The Aftermath

Yesterday saw the aftermath of the 2013 VMAS.  Forget that fact that you would be lucky to actually find a music video on MTV any more. The awards show was yet again a place for all kinds of behavior good, bad, ugly, and puzzling.

I like many of my friends, couldn’t look away when watching Hannah Montana frolic, no cavort  across the stage  in such a disturbing manner, more entertaining were audience members reactions, just Google audience reaction to Miley Cyrus VMA and you’ll see what I mean.

While I wanted to give the girl some clothes, that had to be the ugliest teddy bear whatever it was I have seen, and the plastic underwear that turned her into any one of the Barbie's that litters my house on any given day in a state of undress ( I have three daughters) was about as sexy as, well yeah one of those Barbie's, shoot one of them had it’s head popped off and I consistently have to pop it back on many times, that poor doll looks like the victim of some tragic accident that rendered her neck-less. 

Which brings me to last night.  Was this Miley’s tragic head popping accident, or was it something totally different?  I think some of us, especially those of us that are old enough to have kids that rode the Hanna Montana train for a while, are having a hard time with this because of what it may mean for our kids…

See the first problem is her name is Miley, not Hannah,  somewhere in the past 5 years we have swapped the ideal Disney world of uber-talented kids, with loads of disposable income and parents that at times may appear bumbling but in the end know best for the reality of the middle class family.  Now where this can be excused in our kids, yea not so much for us, but somehow we have done it, evidenced by the fact that the first thing that came to mind was…I can’t believe Hanna Montana is doing this…

Second problem she’s 20, remember when you were 20, ever look back at when you were 20 and wonder what was I thinking, what was I doing? why did I get this?  At 20 we are invincible, full of ideas, and ready to show the world…so while what she did was really in poor taste, and how she did it was just jaw dropping she did what every 20 year old does, made a decision based on the moment and the shock value instead of taking a long hard look at it and saying” hmmm I wonder if this huge dragon tattoo starting on my neck and spiraling all the way down my arms with the tail ending on the bottom of my big left toe could effect my prospects for happiness and financial security in the future.”  I mean come on I’m going to be 40 in 13 days and I still do things at my parents house just for the shock value. 

Here’s the thing. 

When I was a child, I spoke, thought, and reasoned in childlike ways as we all do. But when I became a man, I left my childish ways behind.  1 Cor. 13:11 (Voice)

The author is reminding us what it is supposed to be we are not supposed to stay stuck at an age, we are supposed to grow up we are supposed to change we are supposed to mature.  I wonder how difficult it is for Hannah Montana to grow up when so much of her life is preserved in the Disney Vault (anyone else find that creepy, Disney has a vault) she’s stuck at that age.  It must become all important to totally break that image to shatter it beyond recognition so that you can move on. 

Don’t get me wrong I don’t think that Miley’s way of dealing with it, her way of breaking that image was the best, but again that can also be part of growing up, part of putting away childish things, which is so much more than Barbie Dolls or GI Joe’s.  It takes time to put away the need to be shocking, or trendy, or whatever it is that humans so readily want to identify with.

The video I saw last night was shocking but also sad, if you can stomach it look again, don’t look at the clothes look at the body language, look at the tongue hanging out the whole thing became painful to watch mainly because as a dad of three girls one of which hit middle school this week, I see more than so many others saw.  I saw a girl desperately wanting to get away from her past, needing to be seen as an adult, needing to be validated by the big kids, wanting to be accepted into the adult world, needing to leave Hannah Montana behind.  Trying to put away childish things, only to find that it’s harder than it looks…

Where there better ways to do it, to break ties with her past, to step into the arena of adulthood of course, but lets face it, we all have our Miley Cyrus moments, we’re just lucky enough to not have them televised for the world to see, and tweet…

Feet on the Dashboard

it’s hard for me to grasp the fact that I have had feet on the dashboard for 19 years.  I have to say that those feet are very important to me, they represent the best parts of my life, and arguably the best part of my life to date. 

Don’t get me wrong, all three of my children are monumental additions to my life.  I have no clue what I would do without the girls, but they pale in comparison to those feet on my dashboard. 

Yesterday driving home from my parents house we talked about life and possibilities, brainstormed for a possibility, and drove home a different way all together, one that believe it or not seemed at least to take less time than I thought it would. 

Those feet have traveled a lot of miles with me in tow, actually that should be the other way around, those feet have always been a huge supporter of Aaron.  I know I’m not really worthy of those feet, there are countless men much better deserving than I am of having those feet grace their dashboards, but I have said it before and I’ll say it again,  I won. 

Every time I look at those feet, usually with painted toes, sometimes, and here I’ll admit not nearly enough, by me I get this huge sense of wow in the center of my being. 

Our lives have been so turned around in the past five years.  There is so much that has happened, good and bad and good again. The fact that those feet are still there is a miracle in and of itself for more reasons than one.  I know if the door opens that those feet will follow me through it. 

That my friends makes me the most blessed man in the world.

Itching Ears…

2 Timothy 4:3 (MSG)
³ You're going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy.

I have always wondered at this verse, not that it’s that difficult to understand really.  Everyone needs a good yes man or woman in their life. You know what I mean the person that always agrees with you always tells you what you want to hear.

The thing about yes men and women is they aren’t really being honest.  For whatever reason they don’t want to offend, or hurt, or fill in the word that you need. 

Most Evangelicals use this verse to point fingers at people that don’t teach or believe the way they think they should.  They use it to prove their point, or to show how they are so much more spiritual than others, they use it to justify bigotry, and hatred, they use it to keep people that don’t fit their picture of a good christian away. 

Don’t get me wrong,  I believe what the Bible says,  I believe that there are standards, Godly standards, that Christ followers need to be working on.  It’s part of the idea of walking daily in our faith.  It’s part of the work that goes into our salvation.  As we spend time in God’s word, and as we talk to him regularly, as we shut up for a while and listen, actually listen to what he is trying to say to us.  We will make the changes that are ultimately for our good and his glory. 

What I’m trying to get at is this.  I have watched and listened and read many right wing evangelicals lately.  I find a disturbing trend.  Many of them, some of my friends even seem to be looking for other people who will tell them what they want to hear, the real bothersome thing though is pastors are willing to be the yes man or woman that they are looking for. 

The church today, especially the evangelical church, especially the conservative evangelical church, has taken up the cry of the oppressed, victimized, embattled oppressed standard bearer.  The disappointing thing is historically the church has been on the other side of things, and in many cases, not all but many they still practice the same thing toward the very people they are supposed to reach. 

At some point in the last 20 years the cannon of scripture in the evangelical church has been expanded to include select portions of the constitution, and the 1954 revision of the pledge of allegiance, and here is where the vast majority of today’s evangelical leaders start scratching at peoples ears. 

Be it the right to bare arms, homosexuality, universal health care, taxes, eschatology, social welfare, justice, grace, forgiveness, or the death penalty, name it they will tell the people looking for their side to be justified what they want to hear.

I have been running every other day, and on those runs I’ve been doing a lot of talking and a lot of listening,  I have come to a question.  On any given Sunday or Saturday or whatever day where would Jesus choose to worship, that is the church that I want to be part of, that is the church that I want to lead.  I don’t want to be a pastor that scratches peoples ears, I want to lead a church that reaches up to God in worship, reaches in to the body to train and equip, and reaches out to the community with love, compassion, and openness.  I have no clue where to begin, or even if this is a viable thing.  I just know that I need to know the next steps.