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| Imagine my surprise when I realized that I haven't written a blog since April. While I hope others enjoy my blogs, I write them for my own edification. It's one way that I'm able to critique my own thinking.
So 2007 has been crazy busy. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I have a strong sense of responsibility to "do good" with the gifts I've been given. In 2007 that manifested itself in me volunteering to teach chemistry at Avoyelles Public Charter School. It's just one class but it gets me out of the house and gives me a chance to talk about science to a captive audience.
Driving to Mansura every day has given me time to reflect on, among other things, my motives for doing this. Of course it gets me out of the house and gives me a chance to discuss things that interest me. However, when I'm honest, I have to admit that there's a part of me that thinks, "Wow, God must be SO proud of me". Do you ever think that? Do you ever do a good deed and say to yourself, "I am gonna get a big jewel in my crown for that". I suspect we all do from time to time.
I often augment my reflections by listening to Richard Rohr while I'm driving. Rohr has helped me understand faith from a healthier perspective. As I examine my motives from this new perspective I have two thoughts. The first is, "Get over yourself". Sure I am helping people out but I'm getting a lot out of it too. I get to spend time with friends who work at the school. I get to talk about something that I really enjoy discussing. I get to enjoy the security of having a better income than most teachers. Think about it...I'm not making any big sacrifice. I'm simply doing something I enjoy. Why should I think that I'll get any brownie points for this?
The other thought is, "God is pleased". Not because of what I'm doing but because I'm his/her child. If Rohr has helped me understand anything it is that God loves us not because of what we do but because of who we are. How silly of us (I'm sure that most people do this) to think that we earn favor with God by giving money, sacrificing time, exploring faith, or any of the other "churchy" things we do. We mustn't think that we have to do those things in order to make God like us. God already loves us. We can't make God love us more than he/she already does. Instead, we do those things to help us grow closer to God. Jesus taught us that the path to salvation was through giving and not taking, through forgiving and not seeking revenge, through humility and not boasting, through meekness not seeking power. Rohr has helped me understand that the salvation Jesus spoke of was not an escape from hell. Instead it was an escape from bondage. Bondage to materialism, bondage to the lust for power, bondage to the need to look and feel important. While salvation includes the forgiveness of sin, it is much more than that. The salvation that we have been offered means a fulfilled life in this life and in the next life.
So why am I volunteering to teach chemistry at Avoyelles Public Charter School? Because I enjoy being around good people, because I like (most) teenagers, because I love to talk about science, and, yes, because I get a bit of an ego boost from thinking that I'm helping people that have no other options.
So this Christmas I send you all good news that is for all people. The good news is that God became a man. A man who taught us that true salvation can be found in powerlessness and humility. So in 2008 remember that you are God's child and you can't make God love you anymore than he/she already does. All you can do is seek to understand that love that already surrounds you.
Peace to you all.
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| Most of us have heard the lines before..."Christians are counter cultural" or "Jesus was a rebel" or even "Be in the world but not OF the world". These are all catchy phrases that we love to identify with but rarely do we choose to live them out.
It's often interesting to me that I get caught off guard by truth. I started this past season of Lent with no expectations. I returned from my mother's funeral on Mardi Gras and spent Ash Wednesday trying to get "back in the loop" instead of reflecting on my sin and Jesus' sacrifice. When I left Louisiana a few days earlier I was up to my ears in stuff. I was very, very involved in stuff at church. I had things going on at work. I was running the 24X7 party that IS Purdyville. Then it all stopped.
When I returned ten days later our church had a great pastor, another person was in the deacon position I had vacated, work responsibilities had changed, and Purdyville had slowed down. I found myself in a very uncomfortable situation where all of the "things" I had relied upon for my identity were different. I confided in many of my friends that I was struggling to get back in the loop. It never occurred to me that God was trying to teach me something through Lent.
You see I had fallen into the trap of "busyness in place of spirituality". It's a trap that most Americans spend a lot of time in. I suspect few of us ever completely free ourselves from it. As I've thought through this idea some of the quotes I opened this blog with have floated through my mind.
Christians are counter cultural
I certainly think Christians SHOULD BE counter cultural but we rarely are. In fact it's often difficult to separate the western church from the western culture. We have a lot going on at church, we try to look our best at church, and we always try to be nice and not offend people at church. Perhaps we should spend more time at church intentionally doing NOTHING. This would make us all (myself included) very uncomfortable. We're comfortable with the church as a hub of activity. The church as a quiet place of reflection would freak us out. If we took the next step and told the religious establishment that they were far from God and treated the poor as equals and sought to make peace with muslims and spoke out against war and did all those other things that our culture doesn't do we would certainly be counter culture but how would we make budget?
Jesus was a rebel
We love this one. We love to hear the stories about Jesus "sticking it to the man". When Jesus tells the Pharisees to get the beam out of their own eye before they try to remove the speck out of someone else's eye or when he tells the religious right that they're like whitewashed tombs, we stand up and cheer. Boy you sure set them straight Jesus. But what happens when Jesus turns to us and says,
"Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."
That's when we start rationalizing and saying that we need to "take a stand against evil" or "teach people to be responsible". During Lent I was reminded again that Jesus wants a revolution in my life before I can start a revolution in my community.
Be in the world but not of the world
This one is certainly biblical. We like the idea of being separate because we can use that as code for being BETTER. When I'm honest with myself I admit that I'm not much different than the disciples who wondered who was to blame for a man being born blind. I was born into a middle class white family in California. I have a reasonably competent mind and happen to be interested in a field of study that allows me to make a good salary. I have to admit that part of me thinks that I must be pretty special because I'm in such a good situation. Like the disciples, I'm comfortable with the idea that I deserve my situation and those who are in bad situations must have done something bad to deserve what they got. However, as Pat Summitt said, "Too many people find themselves on third base and think they hit a triple". I think Jesus loves that statement. The good situation I'm in has far more to do with the things I was given than the things I did. If I were born into a different culture, a different time, or a different health status, my life would be far different than it is today. During Lent I was reminded that I have been given so much and that I am called to use those things I've been given to help others. Being "in the world" doesn't just speak to my location. It also speaks to my responsibility to identify with my brothers and sisters in the human race.
I know that I've rambled a bit today. I hope I wasn't too hard to follow. Know that I appreciate all your kind comments whether through xanga or face to face.
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| I love people. They are far more interesting than computers, birdwatching, technology watching, or the other non people related things I do. I know that I've been blogging for some time now. However, most of the blogs I've been reading are written by friends who are much younger than me. For me blogging has been heart breaking, entertaining, and theraputic (yeah I know I misspelled it but its late and I don't care). Before facebook my mornings most often began with me reading my Xanga email and laughing at my friend's thoughts and deeds. Sadly, most of those friends have moved over to facebook which, while entertaining, doesn't lend itself to contemplation like a good blog does.
However, as I mourned the loss of my morning Xanga updates I didn't know that a new movement was underway. That movement is the advent of the non-college blog. I'm not sure when or where it started but recently I've been made aware of the popularity of blogging outside of the academic world. My company offers blogs to every employee, my friend Dave Britt has a blog, Dave's son Jeb has a blog, the CEO of my company has a blog, there are blogs about issues in Alexandria, here a blog, there a blog, everywhere a blog blog.
What's the deal? It's called the participation age by some and Web 2.0 by others. I call it awesome. You see with the advent of the Internet (in the public's awareness anyway) in the early 90s we had the "Information Age". We loved it because we could access information in an instant. Location ceased to be an issue. What mattered was connectivity. As long as we could get to the network we could access the information that it offered. It was an exciting time because we didn't know where the Internet was going but we knew it was going to be significant.
Here we are 10 - 15 years later and the Internet is a part of our everyday lives. We still have access to enormous amounts of information but we're no longer content to passively consume information. Instead we want to add our $0.02 worth. We have opinions that we want to share so we participate. There are great sources like Xanga where we can post our ideas for other to read or ignore.
As I see it there are at least two things that make this a wonderful thing. First, everyone has the same opportunity (given that they have access to the network). Our ideas can stand or fall on their own merit. My financial backing doesn't give my ideas any advantage in the blogosphere. The other cool thing is the emergence of a global community. A blogger in Asia can find a kindred spirit in South America or Europe or in the very next town. Location ceases to be an issue. Participation becomes the important thing.
All this is very post-modern in my understanding. We no longer have to seek information only from the ordained sources. Instead we can hear what Rajiv in Bangalore thinks as well as considering George Will's thoughts.
Folks it's a great time to be alive. You lurkers out there need to get involved. You have ideas and we need to hear them. The technology we have been blessed with is good for more than just watching Oprah and American Idol. Turn off your TV and fire up a blog. Be a producer of ideas rather than just a consumer of ideas. The good old days are right now and your neighbors in the global community are waiting to hear from you.
Can you tell that I wrote this at 1am?
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| By now many of you have heard that my mother died a couple weeks ago. I appreciate all of your kind words and deeds. I have a great set of friends. It's actually been a very interesting process to go through so I thought I'd blog about it a bit.
Here's the thing...death and grieving are really awkward things. Eventually we all encounter the death of a loved one but until we do we consciously or unconsciously try to avoid the bereavement thing. With that in mind, it seemed appropriate for me to give my friends a little guide to dealing with the uncomfortable yet inevitable issue.
First...dealing with a friend who has lost a loved one. Rule number one, leave your script in the car. Since we are usually so tense about dealing with this uncomfortable situation we often practice what we're going to say and how we're going to act before we get there. We've seen these situations on TV and have watched our parents deal with this so we do our best to emulate their behavior. That's not a bad plan but you need to be flexible. Remember, you're there to provide comfort, not to recite the script you wrote. As you approach, tune in to the mood. Your friend might be laughing about a story that someone just shared about the person who died. If your friend seems upbeat, try to match their mood. Be sure to tell them that you love them but do it on their terms not yours. On the other hand, your friend may not be laughing at all. If they're struggling to keep it together it's probably best not say anything at all. A hug or a hand on their shoulder will let them know you're there and that you care about them. Leave it at that. I know, I know, you worked really hard on that script. Trust me, wait for the right moment.
Then there's the other situation where you're the bereaved. Here's the most important thing to remember when you're dealing with visitors. Every one of them is there because they care about you. If you weren't important to them, believe me, they wouldn't show up. So cut them some slack and remember how awkward it was for you when you were in their shoes. Perhaps they haven't read my blog (or they have foolishly shunned my advice) and they're reciting their script. Just go along with it. Remember...they're doing this because you mean a lot to them and they're doing their best to show it. Return the favor and thank them (then tell them to read my blog)...(just kidding)...(kinda).
When you get right down to it, the whole funeral and grief process is for the living. It helps us deal with the loss of a loved one. At their best funerals remind us of the gift that the deceased person was. They're a good way to bring families and friends together to remember the blessings that the deceased gave us. That's not always an easy thing to remember when we're struggling to deal with the loss. Funerals help the living to get to that point.
So the next time you're facing this difficult situation remember Luke's Guide to Bereavement. Leave your script in the car, tune in to the mood, and remember...if they didn't care they wouldn't be there.
And the most important thing to remember is that we're all in the hands of a loving God who will gather us all together with Him in the end. Imagine the teasing you'll have to endure for eternity if you show up at the funeral with your zipper down. | | |
| OK. You're all getting older and I think it's time we had a very important discussion. Yes, I'm referring to THAT discussion. You see I've been working with this new online virtual world called Second Life (SL). It's very cool and I highly recommend that you login and explore a bit. It's expected to be "the next big thing" in Internet technology. In SL you create a character and walk or fly or teleport around in this virtual world. Other people are there and you can interact with them. In fact you can buy stuff from them. Many people sell hairstyles, clothes, buildings, land, and artwork. Other people sell erotica. Just as in the real world (which is called First Life in the SL world), porn of all sorts is a big seller in SL. Which is why I've decided it's time that we have this little chat.
Here's my point. Sex is NOT the ultimate experience that two people can share. It's great, in fact, it's fantastic, but it's not the greatest or most fantastic thing that you can experience with another person. You see as I go through both the first and the second lives I see so many unhappy people who have bought into the lie that sex is the ultimate experience. I'm here to tell you that if you believe that then you're not going to live a very full life. Here are some clues that someone has bought into the lie.
1. Are they being irresponsible with sex?
I'll let you define what irresponsible sex is but here are some guidelines. Are you hurting yourself or someone else? This can be physical or emotional damage. Most of us probably know someone who has lied to someone or led someone on in order to get them in the sack. That's wrong. I've known people who have transmitted diseases because they were irresponsible with sex. Folks, sex is a powerful thing that can be really good or really bad depending on how it's used. Be responsible.
2. Are they going to extreme measures to improve their sex life?
We all have our own definition of extreme but if you're using a toll-free number and your credit card to improve your sex life then you may be on thin ice. I think people believe the lies about sex and then are disappointed when they don't have the ultimate experience. Rather than doubting the lie, they think they must be doing something wrong. This leads to extreme behavior and Internet purchases which only bring more disappointment.
So what IS the ultimate experience? The ultimate experience between two people is to be fully known and still loved. Sex is part of this but it is not ALL of this. Rabbi Julius Gordon said, "Love is not blind - it sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less.". The love he's referring to is the ultimate experience. To be completely known, warts and all, yet still loved is the most fulfilling experience I think two people can share. (Here's a hint...this process doesn't end, it just gets more meaningful) There are obvious spiritual points I could make here but I'll leave that for another blog.
Instead, I want to encourage you to question the foundational truths that you're building your life upon. Yes, that includes religion. Ask God those tough questions that you're afraid to wrestle with. He (she?, both?) can take it. In fact, God knows you so well that, if you're open to His Spirit, He will respond to your questions in ways that will surprise you. Be patient and trust...it will happen. Also, question those other foundational truths? Do you really want to go into that certain career field? Do you really enjoy those things that are consuming so much of your time and energy? Is that person really the one you want to marry? Did God really call you to do that?
Here's what I've discovered. Those questions won't go away. If they're floating around in your head then you need to address them. It's not easy but you need to do it. On the other side of those questions you'll discover self-esteem and leadership potential that you didn't know you possessed.
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