Apparently, I did not learn the lessons of World War I. I have tied myself into a horrible alliance from which I can not break free without straining my credibility and my honor. This horrible alliance will quickly spiral out of control and be the death of me.
I made a pact of non-agression with myself.
As the end of the school year approached and I could see the desolate future on the horizon, as a means to motivate myself towards a brighter future of harmony and wealth, I made a pact with myself to force my hand into finishing my novel. I had three chapters that constitute the bulk of new material in this rewrite. I gave myself plenty of time (three or four weeks) to finish this new material before the end of the school year deadline. To give this pact teeth, I combined the effort to finish the novel with my new effort to get back into shape. I agreed that if I did not finish the three chapters by the appointed deadline, I would go on a diet until the novel was finished.
I only finished one of the three chapters. And so, as of Tuesday of last week, I have been dieting. I figure that like much of Europe, I shall be sending most of myself to death before this war with the Novel is over.
May God have mercy on my fat cells!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
You Can't Always Get What You Waaannntttt....
Lord, I try to be more grateful, but sometimes it is hard. I have a tendency to be grateful to a point and then whiny and complaining after that. My sister and Mom bought a pie for dessert last night from Marie Callendar's. I should have said, "MMM Pie..." and let it go at that. But sometimes I want more than just a gift, I want a specific gift. I want the gift I receive to be something extraordinary. And so I asked, "What kind of pie?" See, I'm an ungrateful bad person. And all along I was thinking to myself - Self, whatever she answers, be grateful... unless its something absolutely horrible like Blueberry pie. "Its Double Cream Blueberry," she answered. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! That was not what I wanted. In fact, I knew that if I ate it, I'd probably be sick (blueberries and me do not have a good history - probably psychological, but still). I ended up having the best Chocolate Cake I've had in months, but I felt bad for being ungrateful for the initial gift.
We can't always get what we want. We have to live with that knowledge and we have to accept the gifts we do receive and learn to accept even the mistakes made on our behalf.
To be upfront, I am against the War in Iraq. I was against it at the beginning and I am against it now. We can sit here and cast blame around for how we got into the Iraq war, but the truth of the matter is, no matter how much support we gave the war to start, the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of our Commander In Chief, who sent in the troops. He is not souly to blame, but, as the saying goes, the buck stops with him. To have him turn around and blame the intelligence community for getting us into the war shows a clear lack of understanding of his role as President of the United States. The intelligence community says, "There is smoke over that hill." The analysts say, "It could be enemy troops." The wise President says, "Let's go investigate until we know its not a trap." The bad President says, "Let's charge over the hill and attack." We charged before we knew what the smoke was. To then turn around and say that it was the intelligence communities fault is to admit that you don't know what your role is in the grand scheme of things. Or, you do know what your role is, but you did it anyway and then blamed the intelligence community for your own faulty decisions. Invading Iraq had reprecussions and so far, we've done little to handle them.
That's neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is, we are ensconced in a war of our making and there is no easy way out of the war. We have blown things up, killed thousands of soldiers, and basically disrupted an entire country. We have also planted a seed of hope in rocky soil. The weeds of terrorism are trying to choke that seed to death, and unless the seed is transplanted, it will die. There are reprecussions to that decision as well. The truth of the matter is, no matter how much we want to get out of Iraq, that is exactly the wrong decision at this time.
I do not support the President. He got us into this war foolishly. But, at the same time, I think we are taking the wrong approach in Iraq. The war is, at this moment, another Vietnam. And we, at this moment, are a nation that has grown weary of the toll and sacrifice of this war. But the answer is not to leave Iraq.
No, much as I hate to admit it, the answer is to throw everything we've got at Iraq. The things that make America great are many, but one of the biggest is our unswerving loyalty to those nations seeking liberty. Vietnam was a different animal in that respect because we entered the country under a false theory - trying to stop the advancement of the communist ideology. But communism can't ever succeed. So, when we pulled out of Vietnam, it was bad for a short time, but eventually Vietnam began to realize that it couldn't thrive as a communist nation. Its still communist, of course, but the capitalist reforms in that country are on par with those in China. Only North Korea continues to stick to the strict Cold War theory of communism and it is completely isolated from the rest of the world. We succeeded in Vietnam by departing. That same approach will not work in Iraq. To succeed in Iraq, we must win and win convincingly.
We must prove to the world that no petty group of thugs can stop the mightiest nation of the world. We must prove that, God Willing, we can bring peace and prosperity to any nation that asks it from us. This isn't the reason we went into Iraq, but it must be the reason that we stay.
We need to send more troops, better weapons, and build a new coalition of nations to bring about change in Iraq. We must enlist the aid of regional partners in these changes. We must be a leader of peace and freedom. And we must eliminate any threats to that peace and freedom.
This is not a Republican thing. This is not a Democratic thing. This is an American thing. Our pride is wounded. Mistakes have been made. But the people of Iraq deserve to live in a world of peace and freedom just as much as we do. And we need to show the world that we can not be pushed around.
So, I'm not for the War in Iraq. I'd be perfectly happy if they brought the troops home tomorrow. However, I'm willing to support the war if we really make an effort to win it. If not, then we are wasting our time and our efforts and our lives for nothing more than political expediency. And only a foolish President would do that.
We can't always get what we want. Sometimes, we have to embrace the bad in order to find the good.
We can't always get what we want. We have to live with that knowledge and we have to accept the gifts we do receive and learn to accept even the mistakes made on our behalf.
To be upfront, I am against the War in Iraq. I was against it at the beginning and I am against it now. We can sit here and cast blame around for how we got into the Iraq war, but the truth of the matter is, no matter how much support we gave the war to start, the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of our Commander In Chief, who sent in the troops. He is not souly to blame, but, as the saying goes, the buck stops with him. To have him turn around and blame the intelligence community for getting us into the war shows a clear lack of understanding of his role as President of the United States. The intelligence community says, "There is smoke over that hill." The analysts say, "It could be enemy troops." The wise President says, "Let's go investigate until we know its not a trap." The bad President says, "Let's charge over the hill and attack." We charged before we knew what the smoke was. To then turn around and say that it was the intelligence communities fault is to admit that you don't know what your role is in the grand scheme of things. Or, you do know what your role is, but you did it anyway and then blamed the intelligence community for your own faulty decisions. Invading Iraq had reprecussions and so far, we've done little to handle them.
That's neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is, we are ensconced in a war of our making and there is no easy way out of the war. We have blown things up, killed thousands of soldiers, and basically disrupted an entire country. We have also planted a seed of hope in rocky soil. The weeds of terrorism are trying to choke that seed to death, and unless the seed is transplanted, it will die. There are reprecussions to that decision as well. The truth of the matter is, no matter how much we want to get out of Iraq, that is exactly the wrong decision at this time.
I do not support the President. He got us into this war foolishly. But, at the same time, I think we are taking the wrong approach in Iraq. The war is, at this moment, another Vietnam. And we, at this moment, are a nation that has grown weary of the toll and sacrifice of this war. But the answer is not to leave Iraq.
No, much as I hate to admit it, the answer is to throw everything we've got at Iraq. The things that make America great are many, but one of the biggest is our unswerving loyalty to those nations seeking liberty. Vietnam was a different animal in that respect because we entered the country under a false theory - trying to stop the advancement of the communist ideology. But communism can't ever succeed. So, when we pulled out of Vietnam, it was bad for a short time, but eventually Vietnam began to realize that it couldn't thrive as a communist nation. Its still communist, of course, but the capitalist reforms in that country are on par with those in China. Only North Korea continues to stick to the strict Cold War theory of communism and it is completely isolated from the rest of the world. We succeeded in Vietnam by departing. That same approach will not work in Iraq. To succeed in Iraq, we must win and win convincingly.
We must prove to the world that no petty group of thugs can stop the mightiest nation of the world. We must prove that, God Willing, we can bring peace and prosperity to any nation that asks it from us. This isn't the reason we went into Iraq, but it must be the reason that we stay.
We need to send more troops, better weapons, and build a new coalition of nations to bring about change in Iraq. We must enlist the aid of regional partners in these changes. We must be a leader of peace and freedom. And we must eliminate any threats to that peace and freedom.
This is not a Republican thing. This is not a Democratic thing. This is an American thing. Our pride is wounded. Mistakes have been made. But the people of Iraq deserve to live in a world of peace and freedom just as much as we do. And we need to show the world that we can not be pushed around.
So, I'm not for the War in Iraq. I'd be perfectly happy if they brought the troops home tomorrow. However, I'm willing to support the war if we really make an effort to win it. If not, then we are wasting our time and our efforts and our lives for nothing more than political expediency. And only a foolish President would do that.
We can't always get what we want. Sometimes, we have to embrace the bad in order to find the good.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Summer of '77
30 Years Ago I saw a movie that changed my life in a way you might not expect. It was the summer of 1977 and I was 7 years old. I had been going to movies for a chunk of my life already and considered myself, already, to be somewhat of a movie buff. But the movie I saw that summer made me think that I, too, could be a film maker - though it wasn't readily apparent for some years after the fact.
Now, I should note one thing to those of you who think you know what I'm talking about - I didn't see Star Wars until January of 1978.
The movie was Laser Blast. It was a low budget film about a guy who finds an alien artifact in the desert and decides to start using it. The artifact in question is an alien gun. It blows stuff up. But the use of it exacts a terrible price - those who use it are slowly transformed into evil monster like creatures themselves. This normal teenager with normal problems quickly finds himself becoming a homicidal monster with an alien gun. Really cool. The special effects were good and the alien work at the end of the film was done by a stop motion animator by the name of Phil Tippet. Phil went on to bring most of the original Star Wars stop motion creations to life, but is perhaps most noted for the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park (which were not done with CGI).
The movie was cornball. The movie was low budget. But, interestingly enough, its the only other movie listed with Star Wars in the Cinemafantastique Star Wars Special Double Edition (the magazine of that era that looked especially at Special Effects). To think that Laser Blast which was low budget, cheesy, and still entertaining, is a direct contemporary of Star Wars which was mid budget and ballstothewalls fun is not only mind boggling, but also a perfect example of how much Star Wars changed the film universe. Up until Star Wars, Laser Blast was a perfectly acceptable bit of special effects fluff entertainment. After Star Wars, only Roger Corman could get away with doing Laser Blast type stuff.
The reason this movie changed my life is that I remember it. I remember liking it. I was 7 and I knew it wasn't the greatest movie I'd ever seen, but I remembered it all the same. It was a perfect example of what someone who didn't have ILM in their back pocket could do with film.
Star Wars created a whole generation of film makers. But Laser Blast reminded us all that we didn't have to be George Lucas in order to make films. Star Wars made us believe, Laser Blast kept our dreams down to earth.
So, on the 30th Anniversary of the launch of Star Wars, I've got to give a shout out to the film that really made the summer of '77 special to me... Laser Blast.
Now, I should note one thing to those of you who think you know what I'm talking about - I didn't see Star Wars until January of 1978.
The movie was Laser Blast. It was a low budget film about a guy who finds an alien artifact in the desert and decides to start using it. The artifact in question is an alien gun. It blows stuff up. But the use of it exacts a terrible price - those who use it are slowly transformed into evil monster like creatures themselves. This normal teenager with normal problems quickly finds himself becoming a homicidal monster with an alien gun. Really cool. The special effects were good and the alien work at the end of the film was done by a stop motion animator by the name of Phil Tippet. Phil went on to bring most of the original Star Wars stop motion creations to life, but is perhaps most noted for the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park (which were not done with CGI).
The movie was cornball. The movie was low budget. But, interestingly enough, its the only other movie listed with Star Wars in the Cinemafantastique Star Wars Special Double Edition (the magazine of that era that looked especially at Special Effects). To think that Laser Blast which was low budget, cheesy, and still entertaining, is a direct contemporary of Star Wars which was mid budget and ballstothewalls fun is not only mind boggling, but also a perfect example of how much Star Wars changed the film universe. Up until Star Wars, Laser Blast was a perfectly acceptable bit of special effects fluff entertainment. After Star Wars, only Roger Corman could get away with doing Laser Blast type stuff.
The reason this movie changed my life is that I remember it. I remember liking it. I was 7 and I knew it wasn't the greatest movie I'd ever seen, but I remembered it all the same. It was a perfect example of what someone who didn't have ILM in their back pocket could do with film.
Star Wars created a whole generation of film makers. But Laser Blast reminded us all that we didn't have to be George Lucas in order to make films. Star Wars made us believe, Laser Blast kept our dreams down to earth.
So, on the 30th Anniversary of the launch of Star Wars, I've got to give a shout out to the film that really made the summer of '77 special to me... Laser Blast.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
A Veil Me Not!
13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3
I have been uplifted by the mighty words of Paul in his second (third?) letter to the Corinthians. Both this passage and the one that follows about the Jars of Clay have filled me with the sort of vital energy that one needs in life. That, and finishing my finals in Film Classes, and I am raring to go for the summer.
I chose this passage however because it reminds me of the fact that it wasn't only Moses that put a veil over his face. I think we all do that whenever we argue or bicker or gossip or talk behind others - especially when it comes to the Church. I know that I have been guilty, if nothing else, of having very negative thoughts about my fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ. I have been sure that they were on the "wrong" side of an argument. If only they could see it my way, then they would see sense. This veil that I threw over my face kept them from seeing the Christ in me.
I've also been in a Church environment where the veil of tension has rested over the entire building - people and all. Dark times, where the light and the glory of Christ resurrected was very dim, as if at the end of a long dark tunnel. We struggled through those times, dragging ourselves kicking and screaming until we could lift that veil and be renewed by His powerful light.
I am starting to lose the light again. I am starting to feel the veil slip over my head and my eyes. I need to be out, to bask in God's glory again. I want to feel sunlight on my face, see the dust clouds disappear without a trace. I want to take shelter from the poisoned rain... where the streets have no name. And so, I am going back to nature. I am going back to God's country. I am going to taste the air and feel the burn and hear the birds and smell the flowers and touch the dirt. I am going hiking and God is coming along with me.
The veil will be lifted and my sight restored. Thanks be to God.
Monday, May 21, 2007
A Time To Rest
The Ecclesiastes most famous passage - A Time For This, A Time For That - is supposed to remind us all that we are, after all, human - and point to God as the only one who can be all things at all times or one thing all the time. We can't possibly work all the time and we can't possibly rest all the time, but God can do both at the same time forever if He so chooses.
Andy over at Mile From the Beach has forced my hand by choosing the subject of today's blog when he announced this week that he was going to take a quick sabbatical from blogging. Welcome to it, Andy - take as long as you want.
I too am planning a retirement of sorts. About seven months ago, I announced my 18 month plan to change my life - to find something that I could do that was different than what I was doing. I sort of stumbled into film making from left field, but I've discovered that it might definitely be a career option in the near future. If I don't sound gang busters about my prospects of becoming a film maker its not for a lack of enthusiasm - its due to a controlled enthusiasm.
I've also learned over the past painful year that I can become a little too exuberant in my visions of what might be. I am not only a dreamer like John Lennon, I am an exuberant dreamer like Don Quixote. Give me a windmill and I'll tackle it. Put a windmill before me and before you can even say Don Quixote, I'll have picked up my lance and I'll already be charging. This has been about as effective a lifestyle for me as it was for Don Quixote. Most of my friends and family have too often felt like Sancho Panz when it came to dealing with my crazy crusades and my obsession with them. But, even if I had not seen what my obsessions were doing to my personal relationships, I really started to take notice what they were doing to my health.
And so, over the last seven months or so, in addition to trying to reinvent the employable me, I've also been trying to disentangle myself from various "obsessions". I've made some good progress. I put the Novel on a much slower track, working on it only when I felt the urge. Its slow and its trying my patience but it has helped the work immensely and allowed me to start having a somewhat normal sleep cycle again (no more writing until 2 in the morning). I let Andy completely run the Tee Ball team this year (though, at first, I really wanted to help out - I quickly realized that I needed to just let go). I scaled back my committment to the Youth Group at my church, and stopped volunteering for every new project that came up, and, shock! even told them that I was too busy to do certain things! I've learned to say No a great deal lately.
But this weekend was something of a breakthrough for me. On Saturday, I left a committee meeting at my church early to go hiking with my brother. And on Sunday, I voted for the hiring of a new paid Christian Education/Youth Leader - which means that come the Fall, I will no longer be the head of the Lakeside Youth Group.
With each disentangling of my schedule, with every new free minute of time that I have earned back, comes five times the urge to fill that emptiness with some new project - some new quest. Thus far, I have resisted the urge. But I know that I will eventually be sucked back into some committment to my time and energy. In the meantime, I am hoping to committ the ultimate Christian sacriledge. I am planning on spending the entire summer away from my church, away from my youth group, away from my choir. I am planning to spend the entire summer with TWO FULL WEEKEND DAYS in which to hike, bike, and otherwise find means of releasing stress, regaining health - both mental and physical, and getting my own house in order.
For everything there is a season. And this is my season to rest. God must have quite a plan for my future if he is giving me this much time to get my head and body straight. I can only hope that I am up to whatever task He has in mind for me. In the meantime, I will be out at the beach, with a Margarita, sharpening my lance for another whack at all those windmills.
See you tomorrow...
Andy over at Mile From the Beach has forced my hand by choosing the subject of today's blog when he announced this week that he was going to take a quick sabbatical from blogging. Welcome to it, Andy - take as long as you want.
I too am planning a retirement of sorts. About seven months ago, I announced my 18 month plan to change my life - to find something that I could do that was different than what I was doing. I sort of stumbled into film making from left field, but I've discovered that it might definitely be a career option in the near future. If I don't sound gang busters about my prospects of becoming a film maker its not for a lack of enthusiasm - its due to a controlled enthusiasm.
I've also learned over the past painful year that I can become a little too exuberant in my visions of what might be. I am not only a dreamer like John Lennon, I am an exuberant dreamer like Don Quixote. Give me a windmill and I'll tackle it. Put a windmill before me and before you can even say Don Quixote, I'll have picked up my lance and I'll already be charging. This has been about as effective a lifestyle for me as it was for Don Quixote. Most of my friends and family have too often felt like Sancho Panz when it came to dealing with my crazy crusades and my obsession with them. But, even if I had not seen what my obsessions were doing to my personal relationships, I really started to take notice what they were doing to my health.
And so, over the last seven months or so, in addition to trying to reinvent the employable me, I've also been trying to disentangle myself from various "obsessions". I've made some good progress. I put the Novel on a much slower track, working on it only when I felt the urge. Its slow and its trying my patience but it has helped the work immensely and allowed me to start having a somewhat normal sleep cycle again (no more writing until 2 in the morning). I let Andy completely run the Tee Ball team this year (though, at first, I really wanted to help out - I quickly realized that I needed to just let go). I scaled back my committment to the Youth Group at my church, and stopped volunteering for every new project that came up, and, shock! even told them that I was too busy to do certain things! I've learned to say No a great deal lately.
But this weekend was something of a breakthrough for me. On Saturday, I left a committee meeting at my church early to go hiking with my brother. And on Sunday, I voted for the hiring of a new paid Christian Education/Youth Leader - which means that come the Fall, I will no longer be the head of the Lakeside Youth Group.
With each disentangling of my schedule, with every new free minute of time that I have earned back, comes five times the urge to fill that emptiness with some new project - some new quest. Thus far, I have resisted the urge. But I know that I will eventually be sucked back into some committment to my time and energy. In the meantime, I am hoping to committ the ultimate Christian sacriledge. I am planning on spending the entire summer away from my church, away from my youth group, away from my choir. I am planning to spend the entire summer with TWO FULL WEEKEND DAYS in which to hike, bike, and otherwise find means of releasing stress, regaining health - both mental and physical, and getting my own house in order.
For everything there is a season. And this is my season to rest. God must have quite a plan for my future if he is giving me this much time to get my head and body straight. I can only hope that I am up to whatever task He has in mind for me. In the meantime, I will be out at the beach, with a Margarita, sharpening my lance for another whack at all those windmills.
See you tomorrow...
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Is there a dimension of Free Will?
The thing I love about theoretical physics is that its just so darn theoretical. Postulate things based on evidence and then try to prove them or disprove them. You'd be surprised what the mind is capable of suggesting.
Most of the big questions in the world of theoretical physics, lately, have been thrown about because of the need to find the Unified Theory of everything. Basically, the world of universal physics (galaxies, black holes, etc...) is pretty well explained, and the universe of subatomic physics (electrons, gluons, etc...) is pretty well explained, but there is no overall theory that explains them both. And so, using mathematics and good old fashioned brain power, theoretical physicists have been trying to find the one thing that unifies them both and, in fact, all the theories of physics into one large whole that explains everything.
Some of the theories are crazy. Superstring theory, for instance, postulates something like 21 different dimensions (that's 17 more than the 3-D world we live in plus time) that are all wrapped up in super small strings - so tiny that they actually form the building blocks of all matter. However, with this many dimensions, suddenly the whole universe makes sense. There's also, now, M Theory which basically postulates that there's only something like 13 dimensions.
The latest theory, though, leaves one to imagine the possibilites. The newest theory postulates only 6 dimensions - but the new dimensions include one of space and one of time. That's right... two dimensions of time.
What shape might this second time dimension take, one wonders? Well, if the first dimension of time allows for time to move forward in one direction, the second might allow you to travel backwards in time. Or, if the first dimension allows you to travel backwards or forwards through time - in a straight line - then the second dimension might allow you travel sideways through time.
Sideways? How does one travel sideways through time? Well, that brings us to the topic of this blog. Linear time travel has always been considered impossible because of all the causality loops and problems this would cause (the obvious being that if you went backwards in time and killed your father before you were concieved, how would be born to go back in time to kill your father?) But, if there was a second dimension in time, you might be allowed to go back in time and kill your father, thus causing you to either travel sideways into another timeline exactly the same as the one you left but wherein you had never been concieved because your father had been killed before that had taken place.
The biggest problem with linear time travel is that it really creates the perception that everything is preconceived. You can not undo past events and so, therefore, there is no way of knowing whether you were meant to do something that you did, or if it was your choice to do so. With a second dimension of time, it creates not only the possibility of true free will, but it insists on the notion. If you are forced to do things exactly as they have been pre-ordained, then there is no need for a second, third, or fourth timeline. Everything will occur the same every single time. But with a second dimension of time, there are literally infinite numbers of possible choices available every single moment. Choice then becomes a very real element in your travels from point A to point Z.
Of course, this is all theoretical. And my theories are just science fiction until proven otherwise. But still... it makes you think. Does a dimension of free will exist?
Most of the big questions in the world of theoretical physics, lately, have been thrown about because of the need to find the Unified Theory of everything. Basically, the world of universal physics (galaxies, black holes, etc...) is pretty well explained, and the universe of subatomic physics (electrons, gluons, etc...) is pretty well explained, but there is no overall theory that explains them both. And so, using mathematics and good old fashioned brain power, theoretical physicists have been trying to find the one thing that unifies them both and, in fact, all the theories of physics into one large whole that explains everything.
Some of the theories are crazy. Superstring theory, for instance, postulates something like 21 different dimensions (that's 17 more than the 3-D world we live in plus time) that are all wrapped up in super small strings - so tiny that they actually form the building blocks of all matter. However, with this many dimensions, suddenly the whole universe makes sense. There's also, now, M Theory which basically postulates that there's only something like 13 dimensions.
The latest theory, though, leaves one to imagine the possibilites. The newest theory postulates only 6 dimensions - but the new dimensions include one of space and one of time. That's right... two dimensions of time.
What shape might this second time dimension take, one wonders? Well, if the first dimension of time allows for time to move forward in one direction, the second might allow you to travel backwards in time. Or, if the first dimension allows you to travel backwards or forwards through time - in a straight line - then the second dimension might allow you travel sideways through time.
Sideways? How does one travel sideways through time? Well, that brings us to the topic of this blog. Linear time travel has always been considered impossible because of all the causality loops and problems this would cause (the obvious being that if you went backwards in time and killed your father before you were concieved, how would be born to go back in time to kill your father?) But, if there was a second dimension in time, you might be allowed to go back in time and kill your father, thus causing you to either travel sideways into another timeline exactly the same as the one you left but wherein you had never been concieved because your father had been killed before that had taken place.
The biggest problem with linear time travel is that it really creates the perception that everything is preconceived. You can not undo past events and so, therefore, there is no way of knowing whether you were meant to do something that you did, or if it was your choice to do so. With a second dimension of time, it creates not only the possibility of true free will, but it insists on the notion. If you are forced to do things exactly as they have been pre-ordained, then there is no need for a second, third, or fourth timeline. Everything will occur the same every single time. But with a second dimension of time, there are literally infinite numbers of possible choices available every single moment. Choice then becomes a very real element in your travels from point A to point Z.
Of course, this is all theoretical. And my theories are just science fiction until proven otherwise. But still... it makes you think. Does a dimension of free will exist?
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Help With New Novel Needed...
Okay, I started serious work on my new novel last week by accident - which is how these things usually happen. I have no illusion that this new bout of work will carry on from inception to completion without some breakdowns along the way. After all, I'm still working on Novel #1 and have been for five years. But, I am coming to the conclusion that I may have finally hit upon the combination of ideas that works to make this story work.
The short things you need to know before you can help me...
1) Its a religious sci-fi novel. It involves time travel and religion. And its supposed to be an action story - complete in one novel (no sequels, three parters, etc...)
2) Did I mention the time travel part of it? Those of you who know me well, know I like the challenges of time travel stories. Well, some of this (at least the first chapter) might seem almost familiar to you.
Okay, without giving anything more away, I'd like to populate my story with interesting historical figures, locations, and events. What I'd like from you all is some suggestions of people, places, or events you'd like to see recreated in a story. I'm especially looking for odd ideas - not cliche. Although, cliche ideas would be welcome as well (the painting of Mona Lisa's smile, the nailing of the 95 Theses, etc...) There are only a few restrictions on time (must be less than 6000 years ago) and on place (must have taken place on Earth in a known location - no Sinking of Atlantis). Other than that, I'm game for any suggestion.
Thanks.
The short things you need to know before you can help me...
1) Its a religious sci-fi novel. It involves time travel and religion. And its supposed to be an action story - complete in one novel (no sequels, three parters, etc...)
2) Did I mention the time travel part of it? Those of you who know me well, know I like the challenges of time travel stories. Well, some of this (at least the first chapter) might seem almost familiar to you.
Okay, without giving anything more away, I'd like to populate my story with interesting historical figures, locations, and events. What I'd like from you all is some suggestions of people, places, or events you'd like to see recreated in a story. I'm especially looking for odd ideas - not cliche. Although, cliche ideas would be welcome as well (the painting of Mona Lisa's smile, the nailing of the 95 Theses, etc...) There are only a few restrictions on time (must be less than 6000 years ago) and on place (must have taken place on Earth in a known location - no Sinking of Atlantis). Other than that, I'm game for any suggestion.
Thanks.
Monday, May 14, 2007
The Revenge of NCLB
Three wonderful news stories broke over this weekend in various publications that offer a compelling look at the state of No Child Left Behind - the Republican Educational plan that requires ALL students to test above average (obviously the person who came up with that idea ought to be investigated as to whether they actually took a statistics class at all, much less passed it ;)
The basic idea behind NCLB, of course, was that bad teachers and social advancement were behind our woeful educational system. Therefore, if we came up with a way to get rid of both, we could fix the entire system. By giving standardized tests and requiring all students to pass them, regardless of their actual skill levels or prior education, we were drawing a concrete line in the sand and saying, "Either they all pass, or we all fail!" Bad Teachers would clearly be pointed out by their test scores. Students who had not achieved a score above average would clearly point to a teaching problem.
So, what did we learn this week?
1) According to the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday, cheating by teachers is wide spread. To keep their test scores high and to make sure that their students all pass with above average scores, some teachers have been known to alter test answers in order to get higher scores. Wow. Imagine that? Bad teachers doing bad things to make other teachers (we'll call them good) look bad by comparison. Never saw that one coming.
2) A substitute teacher in the Chicago area showed a class of 6th graders Brokeback Mountain and told them not to tell anyone that they'd seen it. Clearly this substitute teacher has bypassed the NCLB trap meant to get rid of bad teachers.
And my favorite,
3) Teachers in one small school decided to "teach" their children what to do in the case of an emergency by "pretending" that there was a gunman out in the woods with them who wanted to kill them. Needless to say, the children were absolutely freaked out by the prospect of a person with a gun out there wanting to kill them. Parents were not very appreciative of the lesson and, I imagine, a lawsuit is pending.
Whatever affect the NCLB is supposed to be having, its clear that getting rid of bad teachers is not one of them. But I would suggest that perhaps we ought to have a new piece of educational legislation called, NAGA, and begin enforcing it right away. No Administrator Gets Ahead would punish the lawmakers and administrators of these school districts when their children go without books, adequate classrooms, lousy teachers, and insane curriculum. By setting definite standards for minimal advancement and then giving administrators one school year to meet those standards or else they would lose a paygrade, I imagine most of our educational problems would be solved within one, maybe two years.
Of course, I only say that because clearly our school administrators are all above average and ought to be capable of just about anything.
P.S. Yeah, Randall, I know the logic is a little "off" but its still fun to talk about.
The basic idea behind NCLB, of course, was that bad teachers and social advancement were behind our woeful educational system. Therefore, if we came up with a way to get rid of both, we could fix the entire system. By giving standardized tests and requiring all students to pass them, regardless of their actual skill levels or prior education, we were drawing a concrete line in the sand and saying, "Either they all pass, or we all fail!" Bad Teachers would clearly be pointed out by their test scores. Students who had not achieved a score above average would clearly point to a teaching problem.
So, what did we learn this week?
1) According to the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday, cheating by teachers is wide spread. To keep their test scores high and to make sure that their students all pass with above average scores, some teachers have been known to alter test answers in order to get higher scores. Wow. Imagine that? Bad teachers doing bad things to make other teachers (we'll call them good) look bad by comparison. Never saw that one coming.
2) A substitute teacher in the Chicago area showed a class of 6th graders Brokeback Mountain and told them not to tell anyone that they'd seen it. Clearly this substitute teacher has bypassed the NCLB trap meant to get rid of bad teachers.
And my favorite,
3) Teachers in one small school decided to "teach" their children what to do in the case of an emergency by "pretending" that there was a gunman out in the woods with them who wanted to kill them. Needless to say, the children were absolutely freaked out by the prospect of a person with a gun out there wanting to kill them. Parents were not very appreciative of the lesson and, I imagine, a lawsuit is pending.
Whatever affect the NCLB is supposed to be having, its clear that getting rid of bad teachers is not one of them. But I would suggest that perhaps we ought to have a new piece of educational legislation called, NAGA, and begin enforcing it right away. No Administrator Gets Ahead would punish the lawmakers and administrators of these school districts when their children go without books, adequate classrooms, lousy teachers, and insane curriculum. By setting definite standards for minimal advancement and then giving administrators one school year to meet those standards or else they would lose a paygrade, I imagine most of our educational problems would be solved within one, maybe two years.
Of course, I only say that because clearly our school administrators are all above average and ought to be capable of just about anything.
P.S. Yeah, Randall, I know the logic is a little "off" but its still fun to talk about.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Mother's Day
26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
John 19:26-27
Every time I read this passage, I get tears in my eyes. Here is Jesus, on the cross, dying an agonizing death, and He is still taking care of those whom He loves. For His mother, Jesus shows His concern by finding her a surrogate son – someone who will look after her needs into her old age. For His beloved disciple, Jesus finds him a surrogate mother – someone to look after him until his old age. No matter who we are, we all need a mother.
My own mother was taken from me when I was five by an insidious and cruel mental illness. This is not something I talk about often – not because I am ashamed, but more because of the fact that at the age of five I was too young to process it. All I know is that I got off the school bus from Kindergarten that day and waited at the bus stop for my mother to take me home. Though I knew the way home, I was told to never leave until she arrived. Strangers who knew that I was too young to be standing by myself offered to take me home, but I told them no, and I waited. She never did come for me. A friend’s mother finally came and took me to her house to wait for my Dad.
All I ever knew as a kid was that my mom had gone to a hospital because she was sick. I missed her a great deal, but I was not alone. God provided my grandmother to look after me. She loved all her grandkids. I would come over to her house after school every day. Whenever there was a parade or a show at grade school, my grandmother would be there. She loved me every moment and was stern when she needed to be. She was my second Mom.
Anyone who has ever had Cindy Young as a teacher knows what a magical spell she weaves with children. When she was in charge of Baby Land on Sunday’s, all the kids would want to be in there with her because she was so much fun. My brother, sister and I adopted Cindy as our new Mom. She came over and took up residence in our hearts and home. She was everything a Mom was supposed to be – loving, disciplined, smart, and a dispenser of bad advice for kids with schoolboy crushes. Much of what I am today, Cindy shaped. She was my third Mom.
But Jesus was not done with His generosity.
As Lakeside had been good enough to provide one mother, why not a few more? When I was in Junior High, Lila Bennett came and took over as a youth leader. She taught me cooking and the importance of giving back to the community. She was a spiritual leader as well as a mother. And we were all her kids. She was Mom #4. Then there was Alice Bullock, who mothered all of us. Mom #5. And Janet Lehman and her excellent cooking. Mom #6. And Judy Murio and Judy Ott and Donna Rae Wickstrom and Jeanne Anberg and Nancy Andre and Lian Lie and Ann Colvin and Pat Snyder and Cheryl Lamb and Janice Petty and Gloria Weis and Elaine Padian and dozens and dozens of others. You all know who you are. And you all know what you did.
Some may look at the passage and say that Jesus was most concerned about providing for His mother when He was gone, but I see it as a way for providing for His brother. Many mothers can’t replace the one who gave you birth, but they can ease the pain of loss sometimes, and keep you out of trouble at other times, and show you the way when you are lost, and encourage you and give you a kind word and provide you with wisdom when you need it most. How can more mothers be a bad thing?
My Mom is now recovered from her illness and I am happy to have her back in my life. Though my grandmother passed on when I was in high school, her spirit still lives on in my sister and my niece and nephew. I am surrounded by love and by mothers who have provided that love. When Jesus said to me, “Will, here is your mother,” I was forever blessed.
Happy Mother’s Day to all my mothers!
John 19:26-27
Every time I read this passage, I get tears in my eyes. Here is Jesus, on the cross, dying an agonizing death, and He is still taking care of those whom He loves. For His mother, Jesus shows His concern by finding her a surrogate son – someone who will look after her needs into her old age. For His beloved disciple, Jesus finds him a surrogate mother – someone to look after him until his old age. No matter who we are, we all need a mother.
My own mother was taken from me when I was five by an insidious and cruel mental illness. This is not something I talk about often – not because I am ashamed, but more because of the fact that at the age of five I was too young to process it. All I know is that I got off the school bus from Kindergarten that day and waited at the bus stop for my mother to take me home. Though I knew the way home, I was told to never leave until she arrived. Strangers who knew that I was too young to be standing by myself offered to take me home, but I told them no, and I waited. She never did come for me. A friend’s mother finally came and took me to her house to wait for my Dad.
All I ever knew as a kid was that my mom had gone to a hospital because she was sick. I missed her a great deal, but I was not alone. God provided my grandmother to look after me. She loved all her grandkids. I would come over to her house after school every day. Whenever there was a parade or a show at grade school, my grandmother would be there. She loved me every moment and was stern when she needed to be. She was my second Mom.
Anyone who has ever had Cindy Young as a teacher knows what a magical spell she weaves with children. When she was in charge of Baby Land on Sunday’s, all the kids would want to be in there with her because she was so much fun. My brother, sister and I adopted Cindy as our new Mom. She came over and took up residence in our hearts and home. She was everything a Mom was supposed to be – loving, disciplined, smart, and a dispenser of bad advice for kids with schoolboy crushes. Much of what I am today, Cindy shaped. She was my third Mom.
But Jesus was not done with His generosity.
As Lakeside had been good enough to provide one mother, why not a few more? When I was in Junior High, Lila Bennett came and took over as a youth leader. She taught me cooking and the importance of giving back to the community. She was a spiritual leader as well as a mother. And we were all her kids. She was Mom #4. Then there was Alice Bullock, who mothered all of us. Mom #5. And Janet Lehman and her excellent cooking. Mom #6. And Judy Murio and Judy Ott and Donna Rae Wickstrom and Jeanne Anberg and Nancy Andre and Lian Lie and Ann Colvin and Pat Snyder and Cheryl Lamb and Janice Petty and Gloria Weis and Elaine Padian and dozens and dozens of others. You all know who you are. And you all know what you did.
Some may look at the passage and say that Jesus was most concerned about providing for His mother when He was gone, but I see it as a way for providing for His brother. Many mothers can’t replace the one who gave you birth, but they can ease the pain of loss sometimes, and keep you out of trouble at other times, and show you the way when you are lost, and encourage you and give you a kind word and provide you with wisdom when you need it most. How can more mothers be a bad thing?
My Mom is now recovered from her illness and I am happy to have her back in my life. Though my grandmother passed on when I was in high school, her spirit still lives on in my sister and my niece and nephew. I am surrounded by love and by mothers who have provided that love. When Jesus said to me, “Will, here is your mother,” I was forever blessed.
Happy Mother’s Day to all my mothers!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
On A More Serious Note:
Parents with Daughters, pay attention.
I have something to recommend which can be a very hard read.
My sister has graciously and bravely come forward to explain her incidents of molestation when she was younger. As her brother and protector, I can't help but read these blogs and wish I could go back in time, Terminator style, and undo these terrible things. But as a youth leader, I want so much to take these blogs and share them with young ladies everywhere. The thing that strikes me the most about them is how they really bust open the myth of the creepy older man who turns out to be a molester. We'd like to think our daughters are safe because they know enough to stay away from the creepy old man and therefore it will never happen to them. My sister is living proof that this is not the case - molested as she was by a grandfatherly neighbor, a friend of my brother, and a complete stranger. I want people to read this and be warned, chilled, disgusted, whatever... so long as they take the lesson to heart.
Don't let my sister's brave writing float in the electronic dark without doing some good in this world. So I urge you, go now and visit Crime Survivor. Read the horrendous story and take it to heart. Your daughter might thank you someday.
And if any of you knows where I can get a gun and a time machine, let me know.
I have something to recommend which can be a very hard read.
My sister has graciously and bravely come forward to explain her incidents of molestation when she was younger. As her brother and protector, I can't help but read these blogs and wish I could go back in time, Terminator style, and undo these terrible things. But as a youth leader, I want so much to take these blogs and share them with young ladies everywhere. The thing that strikes me the most about them is how they really bust open the myth of the creepy older man who turns out to be a molester. We'd like to think our daughters are safe because they know enough to stay away from the creepy old man and therefore it will never happen to them. My sister is living proof that this is not the case - molested as she was by a grandfatherly neighbor, a friend of my brother, and a complete stranger. I want people to read this and be warned, chilled, disgusted, whatever... so long as they take the lesson to heart.
Don't let my sister's brave writing float in the electronic dark without doing some good in this world. So I urge you, go now and visit Crime Survivor. Read the horrendous story and take it to heart. Your daughter might thank you someday.
And if any of you knows where I can get a gun and a time machine, let me know.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
But, of course...
It isn't that simple. It never was and it never has been and it never will be. If it were, there'd be no reason for Jesus in the first place. We'd never have had any need for redemption because we'd all be living in peace and harmony with one another. This is not to put rose colored glasses on our choices in life, this is merely a way to point out that the process of redemption is as simple as a choice.
The practical side of me says that for me to make this choice, I would have to give up my life. I'd have to leave my job, my family, my clothes, my car, my money, my security, my health (although it could certainly be argued that my health might actually improve as a result of giving up all this stuff), my hobbies, and my preoccupations. I'd have to throw it all out and say to Jesus, "Okay, Lord, here I am - use me as you would. I have nothing but the clothes on my back and a willingness to be led." I would literally be throwing everything away to become a slave to Christ.
That's all I have to do.
Presumably, Jesus would then guide me to homeless people or some such that were in need and I would somehow help them out.
But, of course, this is almost as much of a fantasy as the belief that all you have to do is go to Church on Sunday and you will be saved. In reality, my being homeless and jobless and lifeless would not really help Jesus. How could I really help people if I needed help myself? What sort of work could I really do?
The point is that I should be willing to make that sacrifice, at a moment's notice, if called upon to do so. If I heard the call to leave my job and enter the seminary, I should be willing to do so. I should drop everything and submit to God's call.
God has a plan for us. It is a simple plan. It is different for each of us but each task boils down to one thing - loving one another. It will be shown in different ways and by different means, but the end result will be the same.
To love or not to love, that is the simple choice. Everything else is in the details.
The practical side of me says that for me to make this choice, I would have to give up my life. I'd have to leave my job, my family, my clothes, my car, my money, my security, my health (although it could certainly be argued that my health might actually improve as a result of giving up all this stuff), my hobbies, and my preoccupations. I'd have to throw it all out and say to Jesus, "Okay, Lord, here I am - use me as you would. I have nothing but the clothes on my back and a willingness to be led." I would literally be throwing everything away to become a slave to Christ.
That's all I have to do.
Presumably, Jesus would then guide me to homeless people or some such that were in need and I would somehow help them out.
But, of course, this is almost as much of a fantasy as the belief that all you have to do is go to Church on Sunday and you will be saved. In reality, my being homeless and jobless and lifeless would not really help Jesus. How could I really help people if I needed help myself? What sort of work could I really do?
The point is that I should be willing to make that sacrifice, at a moment's notice, if called upon to do so. If I heard the call to leave my job and enter the seminary, I should be willing to do so. I should drop everything and submit to God's call.
God has a plan for us. It is a simple plan. It is different for each of us but each task boils down to one thing - loving one another. It will be shown in different ways and by different means, but the end result will be the same.
To love or not to love, that is the simple choice. Everything else is in the details.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
It's Simple...
Here's what I want you to do. At the end of the day, I want you to walk out of work, leave your car behind, call your wife and tell her you won't be home for a while, and go serve your fellow brothers and sisters with love and humility.
No, don't worry. Your bills will be taken care of. Your house will be fine. Your food and clothing and drink will be provided. As God takes care of the sparrows, so too will He take care of you. All you have to do is believe and follow.
That is all Christ is asking of us. That is all that He wants. None of this stuff about protesting Gay Marriage - Jesus doesn't care if you make a sign and picket. And let's not send our money to politicians that support ending abortion - that's not what Jesus asked for. He doesn't want you to feed the hungry with a check or an automatic 10% donation the next time you use your credit card to buy a big screen TV. What Jesus wants is you. He wants you to love and to embrace and to help and to live a life filled with the Holy Spirit.
It's simple, really... To find the best in ourselves, we must look to others. Salvation is an itch on the part of your back that you can't even reach with a back scratcher - it is an itch that must be scratched by someone else. And, in turn, you must scratch their itch. We can not find salvation any other way. To know God is to know one another. To do God's will is to do it to one another. To love God is to love one another.
The hardest part is believing that its so simple.
No, don't worry. Your bills will be taken care of. Your house will be fine. Your food and clothing and drink will be provided. As God takes care of the sparrows, so too will He take care of you. All you have to do is believe and follow.
That is all Christ is asking of us. That is all that He wants. None of this stuff about protesting Gay Marriage - Jesus doesn't care if you make a sign and picket. And let's not send our money to politicians that support ending abortion - that's not what Jesus asked for. He doesn't want you to feed the hungry with a check or an automatic 10% donation the next time you use your credit card to buy a big screen TV. What Jesus wants is you. He wants you to love and to embrace and to help and to live a life filled with the Holy Spirit.
It's simple, really... To find the best in ourselves, we must look to others. Salvation is an itch on the part of your back that you can't even reach with a back scratcher - it is an itch that must be scratched by someone else. And, in turn, you must scratch their itch. We can not find salvation any other way. To know God is to know one another. To do God's will is to do it to one another. To love God is to love one another.
The hardest part is believing that its so simple.
Monday, May 07, 2007
So, You're dead...
And there is nothing. Nothing. No thought. No feeling. No bright light. Nothing. You have simply ceased to exist. Why?
No, really... why? What, after all, would be the point of life? There would be no answer to the question of why? No explanation. No big reveal. No story end. No story beginning. And a whole lot of meaninglessness in the middle. No why.
The story, such as it is, would be that a freak accident created life on this planet and countless thousands of other worlds. This "life" would be nothing special - merely a thing that occurs, like rain, or erosion, or super nova's. Chemical equations would go together and life would evolve from single celled organisms to more complex structures. These complex structures would come into existence, live for a while, create another generation of themselves, and then die. And so on and so forth, until we reach sentient life forms. But why sentience? What evolutionary niche does it fill to have a species that can think and communicate and write down ideas and feelings? It doesn't. There is no reason. Sentience then is just a byproduct of life creation. Nothing more, nothing less. Everything you think, or feel, or believe is nothing. Pointless. A waste of time.
We are born. We are plugged into a sentient construct called society that teaches us to speak and eat and dress appropriately. We are taught what to believe. We believe it. We grow older and we bring forth life ourselves and teach a new generation. And then we die and return to non-existence.
With all due respect to my athiest brothers and sisters, what is easier to believe that life is completely meaningless or that there is a point to existence that you just haven't yet discovered?
Answering this question is the first step to understanding.
No, really... why? What, after all, would be the point of life? There would be no answer to the question of why? No explanation. No big reveal. No story end. No story beginning. And a whole lot of meaninglessness in the middle. No why.
The story, such as it is, would be that a freak accident created life on this planet and countless thousands of other worlds. This "life" would be nothing special - merely a thing that occurs, like rain, or erosion, or super nova's. Chemical equations would go together and life would evolve from single celled organisms to more complex structures. These complex structures would come into existence, live for a while, create another generation of themselves, and then die. And so on and so forth, until we reach sentient life forms. But why sentience? What evolutionary niche does it fill to have a species that can think and communicate and write down ideas and feelings? It doesn't. There is no reason. Sentience then is just a byproduct of life creation. Nothing more, nothing less. Everything you think, or feel, or believe is nothing. Pointless. A waste of time.
We are born. We are plugged into a sentient construct called society that teaches us to speak and eat and dress appropriately. We are taught what to believe. We believe it. We grow older and we bring forth life ourselves and teach a new generation. And then we die and return to non-existence.
With all due respect to my athiest brothers and sisters, what is easier to believe that life is completely meaningless or that there is a point to existence that you just haven't yet discovered?
Answering this question is the first step to understanding.
Friday, May 04, 2007
David and Golaith
The other day, I rebuked my brother. I don't remember what it was that I was rebuking, but I remember being very convinced of my righteousness in the matter. I am still convinced of it. My brother was clearly in the wrong. The words I chose were carefully selected to rebuke - a little sting with a little correction hopefully to encourage a new line of thinking and a new more right spirit within my brother. At the end of this rebuke, I reminded my brother of my love in him through Jesus Christ.
Needless to say, I was quite shocked by the response I got.
The gist of it was quite simple - you claim to be a follower of Christ and yet, here you are rebuking me and making me feel like a big turd. Where is the love in that!?
Whoah! If you could have seen how far my jaw had dropped. I sat there and read and reread the message over and over and then I reread the "offending" passages that I had used. I was still convinced of the validity of my message and I did not think the rebuke was out of line, but the pain of the response was evident. My brother was clearly hurt that I would cut so deeply and use Christ as the scalpel.
I did not understand it then, except to say that on some level I realized that I had made a mistake. I replied to my brother that I was very sorry and that I had not meant to attack him and that perhaps it was best if I took myself out of the equation. That seemed to work much better than my words ever had. Within a couple of months, normal relations were restored and there's been some healing between us and some correction on behalf of my brother. I took myself out of the equation and let God do His work.
A few days ago, I reread Romans 14 and the words floated through my brain for a while before they took root. In Romans 14, Paul says:
1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.
Its easy for me to put myself above my brother and to say that I was right and he was wrong, but the situation is more complex than that. While I was trying to correct my brother, God had other plans and used my brother to correct me. I know now to choose my words more carefully and to be certain that someone can understand a rebuke before I use it. Wielded in the hands of a surgeon a scalpel can save a man's life, wielded in the hands of an amateur it is as deadly a weapon as was ever created. We must never use Christ as a weapon, no matter how much we think we're saving someone's life. But, almost as important, we must never appear to be using Christ as a weapon, for that perception can be almost as deadly. My brother did not understand that I was trying to correct him. I had not prepared him for that kind of correction by simply loving and accepting him first. He was not yet ready to hear that he was wrong. And in my rebuke, I made a correction into a weapon and I brought the love of Christ down hard like a hammer. And the wonder of it all is that through the grace of Christ, the teacher became the student, and I learned a valuable lesson about loving my brother.
Needless to say, I was quite shocked by the response I got.
The gist of it was quite simple - you claim to be a follower of Christ and yet, here you are rebuking me and making me feel like a big turd. Where is the love in that!?
Whoah! If you could have seen how far my jaw had dropped. I sat there and read and reread the message over and over and then I reread the "offending" passages that I had used. I was still convinced of the validity of my message and I did not think the rebuke was out of line, but the pain of the response was evident. My brother was clearly hurt that I would cut so deeply and use Christ as the scalpel.
I did not understand it then, except to say that on some level I realized that I had made a mistake. I replied to my brother that I was very sorry and that I had not meant to attack him and that perhaps it was best if I took myself out of the equation. That seemed to work much better than my words ever had. Within a couple of months, normal relations were restored and there's been some healing between us and some correction on behalf of my brother. I took myself out of the equation and let God do His work.
A few days ago, I reread Romans 14 and the words floated through my brain for a while before they took root. In Romans 14, Paul says:
1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.
Its easy for me to put myself above my brother and to say that I was right and he was wrong, but the situation is more complex than that. While I was trying to correct my brother, God had other plans and used my brother to correct me. I know now to choose my words more carefully and to be certain that someone can understand a rebuke before I use it. Wielded in the hands of a surgeon a scalpel can save a man's life, wielded in the hands of an amateur it is as deadly a weapon as was ever created. We must never use Christ as a weapon, no matter how much we think we're saving someone's life. But, almost as important, we must never appear to be using Christ as a weapon, for that perception can be almost as deadly. My brother did not understand that I was trying to correct him. I had not prepared him for that kind of correction by simply loving and accepting him first. He was not yet ready to hear that he was wrong. And in my rebuke, I made a correction into a weapon and I brought the love of Christ down hard like a hammer. And the wonder of it all is that through the grace of Christ, the teacher became the student, and I learned a valuable lesson about loving my brother.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
MIA
I've been missing in agony lately. Somewhere along the line my schedule caught up to me and my body put on the brakes. I slowly dwindled away all weekend and was outright sick by Monday. Yesterday, I finally put myself on the five day disabled list, retroactive to the previous Friday.
So now I'm back and you all missed some really great blog posts while I was gone, and now you'll never know about:
My piss smells like bacon
or
Olympic Ideals in Berkeley
or
The Big Bully Plan
or
Compensation For Discipleship
So, I'll start tomorrow with a clean slate by forgetting these blog topics and forging ahead with new, and far less interesting, subjects.
See you tomorrow...
So now I'm back and you all missed some really great blog posts while I was gone, and now you'll never know about:
My piss smells like bacon
or
Olympic Ideals in Berkeley
or
The Big Bully Plan
or
Compensation For Discipleship
So, I'll start tomorrow with a clean slate by forgetting these blog topics and forging ahead with new, and far less interesting, subjects.
See you tomorrow...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)