Proverbs Chapter Fourteen:
Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can fully share its joy. (vs. 10)
Such a true verse. Such a true verse! It reminds me that I can sympathize with what people are going or have gone through, but ultimately, I will not truly or fully understand their situation. And the same goes in reverse: I cannot expect someone else to fully understand what I've been through or what I'm going through at the time, so I should not be disappointed that that person doesn't really "get it."
It's also a reminder not to judge others. I heard a great message on this my last Sunday in Colorado. I went to my brother's church in Colorado - a truly amazing church. (I went to another amazing church here in Ohio this morning, which I will blog about either tonight or tomorrow) You can listen to the message here. It was a good reminder that it's not up to me to judge others - and this verse tells me that I'm never going to fully understand why someone does what they do, or why someone acts the way they do - because I can't fully understand what they've been through. I can't really examine fully someone's heart and see the bitterness that it contains, or the measure of joy that it has. If I can't judge someone's heart, why judge their actions then? (Of course, we are supposed to not be judgmental, but we can help correct someone - hopefully we can know when we are supposed to.)
The poor are despised even by their neighbors, while the rich have many "friends." It is sin to despise one's neighbors; blessed are those who help the poor. Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who help the poor honor him. (vs. 20-21, 31)
I've seen the whole neighbor thing in this passage taken out of context - obviously what Solomon is talking about here is not just the "neighbor" down the street (therefore, if we live in a rich neighborhood, we may think that this does not apply to us); it's talking about everyone. Even more so in our time; where our neighbor in another country doesn't really seem that far away because of the technological advances we have made. We can instantly talk to someone halfway across the world; we can fly across the world in less than a day.
When you read the Old Testament, as well as the words of Jesus, you begin to understand how the poor are truly near the heart of God. And if our goal as Christians is to become "little Christs", in other words Christlikeness; then we will serve the poor and honor the One who loves them with all His heart.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Proverbs Experiment: Day Thirteen
Proverbs Chapter Thirteen:
Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper and be satisfied. (vs.4)
I'm sure you have to keep this in context with the type of society Solomon was in when he wrote this, because I know many very hard-working people who don't make much and so they really don't prosper. I was actually thinking about this the other day, because of two reasons.
1) I was re-reading Fight Club (interesting novel to say the least) and in one of the chapters, the members of Project Mayhem decide to teach a lesson to a police commissioner who was trying to shut down the fight clubs in his city. This is what one of the "teachers" says to him:
"Remember this, the people you're trying to step on, we're everyone you depend on. We're the people who do your laundry and cook your food and serve your dinner. We make your bed. We guard you while you're asleep. We drive the ambulances. We direct your call. We are cooks and taxi drivers and we know everything about you. We process your insurance claims and credit card charges. We control every part of your life. We are the middle children of history, raised by television to believe that someday we'll be millionaires and movie stars and rock stars, but we won't. And we're just learning this face, so don't (mess) with us."
2) I was reading a debate between a few people about immigration - one group wanted all the illegal immigrants kicked out, the other group didn't. The second group made the point that if all the illegal immigrants were kicked out, there would be a bunch of thankless, menial jobs that no one would take because they pay really badly and the work is really hard - and the rest of us would say "no thanks" because those jobs are "beneath us" which means a lot of things would fall through the cracks. In other words, our economy is built on the backs of very hard workers who do the jobs we don't want to do, but we thrive because of it, and they are simply surviving.
I know that there are a lot of hard workers who do end up getting rich and profiting by their hard work - there are some in my family, in fact - but it makes one wonder about the state of our nation when some of our hardest workers get next to nothing, while trust fund babies and people who just happened to be at the right place at the right time get rich without working for it.
Wealth from get-rich schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows. (vs. 11)
This verse came to my attention, because I'm looking for a job, and I would say at least half of the jobs that are on job websites are these "get rich quick by using the internet" schemes. I even got suckered into an interview where I thought I was interviewing for a position, but it ended up being a pyramid scheme to sell some kind of health juice. I'm now even being spammed with some of these "jobs". I hope I find a job soon, because it's rather unsettling to me to see how many people are hoping that some sucker will apply to one of their "job offers" so they can profit off of them.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy. (vs. 12)
VERY INTERESTING verse. I think I felt some of what the writer is saying in this verse this past year. I had the opportunity to go back to my home state, work with someone who I trust and respect, and be with some of the people I've known for years. It seemed like a dream opportunity, and a dream that I've been dreaming about for several years came true.
Unfortunately the dream didn't last.
And I'm still kind of dealing with a sick heart. I know that I'm supposed to be where I'm at now, because it seemed like all the doors that were open in Colorado shut rather firmly; but when you've hoped to do something for so long, got to do it, but not for as long as you thought - it is disheartening.
My prayer is that another dream of mine - to work for an organization that fights trafficking - will be a dream that comes to fruition and is long-lasting.
Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper and be satisfied. (vs.4)
I'm sure you have to keep this in context with the type of society Solomon was in when he wrote this, because I know many very hard-working people who don't make much and so they really don't prosper. I was actually thinking about this the other day, because of two reasons.
1) I was re-reading Fight Club (interesting novel to say the least) and in one of the chapters, the members of Project Mayhem decide to teach a lesson to a police commissioner who was trying to shut down the fight clubs in his city. This is what one of the "teachers" says to him:
"Remember this, the people you're trying to step on, we're everyone you depend on. We're the people who do your laundry and cook your food and serve your dinner. We make your bed. We guard you while you're asleep. We drive the ambulances. We direct your call. We are cooks and taxi drivers and we know everything about you. We process your insurance claims and credit card charges. We control every part of your life. We are the middle children of history, raised by television to believe that someday we'll be millionaires and movie stars and rock stars, but we won't. And we're just learning this face, so don't (mess) with us."
2) I was reading a debate between a few people about immigration - one group wanted all the illegal immigrants kicked out, the other group didn't. The second group made the point that if all the illegal immigrants were kicked out, there would be a bunch of thankless, menial jobs that no one would take because they pay really badly and the work is really hard - and the rest of us would say "no thanks" because those jobs are "beneath us" which means a lot of things would fall through the cracks. In other words, our economy is built on the backs of very hard workers who do the jobs we don't want to do, but we thrive because of it, and they are simply surviving.
I know that there are a lot of hard workers who do end up getting rich and profiting by their hard work - there are some in my family, in fact - but it makes one wonder about the state of our nation when some of our hardest workers get next to nothing, while trust fund babies and people who just happened to be at the right place at the right time get rich without working for it.
Wealth from get-rich schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows. (vs. 11)
This verse came to my attention, because I'm looking for a job, and I would say at least half of the jobs that are on job websites are these "get rich quick by using the internet" schemes. I even got suckered into an interview where I thought I was interviewing for a position, but it ended up being a pyramid scheme to sell some kind of health juice. I'm now even being spammed with some of these "jobs". I hope I find a job soon, because it's rather unsettling to me to see how many people are hoping that some sucker will apply to one of their "job offers" so they can profit off of them.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy. (vs. 12)
VERY INTERESTING verse. I think I felt some of what the writer is saying in this verse this past year. I had the opportunity to go back to my home state, work with someone who I trust and respect, and be with some of the people I've known for years. It seemed like a dream opportunity, and a dream that I've been dreaming about for several years came true.
Unfortunately the dream didn't last.
And I'm still kind of dealing with a sick heart. I know that I'm supposed to be where I'm at now, because it seemed like all the doors that were open in Colorado shut rather firmly; but when you've hoped to do something for so long, got to do it, but not for as long as you thought - it is disheartening.
My prayer is that another dream of mine - to work for an organization that fights trafficking - will be a dream that comes to fruition and is long-lasting.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Proverbs Experiment: Day Twelve
Proverbs Chapter Twelve:
To learn, you must love discipline, it is stupid to hate correction. (vs.1)
Argh, thanks Solomon. I was doing pretty good with all of this proverbs stuff, and then you have to throw this one out there.
I hate being wrong.
I hate being corrected.
But it's stupid.
I'm also a wuss when it comes to being disciplined. I remember when I was two weeks from graduating from college, and I did something pretty stupid - which cost me my R.A. job for the rest of the year, which meant I owed the school for the last two weeks of the year, which meant I didn't get my diploma at graduation, just a diploma cover with a slip of paper in it that said, "Your diploma is not here because you still owe the financial office. Please stop by and make arrangements." That wasn't the worst part, though. The worst part was being in a meeting with several higher-ups at the college and have them debate (while I was in the room) what should happen to me. Should I get expelled (the vote was close)? Should I pay a hefty fine (I did)? Should I clean the entire dorms everyday for the last two weeks, even with finals and final papers and everything (yep)? It was horrible. I felt like a seven year old kid all over again.
I also grew up with the label "gifted and talented", so from my early school days, I've had this thing inside me that says that I have to know all the answers, I have to get all the answers right, I can't say anything wrong, I can't mispronounce anything, etc. etc. etc. Which makes it pretty darn hard for me when I do mess up. I can seriously go off on myself for days if I screw up just a little thing.
Maybe I need to put this on my list of things I want to change about myself - a list I just recently came up with. I'm not sure if I'm going through this soul-searching time because I'm out of a job and feeling pretty small self-image-wise, but it's causing me to really evaluate my life. I guess I can add one more thing to the list that I have (five things already on it).
A worthy wife is her husband's joy and crown; a shameful wife saps his strength. (vs. 4)
As I am fast approaching my twelfth wedding anniversary, this verse stands out. There are many amazing things about my wife. But one of them is how supportive she is of me and how she is my biggest fan and supporter. A word to the wise: if you say something bad about me, don't let me wife hear it. She will tell you off! I am so thankful to her, and in times like these right now, she has really helped me stay out of the self-pity party pit (try saying that five times fast) that I can throw myself into rather quickly.
She definitely strengthens me. There have been people in my life who have been strength-sappers and have made me feel like I'm either an idiot or I can't do anything, but she is not one of them.
A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. (vs. 16)
I'm pretty good at this. But probably not for the reasons that Solomon was thinking of when he wrote this. My reasons:
1. I lack the "quick comeback" part of the brain. Fifteen minutes after the insult, I can give you three or four amazing comebacks. But not on the spot.
2. I'm not good at one-on-one confrontation if someone is confronting me. The other way, no problem - but if someone gets in my face and insults me or is mad at me, I'm not good at reacting. At all. Which I guess makes me look slow-tempered.
3. My short-term memory is really bad since I had brain surgery, which means if you insult me, I may forget what you said right after you said it. Which is good I guess because "I don't keep record of wrongs", but it's more because of my brain problem, not because I've developed patience or anything in my life.
The only time this doesn't apply - you know, the whole non-quick-tempered thing - is when someone insults me for being wrong or corrects me for a mistake I've made (see above).
To learn, you must love discipline, it is stupid to hate correction. (vs.1)
Argh, thanks Solomon. I was doing pretty good with all of this proverbs stuff, and then you have to throw this one out there.
I hate being wrong.
I hate being corrected.
But it's stupid.
I'm also a wuss when it comes to being disciplined. I remember when I was two weeks from graduating from college, and I did something pretty stupid - which cost me my R.A. job for the rest of the year, which meant I owed the school for the last two weeks of the year, which meant I didn't get my diploma at graduation, just a diploma cover with a slip of paper in it that said, "Your diploma is not here because you still owe the financial office. Please stop by and make arrangements." That wasn't the worst part, though. The worst part was being in a meeting with several higher-ups at the college and have them debate (while I was in the room) what should happen to me. Should I get expelled (the vote was close)? Should I pay a hefty fine (I did)? Should I clean the entire dorms everyday for the last two weeks, even with finals and final papers and everything (yep)? It was horrible. I felt like a seven year old kid all over again.
I also grew up with the label "gifted and talented", so from my early school days, I've had this thing inside me that says that I have to know all the answers, I have to get all the answers right, I can't say anything wrong, I can't mispronounce anything, etc. etc. etc. Which makes it pretty darn hard for me when I do mess up. I can seriously go off on myself for days if I screw up just a little thing.
Maybe I need to put this on my list of things I want to change about myself - a list I just recently came up with. I'm not sure if I'm going through this soul-searching time because I'm out of a job and feeling pretty small self-image-wise, but it's causing me to really evaluate my life. I guess I can add one more thing to the list that I have (five things already on it).
A worthy wife is her husband's joy and crown; a shameful wife saps his strength. (vs. 4)
As I am fast approaching my twelfth wedding anniversary, this verse stands out. There are many amazing things about my wife. But one of them is how supportive she is of me and how she is my biggest fan and supporter. A word to the wise: if you say something bad about me, don't let me wife hear it. She will tell you off! I am so thankful to her, and in times like these right now, she has really helped me stay out of the self-pity party pit (try saying that five times fast) that I can throw myself into rather quickly.
She definitely strengthens me. There have been people in my life who have been strength-sappers and have made me feel like I'm either an idiot or I can't do anything, but she is not one of them.
A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. (vs. 16)
I'm pretty good at this. But probably not for the reasons that Solomon was thinking of when he wrote this. My reasons:
1. I lack the "quick comeback" part of the brain. Fifteen minutes after the insult, I can give you three or four amazing comebacks. But not on the spot.
2. I'm not good at one-on-one confrontation if someone is confronting me. The other way, no problem - but if someone gets in my face and insults me or is mad at me, I'm not good at reacting. At all. Which I guess makes me look slow-tempered.
3. My short-term memory is really bad since I had brain surgery, which means if you insult me, I may forget what you said right after you said it. Which is good I guess because "I don't keep record of wrongs", but it's more because of my brain problem, not because I've developed patience or anything in my life.
The only time this doesn't apply - you know, the whole non-quick-tempered thing - is when someone insults me for being wrong or corrects me for a mistake I've made (see above).
Free Christmas Album
I'm always a sucker for new Christmas albums - and free Christmas albums at that - so I was excited to find out about this one.
The Violet Burning is a band that has been around for a long long time. They have in their CD discography one of my favorite worship CDs of all time, Faith And Devotions of a Satellite Heart. The Blood of Jesus is one of my favorite worship songs, which came off of that CD.
Anyway, if you go here, you can get their new Christmas CD absolutely free. Enjoy!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Proverbs Experiment: Day Eleven
Proverbs Chapter Eleven:
The Lord hates cheating, but he delights in honesty. Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Good people are guided by their honesty; treacherous people are destroyed by their dishonesty. Riches won't help on the day of judgment, but right living is a safeguard against death. The godly are directed by their honesty, the wicked fall beneath their load of sin. (vs. 1-5)
Reading the first five verses of Proverbs 11 immediately brought to my mind the financial situation of our country right now. There are obviously many reasons why it looks like we are heading into a recession, but one of the main reasons is the greed and dishonesty prevalent in some of our companies and financial institutions. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Decisions made by CEO's of large companies, largely fueled by greed and the desire for more stock options and bigger year-end bonuses don't just have a trickle down effect upon their workers and upon the rest of us; these days it's more like a waterfall of problems. I remember reading somewhere that in 1982, a CEO of a corporation made on average 42 times more than that of the average worker in the corporation. In 2004 (the last data I could find), that number became 431-to-1.
On one hand, I believe that companies in America should have some freedoms to running their business the way they want to (within reason of course). On the other hand, there is so much corruption and greed these days, that we cannot trust that people will make the right decisions that will benefit others and not just themselves. We have seen examples of corporations that have been destroyed by the greed and dishonesty of upper management (see Enron); yet others get away scott free. I guess it's good to know that at some point, there will be responsibility for the actions of the greedy and wicked. Sometimes I wish those responsibilities would come sooner - and perhaps they won't even happen in this life - but it's reassuring to know that it will happen someday.
Without wise leadership, a nation falls; with many counselors, there is safety (vs. 14).
I remember when I was at a church in Dallas, we had these round table discussions, where a topic would be picked, and then we would discuss (sometimes argue) the topic at hand. Someone would take notes, and this round table discussion would then be put in the monthly newsletter. I don't remember the topic that was discussed one day, but I remember the singles minister talking about how in the Bible, and beyond the Bible, there always seemed to be a pattern with nations - and that ultimately, those nations would fall because of the corrupt leadership. It happened with Rome, it happened with Ancient Greece, we've seen it happen even in the last century with a few nations who have fallen apart because of corrupt leadership.
We see it happen in churches as well - where the leadership of the church made poor decisions, and as a result, the church falls apart underneath the weight of those decisions.
I wonder if wisdom is a characteristic that people look for when they are electing or hiring their leaders. I think that in the candidates that we had for president this year, we saw examples of wisdom and foolishness from both. Both made wise and foolish decisions in their pasts, and both made wise and foolish decisions during the campaign. I think it's good in churches as well to evaluate the decisions made by the leadership. Are those decisions mostly wise and godly, or are they mostly foolish and self-seeking? This could be a great standard by which churches can hold their leadership to.
The Lord hates cheating, but he delights in honesty. Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Good people are guided by their honesty; treacherous people are destroyed by their dishonesty. Riches won't help on the day of judgment, but right living is a safeguard against death. The godly are directed by their honesty, the wicked fall beneath their load of sin. (vs. 1-5)
Reading the first five verses of Proverbs 11 immediately brought to my mind the financial situation of our country right now. There are obviously many reasons why it looks like we are heading into a recession, but one of the main reasons is the greed and dishonesty prevalent in some of our companies and financial institutions. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Decisions made by CEO's of large companies, largely fueled by greed and the desire for more stock options and bigger year-end bonuses don't just have a trickle down effect upon their workers and upon the rest of us; these days it's more like a waterfall of problems. I remember reading somewhere that in 1982, a CEO of a corporation made on average 42 times more than that of the average worker in the corporation. In 2004 (the last data I could find), that number became 431-to-1.
On one hand, I believe that companies in America should have some freedoms to running their business the way they want to (within reason of course). On the other hand, there is so much corruption and greed these days, that we cannot trust that people will make the right decisions that will benefit others and not just themselves. We have seen examples of corporations that have been destroyed by the greed and dishonesty of upper management (see Enron); yet others get away scott free. I guess it's good to know that at some point, there will be responsibility for the actions of the greedy and wicked. Sometimes I wish those responsibilities would come sooner - and perhaps they won't even happen in this life - but it's reassuring to know that it will happen someday.
Without wise leadership, a nation falls; with many counselors, there is safety (vs. 14).
I remember when I was at a church in Dallas, we had these round table discussions, where a topic would be picked, and then we would discuss (sometimes argue) the topic at hand. Someone would take notes, and this round table discussion would then be put in the monthly newsletter. I don't remember the topic that was discussed one day, but I remember the singles minister talking about how in the Bible, and beyond the Bible, there always seemed to be a pattern with nations - and that ultimately, those nations would fall because of the corrupt leadership. It happened with Rome, it happened with Ancient Greece, we've seen it happen even in the last century with a few nations who have fallen apart because of corrupt leadership.
We see it happen in churches as well - where the leadership of the church made poor decisions, and as a result, the church falls apart underneath the weight of those decisions.
I wonder if wisdom is a characteristic that people look for when they are electing or hiring their leaders. I think that in the candidates that we had for president this year, we saw examples of wisdom and foolishness from both. Both made wise and foolish decisions in their pasts, and both made wise and foolish decisions during the campaign. I think it's good in churches as well to evaluate the decisions made by the leadership. Are those decisions mostly wise and godly, or are they mostly foolish and self-seeking? This could be a great standard by which churches can hold their leadership to.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Proverbs Experiment: Day Ten
It looks like we're going away with the chapters that have themes to them, and are now dealing with chapters where each verse has a different theme.
Proverbs Chapter Ten:
The Lord will not let the godly starve to death, but he refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked. (vs. 3)
This promise seems very real to me right now. :^) It looks like what we have savings-wise will last us for another month, but after that, yikes!
People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall. (vs. 9)
This verse immediately brings to mind the story that is the main headline in the news: that the governor from Illinois was caught trying to sell Barack Obama's senate seat to the higher bidder, among other things. This is now the third or fourth governor from Illinois who has been caught doing something illegal. I think that when you lack integrity, you have to hide who you really are, and that hole that you hide in gets deeper and deeper as you continue to spin lies, and then one day someone finds that hole and what started out as a small lapse in judgment has turned into a lifestyle of lies, deceit and a lack of integrity. Which should be a sobering reminder to all of us that if we do right in the small things, we will live a life of integrity. But if we don't do what is right in the small things, it's going to get much worse!
Don't talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow! (vs. 19)
I can say A LOT about this subject, but I'll just let the verse speak for itself. ;^)
Proverbs Chapter Ten:
The Lord will not let the godly starve to death, but he refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked. (vs. 3)
This promise seems very real to me right now. :^) It looks like what we have savings-wise will last us for another month, but after that, yikes!
People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall. (vs. 9)
This verse immediately brings to mind the story that is the main headline in the news: that the governor from Illinois was caught trying to sell Barack Obama's senate seat to the higher bidder, among other things. This is now the third or fourth governor from Illinois who has been caught doing something illegal. I think that when you lack integrity, you have to hide who you really are, and that hole that you hide in gets deeper and deeper as you continue to spin lies, and then one day someone finds that hole and what started out as a small lapse in judgment has turned into a lifestyle of lies, deceit and a lack of integrity. Which should be a sobering reminder to all of us that if we do right in the small things, we will live a life of integrity. But if we don't do what is right in the small things, it's going to get much worse!
Don't talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow! (vs. 19)
I can say A LOT about this subject, but I'll just let the verse speak for itself. ;^)
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Proverbs Experiment: Day Nine
Proverbs Chapter Nine:
Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get a smart retort. Anyone who rebukes the wicked will get hurt. So don't bother rebuking mockers, they will only hate you. But the wise, when rebuked, will love you all the more. (vs. 7-8)
I'm pretty sure we have all faced this situation before: arguments with someone that got you absolutely nowhere. No matter what you said, no matter how well-reasoned your argument was - the other person thought they were right.
Back in my early ministry days, I faced this on a regular basis with a guy I'll call Don.
Don knew everything about the Bible. He knew everything about Christianity. He knew what was right, what was wrong. His way of winning debates and arguments was to talk louder and faster than you. Don, when it was his turn to lead the singles group I was in, always picked some obscure passage in the Bible to talk about or some topic that was on his mind that the rest of us didn't really concern ourselves over, like the Masons or the OT sacrificial system. He would preach to us for about forty minutes, ask for questions, and then pick apart each person's question in a belittling, "I know more than you know" kind of way.
I will always remember hanging out with Don and some others at the local Dairy Queen one night after singles group. Usually I could avoid the one-on-one arguments that Don liked to have, but this time we both got our ice cream first. Don asked me a question starting with the phrase, "What do you think about...?" When I told him what I thought about it, he said, "That's the wrong answer," and then proceeded for the next five minutes to tell me what the right answer was. He did this for about half an hour until I mumbled something about needing to pick up something at the grocery store and made my exit. Don was the most conservative person politically I had ever met, and he labeled anyone who didn't agree with his political views as a "flaming liberal."
I hadn't thought of Don much over the last ten years, but when I was in Colorado, I happened to hear a news story on the radio about a high school kid who was suspended from school because he wore a "Nobama" shirt. When they interviewed the kid, and said his name (which is a very very unusual name), I knew it was Don's son. The words that came out of his mouth on the radio were exactly the words Don would have said ten years before.
Like father, like son. Sad, really.
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding. (vs. 10)
Walter Brueggemann once said that wisdom ends in doxology (or praise), but then goes on to say this:
"only if long-term, patient, discerning attentiveness begins in the right way at the right place. In order to end in praise, wisdom must begin in obedience. "
To me, that's what fearing God is all about. That we show that we fear God by obeying what He tells us to do. In this passage, "fearing God" does not mean "to be afraid of," it means to show respect, awe and reverence for. We show that we respect God by doing what He has commanded us to do. And when we do these things, we show that we are wise and that we are making the right decisions in our life.
Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get a smart retort. Anyone who rebukes the wicked will get hurt. So don't bother rebuking mockers, they will only hate you. But the wise, when rebuked, will love you all the more. (vs. 7-8)
I'm pretty sure we have all faced this situation before: arguments with someone that got you absolutely nowhere. No matter what you said, no matter how well-reasoned your argument was - the other person thought they were right.
Back in my early ministry days, I faced this on a regular basis with a guy I'll call Don.
Don knew everything about the Bible. He knew everything about Christianity. He knew what was right, what was wrong. His way of winning debates and arguments was to talk louder and faster than you. Don, when it was his turn to lead the singles group I was in, always picked some obscure passage in the Bible to talk about or some topic that was on his mind that the rest of us didn't really concern ourselves over, like the Masons or the OT sacrificial system. He would preach to us for about forty minutes, ask for questions, and then pick apart each person's question in a belittling, "I know more than you know" kind of way.
I will always remember hanging out with Don and some others at the local Dairy Queen one night after singles group. Usually I could avoid the one-on-one arguments that Don liked to have, but this time we both got our ice cream first. Don asked me a question starting with the phrase, "What do you think about...?" When I told him what I thought about it, he said, "That's the wrong answer," and then proceeded for the next five minutes to tell me what the right answer was. He did this for about half an hour until I mumbled something about needing to pick up something at the grocery store and made my exit. Don was the most conservative person politically I had ever met, and he labeled anyone who didn't agree with his political views as a "flaming liberal."
I hadn't thought of Don much over the last ten years, but when I was in Colorado, I happened to hear a news story on the radio about a high school kid who was suspended from school because he wore a "Nobama" shirt. When they interviewed the kid, and said his name (which is a very very unusual name), I knew it was Don's son. The words that came out of his mouth on the radio were exactly the words Don would have said ten years before.
Like father, like son. Sad, really.
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding. (vs. 10)
Walter Brueggemann once said that wisdom ends in doxology (or praise), but then goes on to say this:
"only if long-term, patient, discerning attentiveness begins in the right way at the right place. In order to end in praise, wisdom must begin in obedience. "
To me, that's what fearing God is all about. That we show that we fear God by obeying what He tells us to do. In this passage, "fearing God" does not mean "to be afraid of," it means to show respect, awe and reverence for. We show that we respect God by doing what He has commanded us to do. And when we do these things, we show that we are wise and that we are making the right decisions in our life.
Proverbs Experiment: Day Eight
Oops! It's getting harder to keep up!
Proverbs Chapter Eight:
Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge over pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can be compared with it. (vs. 10-11)
These verses totally remind me of this song that we used to do back when I was in college, and even when I interned in Tucson:
Lord, you are more beautiful than silver
Lord, you are more precious than gold
Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire compares with You
Ha, that brings back memories of old school songs we used to do back then. At the college I went to, we had chapel every Wednesday and Thursday - attendance was mandatory - and then we had Tuesday night dorm devotions, which was not mandatory. The chapels had some good speakers, but the music was pretty stale. Tuesday nights, though, had worship bands made up of students, or worship bands from other churches, and it was much more rockin'. I enjoyed Tuesday nights much more than Wednesday or Thursday. Of course, now if you played those songs in church, it would seem to be more like the chapel back then than the worship we have now. Funny how perspective changes over fifteen years.
What does that really have to do with the passage above? Nothing. But to be honest, there's not a lot in this chapter that I haven't already talked about before. :^)
Proverbs Chapter Eight:
Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge over pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can be compared with it. (vs. 10-11)
These verses totally remind me of this song that we used to do back when I was in college, and even when I interned in Tucson:
Lord, you are more beautiful than silver
Lord, you are more precious than gold
Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire compares with You
Ha, that brings back memories of old school songs we used to do back then. At the college I went to, we had chapel every Wednesday and Thursday - attendance was mandatory - and then we had Tuesday night dorm devotions, which was not mandatory. The chapels had some good speakers, but the music was pretty stale. Tuesday nights, though, had worship bands made up of students, or worship bands from other churches, and it was much more rockin'. I enjoyed Tuesday nights much more than Wednesday or Thursday. Of course, now if you played those songs in church, it would seem to be more like the chapel back then than the worship we have now. Funny how perspective changes over fifteen years.
What does that really have to do with the passage above? Nothing. But to be honest, there's not a lot in this chapter that I haven't already talked about before. :^)
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Proverbs Experiment: Day Seven
Proverbs Chapter Seven:
Follow my advice, my son; always treasure my commands. Obey them and live! Guard my teachings as your most precious possession. Tie them on your fingers as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. (vs. 1-3)
I love these verses. I don't know how many times the writer has said to do something as a reminder of his words, but it seems like a lot already. For those of us with memory problems, it's probably a good idea to do something to remind ourselves of certain things. One of my favorite movies of all time is Memento - in that movie, the main character has a memory problem, and any important information he wants to remember he has tattooed on himself. I don't have an tattoos, but I do have a pack of verses that I carry with me most of the time in order to remind myself of God's provision, his faithfulness, and his love for me.
As a father, these verses above carry a lot of weight, because I can see myself saying the same thing to my daughter when she gets older and has to make some tough choices. Again, I wish that my father would have schooled me more in life education and would have asked for me to remember his words of wisdom; unfortunately I did not get that schooling.
Because of that, I had always hoped to have a mentor. Someone who would come along side me, see me as someone worthy of sharing wisdom and experience with, someone I could trust. Unfortunately that has not happened either. I've even asked certain people I have respected to be a mentor to me, but they have always been too busy to do so. Now that I'm getting close to forty, I might have missed that window of opportunity. Now perhaps I need to find a couple of younger guys to mentor, to share my life experiences with, to share my wisdom with - so that in case they didn't receive any wisdom from their parents, they can receive some wisdom from someone who cares about them, who wants to see them succeed in life.
He followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter or like a trapped stag, awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life. (vs. 22-23)
I know a lot of ministers who have been undone by immorality.
There have been a few who I graduated with who had incredible promise and incredible passion for God, who traded all of that for one night of sin.
I remember someone who used to speak at a summer conference that my student ministry would go to - someone who was an amazing speaker and had us all on the edge of our seats, sometimes in tears - who traded his speaking gift and his passion for sharing God's Word for an affair with one of the high school students he was entrusted to minister to.
We've all heard the news stories of "famous" ministers who have traded their fame and popularity for sin and the demise of their ministry.
And Satan just sits back and laughs.
One of the problems with being "successful" in ministry is that you begin to think that you're untouchable. So many people love you, so many people depend on you for their relationship with Christ. You being to think that you're almost god-like. I haven't experienced that much in the last several years, but I know in my first two ministries, that there was a temptation that when your youth ministry was growing like crazy, and when amazing things were happening, to take the credit for it and receive the adulation that we all crave, we all desire. Thankfully, my self-esteem also wasn't (and isn't) that great, so I could never take the credit for what was happening; I truly believed it was God, and not me, that was growing my ministry. Thankfully, I didn't run into that as much as I could have back then.
At one of the churches I was at, this last year has been hard on the youth ministry, as they've had not one, but two student ministers fall because of infidelity issues. The issues I faced when I was there has probably compounded now because it's much larger; I'm sure the pressure on the ministers there is very great. That's why reading Proverbs would probably be good for anyone in leadership; as the first verses said, they remind us to be wise and not fall into foolish temptations and situations.
Follow my advice, my son; always treasure my commands. Obey them and live! Guard my teachings as your most precious possession. Tie them on your fingers as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. (vs. 1-3)
I love these verses. I don't know how many times the writer has said to do something as a reminder of his words, but it seems like a lot already. For those of us with memory problems, it's probably a good idea to do something to remind ourselves of certain things. One of my favorite movies of all time is Memento - in that movie, the main character has a memory problem, and any important information he wants to remember he has tattooed on himself. I don't have an tattoos, but I do have a pack of verses that I carry with me most of the time in order to remind myself of God's provision, his faithfulness, and his love for me.
As a father, these verses above carry a lot of weight, because I can see myself saying the same thing to my daughter when she gets older and has to make some tough choices. Again, I wish that my father would have schooled me more in life education and would have asked for me to remember his words of wisdom; unfortunately I did not get that schooling.
Because of that, I had always hoped to have a mentor. Someone who would come along side me, see me as someone worthy of sharing wisdom and experience with, someone I could trust. Unfortunately that has not happened either. I've even asked certain people I have respected to be a mentor to me, but they have always been too busy to do so. Now that I'm getting close to forty, I might have missed that window of opportunity. Now perhaps I need to find a couple of younger guys to mentor, to share my life experiences with, to share my wisdom with - so that in case they didn't receive any wisdom from their parents, they can receive some wisdom from someone who cares about them, who wants to see them succeed in life.
He followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter or like a trapped stag, awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life. (vs. 22-23)
I know a lot of ministers who have been undone by immorality.
There have been a few who I graduated with who had incredible promise and incredible passion for God, who traded all of that for one night of sin.
I remember someone who used to speak at a summer conference that my student ministry would go to - someone who was an amazing speaker and had us all on the edge of our seats, sometimes in tears - who traded his speaking gift and his passion for sharing God's Word for an affair with one of the high school students he was entrusted to minister to.
We've all heard the news stories of "famous" ministers who have traded their fame and popularity for sin and the demise of their ministry.
And Satan just sits back and laughs.
One of the problems with being "successful" in ministry is that you begin to think that you're untouchable. So many people love you, so many people depend on you for their relationship with Christ. You being to think that you're almost god-like. I haven't experienced that much in the last several years, but I know in my first two ministries, that there was a temptation that when your youth ministry was growing like crazy, and when amazing things were happening, to take the credit for it and receive the adulation that we all crave, we all desire. Thankfully, my self-esteem also wasn't (and isn't) that great, so I could never take the credit for what was happening; I truly believed it was God, and not me, that was growing my ministry. Thankfully, I didn't run into that as much as I could have back then.
At one of the churches I was at, this last year has been hard on the youth ministry, as they've had not one, but two student ministers fall because of infidelity issues. The issues I faced when I was there has probably compounded now because it's much larger; I'm sure the pressure on the ministers there is very great. That's why reading Proverbs would probably be good for anyone in leadership; as the first verses said, they remind us to be wise and not fall into foolish temptations and situations.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Proverbs Experiment: Day Six
Writing this actually on Day Seven, but oh well...
Proverbs Chapter Six:
Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise! (vs.6)
My daughter has this computer game that she got from Chick Fil-A. At first she was kind of annoyed with the kids' meals at Chick Fil-A because they are usually games or books and not actual toys (although right now McDonald's has My Little Ponies and that's the only place she wants to go!) - but the two games we got last year from there are pretty good. One is an Artist Game, where you get to draw things and make movies and all kinds of stuff. The other one is an Animal Adventure Game, where you go to different locations around the world and learn about different animals. Last year, in preschool, her teacher was talking about bats, and how they spot prey and everything, and my daughter raised her hand and said, "I know what that's called Ms. Stephanie. It's called "echolocation." She didn't learn it from me (I had no idea what it was called), she learned it from this game!
The Animal Adventure game spends quite a bit of time teaching about leafcutter ants. It's rather interesting, all the info you learn about these ants. One thing is sure about them: they don't stop doing what they are supposed to be doing! If your a worker ant that is supposed to collect leaves, you keep doing it. If you're an ant that is supposed to make the leaf paste, you keep doing it. If you are the one that is supposed to bring the paste down to the lower levels of the ant hole in order to grow the fungus, you keep doing it! (See, now you've learned a little bit about ants -good huh!)
The above verse is a good reminder that work is good. It's not that fun sometimes, and it can be tedious (I just finished painting our master bedroom, and decided to tape the ceiling and floorboards and everything before painting; I'm glad I did, but it took forever!) but we are not supposed to be lazy.
I can easily fall into laziness, however. Whether it be the baseball game on the X-Box, or whether it be watching a T.V. show, or whether it be hanging out at Barnes and Noble, I can become a lazybones in no time. One thing I'm trying to do during this time of having no job is keeping myself busy - like with paint projects - so that once I do get a job, I still have the work ethic thing going.
There are six things the Lord hates - no, seven things he detests:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord among brothers. (vs. 16-19)
No mincing words here. You don't have to wonder, "What does God hate?" Here's your answer right here.
I thought it was interesting that the first five things all involve a body part. Pretty easy way to remember this list.
A few interesting things:
- interesting that pride is the first on the list, since pride was the downfall of Satan and his angels; and you could say that pride was the downfall of us as well ("You shall be like God himself" was the temptation that Adam and Eve succumbed to.)
- a heart that plots evil is in the middle of the list. Why can't I stop thinking of Dr. Evil when I read this one on the list?
- interesting that there are two on the list that relate to the tongue - lying with the tongue, and bearing false witness with the tongue.
- I'm not surprised that the last one is on this list. There are way too many churches that are torn apart by people who cause disunity in the body of Christ. Although I think this can be taken out of context (sometimes, people need to be held accountable for their actions, like leaders, and bringing this to the forefront of a church community can cause there to be a split of opinion. Hopefully that's not the case, but it happens), it hurts the witness of a church in its community when someone ruins the church through division.
Proverbs Chapter Six:
Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise! (vs.6)
My daughter has this computer game that she got from Chick Fil-A. At first she was kind of annoyed with the kids' meals at Chick Fil-A because they are usually games or books and not actual toys (although right now McDonald's has My Little Ponies and that's the only place she wants to go!) - but the two games we got last year from there are pretty good. One is an Artist Game, where you get to draw things and make movies and all kinds of stuff. The other one is an Animal Adventure Game, where you go to different locations around the world and learn about different animals. Last year, in preschool, her teacher was talking about bats, and how they spot prey and everything, and my daughter raised her hand and said, "I know what that's called Ms. Stephanie. It's called "echolocation." She didn't learn it from me (I had no idea what it was called), she learned it from this game!
The Animal Adventure game spends quite a bit of time teaching about leafcutter ants. It's rather interesting, all the info you learn about these ants. One thing is sure about them: they don't stop doing what they are supposed to be doing! If your a worker ant that is supposed to collect leaves, you keep doing it. If you're an ant that is supposed to make the leaf paste, you keep doing it. If you are the one that is supposed to bring the paste down to the lower levels of the ant hole in order to grow the fungus, you keep doing it! (See, now you've learned a little bit about ants -good huh!)
The above verse is a good reminder that work is good. It's not that fun sometimes, and it can be tedious (I just finished painting our master bedroom, and decided to tape the ceiling and floorboards and everything before painting; I'm glad I did, but it took forever!) but we are not supposed to be lazy.
I can easily fall into laziness, however. Whether it be the baseball game on the X-Box, or whether it be watching a T.V. show, or whether it be hanging out at Barnes and Noble, I can become a lazybones in no time. One thing I'm trying to do during this time of having no job is keeping myself busy - like with paint projects - so that once I do get a job, I still have the work ethic thing going.
There are six things the Lord hates - no, seven things he detests:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord among brothers. (vs. 16-19)
No mincing words here. You don't have to wonder, "What does God hate?" Here's your answer right here.
I thought it was interesting that the first five things all involve a body part. Pretty easy way to remember this list.
A few interesting things:
- interesting that pride is the first on the list, since pride was the downfall of Satan and his angels; and you could say that pride was the downfall of us as well ("You shall be like God himself" was the temptation that Adam and Eve succumbed to.)
- a heart that plots evil is in the middle of the list. Why can't I stop thinking of Dr. Evil when I read this one on the list?
- interesting that there are two on the list that relate to the tongue - lying with the tongue, and bearing false witness with the tongue.
- I'm not surprised that the last one is on this list. There are way too many churches that are torn apart by people who cause disunity in the body of Christ. Although I think this can be taken out of context (sometimes, people need to be held accountable for their actions, like leaders, and bringing this to the forefront of a church community can cause there to be a split of opinion. Hopefully that's not the case, but it happens), it hurts the witness of a church in its community when someone ruins the church through division.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Proverbs Experiment: Day Five
Proverbs Chapter Five:
For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword. (vs. 3-4)
This was a pretty hard chapter to find stuff to write about, because most of it is either about staying away from immoral women, or about "enjoying" your wife. The second advice is probably a good idea, although I do know that just getting married doesn't solve a person's problems. If they struggle with lust or immorality, it's not going to change if they get married. I just know too many people who have relied on marriage to be their "savior" from their problems, and perhaps for awhile it helped them with temptations or whatever, but it certainly doesn't last.
However, I guess everyone can get something out of the above verses, even if one knows an "immoral woman" or "immoral man" or not. Because really what it is saying is to look past how someone treats you, or the way someone talks to you, and realize that sometimes there are other intentions behind the front that a person puts up. I'm not saying to be overly cautious with everyone - but especially with someone of the opposite sex, it's a good idea to be careful.
Of course, as I read through the entire section of this warning against immoral women, I can see myself going to the same lengths to warn my daughter as she gets older. When I read the section at first, I thought, "Overkill!" but I'm pretty sure I'll be pretty overkill in my warning as well.
For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness. (vs. 21-23)
The first verse above reminds me of the book "Who You Are When No One Is Looking" by Bill Hybels. No matter what we do, no matter how hidden we think our sins are, there is One who is always aware of our actions.
This reminds me of church camp.
In college, I had the opportunity to be on a camp team for our school, which meant I traveled around the West during the summer going to camps and promoting our college, as well as helping out wherever possible. At one church camp, I remember one of the speakers talking about our sins and that when we get to heaven, there's going to be this big screen and everyone will be gathered around, and God will show our lives, all the things we've done and failed to do, on a screen for everyone.
Talk about a Debbie Downer.
And then at another church camp, another speaker got up and talked about how when we got to heaven, we would stand before God, and He would have this big list of the sins we had done, and at the time he would announce those sins to everyone, Jesus would stand up, take the list, and rip it up and say to God, "This is paid in full."
Hmm. Which one do we all hope for? The second one of course. I'm not sure which is correct, or if there is a third option out there. There are some verses that point to judgment even for Christians in heaven, and there are some verses that point to God completely forgetting our sins (as far as the east is from the west, so I have removed your transgressions from me...). I don't have the answer. But the truth is that whether God displays it for everyone, or he deliberately chooses to forget our sins - He knows our hearts. He knows our failures. To live knowing this and realizing that the One who loves us more than any other knows what we do but loves us anyways, should help us battle the things that drag us down, that catch us and trap us.
For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword. (vs. 3-4)
This was a pretty hard chapter to find stuff to write about, because most of it is either about staying away from immoral women, or about "enjoying" your wife. The second advice is probably a good idea, although I do know that just getting married doesn't solve a person's problems. If they struggle with lust or immorality, it's not going to change if they get married. I just know too many people who have relied on marriage to be their "savior" from their problems, and perhaps for awhile it helped them with temptations or whatever, but it certainly doesn't last.
However, I guess everyone can get something out of the above verses, even if one knows an "immoral woman" or "immoral man" or not. Because really what it is saying is to look past how someone treats you, or the way someone talks to you, and realize that sometimes there are other intentions behind the front that a person puts up. I'm not saying to be overly cautious with everyone - but especially with someone of the opposite sex, it's a good idea to be careful.
Of course, as I read through the entire section of this warning against immoral women, I can see myself going to the same lengths to warn my daughter as she gets older. When I read the section at first, I thought, "Overkill!" but I'm pretty sure I'll be pretty overkill in my warning as well.
For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness. (vs. 21-23)
The first verse above reminds me of the book "Who You Are When No One Is Looking" by Bill Hybels. No matter what we do, no matter how hidden we think our sins are, there is One who is always aware of our actions.
This reminds me of church camp.
In college, I had the opportunity to be on a camp team for our school, which meant I traveled around the West during the summer going to camps and promoting our college, as well as helping out wherever possible. At one church camp, I remember one of the speakers talking about our sins and that when we get to heaven, there's going to be this big screen and everyone will be gathered around, and God will show our lives, all the things we've done and failed to do, on a screen for everyone.
Talk about a Debbie Downer.
And then at another church camp, another speaker got up and talked about how when we got to heaven, we would stand before God, and He would have this big list of the sins we had done, and at the time he would announce those sins to everyone, Jesus would stand up, take the list, and rip it up and say to God, "This is paid in full."
Hmm. Which one do we all hope for? The second one of course. I'm not sure which is correct, or if there is a third option out there. There are some verses that point to judgment even for Christians in heaven, and there are some verses that point to God completely forgetting our sins (as far as the east is from the west, so I have removed your transgressions from me...). I don't have the answer. But the truth is that whether God displays it for everyone, or he deliberately chooses to forget our sins - He knows our hearts. He knows our failures. To live knowing this and realizing that the One who loves us more than any other knows what we do but loves us anyways, should help us battle the things that drag us down, that catch us and trap us.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Proverbs Experiment: Day Four
Proverbs Chapter Four:
The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. (vs. 18)
If you haven't figured out, I'm fascinated with the words "light" and "shine". A couple of years ago, I directed a Christmas performance called Shine, which was a fun (and hard) thing to put together. The name of my other blog is called the Re:light Campaign, which was created to help rekindle the fire of hope in the hearts of those who have been trafficked and/or sold into slavery, as well as relighting a passion in the hearts of followers of God to do something about it. On the back of one of the t-shirts I have designed, I used Isaiah 58:10 as the key verse: "Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be bright as noon." A couple of my favorite worship songs deal with the idea of light and shining (one of them, Mighty To Save, says, "Shine your light and let the whole world see...")
That's why verse 18 drew my attention. We as people who follow God have the opportunity to let our light shine in so many dark places. If you've ever noticed, just a little light can light up a lot of darkness; unfortunately, we can become so busy with fighting battles within our churches, and with focusing on ourselves, that we don't take the opportunity to shine our light.
When I drove back to Ohio from Colorado, I was in Illinois when the sun started coming up in the morning. At the same time this was happening, there was a pretty dense fog all over. This fog started in MIssouri, and almost caused me to hit a deer that decided that being in the middle lane of I-70 was the best place for him to be. When the sun started coming up, and it hit this fog, I noticed two things happening: One is that the water droplets in the fog was causing the light coming from the sun to intensify, which was pretty cool. It felt like I was driving into heaven or something, because there was light all around me. The second thing that happened was that the light from the sun started to make the fog dissipate. It was pretty amazing to see the light from the sun disperse everywhere around me.
This is what happens when we let our light shine - it disperses into the darkness around us and lights up more than we could ever imagine.
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (vs. 23)
There is an amazing book that I read at least once a year, by a man named Gordon MacDonald. You may have read his book "Ordering Your Private World", I know a lot of people who have. I don't remember when or where I picked up another book of his, called "The Life God Blesses," but I know that it has been a book that has really helped me understand how important it is to "live with more weight below the waterline then above it." Confusing, huh? Well, I've only sailed on a sailboat a couple of times in my life, so I didn't understand this concept until I read it in this book. In order for a sailboat to maintain a steady course, and in order for it not to capsize but to harness the tremendous power of the wind, there must be more weight below the waterline than there is above it.
MacDonald tells of a time when he explained this to someone who thought they had it all: success, achievement, bells and whistles, and yet still felt empty. He writes:
"He nods reflectively as he begins to perceive that he may have spent his years building up the rigging, the sails, and the mast of life. The good life: it's all there to be admired and enjoyed. But there's almost nothing below the waterline! Something deep within is empty, alone. For the first time in our conversations we have reached a point where we can begin to talk about a most mysterious dimension of life: the soul - the inner "place" that defies the best efforts of philosophers and theologians who seek a satisfying definition.
The soul, I suggest to him, is somewhere below the personal waterline. And it is easily ignored until the storms of life arise. And if there is no weight at the level of the soul, there is little to promise survival."
This is what it means, in my opinion, to guard your heart. To build up your soul. To develop weight below the waterline of your life. We spend most of our lives trying to achieve the outer trappings of success and fortune and we spend less of our lives on building the inner life, the weight below the waterline.
As Thomas Kelly writes,
"We feel honestly the pull of many obligations and try to fulfill them all. And we are unhappy, uneasy, strained, oppressed, and fearful we shall be shallow...We have hints that there is a way of life vastly richer and deeper than all this hurried existence, a life of unhurried serenity and peace and power. If only we could slip over into that center. We have seen and known some people who have found this deep Center of living, where the fretful calls of life are integrated, where NO as well as YES can be said with confidence."
When we guard our hearts, when we work on the weight of our lives below the waterline, it helps us see what God wants for our lives. And because our priorities are in order, we can say Yes to what truly is important and No to that which is not important.
The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. (vs. 18)
If you haven't figured out, I'm fascinated with the words "light" and "shine". A couple of years ago, I directed a Christmas performance called Shine, which was a fun (and hard) thing to put together. The name of my other blog is called the Re:light Campaign, which was created to help rekindle the fire of hope in the hearts of those who have been trafficked and/or sold into slavery, as well as relighting a passion in the hearts of followers of God to do something about it. On the back of one of the t-shirts I have designed, I used Isaiah 58:10 as the key verse: "Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be bright as noon." A couple of my favorite worship songs deal with the idea of light and shining (one of them, Mighty To Save, says, "Shine your light and let the whole world see...")
That's why verse 18 drew my attention. We as people who follow God have the opportunity to let our light shine in so many dark places. If you've ever noticed, just a little light can light up a lot of darkness; unfortunately, we can become so busy with fighting battles within our churches, and with focusing on ourselves, that we don't take the opportunity to shine our light.
When I drove back to Ohio from Colorado, I was in Illinois when the sun started coming up in the morning. At the same time this was happening, there was a pretty dense fog all over. This fog started in MIssouri, and almost caused me to hit a deer that decided that being in the middle lane of I-70 was the best place for him to be. When the sun started coming up, and it hit this fog, I noticed two things happening: One is that the water droplets in the fog was causing the light coming from the sun to intensify, which was pretty cool. It felt like I was driving into heaven or something, because there was light all around me. The second thing that happened was that the light from the sun started to make the fog dissipate. It was pretty amazing to see the light from the sun disperse everywhere around me.
This is what happens when we let our light shine - it disperses into the darkness around us and lights up more than we could ever imagine.
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (vs. 23)
There is an amazing book that I read at least once a year, by a man named Gordon MacDonald. You may have read his book "Ordering Your Private World", I know a lot of people who have. I don't remember when or where I picked up another book of his, called "The Life God Blesses," but I know that it has been a book that has really helped me understand how important it is to "live with more weight below the waterline then above it." Confusing, huh? Well, I've only sailed on a sailboat a couple of times in my life, so I didn't understand this concept until I read it in this book. In order for a sailboat to maintain a steady course, and in order for it not to capsize but to harness the tremendous power of the wind, there must be more weight below the waterline than there is above it.
MacDonald tells of a time when he explained this to someone who thought they had it all: success, achievement, bells and whistles, and yet still felt empty. He writes:
"He nods reflectively as he begins to perceive that he may have spent his years building up the rigging, the sails, and the mast of life. The good life: it's all there to be admired and enjoyed. But there's almost nothing below the waterline! Something deep within is empty, alone. For the first time in our conversations we have reached a point where we can begin to talk about a most mysterious dimension of life: the soul - the inner "place" that defies the best efforts of philosophers and theologians who seek a satisfying definition.
The soul, I suggest to him, is somewhere below the personal waterline. And it is easily ignored until the storms of life arise. And if there is no weight at the level of the soul, there is little to promise survival."
This is what it means, in my opinion, to guard your heart. To build up your soul. To develop weight below the waterline of your life. We spend most of our lives trying to achieve the outer trappings of success and fortune and we spend less of our lives on building the inner life, the weight below the waterline.
As Thomas Kelly writes,
"We feel honestly the pull of many obligations and try to fulfill them all. And we are unhappy, uneasy, strained, oppressed, and fearful we shall be shallow...We have hints that there is a way of life vastly richer and deeper than all this hurried existence, a life of unhurried serenity and peace and power. If only we could slip over into that center. We have seen and known some people who have found this deep Center of living, where the fretful calls of life are integrated, where NO as well as YES can be said with confidence."
When we guard our hearts, when we work on the weight of our lives below the waterline, it helps us see what God wants for our lives. And because our priorities are in order, we can say Yes to what truly is important and No to that which is not important.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Proverbs Experiment: Day Three
Proverbs Chapter Three:
Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. (vs. 3-4)
Have you ever noticed that kindness is catchy? It's infectious? A few weeks ago I remember seeing a commercial for I think an insurance company. It takes place at a county fair and it starts out with one person showing kindness to another person. In the background you see another person watch the whole thing take place, and then they show kindness to someone else, with someone else watching in the background, and it continues and continues. One person's kindness has the chance to actually bless a bunch of other people, not only the one person they showed kindness to. Something to remember when you have that decision of showing kindness or grumpiness (which probably works the same way, only negatively).
Speaking of kindness, yesterday we went to have our daughter's eyes checked, because she's been squinting a lot. Sure enough, she needs glasses. I was hoping that was one trait I wasn't passing on to her, because I got glasses when I was three years old. At least it didn't hit her that young, but still, I'm sad that she has to get glasses. Anyway, the eye doctor was a very kind older gentleman. He was very sweet with her, and asked me a ton of questions about our lives, and when he found out I was looking for a job, he started asking questions about that. He even took down my name and number and told me that he would talk to some people he knew who were looking for people to hire and that he would get back to me. Someone I didn't even know! That's a great example of kindness - going out of your way for a stranger.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend upon your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (vs. 5-6)
Most Christians know these verses. Or at least have heard them before. Today, as I read them, it reminded me of my proclivity to jumping out ahead of what God has planned for me, and figuring it out myself. Not this time, hopefully. It's hard to wait on God's timing and for God to show me what to do, however. And sometimes it's hard to know for sure that he's leading you down a certain path. I know He has called me to do something about child trafficking and child slavery, but I'm unsure about exactly what that means. Do I change careers completely and do this as a career? Is it supposed to be a side hobby? Do I look for an already established organization and join it, or do I start something on my own? The problem sometimes is that when you get the main answer (Yes, you're supposed to be doing something about this...), a thousand more questions pop up. I guess that's where trust comes in. Trust that God will answer those questions, one at a time, at His own choosing, in His own timing.
However, trusting in God doesn't mean inactivity. I watched this short sermon video of this preacher at a large church, and he was talking about Abraham and Sarah and how God told Sarah she was going to become pregnant. Obviously, for the pregnancy to happen, Abraham and Sarah needed to do something. If you know what I mean. Sarah wasn't going to automatically become pregnant - she had to act on what God told her was going to happen.
(It was much more comical and better done by the preacher himself.)
Knowing that fine line between waiting for God to show you the path, and starting to walk down that path, is hard. Or as one person has said, "There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path."
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them. (vs. 27)
And for commentary on this verse, I quote Mark Buchanan in his amazing book "Your God Is Too Safe":
"The deeper difference between Jesus' ethic and that of the Pharisees was this: The Pharisees had an ethic of avoidance, and Jesus had an ethic of involvement. The Pharisee's question was not "How can I glorify God?" It was "How can I avoid bringing disgrace to God?" This degenerated into a concern not with God, but with self - with image, reputation, procedure. They didn't ask, "How can I make others clean?" They asked, "How can I keep myself from getting dirty?" They did not seek to rescue sinners, only to avoid sinning.
Jesus, in sharp contrast, got involved. He sought always and in all ways to help, to heal, to save, to restore. Rather than running from evil, He ran toward the good. And evil, in fear, fled. Christ's ethic sends us into the gray: It is about restoration, about healing the brokenness. Frequently, Jesus issued a sharp command: "Go!"...
I once spoke to a group of young people and asked them to define a Christian. Here's what they said: A Christian is someone who doesn't smoke, doesn't drink or do drugs, doesn't have sex until marriage, doesn't use bad language. Of course, I am not suggesting a Christian does these things. But it's tragic that we instinctively define Christians by what they are not, by what they avoid. It's like being asked to draw a picture of someone and instead drawing everything around the person and leaving the portrait blank. In saying what Christians are not, we merely sketch the air around them. Christ never did that. In Matthew 25, Christ, regnant and fierce, divides sheep from the goats. How does He tell them apart? How does He separate true followers from false ones? He does not identify His disciples as those who didn't drink and didn't chew and didn't go with girls who do. What He says is, You are My disciple if I came to you naked and you clothed Me, came to you hungry and you fed Me, was in prison and you visited Me...
We are known by our fruits, not by our lack of tree fungus or leaf rot. We need to restore this ethic in our hearts and homes and churches."
This proverb is an amazing one. And once again a reminder for me to DO SOMETHING.
Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. (vs. 3-4)
Have you ever noticed that kindness is catchy? It's infectious? A few weeks ago I remember seeing a commercial for I think an insurance company. It takes place at a county fair and it starts out with one person showing kindness to another person. In the background you see another person watch the whole thing take place, and then they show kindness to someone else, with someone else watching in the background, and it continues and continues. One person's kindness has the chance to actually bless a bunch of other people, not only the one person they showed kindness to. Something to remember when you have that decision of showing kindness or grumpiness (which probably works the same way, only negatively).
Speaking of kindness, yesterday we went to have our daughter's eyes checked, because she's been squinting a lot. Sure enough, she needs glasses. I was hoping that was one trait I wasn't passing on to her, because I got glasses when I was three years old. At least it didn't hit her that young, but still, I'm sad that she has to get glasses. Anyway, the eye doctor was a very kind older gentleman. He was very sweet with her, and asked me a ton of questions about our lives, and when he found out I was looking for a job, he started asking questions about that. He even took down my name and number and told me that he would talk to some people he knew who were looking for people to hire and that he would get back to me. Someone I didn't even know! That's a great example of kindness - going out of your way for a stranger.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend upon your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (vs. 5-6)
Most Christians know these verses. Or at least have heard them before. Today, as I read them, it reminded me of my proclivity to jumping out ahead of what God has planned for me, and figuring it out myself. Not this time, hopefully. It's hard to wait on God's timing and for God to show me what to do, however. And sometimes it's hard to know for sure that he's leading you down a certain path. I know He has called me to do something about child trafficking and child slavery, but I'm unsure about exactly what that means. Do I change careers completely and do this as a career? Is it supposed to be a side hobby? Do I look for an already established organization and join it, or do I start something on my own? The problem sometimes is that when you get the main answer (Yes, you're supposed to be doing something about this...), a thousand more questions pop up. I guess that's where trust comes in. Trust that God will answer those questions, one at a time, at His own choosing, in His own timing.
However, trusting in God doesn't mean inactivity. I watched this short sermon video of this preacher at a large church, and he was talking about Abraham and Sarah and how God told Sarah she was going to become pregnant. Obviously, for the pregnancy to happen, Abraham and Sarah needed to do something. If you know what I mean. Sarah wasn't going to automatically become pregnant - she had to act on what God told her was going to happen.
(It was much more comical and better done by the preacher himself.)
Knowing that fine line between waiting for God to show you the path, and starting to walk down that path, is hard. Or as one person has said, "There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path."
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them. (vs. 27)
And for commentary on this verse, I quote Mark Buchanan in his amazing book "Your God Is Too Safe":
"The deeper difference between Jesus' ethic and that of the Pharisees was this: The Pharisees had an ethic of avoidance, and Jesus had an ethic of involvement. The Pharisee's question was not "How can I glorify God?" It was "How can I avoid bringing disgrace to God?" This degenerated into a concern not with God, but with self - with image, reputation, procedure. They didn't ask, "How can I make others clean?" They asked, "How can I keep myself from getting dirty?" They did not seek to rescue sinners, only to avoid sinning.
Jesus, in sharp contrast, got involved. He sought always and in all ways to help, to heal, to save, to restore. Rather than running from evil, He ran toward the good. And evil, in fear, fled. Christ's ethic sends us into the gray: It is about restoration, about healing the brokenness. Frequently, Jesus issued a sharp command: "Go!"...
I once spoke to a group of young people and asked them to define a Christian. Here's what they said: A Christian is someone who doesn't smoke, doesn't drink or do drugs, doesn't have sex until marriage, doesn't use bad language. Of course, I am not suggesting a Christian does these things. But it's tragic that we instinctively define Christians by what they are not, by what they avoid. It's like being asked to draw a picture of someone and instead drawing everything around the person and leaving the portrait blank. In saying what Christians are not, we merely sketch the air around them. Christ never did that. In Matthew 25, Christ, regnant and fierce, divides sheep from the goats. How does He tell them apart? How does He separate true followers from false ones? He does not identify His disciples as those who didn't drink and didn't chew and didn't go with girls who do. What He says is, You are My disciple if I came to you naked and you clothed Me, came to you hungry and you fed Me, was in prison and you visited Me...
We are known by our fruits, not by our lack of tree fungus or leaf rot. We need to restore this ethic in our hearts and homes and churches."
This proverb is an amazing one. And once again a reminder for me to DO SOMETHING.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Proverbs Experiment: Day Two
Proverbs Chapter Two:
Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. (verses 3-4)
Even though there are some scholars who say that Solomon did not write the book of Proverbs (and he certainly didn't write all of it, because there are a couple of chapters where it says the proverbs were written by someone else), I like to believe that Solomon was the author, especially because of the above verses. If you remember the story of Solomon, God came to him in a vision/dream thing and told him that he could ask for anything in the world and God would give it to Him. Solomon asks for wisdom. This pleases God, and He tells Solomon that because he asked for wisdom, he will get everything he didn't ask for as well. It's kind of like The Price Is Right, where if you're in the Showcase Showdown and you get your price right within a dollar or something, you not only get all the stuff that you had to name the price for, but also everything the other person had in their showcase. (I had a friend in college who went all the way to the Showdown, but then lost. Sad.)
And so here is Solomon, telling the rest of us to seek wisdom and understanding like we would if we were a beachcomber looking for hidden treasure on the beach. It's reassuring to have Solomon tell us this, because he's been there. He's seen the results.
Solomon did become the wisest person the world had ever seen. But towards the end of his life, it's like he lost it or something, because he makes some extremely bad decisions in his own life. I wonder if he became such an expert in applying wisdom towards dealing with other people's problems (like the story where the two women come in, both claiming that a baby is theirs), that he forgot to ask for wisdom for his own problems and decisions.
The best example? 700 wives. Doesn't sound very wise to me, Solomon.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. (verses 7-8)
Promises like these make me a little queasy.
I think that I would have taken these promises at face value ten years ago, but now - not so sure. I think one of the reasons why is because I started receiving publications of an organization called Voice Of The Martyrs. VOTM is dedicated to helping Christians all around the world who are persecuted for their faith. These brothers and sisters are beaten, tortured, and even killed because of their faith in Christ. I look at their stories (as you can read them in several books, like Jesus Freaks and The Narrow Road) and wonder if these Christians, when they read verses 7 and 8, wonder where their protection is, where their guard is.
I can give you specific situations in my life where I felt God was protecting me, like when we went on this missions trip in the inner-city of Los Angeles, or when I went on a missions trip to Juarez, Mexico - but what about those who always feel like they're in danger? Who are being persecuted for their faith? I should take these promises at face value, I guess - but it's hard to do so. Again - if the writer is Solomon, I wonder if these statements he makes are pretty easy for him to make? I mean, he was the king. He didn't have to worry about protection, because he had soldiers and armies and bodyguards. Is it easier for him to say that God will protect the righteous, because that protection was in place, versus a Christian in present-day North Korea who is living in a small hut by themselves? I don't know.
Then you will understand what is right, just and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. (verses 9-11)
This part, I do understand however. Wisdom is one of those things I wish I had more of. I think that one of the reasons I've moved around quite a bit in the last eight years is because I have made poor decisions when it comes to employment. I wonder if I'm not good at seeing the red flags until it's too late, or if churches are just good at hiding those red flags until they naturally come out.
Maybe this will be my "birthday wish" (no, I don't really wish for things anymore when I blow out the candle)- to gain more wisdom in my life. My wife would say at this point that asking for more common sense would be a good idea as well. I would agree with her on that one.
Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. (verses 3-4)
Even though there are some scholars who say that Solomon did not write the book of Proverbs (and he certainly didn't write all of it, because there are a couple of chapters where it says the proverbs were written by someone else), I like to believe that Solomon was the author, especially because of the above verses. If you remember the story of Solomon, God came to him in a vision/dream thing and told him that he could ask for anything in the world and God would give it to Him. Solomon asks for wisdom. This pleases God, and He tells Solomon that because he asked for wisdom, he will get everything he didn't ask for as well. It's kind of like The Price Is Right, where if you're in the Showcase Showdown and you get your price right within a dollar or something, you not only get all the stuff that you had to name the price for, but also everything the other person had in their showcase. (I had a friend in college who went all the way to the Showdown, but then lost. Sad.)
And so here is Solomon, telling the rest of us to seek wisdom and understanding like we would if we were a beachcomber looking for hidden treasure on the beach. It's reassuring to have Solomon tell us this, because he's been there. He's seen the results.
Solomon did become the wisest person the world had ever seen. But towards the end of his life, it's like he lost it or something, because he makes some extremely bad decisions in his own life. I wonder if he became such an expert in applying wisdom towards dealing with other people's problems (like the story where the two women come in, both claiming that a baby is theirs), that he forgot to ask for wisdom for his own problems and decisions.
The best example? 700 wives. Doesn't sound very wise to me, Solomon.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. (verses 7-8)
Promises like these make me a little queasy.
I think that I would have taken these promises at face value ten years ago, but now - not so sure. I think one of the reasons why is because I started receiving publications of an organization called Voice Of The Martyrs. VOTM is dedicated to helping Christians all around the world who are persecuted for their faith. These brothers and sisters are beaten, tortured, and even killed because of their faith in Christ. I look at their stories (as you can read them in several books, like Jesus Freaks and The Narrow Road) and wonder if these Christians, when they read verses 7 and 8, wonder where their protection is, where their guard is.
I can give you specific situations in my life where I felt God was protecting me, like when we went on this missions trip in the inner-city of Los Angeles, or when I went on a missions trip to Juarez, Mexico - but what about those who always feel like they're in danger? Who are being persecuted for their faith? I should take these promises at face value, I guess - but it's hard to do so. Again - if the writer is Solomon, I wonder if these statements he makes are pretty easy for him to make? I mean, he was the king. He didn't have to worry about protection, because he had soldiers and armies and bodyguards. Is it easier for him to say that God will protect the righteous, because that protection was in place, versus a Christian in present-day North Korea who is living in a small hut by themselves? I don't know.
Then you will understand what is right, just and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. (verses 9-11)
This part, I do understand however. Wisdom is one of those things I wish I had more of. I think that one of the reasons I've moved around quite a bit in the last eight years is because I have made poor decisions when it comes to employment. I wonder if I'm not good at seeing the red flags until it's too late, or if churches are just good at hiding those red flags until they naturally come out.
Maybe this will be my "birthday wish" (no, I don't really wish for things anymore when I blow out the candle)- to gain more wisdom in my life. My wife would say at this point that asking for more common sense would be a good idea as well. I would agree with her on that one.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Go To Bethlehem And See
I've never been that interested in the idea of Advent around Christmas time - spending several Sundays leading up to Christmas - one reason I think is that in my upbringing, the churches I went to and worked for never really spent much time on Advent. Perhaps we lit a candle each Sunday. But not much was said about it. This year, as it looks like I won't be spending the month of December preparing for Christmas songs, I'm excited to look more into what it means to celebrate the Advent season.
One of the ways I'm doing this is by checking out this blog everyday. As I read the following, I could definitely relate.
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Michael asked a question that’s really easy for me to answer. “Are You Good At Waiting?” No, I’m not. In fact, on the subject of Advent, I’m chief of hypocrites.
As an adult convert from fundamentalism to mainstream evangelicalism, Advent should be — and is — in my wheelhouse. I’m interested in setting aside a month to wait expectantly on Jesus. I have books, I talk about it, write articles about it, and then the first Sunday of Advent comes and goes and.. nothing.
Oh, I have excuses, even reasons. I tell myself that Advent is about expectation and intentionality, thoughtfulness, not bondage. Still, somehow I feel like I’ve failed. I’m a day behind celebrating the Christian new year! If I were really intentional, after all, would I be a day behind? Should I have spoken at last night’s service about Advent, when I had not even sat down with my own family?
Easily I could wrap myself in rules and regulations, in guilt and recrimination. Instead, I lean wholely on Christ. I confessed to my church family that I had let time run away and failed to begin celebration. I know that Christ’s return is not contingent on my attitude or expectation. Christ has coming, will come, and I am His.
Good at waiting? Hardly. My wife calls me patient because I don’t get frustrated at things, but I do get frustrated at myself, or maybe at God. This sanctification stuff takes too long, and I make the same stupid mistakes and here it is December again already and we’re a candle short, but maybe we can run to the store and… no, we wait. Hurrying to being Advent might be missing the point even more than being a day late.
We wait, expectantly, impatiently, and imperfectly, and we look forward to a time when Christ shall return.
One of the ways I'm doing this is by checking out this blog everyday. As I read the following, I could definitely relate.
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Michael asked a question that’s really easy for me to answer. “Are You Good At Waiting?” No, I’m not. In fact, on the subject of Advent, I’m chief of hypocrites.
As an adult convert from fundamentalism to mainstream evangelicalism, Advent should be — and is — in my wheelhouse. I’m interested in setting aside a month to wait expectantly on Jesus. I have books, I talk about it, write articles about it, and then the first Sunday of Advent comes and goes and.. nothing.
Oh, I have excuses, even reasons. I tell myself that Advent is about expectation and intentionality, thoughtfulness, not bondage. Still, somehow I feel like I’ve failed. I’m a day behind celebrating the Christian new year! If I were really intentional, after all, would I be a day behind? Should I have spoken at last night’s service about Advent, when I had not even sat down with my own family?
Easily I could wrap myself in rules and regulations, in guilt and recrimination. Instead, I lean wholely on Christ. I confessed to my church family that I had let time run away and failed to begin celebration. I know that Christ’s return is not contingent on my attitude or expectation. Christ has coming, will come, and I am His.
Good at waiting? Hardly. My wife calls me patient because I don’t get frustrated at things, but I do get frustrated at myself, or maybe at God. This sanctification stuff takes too long, and I make the same stupid mistakes and here it is December again already and we’re a candle short, but maybe we can run to the store and… no, we wait. Hurrying to being Advent might be missing the point even more than being a day late.
We wait, expectantly, impatiently, and imperfectly, and we look forward to a time when Christ shall return.
Proverbs Experiment: Day One
So, here we go. And as I start with these Proverbs, chapter one seems to be the setup to the rest of the book. It's kind of like the jacket cover of a novel - the front entices you to read it with the cool design, the back shows a picture of the author, and the inside gives you a brief synopsis of what the story is about, and if there's room a couple of reviews from the author's friends (or colleagues).
Even though the first verse says that these are proverbs of King Solomon, I've heard that there are other varying opinions on who actually wrote the book of Proverbs. As good old wikipedia says, "However at the time of composition it was often the custom to place the name of the King or someone of prominence in writings in order to honor them, or to give those writings more prestige..."
Interesting, but not really worth debating over.
Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. (verse 3)
I've obviously read the book of Proverbs before, but I've never really considered it as a guidebook to live a disciplined and successful life. I've always looked at it as kind of an interesting book of wise sayings that don't really apply to me today. I think I'm going to find out I've been wrong all these years. During this time of my life, as I'm looking towards "what's next": a career change, a move from a life of striving for success to a life of significance, a shift perhaps in priorities and what's important in my life - this could be an interesting way to begin.
My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don't neglect your mother's instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck. (verses 8-9)
I've actually thought about this over the past couple of years. After thinking about my upbringing, I've realized that most of what I've learned in life at an early age - how to be a man, manners, how to treat women, finances, etc. - I've pretty much had to learn on my own. My family life growing up was so chaotic: between the real father and the two stepfathers, having two brothers and two step siblings, my mom being sick for my entire high school days - that I was not given much instruction or even correction. When I learned how to shave, I figured it out on my own. When I asked a girl on a date and took her out, I pretty much fumbled my way through it. If I was struggling with homework, I kept on working at it until I got it right (or took an F). I think I missed out, honestly. It would have been nice to know what to do in certain situations before they happened. It would have been nice to not have to pull my foot out of my mouth all those times when I didn't know what to say but knew I had to say something. It would have been nice to know that certain haircuts look really, really stupid (mullet, anyone? How about a guy with a perm?). I think we fail to realize how much impact we really do have on our children if we allow that impact to happen.
My first car was a 1978 Datsun 200 SX, kind of like the one pictured below, but bright orange. And picture me, not "Ben", who is the guy standing next to the car.
I loved that car. I got it from a family friend for a hundred bucks. It ran smoothly, had those sheepskin seat covers, and an awesome cassette radio.
It lasted six months.
Why? Because I never changed the oil in it. And it had an oil leak I didn't know about. Here's the thing: I didn't know you had to change the oil in a car. I never knew that. I had never learned a thing about cars, except how to drive one. My stepdad didn't pass on any important information like that. He was rather mad when the car stopped working, because that meant I had to either borrow one of the other cars, or he had to drive me all over the place again. However, if he would have taken fifteen minutes to explain that you needed to change out the oil every three to five months, as well as other maintenance advice, there wouldn't have been a problem.
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Now that I'm a parent myself, I find myself trying to figure out what the fine line is between correction and nagging.
I want to make sure my five year old daughter is prepared for whatever she faces in life. I want to give her the instruction that I never received growing up. I want her to be ready for every situation possible. I want to be her own Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook that she can rely on in times of need.
That's rather dumb, isn't it?
Some things we do have to experience for ourselves. Not everything, like me growing up. But some things.
I think God works in this way, as well. Some things, he wants us prepared for: salvation, doing good works, treating other people in the right way. Other things, he lets us experience ourselves without instruction, because going through those things teach us: a health problem, a tragedy.
But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm. (verse 33)
This is "Wisdom" speaking in this section of chapter one. And an interesting promise. Hopefully, as I "listen" to what Wisdom has to say to me through the book of Proverbs over the next month, I will find myself more at peace and untroubled by what's happening in my life and the uncertainty that I'm in right now.
Even though the first verse says that these are proverbs of King Solomon, I've heard that there are other varying opinions on who actually wrote the book of Proverbs. As good old wikipedia says, "However at the time of composition it was often the custom to place the name of the King or someone of prominence in writings in order to honor them, or to give those writings more prestige..."
Interesting, but not really worth debating over.
Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. (verse 3)
I've obviously read the book of Proverbs before, but I've never really considered it as a guidebook to live a disciplined and successful life. I've always looked at it as kind of an interesting book of wise sayings that don't really apply to me today. I think I'm going to find out I've been wrong all these years. During this time of my life, as I'm looking towards "what's next": a career change, a move from a life of striving for success to a life of significance, a shift perhaps in priorities and what's important in my life - this could be an interesting way to begin.
My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don't neglect your mother's instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck. (verses 8-9)
I've actually thought about this over the past couple of years. After thinking about my upbringing, I've realized that most of what I've learned in life at an early age - how to be a man, manners, how to treat women, finances, etc. - I've pretty much had to learn on my own. My family life growing up was so chaotic: between the real father and the two stepfathers, having two brothers and two step siblings, my mom being sick for my entire high school days - that I was not given much instruction or even correction. When I learned how to shave, I figured it out on my own. When I asked a girl on a date and took her out, I pretty much fumbled my way through it. If I was struggling with homework, I kept on working at it until I got it right (or took an F). I think I missed out, honestly. It would have been nice to know what to do in certain situations before they happened. It would have been nice to not have to pull my foot out of my mouth all those times when I didn't know what to say but knew I had to say something. It would have been nice to know that certain haircuts look really, really stupid (mullet, anyone? How about a guy with a perm?). I think we fail to realize how much impact we really do have on our children if we allow that impact to happen.
My first car was a 1978 Datsun 200 SX, kind of like the one pictured below, but bright orange. And picture me, not "Ben", who is the guy standing next to the car.
I loved that car. I got it from a family friend for a hundred bucks. It ran smoothly, had those sheepskin seat covers, and an awesome cassette radio.
It lasted six months.
Why? Because I never changed the oil in it. And it had an oil leak I didn't know about. Here's the thing: I didn't know you had to change the oil in a car. I never knew that. I had never learned a thing about cars, except how to drive one. My stepdad didn't pass on any important information like that. He was rather mad when the car stopped working, because that meant I had to either borrow one of the other cars, or he had to drive me all over the place again. However, if he would have taken fifteen minutes to explain that you needed to change out the oil every three to five months, as well as other maintenance advice, there wouldn't have been a problem.
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Now that I'm a parent myself, I find myself trying to figure out what the fine line is between correction and nagging.
I want to make sure my five year old daughter is prepared for whatever she faces in life. I want to give her the instruction that I never received growing up. I want her to be ready for every situation possible. I want to be her own Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook that she can rely on in times of need.
That's rather dumb, isn't it?
Some things we do have to experience for ourselves. Not everything, like me growing up. But some things.
I think God works in this way, as well. Some things, he wants us prepared for: salvation, doing good works, treating other people in the right way. Other things, he lets us experience ourselves without instruction, because going through those things teach us: a health problem, a tragedy.
But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm. (verse 33)
This is "Wisdom" speaking in this section of chapter one. And an interesting promise. Hopefully, as I "listen" to what Wisdom has to say to me through the book of Proverbs over the next month, I will find myself more at peace and untroubled by what's happening in my life and the uncertainty that I'm in right now.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
The Proverbs Experiment
This morning, after I went to Dorothy Lane Market and got my coffee and two papers (to look for jobs), I came back and decided it would be a good idea to read my Bible. It had been awhile, with all the transition between Colorado and Ohio, looking for jobs, unpacking boxes, dusting and cleaning the house, and now of course getting all the Christmas stuff up. My Bible opened up to Proverbs 27, and there were some really good things in there, mostly about friendship. So this little idea came into my head - what about taking the month of December, reading a chapter in Proverbs a day (that coincides with the day of the month), and blogging each day about a couple of verses that either hit me between the eyes or just interested me? So that's my plan.
WARNING: If you've read my blog for a period of time, you know that I'm pretty good at starting projects, but not very good at finishing them. Especially if I'm going through books chapter by chapter. So pray that I can finish this one!
WARNING: If you've read my blog for a period of time, you know that I'm pretty good at starting projects, but not very good at finishing them. Especially if I'm going through books chapter by chapter. So pray that I can finish this one!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The Decline And Fall of Charity
As I contemplate both working for a non-profit organization (just have to find one that's looking for an employee first!) and possibly starting up my own non-profit (that's going to take a lot of prayer), I read a very sobering and troubling article about how charities in the U.S. are struggling mightily with the problems we're having in our economy. Some of the big charities are really struggling, and I'm sure the small ones that weren't mentioned are as well.
There are some disturbing trends within giving to charities by both Christian individuals and churches, and it looks like it's getting worse with each generation. Here are some statistics that stood out to me:
- Fewer than 5 percent of churchgoers actually tithe 10 percent of their income
- Fewer than a third of twentysomethings give anything at all
- One 2007 study found 85 percent of church dollars are spent in-house, doing up the environs to snag more “seekers.”
- For every dollar evangelical churches now spend, they give about two cents to missions.
It was interesting but not surprising to me to find out that megachurches are worse in outside giving than small churches. When you have a gajillion people on staff and you have to spend $30,000 on set design for a new message series, not to mention producing CDs of your worship band, etc. (I know not all megachurches are like this, I'm just thinking of one that used to be close to my heart) - then you're not going to have much money after all that to actually impact the world outside of your church.
Anyway, I would recommend reading the article. It's kind of depressing, but hopefully the trend will reverse itself.
There are some disturbing trends within giving to charities by both Christian individuals and churches, and it looks like it's getting worse with each generation. Here are some statistics that stood out to me:
- Fewer than 5 percent of churchgoers actually tithe 10 percent of their income
- Fewer than a third of twentysomethings give anything at all
- One 2007 study found 85 percent of church dollars are spent in-house, doing up the environs to snag more “seekers.”
- For every dollar evangelical churches now spend, they give about two cents to missions.
It was interesting but not surprising to me to find out that megachurches are worse in outside giving than small churches. When you have a gajillion people on staff and you have to spend $30,000 on set design for a new message series, not to mention producing CDs of your worship band, etc. (I know not all megachurches are like this, I'm just thinking of one that used to be close to my heart) - then you're not going to have much money after all that to actually impact the world outside of your church.
Anyway, I would recommend reading the article. It's kind of depressing, but hopefully the trend will reverse itself.
Friday, November 07, 2008
Happy Holliday Somewhere Else
I had a feeling this was going to happen, but it's interesting how the fans are going to react. If Matt Holliday didn't say something like this, the ownership would have been skewered for not keeping their best player. But now Matt has given them a way out, which is unfortunate. Now rather than blaming the inept management, fans are going to blame the player for leaving.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Up-To-The-Minute Election Results
I thought this was pretty cool - this Google map that lets you see the presidential election, as well as senate and house seats for each state. Let's see if it works here:
To see a full screen view, go here.
To see a full screen view, go here.
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