GLENN'S PODCASTS!

OUTSIDE THE BOX

That term and others such as "color outside the lines" and the use of
terms like "multi-culturalism", "global perspective" and even the
sometimes root standby term "prejudice" next to words like "xenophobic"
came to mind as I read an online account of an underground newspaper I
often checked out in my youthful hippie days.

Now that I'm born-again, a balding grandfather and deeply love my country
I suppose some think I'd have outgrown the need to be a radical. Guess
again! For me, it's a calling, not so much a personal need or even
rebellious desire.

I simply verbalize and lyricize stuff many of us baby boomers know: we
weren't totally wrong in the late sixties and early seventies. Many simply
surrendered to a hardnosed status quo.

In Christian terms, many yielded to (in my view) their old nature, keeping
up with the Joneses or at least tired of standing strong for what was more
fair and equitable for the poor, minorities and the (yes, I'll say it:)
oppressed underclasses in America (in the old days that would have been
spelled Amerika) may or may not be in style in your neck of the woods.
Frankly, style has nothing to do with loving the poor, the widow and the
orphan. For me and many like me, it's about the call of God, the love of
God and something a great deal north of rhetoric. If I fail to live love,
I'm simply a clanging gong (see 1 Cor. 13 for details).

So what does it matter if someone has electric green hair and a soul
patch... or a three piece suit and muted tie? It didn't then (in terms of
actual fact- i.e., God's view of culture) and it doesn't now.

Therefore coloring outside the lines in terms of mere culture and style is
in my view, just fine, and for the most part harmless. Lord knows there
are more important things in life as opposed to your sense of clothing
styles!

But when it comes to really caring for hurting people- no matter their
culture, politics or race... this matters.

What I've stated here and elsewhere I say again: talk is cheap and
frankly, those who simply talked about living outside the box, about
peace, love and changing the world in the freak scene/hippie movement and
even Jesus Movement were often far more right (and I don't mean
politically here) than wrong. They know it and I know it. The real problem
is a lot of them/us simply quit the job because of the inherent pain of
the battles, some societal, many personal.

Edmund Burke once said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil
is that good men do nothing". I think much of status quo Americana- and I
include much of present-day evangelicalism in the mix- is largely doing
just that.

If just one of my songs or bits of writing can move you off the often
self-serving apathetic couch of status-quoism, better yet, if my LIFE and
ACTIONS and yours promote the love, peace and world-changing aspects of
Jesus Christ and the Good News, perhaps there is life in the world after
all. I think there is! Let's get off the couch and into the street.

ALL SAINTS or...

I heard a radio talk show today where all sorts of things were being discussed re. the traditional holiday coming up soon here in the U.S.. It seems to me that while there are indeed satan worshipers there are also a load of folks in the Christian church who either take the devil far too seriously in terms of holidays where not much goes on in 98 percent of the actual practice... kids dressing weird and getting a bit of tooth decay... while some who shout loudest about real demonic influence do little to nothing about a host of issues this country is famous (or infamous) about such as the execution of various prisoners, abortion, wrecking the environment pretty much due to big business interests and lifestyle choices that have more to do with personal comfort than conservation and care for the earth God gave us. I could go on but will spare you.

The other thing that comes to mind is that few reading this have ever cast an actual demon out of anyone... but can sure rant about kids dressing up like one.

I had a chat years ago, with an individual quite concerned about satanic influence in music. At one point in the discussion I raised the very issue I just raised here: if you truly believe the devil is directly involved habitually in a person's life, what ought you to be doing about it, scripturally? Of course there was mostly silence on his part. When one really cares, there is a package of living one's life rightly, in accord with the law of love- God's Word applied in your own life and relationships and lifestyle choices. And for that matter, if and as God has called you to do actual spiritual dirtywork, then care enough about the person(s) to offer on-going support for the deeper, root issues that brought them into the bondage they're in- if in fact they are truly in a thick mess of sin, taken captive (as the Book says) by the devil to do his will.

But the solution isn't talk. In fact the kingdom of God is about power, not talk. But it takes a deeper, real and yes, sacrificial life... and I think sometimes that's why much of Christianity seems about as authentic as the mask many of the kids will wear when the cry of "Trick or treat" is soon heard in our land. God help us do better and be more thorough about loving our neighbor as ourselves! Pray for me as well, for it's a great deal easier to write these words than it is to live them. Amen.