Lies, Darned Lies, and E-Lies

Blown here and there by deceitfulness…Do we really care about truth?

Last month’s Christian Chronicle included a very good op-ed piece from Erik Tryggestad. In it he talks about how we just forward scandalous emails, often paying little mind as to the truthfulness of its content. Read it here: http://www.christianchronicle.org/article2158347~E-mail:_Speak_-_and_forward_-_the_truth_in_love


My favorite quote from his article is:

…I suspect the intent of forwarded e-mail – just like gossip – has little to do with facts. We all bring preexisting biases to what we read. When we find a piece of information that fits our view of the world, we forward it to other, like-minded believers. We take comfort in our preconceptions – even if they have little basis in truth.

Hear. Hear.

It’s a very timely and worthwhile read, especially in today’s politically-charged atmosphere. I find it disturbing how many of us Christians fall into the trap of digesting, believing, and propulgating information that has been twisted and misconstrued by all of the political parties for their own gain. That’s why I am so appreciative of MSN for examining the statements made during the Obama-McCain and Biden-Palin debates, and publishing what the whole truth is. It kept both parties in check.

While Tryggestad’s writing references the current political landscape, I believe the sentiments he expresses easily apply to other segments of life. For example, I can’t count how many times I’ve received email chains from fellow believers forwarding information about a Tommy Hilfiger and Oprah Winfrey incident in which the latter kicks the former off of her show on account of his stating that his clothing line is not meant to be worn by non-whites. Come to find out, Hilfiger has never been a guest on Oprah, and the racial statement never happened. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves.

As with everything, I try to bring my point of view under the authority of scripture. “Speak the truth in love.” “Whatever is lovely, noble, of good report, think on those things.” “Love your enemies. Bless those who persecute you. Do not return evil for evil.” “You are the salt of the earth. If the salt loses its saltiness, of what value is it?”

Stay Salty. The world will thirst, and we’ll serve a cool glass of Living Water.

How Far Should a Role Model Go?

2008 has definitely been a great year of boundary busting. From politics to the Olympics we're seeing ucommon levels of achievement that inspire millions and make them feel like an integral piece of the American fabric.

In the Olympics we cheered swimmer Michael Phelps on to win an unprecedented eight gold medals. Teammate Cullen Jones also received recognition for being yet another of the few African-Americans to win a medal as a swimmer.

Even the crazy world of politics offers us an experience of firsts - presenting an African-American, a female, and two senior citizens. No matter the outcome, history will be made.

A lot of people will look at these accomplishments and revel in how Phelps, Jones, Obama, Palin, McCain, and Biden are role models who show us that we can do it too. While I accept that hopeful sentiment produced in a lot of people, I'm afraid that this whole concept of a role model bothers me at some point.

While there's nothing wrong with my daughter, Chloe, looking at a female and believing that she too can become VP, I desire that she have a stronger internal source of motivation. Instead of saying, "I can do it because I see a ______ "(fill in the blank: multi-racial, youth, black, white, female, etc), I would much rather she say, "I have a dream. I know what I want, so I'm going to go for it. I don't need to see someone who looks like me in order for me to believe I can achieve my goals." I hope her faith in God fuels this confidence. What she can learn from the Olympians and politicians is that they pursued their callings DESPITE the absence of demographically-identical "role models".

Think about it. Why do we as a country still unofficially require demographic proof and validation? Do I really need to see a black person swim in order for me to believe I can do the same? Do we need to doubt a white running back simply because there are very few running backs of his color? This guy could be the next big thing.

To make the point short: It's okay to be the first. It's okay to be the 100th. Just don't feel you have to wait to be the first.

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Thrilled to Death with Anhedonia

Anhedonia = the inability to experience pleasure or happiness; emotional numbness and loss of joy due to overstimulation; anti hedonism

It's hard to believe that our quest for excitement can end up leaving us unexcited. Anhedonia contributes to boredom and depression. If you think about it, we spend so much time stimulating ourselves unendingly with computers, cell phones, ipods, blackberries, busyness, and we (I) seem to be tackling some type of deadline-ridden to-do list. Then, to unwind from it all, what do we do? Stimulate ourselves some more! Video games, tv, movies, radio. And we need more and more of it to make ourselves feel better, so it leads us to seek extreme entertainment ala reality tv smackdowns, extreme sports, etc. When it's all over, we're still mentally exhausted and unfulfilled.

Maybe that's what's wrong with me. I feel worn out as if my mind can't rest. And I don't enjoy the things that I normally do: reading, music, dance. Is this a self-diagnosis of anhedonia?

This means it's time to kick the ole pleasure center in back into shape. Here's how to get over anhedonia (with my comments):

1. Limit the amount of excitement
2. Recapture the joy of little things (especially little things without circuits, I might add)
3. Control your adrenaline
4. Enjoy humor
5. Develop gratitude (that's totally biblical there, "In all things give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 thess 5:18)
6. Learn to be still, relax, and meditate (We reconnect with God in those quiet moments as shown in the scripture)
7. Make space for things that matter; re-connect with people

And here I am on my #1 stimulant-and-killer...the computer...writing this advisory. I'm logging off and enjoying my evening.

For expert info, see Dr. Archibald Hart's book, Thrilled to Death

Nope I haven't read it, but he gave a good radio interview.

My First Father's Day!

It's so unreal! I celebrated my first Father's Day as Chloe's dad. Amy made it special with two beautiful cards, a gift certificate to get a sorely-needed massage, and a new water bottle for me to carry to work!

I wish I had profound thoughts and words to shower upon the masses.
I don't.
Just feelings of thanks and contentment.

Funny thing. I called my dad...
"Hey, dad! Happy Father's Day!"
"Hey, how's Chloe?"
He zooms straight to Chloe! Ha ha. She has definitely taken the front seat.

Church was encouraging too. I stood with the fathers amidst the applause of the people. We then had a special prayer and a powerful reading of Psalm 4. They aired a video clip of kid following his dad around, watching everything he does. Kids do notice. When Chloe is watching me, what will she learn about the way I treat strangers, how I handle conflict and disappointment, how I live with integrity? It really hit home to stop and ponder exactly how crucial my role is in my kids' lives. Humbling.

Kevin's sermon was good too. He said kids tend to adopt their mother's outlook on life; however, when it comes to religion, they tend to model their dad's point of view. That's why Godly fathers are so necessary. I recall another preacher long ago saying that when a father is unchurched, his children (particular boys) are highly likely to become the same way during adolesence. To the contrary, if the entire family is unchurched and the father becomes a Christian, then there's a 90% chance that the rest of the family will follow. Talk about being a leader and giving life to the family!

Last of all, I'm reminded of a song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean.



Lord, I want to be just like You
'Cause he wants to be like me.
I want to be a holy example
For his innocent eyes to see.
Help me be a living Bible, Lord,
That my little boy can read.
I want to be just like You,
'Cause he wants to be like me.

Beware the Credit Card Balance Transfer!

Credit cards are the Devil.

(numbers are hypothetical. insert your own to accurately evaluate the sitchy-ation).

Suppose you have $10,000 on a credit card with a 19.99% interest rate that you desire to transfer to another card in order to pay it off at a lower interest rate.
Your second credit card has a $5000 balance, 9.99% rate, and still enough room to receive a balance transfer. The transfer will be subject to a $150 fee and a 3.99% fixed interest rate.

So you do the transfer. Your second card now appears as follows:

• $5,000 at 9.99%
• $150 at 9.99%
• $10,000 at 3.99%

Now here's the kicker. When you make your monthly payments, the credit card company will apply them to the transferred balance first. So in this scenario, your $10,000 will be the only thing getting paid. The other balances at 9.99% will remain untouched and continue to grow at a compound rate!

Therefore, before you do a balance transfer, do this:

1. Read the fine print
2. Run the numbers on a good online financial calculator, knowing how the payments are applied, so you can see how much you'll pay over the long haul.
3. Transfer to a card without a balance if you can.

And, last of all: GET RID OF ALL CREDIT DEBT! NEVER BORROW AGAIN.

Why I'm An Independent, Part One

Yet another election year is upon us. I find the unending campaigning and mudslinging disheartening. I find the complexity of issues absolutely overwhelming. To make matters worse, I'm not a fan of any of the leading candidates. Come election day, what shall I do? Thankfully, I don't have to answer that right now. There's still five months to decide.

While it's a blessing to have choices in candidates, it's this very blessing that complicates the matter...at least for people like me. (Don't get me wrong, multiple choices is a good thing.) When I look at the candidates, I see pluses and minuses, so much that I remain unconvinced as to who I want to lead my beloved country. Trying to be objective, here's how I see it:

John McCain: perhaps the boldest of them all as he has taken up the fight against the powers that be (corporations, wealthy, etc). That was the past, not sure what he'll do going forward. I think his strength will be a strong military. My concern is that he seems desirous of prolonging a war that I now question (reasons which I won't get into in this entry). He's also known to waffle on the marriage issue. Furthermore, I remember an article about him referring to Vietnamese as "Gooks", then got defensive when questioned about it. Racism is too important an issue to me. I have trouble backing a man who would say such things. And speaking of venomous speech...

Barack Obama: His long-time association with his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, pretty much killed it for me. (In all fairness, Wright does speak some truth about horrendous portions of our nation's past. But I think he crossed the line with the "God damn America" bit.) Sure, Obama calls him a "former" pastor and I totally understand about inconsistencies and conflicting loyalties in all of us. However, why did he wait until now to distance himself. It comes across as reactionary and insincere. My only other major criticism is his lack of commitment to protecting the unborn. I just hope the "abortion reduction" lingo becomes reality as the underlying issues of poverty and economics are addressed. As for Obama's strengths, I think he's a good consensus builder with demonstrated success at building coalitions across party lines. That's desperately needed and is something I want to see more of in the political world. He's also comfortable dealing with matters of faith. It's good to have Christian voices raised on the Left (and all across the political spectrum). Last thing I'll say about him is that I find it deplorable that people tried to use his own name against him, suggesting that he's suspicious for having an Arab name. Having a middle name of Hussein makes him no more dangerous than having the name of Angel or Jesus (hay-soos) makes one godly. People need to calm down. And while we're on names...

Hilary Clinton: we've had her hubby Clinton as our chief before. Now she's running, bringing him along, and both tend to have undendingly scandalous reputations. Yes, as humans they are brilliant, likeable, and have done some good things. However, given the troubles, I don't see her candidacy and possible assent to office in the best interest of our country. Character counts. As for her strengths, I truly think she may be able to bring some desperately-needed health care reform. I don't know exactly where I stand in terms of solution, but she at least gets the issue on the table.