What My Hamster Taught Me About Sin

We almost lost a member of the Glazier family over the weekend. My wife and I are fine, but our little hamster, Polly, barely survived a harrowing adventure. It started when we left for a three-day trip to the beach. After we took off, Polly made an escape attempt worthy of Houdini.

Somehow she managed to chew halfway through her water bottle, used the subsequent leverage to pull it down through its hole, then placed the bottle on the wall to walk up it like a ramp. She's a clever rodent.

When we found her three days later, little Polly had traveled three rooms, navigated a sea of packed and unpacked boxes, climbed up a pair of paint cans stacked on top of each other, and leapt into a bathtub … which is where her epic journey ended. Unable to climb the smooth walls of the tub, Polly was forced to wait for us to come to her rescue.

When we found her, she was pretty pitiful. She had lost a lot of weight, and her fur was all matted. I've never seen her so happy to see us.

The ironic part about all this is that Polly's main hobby, apart from eating and running in a wheel, is trying to escape from her cage. Until now we have managed to foil her escape attempts, but during our trip she managed to make her dreams of escape and freedom a reality, only to find out that it's not so fun on the outside. The freedom to run around wherever she wanted turned into a big problem.

How many times have we guys faced that same dilemma? God has given us these rules to live by, and much like the walls of Polly's cage, they are there for a reason. He created life and designed it to be lived a certain way, and when we don't live it that way, it can be big trouble.

Of course, the sinful nature inside of us makes the other side of the wall seem so much more fun. We say things like, "Look at those guys getting drunk—they're having a blast," or "Just looking at this Web site for a sec won't hurt." It seems like a good idea at the time, but we all know where those roads lead … to being stuck at the bottom of a tub, so to speak.

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye

Have you ever noticed how awkward and painful goodbyes can be? I moved last week, so I said a lot of goodbyes to a lot of people. Some of those people were close to me; some were mere acquaintances—but none of the goodbyes were easy. Leaving people, especially if you know you're never going to see them again, is such an odd experience.

God made people to be social, to live in communities; so we spend a lot of our time getting to know others and building relationships. We're always asking questions about people, getting to know them better, investing in them—from people as close to us as our family members to those as distant to us as the person we've just met sitting next to us on an airplane.

Then you have to say goodbye, and all that investment is down the tubes.

You've developed a friendship, and it's hard when that friendship ends. We've all felt it. There's the agony of losing someone to death whom you've known your entire life; and there's the slight twinge of regret at not being able to see a co-worker again. No matter how big or small the relationship, there's always pain at the end of it.

I had a buddy in college who was thinking about this as he was saying goodbye to everyone he knew right before graduation. He said that he thought this pain he was feeling every time he said goodbye was a sign that God never intended it to be this way. God originally wanted people to be in community for all time, a never-ending group of friendships that continued on for eternity.

Unfortunately Adam ruined that for everyone, and he caused the first and most painful relationship separation in history—the separation between God and us. That is the disconnected relationship that all these separated relationships point back to. When you feel that ache of pain the next time you say a goodbye, you're feeling an echo of what must have been the most excruciating relationship break in the history of the world.

The beauty in it is that no goodbye is permanent among Christians. God didn't let the relationship break that Adam caused keep us separated from Him forever. He sacrificed His Son so that we could regain that lost relationship with Him and enjoy it for all eternity. Not only that, but we can enjoy the relationships we've already started to develop with our fellow Christians here on earth.

Real Dads of Genius

I have an awesome dad. He's a man who likes a good chair and a good book. He's a man who loves his sports, especially when the Gators are playing. He's a leader in the church and a respected businessman in the community. God has gifted him with a great deal of wisdom and authenticity, two things that I absolutely love about him. Ever since I can remember, I have always looked up to him and wanted to be like him.

But one of the cool things about God is that he created every dad a little different. There are things all the good ones have in common (faithful, responsible, etc.), but each father out there is his own man and has his own style of fatherhood.

I want to salute all the different types of Christian dads out there in honor of Father's Day this Sunday. In the style of the "Real Men of Genius" commercials, here are New Man's "Real Dads of Genius":

1. We salute you, Mr. Wild at Heart Outdoorsman

The thought of a vacation without a campfire is like a salad without the dressing to you. You would rather rough it through a hurricane with only a compass and a knife than bear the thought of staying in a hotel. Only you could find a way to turn a walk through the park into a spiritual lesson. You see the glory of God through His creation, and you are going to joyfully share that view with your family, even if it kills them. A mountain hike here, a fishing trip there: you won't stop until every square foot of God's green earth has been explored. So here's to you, O navigator of the woods; we hope this Father's Day takes you outside, the place where you truly feel close to God.

2. We salute you, Mr. Armchair Theologian

You've read nearly every book on Christianity that has been written, and you can quote them, too. It doesn't matter if you have to get up at 5:30 in the morning, you're going to get your two chapters in today. Only you can find new spiritual revelations in the Bible by learning the ancient Greek word for "foot." You feel close to God when you learn new things about Him, and you gladly dispense that knowledge and wisdom to your family. When someone has a question, you have an answer, even if it takes you 20 minutes to explain it. So here's to you, O inhabiter of the recliner; we hope this Father's Day finds you with the smell of fresh book-binding and a good lamp.

3. We salute you, Mr. Amateur Sports Coach

You've coached every team your kids have been part of, even if you've never heard of the sport. No experience with lacrosse? No problem. That's the one with the webbed sticks, right? Only you could find a way to teach kids a lesson after receiving a 40-point blowout in basketball. Your passion for sports is rivaled only by your passion for your children, and you are going to share these moments with them, regardless of how embarrassed they get. Everyone can see that your heart is in the right place, even if your players aren't. So here's to you, O stalker of the sidelines, we hope this Father's Day finds you teaching your kids that it's not about wins and losses; it's about how you play the game.

Blessing to all of you dads out there as you juggle your job, marriage, children and other responsibilities. I really hope you have a great day this Sunday. You deserve it.

The Big Vacation in the Sky

So I'm moving in a week and a half. This means that for the foreseeable future my life will be consumed by boxes. I will be hunting for boxes, taping up boxes, packing boxes, stacking boxes, asking random passersby on the street if they know where more boxes are, and finally moving all those boxes onto a massive boxy vehicle that no one in his right mind should let me drive.

Why all the boxes you ask? Because my wife and I are pack rats. This means we have objects that we will willingly pack up and move, and the only time we will see those objects again is the next time we pack up and move. (What? You expect us to throw out a perfectly good wire even though we have no idea what it plugs into? We might need that!) While this makes the moving experience more time-consuming, it also makes it a lot more fun because we rediscover those things we have kept even with a remote sense of sentimental value.

Looking back over yearbooks, old ticket stubs and forgotten picture frames made me realize how many people I've known whom I will never see again. It's a sad thought, unless the person was a Christian. If he or she was, it should be a joyful thought because I know I am are going to see this person in heaven.

Heaven is one of those subjects that I feel gets totally underplayed by Christians in America (and I myself am completely guilty). We are so busy and so focused on what's going on right now that we are missing out on the fact that we have a guaranteed paradise awaiting us at the end.

Think about how much you look forward to a good vacation. You plan it, make preparations, think about it when you get bored at work, and talk about it excitedly with the people you are going with. Now imagine that you are going on the best possible vacation that exists, that it will literally never end, and that every Christian you've ever known is going to be there partying with you. That's heaven. It's like a honeymoon and a retirement and an awesome family reunion all wrapped up in one.

We should be celebrating this every day. We should be so joyful that we have this to look forward to. We should be planning for it and making preparations. Compared to it, everything else in life pales. All our cars, houses and toys look completely lame because we can't bring them with us.

Here's what C.S. Lewis says on the subject in "The Weight of Glory," his classic essay: "Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

Try to remember the big vacation in the sky awaiting you at the end as you walk through this week. Don't forget about how awesome it's going to be. If we can learn to live in light of it, we will make different decisions. We will spend our money differently. We will look at struggles differently. We will talk to people differently because we will want to look for every opportunity to invite them on our vacation. And we will certainly live life more joyfully.

Now, if I could only find some more boxes ...

Obama's Speech Fails to Focus on Middle Eastern Christians

President Obama gave what many media outlets are calling a "historic" speech in Cairo earlier today. Designed to make a fresh start with the estranged Islamic population in the Middle East, Obama played to his rhetorical strength, crafting an articulate and balanced speech that tackled a number of big international issues. He straddled the line between conciliation and force with carefully chosen words, and initial reaction from moderate Muslims was positive. The president waxed eloquent on Israelis and Palestinians, Iraqis and Afghanis, Iranians and Hamas.

But the one issue he didn't hit hard was the issue most pressing to many Christians in the area: human rights, particularly religious freedom. One of the most underreported stories regarding the Middle East is the recent growth of Christianity. Although they are still an extreme minority, the number of believers in the Muslim world is going up, despite stringent laws preventing conversion. In Iran alone, official estimates are that 300,000 Christians live in the country, but missionaries say the true number is significantly higher. It's a testimony to the power of God and the dedication of local missionaries that the gospel is growing in one of the countries most dedicated to its eradication.

It's wonderful that Obama is looking to rebuild America's image in this part of the world, and a higher view of our country can certainly have a positive impact on Christian efforts in the region. But the lack of attention to human rights was striking. The speech took place in Cairo, a country that has consistently been called out by international human rights organizations for its treatment of Christians and women. Many of these countries, such as Saudi Arabia, openly outlaw and intimidate Christians, yet where were the calls for peace and justice?

In a recent article from Charisma, Paul Estabrooks, minister-at-large for international Christian rights organization Open Doors, said: "America is perceived, especially in the Muslim world, as representative of Christianity. I think, frankly, they expect him to speak out about the rights of religious minorities in their countries. Even though I agree he would need to do it very diplomatically and carefully because he isn't in a position to tell them how to run their country, certainly he can speak out on behalf of the Christian community, for our brothers and sisters in those lands."

Sadly, Obama missed this opportunity. Though some good may come out of his speech, ultimately, if it doesn't help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, it will be a wasted effort.

Celebrity Christians

According to television ratings, the season premier of John & Kate Plus 8 turned out to be way more popular than the NBA playoffs last week. More than 10 million viewers flipped on the tube to watch the Gosselin family celebrate the fifth birthday of their sextuplets. Sadly, this huge ratings boost was not because the kids were going to be especially cute this episode. Most people just wanted to see how the famous evangelical Christian couple were going to deal with the fact that the tabloids caught John going out with another woman during the show's time off.

It's a really sad thing to see a family fall apart, but it's particularly tragic when so many people are tuning in to watch it happen. Up until the last few months, John and Kate had been a huge hit with the Christian community. Despite the fact that the TLC network downplayed the religious side of things, it was clear that the couple were believers. They were heroes with evangelicals from the start, ever since they refused selective abortions for their babies and carried all of them to term. Even though I'm not a watcher, I know quite a few Christian dads who are absolutely hooked.

Unfortunately for the Gosselins, the stress of raising so many children, dealing with their different parenting roles, and now the allegations of an affair have caused the relationship to break down. In the season premiere, the couple was openly talking about divorce as an option. It's not an uncommon tale in today's America, but it's a big deal because of the their status. As soon as they decided to go on national TV, John and Kate placed themselves under the microscope. For Christians, that's a huge responsibility. It means your actions are going to be scrutinized, your motivations questioned and your opinions debated in the public forum. It means you have the opportunity to be a true light, but it also means you've got a big target on you.

Just ask Tim Tebow. Recently his former teammate Percy Harvin said that if he could be one person for a day, it would be his old QB. Why? "Some of the stuff and some of the girls and things that were thrown at him," Harvin said. "We saw all kind of actors and news reporters just kind of blatantly say, 'Tebow, I want you.' And he turned them down. I'm looking at him, like, 'Man, you are crazy.'" Tebow knows he has a responsibility to the Christian community he represents. He's held to a higher standard, one that he has because of his very public demonstrations of faith.

The challenge for us nonfamous Christians is that we are held to the same standard. God sees no distinction between famous Christians and regular people like you and me. He has called us to live in His ways and show spiritual fruit in our lives. It's easy to criticize famous Christians like the Gosselins and blame them for the bad rap that evangelicals can have publicly. But a Barna poll from last year showed that among people who dislike Christians and are hostile to the faith, most of them feel that way because of personal contact they have had with the Christians in their lives.

We may not be famous, but we have a circle of influence, and we are held to the same standards as people like the Gosselins and Tebow. Don't take the easy road and blame others. Go out and be salt and light.

Defining Spiritual Maturity

A recent Barna survey shows that a majority of America's churchgoers cannot define what spiritual maturity means. That's a pretty astounding statistic considering the amount of churches and resources available to Christians in our country. At no time in history have so many people had so much access to books, classes, ministries and education geared toward growing their faith. Yet, most believers cannot articulate what a spiritually mature Christian looks like.

For many of you, that might not be surprising. A lot of Christian men and leaders have been complaining for years about the church's lack of maturity.

But one of the more interesting stats from the study shows that the problem may be staring at us from the mirror. Nearly 90 percent of pastors said that a lack of spiritual maturity is the most significant, or one of the largest, problems facing the nation; yet a minority of pastors believe that spiritual immaturity is a problemin their church.

What a great "man excuse":

"Sure—it's a huge problem; just not for me and my friends."

Now, to be fair, spiritual maturity is one of those things that is hard to define in a sound bite. It's a multifaceted thing that you can more easily see in someone's life than spell out in a sentence.

However, the most troubling stat from the study, for me, was that church leaders could not support the topic biblically. When asked to identify the most important portions of the Bible that define spiritual maturity, 75 percent of pastors gave generic answers, such as "the whole Bible" (33 percent), "the Gospels" (17 percent) or "the New Testament" (15 percent). Just 20 percent cited specific verses in their answer.

How are believers supposed to mature spiritually when our own leaders can't offer biblical explanations for what that looks like?

The section of Scripture that stands out to me when thinking about spiritual maturity is Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." God says to us that these qualities are evidence that someone is walking with Him. These are the signs of a Christian, and the more you see them in someone's life, the more mature, or the more like Christ, that person is.

The beautiful thing about the fruit of the Spirit is that it's not just a set of rules. In the survey, 81 percent of self-identified Christians said that "trying hard to follow the rules described in the Bible" is a good definition of spiritual health.

I don't know about you, but most of the spiritually mature men and women I have known and looked up to in my life haven't been "trying hard" to follow the rules, they just have such a close walk with God that they can't help but display God's character. That's what separates our faith from other religions. We're not trying desperately to obey the rules lest we get struck down. We have the Spirit, and He gives us a desire to do the things of God. The more you walk with Him; the more He changes you.

That's what I think about spiritual maturity. How do you define it? What are you striving for in your walk with God, and what kind of believers do you look up to?