Psychologists often refer to the core convictions we talked about the other day as part of your “mental map”. We all have these mental maps; they’re the way see reality and, consequently, interact with the world around us. More importantly, they’re the way we interact with the world around us when we don’t really have time to think carefully about it.

For example, my belief in gravity is just part of my mental map. I never have to wake up and say, “Now, how would I live today if I really believed in the laws of gravity?” But if you watch the way I live, you’d be able to tell that gravity is a core conviction of mine.

When people followed Jesus around, it became obvious to them that his belief that if you sought the Kingdom of God and the righteousness of God above everything else, all the other stuff would take care of itself. He believed that so deeply, you could say it was as much a part of his mental map as gravity is a part of mine.

I want my mental map to look more like Jesus’. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said it was possible for us to take on “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16b; cf. Philippians 2:5-11). But how does my mental map get redrawn?

Look at how I worded that last question, please. Notice I did not ask, “How do I redraw my mental map?” The truth is: I cannot draw my own mental map. This is what we were talking about last week when I said that I cannot choose my own beliefs. But, as I suggested then, I am not helpless in this, either. I may not be able to redraw my own mental map, but I can submit to a process by which I find it redrawn.

Here’s what I mean: Jesus told his earliest followers that it was better to give than to receive. That must have seemed very counter-intuitive to them. It didn’t fit into their mental maps. But they saw his life and wanted his freedom, so they mustered up enough courage to actually try doing what he said. And they found out an amazing this: Jesus’ prescription for life actually worked!

They did something they hadn’t done before and experienced their desired outcome. And their mental map was redrawn a little.

My friend Andy Stanley often says, “When your faith intersects with God’s faithfulness, great…things…can…happen.”

When your faith prompts you to obey one of God’s teachings, you’ll find that he is trustworthy. And your mental map will look a little more like Jesus’.

Now, let’s think practically about this for a moment. If this is the case, then what are the possible implications for you as an individual? For churches? For parents?

Philosopher Michael Novak has written about three different kinds of convictions people may hold. I hope that this addition to our recent conversations may help us understand why some people who claim to be Christians remain jerks for so long.

Novak says the first kind of conviction is a public conviction. This is a conviction I say out loud because I want you to believe that I believe it. Public convictions may be as innocuous as what a husband says in response to his wife’s question: “Do these pants make my hips look big?”

The husband, of course, says, “Hips? What hips? I’d actually forgotten you had hips until you mentioned them.”

The husband does not say this because he necessarily believes it, but he wants his wife to believe that he believes it.

Public convictions can also be darker and more sinister than this. For example, perhaps you told people that you voted for John McCain because you really agreed with all of his principles and policies, when in reality you may secretly harbor some latent racism. I’m not saying you did that, but a lot of people did. They said one thing because they wanted others to believe it to be true. Or you may have voted for Obama in the primaries instead of Hillary Clinton. You told everyone it was because you prefer the change a newcomer like Obama would bring to the White House when you actually just dislike Hillary Clinton or have some sexist/misogynistic beliefs.

John Ortberg says the most famous biblical example of this is King Herod telling the Wise Men: “When you find the newborn King, please come and tell me where he is because…I’d…er…like to come and…worship him, too! Yeah, that’s the ticket.”

You understand the point, right? A public conviction is something I say out loud because I want you to believe that I believe it.

Then there are Private Convictions. A private conviction is something I actually believe is true, but when push comes to shove, when the heat is really on, or when circumstances simply change, my conviction melts away. This can also be innocent — like when you think, “If I could only have that job or live in that house or be in a relationship with that person…I’d be completely satisfied and content for the rest of my life.”

But all too often, you get that job, you buy that house, you date that person…and…well…it turns out your private convictions are fickle.

A good biblical example of this is Peter. He told Jesus, “Even if everyone else deserts you, even if I have to die with you, I’ll never run away.”

I think Peter was sincere when he said that, but what happened? Within a few hours he was bailing out like everyone else.

A public conviction is something I say is true. A private conviction is something I think is true. And then there is what Novak calls a core conviction.

Core convictions don’t even have to be said out loud; they are revealed by your behavior. I had a professor who used to say, “Don’t tell me your theology. Show me your methodology, and I’ll tell you your theology.” In other words, what you do reveals what you really believe.

So, two people show up at church on a Sunday morning. They both affirm the same doctrinal statement, but they both live radically different lifestyles. Do they have the same faith?

Perhaps. But, for one, their faith is simply a public conviction or a private conviction. For the other, their faith is a core conviction.

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if people claim to have faith but have no deeds? Can such faith save them? Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:14, 18b).

And now…a question: How does faith become a core conviction? Is there a process, or is it simply a gift from God?

Two people show up to church on a given Sunday morning. Both are members of this church in good standing. Both know people and are known by people. Both put money in the bucket as it goes by. Both sing the same songs and hear the same sermon. Both affirm the same doctrinal statement or creed.

One is a true saint, kind and generous, honest and hospitable, patient and peaceful, a true joy to be around.

The other is a real jerk, bitter and selfish, argumentative and pessimistic, gossipy and critical, a terror to be around.

Question: Do they both have the same faith?

They both claim to be Christians. They both attend and are members of a Christian church. They both affirm the contents of the Christian faith.

But do they both have the same faith?

I was having a lovely quiet morning the other day — thinking about life and how things are going — thinking about the holidays and what I’ve got to be thankful for — thinking about next year and what I’m hoping for — thinking about old friends and new friends.

And this list jumped out of my pen into my journal. I think I may have stolen it from Stephen Mansfield who probably stole it from some Puritan theologian from the 17th Century who probably stole it from some Catholic monk from the 11th Century.

Regardless, it’s quickly become a very precious list of priorities for me. Within a few hours of jotting the list down, I found myself bringing these things up in conversation after conversation. Perhaps you’ll find them helpful as well:

1. Rid your mind of worry.
2. Rid your heart of hate.
3. Simplify.
4. Expect less.
5. Give more.

That’s what I’m working on these days. Anything you’d like to add?

The people have spoken. Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States of America. Yesterday was a proud day — regardless of your political leanings — as we saw centuries of senseless prejudice overcome in one fell swoop.

Okay, maybe that’s optimistic overstatement. I doubt we’ll ever see all the pockets of racism eradicated in any of our lifetimes. There will always be work to do on that front.

Still, the idea that come January there will be a black man in the white house is a beautiful thing — especially for those who have known firsthand how ugly people can be toward those who are different. This shows that in America, anything really is possible. As I watched the late night rerun of Obama’s acceptance speech, the camera cut to Jesse Jackson, and it took my breath away. I’m no fan of Jesse Jackson, but knowing everything he has seen and how long he has hoped and dreamed and prayed for just such a moment…. It’s a long way from Selma, Alabama to Washington, DC.

I do like and respect Obama, and, unlike many other Evangelical Christians, I take his faith seriously. I even like some of his policies, and I’m utterly thrilled for the guts he has shown in speeches like his controversial Father’s Day speech at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago.

As I have said before, my main problem with Obama is abortion. I’m a pretty conservative guy, so there are other problems, but abortion became a deal breaker for me.

Having said that, I have to affirm that to the extent President-elect Obama wants to do good, I intend to support and help him. If he wants to strengthen fathering in America, I’m all for that. How can you not be? He’s right on with this subject. If he wants to reduce the number of abortions in this country while refusing to outlaw this barbaric practice based on faulty science, I’ll support him on the former while challenging him on the latter.

He told millions of us last night that he would listen to the voices of those whose votes he did not earn, that he would listen especially to those who disagree with him. I want to take him up on that offer.

President-elect Barack Obama, do you hear my voice? Will you listen to me? Please do not make good on your promise to sign the Freedom of Choice Act. Please reconsider and re-examine the ramifications of allowing Planned Parenthood to have such a large role in your campaign and, potentially, your administration.

Wherever our next president chooses to do good, to fight systemic evil and corruption, to beat back darkness and instill a sense of hope in those who have been marginalized by our society, I’ll back him as hard as I can while still contending for what I believe to be an even greater good.

There is much to do. We have a lot to fix and heal in this great land of ours. I will not let party politics prevent me from lending a hand. There are hungry people and lonely people. There are marriages on the brink. There are children in danger. There are people living without the security, hope and peace that come ultimately from having a relationship with their Father in Heaven who loves them more than they can ever begin to imagine. I will not give in to sulking or name-calling. I will allow bitterness no foothold. There’s no time for that; there’s too much to do.

More than anything, now is the time to remember that God is still in control. He is not nervously pacing back and forth in Heaven, wringing his hands wondering what to do now. He is still seated. He is still calm and in control. He is still at work as he has always been — sometimes because of good leaders — sometimes in spite of bad ones. My eyes are fixed on him, and my core values remain intact. Life today is pretty similar to life yesterday. The sun came up this morning and will continue to do so until God says, “Stop.”

Prayer still works. The Bible still illuminates. The Spirit still convicts and empowers. God still loves. Jesus still saves.

So, it’s generally agreed that someone who supports the KKK is automatically disqualified from being President of the United States. Not that it’s illegal to support the KKK. Not that the Constitution bans that person from running for office. It’s just that I don’t know anyone who would actually vote for such a candidate.

And I mean I don’t know a single person — liberal, conservative, Christian, agnostic, gay, straight, man, woman — I don’t know anyone who would actually pull the lever and vote for a candidate they knew supports the KKK. That’s totally understandable for everyone I’ve talked to. That one issue alone is an automatic disqualification.

But there’s an organization out there, founded upon horrifically racist premises, whose agenda is the termination of human life. That organization is Planned Parenthood, and — for everything else positive I can say and have said about him, Sen. Barack Obama supports Planned Parenthood.

Perhaps Sen. Obama doesn’t know that Planned Parenthood’s founder, Margaret Sanger believed “inferior races” were a form of “human weeds” and a “menace to civilization”. Perhaps he’s unaware that in 1939, Planned Parenthood launched a “Negro Project” — with the assertion that “The mass of Negroes, particularly in the South, still breed carelessly and disastrously, with the result that the increase among Negroes, even more than among Whites, is from that portion of the population least intelligent and fit.” She and other leaders of Planned Parenthood said things far worse than this, but you get the point. If you want to investigate further, you could pick up a copy of George Grant’s book Grand Illusions: The Legacy of Planned Parenthood.

Unlike Ms. Sanger, I do not believe that Sen. Obama is a human weed. Nor is my Puerto Rican born brother-in-law. Nor is my African-American friend Kerry Clark. Nor is my first-generation Mexican-American mother. Nor are any people of color. Nor are the disabled, deformed or the mentally challenged. None of us are weeds, none of us need to be purged from society. All of us are made in the image of God and should be valued dearly by all of us. Killing people is never the answer — whether they are fully-grown or unborn.

Let me add here that I am not a fan of Sen. McCain’s stance on pre-emptive war. I’ve explained before what my position on war is and how I arrived at it. If you want to go back and read my explanation, you can find it here, here, here, here and here.

Still, if I have to pick a single issue — and since we’ve all agreed that there are certain single issues that we all would allow to disqualify an individual candidate I don’t have any embarrassment about saying this — my issue is abortion right now. The best estimates I’ve heard say that since the War in Iraq began, somewhere between 89,000-97,000 civilian deaths have occurred. Now, I believe that one civilian death is too many. So, please don’t think that I’m saying this is okay.

However, in that same time period, approximately 6,500,000 unborn children have been aborted…in America alone.

That number has gone up since you started reading this post.

So, you pick your issue. I’ve picked mine. I cannot vote for Barack Obama.

Here we are on the Friday before the Presidential Election. It looks like Sen. Obama is in the lead, but the gap is being closed somewhat by Sen. McCain. Things could get bumpy over the next few days.

Now, first of all I realize that many of you have already voted. I’m a traditionalist, so I’ll probably wait until Tuesday myself. But I think it’s important for everyone to participate. Certainly, everyone has at least a passing interest in how this whole thing turns out — if for no other reason than the fact that we’ve been forced to witness the most grueling 20-month process I can remember.

Still, I want to think through something with you, and I trust that everyone here will remain civil in our conversation. I have a simple question, but it may take a little bit to set up.

Let’s imagine that one of the candidates running for President of the USA is a bona fide economic genius. He has devised a plan that would once and forever solve our economic problems, reversing the damage done in the recent past and forever setting us on a path to national prosperity never before dreamed of. Let’s also say that he has good, solid plans to settle other issues like the environment, immigration and health care. He is the ideal candidate with one exception.

He supports the Ku Klux Klan.

Tell me this: Is that one issue enough to disqualify him from the Presidency? Why or Why not?

This weekend I’ll be speaking for a church that’s doing a series on parenting. The series is called “Engaged”, and it’s about how parents are responsible to be involved in all facets of their children’s lives instead of outsourcing certain parts. This subject is something I take very seriously, so I was honored when they asked me to participate in what they’ll be doing.

In the sermon time this Sunday I’ll be discussing the kinds of values I want for my kids. Unfortunately, most parenting books focus on externals — how to get your kids to sit still at the dinner table or sleep through the night or come when they are called. I actually visited a website yesterday that recommended sending your children to different parts of the house and calling them. If they do not come the first time they are called, correct them (which usually means spanking them). If they come when called three times in a row, you should give them a reward.

Is it me, or does that sound like the way you train a dog?

I’ll say this once here to underscore my point:

CHILDREN ARE NOT ANIMALS AND SHOULD NOT BE TRAINED THAT WAY!

The Psalmist warns us not to act like animals:

Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you (Psalm 32:9).

God doesn’t want us to be like animals. He doesn’t want us to do things because we are coerced or forced. He wants us to do things because we are internally motivated. I realize this internal motivation is not part of the factory presets in most kids. They do have to be trained and taught, and spanking may be an effective form of discipline in some situations. But let me say this again just in case you missed it the first time:

CHILDREN ARE NOT ANIMALS AND SHOULD NOT BE TRAINED THAT WAY!

My wife and I are not raising dogs or horses here. We’re not even raising children. My wife and I are raising people; we’re raising grown-ups. We’re trying to think about the kind of people we want to unleash on the world in a few years, and that goal is what drives our approach to parenting.

I’m trying to think through some of the things I want my kids to have internalized before they’re launched out of our home. I’ve got a few in mind already, but I’d like to hear yours. What are some of the sentences and phrases you want written on your child’s heart and mind before they leave the nest?

I should have started with this, but I figured people who read this blog would make the assumption that it is true. That kind of defeats the purpose of explicitly stating things, though, doesn’t it?

Spiritual formation is God’s primary goal for my life. As hard as it is, I must keep reminding myself that all of my studies count for nothing if I’m not becoming progressively more and more like the One I claim to follow. My work may bring lots of people to a greater understanding of the character and nature of God, it may advance God’s kingdom in powerful ways, but if it ever hinders my ability to become more like Jesus, I will quit.

As odd as it may sound, I know lots of people who are in fulltime Christian ministry who need to quit in order to get their own focus back. I know people who make good money and end up farther away from God as a result of their financial blessings (or are they curses at that point?). I know godly people who find their families hindering their spiritual formation because of enmeshment and other unhealthy relational patterns. I’ve seen Christ followers spend too much time with ungodly friends, and it takes a toll.

So, in all my decision making I must frequently ask myself — when presented with options — which will be the more spiritually formative.

Contrary to whatever you may have heard, work is not the result of the Fall in the Garden. Frustration in our work is a part of the curse, but work actually predates the entrance of sin into the world. As such, work is inherently good and should be done with energy and an understanding that it does not detract from doing something spiritual. Work, done well, is spiritual.

Too many people, however, settle on a job based on salary, benefits or status. While these are vital factors (we all need cash, health insurance and the respect of others), there are other important values that should drive our decision.

For example, we should choose career paths based on our giftedness and interests. What are we good at? What do we enjoy? We should think beyond ourselves as well, choosing a job based on how well it enables us to contribute to society and serve others — seeking to raise the level of “shalom” and advance the borders of God’s kingdom in our generation. We should seek a match between our skills and temperament with society’s greatest needs.

I say all this because I have options. Given my physical abilities (I have a body that works fairly well) and intelligence (I have a mind that also works fairly well), I could do any number of things. I could go get a job at a bookstore. I could sell real estate. I could work in a warehouse, driving a forklift, loading and unloading boxes.

I could go back to school, finish that Ph.D. and teach in a university or a seminary. I could settle into a preaching job in a church. I could go back into student ministry or some other support role at a church.

Trust me: I’ve thought about doing each and every one of those things. In some cases, I’m still thinking about it. It’s really difficult to make a living the way I do. I have to hustle and travel and be willing to be away from my family more weekends than I am home. I’m currently on a pace to be gone 40 weekends this year. Sometimes I think it would be much easier for me to get a job at Kroger!

I get churches calling me asking if I would consider joining their staff. Some want me to preach. Some want me to oversee family ministries. I don’t consider them all, but I do consider some. Meaningful work is a core value to me. It’s what’s kept me doing what I do thus far — pushing through even when times are lean, the van breaks down, the cable bill gets paid late and we have to eat scrambled eggs for dinner.

I believe God has given me certain gifts to use for his service. I also believe he’s opened doors of opportunity for me to cultivate and use those gifts for maximum impact. As he continues to open those doors, I plan on walking through them.

Work is a core value. It’s a spiritually formative activity. It’s not the highest core value for me, though. Family comes first. If my work ever put my family in jeopardy, I would quit and get a job mowing lawns. I wonder about that sometimes when I have to travel as much as I do. Family comes first, and I need a job that doesn’t require as much travel as my current position does.

For this season of our lives, finances comes next. If my work causes me to be financially irresponsible — which it has sometimes — I need to now be willing to reconsider my vocational choices. In other words, I need a job that pays me a better salary in a more predictable manner.

Friendships come after family and finances. If I find myself unable to spend any time with my friends because I’m always working — or if my only friendships are those tied directly to my work — my life is out of balance and work is calling too many of the shots. I need a job that allows me time to cultivate friendships and spend time with people who really matter to me.

After all of that, I do need a job. Work is not something I would stop doing if allowed to. Work is part of what completes me as a human. Being comes first, but it is made complete in the doing. The work I do must be rewarding. The work I do must be God-honoring. It must truly reflect my gifts, talents and abilities. It must be done out of love for God and for the good of others. Work is highly valued — a core value — but it must know its place behind the other three core values of family, finances and friendships.