An Interesting Thought

I spent last week at a continuing education event for pastors and church leaders. I had a great time. I received a lot of inspiration and learned many things. I was exposed to new foods and experiences as well. Many of my experiences will wind up in this blog, I am sure. One of the things I heard turned out to be a sort of revelation.

A thing can only be a revelation, in my opinion, if it meets one or both of these criteria:

1. It is a completely new piece of information. It opens the door to new things that you have never considered before.
2. It is a revelation if it is a result of information that you already have, but you begin to think of the information in a completely new and unique (to you, at least) way of thinking.

This revelation fits into the second category. I had all the components of this thought in my mind before last week, but at that time it was presented in a new way that caused me to process the implications differently than I ever had before. Here it is.

Interested is not the same as committed.

I know. I know. You know that. However, we often convince ourselves that they are the same. Committment is a level of involvement in a cause, purpose or relationship that values the cause above many, perhaps all, other things. Many times we decide that we are interested in a topic and somehow convince ourselves that we are committed to it. But interest is not commitment.

For example, I am very concerned about global warming. I am interested in the effects that humans are having on our world and environment. However, to this point I have not been committed to the cause. I have not changed my lifestyle to be more eco-friendly. I am interested and even concerned about this issue, but I am not committed to it.

The life of faith is much the same. We can convince ourselves that we are committed to our faith, to a particular lifestyle or values, but until our choices change what we have is interest. The importance of Christianity is that we are to be committed, not just interested.

Weekly Prayer Thought

"Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know." Jeremiah 33.3

What a promise! If I turn to God in prayer, if I submit to him today (and everyday) he will answer me. What a great bit of assurance for me. When I have doubts, he will answer me. When I am alone, he will answer me. When everyone is out to get me, he will answer me. God will answer me if I pray to him.

But that's not all. When I pray he will answer, but he also promises to show me things that I have never seen. I will know things that I do not know. God will reveal things to those who speak to him. When we share our needs and desires with God, he will share his desires with us. Prayer goes both ways.

Jesus, Savior of all the world, Lover of each of us, keep us this day. Speak to our hearts and encourage us as we commit ourselves to your work. As we revel in your promises, build our faith by showing us great and mighty things. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

The New Revolution

I am getting to an age where the familiar is comfortable and comfortable is good. I like to wear my slippers and stay close to home. I prefer to reminisce rather than explore. I remember the old days fondly and wish that they would return. All the good music is at least 20 years old and my favorite television channel is TVLand. I am not naturally one who embraces innovation.

That needs to change. In fact, I know that the whole world is changing. Everything is different, all the time. The world I new when I woke up this morning will be completely different by the time I go to bed tonight. I will not recognize anything by tomorrow morning. And it will continue that way... forever.

Things are always "better than ever," "new and improved" with "added value" and "now with more cleaning power." So it is probably time that I joined this "New" revolution. Maybe you should too.

• I am going to try new things. I will do things and go places that I never have before. It is time that I spread my wings and live a new life.
• I am going to eat new foods. This will be the hardest for me. I am pretty finicky. I do not like most things (especially vegetables). But if I am to join the new, I will have to eat the new.
• I will listen to (and try to enjoy) new music. As much as I like my classic rock, I am going to try some new things. New country makes me nervous and rap makes me nauseous, but in the spirit of the New Revoluion, I will give them a chance.
• I am going to make some new friends. I am basically an introvert. I like keeping to myself. I have often joked that I have enough friends. That will change. After all, making friends, and new ones at that, is a part of my mission in life.
• I am going to live life to its fullest and have new experiences. You only go around once, the old commercial said. I am going to experience as much "new" as I can.

Ash Wednesday II

It was not quite a year ago, but it was Ash Wednesday that I began this blog. It is only appropriate that I once again come back to that theme on this day. Here are some thoughts.

• Reflect. During this season of Lent, for this 40 days, spend some time evaluating your relationships. Check you relationship with God, with your spouse, family, neighbors, friends, co-workers. Are your relationships- all of them- what you would like them to be? If they are not, fix them. You are the only one who can do that. Make your relationships better 40 days from now than they are today.
• Remember. Think back on the events that have made you who you are today. There are good and bad things to remember. Remember them all. Be grateful for what has been good, and for the good that has come from the bad. Remember how God has worked in your life to make you what you are, or how you have neglected God.
• Repent. There are dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of things that we should be repenting. Take the two-step approach to repentance. First of all, recognize, admit and confess those things in your life that are unhealthy, unhelpful and just plain sinful. Secondly, make a decision to avoid all of those in the future.

May you be blessed on your Lenten journey as the Lord speaks to your heart and receives your sacrificial penitence.

Maria Full of Loneliness

In 2004 a little movie came to USA theatres and video stores from Colombia. Maria Full of Grace was slated to be submitted for Academy Award consideration that year, but was ultimately rejected because it was not Colombian enough. It was a loss for the Oscars. Maria Full of Grace is almost spiritual and meditative in its treatment of Maria, a teen-ager from a small village in Colombia.

Maria has an awful job with an awful boss. She has a terrible sister whose baby Maria is forced to support. Although we do not learn much about Maria's mother or grandmother, they are not much help to her. Maria's boyfriend is a dead-beat loser with no ambition and no future. Maria's life is one dead-end after another. And that is when Maria finds out that she is pregnant. After an argument with her boss, she quits her job. After a confrontation with her mother and sister, she leaves town.

And that is where Franklin comes in. Franklin has connections in the drug business. He hooks Maria up with Javier a dealer from Bogota. The potential to get out of her small town existence looks too good for Maria to pass up. She agrees to become a "mule," transporting drugs from Colombia to the USA. She swallows 62 pellets filled with drugs and then passes them in New Jersey where she is paid for her work.

There are a lot more details to this story than I have just given. But you can get the idea. There are two themes that immediately spring to my mind.

1. Maria is desperate. She has many strikes against her life. There is no chance that Maria will ever be successful, at least the way most people think of success. There is so much failure and hopelessness around her that she cannot help but think that her future is the same. Maria needs to change her circumstances so that she can change her potential. Although we certainly cannot endorse her choices- no one in this film does, either- we can understand the reasons behind her actions.
2. Maria is lonely. There is no one who cares about her. Her employer is only interested in Maria's production. Her boyfriend is only interested in the physical amusement that she provides. Her sister and mother are only interested in her financial contribution. No one cares about Maria.

There is a lesson here. It is not about drug trafficking and the drug trade. It is not about illegal immigration or civil rights. The lesson is that we should be certain to care about people. Let no one be lonely. It ought to be our mission.

Weekly Prayer Thought

"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5.17

A few weeks ago I read a very interesting cartoon in the Sunday paper. I used to read Funky Winkerbean on a regular basis, but for the past several years I have only had the opportunity in the Sunday paper. In this particular strip, a young lady is looking through her mail for a CD that someone has promised to send her. She is disappointed that it has not arrived when her father offers some consoling words. He says that there are three promises that people never keep. They are: "The check is in the mail." "'I'll pray for you." And, "I'll send you a CD."

Let me encourage you to do two things this week. First of all, tell people that you will pray for them. It is encouraging to hear that you are remembered by someone in this way. Secondly, be sure to pray for those you tell that you will pray. Keep your word. Encourage people emotionally, and encourage them spiritually with your prayer.

Lord God, today I pray for every person who reads this message. I ask that you would encourage them. Bless them emotionally. Encourage them in their work, their family life and their social life. And God, help each of us to lift up in prayer all of those who are around us. Amen.

I Think, Therefore I am a Minority

A friend of mine is always saying that a few people think, but most people use labels so that they do not have to think. How true. We have analysts who explain world events to us every day on the evening news. This is very convenient. He saves us the trouble of having to figure all those complicated things for ourselves.

That reminds me of my first girlfriend. She was a little bit older than me and she was able to vote in a certain election that I was not allowed to vote in. This drove me crazy. I wanted to vote in the worst way. I knew every candidate and all their positions. Dating teen-agers do not talk about politics, however. We were too busy with peer pressure, complaining about our teachers and wondering if our parents would let us go to the movies on Friday. It was not until after the election that I enquired of my beloved's voting experience. She told me simply that she had voted for all the wrong candidates (at least in my opinion). I cried out, "Why?" She said, "I voted for who my dad told me to vote for." It was easier for her than thinking.

And now we are in an election year- a presidential election year, no less- and we have too many people who have the same beliefs. It is easier for them to let some pundit- Al Sharpton, Ted Kennedy, Pat Robertson or James Dobson- tell them who to vote for than to do their own research. Learning about the candidates is hard work, after all.

One of the problems that we face is that many people are in love with opinions and they ignore evaluation. Evaluation causes you to study and analyze. If you skip write to opinion, you can get through much more easily. Not evaluating issues will leave you more time to watch reality programming on television. Jumping right to opinion can make us seem smarter than an individual who wastes time considering options and implications.

Another problem is the very one that my friend identified so clearly. If I can label people, or issues, or news events, I do not have to go to the trouble of thinking about them. If I put you in a category, I do not have to be bothered with who you are, what you feel or what you believe. My life is a lot less complicated that way.

And that's what life in the 21st century is all about, isn't it? We have drive through windows for banks, restaurants and prescriptions. We have microwave ovens and cell phones and other convencience items to make our lives easier. That's what we really want. We want easy. And that is an antonym for thought.