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As church people, we like to tell others that God doesn’t weigh sin and all sin is the same in His eyes. If we could actually translate the intentions behind those statements, I wonder if it would be translated as, “Your sins are WAY worse than mine! But…God can still save you. But seriously…they’re way worse than mine! But I’m not judging you…actually I am.”

Unfortunately, I think our church culture has taken that judgment one step further. Not only do we weigh and cast judgment on the sins of others, but I think we also weigh and cast judgment on the temptations of others.

In fact, I think we view some temptations as worse than some sins.

Sound crazy? Just consider it for a moment.

There are certain sins we’re semi-comfortable admitting. If I’m dealing with sinful pride, I can admit it to others. If I’m bitter and jealous, I may be able to let others know about that too. If I have battles with anger and rage, I may have no problem telling people.

But there are some temptations that we just shouldn’t talk about. At least, that’s what we’ve been told. They could almost be labeled as the “Forbidden Temptations.” They’re very real, and they’re very prevalent, but we’ve been conditioned not talk about them. Since they make others uncomfortable, we’ve been told not to mention them, admit the struggle, or even seek out help.

We are all tempted by things. I firmly believe that temptation in itself is not a sin. It is when we give in to that temptation that we sin.

However, many of us still view some temptations as worse than sins.

Until we get past that, we’ll continue to struggle with authenticity and transparency, and we’ll have no problem weighing and judging anything we see.

This is probably old news to some, but I am currently transitioning to a new position at Randall House. For the past 3+ years, I have been an Associate Editor, working with Teen Curriculum. Over the next couple of months, I will be sliding over to Young Adult Curriculum and taking over The Brink and thebrinkonline.com.

In addition to that transition, I have also been promoted from Associate Editor to Editor. I’m still in the process of learning the changes the promotion will bring…other than the acquisition of new business cards.

The timing of the full transition is still unknown but should happen within the next few months.

For those who may be wondering if I’ll finally grow up now that I’ll be working with young adult curriculum…absolutely not!

Ryan Troske has been one of my best friends since preschool. On Tuesday May 24, Ryan accepted an awesome position with the Alaska Groundfish Observer Program. I copied his recent blog post below because I think some of the people that read this blog will really find it interesting:

Before anyone calls me crazy, no I’m not joining the Deadliest Catch and going crab fishing. For those who haven’t heard, I have accepted a biologist position with the Alaska Groundfish Observer Program under the National Marine Fisheries Service. I will be collecting, maintaining, and distributing data for scientific, management, and regulation compliance purposes in the Gulf of Alaska and the Eastern Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands.

I will be traveling to Seattle June 1st where I will undergo a 3 week training program. Upon completion I will fly to Alaska in a matter of days where I will begin working on commercial fishing vessels. It is a 90 day contract so I expect to make it back home in early October. If I want to do more contracts I may do a short one in November or wait and do another full 3-month contract come January. This is a once in a lifetime experience and I’m looking forward to the adventure. But as I’m sure you all know, the Bering Sea is a very harsh environment and there is a significant element of danger that comes with this position. With that being said, I would appreciate your prayers during this time. Not only for safety, but also that I may be able to reach those I’ll be training and working alongside with the Gospel.

I welcome you to experience this stage of my life with me through this blog. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of stories to tell.  I’ll have a lot of down time, and believe I’ll have internet access for the most part, so I hope to keep this thing updated pretty regularly. I’m going to miss St. Louis for sure, and all those who are part of my life, but I know this path will lead to great things. I hope to see everyone before I go, but for those I cannot, I shall see you in about 4 months.

The sea, she’s uh callin’ my name maties!

You can follow Ryan’s adventures by keeping up to date with his blog: http://highfive4jesus.wordpress.com/

As Ryan mentioned, keep him in your prayers, both for his safety and for his boldness in sharing the gospel.

[Photo source: http://bit.ly/kIJiUL]

“Thank you for calling AT&T. My name is Chad. I’d first like to apologize about any problem you are having and let you know you are a valued customer.”

“I’m sorry sir. I am unable to handle that problem and I do apologize about that. However, I would like to remind you that you are a valued customer and so I will transfer you to someone who can handle your call. Once again, thank you for calling AT&T. I’m sorry you are experiencing a problem but I would like to let you know you are a valued customer. Please wait while I transfer you.”

“Thank you for calling AT&T. My name is Maria. I’d first like to apologize about any problem you are having and let you know you are a valued customer.”

“Well Mr. Jones, I apologize about the problems you are experiencing. I would like to let you know you are a valued customer and I will do everything I can to correct this problem.”

“Once again, I am sorry about the problem you were experiencing Mr. Jones. I am glad we were able to fix it. I want to let you know you are a valued customer. Would you be interested in adding home phone service today?”

What you just read is similar to the conversation I had with AT&T yesterday, or at least their part of the conversation. This was the 4th time I’ve had to call AT&T in the last 4 months because they’ve billed me the wrong amount 4 months in a row.

By now, I feel like I know almost every facet of AT&T’s Customer Service. I know what music will be playing when I call. I know when the generated voice messages will interrupt the music and tell me to keep holding. I know the exact words the voice messages will say. I know that they don’t actually take the calls in the order they are received. And…

I know the script of the workers who are working Customer Service.

While I appreciate their attempts to be polite and respectful, after I’ve been told I’m a “valued customer” 8 times in 1 phone call, added on to the 8 times I heard it during the previous 3 calls, it starts to lose its effect. At one point, I came close to saying, “Chad, please lose the script and just talk to me like a real person!”

The 40 minutes of Customer Annoyance did make me wonder if people ever look at me and ask the same thing. Are there things in life that I do or say that make people want to scream, “David, please lose the script and just talk to me like a real person?”

We’re all playing a role in life. Unfortunately, for many of us, the role we’re playing is dominated by a mask we’re wearing and a script we’re reading from.

It’s tough to be real with people. It’s difficult to be transparent. It’s not easy to talk about the real things in life like our struggles or the things that are bothering us.

So, we stick to the script. It’s easier to play a role that protects us from being real.

[Photo source: http://bit.ly/jUA3AK]

I’m a chronic radio scanner. I hate commercials, static, and bad music. Since so much of the radio has turned to junk anyway, I usually find myself listening to sports talk radio. However, occasionally something I hear will cause me to stop my scanning and listen.

Many times, I don’t even have a clue who I’m listening to, but if I hear a creative melodic line and interesting (or absurd) lyrics, I’ll listen.

What has surprised me is that the music that has caused me to stop and listen recently is from artists like Pink, Katy Perry, and even Usher. My intention wasn’t to listen to their music. (In fact, when I first came across it, I didn’t even know it was their music.) But something about their sound caught my ear and caused me to stop and listen.

This has caused me to wrestle with some different ideas. Artists like Pink, Katy Perry, and Usher live very public lives, and because of that I know there are aspects of their lifestyles with which I wholeheartedly disagree. They stand for things that I’m against. I stand for things that they’re again. There’s a major incompatibility.

In addition, they also have lyrics in some of their music that go against my personal beliefs. While I won’t listen to songs that use profanity and promote sinful lifestyles, many of today’s artists are a mixed bag when it comes to lyrical content. For example, “Firework” by Katy Perry may seem to be a clean, safe song that is great for radio play, but some of her other songs, like “I Kissed a Girl” for example, promote a lifestyle and worldview to which I am opposed.

There are several ways I could go with this. I could argue that if I accept some of the music, then I should accept it all. On the other hand, I could say that if some of it is not fit to listen to, then I should reject it all. Or maybe there’s a middle ground. Maybe I should just listen to the clean music from an artist and disregard his or her explicit music. iTunes and Amazon allow you to download individual tracks, so in some ways that is possible.

I wish I could give a black and white answer on how to deal with this situation. However, this is still something I’m wrestling with.

I would love to get your feedback on how you handle situations like these, or how you think I should handle situations like these. Do you think an artist’s lifestyle should dictate our listening/purchasing habits?

[Photo source: http://bit.ly/mOHoQl]

Sure. Anyone can sing “Mighty to Save.” But can you sing “Mighty to Save” while doing the Robot?

Thanks to Ryan Akers for showing me this.

The Christian music industry has long been known to replicate what is popular in mainstream music. During the age of glam metal, Stryper burst onto the scene with their big hair and spandex pants. When Run-D.M.C. introduced us to a new style of American hip-hop, the Christian music industry gave us DC Talk. When punk made it big, Relient K and MXPX dominated the Christian market, and even the secular market. And when “bubblegum pop” entered the rooms of teenie boppers across the country, the Christian music industry infiltrated Christian radio with Plus One, True Vibe, Rachael Lampa, and Stacie Orrico.

Some of these Christian counterparts made it big because they were creating quality music. They became popular because their style of music became popular with mainstream audiences. However, some of these artists and bands were created to be a carbon copy of mainstream artists. Their aim was to sound, dance, look, and act just like the secular chart toppers, but their music contained “Christian” lyrics and was played on “Christian” radio.

However, something has happened that is changing and will continue changing the Christian music industry. Because of this change, we now have a genre that Christian music can’t copy.

Over the past few years we have seen a genre develop that is led by the reemergence of former pop stars. But no longer does the music carry the “bubblegum” rhetoric of 1997 to 2002. Instead, its lyrical content is edgier and sexier.

Britney Spears is a prime example of what is happening with this movement. Thanks to the power of cable TV and the tabloids, we’ve been able to chronicle Britney’s entire musical career from the “Oops, I Did It Again” phase, to her highly televised broken marriage, to her new release of “Femme Fatale.” And though Britney has never really stepped out of the spotlight, we have seen her music career do a 180 from where it first started. After spending several years away from musical relevance, she has reemerged and has tried to make her image sexier and edgier than ever.

We can see the same thing with Justin Timberlake and his transition from N’SYNC heartthrob to the creator of an album called “FutureSex/LoveSounds. Katy Perry is another prime example. When she first started in the music industry around 2001, she was a “Christian” artist under the name Katy Hudson. After not being heard from for several years, she reemerged in 2008 with the radio hit “I Kissed a Girl.” Even artists like Pink, who never disappeared from radio or the charts, have repackaged themselves and stepped away from a “radio-friendly” image and taken on an edgier sound and image.

This “edgy” and “sexy” reemergence has created a genre that Christian music can’t replicate. While the Christian music industry has always tried its best to create the “Christian” version of whatever was popular, Christian music can’t produce the sound of Katy Perry’s “E.T” and it can’t produce the lyrical makeup of Britney Spears’ “Hold It Against Me.”

So what does this mean for Christian music?

I truly believe the most popular bands/artists in Christian music will remain popular. Artists like Switchfoot, Third Day, Lecrae, and Casting Crowns all have staying power because they are producing quality music. However, since mainstream music is changing in a way that Christian music can’t follow, we may start seeing Christian music dive in popularity for a time. The Christian artists who have made their living mimicking mainstream music may find that they have a short shelf live. They may sell well in the Christian market for awhile, but they may not last more than an album or two.

I do find some encouragement in this. Because of the change we are seeing in mainstream music, the “copycat” crimes of the Christian music industry may finally be dead. This change has given Christian artists the opportunity to be unique in their sound and lyrics. For the first time in a long time, up and coming Christian artists don’t have to try to model their music off an already popular band. Instead, they can be original and creative. They can seek depth in their music and lyrics rather than aiming to be the Christian clone to someone else.

The world of music is always changing. But it seems that the world may finally have found a genre that Christian music can’t replicate.

[Screen shot taken from: http://christianmusic.about.com/library/blcomparea.htm]

This morning I read the story of Don Gorske, a Wisconsin man who plays to eat his 25,000th Big Mac today. Gorske had his first Big Mac on May 17, 1972, and has eaten at least one every single day since then, with the exception of eight days. (To read the full story, click here)

As a guy whose Big Mac count is at 0, I found this story very intriguing and very awesome, especially since Don Gorske is only 185 lbs and has great cholesterol levels.

I started breaking down the numbers to see just how crazy/incredible this feat actually is. Here’s what I found:

25,000 Big Macs =

13,500,000 calories

3,850+ pounds

725,000 grams of fat

37,500 grams of trans fat

50,000 burger patties

75,000 pieces of bread

3,125 cups of special sauce

4,450,00 sesame seeds

Yeah…3,125 cups of special sauce. Think about that and see if you don’t throw up.

Consider this: There are approximately 14,000 McDonalds in the United States. That means if Don Gorske ate each Big Mac at a different McDonalds, he would have eaten at all the US restaurants and would be over halfway through with his second visits.

There are approximately 31,000 McDonalds worldwide. I have to think that Gorske will be surpassing that number in Big Macs very soon!

As a lover of food and McDonalds…Don Gorske, I salute you!

[Photo source: http://bit.ly/mMoZys]

No.

When discussing the controversial topics in the church today, it seems that “dress” is near the top of the list with worship style, Bible translation, and color of the carpet. Some churches feature people in suits and dresses, while others consist of people in jeans, pants, and even shorts. If you fly to the islands of Hawaii, you may even find people who have come straight from the beach, carrying sand and the smell of the ocean into their local meeting place. While many factors play into the decision of what to wear–such as age, location, average age of the congregation, church leadership, etc.–there is no doubt this is an issue that is often talked about, or at least thought about, among church people.

While I would love to say I’ve found a definitive answer on what every male and female should wear to church, the truth is the Bible doesn’t tell us exactly what to wear. Nowhere in Scripture do we find a command to wear a suit, and nowhere in Scripture do we see that Crocs are forbidden in our local congregations (although we might want to give that some serious consideration).

While this issue may not be as black and white as some would want us to believe, I do believe there are 4 important factors to keep in mind when deciding how to dress for church:

1.) Mind your heart
The heart dictates our motivation for doing the things that we do. This even pervades into the area of what we wear to church. I’ve known far too many people who have taken the issue of dress in church and used it to facilitate a rebellious attitude. While it may not be a sin to wear jeans to church, some choose to do so only because they want to make a statement or know others may disapprove. It’s not about comfort; it’s about rebellion. On the flip side, if our heart is not in the right place, we may allow our suit and tie to create a sense of pride. While there is nothing wrong with looking nice, if our main intention is to dress to impress and look down on others, we’ve made things about much more than clothing. Pride can be a very dangerous and sinful thing. Whether it’s rooted in rebellion or elevation of self, if we don’t mind our heart, the issue is no longer about clothing, but more about our sinfulness.

2.) Mind your attitude
Sometimes our attitudes are very difficult to control, especially if we’re involved in something about which we’re very passionate. Walk into any Buffalo Wild Wings during the NCAA Tournament or a UFC PPV and you’ll see what I mean. Attitudes can also be difficult to control in the area of “church dress” because…well…some of us are very passionate about it. While a sense of passion can lead to many positive things, it can also turn our attitudes sour. It pains me to think of how many people I’ve seen come into the church dressed in something other than the norm and openly say, “I’m wearing this, and I don’t care what people think!” Sadly, no one had even said a thing. I’m not sure if anyone had noticed. Yet the “wearer” walked into the church building as though he/she were storming into a back alley looking for a fight. In the same respect, I’ve also heard people cast judgment on those that wear suits to church. Several years ago I heard someone in the church argue that our church would never be able to attract outsiders because too many people wore suits. This person then went on to criticize the character of those that wore suits to church. Here’s my inclination: the lack of growth in the church had nothing to do with people wearing suits; the lack of growth had to do with the attitudes of those doing the judgment.

3.) Mind your elders
Some may disagree with me on this point, and I’m okay with that. You’re allowed to be wrong (I probably need to read #2 again). I’m a firm believer in remembering where you came from and who helped you get there. I spent the first 23 years of my life at Calvary Fellowship Church in Fenton, Missouri. When I go home to visit, the first people to always greet me and hug me are the senior citizens in the church. During my 23 years at the church, they were always the first to pray for me, support me financially, and offer encouragement when I needed it most. They were and are the foundation and bedrock of the church. We may not always agree on everything, and we don’t have to. But I do love and respect them enough to listen to any concerns or hesitations they may have. They issue of church dress never came up with this group of people, but other things did, such as service style, music style, etc. At no point did they ever try to tell me my preferences were sinful; they simple told me that my preferences weren’t their preferences. I think there’s something very important in this when it comes to how we dress at church. I’m not saying that the elders in the church should dictate how we dress every Sunday. But I am saying that we should be mindful and respectful of their wishes and preferences. If I’m offending them in how I dress, maybe I need to step back and re-evaluate some things. It may not be an issue of sin, but it may be an issue of what is wise and beneficial. Let’s be honest…wearing khaki pants instead of jeans isn’t a very big deal to me. But it may be a big deal to someone else, and that simple change in clothing could be the difference in building a relationship.

4.) Mind your fellow churchgoers
This may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s still an issue in the church. As much as we talk about it and preach about it, the issue of modesty hasn’t hit home with everyone who steps into a church on Sunday mornings. The phrases “stumbling block” and “Sunday morning dress” don’t seem like they should go hand-in-hand, but sadly, sometimes they do. It’s important to put a high priority on modesty and purity when approaching what to wear to church. No one wants to be distracted by a low-cut blouse when trying to worship on a Sunday morning. What you’re wearing may be completely appropriate for your workplace or home, but it’s important to remember you can wear what’s appropriate by society’s standards and still not be appropriate.

[Photo source: http://bit.ly/mLKOrS]