Tis the Season...

When I started this blog, the idea was that I would be writing about whatever was running through my "wandering" mind. Hence the name. The problem became that my mind wandered so far that I didn't even touch the thing for like a year and a half. And lately my mind has been so acutely focused. It's exhausting. But I have found my ability to write to be an effective mode of communication - if only to help clarify my own thoughts for myself. This entry will follow the original spirit of the blog: short, sweet, the topic a bit lighter, but no less serious.

Previously I have encouraged that my discussion of a given topic lead toward thought and further discussion. However in this case, I urge you to consider this the definitive point of view on this subject, and to adjust accordingly, if necessary, moving forward. I only fear that I have waited too long to speak up.

As many of you are aware, and may have guessed given the title, we will be covering the topic of the holiday seasons. That's right. Seasons. Plural. Each with it's own merit. And we should show each the respect that it deserves.

I went into a store recently. The Halloween decor was on clearance and Christmas was already on full display. What's weird about that you ask? The date was October 16th. That's right. Halloween was still more than two weeks away. What are we in such a hurry for? I understand that the giant of retail has jumped the shark beyond my ability to affect change, but if you will all heed my words then they will have to fall in line eventually as well.

It's not Christmas time. Not yet. I can not make this more clear. Post October 31st, we enter into the season of Thanksgiving. It is not time for Christmas carols, Christmas movies, putting up Christmas trees, etc. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. LOVE. Seriously. It drives my wife nuts. I mean wall to wall decking of the halls. But the joys of Christmas must be reserved within the proper season.

Again, why the rush? The spirit of gratitude that defines the Thanksgiving season so organically transitions into the generosity and celebration of Christmas. And the great part is that there is a very clear point of transition. Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner (and presumably a nap) feel free to pull the boxes out of the garage and start untangling the lights. I would say ideally you might wait until the next day, but I have decided that for the purposes of establishing a clear delineation, dinner is the key.

The prophet Ferris Bueller warned us that "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Let us not be a people that ignores such wisdom.

Thank you for your time, I'll talk to you soon.

My Perspective on the Day After: The Role of Christianity in Politics (Part 2)

It happened. Pretty much this whole time I've been telling myself that it couldn't possibly happen. Even as I watched the electoral votes pile up I couldn't believe it. Then I woke up this morning and somehow the world was different. I'm assuming I'm not the only one to whom it felt like the air outside was even somehow different. Maybe heavier. As I try to swim out of my bewilderment and gather my thoughts, I thought I would write a little follow up to those who might consider themselves my brother or sister.

I beg you to find it within yourself to understand that a great many people are hurting today. My wife, a person of color and also a woman, felt like somehow her world was less safe today than when she woke up yesterday. We are left to wonder what kind of a world the next few years will shape for our daughter. I know a great many people who I love and consider themselves followers of Christ who voted for Trump, and so, for them, today has a markedly different vibe. Furthermore, I know why a great many of them voted the way they did.

For most, the balance of who to vote for comes down to one issue: abortion. And so you stood on the side of a man whose racist, bigoted, hateful rhetoric would seem to be the antithesis of Christian values. So keep in mind that by pursuing the human rights of those yet to be conceived, plenty of people already living feel that their rights have been trampled and dismissed.

Furthermore, having made your stance clear, offering up cliche platitudes such as "God is in control" or "God is on the throne" (especially with any sort of tone approaching gloating or celebration), as well-meaning and even as true as that may be, does not come across to others as this:



It comes across as this:




That may seem harsh, but you know who else viewed Trump's election as a triumph of their moral values - the KKK.

Speaking personally, I do believe abortion is inherently murder. I can almost hear a hearty "Amen!" Having a daughter of my own has only affirmed that notion for me. However, as I mentioned in my previous article, I believe also that our responsibilities as believers cannot be so narrow minded as trying to enforce legislation but must be far more encompassing. If we shame some poor young lady into giving birth, but that baby ends up in a dumpster two weeks later, have you really accomplished anything? Be prepared to examine for yourself if your views are truly pro-life - meaning the entirety of life - or if your concern only extends as far as the delivery room.

If pro-life, again, please understand that so many lives feel threatened today. The emboldening of hate during this election process is astounding. The results of an election that would seem to validate that hate brings me to physical anguish. Victims of sexual assault who know that their voices have been discarded. People of different beliefs that now fear for their very lives. Families of different races afraid of being ripped apart. Canada's immigration site crashed y'all! And sadly, so many of you have simply wished them good riddance.

I was not pleased with my alternative. Hillary may very well be the corrupt career politician. Had this been a more normal election year where the big issues up for debate were tax cuts and foreign policy then I could understand being more dug in on an issue like this. This year though, there was so much more at stake. Even the Republican leadership abandoned ship by the end. Despite your distaste for the Clintons (and dare I say the Obamas), to prop this up as a victory for morality is a farce. Honestly, how does a man who called his own daughter a "piece of ass" become the face of family values?

I could not bring myself to stand by a man who insulted and degraded pretty much every minority class imaginable, who stood against tolerance and love and stood for violence and fear and hate. I have been pained to hear the undertones today that echo a victory for "my country" vs "our country". How can that possibly be the example of Christ not only to our brothers and sisters who find themselves in one of those "other" categories, but to the world watching around us? Christ did not come to establish a political throne, his revolution flew in the face of the establishment of the church. They killed him for it. We celebrate Christianity as we know it today because one man called into question the corruption he saw in the church. We don't have to have someone else read the Bible to us in Latin because of it. Know that this vote has caused many to question the validity of the religious establishment today. Because if Trump is God's candidate, what does that say about the God I serve?

And please, for God's sake (pun intended), never again say that "everything happens for a reason." The theology of that statement is so poor that it pains me. The Bible does say that God can work everything for good, but the reason that he so often has to do that is because of something stupid that we did. Yet I digress...

It is possible that I have not done my best work of gathering my thoughts here - at least as it pertains to putting together a completely coherent article - but I hope you can hear my breaking heart in the midst of my discourse. Please be careful as ambassadors of the Kingdom of Heaven that you represent your position well. We are told in scripture to "mourn with those who mourn." Again, I beg you, please recognize that many are mourning in a way which you may not be able to understand, but mourning none the less. Don't attempt to dismiss or belittle that grief.

One day perhaps the shock will fade and we will simply hope for the best. But not today.


Thank you for your time, I'll talk to you soon.

My Election Day Manifesto: The Role of Christianity in Politics

Good day all. I woke up this morning feeling compelled to share this with as many as would listen with the hope of inciting discussion and thought especially among those brothers and sisters of mine who too often the world only sees like this...

As this election season comes to it's conclusion, I have been disturbed to see the political rhetoric of so many people who I love and respect. I understand that this election has perhaps two of the most polarizing candidates we've ever seen in this country, but the goal of this particular article is not to support one side or the other. Rather, my goal is to discuss our role as Christians in the realm of politics.

If Jesus is the measuring stick by which we are supposed to live our lives, I thought we might take a look at his example as found in scripture. Let's take a look at a few times that Jesus was himself confronted with politics.

In Matthew 4, we find the story of the temptation of Jesus:

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

Jesus as Messiah did not fit the description of what the Jews were looking for in their Savior. They had their hearts set on looking for someone who would set up a literal kingdom on earth. Jesus' revolution, however, was a spiritual revolution, not a political one. In fact, his actions often flew directly in the face of the establishment - especially the religious leadership.

For instance, in Matthew 22:

15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”

18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.”They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Or, in John 8, when confronted with the law as it pertained to an issue of morality:

2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Jesus gave teaching after teaching, used stories and parables to try to explain what the Kingdom of God was like. When facing his own death, Jesus had this conversation with the Roman governor:

33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

So how do we view Jesus' example in light of our political climate today? When again confronted with questions of the law, Jesus summarized it this way in Matthew 22:

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

That being said, I find our role to be pretty simple: Love God, love people. Yet, even though we find Jesus having very specifically stated that his kingdom is "not of this world"

(A familiar sight on many evangelical bumpers) we seem bent on trying to force our moral mandate via legislation. We're so happy about freedom of religion and separation of church and state until it comes time to enforce values on others. I hope one day to learn what Jesus was writing on the ground that turned the accusers of the woman found in adultery away. Whatever it was, though he was within the rights of the law to have that woman killed, Jesus turned to grace.

I find his sentiments echoed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 2:

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

I'm sure that many of you will be appalled by the suggestion that you fall into the same category with those whose actions you so vehemently protest. Yet we find that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

And so, I believe that Jesus would have some questions for those standing with their picket signs outside clinics and clubs, or for those simply protesting from the platform of social media. For those of you in arms regarding the issue of abortion - a hot button topic among evangelicals this time of year - he might be curious if you are offering adoption assistance? Will you provide counseling? Will you provide formula, diapers, groceries? Will offer shelter to those in need? Will you provide child care? Will you offer job training and employment assistance? On a broader scale, he might wonder what you are doing to help the poor? If we are going to be pro-life, we can't settle for merely being pro-birth.

To be clear, I am not anti-voting. I believe that we should and have the responsibility to vote. My concern is that we might choose to justify that which is inherently and morally abhorrent to stand on a side because of our desire to legislate judgment on others regarding a couple of hot button issues. Furthermore, no matter which way this thing goes, Scripture also makes it clear that we are to pray for and honor those in leadership. They will have to give account for their leadership at the appointed time. I hope that in all these matters we would follow the example of Christ and turn to grace. As Jesus explained it, our job in His kingdom is to love. I pray that we would excel in our employment of that mandate.

Thank you for your time, I hope to talk to you soon.

Thinking out loud...

I haven't posted anything in a long time. This blog is one of those things that I had all the right intentions with, but putting those intentions into action has been a struggle. I actually posted this on my Facebook page earlier, but thought I would just leave it here as well in case a wider audience might somehow stumble across this nugget of common sense...

I saw this picture and it made me chuckle. Then it made me wonder if that was an actual option. The whole notion of politics at this point is just so broken. Debates sound more like an elementary playground argument, each pointing out what the other did wrong, rather than anyone offering solutions. Parties are so intent on merely defeating the other that we have very little hope of any actual progress. So we as Americans are now forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. For clarification, being the lesser of evil doesn't make either good. When I registered to vote, I registered as "No Party Preference". This is not because I don't think that politics or how they shape our country moving forward isn't important. Rather, I believe that more important than identifying with a certain party is listening and then making a choice based on our own convictions and values. Case in point, there are so many people that are simply so entrenched in being blindly "anti-liberal" that they are now forced into finding ways to justify blatant fear mongering, racist, bigoted, and otherwise hate filled rhetoric that appeals to the worst parts of our humanity. To be clear, I love America. I'm not trying to move to Canada or anything. I just can't believe that what used to be the most revered office in the entire world has devolved into the mess we have in front of us. And so, politics, in keeping with the spirit of the photo that sparked this little rant, I would like use a classic breakup line like "it's not you, its me." But it is you. It is most certainly you.

Thank you for your time, talk to you (hopefully) soon!

The First Post:

Admittedly, there was a lot of pressure in deciding what the very first thing I introduced to the world wide web would be. Obviously, with a title like "The Arbitrarian", the content moving forward will be varied and based on whatever happens to be on my mind at the time, but starting out...you want to make a good first impression - even if my only follower at this point happens to be my wife because she basically has no choice. I hope that, in time, this will be a forum not just for me to clear my head, but also for discussion on and sharing of perspective. After all...

Or maybe you prefer...

At any rate, today I happen to have a two year old little girl on my hands. We've managed to keep her alive this long, which, I know, is a pretty basic bar to get over - but it's an important bar none the less. When I look back over the process in getting to this point it often seems like forever ago that we were just nervous parents stepping out of the hospital doors with trepidation, with no real idea how this thing was going to play out. However, especially when I see other people with their newborns, I realize just how fast these two years have flown by. People told me how fast it would be, and I think I believed them to an extent, but I had no idea what the reality of that would look like. I hope that I exerted the appropriate amount of appreciation for all of the little milestones that have already happened. First tooth, first time she crawled, first step, first word, first birthday, first Christmas, and so on, etc. Sure, when we were getting up every couple of hours to feed - or even now, as she has begun potty training, there are times that I can't wait for certain elements of the process to be over and done. However, I have tried to, even in the unpleasant moments, to cherish the experience. Because it is fast - impossibly so, and even more as I watch her become the little person she will grow up to be.

The most amazing thing about it, I have found, is that as I watch the wonderment with which she experiences the world around her it shapes how I encounter the world moving forward. It removes some of the jaded cynicism that naturally clouds our view of things and forces me to slow down and rediscover the beauty of nature, the sound of the birds, or the thrill of fear and/or excitement that accompanies really truly seeing something for the first time. Certainly, life is different than it was B.C. (before child). This difference is especially glaring when we are around friends that don't have kids. Do I miss the freedom? At times. Would I trade a night at the movies for the opportunity to snuggle on the couch with Daddy's girl, listening the sound of her laughter and feeling her lean into the security of my arms? Not for all the jewels in Christendom - or the winning powerball ticket...or whatever. Point being, it's worth it. Don't get me wrong, I covet those moments that I get to spend with just me and the wife, and also any time that I have to spend with myself. And those things are super important! In fact, my second piece of advice (the first was to cherish the experience if you are taking notes at home) is to make sure to always breathe life into your relationship. My daughter is going to grow up and be gone in 18ish years, but then I'm stuck with my wife for the duration. I'll probably get in trouble for using the term "stuck with", but...oh well. Point being, you gotta keep the spark burning bright. If you let it go out, then you've got nothing to fan the flames with once the little chick flies the coop. I'm pretty sure I just used multiple metaphors in that last sentence. I hope you are at least fractionally as impressed with me as I am. Just kidding...but seriously...

To many that are little further down the road of life I am surely preaching to the choir. However, if any should (eventually) read this that are just starting down this particular fork in the road, I beg you to take heed. Certainly, I'm still learning as I go.

I guess this post wasn't so much discussion as simply my reflection upon a milestone in my life, but it's what was on my wandering mind, so there you go.

Thank you for your time, talk to you soon!