Times and Seasons

I am learning to try and filter the stresses and phases of my life in terms of seasons and times. Seasons, in the way I am using it, refers to a particular time in life or a stage of growth. This often ties into the progressive stages on must go through on the path of maturity. In other words, these are the different lessons one must face in the process of sanctification. These are frequently sequential and one stage must be passed through before another begins. Pretty much, this is a spiritual lesson I have to let God reshape a part of my character before He will start working on the next thing. I think everyone must pass through the same seasons along the path of maturity.

Times, however, are more directly related to what God is doing in history. History, by nature, is ever-changing. Sure, there are cycles in history, but, they often relate to man's sin. When we look at times, we see the unique way God is speaking into a specific part of history. Although similarities between different times can be drawn out, God usually is doing something different from one time to another in the world through his people. On a more personal (or group level) times relate to how the things going on in the world affect us as individuals or groups.

When we try to discern whether the times or seasons affect our lives it is easy to get confused as to which is causing what. A simple, logical way to think about the causes of events have three possibilities: 1) something is caused by a season 2) something is causes by the times and 3) something is caused by the times and the season.

1. When something is caused by a season it affects the person going through it now the same way it would have affected someone 3,000 years ago or 3,000 years from now. Since spiritual growth typically is the same eternal process, the human reaction is essentially going to be the same regardless of the times. One can often gain comfort and solace in identifying with others who have been through the same process. The different stages can be identified, patterns can be recognized and a bit of a roadmap can be made to help handle the stresses of the season. In a sense, seasons are the easiest to handle because, even though the transformation is not enjoyable, you can figure out how to make it out alive if you are willing to trust God and let Him change you.
   
2. When something is caused by the times the affects are similar in all people for a given time. When compared against a cause being seasonal, times typically are unique in that never before and never after will the same unique constellation of conditions affect everyone the same. More often than not, a "wave" of one attitude, behavior or action comes across a people. I would tend to think times are of the magnitude of principality. Many times can be endured by focusing on God instead of the circumstance and finding joy in the uncertainty. Here God calls us to trust Him by believing what could be classified with doubt as a negative thing is in reality, through faith, something good.
   
3. Lastly, when something is a combination of both times and seasons it is the most difficult. Neither the predictability of a season nor the temporary nature of a time make the combination of the two easy to handle. Without certainty in one area, this can pull one down quite powerfully.
   

In my own life, I have found myself in a season of disobedience. God has called me to be disciplined in my spiritual life. Time is harder and harder to come by. To get the same amount of things done, I have to be much more deliberate to accomplish what is set before me. But, when I allow distractions, laziness or temptation to let me squander time, I become guilty and angry at myself. Guilty because I know this is not the success that I know God has in store. And, angry, because I know that I have failed as a result of my own weakness and selfishness.

But, I have a whole swarm of desires and intentions that began in goodness. Yet, the defiance of these challenges leaves me with lifeless idols in my heart and my mind. I tend to create goals for myself, a thing symbolic of the power I possess. If I set a goal and accomplish, I can know that I possess a specific power. God doesn't want us to put faith in our own powers, though, but, rather, He wants us to put faith in Him and Christ. So, every time I set a goal with the intent of self-empowerment through accomplishment, I am defying God.

In our community group we talked about how to be obedient to God without it becoming a religious activity? In all honesty, I don't know. It seems like a simply question. In trying to find an answer, I saw, I do not know God intimately in this way. Discipline and obedience are very closely related in my mind. To be obedient, we must be disciplined. We must choose to do what does not come naturally through the power of God. As we do this, we are tempted to think it is through our own doing, not through God's grace, that this power is granted to us. And, when we overlook the fact that it is solely as a result of God's grace that God's will in our life can be done, we slip into the arena of religiousness. Or, at least, I think this is the beginning of the slippery slope. First, we see a challenge. Then, we tend to get drawn into our hedging our insecurities and building on our strengths instead of God's grace as we make decisions, look for wisdom and seek strength.

This is a hard season for me. God wants discipline. He wants intimacy. He wants change in my life. And it is a difficult time. The world grows harder, fiercer and more unstable each day. Yet, God is here. He is guiding a way. The challenge is to stand as he wants me to stand, even though it's unnatural. To want things I don't want, but, know are right and good. To let go of things upon which my death grip marks my character. To find freedom in self-imposed slavery. He wants me to be something I am not. Ironically, it is what I am, just not yet. In this season, I wrestle fear and lose. In these times, I fight boldly, but, foolishly. I am hoping I let God in enough to stop losing and being foolish. I am hoping I will pay no attention to the times and be less concerned with each season's difficulties. Instead, I want to radiate God's mercy, goodness, love and power in ways that give people the kind of hope Jesus and the apostles had. That is a call we have in any time or season.

Jewish holidays and festivals

Yet again I find myself drawn to the idea of celebrating Jewish feasts. While listening to a CD over the weekend it was pointed out that the weirdness around full moons cannot really be understood without the context of the feasts of the new moon. But, without observing those holidays, an academic understanding will only be book learning.

So, the outgrowth of this is to try and track down a reliable, fairly straightforward book on the festivals. There are a few online, but, I don't have a lot of money to put into new books about something tangential to my walk. I really want to fill out the details, but, there are lots of more fundamental things that come before an answer to a question like this.

If anyone has suggestions on a good book, let me know.

Crisis of action

I tend to be a patient person, although that seems to be waning as I get older, but, I find myself at a loss recently when struggling with an issue. At the end of Mark 16 are these verses:

14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Now, I can easily dismiss things on lots of grounds. For instance, I can read this and say these "signs" were something the apostles were demonstrating, but, it's certainly not something I should feel expected to do. But, when I read verse 20, it says disciples, not apostles. So, that one goes out the window.

So, the reasoning goes, if disciples of Christ are confirmed by the signs that accompanied his word, what am I to conclude from my life? I see two possibilities: 1) the Gospel is wrong and these signs are not necessary to confirm the Lord working with me, or 2) I am not doing what the Lord said. Since I believe the Bible, I will have to go with option 2: I am not doing what the Lord said. And, it saddens and angers me.

Lord, help me to know what to do. Teach me how to go into the world and preach the good news. Help me understand what you really want. And, if it is this simple (which I think it is), make me a preacher and teacher of the good news in the fullness of your love, power and Holy Spirit.

How to replace the counterfeit with the real

I once heard that cigarettes are a substitute for the Holy Spirit. How? Well, people get similar physical responses from smoking a cigarette to what occurs when the Holy Spirit falls on them. Okay. Fair enough. So, my next question is: if we see people in bondage to some counterfeit, are we supposed to pray that the Holy Spirit would meet their needs? I know freedom is a key pray (deliverance), because without that we are only patching a sinking ship. Nonetheless, are the vices people indulge themselves in indicative of how the Holy Spirit needs to be ministered to them? Are people's sins a way to approach them? If so, Lord, tell me how?

community - family (youth) have community - grow up and live alone (college/after) - then, have family. I think there is something to being in community that correlates to being in family. I also see that the early church lived in community. In our age, community is freely rejected in an unspoken manner. Part of it is self-centeredness and part of it is extolled as "freedom" and "individuality".

In the past few days I've had some interesting thoughts come to mind, things I think God is placing on my heart. Without writing a novel, I'll hit the highlights:

1) regional curses. A few years ago I was in discussion with someone who was thinking about how African deserts were really the result of global warming. I pointed out that it doesn't make sense that a region would just wither up in a 1 year period. As we were talking I realized that this is how the kinds of curses thrown out in the Old Testament would have worked. A flourishing region suddenly becomes a barren wasteland. Imagine what Jesus did to the fig tree. Now, put that on a regional level. Principalities and powers.
2) people are cut off. This is not the way the church in the first century was. If you look throughout scripture, Jesus didn't have an office. He didn't make appointments. He didn't have a safe title. He interacted directly with people. It was raw. It was in your face. It was real. There were patterns to where he ran into people. There were markets, synagogues, wells, streets. He went to where people were. He surrounded himself with people. Too often these days, people wall themselves off. They hide it seems. People avoid interaction with others. Like I've talked about before, I think people don't want to get involved because they don't know how and they don't want to have to give up their time or energy. In other words, they don't want to commit themselves. But, this is about the contrast between how Jesus (and the disciples) were drawn to where people were. Today, people are repelled by it. Community has been lost.
3) A quote worth considering, "If satan can't make you sin, he will keep you busy."
4) Recently I have been having new notions about what I am called to do. Earlier this year I realized that I needed to stop looking for some "special" calling and do what all Christians were called to do: the great commission. For several years now, I have been looking for something about my walk that would make me special. God said, I needed to recosider that. After he got my attention turned in the right direction I started trying to see what he wanted. It turns out, it was there all along. Help those who need help: the widows, the orphans, the defenseless. Pray for the sick. Gather in community, break bread. Sing songs of praise. So many things that can be done...why focus on something special.
Once I have gotten out of looking for something specific I realized I'd been looking for something that had been in front of me all along. Now, it's a matter of actually doing those things. I look around and I don't see anyone I know doing these things. Living in Christian community. Praying together. Laying on of hands. Praying for the sick. Miracles. Healing. Singing songs of praise. These are the things the early church did...and, they worked. The church was filled with power and love. Today, there is no power and little love. I feel God is showing my special calling is to begin living like the first century church. To actually do these. In our day, we don't see the church living as the church lived then. What the church does now is powerless, a shell of what Christ called for. I sense he wants me to speak the message he gave us in the first place. I sense this is my "special" calling. I kind of find it ironic that doing what we're supposed to do is "special". Only because the church today does not do what it is supposed to do is there any irony, only because of this is there a lack of examples to follow. I ask that God would strengthen me to be a Christian as Christ and the disciples were. Make me what I am supposed to be Holy Spirit!

In spite of how I might come across from this blog, I'm actually quite goofy. I recently started working with the 2 year olds at my church on Sundays...so, goofiness comes in quite handy. Yet, as I am being quickly reminded, 2-year old kids do exactly what you do. Goofy is not yet something on their radar. They are just parrots, little monkies who see and do. Goofy requires the ability to see an activity, register it, compare it against normal behavior and recognize a difference. 2-year olds don't have "norms" yet. I think the word here is impressionable.

While running this morning this idea struck me while reflecting on a recent incident. A fellow Christian made a comment in passing that some non-Christians took offense to and secretly criticized. It occurred to me that non-Christians are, spiritually speaking, in many ways, like 2-year olds...or perhaps even more like unborn children. They do not have the ability to hear a Christian's comments, filter them and put it into context. Rather, they take it for what it is and, more often than not, it negatively reflects upon the person making the comments.

Applying this notion to how I approach others in my walk, I have to keep in mind that those who are not already grounded in the same ideas, beliefs and hopes I am will not get my incomplete thoughts. By incomplete thoughts, I mean partial expressions of hope and faith. When I make an off-handed comment, it's usually around people I think I can trust who will not hold it against me if I don't perfectly package my inner dialog when it comes out in the form of words. But, since non-Christians won't necessarily have the same frame of reference for my thoughts, it's unfair to hold them to this standard, to the notion that they will pardon my small misdeeds. They do not know they are misdeeds or moments of weakness. Instead, they see it and think, "Oh, he really is just like everyone else even though he tries to be different." We are told to hold our tongues since we will be accountable for every word that crosses our lips. I may only teach 2-year olds on Sunday, but, I feel I am surrounded by them 24-7. Better remember, "Be careful little ears what you hear...". Non-Christians, who are much more impressionable, cannot separate who Christ is from who we portray him to be because they don't know Him. It is up to us to show the world who He is through who we are.

Bluebird

I remember watching K Pax, a movie from a few years back with Kevin Spacey, and enjoying the animated scene with the bluebird. It cracked me up because I know things like that happen, just not quite as often as they used to. Well, our church has a book club that is studying a book called the Blue Parakeet. I never heard of it and saw it in last week's bulletin. The name seemed to be one of those titles that is meant to grab your attention and make you want to look...akin to Who moved my cheese?, etc. Not having time, energy or money to devote I just dismissed it.

God apparently wanted me to pay a little more attention. I had gone for a workout yesterday morning running randomly up and down a few streets in north Plano. As I started into one of my faster sections I saw on the ground a weird looking bird. Sure enough, a blue parakeet. Now, if I were to go by statistics, I'd have to say that the chances of a blue bird native to Australia sitting on the same sidewalk of a north Texas town I happened to be running though...well, the numbers would be small. So, I immediately got the memo. Yes, Lord, I will read The Blue Parakeet. Sometimes he actually has to use signs, even small ones, to get the point across when I ignore the initial message. (Thanks for being persistent God.)

The fear of the Lord...

...is the beginning of wisdom. This is a widely used verse. I only began to see what it was pointing at when I reflected on it a little more. While the word commonly used as fear can loosely be translated as respect, it is frequently documented that the English translation does little justice to the original Hebrew word. That being said, I sensed that something basic underlies this verse. When Solomon asked for wisdom he feared God. He knew that the task set before him, to rule God's people well, would be difficult. Implied in that realization was the understanding that a good job would be rewarded by God and a poor job would not be rewarded and more likely lead to punishment. In other words, Solomon feared what God would do if he did not rule well. This fear, this motivation, was literally the starting place for wisdom. Solomon knew that only by respecting God first (not man or laws or anything else) would allow him to make wise decisions because: 1) he had a basis from which to gauge his decisions and 2) he was aware of how accountable he was for his actions. People who have not standards for judgment and who do not have a real, personal sense of responsibility are not meaningfully bound to the outcome of their decisions. So, people who make decisions based on intelligence alone can be wrong, but, if the consequences of their mistake impact them in no direct way, what harm or loss is done? Keeping in mind God and his ways, will and plans allows one to make wise decisions because it provides a sound frame of reference and prevents us from lying to ourselves and/or others. If we know there is no escape from our decisions, we take our choices much more seriously.

Control

Looking into the nature of control has been an interest of late. There are a few reasons it jumps out at me. One article I stumbled on that has a ton of intriguing notes (mainly about human nature) is: RECOGNIZING MANIPULATION AND INTIMIDATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF DOMINATION (CONTROL) - Control by false authority, manipulation, intimidation. Just reading through it are a ton of ways to recognize and deal with manipulation and intimidation. As I studied the article I realized how widespread these tactics are. People, as folks like to call it at work, are always trying to build their little empires. Part of the reason politics draws people is because it allows them to wield authority and with it experience power. I have nothing against power as it is necessary and good when used correctly. However, many people, due to poor character, are unable to handle it well and, from this all-too-common case, abuse things which have been entrusted to them.

What does all this have to do with control? Control is, in its purist form, boils down to, using Webster, "to exercise restraining or directing influence over". It is the possession of power. To me, this is not a natural thing, rather, it is a spiritual thing. People want to have power. I believe this stems from the original sin, pride, but, only as a side effect. Yet, I sense they are very, very closely related. Nonetheless, when people are obsessed with control (and power) just for the sake of being in control meekness cannot possibly follow. Power for the sake of possessing power is about the person, not the responsibility which entitled them to have the power. Being able to restrain and/or influence others is a great responsibility and something not to be used lightly. To me, it ranks with the kind of responsibility mentioned of teachers in Scripture. To be able to form souls, to cause them to make certain decisions (or not)...these are serious things.

An earlier usage of the word - "exert authority," from M.L. contrarotulus - touches a little more closely than that of the 15th century Old English. It is the experience of exerting authority, of using power, when what God-given (or God-permitted) authority is allowed to flow that people get a larger-than-life sense. It is, in reality, the force of God released through an individual to grant them power over another (or a thing) in order to change its natural course of action. Yielding the power of God temporarily takes one out of the natural and aligns them with the spiritual, for better or worse, and gives people a taste of God's might. Now, I am not saying being in control makes one God. I am saying that control can bring with it a supernatural experience that allows us to more deeply understand who God is and His nature. I think all too often people get lost in the experience and forget to be humbled by their being used as an instrument of God, and, see, rather, this event as making them somehow special. From this sense of uniqueness, I think people draw the beginning steps of incorrectly desiring validation (and the high) from the experience of control rather than the understanding that they are merely an object of the Lord.

After reflecting on the dualistic nature of life verses I had another notion come to mind: character flaws might be (or stem from) spiritual gifts used in the flesh. Some of the practical examples that came to mind were these:

Gift Character flaw
Mercy/Compassionate Permissive, pushover
Prophetic Verbally oppressive
Apostolic Overbearing
Charismatic Charming
Evangelistic Smooth-talking

I have not dwelt on this at length, but, I really sense there is something to this. How it might help is, when I see someone clearly walking in the flesh, identify what character flaw is being displayed and track back to the spiritual gift they have. Then, once the gift is identified, pray and speak to the gift (in the spiritual) and not the flaw (in the natural). Many times when you focus on the natural, you will get drawn into the natural and respond soulishly as well. Instead, remember to draw to the spiritual level and lift the person with you instead of being pulled (or letting yourself be drawn) down to the level of the flesh and fall to them.

Exactly when and where I heard this escapes me at the moment, but, I have it stuck in my head that Dr. Pepper is so acidic that a person has to drink approximately 48 ounces of water to restore proper Ph levels for every 1 ounce of Dr. Pepper ingested. I've never actually investigated the numbers because I am not familiar with the chemistry behind Ph levels, but, if I recall correctly, it has to do with powers of 10 for each point below 7. In other words, if my Ph level is at 6, I have to drink 1 ounce of water to get it back to 7. If it's at 5, I have to drink 10 ounces. I could be totally wrong, but, I never claimed to be a chemistry buff.

I searched around and found this link:

http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/diet_soda.htm

In it I found some disturbing facts. Based on the list below (from the link) Dr. Pepper is not far above battery acid.

Substance Ph Sugar (grams)
Dr. Pepper 2.92 9.5
BATTERY ACID 1.00 0.0

In essence, Dr. Pepper, though not the worst of the bunch, is more like drinking battery acid than water. Scary indeed. Now, if only I can convince myself that this is serious enough to put off the caffeine to fight off the mid-afternoon energy slump.

Rights and morality

As I continue to reflect on the notion of rights, I considered the danger of using law alone as the standard for determining rights. In a legal system based solely on law, that is to say, not based on morality or spirituality, rights are the product of the most powerful and/or skillful lawyers. As is evidenced by our own age, removing the consideration of what is good from the legal equation simply creates a power struggle. In that scenario, people will not stop at the boundaries of what is good. Rather, they will only stop when they win, regardless of how good (or evil) their victory is. By ignoring the moral and/or spiritual boundaries necessary for a just legal system cultures will have rights determined by the strongest, not the best, people. And, as is well known, power alone does not typically breed justice, but, rather, tyrannical societies. I see this implying that a legal system without morality at the center creates a flawed scope of rights dependent on the interests of those waging legal wars.

Unbecoming...

I have spent my whole life waiting for this thing that I feel, know, hope, sense, want to become...only to be disappointed at every turn when the greatness I long to experience never materializes. Now, I am a sinful, selfish, un-Christlike man almost all of the time. It makes sense that nothing (no-thing) will make me sense the power I truly long to possess: God's love. As I have watched time pass and my greatness fail to materialize, I continue to lose hope and become bitter and cynical myself. What was it I hoped in? That question alone has made a more pointed focus: I hoped in Christ, but, wanted his power. I spoke of God, but, wanted his glory. I thought of purpose, but, wanted my plans.

No more, God says. Be honest with yourself. You know every time you sin. You know every time you take a wrong step. You give up over and over and over and you don't even feel the pain. Stop waiting for pain to stop you. God doesn't want to speak to us in those terms. I believe that is a part of why the first steps of sin and disobedience are the hardest and the easiest. When we realize there are no chains holding us to God, we slip away easily. But, we feel his power slip off of us as well. It is that shuddering of his departure that feels so "good". Yet, it rips our spirits apart, tears us in half and wounds us deeply.

God doesn't ask us to do this. He asks us to honor, obey and love him. It is just difficult when we have alienated ourselves and forgotten how to hear, see and love him. I sense that we must learn to give up what we think, want and hear for what God says. My "greatness" has been my undoing. And, to return to God, I sense he wants me to become nothing. He has not set before me a road of high rewards and accolades, but, obscurity and suffering. I am beginning to realize that God placed in me a sense of greatness to know him so I may do difficult things the world can never recognize as being worthwhile, valuable and meaningful. God has asked me to give up my greatness for his. He has asked me to be nothing, so, he can be everything. I speak for myself, but, I envision myself asking you, if we ever talk, "Are you willing to give it all up? Are you willing to be nothing if God asked?" This means, no ministry, no fame, no recognition. Being no one so he doesn't have to compete with my personal kingship to share his royal love with those I meet. I want to believe I am strong enough to say, "Yes". I want to proclaim I am willing to truly lay down my life. I believe becoming "nothing" could have always been God's greatest call on my life. For, in my weakness, He is strong.

Christ - without the power

It occurred to me that most people today who do not believe in Christ fall into some pretty common categories. One of the more common groups puts forward this argument: Jesus was a great teacher, but, nothing more. While reflecting on what our church lacks today I constantly want to be able to just whip out a miracle, raise someone from the dead, just smack it to people spiritually speaking, to really get their attention. I read the prophets and I see people so much like today's world it's scary. Cynicism, doubt, anger, spite, condescension, pride, arrogance. Little has changed, except today, we use Christ's words but preach without his authority. That's what the difference was then.

Now, I am not saying it should be all power and woo-woo gifts. By all means no. What I am saying is that the church cannot impact the world the way Christ did because it's only got half the package. Without Christ's power, the power that raised him from the dead, all we have are teachings. Without the power of love to overcome hatred, violence and evil, all we have are words. Without the power of grace to be supernatural in the most natural of circumstances, we cannot be anything different from everyone else. We have to have Christ's power to be Christians, otherwise, the world is right, Christ was just a great teacher, his power has been lost in spite of how amazing his teachings are.

I pray that the church would stand up by bowing down. Become great by becoming the least. Forsake your sins, the smallest and the unseen. Turn away from the things you know God hates. Make your life truly sanctified and show the world love, not just in your words, but, in your actions. Purify your spirits and praise God with every breath, even the ones that you have to heave from your chest beneath a weight of shame, condemnation, persecution, anger and attack. Those are the moments when people do see the true difference.

Robbed - moment by moment

When Jesus talked about the strongman, I always envisioned someone breaking into my home in the middle of the night. A huge, frightening, overpowering figure whose presence would be nearly impossible to contend with. But, I sense another kind of strong man in my midst. I spend many of my days wrapped and bound by frustration, fatigue, anxiety, confusion and desperation. The attack is small, grinding, unending and subtle. It's not the kind of strongman who attacks once and leaves. No, it is the kind of attack that comes without ceasing. It wearies you, slowly, imperceptibly. First, a small compromise here. Then, a slight weakness and sin there. Minute by minute, choice by choice, this strongman robs us of our power, of our strength. It is a much more dangerous foe, for it is one we are so familiar with we rarely even think to notice it. This war is one that requires the utmost control and sacrifice. Remembering not to yell at my kids, remembering to rise above the situation and love my wife, even though I may not want to, to do the right thing at work instead of playing on the internet for a couple of minutes to "take a break", to be diligent and do what I know is right. I really like the definition of sin as "not doing what we know to be right". It is so convicting and real. It is so easy to let the right thing slip out of character flaw, weakness, sin, selfishness, indifference. The list is long, but, the end result is the same: every little mistake ties us down a little more.

Life verses

A couple of weeks ago the Wednesday morning Bible study I've been attending had a guest teacher because the main leader had to be out of town. As he began telling us about the topic he said, in the five years he had been teaching, he had never had what happened occur before. Normally, he had to shuffle through notes, find some topic to rehash and prep for it again. This time, he knew exactly what he was going to teach and really did very little prep. In the back of my mind, I was thinking, "Okay, that's cool", knowing this is not really that unusual, yet, glad he was able to experience a totally "God thing".

Just a few days earlier I had completed my Accelerating Life's Purpose class. The two naturally dove-tailed for me in the nature of their message to me personally. Nonetheless, when he began talking about life verses and their importance I was intrigued. One fellow next to me used the analogy of a light house and a sailor's home port. In a way, no other verse has the comforting appeal of any other than your life verse. I added that to me, it both comforts and challenges, trying to communicate that it has a double-nature. The man that had just spoken and the leader both noted that "challenged" was the word that jumped out at them. People recognized what I said, but, I didn't feel I got the point across. I let it lie nonetheless.

The leader then went into the lesson itself. For him, he relayed two verses of importance in his life: 1) a comforting verse and 2) a guidance verse. The comforting verse helps one with the 'Why' questions in life. When difficult circumstances arise, we are often naturally drawn to try and understand 'Why?'. Our comforting verse helps with that. The guidance verse points to a truth that God wants to use to help us make good decisions throughout our lives. I sensed that there was something I still had to say, but, wasn't sure what it was yet.

After he had made his point the teacher went through some verses he felt were his. In the process he talked about how, when walking in the spirit (being spiritual), his verses drew him to God, while, when in the flesh (being soulish), his verses angered him. I thought this to be an interesting idea, nothing I novel, but, interesting in the context. The first gentleman threw out the word "magnetic" and I had a little collection of words and ideas gel rather instantly.

I then pointed out that life verses seemed to be like magnets. When we are in a good place with God (in the spirit) the verses draw and attract us, while, when we are being sinful (in the flesh) they repel us. Likewise, one of the key physical properties of magnets is their ability to repel/attract other magnets. The first gentleman went on to add that similarly, two magnets, when placed in proper alignment can create greater magnetic force or repel each other when misaligned. Also, there is a flow to the magnetic field in this case, just like there is a flow to out lives when we are aligned with God's word rightly.

Another idea that came to mind was the notion that people have different life verses for a reason. At first, when one comes into contact with the idea of a life verse, it is easy to naturally assume that a "life verse" will last one's whole life. My neighbor, Matt, mentioned in passing that some people have several life verses. I said that that would make sense because people go through different seasons, and, if God speaks a word over them to comfort/guide them through that season, it will be different from period to period as each season's fundamental truth changes from season to season. In short, people who have many life verses have many insights into the Word to share with others, since, after all, we are given our experiences to help edify and strengthen the church.

It got me thinking about one of my personal verses. When Liam was being dedicated last year one of the pastors gave him this verse based on his name, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Ephesians 6:10-11 Since he and I have the same name, it kind of follows his verse is also my verse. In one book I was reading, The Name Book, they gave another verse I never really thought made much sense. This one, however, is a verse (a chapter really) I have come back to a thousand times. I guess this is much like my home port. At any rate, I now have to integrate what I saw (the magnet notion and how my spiritual condition is evidenced by my reaction to this verse) into my walk. God's encouraging me to be in His Strngth. In my weakness (sin) I will be one bound to weakness, fear and the inability to stand the enemy's schemes.

So, I guess seeing that a life verse is important, I should note how I stumbled onto mine. There are a few sections of scripture that I have returned to over and over and over again. I read lots of different parts, but, Ephesians 6 is one I am always drawn to. The fact that I constantly want to return to that one was a good indicator. It never lost its appeal. So, there was something I still have to draw from it, some life I have not gained from gazing and holding on those verse.

Lots of thoughts...so little time

Moses and the Egyptians

Though I am not sure why this came to me it occurred to me that Moses probably knew Pharaoh. If he didn't know Pharaoh personally, he probably knew his parents. Moses was raised for 40 years in the palace of Pharaoh, as a son basically. We don't know how many daughters Pharaoh had, but, Moses certainly would have been privy to many things. Especially over a 40 year period, prior to his exile, Moses must have seen and gotten to know the entire royal family. So, presuming that royal lineage was passed down within the family, the person he confronted 40 years after his departure from Egypt probably had more than just a random face. It was probably a cousin, a relative, someone who recognized Moses and was enraged at his demands. Imagine an adopted relative living a life of luxury in the royal family. They kill a fellow countryman and disappear. Then, forty years later they reappear demanding that your entire slave population be released. This overtone to the Book of Exodus has never been pointed out to me and holds some interesting characteristics to consider next time I look at that book.

Rights - Godly or not?

You know, I frequently get into mental debates with people. I guess I am trying to prepare myself so, if I do ever get into an argument with this person, I will be prepared for the battle. Typically, when these imaginary conversations do take place, they never go as expected (or hoped). At any rate, one such thread of mental fights revolves around the notion of rights. "People deserve this right and that right..." Lots and lots of arguments about what people should be able to do and shouldn't be able to do. But, I have to stop and wonder, are rights even Biblical? When a person argues that they have a God-given right, is there any basis for this at all?

Underneath this set of questions lies the fundamental curiosity (and potentially new way of thinking): if rights are not something we are justified in proclaiming, declaring, defending, etc, then, every rights-based argument is just a lie regardless of how "self-evident" it might be. According to this site the NLV only mentions rights 18 times.

Exd 21:9
Exd 21:10
Deu 21:16
1Ch 5:1
1Ch 5:2
Job 36:6
Psa 82:3
Pro 31:5
Pro 31:8
Pro 31:9
Ecc 5:8
Isa 10:2
Jer 5:28
Lam 3:35
1Cr 9:15
1Cr 9:18
Gal 4:5
Hbr 12:16

Most of these are in the context of the Old Testament. Furthermore, most of these carry with them the implicit context of the law. In essence, rights are only mentioned when the law is being discussed.

To me, this is very interesting. If we, as Christians, are no longer subject to the law then, what does that mean for rights? Are we still capable of invoking our rights? Without getting too far off base, I like this as a starting point for reflecting on what rights are, at least from a worldly point of view.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights

Then, in contrast, I throw out this idea: 1 Corinthians 9:18

What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.

In this context, rights is the Greek word, exousia. Power. This word has come up for me many times, but, in a different context, that of apostolic/prophetic ministry.

I am not trying to get off on another tangent, yet, I have begun to wonder, these arguments in our world today, are they about freedoms, or, are they disguised power plays? A wolf-in-sheep's-clothing, if you will, where people speak of fairness and liberty to dis-empower our God-stated call to "...tear down arguments." (2 Corinthians 10:1-4) Speech and rhetoric of rights has been abused and I don't see many (any really) logical, loving, Christian arguments against this attack. It has been going on for years now and we have not to show for it.

Lord, I ask that you would reveal the root of this deception. Make the rights-based arguments transparent. Unmask the spirit and tactics of this ruse and help your followers tear down this argument. Pour forth truth and logic rooted in You. May love flow from this discovery and may those who have perpetuated this deception be shown powerless and deceived by their own designs. May your Truth shine Lord and may Jesus' fulfillment overpower any such non-sense. Release this new wave of refutation.

I think a basic starting point is here: Rights have to do with "conforming with or conformable to justice, law, or morality". So, the question, if you are trying to define it, naturally rests on notions of justice, law and morality. Well, these are age old arguments and no universal answer has been accepted. Yet, as a Christian, I look and see, the Bible has clearly defined what is Just. The Law is a special issue, complex and deep beyond the scope of a single post, but, clearly within the context of this thought stream. And, morality, well, that is apparent and obvious in the context of Scripture. So, rights and Scripture have a lot to relate to each other and dig into.

The practical question for me, trying to not get intellectual, is how does a Biblical framework of Rights help me to "tear down arguments"? I don't want to beat people with better arguments. That's just a matter of the soul. I want to show people God's love and truth through the idea of true justice, the law as God sees it and morality through His eyes. Rights are things people are passionate about, but, how can that passion be used to draw people closer to God, into relationship with Christ and out of the mindset that rights, in and of themselves, are worth living and dying for?

Repent of your politics

I think this article has some interesting points and implies a few actions I feel are relevant.

http://biblicalawakening.blogspot.com/2009/05/politics-power-pride-how-american.html

We read about the Old Testament nation of Israel missing the Messiah because they were looking to their politics/religion for a national savior. Are we, today, any different? Jesus has come, we (theoretically) do his work, and, yet, many American Christians still get more excited about politics than their spiritual lives. Of course, we are not looking for the Messiah as president. But, the amount of energy and attention we devote to being "politically aware" seems largely misdirected.

My gut feel is that we are dissatisfied with our country and the powers that be. So, we start focusing on how power is used in our civic lives (politics) and get sidetracked trying to understand (and hopefully restore) a sense of just rulership. If that's the case, it is a flawed approach from the start. No government will ever create a just society. Am I advocating we ignore our social responsibilities. Absolutely not. I am saying that we have mistaken God's work for that of our leaders.

Lastly, I think many people want things to change, but, they want someone else (or something else) to do it for them. Social activism is the parable of the good Samaritan. That man gave of himself to help another in need. He didn't rely on the police to find this person, EMS to retrieve him, a public health policy to heal him and taxes (i.e., everyone/no one) to pay for it. He took it upon himself. I wonder, more as a challenge than as a question, how focused would the church be on politics if it took its own actions (as did the good Samaritan) and didn't wait for government to do it.

Materialism

I have started going to an early morning Bible study with my neighbor Matt. For a while now it has been hard to get together with anyone, so, riding with the neighbor seems like a natural reason to take advantage of some good time and conversation. About two weeks ago the group leader brought up a topic that began with materialism. We never completely finished the lesson, but, got through the first few points. He took a pretty standard definition of materialism and began with that point. It made sense, though his transition to the points he really wanted to make didn't quite flow. Nonetheless, it got me thinking.

The think that stands out about materialism to me is the notion that people get wrapped up in having and getting more things. Where I part ways with most folks, when it comes to trying to understand why, is at the root cause. People tend to point out human nature, hedonism, stoicism, and a laundry list of ideologies to give a framework for this kind of behavior. I can't recall if it was something I read or a conversation I once had, but, the idea of materialism boils down to this: people need things to have the fullest set of experiences a person can have.

Typically, it starts out with kids. Give a kid a TV and they are mesmerized by it. A loud car. Bright toys. These things are over-stimulating. Because this over-stimulation gets repeated over and over and over kids begin to expect that as being normal. With this idea of "normal" it is very easy to think that certain things, and only those things, can bring happiness. Kids may witness adults devoting their whole lives to getting specific things and never understand why. Yet, they themselves will grow older and do the same exact thing because they have never had another example to follow.

In the end, people will sacrifice great portions of life to try and gain experiences and means to have these experiences. In reality, the majority of their lives is spent in the pursuit of hyper-stimulating experience and empty power, not happiness and satisfaction. Ask ten people. See how many of them can tell you they are satisfied. See how many of them even know what would bring them satisfaction. The problem is not materialism, but, the obsessive lifestyle that comes as a result of trying to be able to create a sense of transcendence at will. It seems to be a weird type of self-oblivion mixed with instant gratification that is the real goal.

Looking at the recorded definition, I see a few different strains of thought:

1 a: a theory that physical matter is the only or fundamental reality and that all being and processes and phenomena can be explained as manifestations or results of matter

This first one is borne out of the traditional philosophical arguments in the 18th century...and along with it all the implied, technical underlying themes.

b: a doctrine that the only or the highest values or objectives lie in material well-being and in the furtherance of material progress

This second one comes closer to the Roman epicurian philosophy than anything else.

c: a doctrine that economic or social change is materially caused — compare historical materialism

This is pretty clearly tied directly to the Marxist realm of politics and cultural criticism.

2: a preoccupation with or stress upon material rather than intellectual or spiritual things

This last definition comes closest to what I think the group leader was intending to discuss although he seemed to start thinking about the epicurian perspective as well. That all being said, hope was his ultimate message. Without hope, we cannot exist. He was going down the road of pointing out the fact that materialism can never provide a lasting hope. The conditions that are required to be happy, according to materialistic standards, are almost impossible for most people to meet. Beyond that, they do not meaningfully take into consideration the Christian message. In a sense, they are diametrically opposed, although materialists would try to downplay that fact.

Going back to the first point I made, spending most of one's life intentionally sacrificing time, energy and life to gain things so that you can then have the experiences those things allow you to have seems backwards. It really is the epitome of the notion that "the things you own really own you". Your whole life is devoted to a hope that after you have sacrificed yourself to possess it, it will then allow you joy. Yet, too often, people realize, only after they possess it they still do not know how to have joy. Unless you regularly experience joy the obtainment of a specific thing will not mysteriously enable you to have something you never had to begin with. It's as it the thing is has magical powers. It's as if what is pursued is more than just a thing or an experience. That deception is what I think is the underlying cause of this deadly movement.

In addition to this is the dangerous situation of technological advancement. (I keep coming back to the dangers of technology don't I?) As people struggle to gain more and more power over nature their ability to understand, interact with and find value in the spiritual realm decreases. This is not a new concept. Contrast, for a moment, the west, with all its material wealth, and the east, with its abject poverty and largely destitute conditions. It is well-known that the east is ripe with spiritual power the west longs to possess. Ironically, the west presumes the east desires its material wealth. So far, it doesn't seem to be true.

Although I am only thinking of this as I write, I imagine there is a thread worth pursuing in the arena of considering how the "status" of a culture as a first, second, third--or less--world power relates to its spiritual status. I noted that the degree to which a culture can "control" the effects of nature on it roughly correlate to its status in the ranks of world leaders. Adding the spiritual dimension to that consideration might simply highlight the dangers (and both inherent and implicit warning) that naturally come from forsaking a reverence of God and attempting to possess the authority only He deserves.

As I write, I keep sensing overtones of the Tower of Babel (with the destruction that came as a result of mankind's hubris) and the prayer we as first-world cultures who do not live lives with Agur's prayer in our hearts (Proverbs 30:8-9). The mindset I have been reflecting on is one, I suspect, that stems from having strayed from the prayer to be neither rich nor poor. The process of loss would seem to go like this:

1) receive blessing
2) feel God's restraint urge one to not trust it
3) experience conflict and confusion not knowing how to handle this blessing (riches)
4) turn to God (or to self); in this case, to self
5) hear God less and less because we ignore what He said
6) having become numb to true counsel and guidance (God's word) turn to experiences that comfort and satisfy us temporarily
7) at this point, we repeat the process over and over and this is how people become stuck in the slavish pursuit of experience

Laying down one's life for experiences and forsaking God. Choosing self (wealth, pleasure and self-satisfaction) puts you at the whim and mercy of your things. Through this you no longer can respond to God because you choose, over and over again, to see happiness only where you are over-stimulated. God speaks not in the thunder or the storm (through obvious, powerful means) but in the still, quiet voice. We often do not hear the voice because we are mistaken about what it is we expect to hear. In the end, it is what you knew to be right all along, but, pushed far, far away. I believe this is one of the reasons it is quiet...because we have forsaken Him. We have tried to bury Him in the sounds, the rush, the thrill, the wow. Hoping that the bliss will erase Him from our memory, only to come down from the sensory high, empty and aching for something real inside. Again, we hype ourselves up, create another false hope, a better one, and shoot for the moon again. Each time, the high has to be better. It's very much like a drug addict, only the drug is life itself and the high something bigger than life...only exactly what that is never really seems to be clear. Just, something. Or, I should say, some thing.

It's late, so, I haven't the energy, motivation or time to work this out at length, but, I had a notion that seemed to be a fairly good use of resources. My struggle with a lack of clear direction and purpose has been around for a while. To have clearly identified a career path by now seems like it should have been a piece of cake. Not really. As frequently as I wrestle with the "What am I doing with my life?" type questions it only recently occurred to me there is a brilliant opportunity for our country to blend the military resources and educational system. An old employer of mine once considered enlisting in the military. They ran a battery of tests to help identify potential areas of expertise and ability. The accuracy was surprising. This was a few decades ago. I can only imagine what they do today.

Since our educational system aims to empower our youth and invest in the development of tomorrow's leaders, why would we not utilize these diagnostic tests on our high school students (or early college). This would be a marvelous application of an existing system (the testing) that would greatly benefit the current and future country. Now, I can already imagine the immediate uproar: you're potentially forming a militaristic state by interloping in the lives of impressionable men and women. Yes. That's precisely the point. By giving them knowledge to guide and direct their lives in meaningful ways. Absolutely. I'm sure some folks would only see a power-hungry militaristic state intruding in the pure, unhindered world of the free-minded academics. But, in reality, there are so few who go down this road. The rest of us, all 99.5% of the educated American population, go through school, do our time, and come out on the other side saying, "Ok, what now?" Why should we not benefit from the insight we have paid to develop?

Our age sees itself as superior to those of the past not because of its superior wisdom, but, because of the power it exerts over nature. This power is not just the immediate events, such as the ability to provide comfort in harsh environments, such as rain, wind, cold, heat and raw physical elements. But, a larger perspective. The understanding of seasons, of periods of time. Of meteorites. Of solar flares. Of large scale events that affect entire parts of the globe. The ability to control these things and allow people to do what they want when they want is a key element of what makes one able to belong to a first-world country. Exactly how much of this power a given culture possesses ranks it. If you look at “third-world” countries, they would be identical to what Columbus encountered. Slightly below subsistence level are the uncultured communities who have no grasp or control over nature. To them, nature is still a raw power to be appeased and awed. To us, those of the “civilized” world, these powers are merely natural phenomenon. To them, God is still alive, everywhere. When we begin presuming the power of God, he is not longer present. It is when we begin to see the power of nature as something we possess that we move up in the order of world powers. I contend it’s not anything special that makes higher-order powers unique, but, what portions of nature they have control over. Whether it is in understanding naturalistic phenomenon and being able to adapt or plan accordingly or whether it is the actual ability to predict, prevent and “control” natural events.

I need to look into the etymology and history of control.