Friday, April 29, 2005
What love means to kids
There are all kinds of emails floating around with childrens' interviews, and I've used them sometimes. Hopefully this won't be too much of a repeat. We can take lessons on love from some of these children.
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore, so my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca- age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
Karen - age 7
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore, so my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca- age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
Karen - age 7
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
This prisoner says to a priest.....
In the movie The Count of Monte Christo, the main character Edmond Dantes is in prison where a former priest befriends him. Though the priest had his demons to bear for the death of innocent people, that was not the reason for his imprisonment. Dantes had done nothing wrong and was in Chateau D'if because of jealousy, power, and greed. Familiar human character traits which cause the fall of many people and many an empire.
As Edmond Dantes spoke to the priest about his desire...no, his need for revenge, the priest told him not to seek it. He said God wouldn't want it. Dantes' reply was "I don't believe in God." The comeback..."But God believes in you."
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:6-8
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 1:4-7
As Edmond Dantes spoke to the priest about his desire...no, his need for revenge, the priest told him not to seek it. He said God wouldn't want it. Dantes' reply was "I don't believe in God." The comeback..."But God believes in you."
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:6-8
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 1:4-7
Monday, April 25, 2005
Saturday, April 23, 2005
At mid-point of a lazy morning, the doorbell rang. We noticed no car in the driveway, so perhaps it was a solicitation. We waited to see if the person would stay or go, because answering the door was not on the energy list that morning. The person on the other side of the door waited patiently for a couple of minutes before ringing again. Not aggressively, not impatiently. So, I composed myself to answer the door and when I opened it no one was there. At the end of the driveway I saw a middle aged woman with a calm manner about her. I said "Can I help you?" With a gentle manner she replied "I was wondering if I could have this pop can out of your recycling?" I smiled and said "Sure" while she gently moved aside the papers in the recycling bag, not spilling anything, to remove the pop can and deposit it into her cart of belongings. I was thankful for the opportunity to meet her and have her share her gracefulness with me.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Adopted?
Growing up, I wondered why there seemed to be fewer pictures of me than my 3 older siblings. I thought about it alot for a while, and then the answer came one day. I remembered my father saying I was adopted. I deduced that perhaps I was a toddler when I came to join the family. That explained the lack of baby pictures. It also explained why, in actuality, there was no one else in the family who really looked like me, especially my brother and I. Here's me in Elementary School:
And here's him at about the same age:
.
Now that I truly understand, I can be happy in my identity and search for a family with people who truly resemble me.
And here's him at about the same age:
.Now that I truly understand, I can be happy in my identity and search for a family with people who truly resemble me.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Acceptance
I've been reading Ephesians, written to the Gentiles (non-Jews). Many considered them "outcasts" in the Christian church, because they were not considered as God's chosen. They didn't have history with God and His promises, in the thinking of the Jews. They were pagans. And they had too much foreskin to be considered children of the Promise. Don't go crazy envisioning that!
Paul wrote to these unacceptable people, to let them know that they were worthy to be Christ's own, as much as the Jews were. Here's an excerpt from chapter 2:
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)– remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
One time I had dinner with a family who had invited a number of their friends along. Some turned down the invitation because a "street person" from the church was coming. I don't know what else to say, in light of this passage.
Paul wrote to these unacceptable people, to let them know that they were worthy to be Christ's own, as much as the Jews were. Here's an excerpt from chapter 2:
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)– remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
One time I had dinner with a family who had invited a number of their friends along. Some turned down the invitation because a "street person" from the church was coming. I don't know what else to say, in light of this passage.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
post-modernism undefined
Here's the second post, committed to you a few days ago.
Sally Morganthaler:
“What does it mean to be post-modern? It means that you are part of the biggest mind-shift in over 200 years, and your outlook on self, society, truth, reality and the meaning of life is a reaction against the long, dry reign of rationalism. As a postmodern, you’re right brained as well as left. You’re pro-mystery and anti-humanist. You consider yourself spiritual, but not necessarily religious. You believe there are other ways of knowing beyond reason and that truth goes way beyond what we can discern or verbalize. So you watch shows like X-Files, and depending on your age, maybe even Touched by an Angel. If you’re post-modern, the whole concept of human progress and self-mastery makes you gag.”
This is the dilemna. I don't think I know much, if anything about post-modernism as a theory, though I do know a little about it as someone who has witnessed it in practice and therefore been part through that involvement. Many of us don't really "understand" it, or...here's the catch...can't really define it. So, the question for me is, if you need to evaluate and define it, are you IT? As I write this, I refer to groups who clearly have struggled with the definition of it amidst the exuberance to pursue it. Seems weird to have a group, totally sold out to God, want to make a difference by having the church experience in a way that goes hand in hand with the needs of the culture, yet struggling to understand the culture that they're planning to impact. Am I making any sense?
Church definitely has its own culture. Time warpish on some levels. Irrelevant sometimes. Amazingly poignant on yet other plains. I have sometimes questioned why the way we've been doing church for more than 30 years isn't considered acceptable to many people now. I'm working through that question and realizing that people in today's culture question more, suspect more, need more than a generation ago. We have seen and experienced so much via technology, the media, educational facilities, peer groups. We delve into different things than our forefathers did. On some levels it has led to callousness, floundering, and a taste for much more than the human psyche is made to handle. Enter spirituality. A redemption, so to speak, and perhaps an integration of all that they see and do. A holistic melding of the senses. Actually, it may sounds like some New Testament stuff and history lessons we've taken.
Remember the phrase "there's nothing new under the sun?" True in a way. Throughout history we regurgitate and recycle worldviews, struggles, religions. Perhaps with a different cocktail mix, making it look different on the surface. Then when we strip it away to the basics, the framework reveals that it is a recycled product. Doesn't seem so spectacular after all.
There's nothing wrong with using varied mediums to enhance our worship of God or to attract people to worship of Him. Our fault may be in getting caught up and lost in those trappings, and of falling into a formula or cliche while saying that we are staying away from formulas.
I say bring on a responsive reading or a gutsy media presentation. What I'm against is becoming so occupied with the "how" of doing it that we lose sight of actually doing it. That we are so occupied with being "cutting edge" that we lose sight of the end goal.
Sally Morganthaler:
“What does it mean to be post-modern? It means that you are part of the biggest mind-shift in over 200 years, and your outlook on self, society, truth, reality and the meaning of life is a reaction against the long, dry reign of rationalism. As a postmodern, you’re right brained as well as left. You’re pro-mystery and anti-humanist. You consider yourself spiritual, but not necessarily religious. You believe there are other ways of knowing beyond reason and that truth goes way beyond what we can discern or verbalize. So you watch shows like X-Files, and depending on your age, maybe even Touched by an Angel. If you’re post-modern, the whole concept of human progress and self-mastery makes you gag.”
This is the dilemna. I don't think I know much, if anything about post-modernism as a theory, though I do know a little about it as someone who has witnessed it in practice and therefore been part through that involvement. Many of us don't really "understand" it, or...here's the catch...can't really define it. So, the question for me is, if you need to evaluate and define it, are you IT? As I write this, I refer to groups who clearly have struggled with the definition of it amidst the exuberance to pursue it. Seems weird to have a group, totally sold out to God, want to make a difference by having the church experience in a way that goes hand in hand with the needs of the culture, yet struggling to understand the culture that they're planning to impact. Am I making any sense?
Church definitely has its own culture. Time warpish on some levels. Irrelevant sometimes. Amazingly poignant on yet other plains. I have sometimes questioned why the way we've been doing church for more than 30 years isn't considered acceptable to many people now. I'm working through that question and realizing that people in today's culture question more, suspect more, need more than a generation ago. We have seen and experienced so much via technology, the media, educational facilities, peer groups. We delve into different things than our forefathers did. On some levels it has led to callousness, floundering, and a taste for much more than the human psyche is made to handle. Enter spirituality. A redemption, so to speak, and perhaps an integration of all that they see and do. A holistic melding of the senses. Actually, it may sounds like some New Testament stuff and history lessons we've taken.
Remember the phrase "there's nothing new under the sun?" True in a way. Throughout history we regurgitate and recycle worldviews, struggles, religions. Perhaps with a different cocktail mix, making it look different on the surface. Then when we strip it away to the basics, the framework reveals that it is a recycled product. Doesn't seem so spectacular after all.
There's nothing wrong with using varied mediums to enhance our worship of God or to attract people to worship of Him. Our fault may be in getting caught up and lost in those trappings, and of falling into a formula or cliche while saying that we are staying away from formulas.
I say bring on a responsive reading or a gutsy media presentation. What I'm against is becoming so occupied with the "how" of doing it that we lose sight of actually doing it. That we are so occupied with being "cutting edge" that we lose sight of the end goal.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Cosmo
This is a "filler" until I get the next blog ready on postmodernism in the church. I think that blog will be very short, but just the phrase "postmodernism in the church" makes me feel very intelligent. Oooeeeee!
The following is an exerpt from Cosmopolitan magazine. No, I don't buy that mag. I was at the Adventure Zone with Matthew and decided to check out the publication. Wow. Is it ever for liberated women, if that's what you could call them. For this article, keep in mind it's an American magazine.
6 Clues You’re a Psycho Girlfriend
1) When your ex asks for his stuff back, you say, “You know how to use eBay, right?
2) You’ve published a pamphlet to distribute to his future girlfriends
entitled “What to Expect When You’re Dating Scum.”
3) It’s not uncommon for you to skip social engagements so you can stay home and cut up old photos of you and him.
4) You’ve mapped out a new running route that takes you around his block 8 times.
5) While you were dating, he told you his password is always his dog’s name – and now you use that info to check his email inbox, voice messages, and what he’s been buying from amazon.com.
6) You send a picture or him with his address to the Department of Homeland Security, with no explanation.
The following is an exerpt from Cosmopolitan magazine. No, I don't buy that mag. I was at the Adventure Zone with Matthew and decided to check out the publication. Wow. Is it ever for liberated women, if that's what you could call them. For this article, keep in mind it's an American magazine.
6 Clues You’re a Psycho Girlfriend
1) When your ex asks for his stuff back, you say, “You know how to use eBay, right?
2) You’ve published a pamphlet to distribute to his future girlfriends
entitled “What to Expect When You’re Dating Scum.”
3) It’s not uncommon for you to skip social engagements so you can stay home and cut up old photos of you and him.
4) You’ve mapped out a new running route that takes you around his block 8 times.
5) While you were dating, he told you his password is always his dog’s name – and now you use that info to check his email inbox, voice messages, and what he’s been buying from amazon.com.
6) You send a picture or him with his address to the Department of Homeland Security, with no explanation.
Friday, April 08, 2005
The Fishbowl
Recently Scott actually put up a couple of good posts “for a change” (teehee). The topics are two that I have had strong feelings on for a few years, so I’m going to “rant” a bit over the next couple of posts. Be patient with me, because I’ve tried to start this twice now and it’s not coming out right. This post is prompted by why pastors quit the ministry
A few years ago a minister was attending a congregational interview, comprised of a question/answer period. One of the questions was “what housework do you do to help your wife? I can always tell what kind of person a man is by what he does for his wife.” He was also asked “What vision do you have for the church?" Keep in mind that he didn't live in the community and had talked to the board through a couple of interview stages. Not necessarily enough to have formed a vision when in the interview stage. "How much time do you spend praying on your knees every day?"
Every person with an opinion of spirituality phrased their question so that he was screwed if he didn’t answer it the way they wanted, and honestly no human could fulfill all that was asked. None of us would have willing eliminated our privacy to the degree that he was made to in that session. This non-denominational church accepted the pastor into their ranks. The church had a painful past, with a few splits. The 2 in more recent history were due to two factions warring over denomination affiliation. One group believed it wasn’t necessary to join a denomination. The other, perhaps more outspoken, strongly lobbied for joining a particular one. This “holy war” was so strong that the children watched as people fought in the foyer after church. The group wanting to denominate told the other faction that if they didn’t follow they were not in God’s will. And each group was firmly convinced through prayer that their position was the correct one. 5 wounded pastors later, then comes the new one. We began to hear that he was called the “Peacemaker”, because he had begun to proactively contact the other shunned pastors in order to promote healing. He set up an evening service where these pastors were invited and he washed their feet. It’s a wonderful, sentimental account. But here’s where it perhaps isn’t so wonderful. Why did the people leave it to the new pastor to make peace? The people were bystanders…observers (those who attended that is). Who should have been making the peace? Those who were involved during the problems, or the one who was never involved or even around at the time? On a lesser scale it sounds a bit like giving money to missions overseas and turning the other way when a street person needs help. It’s easier to get someone else to do what we should be doing ourselves.
I’ve known of pastors who don’t get jobs or are criticized because their children are difficult to manage. Yes, we can pull out scripture to defend that decision, but in reality, how many of us have unruly children?
I've attended other meetings where pastors were not forgiven for past difficulties in handling personal trauma. The church was left to float, because the "man of God" wasn't leading with a "vigorous vision". Seems to me the Bible says we are the body and we are the church. The vision is ours, along with the leadership. It is not the leadership's alone nor is it ours alone. A lot has been repeated at meetings with the phrase "you are God's chosen man..." and what usually follows is an accusation of disappointment. That ticks me off. We are all ministers of the Gospel. We are all chosen. We each have different giftings, and some of us are gifted as pastors and teachers. It's their job to help equip the rest of us and to ensure we don't fall prey to unsound teaching. That's a simplification, but to delve into more detail would make this post way too long.
Let me talk for a moment about the expectations on pastors' wives. I can't talk about pastors' husbands, because I have never known any of those. The wife of a pastor, according to how many people act, is employed along with the pastor, though only one salary is paid. She should be her husband's receptionist, music leader, Sunday school overseer/teacher, piano player, run a woman's group and assist in counselling. Maybe not all those things, but many of them. Maybe we need to realize that we pay the pastor and not his wife, and let his wife be a layperson without any responsibility, if she so chooses. Don't dump on her if the pastor isn't home and we really want to talk to someone. How many of those kind of calls could she get in one day if there were at least 150 people in the congregation? Many pastor's wives suffer burnout - perhaps even before their husbands give into it.
I realize Scott’s post was about the fishbowl. I needed to spout off about the expectations we place on pastors. Let them be human. Treat them with the same measure of grace that we treat others around us. don't confront them more than we confront others. Many of us want to be the pastor or music leader's friend, because they are in a position of prominence where we feel we know them based on the portions of their life that they talk about weekly. Perhaps a part of us wants to be one of the "in" crowd by hanging out with those people. Or maybe that's just me. Yes, I know they should be a role model of how to live, but they also can’t be expected to be perfect and sinless. Only One is capable of that. And if you want to talk about the fishbowl, many people are watching us. We watch the pastors, and everyone else in the world watches both the pastors and us. To be truthful, the way we treat each other and the way we treat our “spiritual leaders” is excuse for many people to point to Christianity as a hypocritical religion. They see the backstabbing and double-talking. We too are in a fishbowl, and this one really counts. It affects souls.
A few years ago a minister was attending a congregational interview, comprised of a question/answer period. One of the questions was “what housework do you do to help your wife? I can always tell what kind of person a man is by what he does for his wife.” He was also asked “What vision do you have for the church?" Keep in mind that he didn't live in the community and had talked to the board through a couple of interview stages. Not necessarily enough to have formed a vision when in the interview stage. "How much time do you spend praying on your knees every day?"
Every person with an opinion of spirituality phrased their question so that he was screwed if he didn’t answer it the way they wanted, and honestly no human could fulfill all that was asked. None of us would have willing eliminated our privacy to the degree that he was made to in that session. This non-denominational church accepted the pastor into their ranks. The church had a painful past, with a few splits. The 2 in more recent history were due to two factions warring over denomination affiliation. One group believed it wasn’t necessary to join a denomination. The other, perhaps more outspoken, strongly lobbied for joining a particular one. This “holy war” was so strong that the children watched as people fought in the foyer after church. The group wanting to denominate told the other faction that if they didn’t follow they were not in God’s will. And each group was firmly convinced through prayer that their position was the correct one. 5 wounded pastors later, then comes the new one. We began to hear that he was called the “Peacemaker”, because he had begun to proactively contact the other shunned pastors in order to promote healing. He set up an evening service where these pastors were invited and he washed their feet. It’s a wonderful, sentimental account. But here’s where it perhaps isn’t so wonderful. Why did the people leave it to the new pastor to make peace? The people were bystanders…observers (those who attended that is). Who should have been making the peace? Those who were involved during the problems, or the one who was never involved or even around at the time? On a lesser scale it sounds a bit like giving money to missions overseas and turning the other way when a street person needs help. It’s easier to get someone else to do what we should be doing ourselves.
I’ve known of pastors who don’t get jobs or are criticized because their children are difficult to manage. Yes, we can pull out scripture to defend that decision, but in reality, how many of us have unruly children?
I've attended other meetings where pastors were not forgiven for past difficulties in handling personal trauma. The church was left to float, because the "man of God" wasn't leading with a "vigorous vision". Seems to me the Bible says we are the body and we are the church. The vision is ours, along with the leadership. It is not the leadership's alone nor is it ours alone. A lot has been repeated at meetings with the phrase "you are God's chosen man..." and what usually follows is an accusation of disappointment. That ticks me off. We are all ministers of the Gospel. We are all chosen. We each have different giftings, and some of us are gifted as pastors and teachers. It's their job to help equip the rest of us and to ensure we don't fall prey to unsound teaching. That's a simplification, but to delve into more detail would make this post way too long.
Let me talk for a moment about the expectations on pastors' wives. I can't talk about pastors' husbands, because I have never known any of those. The wife of a pastor, according to how many people act, is employed along with the pastor, though only one salary is paid. She should be her husband's receptionist, music leader, Sunday school overseer/teacher, piano player, run a woman's group and assist in counselling. Maybe not all those things, but many of them. Maybe we need to realize that we pay the pastor and not his wife, and let his wife be a layperson without any responsibility, if she so chooses. Don't dump on her if the pastor isn't home and we really want to talk to someone. How many of those kind of calls could she get in one day if there were at least 150 people in the congregation? Many pastor's wives suffer burnout - perhaps even before their husbands give into it.
I realize Scott’s post was about the fishbowl. I needed to spout off about the expectations we place on pastors. Let them be human. Treat them with the same measure of grace that we treat others around us. don't confront them more than we confront others. Many of us want to be the pastor or music leader's friend, because they are in a position of prominence where we feel we know them based on the portions of their life that they talk about weekly. Perhaps a part of us wants to be one of the "in" crowd by hanging out with those people. Or maybe that's just me. Yes, I know they should be a role model of how to live, but they also can’t be expected to be perfect and sinless. Only One is capable of that. And if you want to talk about the fishbowl, many people are watching us. We watch the pastors, and everyone else in the world watches both the pastors and us. To be truthful, the way we treat each other and the way we treat our “spiritual leaders” is excuse for many people to point to Christianity as a hypocritical religion. They see the backstabbing and double-talking. We too are in a fishbowl, and this one really counts. It affects souls.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
This is Everything
I've closed the daycare, and the toys are almost all gone. The last few days I've thought about what it represented. A dream, a positive change in lifestyle. I wanted to be able to positively impact the lives of little people. To show them that no matter what happened in their lives either good or bad, they could be resilient. You know, there are many things we can't control, but we do control our response to those things.
As I was listening to Audio Adrenaline, I looked through their booklet of words. Here's what I found.
All my dreams I had dreamed were dreams of me
All my hopes were desires of what I wanted to be
With ambitions put aside I crawl in Your arms to hide
I have given everything up to You.
This is all
This is everything
This is all
This is everything
This is everything I've got.
The good things and the bad things are in your hands
My hopes and my dreams are in Your command
And I come before You now as imperfect as I am
And I give, yes I give it all to you.
A couple years ago I was crossing a big intersection while on my lunch hour. The walk light turned on, and I stepped off the curb. As I did so and took a couple steps, I happened to look to my left to double-check oncoming traffic. A car was quickly approaching the intersection, not realizing their light was red. At the last minute the driver brake sharply, skidding toward me. I quickly stepped back and hopped back onto the sidewalk, as the car slid past me (where I had been standing on the road) and into the middle of the intersection. I had escaped serious injury or death. As the driver then backed up to take his place in line, he looked at me apologetically and I smiled. It could have been me doing the same thing. Sometimes it has been, but there hasn't been other traffic or people to create potential damage.
I guess what I'm saying is that things happen and change so quickly in this human existence. Dreams take shape and dreams die. There is birth and death. There are moments of regret and moments of pride. And sometimes the moment that separates the two are quicker than a blink. Sometimes we're stripped down to what the essentials are...to what the Essential Is. "I AM." "This is everything I've got." You know, it's not a bad place to be.
As I was listening to Audio Adrenaline, I looked through their booklet of words. Here's what I found.
All my dreams I had dreamed were dreams of me
All my hopes were desires of what I wanted to be
With ambitions put aside I crawl in Your arms to hide
I have given everything up to You.
This is all
This is everything
This is all
This is everything
This is everything I've got.
The good things and the bad things are in your hands
My hopes and my dreams are in Your command
And I come before You now as imperfect as I am
And I give, yes I give it all to you.
A couple years ago I was crossing a big intersection while on my lunch hour. The walk light turned on, and I stepped off the curb. As I did so and took a couple steps, I happened to look to my left to double-check oncoming traffic. A car was quickly approaching the intersection, not realizing their light was red. At the last minute the driver brake sharply, skidding toward me. I quickly stepped back and hopped back onto the sidewalk, as the car slid past me (where I had been standing on the road) and into the middle of the intersection. I had escaped serious injury or death. As the driver then backed up to take his place in line, he looked at me apologetically and I smiled. It could have been me doing the same thing. Sometimes it has been, but there hasn't been other traffic or people to create potential damage.
I guess what I'm saying is that things happen and change so quickly in this human existence. Dreams take shape and dreams die. There is birth and death. There are moments of regret and moments of pride. And sometimes the moment that separates the two are quicker than a blink. Sometimes we're stripped down to what the essentials are...to what the Essential Is. "I AM." "This is everything I've got." You know, it's not a bad place to be.
Monday, April 04, 2005
The Fireman
Yesterday there was a cooking "issue". As the house clouded with smoke Matthew went into his fire training mode. I was preoccupied with the smoke detectors and opening windows/doors. When I came back into the kitchen Matthew was exploring it on his belly. He wanted to be where the action was, but remembered to stay under the smoke line. Of course mom and I just walked around doing things and continuing to cook. After Matthew tired of being a snake, he went to his room and came out wearing this costume while muttering "I need to carve an airtank".
Then he said "I wish I had an axe" (don't panic everyone, it would be to chop down a door like the firefighters). He disappeared again and came to the kitchen with a crowbar I had been using the day before. That's a no-no.
You may all be thinking he's a dramatic, imaginative boy, and honestly I don't know where he gets it from. Certainly not me (choke).
Then he said "I wish I had an axe" (don't panic everyone, it would be to chop down a door like the firefighters). He disappeared again and came to the kitchen with a crowbar I had been using the day before. That's a no-no.
You may all be thinking he's a dramatic, imaginative boy, and honestly I don't know where he gets it from. Certainly not me (choke).
Friday, April 01, 2005
The Lord's Supper
Here is the other Easter post, as promised.
Last Sunday at church we had communion. It was a simply set up on a couple of tables, for people to come help themselves to. Matthew has taken communion before, and we have had a few discussions to ensure he understands the significance. Especially that it is a remembering, not a literal eating of the body and drinking of the blood. Okay, that part sounded kind of gros.
Matthew and I lined up patiently and helped ourselves to the "elements", then sat down in our chairs. I noticed the piece of Matthew's French bread that he tore off the loaf was a bit large. I showed him my bite-sized piece and explained that for communion a tiny piece was sufficient. As I say that now, it has strayed so far from the original meal in the Bible, but then so have we as a culture.
After Matthew ate the bread, he said "Mom, that doesn't taste like a body". I looked at him curiously, hoping he was just joking. We sat waiting for the rest of the congregation to finish sharing in the elements. Matthew whispered to me "Some people are going up for seconds. Let's go!" Shock number two. I told him that people don't have seconds at communion, and we were quiet again. Then the silence was interrupted by him insisting "I've seen these people go up twice. Let's get seconds!" Well, then I started to wonder if he saw something I didn't, and began to examine the people in case I had seen their face up there before. You just never know! And no, we didn't get seconds. But next time.......
Last Sunday at church we had communion. It was a simply set up on a couple of tables, for people to come help themselves to. Matthew has taken communion before, and we have had a few discussions to ensure he understands the significance. Especially that it is a remembering, not a literal eating of the body and drinking of the blood. Okay, that part sounded kind of gros.
Matthew and I lined up patiently and helped ourselves to the "elements", then sat down in our chairs. I noticed the piece of Matthew's French bread that he tore off the loaf was a bit large. I showed him my bite-sized piece and explained that for communion a tiny piece was sufficient. As I say that now, it has strayed so far from the original meal in the Bible, but then so have we as a culture.
After Matthew ate the bread, he said "Mom, that doesn't taste like a body". I looked at him curiously, hoping he was just joking. We sat waiting for the rest of the congregation to finish sharing in the elements. Matthew whispered to me "Some people are going up for seconds. Let's go!" Shock number two. I told him that people don't have seconds at communion, and we were quiet again. Then the silence was interrupted by him insisting "I've seen these people go up twice. Let's get seconds!" Well, then I started to wonder if he saw something I didn't, and began to examine the people in case I had seen their face up there before. You just never know! And no, we didn't get seconds. But next time.......