recommend this book! I will throw in a disclaimer, though: if you’re comfortable with a mediocre, safe, and passionless life, this isn’t the book for you. However, if you want a life of God-sized adventure, then read this. It will reawaken your sense of risk, anticipation, and ultimately, may lead you into a deeper trust of the God who has come in Jesus Christ to decisively set you free from the cages Batterson mentions, and lead you into undreamed-of adventures. This is a really good book!

Fair disclosure: I am an Obama supporter. This entry will come out of that position. However, as a human being, politics aside, I felt the tug to say this.

I happened across a really interesting column during my midnight meanderings online (it’s about quarter to 4 in the morning as I write this) on the push to “otherize” Barack Obama, making him different from everyone else by calling on his religion as a means of discrediting him.

Commencing rant: Let me say straight-out that this is intellectually lazy, illogical, and brings ill-informed biases to the surface. It’s “easier”, isn’t it, to make the person you might not like into an “other” so you don’t have to deal with him or her AS AN INDIVIDUAL, isn’t it? Heavens above, why would you ever want to do that? Isn’t it just more convenient to think of that person as something different than you and hide behind that so you don’t have to deal with whatever issues you might have with that individual? Rant concluded.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, let’s deal with some reality here. First, the religion issue, since that’s one of the biggest ways of “otherizing” Obama. Author Jerome Corsi, in his (juvenile gossip, really) book The Obama Nation, spends time dealing with the Islam issue relative to Obama. However, according to an independent source, there is no basis for any of this.

Therefore, smearing Obama as a Muslim (which is despicable), makes it acceptable to hate on him, since hating Muslims is widely considered culturally acceptable. Let me say this loud and clear: that’s bullcrap. (Pardon my language). It is unacceptable to denigrate someone else’s religion, and on its face betrays personal prejudice!

Which brings up something that has been questioned elsewhere: could the religion issue be a cover for the real issue, for some people, that of race? Is religion merely a smoke-screen? For some people, it could be. And to those people I say (not that they’re reading this anyway), get real. Racial prejudice is unacceptable, and using religion to cover for it is even worse. Not only have you proven youself ignorant, you’ve also proven yourself insincere and immature.

At the end of the day, “otherizing” someone is really no different than the schoolyard bullying that so much of us faced growing up. It might be wrapped up in more sophisticated packaging, but it’s the same stuff. It’s writing off an individual instead of dealing with the discomfort he or she triggers in you. Let’s get honest for a minute: when you (and I do this, too, so I’m fair game for this question) demonize someone as an “other”, is that really an effort to avoid dealing with the issue that he or she triggers in you? If it is, what would be so bad about dealing with that issue? You might gain a little wisdom; you’ll certainly gain a little more personal maturity. And that’s not such a bad thing, is it?

WARNING: This one’s going to be pretty ornery in places. Buckle up, and grab a crash helmet if you feel compelled to do so.

iMonk got me thinking this morning, after about 3 hours of sleep. (My own dang fault; I was closing cashier last night, and just couldn’t stop rambling no matter what I did). Specifically, I got to thinking about the whole spirit of entitlement that underlies the prosperity and health and wealth gospels so popular among so many (coincidentally, Western-hemisphere) Christians. The question I asked was, “Where does this show up in our teachings, albeit unseen? How does it rear its ugly head in the way we live our lives?”

Where does it show up? I was browsing the Christianity racks at a bookstore the other day and came across a title boldly proclaiming, “God Wants You to Be Rich”. While a lot of the other titles weren’t as flagrant, their messages sure were: “You can have it all in this life, and in the next. God wants you to be happy, well-adjusted, well-off, and comfortable”. And people gladly plunk down paper or plastic to buy into this chimaera of an idea that God wants to materially prosper us.

Why? Because at core, so many of us (and, let the reader understand, I am not exempting myself) consider ourselves entitled to be “happy”, regardless of what price we or anyone else has to pay in order to make that happen. I listen to people at my cash register: “I NEED…, GIMME…., and I want it NOW!” I see ten-year-olds walking around with Coach purses, tiny Chanel logo earrings in their ears, demanding Abercrombie clothes at the local malls, again with the “I NEED” mentality so prevalent. Are adults much better? Not really. We just are sometimes more subtle about it: we decide we “need” the latest iPod, the latest SUV, the bigger house, the Ralph Lauren sweater instead of the Old Navy one, the 120-dollar Adidas sneakers when the 20-dollar ones at Target would work, the 1500-dollar flat-screen HD set, etc. But we’re on the level of the 10-year-old: finding our identity in “stuff” that no one gives a [expletive deleted] that we have other than our immediate friends/family. We’re just showing off, saying, “Look what my platinum-kryptonite strength credit card can buy me. It can buy me happiness”.

Yet in the eyes of the ten-year-old, in the eyes of her parents, I see so much emptiness: the hollowness of this kind of life doesn’t provide them what they truly need: intimacy, freedom of expression, purpose, character. This is the lie of the spirit of entitlement; “You deserve what you deserve, and that’s the best. It IS all about you, after all. Go ahead; make that purchase, even if you can’t afford it, either financially or emotionally. Live in the moment”.

Like a drink, it goes down smoothly, and we ignore the bite in our throats, ignore the cry of our soul that says “No! Don’t give me stuff, give me something to truly live for”!

But it’s not just about the stuff. That’s just the more overt manifestation of the spirit of entitlement. In its more sneaky (and far more devastating) version, it implies that in order to be a “good Christian”, we should never have ddoubts, never wrestle with ugly questions, never wrestle with our own sinful natures. It says that happiness is everything; damn all the rest.

I’m thinking that this is so wrong it’s pathetic. It’s not just pathetic, it’s sinful. It is obvious: being Christian entails struggle, death to self, questions, issues, searching for light when it’s so dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face. It means praying even when you feel like your prayers are bouncing off a ten-foot-thick brick, soundproofed ceiling, serving when you’d rather sleep on the couch watching the football game, and often, suffering.

This is what the health-and-weath gospel, with its lurking spirit of entitlement misses, in favor of generating “Shiny Happy Christians” with no idea what suffering and pain are. The true Gospel, however, gives hope in the middle of suffering, that even though there is trouble in this world, Jesus has conquered this world. It doesn’t give pat answers, doesn’t say “You’ll be happy again someday. Chin up, cheer up, things will get better soon”. Rather, it reassures that even when it seems like He’s sleeping in the boat with you, He is still with you, and He WILL calm the storm in time–even if it’s not until eternity that you really see what He has done.

This is the light that exposes the spirit in the shadows and calls it what it is: demonic, spouting lies from the mouth of Hell itself, and devouring souls in their journeys home. It also provides the antidote for the poison of the lies: faithful trust that God does indeed have a plan for us (even and especially when) it’s not what we would want for ourselves. It encourages us to keep seeking the face of God, even when the blessings of God seem to be withheld. It encourages us to hold fast to the hope that God will set everything right someday, and until that day, to keep walking, listening to Him, instead of the spirit in the shadows.

There are issues that “polite” people don’t discuss. Usually, politics, sex and religion dominate that category. However, there is an issue that needs to be discussed, now more than ever: the issue of human trafficking. I have written a little about this before, but am convinced that one of the reasons I’ve been given my writing gift (such as it might be) is to force this issue. I believe that by bringing this issue into the light, we can slay the monsters that hold innocent women and children captive, and bring the perpetrators to justice.

That’s why I’m way excited about the Call and Response project, something I found through the Generation Axis Blog. Watching the trailer compelled me into writing about this issue again, and made me think: what can I do, on a local level, to make this issue one that people, polite or not, talk about? This blog is a start, and I can’t wait until the movie itself comes out, to hear the discussions and see the ideas that are generated by it.

I sit here in my suburban pad, thinking of just how my heart belongs in Chicago, and how homesick I become whenever I leave the city. It’s gotten to the point where I almost cried when I hit Jefferson Park, as the suburbs began working their inexorable pull over me.

As I think about the change of seasons, both in the world around me as summer eases into fall, and the changing season of my own life, as I’m working on transitioning into the city permanently, I realize that the city is a place of dreams: some dream of fame, others of success, others of raising children, others, simply of survival. All those dreams live behind the eyes of each person I pass on the street, the people sitting in coffee houses, in churches, in bus shelters and on street corners.

I’m thinking about this in light of my church’s recent worship night in the 20’s-30’s community, and the huge realization that God has a dream for the city of Chicago, a dream that will take every single one of us who are His children to come true. It’s amazing to think about, that God has a dream, not just for Chicago, but for the world–and for each one of us.

And so I wrote a prayer for the city of Chicago and its dreams:

From Howard to the North
To 139th to the South
There is not one inch of this city
You have not called Yours.

This city of “Big Shoulders”
Strong and rough, yet beautiful
Cries out to You in its brokenness
Longing for Your redemption.

So gather us, Father, the children of Chicago
Broken and weak, yet beautiful
Coming to You in our repentance
Raising our eyes to the horizon, seeing Your redemption come.

Call us, change us, ignite in us the dream
Of giving life, sharing love, building hope
From Howard to the North, 139th to the South–
All the lives in this city are Yours.

I realize more and more that God is about to do an amazing work in the city of Chicago, and I want to be in on it. I pray that we might catch a vision of this work, and each of our parts of it. If we do, and we chase His dreams for this city, and for ourselves, I believe our lives will be forever changed, and this world will be forever changed.

If I could have one wish for a day come true, it would be to make the world a Jerk-Free Zone. Everyone would be truthful, loving, sincere, gentle and helpful. Sadly, I can’t rub a magic lamp and make that come true–people can be jerks, regardless of what I think or wish. (In the interest of full disclosure: I’m a restaurant cashier. I often deal with people in highly stressful situations, where their jerkiness could be unintentional. They just come across as jerks because they don’t know where they’re going, what they’re doing or (perhaps) how to do it politely. I’m willing, hard though it might be in my smart-assness, to give them the benefit of the doubt).

However, this isn’t about lack of general manners (although heaven only knows we as a society could use a few more of those). This is about rules of engagement for those of us who call ourselves Christ-followers, and how we conduct ourselves in the middle of heated discussions, specifically about politics.

I need to confess that I don’t always follow those rules. Sad to say that my smart-alecky side takes over, and I get snarky, overly critical and sometimes hypocritical in saying “Don’t be a jerk”, when I’m being a big one! So to read the piece by Eugene Cho brought me up short in terms of examining my own behavior, and my jerkish tendencies.

It also prompted an amazing question: how much time do I as a Christ-follower lose in calling others names? It’s been said that the Christian army is the only force in the world that goes around stabbing its wounded soldiers, and sad to say, I’ve got a fair amount of blood on my hands on this one. And how many times have I forgotten the blessed saying of my grandmother (and many of our grandmothers, dear readers): “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”?

I think our dear friend James has something to say about this. In his marvelous passage on taming the tongue, he says something that gets me every time: “With the tongue we praise our Lord and father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praising and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” (James 1:9-10, emphasis mine).

This stops me up short, particularly in this context of wishing for a “Jerk-Free Zone”, since it indicates that this is the ultimate jerkiness: we praise God for His goodness, then we rip on the very people He created. Can we make up our minds here? Where are we really going, especially as it relates to our engagement in political issues, which inflame the passions and often trip our jerk-wires, so that we say things that we ordinarily might not?

I think where I’m going here is that anything said, whether in a face-to-face conversation, in an email, in an anonymous blog forum, etc., needs to be passed through the strainer of the four-way test:

1) Is what I’m about to say the truth? (Complete no-duh on this one).
2) Is it fair to all concerned?
3) Will it build good will?
4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

I first saw this on a poster in a classroom at my high school, and it’s in the notes of one of my study Bibles. I bring it up because it acts as a great grid through which to pass what I’m about to say through. First, if it’s not the truth, I need to stop there. Better not to say it. (Like I said, complete no-duh on that one). If it fails to pass any of the other tests, I need to examine why I feel the need to make this comment, and if I feel it still needs to be said, maybe there’s a way, using this framework, to say it without unnecessarily insulting or hurting anyone else.

As I muse on this, it occurs to me that the time lost in insulting others for their positions is also a loss of a chance to witness in kindness and love for Christ. How many chances have we as Christians let pass by to do good for God’s Kingdom because we were too concerned about being “right”, and making the other person “wrong”? How much have we damaged our credibility with seekers with our arguments, sounding so much like the world that they wonder what’s supposed to be so compelling about our Gospel? How many Christ-followers have we wounded in our insistence that we’re “right”, to the point where we’re not even willing to listen to them without framing insults about them?

It’s a sad thing to consider, and one that doesn’t have to be so. We can bring healing, civility and kindness into the political (and other arenas), and be salt and light in the midst of very divisive issues. I believe that this starts with a willingness to listen to the other person, and deal with the issues, not insulting the person presenting their side of the story. If we do this, it will speak far more strongly for Christ, and make His Gospel that much more compelling to seekers, than if we hurl insults, in pretty Scripture frames. (Don’t even get me started on the Bibliolatry that MO betrays!)

I don’t think I’m ever going to get my wish of a “Jerk-Free Zone”. But I can only do what I can do, and that is to make sure that I’m behaving in a Christ-honoring way. And when I don’t, confess my sin and depend even more deeply on His grace to cleanse it away, and continue forming me into the woman He created me to be. Then maybe, just maybe, I can set an example that allows others to see an alternative to insults, divisiveness and jerkiness that seems to beset us all at times.