It amazes me how much I get out of contemplative morning reads. I wish I made myself get up for those moments more often. Two things to share this morning:
From C.S. Lewis: The Problem of Pain
This sin [the fall of man--the first sin] has been described by Saint Augustine as the result of Pride, of th emovement whereby a creature (that is, an essentially dependent being whose principle of existence lies not in itself but in another) tries to set up on its own, to exist for itself. Such a sin requires no complex social conditions, no extended experience, no great intellectual development. From the moment of a creature becomes aware of God as God and of itself as self, the terrible alternative of choosing God or self for the centre is opened to it. This sin is committed daily by young children and ignorant peasants as well as by sophisticated persons, by solitaries no less than by those who live in society: it is the fall in every individual life, and in each day of each individual life, the basic sin behind all particular sins: at this very moment you and I are eithe rcommitting it, or about to commit it, or repenting it. We try when we wake, to lay the new day at God's feet; before we have finished shaving, it becomes our day and God's share in it is felt as a tribute which we must pay out of 'our own' pocket, a deduction from the time which ought, we feel, to be 'our own'.
From Valley of Vision: The Mover
O Supreme Moving Cause
May I always be subordinate to thee,
be dependent upon thee,
be found in the path where thou dost woalk,
and where thy Spirit moves,
take heed of estrangement from thee,
of becoming insensible to thy love.
Thou dost not move men like stones,
but dost endue them with life,
not enable them to move without thee,
but in submission to thee, the first mover.
O Lord, I am astonished at the difference
between my receivings and my deservings,
between the state I am now in and my past gracelessness,
between the heaven I am bound for and the hell I merit.
Who made me to differ, but thee?
for I was no more ready to receive Christ than were others;
I could not have begun to love thee hadst thou not first loved me,
or been willing unless thou hadst first made me so.
O that such a crown should fit the head of such a sinner!
such high advancement be for an unfruitful person!
such joys for so vile a rebel!
Infinite wisdom cast the design of salvation
into the mould of purchase and freedom;
Let wrath deserved be written on the door of hell,
But the free gift of grace on the gate of heaven.
I know that my sufferings are the result of my sinning,
but in heaven both shall cease;
Grant me to attain this haven and be done with sailing,
and may the gales of thy mercy blow me safely into harbour.
Let thy love draw me nearer to thyself,
wean me from sin, mortify me to this world,
and make me ready for my departure hence.
Secure me by thy grace as I sail across this stormy sea.
I would love to expound and share my ramblings in reflection of these two passages, but time does not afford me that luxury at the moment. But I pray they resonate, convict, and challenge you as they have me.
With John Donne, I pray, "Batter my heart, three person'd God."
Soli Deo Gloria.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Monday, November 29, 2010
Redefining "Love"
Reading C.S. Lewis (The Problem of Pain) and this paragraph stood out to me. We have need to evaluate our definition of love. It is far to easy to let it be incorrectly shaped.
"By the goodness of God we mean nowadays almost exclusively His lovingness; and in this we may be right. And by Love, in this context, most of us mean kindness--the desire to see others than the self happy; not happy in this way or in that, but just happy. What would really satisfy us would be a God who said of anything we happened to like doing, 'What does it matter so long as they are contented?' We want, in fact, not so much a Father in Heaven as a grandfather in heaven--a senile benevolence who, as they say, 'liked to see young people enjoying themselves', and whose plan for the universe was simply that it might be truly said at the end of each day, 'a good time was had by all'. Not many people, I admit, would formulate a theology in precisely those terms; but a conception not very different lurks at the back of many minds. I do not claim to be an exception: I should very much like to live in a universe which was governed on such lines. But since it is abundantly clear that I don't, and since I have reason to believe, nevertheless, that God is Love, I conclude that my conception of love needs correction." -C.S. Lewis (The Problem of Pain)
"By the goodness of God we mean nowadays almost exclusively His lovingness; and in this we may be right. And by Love, in this context, most of us mean kindness--the desire to see others than the self happy; not happy in this way or in that, but just happy. What would really satisfy us would be a God who said of anything we happened to like doing, 'What does it matter so long as they are contented?' We want, in fact, not so much a Father in Heaven as a grandfather in heaven--a senile benevolence who, as they say, 'liked to see young people enjoying themselves', and whose plan for the universe was simply that it might be truly said at the end of each day, 'a good time was had by all'. Not many people, I admit, would formulate a theology in precisely those terms; but a conception not very different lurks at the back of many minds. I do not claim to be an exception: I should very much like to live in a universe which was governed on such lines. But since it is abundantly clear that I don't, and since I have reason to believe, nevertheless, that God is Love, I conclude that my conception of love needs correction." -C.S. Lewis (The Problem of Pain)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Heroes Return
Several years ago I felt led to write the below song/poem. My pepaw (Archie) is in a VA hospital in Alabama. Like many of his generation, he fought in World War II.
As I've watched him age I've seen his demeanor shift to one of a sad helplessness and often loneliness. I can't help but get emotional when I think, not only of my pepaw (but especially of him), but of so many others who have served who simply want someone to spend time with them. To listen to their stories (about war or otherwise). But in our fast-paced life of today, we seldom take that time. I have loved listening to my pepaw's stories in the past, and I miss them as he seems to talk less and less lately.
Happy Veterans Day to all those who have served. Hug and thank a veteran today, and even more, listen to them--today and all year 'round.
I'll post the actual song today or tomorrow, but here are the lyrics for now.
Heroes Return
Our boys are headed to war
kiss their mothers goodbye.
Pull their bootstraps tight
and pray to God they don’t lie
in the trenches for too long.
Kiss their cheeks; hug their necks.
Welcome home, home my boy.
I’m sure you’ve got a lot
of stories to tell
for years and years to come.
Grandpa Joe, Grandpa Joe!
Where’d you get your scar?
It’s on your right forearm
and two inches long;
just above your eagle tattoo.
Dear old man, don’t you know
I’ve heard your stories told
and I have no time
to sit right down and hear
your days of old and glory years.
You see you’ve got no idea
just how busy we are.
So we’ll put you in this home
and they’ll take good care of you.
Maybe you’ll find some old friends.
Grandpa Joe, Grandpa Joe.
He passed away
in his sleep alone
in another state.
No one was there
to hold his hand.
In his final hours
he could not understand
just what had become of his heroes return.
As I've watched him age I've seen his demeanor shift to one of a sad helplessness and often loneliness. I can't help but get emotional when I think, not only of my pepaw (but especially of him), but of so many others who have served who simply want someone to spend time with them. To listen to their stories (about war or otherwise). But in our fast-paced life of today, we seldom take that time. I have loved listening to my pepaw's stories in the past, and I miss them as he seems to talk less and less lately.
Happy Veterans Day to all those who have served. Hug and thank a veteran today, and even more, listen to them--today and all year 'round.
I'll post the actual song today or tomorrow, but here are the lyrics for now.
Heroes Return
Our boys are headed to war
kiss their mothers goodbye.
Pull their bootstraps tight
and pray to God they don’t lie
in the trenches for too long.
Kiss their cheeks; hug their necks.
Welcome home, home my boy.
I’m sure you’ve got a lot
of stories to tell
for years and years to come.
Grandpa Joe, Grandpa Joe!
Where’d you get your scar?
It’s on your right forearm
and two inches long;
just above your eagle tattoo.
Dear old man, don’t you know
I’ve heard your stories told
and I have no time
to sit right down and hear
your days of old and glory years.
You see you’ve got no idea
just how busy we are.
So we’ll put you in this home
and they’ll take good care of you.
Maybe you’ll find some old friends.
Grandpa Joe, Grandpa Joe.
He passed away
in his sleep alone
in another state.
No one was there
to hold his hand.
In his final hours
he could not understand
just what had become of his heroes return.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Immigration
Below is my response to Relevant Magazine article and the comments deriving from that article.
(http://www.relevantmagazine.com/main/slices/politics/22007-nebraska-town-votes-to-ban-illegal-immigrants)
The article just points out a law that was just passed in a Nebraska town. The law makes it illegal to hire or rent housing to illegal immigrants. The initial comments ranged from a person calling it a racist law, to someone supporting it, to someone questioning adherence to the law by Christians on the grounds that it contradicts Jesus teaching us to care for aliens and strangers.
This is my response:
It [the new law] is not racist in the least. I don't care if you're a Caucasian Canadian, an Latino from Mexico, or an Asian from China...there is a legal process for you to reside here and when you do not adhere to it, there are consequences. I appreciate your compassion, Corey Jackson. Jesus did, in fact, tell us to care for orphans and widows and the aliens and homeless. But I also recognize that Jesus was not a political figure. A state, in our fallen world, operating strictly on Jesus' teachings, would likely not last very long. It would be overrun and taken advantage of. There is also a reason that Jesus said "Give to Caesar, what is Caeser's, and to give to God, what is God's."
That being said, I don't have the answer on how an individual is to balance political ideologies and personal convictions of faith. Perhaps it looks like, as Solomon Grey mentions, the church and individuals caring for and taking in illegals until things can get straightened out. I do not think this is a long-term course of action, but it is an alternative to turning illegal immigrants out on the streets.
I am not heartless, but I recognize the need for a politically sovereign nation to exercise laws, such as this, in the interest of self-preservation. If they neglected to take steps in the interest of self-preservation, that nation would likely not long be preserved.
And to those who would respond to that with "Would illegals really put our country in danger?" Yes, it could. Snowball effects are real, and the massive influx of illegals into the United States in the past ten years are indicative of this. We already have crisis going on with healthcare, social security, and national debt as it is. Adding illegals and their offspring, legal because they are born inside the U.S., to these numbers is not helping matters. As Wayne points out, it also has significantly negative effects on the job market in the lower/middle class tier of employment. Jobs are disappearing and becoming unavailable to legal citizens because too many employers are cutting corners and hiring illegals because those illegals are willing to work for less money than are their legal competitors in that market.
I'm interested to hear replies. Thanks for reading.
(http://www.relevantmagazine.com/main/slices/politics/22007-nebraska-town-votes-to-ban-illegal-immigrants)
The article just points out a law that was just passed in a Nebraska town. The law makes it illegal to hire or rent housing to illegal immigrants. The initial comments ranged from a person calling it a racist law, to someone supporting it, to someone questioning adherence to the law by Christians on the grounds that it contradicts Jesus teaching us to care for aliens and strangers.
This is my response:
It [the new law] is not racist in the least. I don't care if you're a Caucasian Canadian, an Latino from Mexico, or an Asian from China...there is a legal process for you to reside here and when you do not adhere to it, there are consequences. I appreciate your compassion, Corey Jackson. Jesus did, in fact, tell us to care for orphans and widows and the aliens and homeless. But I also recognize that Jesus was not a political figure. A state, in our fallen world, operating strictly on Jesus' teachings, would likely not last very long. It would be overrun and taken advantage of. There is also a reason that Jesus said "Give to Caesar, what is Caeser's, and to give to God, what is God's."
That being said, I don't have the answer on how an individual is to balance political ideologies and personal convictions of faith. Perhaps it looks like, as Solomon Grey mentions, the church and individuals caring for and taking in illegals until things can get straightened out. I do not think this is a long-term course of action, but it is an alternative to turning illegal immigrants out on the streets.
I am not heartless, but I recognize the need for a politically sovereign nation to exercise laws, such as this, in the interest of self-preservation. If they neglected to take steps in the interest of self-preservation, that nation would likely not long be preserved.
And to those who would respond to that with "Would illegals really put our country in danger?" Yes, it could. Snowball effects are real, and the massive influx of illegals into the United States in the past ten years are indicative of this. We already have crisis going on with healthcare, social security, and national debt as it is. Adding illegals and their offspring, legal because they are born inside the U.S., to these numbers is not helping matters. As Wayne points out, it also has significantly negative effects on the job market in the lower/middle class tier of employment. Jobs are disappearing and becoming unavailable to legal citizens because too many employers are cutting corners and hiring illegals because those illegals are willing to work for less money than are their legal competitors in that market.
I'm interested to hear replies. Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A Tribute to Rob - To God be the Glory
Tuesday I took the day off of work to attend the funeral of a dear family friend.
This service was a tribute to his life. But in just the way he would have wanted: it was not about him, but about Jesus.
Rob lived a life in which he was passionate about Jesus. He wanted to learn more about Jesus through studying the Bible. Rob had his Masters of Divinity and had served as a pastor in the past, but even when leaving work in the church and working in “real jobs” he still devoured books and the Scripture. In 2002, Rob was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). As his physical condition deteriorated, he kept his mind sharp and his spirit fresh by continuing to read and study.
Rob wanted to exhibit Jesus in his daily life. His family life, public life, and every aspect in between that I knew of Rob were intertwined with a loving and gracious tenderness towards people and a steadfast contentment in all situations in which God placed him. Even as his ALS progressed, Rob never complained of his physical ailments, but took it all in stride as being exactly where God would have him be. Rob wholeheartedly believed that God, in His absolute sovereignty and wisdom, had Rob in this situation. Rob believed that God could and would be made much of in his physical condition. And believe you me, God was, has been, and is being made much of in the physical ailments that afflicted Rob and particularly in which the way Rob (and his whole family) handled those trials.
Rob also wanted to share Jesus with any and everyone with whom he came in contact. You would have been hard pressed to make it anymore than a few minutes in Rob’s presence without him, in some way or another, bringing Jesus into the conversation. He passionately desired that others know Jesus; to know Him in His suffering and the power of His resurrection. That Jesus Christ came to earth and died on the cross that we might have eternal life and, in that eternal life, glorify our God who is in Heaven.
As I sat and listened to the service honoring this man, and intended to glorify God, I knew that Rob would be more than happy to see his life’s passion continuing even after he had left us. That even in his death, God was and is being glorified.
I say all this to remind myself and anyone reading it, that “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” (C.T. Studd)
“Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”
-Ecclesiastes 2:11
I am far too guilty of waste. And I don’t expect this to change overnight. But I can’t help but pray that God continually brings Rob’s life to my mind and uses it to challenge and grow me into the man that He would have me be; a man who lives and dies as well as Rob did. To God be the Glory.
This service was a tribute to his life. But in just the way he would have wanted: it was not about him, but about Jesus.
Rob lived a life in which he was passionate about Jesus. He wanted to learn more about Jesus through studying the Bible. Rob had his Masters of Divinity and had served as a pastor in the past, but even when leaving work in the church and working in “real jobs” he still devoured books and the Scripture. In 2002, Rob was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). As his physical condition deteriorated, he kept his mind sharp and his spirit fresh by continuing to read and study.
Rob wanted to exhibit Jesus in his daily life. His family life, public life, and every aspect in between that I knew of Rob were intertwined with a loving and gracious tenderness towards people and a steadfast contentment in all situations in which God placed him. Even as his ALS progressed, Rob never complained of his physical ailments, but took it all in stride as being exactly where God would have him be. Rob wholeheartedly believed that God, in His absolute sovereignty and wisdom, had Rob in this situation. Rob believed that God could and would be made much of in his physical condition. And believe you me, God was, has been, and is being made much of in the physical ailments that afflicted Rob and particularly in which the way Rob (and his whole family) handled those trials.
Rob also wanted to share Jesus with any and everyone with whom he came in contact. You would have been hard pressed to make it anymore than a few minutes in Rob’s presence without him, in some way or another, bringing Jesus into the conversation. He passionately desired that others know Jesus; to know Him in His suffering and the power of His resurrection. That Jesus Christ came to earth and died on the cross that we might have eternal life and, in that eternal life, glorify our God who is in Heaven.
As I sat and listened to the service honoring this man, and intended to glorify God, I knew that Rob would be more than happy to see his life’s passion continuing even after he had left us. That even in his death, God was and is being glorified.
I say all this to remind myself and anyone reading it, that “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” (C.T. Studd)
“Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”
-Ecclesiastes 2:11
I am far too guilty of waste. And I don’t expect this to change overnight. But I can’t help but pray that God continually brings Rob’s life to my mind and uses it to challenge and grow me into the man that He would have me be; a man who lives and dies as well as Rob did. To God be the Glory.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Vice-Principal says American Flag Shirt Offensive on Cinco de Mayo
So leave it to me to choose a controversial topic for my first blog…
Today I was sitting in the waiting room of Larry Bush’s Riverside Tire in Macon, waiting to get two new tires on my car, when a news story came on about five high schoolers who got in trouble for wearing American Flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo.
Here is the gist of the story (taken from an NBC article):
Galli says he and his friends were sitting at a table during brunch break when the vice principal asked two of the boys to remove American flag bandannas that they wearing on their heads and for the others to turn their American flag T-shirts inside out. When they refused, the boys were ordered to go to the principal's office.
"They said we could wear it on any other day," Daniel Galli said, "but today is sensitive to Mexican-Americans because it's supposed to be their holiday so we were not allowed to wear it today."
The boys said the administrators called their T-shirts "incendiary" that would lead to fights on campus.
"They said if we tried to go back to class with our shirts not taken off, they said it was defiance and we would get suspended," Dominic Maciel, Galli's friend, said.
*Note: There may be more sides to this story. I'm not saying that the 5 students didn't provoke at all, but based on this article and a couple of others I've read, I haven't heard that. If that's true it can be considered. But whether that's true or not, this sounds like it was handled very poorly.
I won’t go off on this very long and I really won’t even go off as far on this as I could. I just want to comment and say that this is absolutely ridiculous. Let’s look at the core of this story:
Students living in America wear an American Flag shirt to school. Cinco de Mayo comes around—an unofficial Mexican Holiday (Yes, unofficial. It is not even an official holiday IN Mexico)—and all of a sudden it is unacceptable for these students to wear shirts heralding the country in which they live and go to school.
Does this not strike anyone else as absolutely absurd?! Can you imagine this story happening in any other country? Imagine a French or Mexican school. Say on the 4th of July, a French or Mexican student were to wear a shirt sporting their flag. There is not a snowball’s chance in hell that ANYTHING would be said or done about it.
Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying—I’m not saying that we should squelch out the celebration of diversity or other cultures or that Cinco de Mayo shouldn’t be celebrated. I’m just pointing out the absolute absurdity and hypocrisy of squelching American patriotism in order to allow for Mexican pride to dominate it for a day. Why can’t one exist alongside the other?
I’ll end with my opinion on how this needs to be handled. The vice-principal who took the action should issue a PUBLIC APOLOGY to the students whom HE OFFENDED by telling them their patriotism was unacceptable. I would love to see him removed from his position, but I seriously doubt that would actually happen.
I’m sure I could come up with more to say on this subject, but it would be at the risk of rambling on. Hope to hear your comments on this matter.
Here is the link to the full NBC article on the story:
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Students-Wearing-American-Flag-Shirts-Sent-Home-92945969.html
Today I was sitting in the waiting room of Larry Bush’s Riverside Tire in Macon, waiting to get two new tires on my car, when a news story came on about five high schoolers who got in trouble for wearing American Flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo.
Here is the gist of the story (taken from an NBC article):
Galli says he and his friends were sitting at a table during brunch break when the vice principal asked two of the boys to remove American flag bandannas that they wearing on their heads and for the others to turn their American flag T-shirts inside out. When they refused, the boys were ordered to go to the principal's office.
"They said we could wear it on any other day," Daniel Galli said, "but today is sensitive to Mexican-Americans because it's supposed to be their holiday so we were not allowed to wear it today."
The boys said the administrators called their T-shirts "incendiary" that would lead to fights on campus.
"They said if we tried to go back to class with our shirts not taken off, they said it was defiance and we would get suspended," Dominic Maciel, Galli's friend, said.
*Note: There may be more sides to this story. I'm not saying that the 5 students didn't provoke at all, but based on this article and a couple of others I've read, I haven't heard that. If that's true it can be considered. But whether that's true or not, this sounds like it was handled very poorly.
I won’t go off on this very long and I really won’t even go off as far on this as I could. I just want to comment and say that this is absolutely ridiculous. Let’s look at the core of this story:
Students living in America wear an American Flag shirt to school. Cinco de Mayo comes around—an unofficial Mexican Holiday (Yes, unofficial. It is not even an official holiday IN Mexico)—and all of a sudden it is unacceptable for these students to wear shirts heralding the country in which they live and go to school.
Does this not strike anyone else as absolutely absurd?! Can you imagine this story happening in any other country? Imagine a French or Mexican school. Say on the 4th of July, a French or Mexican student were to wear a shirt sporting their flag. There is not a snowball’s chance in hell that ANYTHING would be said or done about it.
Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying—I’m not saying that we should squelch out the celebration of diversity or other cultures or that Cinco de Mayo shouldn’t be celebrated. I’m just pointing out the absolute absurdity and hypocrisy of squelching American patriotism in order to allow for Mexican pride to dominate it for a day. Why can’t one exist alongside the other?
I’ll end with my opinion on how this needs to be handled. The vice-principal who took the action should issue a PUBLIC APOLOGY to the students whom HE OFFENDED by telling them their patriotism was unacceptable. I would love to see him removed from his position, but I seriously doubt that would actually happen.
I’m sure I could come up with more to say on this subject, but it would be at the risk of rambling on. Hope to hear your comments on this matter.
Here is the link to the full NBC article on the story:
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Students-Wearing-American-Flag-Shirts-Sent-Home-92945969.html
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