Gender Discrimination?

I heard the argument a few times before it penetrated my "I'm-not-interested" barrier, but this morning it got my attention.
There is a new ruling in Minnesota, that bans "Ladies Night" at bars. It's one of those things that doesn't affect me personally--for several reasons--but it is part of a larger syndrome that has an effect on each of us.
The rationale behind the ban is that allowing women to have a night when they can get free or discounted drinks is gender discrimination.
Well, Duh!
Let me digress a moment.
From time to time I find myself in an establishment where the markings on the restroom doors are so cute, unclear, painted-over, defaced, or missing that I enter the men's room with a bit of misgiving. In such cases, I always do a quick survey of the room, looking for one particular kind of plumbing fixture. You only find these items in Guy's room. It is an admission of, and accommodation to, one of the basic differences between males and females.
I'm not really concerned about how much guys and gals pay for their cocktails in Minneapolis; I figure they will sort that out. But the idea that men and women should always be treated the same is not only wrong, it's just plain stupid.

It's STTA.

I'm Handsome. Pay me!

In one of his early books Dr. James Dobson wrote about an unfortunate, unplanned experiment in social response. His daughter, an exceptionally cute little girl, had a bad fall. The injuries left her with a grotesque looking mouth and nose--thankfully temporary. Instantly, the Dobsons had abundant illustrations of the beauty premium. Danae was the same child on the inside, but her appearance caused her to be treated radically differently than she had been just a few days before--sometimes by the very same people.

The Old-Testament King, Saul, was the recipient of this unearned and undeserved bonus. Samuel observes, "there was not a more handsome person . . . among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people." (1 Samuel 10:23) Unfortunately, he was a male version of this tragic Proverb, "As a ring of gold in a swine's snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion." (Proverbs 11:22) Today we might refer to such a person as an "empty suit."

The problem is the empty suit often gets gold ring. A recent Newsweek article indicates that being good looking is worth a quarter of a million over a lifetime. Hiring managers, when asked about female applicants, admitted that physical attractiveness has more impact than educational accomplishments.

It is another version of our tendency to externalism (see yesterday's STTA). Those of us who claim to walk with and serve the God "who looks on the heart," must resist this syndrome. A pleasant looking exterior is a gift from God. Like all God's gifts, good looks ought to be appreciated. But we must resist our culture's unfortunate tendency to focus on the outside to the exclusion of the consideration of deeper, more important virtues."

Beauty is vain, but a woman [or a man] who fears the Lord, she [he] shall be praised." (Proverbs 31:30) That's how God sees it.

It's STTA.

(As usual, Al Mohler has some thoughts worth reading on this matter,http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/07/22/the-snare-of-beauty-flashpoints-of-our-obsession-with-attractiveness/)

Shallow:

A number of the recurring issues in the church have to with a failure to distinguish the inside from the outside. I used to think that the seemingly endless arguments and posturing about music and standards and translations of the Bible, etc. would finally just die off. I take no joy in saying that my expectation was based on a failure to adequately reckon on the tendency of we humans to get it wrong. Given the choice most people will choose the surface and shallow over the real any day.

We just looked at the first part of Mark 7 this past Sunday. The religious leaders of Jesus day thought that the secret to being right with God and having the fullness of blessing that He desires to give us is to focus on a maddening tangle of external dos and don'ts. Jesus pointed to the heart.

I see the tendency in my day all over the place. There are important discussions to be had about songs, how we dress, and the accuracy of translations of God's word. Unfortunately those discussions usually go undiscussed. The conversation pretty well stops at the surface. Often, in the final analysis it comes down to what I like and what I'm used to. But I see the tendency in other ways as well. For some it is smells, as in incense, bells and chants, and stained glass and spires. Whether there is substance, or what the substance is, is seldom considered. Rather folk seek the holy-awe, with the same thoughtless intensity that others seek the holy-buzz through their frenetic activity.

Those who worship the Lord must worship in "spirit and truth." We are to love Him with "all our heart, soul and mind."

That which is only on the surface won't do.

It's STTA.

Dust is gathering . . .

I think all of it is temporary, but it does remind me of a permanent condition. I have a bruise on my side--from where, I don't know--a finger that I mashed loading the truck, a stiff knee from a tug-of-war that seemed like a good idea at the time, and a corn on my toe that's getting better. As I say, I expect all these dings and dents to get better, but it does remind me that I, like everything else in this fallen world, am winding down.
My piddly reminders pale in comparison to folk I know who are dealing with cancers, dementia, death of a loved one, and the personal impact of global conflict. "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning . . . and not only the creation, but we ourselves." (Romans 8:22-23, ESV) All of us, even youngsters, deal with aches and pains, some have to endure screaming discomfort. I'm glad we live in a time when aspirin, and other medical wonders help a lot. But as you reach for the pain-killer be reminded of the cosmic message in your pain-in-the-neck, or wherever. "This world is a mess. None of us are going to get out alive."* An old Gospel song says, "This world is not my home. I'm just a passin' through . . ." Indeed! Can you also continue the Spiritual, "My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue"?
It's STTA.

Could it be . . . ?

I don't know who first said it. I heard it attributed to the late George Burns, "People are impressed with sincerity. If you learn to fake that, you've got it made." Everyday, in the advertizing world, highly paid, very creative people get together and try to effectively "fake it."
Still, I'm impressed with a couple of ads I've been seeing lately. One is fairly drenched in sweat. It talks about how America used to make things--products produced with skill, ingenuity, creativity, pride, and hard work. The commercial builds to the punch line and shows pictures of its product. A voice that sounds like it is coming from someone who knows how to work, says something like, "This was once a country where we made things, beautiful things, and so it is again . . ."
The other ad features a voice I love. Sam Eliott must get up every morning and gargle with a mixture of broken glass and turpentine. It is just the voice to hark back to a time when men made deals based on a handshake. I have no doubt that if I went to buy the vehicle the gravely voiced spokesman is promoting there would be a lot of paper I'd have to sign, in addition to the hand-clasp, but, still I'm impressed that the ad looks back to a time when people's word was their bond.
It's highly possible--to the point of near certainty--that these ads are no more sincere than the quintessential promises about the used car owned by a "little-old-lady . . . ." Still, even if the commercials are smoke and mirrors, I see hope based on the buttons Madison Avenue is seeking to push. Could it be that there is a growing awareness that work--labor that actually results in something of value--and honesty are virtues worth preserving? And that our salvation as a nation depends not on more clever accounting, and even slicker speeches, but on hard work and honesty?
I hope so.
It's STTA.
(Here is an address to one of the ads.)

Bonhoeffer, Do I have a faith that motivates martyrs?

I don't know a great deal about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I read his book on discipleship quite some time ago. I know that he was opposed to what Adolf Hitler was doing to his nation, Germany, so much so that he joined a plot to assassinate the Fuhrer. I suppose more than anything I admire the preacher/Theologian because he stood against the compromise of most of the church leaders in his time. He was executed by Hitler's regime shortly before the fall of the Reich. There are two sides to our devotion the Lord. A friend of mine used to call it software and hardware. Getting it right Theologically and exegetically is what he called "hardware," but, he used to remind me, we need software-feeling right in addition to thinking right. Some talk about the difference between head and heart. The New Testament talks about the "splangkhnon," bowels, at least in part, the place where you feel emotion. I read recently about Bonhoeffer, that when he made a trip "to Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem [it] changed everything [for him]. He saw the full-throated gospel of Christ for perhaps the first time in his life. The worship and sermons stunned him. He'd seen the real thing, a Christianity based on wholehearted devotion to Jesus. When he returned to Germany, everyone could see that he was different. The experience deepened his faith quite dramatically." (From a book I need to read by Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy)Lord, may have the real thing, the kind of faith that will motivate others to go out and die for You, if need be.It's STTA

Horsepower Out of Control:

In our day when the power-plant on a simple push lawnmower is measured in multiple horse power, we tend to forget the just how powerful these beasts are. Through most of history military might was measured in number of men, and how many horses an army had.A tragedy in a fourth of July parade in Iowa reminds us of just how strong these animals are. It was the quintessential scene for a small town Fourth of July in farming country. A wagon with six passengers, smiling and waving to the crowd was pulled by a team of draft horses. Normally, as James in the Bible points out, a driver is able to control a horse "by means of a small bit in its mouth." On this day as the horses rubbed against one another the bit was dislodged from one of the horses, something happened to spook the team, and after a six block runaway, twenty-some people were injured-some critically-and one was dead.James uses the power of the horse to illustrate the destructive force of the tongue. Don't let that thing get away from you.It's STTA.

Frequently, I don't get finished with a message. I've learned over the years to not leave all the undone part at the end, but as I go along I have to do some editing on the fly. Last Sunday I was sharing from Mark 6 about the mission on which Jesus sent the Apostles. Something that rings loud and clear through the seven verses is authority. They went out not as Peter, John and Phillip, but as representatives of Jesus Christ, empowered by Him to deal with evil-spirits, to heal, and to proclaim a message of repentance. There is an important point, though, that I didn't get to. I don't claim authority in the same sense. I don't see God appointing Apostles today. But I do have a message that is totally reliable, has God's stamp of approval, and carries His authority. If you remember--if not look--Jesus told the disciples that when they came to a town they were to depend on the hospitality of someone in that town for food and shelter. If, however, no one listened to them or opened their home, "as you go out from there, "shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them." Lane, in his commentaty, explains the cultural significance of this action, and concludes that that it was to symbolically consign these people to judgment. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. (Hebrews 10:31) It's STTA

Use that preacher. It will keep you on the level:

As a young pastor I was supplementing my income by working for a contractor who was a member of the church. I was priming the new siding on a house, working right behind a couple of guys who were nailing it on. After several yelled out comments like, "Where is that preacher?" or, "Use that preacher." The foreman came around the corner of the house and explained that they weren't talking about me. They had a stick that was cut in such a way that if you hooked it over the piece of siding already nailed up, it would give a guide as to where to nail next one. They called it a "Preacher," because it kept them straight. Weightlifters are familiar with "Preacher-curls." The exercise prevents the lifter from cheating; the biceps have to do all the work.
I'm not sure that it would occur to today's carpenters or body-builders to use "preacher" as a word that describes keeping something in line or honest. The problem is too few preachers proclaim a message of authority. If the Bible is God's word then we have a life and death communication that will not allow equivocation. If the standards of much modern preaching were used in carpentry and exercise the house would be, at best, kinda-sorta straight, and weightlifters might use a hydraulic assist while claiming to work on their biceps.
If the Bible is the Word from God to man, then we better proclaim it and obey it. If not, it really doesn't matter.

It's STTA.

Only In The Movies:

I'm not sure if August Rush qualifies for chick-flick classification, but there was a notable lack of car-chases and things being blown up. Really I kind of liked it, though. It has that pastel, breezy summer evening kind of feel. Following the plot requires a willing suspension of disbelief, and the ending is as predictable as tomorrow's sunrise, but I enjoyed the warm feeling, and interesting mix of music enough that I stayed with it. In the end, I realized I had been had. I figure a lot of folk bought the whole bill of goods. Many lack the ethical grid and moral compass that would let them know that the soft breeze, and lovely music gently compelled and softly lured them to rocky ruin. A "love-child" conceived in a one-night-stand is born to a talented cellist. "Dad," a soulful pop/blues/I-don't-know-what-to-call-him guitar player singer, is unaware that he has even fathered a child. Mom's dad, vicariously ambitious, tells his daughter that grandson is dead, and hands him over to the state. I've been doing, teaching about, and observing family long enough to know that this is not a formula for happily-ever-after, except in the movies, or at least this one. I don't want to go overboard, but music is nigh unto a pan-deity in this airbrushed universe. It sustains, gives hope, draws, and in the end causes all things to work together for good. Only in the movies. The Bible, on the other hand, speaks about real life in the real world, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." (Galatians 6:7, NASB95) It's STTA.