The Dash in Between

I first heard the concept of the "Dash" in the Chris Rice song "Tick-Tock (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNTbgbLev4s)."  There are a couple of poems that address the same thought (see http://www.agentz.com/Inspirational/dash.html).  The "dash" in question is the line between the date of brith and date of death on a tombstone.  At some point in time God formed us and breathed life into us.  This breath, wind, energy that God put into us then went forth and began moving around this lump of flesh we reside in.  The moment we enter the world will be marked as a birthdate on a stone.  At some point the lump of flesh will wear out and they will mark that date on the other side of the dash.  What happens in that dash is my concern. 

God has granted you a set amount of time.  Perhaps we can look at it in terms of money.  Let's say God has given you $75.  How much of that will you spend on yourself?  What kind of things will you accomplish with that money?  You could buy a new pair of running shoes that might last a year.  Maybe you will want to buy 1 family groceries for a week.  You could pay for a well in Africa that will provide water for a village for generations.  Obviously there are some investments that will have a longer lasting impact.  Some investments can even have eternal impact.  You could use your $75 to buy Sunday school materials that teach children how to be saved.  You could buy 10 people Bibles and plant the word of God in hearts.

Now, let's get back to the dash concept.  What can you do with your dash that will have lasting impact.  What can you do with your dash that will have eternal impact?  When that second date is hammered on my stone I want to know that my dash will represent an eternal investment.  When I leave earth I don't want to leave all my efforts behind.  In heaven I want to see the fruit of my life's labor.  Those people I taught, served, loved, baptized, counseled, challenged, encountered, parented, grandparented, influenced, etc.                 

Ponderings on Pain

Pain can take many forms in our lives.  We are all familiar with the late night toe-stubbing type of physical pain.  Scrapes, stitches, broken bones, bruises and other assorted ouches that we encounter in life starting from the moment we try walking.  The body has an amazing ability to heal these hurts.  There are other types of pain that are not so easily overcome.  I am not sure if it is possible to separate mental pain from emotional pain, but there seem to be distinctions.  Painful memories and the repetition of negative thoughts might be categorized as mental pain.  Of course these things often result in emotional turmoil... feelings of guilt, regret, sadness, anger etc.  There are so many ways that we try to deal with these types of pains.  Denial, avoidance, addiction, prayer, counseling etc. 

In one of my counseling classes the question was asked, "is it a counselor's job to alleviate pain?"  I don't think so... at least not always.  Pain can be a good thing.  Pain tells a person something is wrong.  Pain reminds you to aim the hammer better.  Pain screams, "GET YOUR HAND OFF THE HOT STOVE DUMMY!"  Mental and emotional pain is a way for us to know things are not as they should be.  The world is not as it should be.  There are places in scripture where pain was not avoided, but fully experienced.  There are psalms of lament that express the deepest statements of sorrow and pain.  And, there is the book of Lamentations.

 These are not emo writings of ancient people.  The literature of lament was cathartic.  It was God allowing His people to pour out their hurts.  It is an admission that the world is not as it should be.  Statements like, "my heart melts like wax" and "my bones are crushed" are expressions of pain.  The pain was not denied, avoided, drowned in a bottle or alleviated by slick counseling.  It was fully experienced.  Once pain is fully realized what else can it accomplish?  Once the person realizes that they have faced their pain and survived then they can move on.  Therefore, the expressions of lament all end in a very similar fashion.  Typically the writer acknowledges God's soverignty... that God is God in good times and bad.  And then there is a hope statement.  Despite the deep, sorrowful nature of these writings there is always a hopeful ending.  Pain happens- but it does not last forever.

Do you mind?

The human brain fascinates me beyond anything else.  I can watch a show about discoveries in physics, or the exploration of great ocean depths, or the latest information from the farthest reaches of space and it will not captivate me to the degree that the human brain does.  Today I ate oatmeal, some chocolate covered pretzels (thanks Ruth!), and a pack of cheese crackers.  With this meager fuel my brain will be able to outperform the computer on which I am typing this blog.  Chemical reactions occurring in countless synapses between miles of nerves are resulting in my thoughts.  I believe this is where the essence of God operates within me.  I am creating something.  My thoughts are generating a blog post.  This post may spur creation to occur in you (if so then please post a comment).  The same God that spoke and created the universe gave me the ability to create.  Other brains in this world will create art, music, dance, or make discoveries in physics, chemistry, engineering, history, etc.  Out of my thoughts comes creativity.  Something is generated.  There is creation.  What was an electo-chemical response in my brain can become something tangible- like a blog post.  This fruit can be good... it can also be not so good.

When a mind lacks the presence of God there is a chance for some bad results.  There has been plenty of non-God directed mind productions.  Slavery, pornography, abortion, castes, and sexism are a few examples of mind power lacking God's presence.

So, when I choose to love God with all of my mind I need to be sure I am loving Him with all of my heart first.  Loving Him with all of my heart means He is a part of my being.  When God is a part of who I am then the products of my thinking will have that essence of God in them. 

By the way, I have to give credit to Mark Batterson and his book Primal for inspiring my Wednesday night lesson series and the resulting blog posts.  There is a link to his blog on here- check it out.  Also, I highly recommend his books to anyone who can read.

Sleepless in Dover

I am unable to sleep and wanted to blog in order to empty my head a little.You wouldn't know this unless I told you, but this is the fourth blog I have written tonight.  The first blog I wrote was a bitter commentary about everything wrong with the world.  It was an anger dump.  Is that really me?  No, it was just how I felt.  I deleted it.  The second post was an indirect response subtly making arguements against those who argued with me.  I read over the words and saw how I was trying desperately to be justified from a source other than God.  It would have felt so good to publish that post and show the internet world (ok, my small band of readers) how right I was and by doing so prove to myself how wrong those accusations were.  Am I the type of person who needs to prove their rightness?  I don't want to be.  Telling you this makes me feel childish and humbled as it should.  I deleted that post.  Honestly, I can't remember what the third post was really about.  After reading it I decided it didn't accurately reflect me either so I deleted it.  Before writing this post I reminded myself that joy is my choice.  It is a tough choice.  Doesn't seem like it would be.  If given the choice of joy or miserable grumblings you would think most people would choose joy.  I had to fight to get myself to choose joy.  So, now that you that you have the back ground information here is my self reminder to be joyful:

• I do not have to be perfect because God is for me
• My wife and children are here, happy and healthy
• Dexter loves me no matter what
• I live in a nice, warm home
• Pasta
• I have never known real physical hunger or thirst
• I'm healthy
• God has allowed me to know some of the greatest people
• Love
• James 2:1-4 and 2 Corinthian 6:4-10,

  My closing thought- I win.  Satan threw some pretty good material my way today, but I win.  I almost didn't choose joy but this is who I am... joyful. 

A Fruit Analysis

Continuing on my theme about the heart.  What I am getting from the responses to the last post is that I am more than what I do... and I can't disagree with that.  The first thing I would consider is what it means to be made in the image of God.  Do I let that fact define my actions?  How does being an image bearer of God affect my choices in entertainment, friends, how I spend my time, etc.  To know the heart I work backwards- look at what I do (my choices) and deduce what that says about my heart (who I am).  In the Bible this would be referred to as looking at fruit- a fruit analysis.  Consider Matthew 7:16-20 and James 3:10-18 for more about bearing fruit.  I had considered posting the passages here but I think it would be better for everyone to look it up J  Hmmm… what does that decision say about me? 

Dr. Who

Ok, admittedly I choose this title because Dr. Who seems to come up in conversation A LOT in our group (Thanks Emily).  However, this is a perfect title for my thoughts this week (and for our new CREW topic).  I will confess (proudly I might add) that I do not know much (meaning anything) about Dr. Who.  His name implies some sort of identity crises to me.  Just hearing his name makes me think of someone who lacks self-awareness and cannot find his place in the world (or whatever time/space dimension thingy he may live in).  On Wednesday nights we will begin studying the Biblical concept of the heart.  This is not referring to the physical organ that pumps blood (did I hear somewhere that Dr. Who has 2 hearts?) but rather to a person's inward being.  It is also not simply the emotional center that we think about on Valentine's day.  The heart referred to in the New Testament is a person's inward being.  It would be the source of their personality.  This heart is the motivation of our every action, inclination, and preference.  The Biblical concept of heart would define why someone feels a certain way.  A trivial example would be why I like history but hate math.  Such preferences stem from who I am and what I value- this is the Biblical heart.  Now, back to the good doctor.  Someone who does not know themselves or lacks self-awarness does not know their own heart (or hearts).  They make choices every day without a thought about why.  These people have no clue what motivates them to do certain things (i.e. play video games) or not do certain things (i.e. the 10 page paper due on Monday).  They are out of touch with their heart.  We will be learning more about this and exploring how it relates to Luke 6:45 starting this Wednesday night.  For the sake of discussion comment on some of the ways  you define yourself (roles, activities, choices, personality or mood traits etc.).  Can you create a list of things that adequately define you?       

Why Freud Would Commit Me

It has been a tough week sports fans.  I love ministering to people but there are times when I think pushing a button in a factory somewhere would be a nice change of pace!  Being a follower of Christ means painful moments sometimes.  Not just the pain of your own life (stubbing a toe, getting a ticket, work stress etc.) but choosing to bear the pain of others also (grieving a loss, bearing the weight of sin, encouraging during times trail).  Freud believed that a primary motivation for people was the seeking of pleasure and the avoidance of pain.  In fact, Freud would view any behavior that ran contrary to this principle as suspect.  So, what would make a person willingly enter into (and experience) the pain of others?  One reason would be the great command to love your neighbor as yourself (this is one way to love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength).  Galatians 6:2 tells us to "bear each other's burdens..." and in so doing we "fulfill the law of Christ."  Another reason to enter into the suffering of others is to be part of the common experience.  This is expressed in Ecclesiastes 7:2.  In this passage the writer urges the reader to attend funerals instead of feasts.  The reaon given is becuase death is the common experience of all.  This is a grim reminder but it is true.  By being with others in their times of sorrow and hardship we are preparing ourselves for similar experiences.  Moreover, when we support others in their time of need we secure for ourselves a support when trouble comes to us.  This is one of the tenets of the Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-15- a part of the Bible many of you know I struggle with).  Freud was against religion.  He believed that religion put unneccessary guilt and restriction on people causing neurosis.  Are there instances when religious groups have caused more harm than good?  Yes.  However, what Freud misses is the therpay of the Bible.  People called to walk with one another through trials and pain.  In the process they strengthen themselves for similar trials (can we say preventative measures?).  As Saint Nikolai of Zicca reminds me troubles have "loosed me from earth" and "driven me into Thy embrace."  (see http://www.orthodox.net/trebnic/lord-bless-my-enemies.pdf).