Feel free to link to my blog. Just copy the code above and paste it into your links.
I’d be glad to a link to your place on my site too. Just drop me an email and I’ll add you to my list.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Link Exchange
Feel free to link to my blog. Just copy the code above and paste it into your links.
I’d be glad to a link to your place on my site too. Just drop me an email and I’ll add you to my list.
The Peacemakers - Part 5
Part 4 (here are Parts 1, 2, & 3) dealt with the Spiritual aspect of the Biblical term “peace”. It is an absence of conflict with God that comes over a soul in a comforting way that can defy description. It is very much a vertical thing, God to man."Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."– Matthew 5:9 (NIV)
But what does that look like in the real world? Is it just some fluffy far off feel good dream? Or can it be real in our messy world?
Have you ever met anyone who seemed to always maintain their equilibrium no matter what mess the world threw at them? No matter what kind of chaos or nasty crap happened around them or to them, nothing seemed to rock their harmony? Or maybe when life shakes their foundation and knocks them down, they seem to get back up amazingly quickly?
That ability to maintain your harmony is what spiritual peace will look like. It can only come from God.
But let’s take it out of the hypothetical and look at an actual example of it in the Bible to see what it looks like. In Luke chapter 8 Jesus had had an exhausting day healing and teaching people. We’ll pick up the story in verse 22:
One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. On the way across, Jesus lay down for a nap, and while he was sleeping the wind began to rise. A fierce storm developed that threatened to swamp them, and they were in real danger.Now a couple things stand out to me in this story. First, it was totally reasonable for the disciples to panic, after all “they were in real danger.” Yet Jesus was so full of peace and calm during the situation that he kept on sleeping.
The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
So Jesus rebuked the wind and the raging waves. The storm stopped and all was calm!
Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?”
And they were filled with awe and amazement. They said to one another, “Who is this man, that even the winds and waves obey him?” (NLT)
Now I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a storm at sea, but I have a maritime background and have. There are a couple things you’ve got to keep in mind during a storm on the water. The wind is pretty stinking loud. A boat, especially a small fishing boat of the era, tends to violently pitch and roll to point where it is hard to stand up. Oh, yeah. And it often rains. And even if it isn’t raining, there is usually enough spray blowing up that it might as well be raining.
It’s not exactly the best environment for your Sunday afternoon snooze.
Yet Jesus isn’t even ruffled by the chaos around him. He’s full of peace and sleeps on.
I find it interesting that the Bible doesn’t record what Jesus said when he “rebuked the wind and the raging waves.” Every time I’ve heard some one talk about this story and they get to that point they will yell out a big booming, “SILENCE!” at that point because after all it is God speaking and He’d be speaking with authority to be heard over the wind.
I imagine it might have been a bit different. Jesus was obviously sleeping pretty soundly. I mean you’ve got to be in a pretty stinking deep REM cycle to sleep in those conditions. I imagine when the disciples woke Jesus up what He said sounded a little more like what I might say as I reach for the snooze alarm. I think it was more of a moaning, half awake and I-really-want-to-sleep-a-little-more, “Uhhhh, be quiet.”
Think about it. It is God speaking. He doesn’t have to yell to be heard. Hello? He’s full of peace.
It’s kind of like when you pass a Corvette on the highway. That car can easily go 200+ MPH. Everyone knows it. Yet the driver is calmly driving at or slightly below the speed limit. He doesn’t have to prove himself. It is obvious what his car can do. You could say that the driver has sort of a “speed peace” about him.
Maybe not the best analogy, but I think this gives us a better understanding of how spiritual peace plays out in our day to day lives.
Enjoy!
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Monday, April 03, 2006
PLEASE NOTE!
On Wednesday of this week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be
01:02:03 04/05/06.
That won't ever happen again.
You may now return to your life.
Tag: Silliness
01:02:03 04/05/06.
That won't ever happen again.
You may now return to your life.
(Thanks to Johnny M. for bringing this to my attention)
Tag: Silliness
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Fall in Love with O-R
Gorgeous and I were in the car for a while this weekend on my favorite section of tourist pilgrimage corridor. On the way down to Jacksonville on Saturday I made a mental note that the sheer masses of humanity abandoning the Sunshine State northward were having a parking lot effect in the construction zones of I-95. Since we had nothing pressing this afternoon, on our way back we decided to dodge the migrating hoards by taking the scenic route up US-17.
We had no idea this weekend was the Blessing of the Fleet in Darien. Trust me. It’s big times in a small town. (woo. hoo.)
We ended up arriving on the outskirts of town this afternoon, and came to a complete stop for a half hour, just as the priest was blessing the shrimp boats. The best laid plans…
But the whole trip gave Gorgeous and I time to talk.
She shared with me about some business training she had recently. The trainer was talking about falling in love with reality. Basically the trainer was saying that what maters is not what you think about what is happening. Nor is it necessarily important what others say or think about what is going on. The critical thing actually is what is really taking place, what she called reality. We would do better to “fall in love” with reality.
Some times we get fixated on our feelings which can lead to all kinds of twisted thought patterns, often producing less than desirable results. If we focus on reality rather than feelings, we will have a clearer thought pattern leading to more desirable results.
It makes sense.
In Gorgeous' business this principle is fairly easy to apply. She may feel like things are going well, or poorly. She may have people on her team that say all kinds of weird and wacky things. But the reality of her business is actually measured by her stats: her sales volume, her numbers of presentations, leads, contacts, the size of her check, etc.
As we talked about it, we decided to modify our terminology to “Objective Reality.” Sure there are intangibles out there. And they are real too. But I think it would be helpful if I spent more time focusing on my Objective Reality.
In a moment of traffic induced giddiness we shortened it to O-R. (It wasn’t pretty there for a while.)
I may feel out of shape or a little overweight. But the O-R is that I am a little soft around the middle. I get winded more easily than I’d like. And I lead a fairly sedentary lifestyle (clackity-clack goes the computer keyboard). But until I fall in love with that O-R, my condition is not likely to change.
The other thing to note is that my O-R is really pretty stinking good in some areas of my life. If I don’t fall in love with it in those instances, I’ll never be contented.
What is your O-R?
Maybe you should fall in love with it.
We had no idea this weekend was the Blessing of the Fleet in Darien. Trust me. It’s big times in a small town. (woo. hoo.)
We ended up arriving on the outskirts of town this afternoon, and came to a complete stop for a half hour, just as the priest was blessing the shrimp boats. The best laid plans…
But the whole trip gave Gorgeous and I time to talk.
She shared with me about some business training she had recently. The trainer was talking about falling in love with reality. Basically the trainer was saying that what maters is not what you think about what is happening. Nor is it necessarily important what others say or think about what is going on. The critical thing actually is what is really taking place, what she called reality. We would do better to “fall in love” with reality.
Some times we get fixated on our feelings which can lead to all kinds of twisted thought patterns, often producing less than desirable results. If we focus on reality rather than feelings, we will have a clearer thought pattern leading to more desirable results.
It makes sense.
In Gorgeous' business this principle is fairly easy to apply. She may feel like things are going well, or poorly. She may have people on her team that say all kinds of weird and wacky things. But the reality of her business is actually measured by her stats: her sales volume, her numbers of presentations, leads, contacts, the size of her check, etc.
As we talked about it, we decided to modify our terminology to “Objective Reality.” Sure there are intangibles out there. And they are real too. But I think it would be helpful if I spent more time focusing on my Objective Reality.
In a moment of traffic induced giddiness we shortened it to O-R. (It wasn’t pretty there for a while.)
I may feel out of shape or a little overweight. But the O-R is that I am a little soft around the middle. I get winded more easily than I’d like. And I lead a fairly sedentary lifestyle (clackity-clack goes the computer keyboard). But until I fall in love with that O-R, my condition is not likely to change.
The other thing to note is that my O-R is really pretty stinking good in some areas of my life. If I don’t fall in love with it in those instances, I’ll never be contented.
What is your O-R?
Maybe you should fall in love with it.
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Saturday, April 01, 2006
The Peacemakers – Part 4
In Part 3 (here are Parts 1 & 2) I talked about the Social aspects of the Biblical term peace. Now I’m diving into the Spiritual side of the term."Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."– Matthew 5:9 (NIV)
From a spiritual understanding of peace, we are talking about peace between people and God. It is an absence of conflict with God that comes over a soul in a comforting way that can defy description. It is very much a vertical thing, God to man.
Here are some verses in the Bible that address this facet of peace:
Or else let them come to me for refuge; let them make peace with me, yes, let them make peace with me. (Isaiah 27:5)
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)
It seems obvious then that when the Bible talks about peace the meaning for us should transcend far more than a reduction of interpersonal conflict. The Apostle Paul said the peace of God is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. I figure that if a great theologian like Paul couldn’t find the right words to describe Biblical peace, than I should get cut a little slack if I fall short in my explanation!
Regardless of my inability to nail it down, it obviously is about something well beyond an absence of interpersonal conflict!
Next time I’ll take a look at what Biblical peace might look like in the real world.
Peace!
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That's Just Plain Wrong
I forgot today was April Fool's day, what with a church leadership team meeting this morning and all.
Fortunately I don’t live anywhere near Sarah. Being a card carrying chocohaulic I would have been completely fished in if I’d been there. This is proof positive that evil lurks in Provo, UT.
Note to self: Not everything that looks like chocolate is yummy.
Fortunately I don’t live anywhere near Sarah. Being a card carrying chocohaulic I would have been completely fished in if I’d been there. This is proof positive that evil lurks in Provo, UT.
Note to self: Not everything that looks like chocolate is yummy.
Images of the Immigration Debate
This photo has stuck in my craw since I saw it earlier in the week:
Then again, maybe the goal of the protestors is not for equal status. Maybe they want to annex the Southwest and make it as impoverished as the country they left…
Apparently some high-schoolers in California did it to make a statement to Congress about proposed immigration reform legislation. I suspect this photo will do more to convince Americans the answer is to go hard on illegal immigrants than to give them a pass. The details of the story are over on Michelle Malkin's site.
Now I don’t think I am guilty of guilty of nationalistic and political idolatry here, although I know I do have that capacity in me. Gregory Boyd has some interesting insights about Christians in politics regarding that whole topic. My thinking was along those lines when I decided to steer away from politics in my ramblings here.
I realize there are flaws with my country. However I also know we live in a fallen world and I believe that our national system mitigates the flaws better than any others so far this side of eternity. A whole lot of people in the world agree with me because so many of them go to such extreme lengths to get here. Perhaps because I spent a few years in uniform I am a little sensitive toward our national symbols, especially our flag.
Nor am I anti-immigration. Gorgeous and I have an affinity toward foreigners. I suspect part of that may be a result of our being Yankees down here in the South.
Literally half of the guys in my office are foreign nationals. However they go through extraordinary lengths to work within our immigration system. And it is a painful process. For example they take days off work to overnight in Atlanta so they can be at the INS office first thing in the morning only to sit around all day waiting on the bureaucrats to take their finger prints every six months. I think they have a legitimate beef when they point out that their fingerprints don’t often change, so why take them so many multiple times?
Going through all the bureaucratic gyrations required to work within the system is especially galling for them when they see others flaunting their disregard for the law and getting away with it.
They, like me, don’t see that we have an immigration problem. We have an illegal immigration problem. Apparently there are somewhere between 10-15 million illegal aliens living in the US. That means they are pretty interwoven through the fabric of our society. We can’t simply round up all the illegals and ship them home without it adversely affecting our economy, perhaps significantly.
At the same token, we shouldn’t just pass a law that makes all the illegals here suddenly legal. The arguments for that run along the same lines as the ones for legalizing drugs. They pretty much boil down to something like this: Since law enforcement can’t seem to get a grip on the problem, therefore we should make it legal. I don’t agree with that. Just because something is hard sure doesn’t mean it is still the right thing to do.
The right answer to our current immigration issues is somewhere in between the two extremes. And I don’t have a clue what that right answer is.
Which brings me back to the photo above. To me the folks protesting about proposed immigration reforms are striking a rather persuasive tone. However I suspect they are pushing public opinion in the opposite direction from their apparent goals.
Degrading the primary symbol of the country you reside in illegally is not really the best way to persuade the citizens of that country to give you equal rights and status.
In case you might feel the flag thing was just the act of some impulsive immature high-school kids, take a look at these photos taken at the L.A protests:
Then again, maybe the goal of the protestors is not for equal status. Maybe they want to annex the Southwest and make it as impoverished as the country they left…
Friday, March 31, 2006
Stock Tip
I want to buy stock in the company that invented this – "Device warns you if you're boring or irritating"!
Think of the other markets this could be used for. People need this device! Think about the uses…
We could start by issuing one to every telemarketer out there. I remember more than a few teachers who could have benefited greatly from this technology. There are preachers I’ve heard that I’d be more than happy to give one to! The market opportunities might be endless!
Oh, yeah. Perhaps I should get one for myself while I’m at it…
Think of the other markets this could be used for. People need this device! Think about the uses…
We could start by issuing one to every telemarketer out there. I remember more than a few teachers who could have benefited greatly from this technology. There are preachers I’ve heard that I’d be more than happy to give one to! The market opportunities might be endless!
Oh, yeah. Perhaps I should get one for myself while I’m at it…
Resident Evil
Today’s Friday Free-For-All deserves a special title.
You see its Spring Time, the time of year the Old Testament says when the Kings would traditionally go to war. Here in Savannah it the time of year we have a different battle on our hands – against the sand gnats.
Sand gnats are tiny biting flies that swarm down here in the spring. They are small enough to get through all but the finest screening, hang out especially in the mornings and evenings, and are attracted to CO2 and sweat.
Which means that they own the cooler parts of the day, but just in case, the hotter you get the more likely they will be attracted to you because you are sweating more and breathing more heavily. Oh, and you can’t really get away from them because they will swarm into your car as you open the door. And you better have good screens on your house!
Did I mention they bite?
There's nothing quite like the feeling of getting your scalp gnawed on from a dozen different angles at once. Especially in the morning.
I checked Wikipedia and Wikispecies and neither have entries for our special kind of gnat. The best web entry I could find is here.
I’m convinced these things are beyond nasty. They are pure evil. I think I can back that up Biblically.
They’re bad enough that they are the mascot of our minor league baseball team. I bet folks who come out of season think it is a cute choice for a mascot. But if they come down here now, they’d realize how annoying the gnats can be.
Apparently they breed in the marshes of the Low Country. I’ve lived on Amelia Island, FL (just over the border) and in Charleston, SC and I promise you the gnats were nothing like they are here.
Do you get the feeling that I don’t like gnats? Gorgeous will tell you I’m not so much of an outdoorsy kind of guy anyway. My idea of roughing it is a hotel that doesn’t have room service.
And I don’t need much of an excuse not to do yard work. Of course the time I have available to do it is in the gnat owned evening. So if you happen to drive by and see my yard is knee deep, please be patient. I have to combat Evil before I can even get to the grass.
People here talk about moving above the “gnat line” like it is some mystical far off place. I’m not sure where the line actually is on the map, somewhere between here and Atlanta, for sure. Near Macon, perhaps?
I don’t think the kings of the Old Testament were really so keen on fighting. Maybe they were just trying to get away from the gnats!
You see its Spring Time, the time of year the Old Testament says when the Kings would traditionally go to war. Here in Savannah it the time of year we have a different battle on our hands – against the sand gnats.
Sand gnats are tiny biting flies that swarm down here in the spring. They are small enough to get through all but the finest screening, hang out especially in the mornings and evenings, and are attracted to CO2 and sweat.
Which means that they own the cooler parts of the day, but just in case, the hotter you get the more likely they will be attracted to you because you are sweating more and breathing more heavily. Oh, and you can’t really get away from them because they will swarm into your car as you open the door. And you better have good screens on your house!
Did I mention they bite?
There's nothing quite like the feeling of getting your scalp gnawed on from a dozen different angles at once. Especially in the morning.
I checked Wikipedia and Wikispecies and neither have entries for our special kind of gnat. The best web entry I could find is here.
I’m convinced these things are beyond nasty. They are pure evil. I think I can back that up Biblically.
They’re bad enough that they are the mascot of our minor league baseball team. I bet folks who come out of season think it is a cute choice for a mascot. But if they come down here now, they’d realize how annoying the gnats can be.
Apparently they breed in the marshes of the Low Country. I’ve lived on Amelia Island, FL (just over the border) and in Charleston, SC and I promise you the gnats were nothing like they are here.
Do you get the feeling that I don’t like gnats? Gorgeous will tell you I’m not so much of an outdoorsy kind of guy anyway. My idea of roughing it is a hotel that doesn’t have room service.
And I don’t need much of an excuse not to do yard work. Of course the time I have available to do it is in the gnat owned evening. So if you happen to drive by and see my yard is knee deep, please be patient. I have to combat Evil before I can even get to the grass.
People here talk about moving above the “gnat line” like it is some mystical far off place. I’m not sure where the line actually is on the map, somewhere between here and Atlanta, for sure. Near Macon, perhaps?
I don’t think the kings of the Old Testament were really so keen on fighting. Maybe they were just trying to get away from the gnats!
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Thursday, March 30, 2006
The Peacemakers - Part 3
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."– Matthew 5:9 (NIV)
I’ve taken on a study of the above verse to determine what Jesus really meant. I decided to start by focusing on the Biblical term “peace” to get a firm understanding of how Jesus would have understood that word.
Reading through the hundreds of verses that refer to peace in the Bible, it seems to me that they can be roughly divided into two general categories, Social and Spiritual.
On the Social side of the ledger we are talking about peace between people. It involves a reduction of, or better yet, a complete absence of interpersonal conflict. It is a horizontal thing, man to man.
Some examples of verses that deal with the Social side of peace include:
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)
Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. (Jeremiah 29:7)
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)
People who have focused intensely on addressing the Social side fight to correct injustice, and often do so in particularly non-violent ways. Two examples of great men who were champions of non-violent confrontation of this sort would be Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Their willingness to stand up to governments without violence ultimately helped bring about peace in a social sense to millions of people. People who take a stand here and understand this facet of peace should be honored and can obviously accomplish great good by touching many lives in a positive way. But that’s not all there is.
Unfortunately I’m out of time for this morning. I’ll address the Spiritual side another time.
Enjoy!
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Wednesday, March 29, 2006
A Bad Thing
Yesterday I did a bad thing. Not bad as in evil, certainly. More like bad as in perhaps a little unwise. You see a good friend of mine started working in a bike shop down in Jacksonville recently. I figured that since I was down there for a job anyway, why not stop in and catch up. Seems like a reasonable plan, doesn’t it?
Now I like motorcycles. I’ve owned a few in my day. My two favorites were an early model one of these and the older one of these that I had back in my Navy days. I am definitely more of a cruiser guy than a sport bike guy. I always figured my dream bike would be something along these lines. But I never really let myself look at them because purchasing one would create a cash flow issue in our household. I am not willing to finance that much of a toy. Besides Gorgeous and I have an agreement. I’m not getting a bike until we can afford to get two because she’s even had a bike back in her day and she has no interest in riding on the back of one. (Hers was more like this one she says.)
Now here’s the link for my buddy’s bike shop:
I figured I was safe going in there because, along with not being much into sport bikes, choppers don’t do much for me either.
I may have miscalculated somewhat.
I didn’t realize that a couple of the models were much more cruiser-like than chopper-ish. And boy were they just enough to bring back those memories of being out on the open road. And apparently these guys down at Big Bike Motorcycles are perfectly able to modify nearly anything about a particular bike to make it into exactly the dream machine you envision. And they are eager to do it too.
The whole experience with these guys was very impressive. And more than a little tempting.
Fortunately I remembered that the cost of buying a motorcycle yesterday would have been far more than a monthly payment that we can’t afford right now. Gorgeous would not have been, shall we say, happy if I had done something that foolish. And she would be totally right to feel that way about it. The knowledge of the potential conflict I would have brought on my self for doing something as silly as buying a motorcycle on impulse kept me in check. That knowledge was good accountability.
But did I mention it was tempting?
Now I like motorcycles. I’ve owned a few in my day. My two favorites were an early model one of these and the older one of these that I had back in my Navy days. I am definitely more of a cruiser guy than a sport bike guy. I always figured my dream bike would be something along these lines. But I never really let myself look at them because purchasing one would create a cash flow issue in our household. I am not willing to finance that much of a toy. Besides Gorgeous and I have an agreement. I’m not getting a bike until we can afford to get two because she’s even had a bike back in her day and she has no interest in riding on the back of one. (Hers was more like this one she says.)
Now here’s the link for my buddy’s bike shop:
I figured I was safe going in there because, along with not being much into sport bikes, choppers don’t do much for me either.
I may have miscalculated somewhat.
I didn’t realize that a couple of the models were much more cruiser-like than chopper-ish. And boy were they just enough to bring back those memories of being out on the open road. And apparently these guys down at Big Bike Motorcycles are perfectly able to modify nearly anything about a particular bike to make it into exactly the dream machine you envision. And they are eager to do it too.
The whole experience with these guys was very impressive. And more than a little tempting.
Fortunately I remembered that the cost of buying a motorcycle yesterday would have been far more than a monthly payment that we can’t afford right now. Gorgeous would not have been, shall we say, happy if I had done something that foolish. And she would be totally right to feel that way about it. The knowledge of the potential conflict I would have brought on my self for doing something as silly as buying a motorcycle on impulse kept me in check. That knowledge was good accountability.
But did I mention it was tempting?
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Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Do Not Be Alarmed
I’m on the road quite a bit with my job (hence the company car). There is a good chance one of you might see me on the road if you are out and about along the I-95 corridor here in the Southeast. For example I’m heading down to Jacksonville for a job today. Because there are such good odds that you might see me out there in your journeys at some point I wanted to give you a caution:
Do Not Be Alarmed.
If you happen upon me, say, waiting at an intersection for the light to change color, and you look over to see that I appear to be convulsing uncontrollably, shaking my head, flailing my arms around the car and screaming, maybe even to the point of tiny bit of spittle spraying about – Do Not Be Alarmed. I am neither demon possessed nor suffering from a medical condition. What is going on in my car is a little ritual I refer to as “singing.” Everything is really OK in the lane next to you. Just consider yourself blessed that my windows are rolled up.
If you see me approaching and you happen to notice that I am talking on my cell phone while eating a biscuit, drinking a cup of hot coffee, changing the CD in the dash as I merge into rush hour traffic from the 25 MPH entry ramp without taking my cruise control off of 65 – Do Not Be Alarmed. I know you are there and I promise that I will miss your car by at least 12” as I slide past you to merge directly into the left lane. You see I have undergone extensive training years ago by the US Navy during flight school to hone my skills at multitasking. Basically you could say I’m a trained professional. (Of course this skill doesn’t seem to apply to listening. I can only hear one thing at a time. Sorry Gorgeous. You are either going to have to turn that good song down or wait until it is over if you want me to hear what you are saying.)
If you happen to look in your rearview mirror and notice that you can’t see the hood of my car below your back window because I appear to be attempting to land my car inside your trunk – Do Not Be Alarmed. My eyes are fixated alternately on your brake lights an the traffic up ahead that I can see through your windshield while my brain is computing an improbably complex series of equations that involve such diverse and comprehensive variables as your vehicle’s velocity and acceleration, my foot position in relation to my accelerator/brake pedals, the current road surface moisture content, the proximity to the nearest rest stop, and the quantity of coffee remaining in my travel mug. Keep in mind that you could ease your own frustration significantly by simply sliding over into the right hand lane to let me pass. I assure you I’d get completely by you before you were even firmly established in the right lane. Besides, I’ve only ever rear-ended one person on I-95 and I wasn’t tailgating him.
That about sums it up for this morning. I’ve got to hit the road!
Do Not Be Alarmed.
If you happen upon me, say, waiting at an intersection for the light to change color, and you look over to see that I appear to be convulsing uncontrollably, shaking my head, flailing my arms around the car and screaming, maybe even to the point of tiny bit of spittle spraying about – Do Not Be Alarmed. I am neither demon possessed nor suffering from a medical condition. What is going on in my car is a little ritual I refer to as “singing.” Everything is really OK in the lane next to you. Just consider yourself blessed that my windows are rolled up.
If you see me approaching and you happen to notice that I am talking on my cell phone while eating a biscuit, drinking a cup of hot coffee, changing the CD in the dash as I merge into rush hour traffic from the 25 MPH entry ramp without taking my cruise control off of 65 – Do Not Be Alarmed. I know you are there and I promise that I will miss your car by at least 12” as I slide past you to merge directly into the left lane. You see I have undergone extensive training years ago by the US Navy during flight school to hone my skills at multitasking. Basically you could say I’m a trained professional. (Of course this skill doesn’t seem to apply to listening. I can only hear one thing at a time. Sorry Gorgeous. You are either going to have to turn that good song down or wait until it is over if you want me to hear what you are saying.)
If you happen to look in your rearview mirror and notice that you can’t see the hood of my car below your back window because I appear to be attempting to land my car inside your trunk – Do Not Be Alarmed. My eyes are fixated alternately on your brake lights an the traffic up ahead that I can see through your windshield while my brain is computing an improbably complex series of equations that involve such diverse and comprehensive variables as your vehicle’s velocity and acceleration, my foot position in relation to my accelerator/brake pedals, the current road surface moisture content, the proximity to the nearest rest stop, and the quantity of coffee remaining in my travel mug. Keep in mind that you could ease your own frustration significantly by simply sliding over into the right hand lane to let me pass. I assure you I’d get completely by you before you were even firmly established in the right lane. Besides, I’ve only ever rear-ended one person on I-95 and I wasn’t tailgating him.
That about sums it up for this morning. I’ve got to hit the road!
Monday, March 27, 2006
What is a Christian?
I came across this question this afternoon, “In your own words, what is a Christian?”
Below is how I answered the question. What do you think?
Below is how I answered the question. What do you think?
I see a Christian as a follower of Jesus Christ. He is a person who has given up trying to “get right” with God, realizing that no matter what he does it will never be enough to reach the perfect standard that a holy and perfect God requires. Instead the Christian has brokenly accepted Jesus’ payment for all his wrongs and has submitted his will to the authority of Christ.
As a result the Christian experiences new life through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who is transforming him into the image of Christ. The natural result of this transformation is that the Christian grows in spiritual maturity, has an ever increasing desire to serve people, and to influence the world around him for the cause of Christ.
The Peacemakers - Part 2
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."– Matthew 5:9 (NIV)
If I’m going to figure out what Jesus meant by the term peacemaker (assuming he intended “one who makes peace”), then I guess the place to start here is by trying to figure out what Jesus meant by the term which we translate “peace” in English.
My Scribner-Bantam English Dictionary defines peace this way, “1. freedom from or cessation of war; 2. friendly international relations; 3. any state of calm or tranquility; 4. public order”
Now we’ve got four slightly nuanced understandings for the same word. Did Jesus mean one of these? If so, which one? If not, what did he mean?
I mean did Jesus mean to say, “Blessed are those who make friendly international relations, for they will be called sons of God.”?
That seems a little silly and wide of the mark to me.
Because of the potential to misunderstand the actual intent behind the words, I’m not willing to just assume Jesus meant, “Blessed are those who make freedom from or cessation of war, for they will be called the sons of God” either.
If I’m going to get anywhere, I’ve got to go to the source. What is the Biblical understanding of the word peace? Throughout the Bible does the term peace simply refer to an absence of war, or does it mean something different?
And here’s where it may get interesting. A word search in my Bible software shows that the NIV translation of the Bible uses the word peace 250 times. The King James Version uses the word 429 times.
This is obviously going to take me some time. And then once I finally get an accurate understanding of the Biblical concept of peace, I’ve got another question to answer. Who actually are the sons of God? Because it is in that half of the statement that we see the blessing part of Jesus’ statement (i.e. the good stuff).
But right now I’ve got to go to work.
Enjoy!
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Sunday, March 26, 2006
Cats in the Dog House
The harmony in the Cree household is slightly upset at the moment. Gorgeous is not happy. One of the boys is in big trouble. I think the only thing keeping one of them from some serious unpleasantness is that we have no idea who is responsible.
Low Rider is in trouble enough already. Because of him, the boys are banished to a back bedroom nearly every night. He had sort of a fit when we set the clocks back to standard time last fall. Now every morning at 0330 he decides that its time to get up. And he’s smart about it. He makes quick passes across the bed to make sure everyone’s awake. But he takes special care to run across our legs. You see he has precisely calculated the time-to-reach-radius of the average undercover groggy adult on our end of the block and he never crosses that boundary. Ever.
Then its time for a fun game of chase the black cat in the dark when you are half asleep without your contacts in. That game is sooo much fun that we usually resort to bribing him (and Fat Boy too while we’re at it) with food to get him locked in the back bedroom, which of course only serves to reinforce Low Rider’s annoying behavior. The trouble is Low Rider is smart.
Fat Boy on the other hand is, well, not so bright. Whenever he got up before the alarm, I always found him within arm’s reach and could scruff him and drag him off to a penalty box somewhere. He never quite figured out that he’s much faster than I am and that if he stayed out of reach I’d probably never catch him. I got him trained to never bother us until the alarm went off. And it was a good system.
Low Rider played by that system as well up until we changed the clocks last fall, which brings us back to our current troubles.
Someone has taken to peeing right outside the litter box. Fortunately Gorgeous keeps a little rubber backed throw rug right there to catch the bulk of the litter the boys drag out of the pan, so it hasn’t soaked into the carpeting yet. And it’s only happened three times so far. Even so, “Houston, we have a problem,” if you know what I mean.
I think I’ve pretty much convinced Gorgeous that it isn’t me at this point. I mean I’m a guy. I can see how the boys might miss from time to time. Aiming can be a challenge at times even with thumbs. But I’m keeping my peace on this one because three times in a row is beginning to look less like an accident. Besides, I’m not ready to take that kind of heat.
Anyway, if Gorgeous ever figures out which is the responsible party, things could get pretty ugly for him. She’s got no patience for bad aim.
Here’s a shot of the boys. It might help you pray for them…
Low Rider is in trouble enough already. Because of him, the boys are banished to a back bedroom nearly every night. He had sort of a fit when we set the clocks back to standard time last fall. Now every morning at 0330 he decides that its time to get up. And he’s smart about it. He makes quick passes across the bed to make sure everyone’s awake. But he takes special care to run across our legs. You see he has precisely calculated the time-to-reach-radius of the average undercover groggy adult on our end of the block and he never crosses that boundary. Ever.
Then its time for a fun game of chase the black cat in the dark when you are half asleep without your contacts in. That game is sooo much fun that we usually resort to bribing him (and Fat Boy too while we’re at it) with food to get him locked in the back bedroom, which of course only serves to reinforce Low Rider’s annoying behavior. The trouble is Low Rider is smart.
Fat Boy on the other hand is, well, not so bright. Whenever he got up before the alarm, I always found him within arm’s reach and could scruff him and drag him off to a penalty box somewhere. He never quite figured out that he’s much faster than I am and that if he stayed out of reach I’d probably never catch him. I got him trained to never bother us until the alarm went off. And it was a good system.
Low Rider played by that system as well up until we changed the clocks last fall, which brings us back to our current troubles.
Someone has taken to peeing right outside the litter box. Fortunately Gorgeous keeps a little rubber backed throw rug right there to catch the bulk of the litter the boys drag out of the pan, so it hasn’t soaked into the carpeting yet. And it’s only happened three times so far. Even so, “Houston, we have a problem,” if you know what I mean.
I think I’ve pretty much convinced Gorgeous that it isn’t me at this point. I mean I’m a guy. I can see how the boys might miss from time to time. Aiming can be a challenge at times even with thumbs. But I’m keeping my peace on this one because three times in a row is beginning to look less like an accident. Besides, I’m not ready to take that kind of heat.
Anyway, if Gorgeous ever figures out which is the responsible party, things could get pretty ugly for him. She’s got no patience for bad aim.
Here’s a shot of the boys. It might help you pray for them…
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Saturday, March 25, 2006
The Peacemakers - Part 1
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."– Matthew 5:9 (NIV)
The whole discussion about the Christian Peacemakers Teams has got me thinking about this verse from the Sermon on the Mount. I don’t really agree with how the CPT chooses to do what they do. And I’m not sure I even agree with most of their basic premises, although I can’t bring myself to point my finger at them and say, “You are wrong.”
Perhaps I’m wrong.
I decided I need to spend some time looking at my whole understanding of that verse above and what Jesus really meant when he said it.
Now I’m no theologian. I’m not even especially smart. But I do know how to read. And I think I can ask some decent questions.
Who was Jesus referring to when he spoke this particular beatitude?
What do peacemakers look like? What do they do?
What does it mean to be called a son of God?
The good news is we have a whole ton of resources available. Our church is in the middle of a series on the Be-Attitudes. So I am obviously looking forward to the week we are taught about the peacemakers.
John Piper is one of my favorite current heavy theological thinkers. He has an article on the subject, appropriately titled Blessed Are the Peacemakers, which I think I will read a few more times before I get started.
That should give me enough to get started on in amongst all the other life obligations I have…
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Rummage Sale
Gorgeous is outside this morning having a rummage sale to lighten our load of excess stuff. It is good to get rid of some of your junk every now and then. Besides, she generates some extra cash periodically by doing this, which is always good to go get more junk with!
I’ve learned some interesting life lessons from her rummage sales over the years…
Enjoy!
I’ve learned some interesting life lessons from her rummage sales over the years…
- You really never know beforehand what will be popular. This year all the big ticket items sold within the first hour. This year the big ticket items were:
A pleather chair I’ve been dragging around since my bachelorhood. At one time I had a couch to match, but we ditched it years ago.
My old Kenwood component stereo that I got half price at the Navy Exchange at NAS Cecil field in 1991. It had been in boxes since before we left Florida three years ago. Gorgeous broke the cabinet for it in the move (yes there’s a story there) and we never set it up here because I couldn’t really find a good spot. It has yet to be replaced.
The barely used Gazelle Rider exercise thingy. Just after we got it Gorgeous started going to the Chiropractor for her back and the doc said it was a bad motion for her particular problem.
- There are some strange people in this world. Most of the folks who show up at your typical rummage sale are perfectly normal (whatever that is). But there are some people who obviously have a bit of a problem. They are addicted to buying other people’s junk. There are people out there who get up most every Saturday morning and hit the neighborhoods looking for the “good deal.” They have storage spaces crammed with other peoples junk that they never use. You feel bad selling them stuff because you know you are just feeding their addictions!
- Sometimes you just have to lay out your junk to meet new people. We’ve been in this house for nearly two years now and we just met some of folks on our cul-de-sac this morning. Life can be like that some times.
- It feels good to finish a big project. Gorgeous puts a lot of effort into her sales, especially with sorting and pricing. Oh, and then often there’s the badgering of hubby to sort through his junk to get contributions. Resistance is futile! But she always says how good it feels to purge the old stuff. And I for one am happy for her.
Enjoy!
Christian Peacemaker Teams
I’ve been having a running discussion with Dan Traube about the recent incident involving the rescue of three CPT guys who were rescued from their kidnappers the other day over at Stones Cry Out .
Dan seems like a really great guy and our discussion has helped me get my mind around what was bugging me when I first looked into the whole issue of their initial apparent ingratitude for the rescue of their workers. I appreciate the time he took to go back and forth with me. I summed it up this way:
The CPT supporters are quick to emphasize the bravery of the teams that go into dangerous places. There’s no doubt they place themselves in danger.
But is it bravery when they attempt to disguise their political activism as Christian missionary work knowing full well the people they protest most strongly will take a more kindly view of them as missionaries then as political activists?
And that whole discussion, my friends, quickly spins off into the political realm. And we all know that I am steering away from politics here these days…
Dan seems like a really great guy and our discussion has helped me get my mind around what was bugging me when I first looked into the whole issue of their initial apparent ingratitude for the rescue of their workers. I appreciate the time he took to go back and forth with me. I summed it up this way:
The trouble is the only direct action [the CPT] are willing to take is to “get in the way” of the US and her allies. By routinely interfering with predominately only one political bent, they demonstrate clearly that they are really a political protest organization hiding behind Christian missionary language.
The CPT supporters are quick to emphasize the bravery of the teams that go into dangerous places. There’s no doubt they place themselves in danger.
But is it bravery when they attempt to disguise their political activism as Christian missionary work knowing full well the people they protest most strongly will take a more kindly view of them as missionaries then as political activists?
And that whole discussion, my friends, quickly spins off into the political realm. And we all know that I am steering away from politics here these days…
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Friday, March 24, 2006
Email Icon Generator
Whoah. I was over on Terry Storch's blog and saw that he had found a place to generate a nifty email icon. Trouble is his source didn’t list my email provider, BellSouth. However, with a little Google-Sleuthing, I found this site here with a much more comprehensive listing of providers. Cool beans.
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