Hannah Montana

I just saw some posts on the group site of our homeschooling organization concerning Miley Cyrus and her TV show Hannah Montana on Disney. It seems people in our group became concerned because MS Cyrus espoused her "Christian faith" during an interview and now it seems that this is cause for greater scrutiny of MS Cyrus and her show. There are those who are asking if she openly promotes Christianity on the show. Duh! It's on Disney and they'd never allow that.

Others are wondering, in print, if Miley is serious about her faith and if there are non-Christian behaviors that may come to light later. I have a different suggestion. Why don't we let Miley, her parents and God worry about all that and just be happy she openly acknowledged her Christianity and pray for her to stay strong? There have been no photos of Haley out clubbing, being arrested for intoxication, driving under the influence or climbing slowly out of cars sans undergarments. Can't we just be happy for all these things that haven't happened?

My prayer is not just that Miley becomes an example for other girls in our homes across the country, but also that her life and witness will become an influence on the others who went before her, some espousing Christian beliefs. Britney claimed at one time to be a Southern Baptist. Honestly! Pastor Mike is right again! Here's the mighty Army of God sitting around polishing its armour and picking fights with one another! Don't forget the Bible says that Satan is the accuser of the brethren! We are to lift one another up, not to whisper to our neighbor how dubious we are about a sister's sincerity!

One other thing we need to do is to quit looking at everything an actor or actress does as if it is supposed to be a sermon. They are playing a role. They usually don't write the scripts and someone as young as Miley is not even going to have much input in the process. Be glad that Haley is who she is, that she has strong Christian parents who aren't out to ride her gravy train and who are keeping her grounded and humble! It would be far better if the church as whole would be a better example and then we could stop relying on celebrities to spread the faith.

By the way, as a father attempting to raise Christian young men in this goofy world, my hat is off to Billy Ray and his wife! It's hard enough to raise children to respect the things of God outside of the glare of Hollyweird. To do so in a constant media spotlight must be some kind of torture and I'm glad you felt called to this challenge.

Unchurched

Okay, so here I am at home on another Sunday morning. The weather is cold but not snowy or icy. My family and I are home for other reasons. We have had numerous unpleasant experiences with churches. We have been chastised because our sons wore shorts to church one hot, July morning. We have seen churches split with bad feelings on both sides. We have seen people openly gossiping, in loud voices, during main church services. Other churches were so wrapped up in their rapture over the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues that they practically ignored every other facet of Christian life. Then there are the churches I like to call Sunday Clubs. These are the churches where the parishioners come together once a week and never see each other at any other time, except maybe during Easter or Christmas.

You may think I am someone who does not believe in the spirit of Christian togetherness, or koinonia as the Greeks called it. This is not true. I just think that we modern Christians have lost the ability to live together peaceably. The book of Acts tells us that the First Century church lived in one community holding all things in common. For the past 30 years news reports have surfaced sporadically about modern groups that have tried to emulate the First Century model, failing miserably and sometimes tragically.

Is it that the times have changed or that we have? I think we have changed more than the times have and, if it is true that the times have changed, then we were the ones who changed them. We, as humans, shape our cultures and are shaped by them. We cannot blame the culture since we are partly responsible for its creation.

I believe we still have it within ourselves to live in community as the early Christians did, but we need to leave our modern culture and its acquisitive ways behind. I would like to ask you to think about something.

Whether you call yourself a Christian, a Buddhist or anything else, how many of your neighbors do you know? Start with the basics. How many of them do you know by name? Now, do you know what they do for a living, where they come from or anything else about them?

I think the modern church is failing in its mission also because of our modern penchant for quick fixes. Because of this, we pick and choose which scriptures we find most important and elevate them until nothing else seems to have any importance at all. This can manifest in numerous ways. There are churches that focus on nothing besides salvation and evangelism, to the complete exclusion of teaching any Christian life principles or spiritual growth. Other churches, like the Sunday Clubs, concentrate on "doing church". They preach a gospel of benevolence and pie in the sky. They may make sporadic overtures toward evangelism or spiritual growth, but these are the exceptions rather than the rule.

There are also churches who preach a gospel of prosperity. To them the keys to the Christian life are church attendance, tithing and giving as much as you can in order get as much as God can give you. These churches do a little better in evangelism, spiritual growth and koinonia. Still, there seems to always be one more sermon series on DVD, one more book or one more figurine to acquire, for a nominal donation, of course. Also, these are the types of churches that tend to grow enormous congregations until a scandal surfaces. Pastors or officials of these churches end up accused of sexual or fiscal improprieties and thus thousands of parishioners wonder how they can personally have a chance to live a Christian life if this highly-revered spiritual leader everyone quoted was unable to stay the course.

I think you can understand by now why experiencing all of these deficient churches has soured myself and my family on the entire modern church experience. But what is the alternative? There doesn't seem to be one. At least not one that we have found, so far. Have we completely given up looking? I don't know. I think we may have one or two more attempts left in us, but no more than that.

I have given thought to beginning a church online. I'm still thinking and praying over this one. I somehow feel that I misread what I thought was a calling in my previous foray into ministry. But then I get the opportunity to preach and I can feel the anointing upon me. This is more noticeable when I am preaching extemporaneously. The Scriptures say that if we will speak, the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say. I have to say that I have found this to be true. I prefer preaching off the cuff rather than from a prepared script. I think one of the biggest mistakes I made when I was in a formal ministry position was in using too many scripted sermons.

Anyway, I wonder sometimes if there is any viable alternative to the difficulties in our modern churches. I would love to do ministry again but it's a very painful process. I know that sounds like whining considering what Jesus, John the Baptist and the Old Testament prophets went through, and maybe it is. I'm just wondering if I'm up to the task. Only time will tell if we will remain unchurched as we are now, but one thing is certain; we cannot remain as we are.

Wanted: Rich Men Willing To Lower Their Standards

Wanted: Rich Men Willing To Lower Their Standards

I just saw a piece on CBS News Sunday Morning that shows a disturbing new trend, women dating specifically to ensnare rich men. It reminded me of an old joke. A beautiful young woman finds herself alone with an older man at a party. She knows the man is very rich. The man asks, “Would you sleep with me for ten million dollars?” The young woman blushes but also responds excitedly, “Ten Million Dollars? Why, sure I’d sleep with you for ten million dollars!” The man replies, “How about for ten dollars?” The young woman is suddenly indignant and says, “For ten dollars? Certainly not! What kind of girl do you think I am?” The rich man says, “We’ve established that. Now we’re haggling over price.”

Certainly, there have always been people of both sexes willing to do anything for money, there is a reason that offering companionship, and sex in return for some sort of compensation is referred to as the world’s oldest profession. The problem, I believe, is with the mindset behind the people on either side of these relationships. Neither group seems to think they are worth the type of total commitment necessary to find, woo and retain a mate. They bravely attempt to justify their “positions” by rationalizing.

The women point out how men are unreliable philanderers, and only after sex and, after all, if we don’t take care of ourselves, who will? Everybody knows you need to have a certain amount of money to be able live and be happy. The men point out that women are all unreliable sluts, only after money, and who can spare the time away from acquiring wealth and trinkets to properly meet, woo and retain a mate.

I believe both camps are simply saying that the process is too much trouble and, therefore, not worth the bother. They are also saying the same thing about themselves. They are all saying. “I must not be not worth loving.”. They have given up on themselves and they are lowering their standards to reflect their perception of the sorry state of love and matrimony in the modern world.

Mind you, I’m not saying there are no problems with the way we stupid humans pursue and attempt to relate to the opposite sex. There certainly are. But I believe I am worth fighting my way through those problems and seeking, wooing and remaining committed to a spouse. Consequently, Sally and I have been married for over 27 years now. Sally must think she is worth some personal sacrifice as well or we would not have lasted this long.

You see I think we humans have this whole situation backwards, as usual. We think those other people aren’t worth our time. But what are you worth to yourself? Aren’t your worth the time and the trial and error? You say it’s too hard and too painful. Oh, please! The same women who are seeking these rich men have often undergone diets and exercise classes and plastic surgery and nameless other investments just to bag a millionaire. For what? Summer in the Hamptons? A new pair of Blahniks whenever you want them? To those of you who still think you aren’t enduring pain to bag rich guys I have two words to say; bikini wax!

This is all without mentioning the pain of knowing the entire time that you are not actually loved, but rather possessed. You have become a thing, an object, no more of a companion than a pet. What happens when you become last year’s model? Oh, yes! I forgot about the divorce settlement. I think what you forgot is that little thing rich guys came up with some years ago to protect themselves from women like you. It’s called a pre-nuptial agreement.

Lest anyone should say that I am unfairly picking on these women, I have a thing or two to say to the men involved as well. Are you really so fulfilled with your money and your cars and your yachts? And who will inherit all of this wealth you have amassed? What’s it all for, Ebenezer? So you give to charities! Poor people do so also and probably give a much bigger percentage of their total incomes. If you really want to do something to give back to society, get married, have a child and teach him or her to do what you do and continue your work.

The entire thing boils down to one basic truth. The people engaged in these sugar daddy dating services are seeking the same thing they have always sought; instant gratification. They all think that life is all about this moment. What do you have? Whom do you know? Where do you live? How banal! Do you not realize that life is about more than just this moment? What is your future? What is your legacy? Andrew Carnegie was one of the richest men who ever lived and yet he managed to find time to woo and marry the former Louise Whitfield, a woman who became his partner for the rest of his life, and who was reportedly responsible for influencing much of the philanthropy her husband is so well remembered for today. How about it, boys? Do you want to be another Andrew Carnegie? It takes more than just money. You have to be aware you are worth more than companions you have to pay.