The morning walk with dog friend Hannah and my trusty iPod generated some thoughts. A tune by Kenny Chesney is chock full of catchy rhythms and bad theology. The song is called Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven but the underlying theme is that nobody wants to go there right now. I think that is true for most of us. As long as God allows I want to live and serve here while I enjoy family and friends. But what caught my ear was the theology. I am aware that Kenny Chesney is not a theologian so I am not throwing him under his tour bus. I found it interesting because the song reflects the theology of many people and churches in this nation. It used to be mine. Preacher told me last Sunday mornin`Son, you better start livin` rightYou need to quit the women and whiskeyAnd carrying on all night My issues might not have been whiskey and carrying on
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A buddy sent me a link to an interesting site. You enter your birthdate and you find out what the number one song was on the day you were born. While my top rated tune was not exactly a song for the ages I do think it might have had some influence in my life. The number one song on April 6 in 1953 was….drumroll please…. “How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?” by Patti Page. Hmmmmm. The lyrics are an amazing study in banality. How much is that doggie in the window? [Arf, arf] The one with the waggly tail How much is that doggie in the window? [Arf, arf] I do hope that doggie’s for sale I actually remember the fine contribution of the backup barkers that added the “arf, arf” to the chorus. “The one with the waggly tale” is one of the great lyrical moments in history. Right up there with the rock group America’s insights about the
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I am dismayed and disgusted with Democrats, Republicans, campaign spokespersons and spinpersons, the media and countless others in the current political race. I suspect I am not alone. The tone makes it nearly impossible to stay engaged. I wish I could hire Dr.Evil (played by Mike Myers) from the Austin Power movies. Whenever he was tired of the conversation he would employ this technique. Scott Evil: It’s no hassle… Dr. Evil: Sh! Scott Evil: But… Dr. Evil: Sh! Scott Evil: I’m… Dr. Evil: Sh! Scott Evil: All I’m say… Dr. Evil: Sh! Scott Evil: There gonna get a… Dr. Evil: Sh! Scott Evil: I’m… Dr. Evil: Sh! Scott Evil: I’m just… Dr. Evil: Sh! Scott Evil: Would… Dr. Evil: Sh!… Knock-knock. Scott Evil: Who’s there? Dr. Evil: Sh! To both campaigns that are engaged in attacks and half-truths and complete untruths I would love to be able to say to all of you. SH! I have had it. When you examine
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The current state of discourse in this nation makes me want to put on the Bose headsets and resurface in mid-November. The internet can be a wonderful tool but too many writers have chosen to use the tool only as a chainsaw or hammer. I wrote a piece pleading for grace in the debate. After grace my next biggest gripe is the lack of accuracy in the debate. This quote from George Eliot is not in the Beatitudes but Jesus might have thought about including it. “Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact.” Might I add blessed is the man or woman who takes a moment to confirm as fact what they forward as fact. May I suggest that forwarded e-mails are not the greatest source of truth available to mankind. The automatic forwarding of e-mail warnings is a real pet peeve of mine. About every other week I have to
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A fitness challenged film producer said that Hurricane Gustav disrupting the Republican Convention was “proof that God has a sense of humor”. At that point we did not know how devastating the storm might become. I thought the remark was tasteless given the timing but I didn’t get too exorcised over the comment. Both sides of the aisle seem to try to enlist God’s judgment when it is appropriate to support their positions. But the question that always comes up when disaster strikes is a tough one. Is God judging America? I have a definite and authoritative biblical position on this issue. I don’t know. When Jesus was asked about some tragedies that occurred He did not establish blame… About that time some people came up and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar. Jesus responded, “Do you think those murdered Galileans were
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Few movies have generated more mainstream quotes than the silly movie Airplane and that movie is, of course, one of my favorites. Having claimed intellectual high ground I offer this dialogue with very anxious flyer Ted Striker and a fellow passenger. Passenger: Nervous? Ted Striker: Yes. Passenger: First time? Ted Striker: No, I’ve been nervous lots of times. I sometimes think of that line when I write these humble ramblings. I have certainly been nervous a number of times because I attempt to communicate truth with grace and represent Jesus humbly even as I tackle tough topics. Nothing makes me more nervous than writing about faith and politics. I wrote a piece with the tongue-in-cheek title “Will Democrats Go To Heaven?”. Here is an excerpt from that article. “Christians are not to seek “power over” others – by controlling governments, passing legislation or fighting wars. Christians should seek to have “power under” others – winning others hearts by sacrificing for those in need.” –  Dr.Gregory
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Sarah Palin had a lot of lines that brought huge applause in her speech to the RNC. One of my favorite moments did not make a lot of the post speech highlights on the news. Her remarks about Trig and about advocacy for special needs children touched my heart. My wife devotes her career to helping special needs kids. And Palin’s remarks reminded me of an earlier post written in response to an email from our youngest son. Brett had a big sister that he never knew. Katie was born with a terminal birth defect and died when Brett was just a baby. Yet he is aware of  the amazing impact of Katie’s short life. She would have been twenty-three in March. Her story is detailed in When Bad Christians Happen to Good People . Here is Brett’s note. P.S.  Katie’s life affected a lot of people tonight when I shared her story after a guy was struggling with seeing God’s purpose for everything.  It also made me realize
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