HAIKU #400

My only virtue
Is sometimes going limp so
God can carry me

#Willful #Depraved #Broken #Redeemed

HAIKU #399

Don't buy underpants
Unless they're futuristic
No excuses, bro

#FutureDrawers #Fresh2Death #Bros4Life

HAIKU #398

When you're a grown-up
Try to live a life that makes
Your inner child smile

HAIKU #397

Men are learning that
Lots of women do not like
Sexual assault

#ChangeIsOverdue #TheMoreYouKnow

HAIKU #396

The past is like gum
Chew on it for what it's worth
And then spit it out

HAIKU #395

Don't be impressed by
Self-satisfied narcissists
That shit's wack, homie!

#KeepItReal #SmileMore #StayHumble

HAIKU #394

When some grown-ups talk
It's unbearably boring
Weren't they ever kids?

HAIKU #393

Lots of people who
Are a "10" on the outside
Are a "1" inside

#NotImpressedByAppearances

HAIKU #392

Put the game on mute
Crank up the Tori Amos
That's real football, bro

#NFL #2VenusAndBack #Bros4Life

HAIKU #391

When my eyes go black
And my molecules decay
You'll still paint my sky

HAIKU #390

Coupons have purpose
Only if they get redeemed
People are coupons

HAIKU #389

Want a healthy life?
The key is moderation
I can't get enough!

#MoreModeration #MoreMoreMore

HAIKU #388

I'm not what I want
Or what you want me to be
I'm how God made me

#StrangeChoice #FeelTheSensation

HAIKU #387

It feels safe to say
That Miley Cyrus peaked when
She sang "Wrecking Ball"

#RealTalk #HardTruth #OctoberBaseball

HAIKU #386

Being a DJ
Is mostly a matter of
Picking slammin' tracks

#FuckUpTheDancefloor

HAIKU #385

Life is that nightmare
Where everything is broken
One day we'll wake up

#RunToTheSunlight

HAIKU #384

Eating apathy
Won't sustain your spirit when
You're starving for love

HAIKU #383

Anyone who's wise
Will show great humility
So much is unknown

HAIKU #382

Challenge your beliefs
Because unchallenged beliefs
Are mere assumptions

HAIKU #381

We rationalize
Defending the things we want
As if they were right

#DesireIsntVirtue #OftenItsTheOpposite

HAIKU #380

It's important to
Set up realistic goals
Change will come slowly

HAIKU #379

Children are happy
Because they have not yet learned
That the world is shit

#Sorrow #Torment #SundayNightFootball

HAIKU #378

People are puppets
But we're puppets that can choose
Our own puppeteers

HAIKU #377

Without salvation
We're licking an ice cream cone
That's about to fall

#PromiseOfPleasure #ImminenceOfAgony

HAIKU #376

Should having freedom
Mean we have the freedom to
Forfeit our freedom?

#Liberty #Addiction

HAIKU #375

Nothing matters more
Than learning how to forgive
And be forgiven

HAIKU #374

I can't talk right now
This is way too important
I'm playing Tetris

HAIKU #373

This life is full of
Countless opportunities
Most involve twerking

HAIKU #372

If people were good
We wouldn't need a savior
But are people good?

HAIKU #371

We do what we see
True originality
Comes from seclusion

HAIKU #370

Morning sunlight shines
Through the trees into my room
Dancing on my corpse

HAIKU #369

Satan ensnares us
By making us self-serving
And self-pitying

HAIKU #368

Trying to find God
Puts the burden on yourself
Ask God to find you

HAIKU #367

Accepting God's grace
Makes you less self-satisfied
And more confident

#Paradox #Faith

HAIKU #366

If you like something
But it doesn't make you smile
You might not like it

HAIKU #365

When something is true
It remains true across time
And across cultures

HAIKU #364

I've been in a rut
What my life could use is a
Trashy sex scandal

HAIKU #363

I'm hypnotized by
The logic of your body
Whatever that means

HAIKU #362

The essence of love
Is wanting to do what's best
For other people

HAIKU #361

You've not lived until
You've spent thirty-six months in
White-collar prison

#EyeOpener

HAIKU #360

We're obsessed with sex
What we should be obsessed with
Is intimacy

#Trust #Vulnerability #Acceptance
 

HAIKU #359

When Death comes for me
I shall look her in the eye
And I'll say, "Fuck you!"

#CurlyMustache #SpanishAccent

HAIKU #358

Love is unselfish
When you truly love someone
You forget yourself

HAIKU #357

I can't figure out
Whose music is more timeless
Vivaldi or Shaq

#TheFourSeasons #ShootPassSlam

HAIKU #356

Now I'm debating
Whose music is more timeless
Bach or Limp Bizkit

#EnduringExcellence

HAIKU #355

I've been debating
Whose music is more timeless
Mozart or *NSYNC

#QuestionForThePhilosophers

HAIKU #354

What if you could go
So balls-out it would defy
All the laws of man?

#TestYourLimits

HAIKU #353

To learn about God
We must study all cultures
All good reflects Him

HAIKU #352

To build a tower
You must first humble yourself
By digging a hole

#FOUNDATION
 

HAIKU #351

Though I'm not insane
I'm teetering on the brink
All sane people are

#AWAKE

HAIKU #350

Remember that song
"Fall At Your Feet" by James Blunt?
I'll ball at your feet

#BALLER #FEET

HAIKU #349

Like novels and plays
Movies can be sublime art
Though they often aren't

#GrownUps2

HAIKU #348

Apart from God's grace
All of life's little moments
Add up to nothing

HAIKU #347

The bus is coming
But we can't afford the fare
Let's Teen Wolf that shit

#FreeRide #WhatCouldGoWrong?

HAIKU #346

Luck is a tightrope
Those who work without a net
Will fall on hard times

HAIKU #345

Christianity
Teaches that we need saving
And we're worth saving

HAIKU #344

A million whispers
Shake the walls of cold despair
Melting us with Truth

HAIKU #343

The complexity
Of this life is crying out
For simplicity

HAIKU #342

Normally I'm shrewd
But I think I paid too much
For my butt implants

HAIKU #341

And for my next trick
I'll make the past disappear
3, 2, 1... KA-BOOM!!!

#SpringCleaning #FreshStart #Dynamite

HAIKU #340

We're stuck in our ways
What's the way to get unstuck?
It's diversity

#Humility #Openness #Growth

ANNOYED BY CHRISTIANS

Hello, friends!

Recently I've shared several thoughts which are, shall we say, directly and unabashedly religious. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is that I've only recently begun to understand and internalize what Christianity is all about. And I was raised Christian.

Have you ever been annoyed by Christians? I sure have. If you're like me, you've been annoyed by a certain kind of Christian: the self-satisfied kind that looks down their nose at other people who are less moral, less disciplined, less religiously refined. Did you know that in the Bible, Jesus warns against being that kind of Christian?

It's natural for people to want to be their own master. There are two different, and opposite, ways of attempting this. One way is to ignore God, to break his rules, and do whatever you want. The other way is to obey God's rules and behave so well that you see yourself as better than other people and you feel that God has no choice but to be pleased with you.

A good number of Christians (and religious people in general) fall into this second group. They tend towards moralism and elitism, and so it is natural that many of us are annoyed by them and have become resistant to religion as a whole.

But again, Jesus specifically warns against that kind of self-righteous behavior. What Christianity actually teaches is different from what many Christians mistakenly believe.

Is it important to behave morally? Yes. But why is it important? If we're behaving morally to earn acceptance from God, we don't understand the Gospel. The Gospel teaches that acceptance from God cannot be earned; it can only be received as a gift. We receive God's acceptance when we acknowledge our own smallness, our inability to control things or be pleasing to a perfect God whose standards are infinitely greater than our own. In other words, God accepts us when we stop trying to be our own master and submit to our need for a savior.

Jesus teaches that religious people who try to be their own savior are even more lost than irreligious people who try to do the same thing. Because, although both ways lead to bitterness and death, at least the defiant people who intentionally break God's laws realize what they are doing.

So, if you're like me, and you've been annoyed by Christians or followers of any religion who are separatist and moralistic, what's the best way to avoid becoming like those people? If we resist religion altogether, we'll find that we share more in common with those people than we think. In my experience, the best way to break apart from all that, to become universally hospitable and humble, is to become a follower and a student of Jesus Christ.

IF...

I believe Christianity is true, but I'm not going to tell you what to believe.

What I will tell you is that, if Christianity is true, it means that no matter who you are, no matter what you've done, no matter what you believe, God does exist and he loves you far more than you can possibly imagine. I daresay that anyone who claims otherwise doesn't understand Christianity.

If Christianity is true and you sincerely invite God into your heart, he will find you. He will accept you completely as you are right now because of the sacrifice his son Jesus Christ has already made on your behalf.

If Christianity is true and you accept Jesus's sacrifice, it will change the way you think, feel, and behave. Little by little, it will make you more joyful, more satisfied, better rested, kinder, stronger, gentler, and more loving towards others and yourself.

If Christianity is true and you accept Jesus's sacrifice, you will also enjoy an eternal life after death, a life that will be far greater than anything we can in this life fathom.

As far as I can see, if we understand what Christianity really is, the only reason to reject it is because we are cynics and it sounds way too good to be true.

HAIKU #339

There's only one food
Fit to serve at a wedding:
Salt water taffy

HAIKU #338

We just hung out, right?
What? It's been over a year?
I lose track of time

#INTROVERT

HAIKU #337

Getting what you want
Won't make you happy unless
You want happy things

HAIKU #336

I don't like Enya
I'm into Enigma, bro
Which side are you on?

#ChooseYourBattles #Bros4Life

HAIKU #335

Faith is medicine
Weigh its worth by how it heals
Not by how it tastes

HAIKU #334

Wood-grain paneling
Was considered at one time
Not to be shitty

#Decor #Mystery #WTF

HAIKU #333

Despite one's breeding
One must sometimes speak in slang
What it do, shawty

#INVIGORATING

EVERYONE HAS A RELIGION

No matter what you believe, I think the following passage gives a helpful perspective for respecting and understanding people whose beliefs are different from yours. I hope you'll find it as illuminating as I did.

* * * * * * *

Let's begin by asking what religion is. Some say it is a form of belief in God. But that would not fit Zen Buddhism, which does not really believe in God at all. Some say it is belief in the supernatural. But that does not fit Hinduism, which does not believe in a supernatural realm beyond the material world, but only a spiritual reality within the empirical. What is religion then? It is a set of beliefs that explain what life is all about, who we are, and the most important things that human beings should spend their time doing. For example, some think that this material world is all there is, that we are here by accident and when we die we just rot, and therefore the important thing is to choose to do what makes you happy and not let others impose their beliefs on you. Notice that though this is not an explicit, "organized" religion, it contains a master narrative, an account about the meaning of life along with a recommendation for how to live based on that account of things.

Some call this a "worldview" while others call it a "narrative identity." In either case it is a set of faith-assumptions about the nature of things. It is an implicit religion. Broadly understood, faith in some view of the world and human nature informs everyone's life. Everyone lives and operates out of some narrative identity, whether it is thought out and reflected upon or not. All who say "You ought to do this" or "You shouldn't do that" reason out of such an implicit moral and religious position. Pragmatists say that we should leave our deeper worldviews behind and find consensus about "what works"—but our view of what works is determined by (to use a Wendell Berry title) what we think people are for. Any picture of happy human life that "works" is necessarily informed by deep-seated beliefs about the purpose of human life. Even the most secular pragmatists come to the table with deep commitments and narrative accounts of what it means to be human.

[Richard] Rorty insists that religion-based beliefs are conversation stoppers. But all of our most fundamental convictions about things are beliefs that are nearly impossible to justify to those who don't share them. Secular concepts such as "self-realization" and "autonomy" are impossible to prove and are "conversation stoppers" just as much as appeals to the Bible.

Statements that seem to be common sense to the speakers are nonetheless often profoundly religious in nature. Imagine that Ms. A argues that all the safety nets for the poor should be removed, in the name of "survival of the fittest." Ms. B might respond, "The poor have the right to a decent standard of living—they are human beings like the rest of us!" Ms. A could then come back with the fact that many bioethicists today think the concept of "human" is artificial and impossible to define. She might continue that there is no possibility of treating all living organisms as ends rather than means and that some always have to die that others may live. That is simply the way nature works. If Ms. B counters with a pragmatic argument, that we should help the poor simply because it makes society work better, Ms. A could come up with many similar pragmatic arguments about why letting some of the poor just die would be even more efficient. Now Ms. B would be getting angry. She would respond heatedly that starving the poor is simply unethical, but Ms. A could retort, "Who says ethics must be the same for everyone?" Ms. B would finally exclaim: "I wouldn't want to live in a society like the one you are describing!"

In this interchange Ms. B has tried to follow John Rawls and find universally accessible, "neutral and objective" arguments that would convince everyone that we must not starve the poor. She has failed because there are none. In the end Ms. B affirms the equality and dignity of human individuals simply because she believes it is true and right. She takes as an article of faith that people are more valuable than rocks or trees—though she can't prove such a belief scientifically. Her public policy proposals are ultimately based on a religious stance.

* * * * * * *

This passage is taken from Chapter 1 of Timothy Keller's New York Times best-selling book, The Reason for God.

HAIKU #332

I feel younger now
So much younger than I was
All those years ago

#LIGHT

Tonight the Chainsmokers are the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. I like some of their songs and greatly dislike others.

For some reason I found myself thinking about their song "Paris," a track I don't really like or dislike. While looking up the lyrics, I was struck by how much the song seems to be describing C.S. Lewis' idea of purgatory/hell in The Great Divorce.

I'm almost certain the connection is unintentional. But, just for kicks, here are the lyrics:

* * * * * * *

We were staying in Paris
To get away from your parents
And I thought, “Wow
If I could take this in a shot right now
I don't think that we could work this out”
Out on the terrace
I don't know if it's fair but I thought, “How
Could I let you fall by yourself?"
Well, I'm wasted with someone else

If we go down, then we go down together
They'll say you could do anything
They'll say that I was clever
If we go down, then we go down together
We'll get away with everything
Let's show them we are better

We were staying in Paris
To get away from your parents
You looked so proud
Standing there with a frown and a cigarette
Posting pictures of yourself on the internet
Out on the terrace
We breathe in the air of this small town
On our own cutting class for the thrill of it
Getting drunk on the past we were living in

If we go down, then we go down together
They'll say you could do anything
They'll say that I was clever
If we go down, then we go down together
We'll get away with everything
Let's show them we are better

* * * * * * *

To me, the song works well as a sort of snapshot of codependency and narcissism. It expresses our inherent self-centeredness, our desire to be admired, the inevitability of failure, and the stubborn, infantile belief that it's better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven. It illustrates the way in which we all, to varying degrees, are subject to choose the intoxication of self-importance over the joy and deep rest of surrendering to God's will and boundless love for us, his fallen creatures selflessly redeemed through the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ.

If this interpretation strikes you as far-fetched and grandiose, it may be helpful to know that I'm currently standing on a mountaintop, wearing a mustache and a cape.

For what it's worth, my favorite Chainsmokers song is probably "Don't Let Me Down." I'm hoping they'll play that tonight.

A lot of their remixes are good, too.

#TheChainsmokers #CSLewis #SNL

HAIKU #331

Clasp your wooden hands
That you use to mask yourself
Round the tree of life

HAIKU #330

Life is a battle
But when Christ is your savior
You've already won

#GridironGlory #TranscendentPeace

HAIKU #329

This haiku's number
Is the same as today's date
Three twenty-nine, bro

#MAGIC #Bros4Life

HAIKU #328

God keeps me humble
By constantly showing me
How ugly I am

#BLESSED

HAIKU #327

What was new is old
What was built has been torn down
What remains is us

#SoulMates #Dancefloor #Apocalypse

HAIKU #326

Sometimes after sex
We become dehydrated
So we drink our tears

HAIKU #325

So what if I'm drunk
And my mustache is crooked?
This ocean is mine!

#Mermaid #RealEstate #LoveIsInTheAir

HAIKU #324

I've got the fever
A bad case of March Fever!
That's what it's called, right?

#NCAA #BigDance #MarchFever

GOD'S ACCEPTANCE

I think it's common for people, both Christians and non-Christians, to believe that if we follow the right rules and behave in a good enough way, we can earn God's acceptance and be pleasing to him.

But, if I understand Christianity, it teaches that God's acceptance comes first: God is pleased with us because of what Jesus did on our behalf, not because of anything we've done or ever could do.

So, as a Christian, you try to behave morally not out of ambition or fear, but out of joy and love. You try to be good not because you're trying to be accepted by God, but because you've already been accepted through Jesus Christ and you gratefully realize you've done nothing to deserve it.

Tim Keller puts it like this:

"If you think, as most people do, that the way to find God is to come to church and try to be like Christ and trust the Bible and study and live in a certain way, what you're actually showing is you have no faith in the Lord Jesus at all. You have faith in yourself. You see, actually, this is what makes you a Christian: to admit that you can't trust the Bible, you can't live the way you ought to live, you can't do it. And you rest completely on what? Just the Lord Jesus. That's it. The centrality of Jesus. Everything else is second. And that's how you know you're a Christian. Do you believe it's only because of Jesus that you have a relationship with the Father? Not because you [go to church], not because you trust in the Bible, not because your doctrines are right, not because of [how you live] your life. But only because of him."

Elsewhere Keller says it's common for people to assume that accepting Jesus will transform your life from a state of war into a state of peace. But what it actually does is transform your life from a battle you can't win into a battle you can't lose. Life will always be filled with challenges and suffering, but by loving Jesus and accepting him into your heart, you will have already secured in him the only victory that ultimately matters: eternal oneness with God.

Of course, I'm just some knucklehead who listens to sermons. I'm no authority. The reason I'm sharing this is because I think if we understood the real beauty of God, there's nothing we would desire more than to know him and walk in his presence.

The good news is that if we do desire that, we can have it. It doesn't matter what we've done or who we are. All we have to do is accept Jesus as our savior; to admit that without him we are empty and with him we are full. That's it. A life of love will follow.

HAIKU #323

Kids want to grow up
Grown-ups want to be retired
Retirees want soup

#CutToTheChase #GiveKidsSoup

HAIKU #322

Where did we go wrong?
We've got everything we want
But it's not that great

#WantBetterThings #ThingsThatTranscend #ThingsThatSatisfy

HAIKU #321

If we never fail
We're not testing our limits
And can't know ourselves

#EmbraceFailure #DiscoverYourself

HAIKU #320

My soul pierces up
As a steel and glass highrise
Through an ancient sky

#SomethingOld #SomethingNew

HAIKU #319

We forget what counts
Scrambling to remind ourselves
Of the things that don't

#Busyness #Priorities

Happy March! I feel compelled to share a short prayer that I've been getting a lot of use out of lately. To me, it beautifully expresses the essence of Christianity in its simplest, most stripped-down form. The idea is that if you believe in heaven and hell, and you want heaven, all the impossible work you have to do to get there has already been done for you by Jesus Christ. I'm of course no theologian, but I think this is what is meant by that expression, "the good news of the Gospel." The good news is that if we accept Christ's sacrifice, God accepts us. I personally find the arrangement beautifully humbling, powerfully joyful, and full of a transcendent kind of hope (which is my favorite kind of anything). The prayer is a paraphrase, maybe, of one which I've heard Tim Keller say a few times. (Side note: Tim Keller is the only preacher I've ever really enjoyed listening to. He's intelligent, well read, clear thinking, and conversational in style. I'm pretty sure you can find a lot of his stuff for free online, if that interests you.) Anyway, I leave you now with that very short prayer:

Father, please accept us because of what Jesus Christ has done. Amen.

HAIKU #318

True love is selfless
I'd lay down my life for yours
Not givin' a fuck!

#SoBaller

HAIKU #317

If you're accepted
Only when you're at your best
You're not accepted

#RealAcceptance is #Unconditional

HAIKU #316

Status is bullshit
I'm not impressed by bullshit
Nor should you be, bro

#Down2Earth #Bros4Life

HAIKU #315

Identity thieves
Are selling me insurance
At discounted rates

#Grateful #Chosen #HeresMyCreditCard

HAIKU #314

If the world loves you
You'll give your heart to the world
And become its slave

#BlessedAreTheRejects #BlessedAreThePoor #BlessedAreTheWeak

HAIKU #313

Share what has value
To enrich or to protect
Everything else, burn

#CleansedByFire

HAIKU #312

Dear Valentine's Day
I hate you and hope you die
P.S. Send chocolates

HAIKU #311

The 90s were wack
Remember 311?
That shit was all right

#PassThePotatoChips

HAIKU #310

If life's got you down
And you're feeling all alone
Get a Yoshi, bro

#SuperMario #Bros4Life
 

HAIKU #309

People's agendas
Prevent them from seeing things
As they really are

#OpenYourHeart #OpenYourMind

HAIKU #308

A relationship
Isn't just something you have
It's something you do

#DoMe

HAIKU #307

Children with steel fangs
Cackle and devour my flesh
They reek of goat piss

#TakeBackTheDancefloor

HAIKU #306

If we stand too close
Or if we're too far away
We lose perspective

#MoveAround #WalkInSomeoneElsesShoes

HAIKU #305

Pride always wants more
More than what someone else has
Pride destroys pleasure

#StopComparing #StartEnjoying

HAIKU #304

Life's a juggling act
The way to get good at it
Is to play with balls

HAIKU #303

There are few things worse
Than being a perfection-
ist. Eh, good enough.

#LessPerfection #MoreLife

HAIKU #302

God's job is to judge
Our job is simply to love
Do your fucking job!

#Kindness #Strength

HAIKU #301

Despite what you've heard
I'm the new Michael Jackson
I always have been