Going dark is one of those terms that I know is real, because it's in a lot of spy shows. And I like spy shows, so I'm an expert. Going dark is when a spy has to go so deep undercover that they cut off communication with their handler and their peers.
Yesterday, I went dark.
Not that I'm a spy, I'm an "alien and stranger", a sojourner, and that's not quite the same thing. (If you're unfamiliar withe the phrase "alien and stranger" grab a Bible and look up 1 Peter 2.11) Or is it? I'm a subversive member of a King's following, a King who isn't my current world's ruler, trying to overthrow the system currently in place. Hmm...
But I digress. I went dark, not because I was going deeper in my cover, but because I was having a pity party.
Yep, me, Mr. Optimistic under most circumstances. Yesterday I spiraled out of control. My apparently fragile ego was not handling my unemployment situation well, so I went dark. Left God outside and tried to ignore him. Other people too. And like most of those situations, it only got worse from there. I turned to that one thing that if you'd read my blogs before, you know is my besetting sin (besetting is a theological word that means "butt-kicking").
I ate. Overate to be more precise.
I withdrew, shut out the world and the One who cares most, and I ate a bunch of stuff that I found.
And then I felt worse. Surprise!
I'm better today. Maybe. At least I'm confessional. And I'm talking to you, whoever you are. I'm not dark today. It's made me think of 2 or 3 things I probably need to focus on when I'm throwing a pity party.
1. Do some work. Wash the dishes. Do some laundry. Focus on a writing project. Work seems to help the soul regain some sense of purpose.
2. Get around people. People who refuse to be invited to your pity party, but who will be around you nonetheless.
3. Confess. You may not be one to confess on a blog, but confess. Your spouse, a friend, definitely God. Confess honestly, not in a Sunday-school fashion. But confess. Healing is there. His love doesn't go away.
He comes to give life. But that's my next blog.
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Thursday, September 05, 2013
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Promise.
These were the best of times, these were the worst of times.
The Christmas season is chock full of feelings: peace, want, greed, rest, love, desire, passion, joy, celebration, excitement, disappointment...hope. As Irene Cara is singing right now on Music Choice, "What a feeling!"
But what's it really all about? Growing up in a non-liturgical tradition, I never knew much about the Christian calendar in general, and Advent in particular. But as an adult the rhythm of the Christian calendar has become an invaluable tool to pull me into more intentional relationship with God.
Advent means "coming". The One who "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped" emptied himself into human flesh, baby human flesh at that. He grew up, lived, died, and came back to life, all to redeem you and me, all to display the love and glory of God.
Last Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent, the week of promise. I've always been amazed at Gabriel's inability to keep a secret. It was Gabriel who came to Daniel and announced a coming messiah. As a kid I wondered if he got in trouble for letting the cat out of the bag 400 years too early. Then there were whispers in the ears of the prophets, especially Isaiah (see chapters 7 and 9).
And then it was Gabe who got to meet Zechariah and Elizabeth, and tell them about their soon to be born son John. The forerunner of the messiah. The archangel then headed to the little town of Nazareth, to a young unmarried girl named Mary, and spilled out the whole story. And I'm sure Gabriel was included in the millions of angels who showed the shepherds where to find this newborn child.
What does the word "promise" mean to you? We live in a day where people don't always keep their word. Vows don't mean anything anymore. Contracts can be broken. Our word is no longer our bond. Promises have to be enforced by the courts. Then many church-going people "claim the promises of God" for their lives (while there are some great promises from God, most of the people who use this phrase claim some stuff that IMHO God never promised, but it's what they want so they claim it...but that's another post for another time). Promises--real ones, ones we believe in--change our lives. They change our feelings and our behaviors (just think of when you promise your kids something that they really want). They help put hope in our souls.
Ultimately Advent is about 2 promises, one fulfilled, one yet to come. The messiah did come (1st promise) and he will come again (2nd promise). He interjected redemption once, he will come again and set the whole thing right. He is coming.
He promised.
Maranatha.
The Christmas season is chock full of feelings: peace, want, greed, rest, love, desire, passion, joy, celebration, excitement, disappointment...hope. As Irene Cara is singing right now on Music Choice, "What a feeling!"
But what's it really all about? Growing up in a non-liturgical tradition, I never knew much about the Christian calendar in general, and Advent in particular. But as an adult the rhythm of the Christian calendar has become an invaluable tool to pull me into more intentional relationship with God.
Advent means "coming". The One who "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped" emptied himself into human flesh, baby human flesh at that. He grew up, lived, died, and came back to life, all to redeem you and me, all to display the love and glory of God.
Last Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent, the week of promise. I've always been amazed at Gabriel's inability to keep a secret. It was Gabriel who came to Daniel and announced a coming messiah. As a kid I wondered if he got in trouble for letting the cat out of the bag 400 years too early. Then there were whispers in the ears of the prophets, especially Isaiah (see chapters 7 and 9).
And then it was Gabe who got to meet Zechariah and Elizabeth, and tell them about their soon to be born son John. The forerunner of the messiah. The archangel then headed to the little town of Nazareth, to a young unmarried girl named Mary, and spilled out the whole story. And I'm sure Gabriel was included in the millions of angels who showed the shepherds where to find this newborn child.
What does the word "promise" mean to you? We live in a day where people don't always keep their word. Vows don't mean anything anymore. Contracts can be broken. Our word is no longer our bond. Promises have to be enforced by the courts. Then many church-going people "claim the promises of God" for their lives (while there are some great promises from God, most of the people who use this phrase claim some stuff that IMHO God never promised, but it's what they want so they claim it...but that's another post for another time). Promises--real ones, ones we believe in--change our lives. They change our feelings and our behaviors (just think of when you promise your kids something that they really want). They help put hope in our souls.
Ultimately Advent is about 2 promises, one fulfilled, one yet to come. The messiah did come (1st promise) and he will come again (2nd promise). He interjected redemption once, he will come again and set the whole thing right. He is coming.
He promised.
Maranatha.
Friday, April 02, 2010
Are you free for the next 8 months?
I'm trying to make sure I don't come across as dissing one of my heroes. After meditating on this a couple of days, I've hopefully come to a place where I can write what I'm feeling honestly and upliftingly.
Last week John Piper announced an 8-month sabbatical. I love John Piper. He preached in my church last year during Advent, and I wasn't about to miss it. I read "Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist" years ago, and was thoroughly changed by it. I don't always agree with him, I'm not necessarily too reformed in my theology, but John Piper is a godly man and as I said, one of my heroes.
This blog really isn't about him though, and that's what I hope comes across. It's more about the reaction I've seen from others about his announced sabbatical. He's leaving because in his soul he feels there are some perhaps hidden, underlying issues in him personally and in his family relationships that God wants him to deal with. There's no obvious sin, no big confessions or anything, just that he senses he's not where he needs to be.
I think I know that feeling. I've been dealing with it lately too.
The response, at least in the circles I read in, have been awesome in support of his choice. And in my heart, I'm with them. I'm glad he has the chance to do this.
In some ways I wish I did.
Which leads me to why I really wanted to write this blog. I wanted to make a pitch for the "every-day" man or woman who cannot take an 8-month sabbatical. I wanted to say that you -- those of you who live lives and work jobs and love your spouses, and those of you who have hurting lives and jobs you don't enjoy and fight with your spouses, and everybody who lives with a grand milieu of both good and bad, love and apathy, success and struggle -- to you I say that God CAN and WILL speak to you even if you can't take 8 months off, even if you feel like you can't take 8 hours off. For those who work for hourly wages, who work two jobs, who live below the line of poverty, who are single parents, or whatever circumstance of life you're in, God CAN and WILL give you great relationships with your spouse and kids, he CAN and WILL give you wisdom and direction in life.
He will reveal himself to you, in spite of your busyness. Ask, seek, knock; he is available to you.
I'm glad for John Piper, and pray that God speaks deeply into his life during this time. If you can take a sabbatical, I would recommend you do it for sure! But if you're like me and can't take that kind of time off right now for whatever reason, don't be discouraged that you might somehow be missing something from God. God still very much wants to reveal himself to you. He doesn't love John Piper any more than he loves you.
And while I wouldn't dream of speaking for John, I have a feeling he would agree.
Last week John Piper announced an 8-month sabbatical. I love John Piper. He preached in my church last year during Advent, and I wasn't about to miss it. I read "Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist" years ago, and was thoroughly changed by it. I don't always agree with him, I'm not necessarily too reformed in my theology, but John Piper is a godly man and as I said, one of my heroes.
This blog really isn't about him though, and that's what I hope comes across. It's more about the reaction I've seen from others about his announced sabbatical. He's leaving because in his soul he feels there are some perhaps hidden, underlying issues in him personally and in his family relationships that God wants him to deal with. There's no obvious sin, no big confessions or anything, just that he senses he's not where he needs to be.
I think I know that feeling. I've been dealing with it lately too.
The response, at least in the circles I read in, have been awesome in support of his choice. And in my heart, I'm with them. I'm glad he has the chance to do this.
In some ways I wish I did.
Which leads me to why I really wanted to write this blog. I wanted to make a pitch for the "every-day" man or woman who cannot take an 8-month sabbatical. I wanted to say that you -- those of you who live lives and work jobs and love your spouses, and those of you who have hurting lives and jobs you don't enjoy and fight with your spouses, and everybody who lives with a grand milieu of both good and bad, love and apathy, success and struggle -- to you I say that God CAN and WILL speak to you even if you can't take 8 months off, even if you feel like you can't take 8 hours off. For those who work for hourly wages, who work two jobs, who live below the line of poverty, who are single parents, or whatever circumstance of life you're in, God CAN and WILL give you great relationships with your spouse and kids, he CAN and WILL give you wisdom and direction in life.
He will reveal himself to you, in spite of your busyness. Ask, seek, knock; he is available to you.
I'm glad for John Piper, and pray that God speaks deeply into his life during this time. If you can take a sabbatical, I would recommend you do it for sure! But if you're like me and can't take that kind of time off right now for whatever reason, don't be discouraged that you might somehow be missing something from God. God still very much wants to reveal himself to you. He doesn't love John Piper any more than he loves you.
And while I wouldn't dream of speaking for John, I have a feeling he would agree.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Tough times
Here is an amazing article from Ralph Winter, a pastor in California. There are times when life is just plain stinky (I want to use another "s" word that is stinky, but I'll refrain). God, however, is good, just and loving. We can abandon ourselves to him, and he cares for us.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
What's your elite status with God?
A couple of weeks ago I accomplished something new. I received an elite status with American Airlines.
Now it's just gold (which in ad-speak is always the lowest form of reward) but still--faster boarding, quicker access to first class seats or exit rows. I have always been a big Southwest guy, but living 15 minutes from DFW airport has forced a change. We'll see how that works.
But it made me think about how we approach God. Most of us--espesh those of us who grew up in church--have a hard time understanding that there is NO elite status with God. God doesn't give bonus upgrades to us to reward behavior he likes. How many times have I expected to be bumped into first class with God because I've been particularly good lately? Read my Bible every day, giving generously, sharing the kingdom message, voting Republican, attending church, etc, etc.
God has a first class, but it seems to be reserved for orphans, widows, prostitutes, tax-collectors and especially for martyrs. His first class is given out solely on the basis of what brings him glory.
So the next time I think my relative goodness gets me up to the front of the line in answered prayer, I should remember that there are 143,000,000 orphans in the world who just might be ahead of me.
Now it's just gold (which in ad-speak is always the lowest form of reward) but still--faster boarding, quicker access to first class seats or exit rows. I have always been a big Southwest guy, but living 15 minutes from DFW airport has forced a change. We'll see how that works.
But it made me think about how we approach God. Most of us--espesh those of us who grew up in church--have a hard time understanding that there is NO elite status with God. God doesn't give bonus upgrades to us to reward behavior he likes. How many times have I expected to be bumped into first class with God because I've been particularly good lately? Read my Bible every day, giving generously, sharing the kingdom message, voting Republican, attending church, etc, etc.
God has a first class, but it seems to be reserved for orphans, widows, prostitutes, tax-collectors and especially for martyrs. His first class is given out solely on the basis of what brings him glory.
So the next time I think my relative goodness gets me up to the front of the line in answered prayer, I should remember that there are 143,000,000 orphans in the world who just might be ahead of me.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The places God lives
I'm in Amarillo tonight.
When I was a kid, Amarillo was the biggest city in the world. At least to me. And as I flew in from the southeast, and saw Palo Duro Canyon out my window (it's the 2nd largest canyon in the country; do you know which is first?), I thought about the places I had lived, and the differences between them.
The Texas Panhandle, where I was born and lived until I was 14, is the flattest land you can imagine, with only mostly dry riverbeds interrupting the plains. Two trees together constitutes a forest.
The south central part of Oklahoma, where I sojourned like Jesus in Egypt as a baby, is a beautiful piece of hill country. Hills and bottoms, with a little town on the top of every hill. And I loved how those little towns consolidated their school districts--Velma, Alma, Loco, Weed, etc all towns that went to my school. And I still only had 25 classmates.
The Permian Basin is like half desert, half plains. And flatter than the panhandle. Okay, so I lived in Hobbs, NM, but let's be honest--it's really Texas. We would run to Texas and back during off-season football; it was only 2 miles to the border.
The El Paso desert and Franklin Mountains remain one of the most beautiful places in my mind. The city wrapping around the mountains, the twinkling night-lights that Marty saw from the sky--El Paso's beauty must be looked for, but when you do find it--wow, it's awesome!
San Antonio and the hill country are perfect in October, when leaves start to turn (as much as they can in Texas), and we're still working on learning the north Texas tastes.
But the greatest thing about every one of those places is that God lives there. David said you can't escape from his presence--and he was right.
One of the greatest books of the 20th century was "The Divine Conspiracy" by Dallas Willard. In it he discusses the kingdom of heaven. We have this bad tendency to think of heaven as "way out there." God lives way out there in heaven. But truthfully, heaven is like atmosphere, it is the air we breath, it is all around us.
And God lives there.
When I was a kid, Amarillo was the biggest city in the world. At least to me. And as I flew in from the southeast, and saw Palo Duro Canyon out my window (it's the 2nd largest canyon in the country; do you know which is first?), I thought about the places I had lived, and the differences between them.
The Texas Panhandle, where I was born and lived until I was 14, is the flattest land you can imagine, with only mostly dry riverbeds interrupting the plains. Two trees together constitutes a forest.
The south central part of Oklahoma, where I sojourned like Jesus in Egypt as a baby, is a beautiful piece of hill country. Hills and bottoms, with a little town on the top of every hill. And I loved how those little towns consolidated their school districts--Velma, Alma, Loco, Weed, etc all towns that went to my school. And I still only had 25 classmates.
The Permian Basin is like half desert, half plains. And flatter than the panhandle. Okay, so I lived in Hobbs, NM, but let's be honest--it's really Texas. We would run to Texas and back during off-season football; it was only 2 miles to the border.
The El Paso desert and Franklin Mountains remain one of the most beautiful places in my mind. The city wrapping around the mountains, the twinkling night-lights that Marty saw from the sky--El Paso's beauty must be looked for, but when you do find it--wow, it's awesome!
San Antonio and the hill country are perfect in October, when leaves start to turn (as much as they can in Texas), and we're still working on learning the north Texas tastes.
But the greatest thing about every one of those places is that God lives there. David said you can't escape from his presence--and he was right.
One of the greatest books of the 20th century was "The Divine Conspiracy" by Dallas Willard. In it he discusses the kingdom of heaven. We have this bad tendency to think of heaven as "way out there." God lives way out there in heaven. But truthfully, heaven is like atmosphere, it is the air we breath, it is all around us.
And God lives there.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Random Prayer Breakfast thoughts
Here's some quotes and thoughts from last week's National Prayer Breakfast:
"We do not need cheerleaders but partners." Tony Blair, speaking about promoting peace in the world
Greatest obvious truth: "If faith becomes the property of extremists, it creates discord." Tony Blair
Greatest not-so-obvious truth: "There are limits to humanism, and beyond those limits only God can work." Tony Blair
Most obvious statement that may not be true: "There is no religion whose central tenet is hate." President Obama.
"We do not need cheerleaders but partners." Tony Blair, speaking about promoting peace in the world
Greatest obvious truth: "If faith becomes the property of extremists, it creates discord." Tony Blair
Greatest not-so-obvious truth: "There are limits to humanism, and beyond those limits only God can work." Tony Blair
Most obvious statement that may not be true: "There is no religion whose central tenet is hate." President Obama.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Where does wisdom come from?
I'm not a biblical scholar, but I play one on TV.
Proverbs 8 is a great example of how many people misinterpret the Bible. The chapter is usually subtitled something like "The blessings of wisdom" or the like. In it, wisdom is personified, or given human characteristics, a common literary tool in the poetic passages of the Bible (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs; plus many specific passages within lots of other books).
Now any normal person knows that you say stuff in poems that you would never say in real life. Remember the first time you were in love, and you thought about writing that special someone a poem? You promised the moon, eternal love, and carrying books home from school forever. You exaggerated for effect (hyperbole). You gave your love a voice, and turned the nebulous, mysterious, unexplainable love from an "it" into something much more tangible.
The proverb writer here does that with wisdom. But there are some people that just don't get it.
For instance, there are those who point to this chapter as promoting the female deity, whether it be God's feminine side or a separate person (wife? sister?). All the personification here is feminine in nature. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think God is male or female. He's in touch with his divine side, and since we were made in his image, that divine side has feminine and masculine qualities in abundance.
Or there are those that say this somehow refers to Jesus as the preincarnate (before he was born) personification of wisdom. The help in creating the world, the design of the earth--it makes those who don't see Jesus as God justify their placing him as the chief of all created beings, based on misinterpretations of John 1.1 and Colossians 1.16. In this view Jesus was created first, then helped God the Father create the rest of the world.
Finally there is the Sophia-worship group. In Greek, wisdom is "sophia." And while these proverbs were orginally written in Hebrew, for much of history they have been read in Greek in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible popular from before Jesus was born throughout much of the Roman Empire times). Sophia worshipers--similar to the first mistake--see "Sophia" as a real person, equal to God. Some feminists have latched onto this belief and formed a religious structure around Sophia-worship.
But to me the truth seems very obvious. The writer of the proverb wants us to see that we should be in love with wisdom. We should be passionate about pleasing her, knowing her. We should want to spend our time with her.
At the core, wisdom comes from fear of the LORD and a passionate pursuit of wisdom.
Proverbs 8 is a great example of how many people misinterpret the Bible. The chapter is usually subtitled something like "The blessings of wisdom" or the like. In it, wisdom is personified, or given human characteristics, a common literary tool in the poetic passages of the Bible (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs; plus many specific passages within lots of other books).
Now any normal person knows that you say stuff in poems that you would never say in real life. Remember the first time you were in love, and you thought about writing that special someone a poem? You promised the moon, eternal love, and carrying books home from school forever. You exaggerated for effect (hyperbole). You gave your love a voice, and turned the nebulous, mysterious, unexplainable love from an "it" into something much more tangible.
The proverb writer here does that with wisdom. But there are some people that just don't get it.
For instance, there are those who point to this chapter as promoting the female deity, whether it be God's feminine side or a separate person (wife? sister?). All the personification here is feminine in nature. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think God is male or female. He's in touch with his divine side, and since we were made in his image, that divine side has feminine and masculine qualities in abundance.
Or there are those that say this somehow refers to Jesus as the preincarnate (before he was born) personification of wisdom. The help in creating the world, the design of the earth--it makes those who don't see Jesus as God justify their placing him as the chief of all created beings, based on misinterpretations of John 1.1 and Colossians 1.16. In this view Jesus was created first, then helped God the Father create the rest of the world.
Finally there is the Sophia-worship group. In Greek, wisdom is "sophia." And while these proverbs were orginally written in Hebrew, for much of history they have been read in Greek in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible popular from before Jesus was born throughout much of the Roman Empire times). Sophia worshipers--similar to the first mistake--see "Sophia" as a real person, equal to God. Some feminists have latched onto this belief and formed a religious structure around Sophia-worship.
But to me the truth seems very obvious. The writer of the proverb wants us to see that we should be in love with wisdom. We should be passionate about pleasing her, knowing her. We should want to spend our time with her.
At the core, wisdom comes from fear of the LORD and a passionate pursuit of wisdom.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Burning, bribes and bubbling over
A few thoughts from Proverbs 17:
"The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts." (3)
Don't you just love tests? Tests of the heart burn; they refine. They bring into the light the junk that doesn't belong, so they embarrass us. They make us feel guilty. But they are a necessary part of the purification process.
"A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers." (8) Hmm. This is one of those proverbs that I wonder about. Is the writer promoting the use of bribes? Did bribes have both positive and negative connotations in those days? Verse 23 talks about accepting a "bribe from the bosom" or a bribe given in secret--are bribes okay if they are done with full disclosure?
And finally, this gem for personal obedience: "The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out." (13) We have seen in the past few years what damage water can do when it gets let out of its boundaries. Just ask folks in New Orleans or Galveston (actually, don't ask them. Just pray for them and serve their needs!) Quarreling has similar effects on relationships. So I'm making a resolution today--I don't need to win arguments, especially with my wife. And I don't even need to always feel the need to make a point. Or to rub in a point. Or to hammer in a point until those with lesser points agree with me.
Yikes, the proverbs can be convicting...
"The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts." (3)
Don't you just love tests? Tests of the heart burn; they refine. They bring into the light the junk that doesn't belong, so they embarrass us. They make us feel guilty. But they are a necessary part of the purification process.
"A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers." (8) Hmm. This is one of those proverbs that I wonder about. Is the writer promoting the use of bribes? Did bribes have both positive and negative connotations in those days? Verse 23 talks about accepting a "bribe from the bosom" or a bribe given in secret--are bribes okay if they are done with full disclosure?
And finally, this gem for personal obedience: "The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out." (13) We have seen in the past few years what damage water can do when it gets let out of its boundaries. Just ask folks in New Orleans or Galveston (actually, don't ask them. Just pray for them and serve their needs!) Quarreling has similar effects on relationships. So I'm making a resolution today--I don't need to win arguments, especially with my wife. And I don't even need to always feel the need to make a point. Or to rub in a point. Or to hammer in a point until those with lesser points agree with me.
Yikes, the proverbs can be convicting...
Thursday, June 26, 2008
"Light up the darkness."
This week I finally watched "I am Legend" with Will Smith. Great movie. I didn't know it was based on a 1954 science fiction novel by Richard Matheson, or that other movies had already been made from that book. Which is amazing since I'm typically up on vampire-related genres. I've always been fascinated with vampires, and some of you know that my only recurring nightmare involves fighting vampires a la Blade (not Buffy). See an article about the history of the book and movies here.
***Movie Synopsis--if you haven't seen it and plan to, stop reading***
This 2007 version is set in 2012. A cure for cancer was created in 2009 by manipulating a virus and injecting into humans. Unfortunately, it apparently mutates and wipes out 98% of the world's population. In the remaining 2%, most become zombie/vampires, only coming out at night and feeding on blood. But a few, less than 1%, are immune to the effects.
Army doctor Robert Neville is the last human living in New York City. But rather than leave, he spends his days trying to find a cure, trying to adapt his own immune blood into a serum that will restore the vampires to humans. We learn through flashbacks about various events surrounding the cutting off of NYC from the rest of the world in 09, hoping to stem the virus outbreak. As a comment on the movie itself, it is a true thriller. Very little gore, lots of hair standing on end. Lots of waiting for the vampires to appear, then forgetting your waiting, then jumping when they do. That alone is worth the watch.
But the movie also reminds me of M. Night Shyamalan's films, which I really like. There is a string of Providence that winds through the movie. American Christians have almost forgotten about Providence. We have worked so hard to understand God as our friend (not a bad thing) that we forget about God as the Writer of a cosmic story. Plus we're pretty big into free will, and unless we're calvinistic in our theology, we don't like the idea of God somehow manipulating our lives in this story. Unless of course it keeps us healthy and wealthy, but that's another post.
Through the movie you see these little "signs" that you don't know are signs until the end of the movie. And isn't that just the way life is? Like Jacob, we "wake up" and say "God was here and I flat out missed it." These signs are given to light our way in a dark world and help us see that while all kinds of things happen that seem evil and chaotic and totally out of control the threads of Providence are weaving their way to the conclusion of the story that the Writer has in mind. His dreams will come true, his will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. When we begin to see these signs, we believe. We become participants in the story's outcome, characters used by the Writer to bring about the conclusion.
We begin to light up the darkness.
***Movie Synopsis--if you haven't seen it and plan to, stop reading***
This 2007 version is set in 2012. A cure for cancer was created in 2009 by manipulating a virus and injecting into humans. Unfortunately, it apparently mutates and wipes out 98% of the world's population. In the remaining 2%, most become zombie/vampires, only coming out at night and feeding on blood. But a few, less than 1%, are immune to the effects.
Army doctor Robert Neville is the last human living in New York City. But rather than leave, he spends his days trying to find a cure, trying to adapt his own immune blood into a serum that will restore the vampires to humans. We learn through flashbacks about various events surrounding the cutting off of NYC from the rest of the world in 09, hoping to stem the virus outbreak. As a comment on the movie itself, it is a true thriller. Very little gore, lots of hair standing on end. Lots of waiting for the vampires to appear, then forgetting your waiting, then jumping when they do. That alone is worth the watch.
But the movie also reminds me of M. Night Shyamalan's films, which I really like. There is a string of Providence that winds through the movie. American Christians have almost forgotten about Providence. We have worked so hard to understand God as our friend (not a bad thing) that we forget about God as the Writer of a cosmic story. Plus we're pretty big into free will, and unless we're calvinistic in our theology, we don't like the idea of God somehow manipulating our lives in this story. Unless of course it keeps us healthy and wealthy, but that's another post.
Through the movie you see these little "signs" that you don't know are signs until the end of the movie. And isn't that just the way life is? Like Jacob, we "wake up" and say "God was here and I flat out missed it." These signs are given to light our way in a dark world and help us see that while all kinds of things happen that seem evil and chaotic and totally out of control the threads of Providence are weaving their way to the conclusion of the story that the Writer has in mind. His dreams will come true, his will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. When we begin to see these signs, we believe. We become participants in the story's outcome, characters used by the Writer to bring about the conclusion.
We begin to light up the darkness.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Triangular relationships
I finished Ed Friedman's "A Failure of Nerve" this week. This book turns upside down the late 20th century thoughts on leadership. I will try to write some blogs in the coming days about leadership.
In a later chapter he talks about triangulated relationships, and how they affect a leader. Relationship triangles form basically between three people (e.g. husband, wife, child; or husband, wife, mistress; or boss, employee, spouse) or they can be between two people and a problem, like husband, wife, cancer. There are an almost infinite number of potentially triangulated relationships.
These triangles impact us even when we're not aware of them. Maybe more when we're not aware of them. A great example would be the situation I'm in right now where I'm commuting to Dallas a few times each week. My wife and I have several triangles in our relationship. Here's a few I can think of:
In a later chapter he talks about triangulated relationships, and how they affect a leader. Relationship triangles form basically between three people (e.g. husband, wife, child; or husband, wife, mistress; or boss, employee, spouse) or they can be between two people and a problem, like husband, wife, cancer. There are an almost infinite number of potentially triangulated relationships.
These triangles impact us even when we're not aware of them. Maybe more when we're not aware of them. A great example would be the situation I'm in right now where I'm commuting to Dallas a few times each week. My wife and I have several triangles in our relationship. Here's a few I can think of:
- Me, her, the new job
- Me, her, our unsold house
- Me, her, where do we live?
In each case above, the relationship between A & B (me and her) is seriously affected by C, even when we are not realizing it. She doesn't have to know what's going on in my job, the stress of learning new things, being in a new environment, etc. for all of those things to seriously affect her just because they seriously affect me.
This is pretty basic, but I was thinking about how important it is to triangulate all our relationships with God. This is how God has an impact on us, how he builds our faith. We invite him into the triangle, and he affects us whether we know it or not. So if I have me, my new job and God in a triangle, that new job stuff will automatically begin to have less of an effect on my relationship with San. And if she invites God into the triangle with her and selling our house, it has an impact on her well-being, her state of mind, even if she doesn't know what or how God is going to do something.
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