Rant of the Exiles

My dad is an elder at the same church I am part of. We have weekly elder/staff meetings and at the end of a recent one, my dad prayed like this: "I thank you for my brother Fred . . . " I was immediately offended by how he addressed me. I'm not his brother, I'm his son - his dear, beloved, flesh and blood first-born son with the double inheritance. I sat there stunned thinking about he addressed me and upon reflection, marveled at how little I understand the Christian faith. In the gospel, water is thicker than blood. Our family relationships are determined by faith not flesh. My true, intended, and ultimate father is God the Father. I have known that for a long time but when my dad prayed that way, it kinda shook me up. "Brother" is a Christian term I reserve for church acquaintances - there is some distance conveyed in the term. When I hear "brother" used to describe relationship with my dad, it makes it feel less intimate. But what it really ex...

Its hard to write this post. Especially after reading this article . I am so used to pressing the space bar twice after a sentence. Oh I just had to back up again and remove the extra space. Ever since high school, which is I think where I learned this, I have always put two spaces after the period. I clearly remember in college critiquing a friend's paper and being appalled that he only put one space after each period. I barely remember anything else about the paper - only that he had committed that cardinal sin. How could content be more important than style? The essay went on to win the Cal Undergraduate Award and was published. The point here is not only do I not get it at times but there are moments when I can be downright destructive with how much I don't get it. LORD, have mercy.

What do Amy Chua and the gospel have in common? Neither one panders to the idol of self-esteem. Neither the gospel nor Chua defines our worth intrinsically. The self-esteem movement says we can look in the mirror and declare by fiat that we are worthy. It sounds good but it is really a Christian heresy. According to Chua, worth comes from individual accomplishment and excellence. In the gospel, worth is defined by the Christ's death and resurrection. It is an external, historical event that has past, present, and future implications. We define our worth according to this act and we are continually defining ourselves in relationship to Him. This means our worth is not intrinsic. Its not something inherent in our nature, its not something we're necessarily born with or entitled to. Our worth is a gift to us, external to ourselves, and having nothing to do with any accomplishment. Some people say faith is a type of accomplishment or work. I disagree. Faith indicates th...

I read this article today and I'm a little bit annoyed. Basically, its saying that time spent outside helps to prevent nearsightedness. Something about natural light and all that stuff. Well, I'm -8 and spent a lot of time outside as a kid, especially during the formative years (ages 8-12) when my eyesight deteriorated the most. So it must be genetic in my case or what?

I went to the optometrist a couple years ago and we were talking about our children. After talking about how challenging it was to raise her two sons, she sighed and said, "Well, its all about what's most important - making sure they're happy". I felt like vomiting. Somewhere along the way, many parents have come to believe their children's happiness is their responsibility. I love this recent article about the phenomenon and the key term in Lori Gottlieb's piece is generational narcissism. We have a generation of children obsessed about their own happiness. And they are a product of our parenting. What drives me crazy is well-meaning Christian parents have totally bought into this. It as if personal happiness is a right that parents are placed to guarantee for their children. Happiness is somehow some kind of godly virtue. Unfortunately, parents' pursuit of their children's happiness is a Christian heresy. There is nothing biblical about...