Up @ Night #3 - Futility

I stare at the bland ceiling and think about life. I think about the prospect of having worked hard, paid my dues and finding out that, perhaps, it all meant nothing.

You hear of people devoting their lives to things that don't matter. You see people spending hours and hours in from of the TV. Useless. Short-lived. Scary.

Thoughts of my own futility scare the crap out of me. What if it's all worthless? What if I spend three years writing a book and two people read it? What if I slave my whole life for a cause benefits no one? What if I wake up early every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to write a blog, but no one reads it?

Are you afraid of futility? I guess it's a good fear to have. I'm afraid that what I do will not last. I'm afraid of the sands slipping away in the hourglass. Are you? Be afraid. Fear spurs you on. Sometimes I get so afraid I pull myself out of bed and work on something productive.

I found the secret to beating the fear when it becomes to great. Want to hear it?

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but sit shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

There it is - I just make sure that the work I busy myself in is attached to God's work. If it points to him it must be good.

And I work on. I don't think I'll ever be sure if most of my work is futile or not, but I work on anyway. I know that, at the very least, since I busy myself with God's work it will help me. Even if only two people read the thing I worked for three years on, at least the writing of it was a benefit to me. And I guess that's enough for now.

This is second-hand unless you're reading it at http://www.theilliteratescribe.com

Proclaiming #2 - Radical Intellectual Fidelity

I heard a cool story the other day.

There was this university guy who hated all Christians (because all authorities hate Christians) and he was going to prove Christianity wrong by dropping a piece of chalk and letting it break (if it broke, God didn't exist). But one student stood up and said that Christianity was right and he had faith (brave dude, eh?). So the professor laughed and dropped the chalk, but it bounced off his cuff and rolled safely onto the floor (proving Christianity true, Q.E.D.). So then the teacher got scared and ran out of the room (for some reason) and the student who stood up came to the blackboard and preached the gospel (and no-one minded because of the chalk). Oh, and the student was Einstein.

It must be true. Because it helps our case, right?

We are such gullible people. We Christians are willing to believe pretty much anything so long as it agrees with the principles of what we already believe. So we are willing to swallow obvious lies about Darwin's deathbed confessions, computers that prove Joshua made the sun stand still, Einstein being a Christian and a fetus grabbing a doctor's hand. Are we so afraid of Truth that we are willing to make up and blindly believe lies?

If we are going to show the world what we stand on, it will take intellectual fidelity. This is hard. This means that we will have to search and dig and stand on truth even if it seems that the truth we discover doesn't actually help us convince people of the truth of Christ. But we have to do it anyway. We have to be committed to truth because the moment we start believe and propagating lies about Jesus being portrayed in a gay movie we are putting up a big sign saying 'Hey! I don't care much about truth or fiction. I don't mind believing things I've never tested. I agree with things I like and disagree with things I don't!'

Christians have complained about the fact that most people think there is a necessary conflict between Intellect and Christianity. They shouldn't complain because it's the actions and opinions of Christians who give credence to that opinion.

This is second-hand unless you're reading it at http://www.theilliteratescribe.com

Up @ Night #2 - Jerks

While the feeling I get when I encounter jerks is certainly different than the feeling I get when around spiders, I am still kept up at night by them. I've never understood them.

How many problems in the world would be solved if jerks simply stopped being jerks? What if every jerk turned into a nice guy/girl? Off the top of my head I can think of five pressing problems in my life that would be utter solved and turned into loveliness if the jerks involved turned nice.

Is it really that hard? Is it so hard to be kind? Is it so hard to stop giving in to your jerky tenancies and assume, for a moment, that other humans have feelings and hopes and dreams that you shouldn't pound?

I guess it might be. And I guess it takes Jesus to fix that, right? So Jerk + Jesus = Nice Dude.

So why are most jerks I know Christians?

Of course, I suppose most people I know are Christians, so I'm not suggesting that there are more jerks in Christendom than out of it. But shouldn't Christians not be jerks? Isn't a Christian someone who lives as Jesus lived? Or at least tries? If that's the case, then is it not impossible for a Christian to be a jerk? Love and Jerk do not go together.

Something's wrong here and it keeps me up at night.

Proclaiming #1 - Radical Giving

The challenge is to show the world that we are hoping in and counting on something different from what they are counting on and hoping in. We can't do that if we are not radical. If we are not radical we are normal. If we are normal we are like everyone else. If we are like everyone else we are not hoping in or counting on anything special. And if we are not hoping in or counting on anything special we don't know Jesus.

Jesus is radical. Jesus said to sell all that you have and give it to the poor. Jesus said if anyone asks from you, you need to give. Jesus said your possessions don't matter. Jesus knows what he's talking about.

Christians are not radical. Christians say get a decent savings account and buy big things on credit. Christians say never give to beggars because if they can't get a job they're either lazy or junkies. Christians think possessions are the most important things in the world. Christians are dummies.

There is nothing wrong with you going to the bank, withdrawing $400 and giving it to a charity, a less-well-off family or a bum on the street. Nothing. Do you think the poor in Jesus' day were more responsible than they are today? Not likely. And he suggested selling everything.

But, of course, we can't do that. Something has changed since then. I'm not sure what. I don't know why Jesus' advice is no longer sound, but I know it just can't work anymore. Maybe because people were more financially stable back then. Maybe because Jesus cared more back then. Maybe because poor people deserved it more back then.

I was once told that I shouldn't give money to poor people because they don't deserve it. I am so glad no one told Jesus that when he was giving his life for me, because I certainly don't deserve it. Do you?

If we don't give radically, people will assume (rightly) that we rely on the same things they do.

Runs in the family

It looks like my mother has join the blogosphere. If you like books and cooking, maybe you should check her out!

Proclaiming

It was the best of songs. It was the worst of songs.

Have you ever heard a really bad song? Or a really bad 'Christian' song? I think I saw one this morning...but I probably shouldn't diss it. It's pretty famous. You're not supposed to diss famous things.
But I guess I will anyway.

Meeting in the Saviour's Name,
'Breaking bread' by His command,
To the world we thus proclaim
on what ground we hope to stand.

It's a favorite of the Brethren. Maybe because it mentions Breaking Bread. But I don't like it. I'll tell you why.

This song implies that the main way in which we proclaim on which ground we hope to stand - the main method we use to show people how much we hope and delight in Jesus, is by meeting on Sunday morning and breading bread, singing songs and doing 'church.'

I don't think this is right. Do you think it's right? I mean, I love the Lord's Supper. I think it's a great thing. A necessary thing for Christians. Some of the greatest moments of encouragement, spiritual clarity and devotion have happened to me during the Breaking of Bread. But it's not the main way in which we proclaim how much we love and hope in Jesus. Because, the way we do things, the Breaking of Bread is little different from any other religious exercise.

Catholics do their mass. Muslims do their namaz. Evangelicals break bread. As far as the world can tell there is no real difference. If we want to show that we are hoping in something radically different from what the rest of the world is hoping in, then we need to do something radically different from what the world does.

And so I'm going to be starting a little blogging series on this. I don't know how long it'll go for. We'll have to wait and see. I just want to answer the question: How can we thus proclaim on what ground we hope to stand?

Sticks and Stones

There's a bill in the pipes in America right now.  Read it.

So they're hoping to make it a crime to 'cause substantial emotional distress' through the Internet.  A crime to stress people out?

The bill claims that 60% of mental health professionals have treated, within the last five years, someone who has had a 'problematic' Internet experience.  Problematic?  C'mon guys, I have a problematic experience almost every day, Internet or no Internet.  A crime to stress people out?

So when did we become so thin-skinned?  When did it become an unbearable burden to have someone say a negative thing?  When did we lose the ability to endure stress?  We're wimps!

And this bill, which I doubt will ever go through, would only make things worse.  The Law becomes that big brother who makes sure his wimpy brother doesn't get into trouble at school.  The only problem is, that wimpy brother remains, perpetually, a wimp.  He loses the ability to think or fend for himself.  When threatened he doesn't try to solve it on his own - he runs to his brother.  And woe to him the day his brother cannot save him.

Our hearts and minds have become fragile.  Good thing we're told that there is a different kind of big Brother who won't keep our problems from us, he'll just make sure that our hearts and minds get whatever protection they need.

Off to the woods

I'm heading off on a canoe trip tomorrow morning. You know, one of those manly, father-son & other men sort of bonding time. Should be good.

I've been pretty regular with the blog lately, eh? Not too bad if I do say so myself. But I guess I won't really be doing much on it for the next few days. Wi-fi isn't so good up at 6-Mile Lake.

See ya!

You...twit

Okay, so I did it.  I'm a twit.

I resisted getting into Twitter for a few reasons.  I mena, I really still have hardly a clue about what it does.  And it's not like I need another techno-thingy to take up my time.

But I got it anyway.  I don't know if I'll actually be using it.  Probably not, I guess.

I get excited about a lot of new things that I use for about a week, total.  Remember that poetry blog I had?  Or the short stories?  Or exercising?  I used to do a lot...but I only did it for a week.  Fads.  Lots of fads.

Sometimes it's good for personal fads to die.  I find myself drifting away from Facebook.  Probably not a bad thing.  But I drift away from things that I want to be permanent fixtures in my life.  Discipline.  Activity.  The good that I know to do.

So I'm a twit.  I have a truck load of good resolves, and I flirt with them from time to time.  But very rarely do they stick.  How do I make them stick?  Do you have any good resolves that you've managed to make permanent parts of your life?  How did you do it?  Let me know!

Another one

I just stumbled across another blog I like. Maybe you'll like it, too.
The Art of Nonconformity.

In other news, I've got a few neat projects just starting up. What are they? I'm not gonna tell you. And it'll probably be months before they're ready. By that time you'll likely have forgotten all about it. So why tell you at all? Because jumping the gun is one of my favorite things to do.

Up, up and away

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, / neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. / For as the heavens are higher than the earth, / so are my ways higher than your ways / and my thoughts than your thoughts.

You remember how in Narnia Aslan seemed to grow with the children? When Lucy got older she commented on how Aslan also seemed bigger. I guess it was suggesting that as we grow in our understanding and perspective, we see Christ as bigger because we are able to see him clearer than before.

Today God and his ways and thoughts seem very high and other to me. I have never really been able to understand skeptics who insist on judgin God by a human standard and putting him into human-made logic puzzles to try to keep him from existing.

A rock so big he couldn't lift it? The question makes no sense.

I've always loved this verse. It reminds me of his transendence. How he is just so friggin' beyond and above me. It reminds me to never allow myself to think of him after my own image. Comforting.

And today I noticed something else about it. Read it. Check out the context. The verses before it talk about how God will abundantly pardon and forgive the wicked if we come to him. And the declaration that he is not like is is meant as a comfort.

"Don't worry. I won't hold a grudge, like you would. I won't act in spite, like you would. I won't fall into self-pity when you insult me. I won't grow self-conscious if you ignore me. I'm not like you. And because I'm not like you I stand at the gate waiting for you to come back to me. And when you do I'll kill the fattened calf and have a party, nevermind how much youve been screwing up. Don't worry about it - I'm not like you."

Stuff that keeps me up at night #1

This.

I mean, seriously, the size of a man's hand?  Kill a dog with one bite?  Hisses when pissed?  Frig!

I really can't stand spiders.  I know they aren't going to actually leap five meters and attached themselves to my face while they empty my eyesockets, but I feel like that's what they're going to do.

Once, while in Murree, we noticed a massive spider hanging on the wall above our bed.  It had a diameter of about two inches.  If you add in freak-a-dex factor (like Humidex, but related to freakiness instead of humidity) it was at least two feet and had blood dripping from its fangs.  Now, you would think that seeing such a thing would motivate me, the noble husband and father, to get into protect-family-mode and grapple with the beast.

Nope.

First I tried to get Ruth to kill it.  When she refused I ran downstairs to see if my buddy Jon was home.  He wasn't.  His wife was.  She saved us, squshing it with a plastic golf club while I screamed like a girl.

It's too bad, really.  Because I know spiders won't hurt me.  But I feel they will.  I guess that's just another way we're screwed up, right?  My knowledge, experience and reason all take a back seat to the nearly all-powerful god of motivation: feelings.

Dinosaurs are always cool.

ROAR!

Kill the Jerk

Michael Savage is a jerk.

I mean, seriously, he's a total jerk.  He says a lot of hateful things about subjects that he seems painfully ignorant about.  I was particularily offended when he claimed that autism was 'a brat who hasn't been told to cut it out.'  Total jerk.  Would never invite him over to my house for dinner.

But the fact that he has been banned from Britain because of his jerk-ness scares me.  Him along with a few other jerks.

I can understand keeping militants out of your country, of course.  I get that.  I agree with it, no less.  But Savage and the Phelps family are nothing more than an ignorant bunch of jerks.  I worry only because the qualification for banning them is a subjective judgment of their character.  I worry about where a descion like this might lead in the future.  I realize, of course, that we cannot demand to enter a foriegn country.  If I want to go to Britain, and they refuse me, there is no reason for me to feel my rights have been infringed.  I understand that.  What I don't understand is why being a jerk can become a real reason to keep someone out of a nation.

Fragile State of Things

Have you ever stopped to think about what civilization is actually built on?

I was thinking about that today. What is our mighty, human empire founded on? What is the foundation that we continually are adding to as we build up to the skies. What one thing, if it were gone, would send us over the edge into anarchy? What is the 'official' that keeps us from killing society?

I thought it might be the economy, but then realized that paper (or digital) money has no real inherent value. So I started wondering where money got its value from, and the answer was a little surprising. General Agreement.

The only reason a dollar is worth a dollar is because you, me and everyone else I know agrees that it's worth a dollar. The dollar is an empty symbol. A picture of value, rather than value itself. It is a request that begs 'Please accept this instead of something valuable.' And we all honor it, because if we didn't there would be nothing to base our commerce on.

And I think, in our age of democracy and freedom, that is how government works, too. Government is run, by and large, by public agreement. The general public decides (generally) who runs the show, what laws to have, and other such things. For the people, by the people, and all those other democratic slogans we chant.

But I start to wonder, are we, as a mass of people, really qualified to run our own show? I have been reading a bit about some of the anti-intellectual trends in the western world over the past thirty years. And I start to wonder, are we wise enough? Are we good enough? And if we're not...then what?

Talk = cheap

"Everything is being done to end militancy. Everything is being done for peace," Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the provincial information minister told reporters after talks with Mohammad in Timergara, in Lower Dir.

No, it isn't. If it was, there would be peace.