The Pope and I agree on the economy. Here's what he said yesterday.
"He who builds only on visible and tangible things like success, career and money builds the house of his life on sand."
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Medical procedures...
Today I have to go for a sonogram.
Apparently I'm pregnant.
Okay, well not really. But my doc wants a closer look at my kidneys. So I drank my 32 oz of water and in a little while I'll head to the imaging place and get scanned. As long as no one tries to copy or fax me...
It has reminded me of the times I've had other medical procedures done. Everyone's favorite is probably the surgery around getting my toe cut off in a tragic lawnmower accident when I was 16. No one should ever have to get surgery done in Borger, Texas from a Filipino doctor.
My personal favorite is the scoping of my bladder a couple of years ago. There is a tool called a flexible cystoscopy, inveneted for use in the torturing of heretics in the 17th century but now a doctor's tool for looking in a bladder. Yes, there is only one passageway into my bladder. And even though WebMD says a flexible cystoscopy is "pencil thick" I swear it was at least a 1/2 inch.
But the truth is, I want to be healthy. I want to hang out with my kids for many more years to come. I want to make sure I do what I can to keep myself fit. I've typically been one of those kinds of people that sees the cynical side of health--work out, lose weight, eat wheat germ or whatever, then get hit by a bus leaving the gym. But really, I'm going to do something about it. I've already gone 5 days without a soda, and don't plan to ever have one again. I went to a burger place in the Houston airport last night and had a salad. I did indulge in a couple of things at the state fair on Sunday--corn dogs and chicken fried bacon--but those will now be the exception to the rule. I hope to start working out.
Anything to avoid the flexible cystoscopy...
Apparently I'm pregnant.
Okay, well not really. But my doc wants a closer look at my kidneys. So I drank my 32 oz of water and in a little while I'll head to the imaging place and get scanned. As long as no one tries to copy or fax me...
It has reminded me of the times I've had other medical procedures done. Everyone's favorite is probably the surgery around getting my toe cut off in a tragic lawnmower accident when I was 16. No one should ever have to get surgery done in Borger, Texas from a Filipino doctor.
My personal favorite is the scoping of my bladder a couple of years ago. There is a tool called a flexible cystoscopy, inveneted for use in the torturing of heretics in the 17th century but now a doctor's tool for looking in a bladder. Yes, there is only one passageway into my bladder. And even though WebMD says a flexible cystoscopy is "pencil thick" I swear it was at least a 1/2 inch.
But the truth is, I want to be healthy. I want to hang out with my kids for many more years to come. I want to make sure I do what I can to keep myself fit. I've typically been one of those kinds of people that sees the cynical side of health--work out, lose weight, eat wheat germ or whatever, then get hit by a bus leaving the gym. But really, I'm going to do something about it. I've already gone 5 days without a soda, and don't plan to ever have one again. I went to a burger place in the Houston airport last night and had a salad. I did indulge in a couple of things at the state fair on Sunday--corn dogs and chicken fried bacon--but those will now be the exception to the rule. I hope to start working out.
Anything to avoid the flexible cystoscopy...
Friday, October 03, 2008
Church and State
Let's be clear--churches and believers should speak prophetically to their communities and cultures. We should be speaking to our parishioners about a follower of Jesus' role in shaping political leadership, in influencing culture, etc.
But there is no way this is a good idea. As I think has been attributed to Tony Campolo, mixing manure and ice cream might be really good for the manure, but it doesn't do much for the ice cream. I am not sure it's a good idea for churches to be tax exempt even, although all nonprofits are tax exempt, not just religious ones. Churches should be speaking on behalf of God when it comes to biblical truth and kingdom issues, but I don't believe we should endorse candidates either way. And I definitely don't think we should be connected to any one group or party. Anything that compromises the prophetic edge should be wisely considered and probably avoided altogether.
But there is no way this is a good idea. As I think has been attributed to Tony Campolo, mixing manure and ice cream might be really good for the manure, but it doesn't do much for the ice cream. I am not sure it's a good idea for churches to be tax exempt even, although all nonprofits are tax exempt, not just religious ones. Churches should be speaking on behalf of God when it comes to biblical truth and kingdom issues, but I don't believe we should endorse candidates either way. And I definitely don't think we should be connected to any one group or party. Anything that compromises the prophetic edge should be wisely considered and probably avoided altogether.
Feet problems
I have a thing about feet.
I don't know what it is, but feet have always been the ickiest part of the body for me. Maybe it stems from sticking my foot under a lawnmower when I was 16 and losing a toe, or maybe it's something psychological hidden within me--who knows. But I don't like feet.
Like Adrian Monk there are days where I work to overcome this icky feeling. I have grown to the point of being able to give my wife a foot massage. Sometimes. Of course there's then the alcohol rub, bleach bath and disinfectant use afterwords, but I'm progressing...
A couple of weekends ago I needed to take San's van to the shop for a new tire. She had taken my truck and gone shopping, and I didn't really want to wait, so I walked the mile or so from the tire place back to our house. It was a nice Saturday morning stroll.
Until I got to our neighbors' house. The kids were playing on the sidwalk, I was watching them, and totally forgot about the little raised bump in the sidewalk. I kicked it straight on, and stubbed my toe. I nearly fell down. Don't you love that feeling of "How can I regain my balance and not look like an idiot?"
The only real problem is that I was wearing flip-flops (no mom, no one calls them "thongs" anymore, that means something else now). As I kept walking up the driveway, I felt a little liquid on my foot, looked down and...well, let's just say it suddenly hurt more. I came inside, cleaned it up, bandaged it, made sure it didn't need stitches (it was more of a filet than a gash), then limped around for a couple of days.
So today I read Proverbs 3. There's lots of stuff in there about wisdom, including this:
"My son, do not lose sight of these--keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble." Pr 3.21-23
It is easy to get distracted from wisdom and slice open a toe. (Maybe wisdom is to stop wearing flip-flops...really mom, Google "thong" and see if any flip-flops come up.) We need to keep our focus on the wisdom of God, and not be distracted by the alternative voices begging for our attention. Jesus said to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." Sometimes, he says, "what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God" (Lk 16.15b).
I don't know what it is, but feet have always been the ickiest part of the body for me. Maybe it stems from sticking my foot under a lawnmower when I was 16 and losing a toe, or maybe it's something psychological hidden within me--who knows. But I don't like feet.
Like Adrian Monk there are days where I work to overcome this icky feeling. I have grown to the point of being able to give my wife a foot massage. Sometimes. Of course there's then the alcohol rub, bleach bath and disinfectant use afterwords, but I'm progressing...
A couple of weekends ago I needed to take San's van to the shop for a new tire. She had taken my truck and gone shopping, and I didn't really want to wait, so I walked the mile or so from the tire place back to our house. It was a nice Saturday morning stroll.
Until I got to our neighbors' house. The kids were playing on the sidwalk, I was watching them, and totally forgot about the little raised bump in the sidewalk. I kicked it straight on, and stubbed my toe. I nearly fell down. Don't you love that feeling of "How can I regain my balance and not look like an idiot?"
The only real problem is that I was wearing flip-flops (no mom, no one calls them "thongs" anymore, that means something else now). As I kept walking up the driveway, I felt a little liquid on my foot, looked down and...well, let's just say it suddenly hurt more. I came inside, cleaned it up, bandaged it, made sure it didn't need stitches (it was more of a filet than a gash), then limped around for a couple of days.
So today I read Proverbs 3. There's lots of stuff in there about wisdom, including this:
"My son, do not lose sight of these--keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble." Pr 3.21-23
It is easy to get distracted from wisdom and slice open a toe. (Maybe wisdom is to stop wearing flip-flops...really mom, Google "thong" and see if any flip-flops come up.) We need to keep our focus on the wisdom of God, and not be distracted by the alternative voices begging for our attention. Jesus said to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." Sometimes, he says, "what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God" (Lk 16.15b).
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Some new demotivators
In case the 3.5 of you have forgotten, I LOVE http://www.despair.com/. If I could, I would put the full repertoire of posters up in my office.
Some new ones are out, and hey, I thought this one fit.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
You can't fix politicians either
I have wanted to blog on the economy, but to be honest, I only know enough about it to be dangerous. I don't know whether or not the bailout plan was right, but here's what I know: politicians practice CYA decision-making, and care more about getting elected than getting it right.
Monday, September 29, 2008
You can't fix stupid
"When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan." Pr 29.2
I think that sometimes we Christians have an equation like this one:
Persecution/negative comments = What the Bible says about righteous living being persecuted.
But the reality is this:
Persecution/negative comments = Natural consequences of doing something stupid.
When believers do something stupid, the critique we get IS NOT persecution. If we offer bad leadership, bad politics, bad thinking, bad philosophy, bad and/or stupid [fill in the blank], the critique we get is deserved.
This proverb seems to say that wicked leadership will be obviously bad to people, but when there is an increase in righteousness, the people will like it. That is not to take away anything from real persecution--it exists and should be pointed out for what it is. But when we are obnoxious instead of graceful, judgmental instead of loving, shouting from a distance instead of building relationships, we are being stupid, and the critique is deserved.
As my friend says, "you can't fix stupid."
I think that sometimes we Christians have an equation like this one:
Persecution/negative comments = What the Bible says about righteous living being persecuted.
But the reality is this:
Persecution/negative comments = Natural consequences of doing something stupid.
When believers do something stupid, the critique we get IS NOT persecution. If we offer bad leadership, bad politics, bad thinking, bad philosophy, bad and/or stupid [fill in the blank], the critique we get is deserved.
This proverb seems to say that wicked leadership will be obviously bad to people, but when there is an increase in righteousness, the people will like it. That is not to take away anything from real persecution--it exists and should be pointed out for what it is. But when we are obnoxious instead of graceful, judgmental instead of loving, shouting from a distance instead of building relationships, we are being stupid, and the critique is deserved.
As my friend says, "you can't fix stupid."
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Some fun, some serious...
"Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips." Pr 27.2
This is great advice. It's always better for others to sing your praises, cuz then you don't look arrogant or prideful. There's only one thing wrong with following this proverb:
What if no one says anything good about you?
I guess then you can go back to Pr 17.8 and offer someone a bribe to praise you in public...
"...do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity." Pr 27.10b
Hmm, should I have turned my brother away during Hurrican Ike? No, of course not. This is a great example of missing the point of the proverb. I deliberately skipped the first half of the verse, which says "Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend..." The thought I have is this--we should work to be the kind of people who help in troubled times. We will all need other's help in times of calamity, and when we need help we should seek it. But as followers of Jesus we can make a difference in the world when we are individually and collectively ready to help in times of trouble.
One of my favorite proverbs: "Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing." 27.14. Can I get an "amen" from you non-morning folks?
Whoops, I guess the bribe thing won't work. 27.21 says "The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise." It seems that praise for us--or the lack thereof--are parts of the refining process God has. Hmm, I guess that means I should not take praise or the lack of praise personally. It has nothing to do with my identity. It is something God uses to shape me into a better man.
Finally, on the economy:
"Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever, and does a crown endure to all generations? When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field. There will be enough goats' milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls." 27.23-27
I have two or three times sat down to blog about the economic situation in the US. The truth is I have no idea what is right. I feel like some bailout is necessary, but giving carte blanche to this administration is still a bad idea. It's a bad idea for any administration, because power does corrupt. It's why the leadership style of Jesus-followers is about service and sacrifice, not power and authority. But I digress.
The ecomony breathes, just like the cycle of grass disappearing then the new growth appears. We have staved off any significant downturns for nearly 30 years. We have almost no one left who lived through the Great Depression. Maybe we're near another significantly difficult time. Maybe not. I have no idea. But I know that God is on his throne and cares deeply for all of us, especially the poor. So we should prepare for difficult times, but never hoard away from the poor. There will always be enough for "the maintenance of your girls."
And as you know if you have daughters, that is plenty.
This is great advice. It's always better for others to sing your praises, cuz then you don't look arrogant or prideful. There's only one thing wrong with following this proverb:
What if no one says anything good about you?
I guess then you can go back to Pr 17.8 and offer someone a bribe to praise you in public...
"...do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity." Pr 27.10b
Hmm, should I have turned my brother away during Hurrican Ike? No, of course not. This is a great example of missing the point of the proverb. I deliberately skipped the first half of the verse, which says "Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend..." The thought I have is this--we should work to be the kind of people who help in troubled times. We will all need other's help in times of calamity, and when we need help we should seek it. But as followers of Jesus we can make a difference in the world when we are individually and collectively ready to help in times of trouble.
One of my favorite proverbs: "Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing." 27.14. Can I get an "amen" from you non-morning folks?
Whoops, I guess the bribe thing won't work. 27.21 says "The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise." It seems that praise for us--or the lack thereof--are parts of the refining process God has. Hmm, I guess that means I should not take praise or the lack of praise personally. It has nothing to do with my identity. It is something God uses to shape me into a better man.
Finally, on the economy:
"Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever, and does a crown endure to all generations? When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field. There will be enough goats' milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls." 27.23-27
I have two or three times sat down to blog about the economic situation in the US. The truth is I have no idea what is right. I feel like some bailout is necessary, but giving carte blanche to this administration is still a bad idea. It's a bad idea for any administration, because power does corrupt. It's why the leadership style of Jesus-followers is about service and sacrifice, not power and authority. But I digress.
The ecomony breathes, just like the cycle of grass disappearing then the new growth appears. We have staved off any significant downturns for nearly 30 years. We have almost no one left who lived through the Great Depression. Maybe we're near another significantly difficult time. Maybe not. I have no idea. But I know that God is on his throne and cares deeply for all of us, especially the poor. So we should prepare for difficult times, but never hoard away from the poor. There will always be enough for "the maintenance of your girls."
And as you know if you have daughters, that is plenty.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Fools and sluggards are bad--but there are worse things
I have always loves Proverbs 26. It's a great example of setting someone up for conviction, just luring them into a trap to see their own sin. The first 11 verses are all these statements about a fool--purposeless, loveless, moralless; they are just worthless people. We shouldn't honor them, shouldn't listen to them, shouldn't give them the time of day. And as you read them you think, "man, I'm glad I'm not a fool. I'm a lot better than that. I think I'm wiser than that."
Then you get to verse 12: "Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."
Yikes! Didn't see that coming...
I just think the word sluggard is cool. When was the last time you used that in casual conversation?
And finally, for a jokester like me, the proverb that squelches the fun: "Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, 'I am only joking!'" So should I give up trying to trick people for fun?
Or is this more about trying to get out of bad behavior? When we get caught in something that looks bad, we like to play it off somehow. A good way is to say, "I was just foolin'. Didn't really mean that." As I'm trying to teach my children, our first response when we're in a situation where there is any chance we had some shortcoming in responsibility, we should own up to it immediately. No excuses, no playing it off. Just an honest, "You know, maybe I didn't think that through, and I'm sorry."
Just a thought.
Then you get to verse 12: "Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."
Yikes! Didn't see that coming...
I just think the word sluggard is cool. When was the last time you used that in casual conversation?
And finally, for a jokester like me, the proverb that squelches the fun: "Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, 'I am only joking!'" So should I give up trying to trick people for fun?
Or is this more about trying to get out of bad behavior? When we get caught in something that looks bad, we like to play it off somehow. A good way is to say, "I was just foolin'. Didn't really mean that." As I'm trying to teach my children, our first response when we're in a situation where there is any chance we had some shortcoming in responsibility, we should own up to it immediately. No excuses, no playing it off. Just an honest, "You know, maybe I didn't think that through, and I'm sorry."
Just a thought.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The ol' switcharoo
I read Proverbs 24 before going to sleep tonight, and came across a good thought in verse 17:
"Do not rejoice when an enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles..."
Yes, I thought. This is good. The counter-cultural message of Jesus. Nonviolence, love for everyone, even enemies. We should all practice this.
Then I read verse 18:
"...lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him."
Okay, so let's see. If I want REALLY bad things to happen to my enemy, I should not be happy when they begin, cuz if I'm happy then God may think he's been too hard on the poor soul.
The proverbs really mess with me sometimes...
"Do not rejoice when an enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles..."
Yes, I thought. This is good. The counter-cultural message of Jesus. Nonviolence, love for everyone, even enemies. We should all practice this.
Then I read verse 18:
"...lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him."
Okay, so let's see. If I want REALLY bad things to happen to my enemy, I should not be happy when they begin, cuz if I'm happy then God may think he's been too hard on the poor soul.
The proverbs really mess with me sometimes...
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