One observation I have made is this, and it is that the prophets of the Old Testament are not for the faint of heart nor do you get the warm fuzzes from reading them. There more in tuned with being Gods messenger to the nation of Israel in times of destruction and often provide a warning to people of what will happen if things won't change. They are more concerned with the message and life change, and not being liked or followed by scores of people. I think this what our culture has dubbed "real talk." Real talk cares not so much about feelings, but about the message. As Christians, we should be concerned with real talk, and more importantly, are we doing it out of love, with grace and humility, and aiming that it leads to life change. In essence, real talk, the messenger gets out of the way, and provides the message that God has given to them. One prophet that provides a lot of real talk is the prophet Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations. What inspired this post is the book Prophetic Lamentations by Soong-Chan Rah. The book came out of a several week preaching series on the book of Lamentations at a church he was a pastor at.
Here is a brief synopsis on the book of Lamentations. The city of Jerusalem is in ruins cause Babylon came and torched the city, and hauled off all of the promising talent, while leaving everyone else in the midst of chaos and despair. People were left for dead and the Temple, which was a place of worship and even national identity for the nation of Israel was no more because it was torched. The state of Jerusalem at that time is every country song/end of the world/zombie move x10.in the midst of the chaos, destruction, and hopelessness, the book of Lamentations teaches us what it means to really lament and that there can be hope in the mist of our despair. You know things are bad when Jeremiah walks around Jerusalem in his naked proclaiming Gods message. Maybe he felt that he wasn't being heard or desperate times calls for desperate measures.
The first observation about true lamenting is that lamenting is being brutally honest with ourselves, others and God. How often do we sugar coat things to make them better than what they really are. The flip side of that is how often do we make mountains out of mole hills. True lamenting is taking a look at the situation and admitting that the marriage is over, that the relationship is beyond repair, we are never going to have our dream job. True lamenting is grieving those things, but also moving on. It is living within those consequences and moving forward. It is not letting a certain person or situation handicap us. True lamenting also takes stock in how our actions contributed to where we are at. Not only does lamenting take a look at our actions, but it also takes a look at are attitudes, intentions, talents, or the lack there of and seeing how they all played apart to where we are at. Tue lamenting is taking a look at all things and coming up with a plan to fix things when possible, and to grow and mature from this.
This also means we are completely honest with God. When I think of true lamenting, sometimes I think it is giving God the preverbal finger and being totally angry/frustrated/lost with God. Its admitting to not knowing what is going on and that we are extremely angry. Where true lamenting comes in, is when we learn to be quiet and listen to God. Just like Job we demand our day in court with God, but we also have to embrace Gods response to us because where were we when He created the heavens and the earth. I find that a lot of my frustration with God comes from my own stupidity and sinful actions, thoughts and intentions.
The second observation about lamenting is the idea that we put false hope away. One of the more popular sayings among Christians is that it may be Friday, but Sunday is coming. It is referencing Easter and the resurrection. Having this thinking often minimizes the pain, struggle and sin that has taken place. There are times where we need to be comfortable with living in the Easter Saturday. I did an internship with the spiritual care team at a Catholic hospital and I went to the Good Friday service held in the chapel. The box where the wafers are kept for commune is closed up when not in use, until Good Friday, where the wafers are removed and the box is left open. This spoke volumes to me because it signified that God was dead and any hope that we have when the way of Elvis and left the building. How often in our lamenting do we thing that God either abandoned us, doesn't care, or just all out died. This is a hard place to be in and we have all been there. True lamenting allows us to be honest with our emotions and to fully take stock in what is going on. We have a choice to either keep on keeping on, or just walk away from it all. When we keep on keeping on, God will reach down and reveal Himself to us and we just have to look for it.
Here is a little rabbit trail on the idea of false hopes. We often think that God will come down and make everything better when we cry out to Him. This leads to one of the Bibles most quoted verses, which is Jeremiah 29:11, which the prophet tells us that God has a plan and that is a good plan, and that He has our best interest in mind. What people tend to forget is the context to that verse. Israel is still stuck in captivity and that God told to build houses, plant gardens and marry their children, because they were going to be there for awhile. God isn't always going to be our white knight and come riding in to save us out of our every mess that we are in. There are times where we have to live with those consequences that we brought upon ourselves.
The third observation about lamenting that I pick up on is this idea of Gods mercy. I find it really interesting that in the middle of the book, Jeremiah proclaims Gods goodness and that His mercy is new every day. Jeremiah also reminds us that God will never leave us, and that He is our rock. True lamenting is realizing that God is still God and that He still loves and cares for us. Tue lamenting is a realization that God punishes those whom He loves and calls His own. The other aspect of it is that we live in a fallen world and that others peoples actions will have consequences on our personal lives and there are time those consequences are not good. God will come in and rectify those wrongs and give everyone what they deserve. As it is said, vengeance belongs to God and not us
The fourth observation of lamenting is that there is a community side to it. We can all point out the sins of others and the downfall of different groups and generations, but it is really hard to figure out our own issues whether personally or as a group. True lamenting means that we can come together as a church (local, national or universal), or as a nation and do some introspecting. It is realizing where have fallen short, seeking the forgiveness of God and others. One of the underlying principles to lament is humility. It is taking the honest look at ourselves and not only realizing where we need to improve or ask for help, but it is also doing it. When we truly lament we don't see people as second class citizens, but as people who are worth more than millions because they are created in the very image of the God of the universe
The fifth observation is a short one, but a good one and that is lament can and should be used as a form of worship. If you were to read through the Psalms, lamenting is a very big part of the songs and hymns of this book. Putting our sorrow or life circumstances to song often helps us deal with them and to realize that no matter what we go through, our worship is reorienting ourselves and putting God back on His throne. It is also reminding ourselves and to the world that God loves and cares for us more than we can imagine.
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Being right vs being truthful
I’ve been reading a biography on 18th century politician Henry Clay and he is credited with the quote of "I would rather be right than president." So let me ask a burning question. What is that one thing that you want, desire, or maybe even need, and you are willing to do anything to get it? Are you willing to work hard and honestly for it, or are you willing to cut corners, stretching or concealing the truth, (because all out lying is just plain wrong) or selling out anybody and everybody you can to get what you want or so you can be right? So here are some observations about being right and being truthful.
Being right and being truthful do have some similarities, but I think there are some differences. The first observation about being right is that it follows a strict guideline. The thing about being right, is that it can focus on something that is an objective standard, like how the sun rises in the east. But being right also can be very subjective, and it comes down to personal preference like who is the better football team, the Vikings or Packers. When we focus on the more subjective issues, we tend to argue to we are blue in our face with someone and we will get nowhere fast.
A second observation is that being right is based on our standards that we create. It is really hard to be wrong in our own eyes, especially when we define what is right and wrong. When we get to define what is right and wrong, we tend make what we like into the things that are right, and things that we struggle with or dislike we tend to make wrong. It tends to be very subjective and self glorifying, but in this self glorification, we tend to become weighed down and legalistic. It is doing something because we have to and not because we want to.
A third observation about being right is that we tend to go on personal crusades. We are seeking people to join us and to tear down anybody who opposes us. This thought process tends to over glorify people and making them out better than what they are because they agree with us. We also tend to vilify people who don’t agree with us or are not on our team. A prime example of this is this years presidential election.
Here are some observations about being truthful versus being right. When we are more concerned about being truthful, we are more concerned with making sure things are being done honestly and done the right way the first time. This idea, people are held accountable for their actions and we all check our egos at the door. It is learning and practicing a little bit of humility in our interactions with ourselves, others and God. It is seeing a situation for what it is and working with our biases so that that we do not blow anything out of proportion?
The second observation about being truthful that it is based on objective statements or standards. Truth can stand on its own, and there is no wiggle room around it. Truth is based on something that is concrete and never changing to meet our needs and the times. All truth is found in and through God and He is the standard. When we are truthful, we are aiming to live a Godly life and to have His ways be our ways. It is a realization that all is good and holy comes from God.
The third observation about being truthful is that according to the Gospel of John, when we know the truth, it shall set us free. To put it plainly, when we tell the truth, we don’t have to remember what we say, because our story will always be the same. The other freeing part about truth is that it looks at things fort they way they are and what they could be. Truth takes a look at things honestly and shares it without sugar coating it and there is always a sense of tack. In all reality, it doesnt make a mole hill into a mountain and it doesn’t turn a mountain into a mole hill. The most freeing part of being truthful is that it is done out of love and care not only for other people, but ourselves. When we are truthful, it brings about honesty and in all reality, what is more freeing than honesty and Jesus?
The last observation for now about truth is the idea that it does not seek to gain or manipulate. When we tell people things that we think they want to hear, or expect that from others, we are really lying and manipulating others and ourselves to either get what we want or to make ourselves look better. Truth is about being honest, no matter what the consequences are.
Being right and being truthful do have some similarities, but I think there are some differences. The first observation about being right is that it follows a strict guideline. The thing about being right, is that it can focus on something that is an objective standard, like how the sun rises in the east. But being right also can be very subjective, and it comes down to personal preference like who is the better football team, the Vikings or Packers. When we focus on the more subjective issues, we tend to argue to we are blue in our face with someone and we will get nowhere fast.
A second observation is that being right is based on our standards that we create. It is really hard to be wrong in our own eyes, especially when we define what is right and wrong. When we get to define what is right and wrong, we tend make what we like into the things that are right, and things that we struggle with or dislike we tend to make wrong. It tends to be very subjective and self glorifying, but in this self glorification, we tend to become weighed down and legalistic. It is doing something because we have to and not because we want to.
A third observation about being right is that we tend to go on personal crusades. We are seeking people to join us and to tear down anybody who opposes us. This thought process tends to over glorify people and making them out better than what they are because they agree with us. We also tend to vilify people who don’t agree with us or are not on our team. A prime example of this is this years presidential election.
Here are some observations about being truthful versus being right. When we are more concerned about being truthful, we are more concerned with making sure things are being done honestly and done the right way the first time. This idea, people are held accountable for their actions and we all check our egos at the door. It is learning and practicing a little bit of humility in our interactions with ourselves, others and God. It is seeing a situation for what it is and working with our biases so that that we do not blow anything out of proportion?
The second observation about being truthful that it is based on objective statements or standards. Truth can stand on its own, and there is no wiggle room around it. Truth is based on something that is concrete and never changing to meet our needs and the times. All truth is found in and through God and He is the standard. When we are truthful, we are aiming to live a Godly life and to have His ways be our ways. It is a realization that all is good and holy comes from God.
The third observation about being truthful is that according to the Gospel of John, when we know the truth, it shall set us free. To put it plainly, when we tell the truth, we don’t have to remember what we say, because our story will always be the same. The other freeing part about truth is that it looks at things fort they way they are and what they could be. Truth takes a look at things honestly and shares it without sugar coating it and there is always a sense of tack. In all reality, it doesnt make a mole hill into a mountain and it doesn’t turn a mountain into a mole hill. The most freeing part of being truthful is that it is done out of love and care not only for other people, but ourselves. When we are truthful, it brings about honesty and in all reality, what is more freeing than honesty and Jesus?
The last observation for now about truth is the idea that it does not seek to gain or manipulate. When we tell people things that we think they want to hear, or expect that from others, we are really lying and manipulating others and ourselves to either get what we want or to make ourselves look better. Truth is about being honest, no matter what the consequences are.
Thursday, July 6, 2017
The Marathon of Life
Where I live, the big event of the year is Grandmas Marathon and the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon. They both run along the North Shore of Lake Superior and finish line is in Duluth Mn. This years Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon had a cool story that could of had a very sad ending for one family. A runner by the name of Tim Cernohous collapsed thirty yards from the finish line. Luckily there was a paramedic running not to far behind him and administered medical attention. Tim was revived and finished the race with help of the marathon medical team and then proceeded to a local hospital. I sent the original article to a very good friend and it spurred on a conversation and some of the take ways are listed below. Full disclosure, my friend has coached track/xc and I may have called runners crazy for enjoying to run long pointless miles :) Also, here is the follow up article on the original article here (http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/health/4291704-right-place-right-time-runner-who-aided-collapsed-half-marathoner-Duluth).
The first thought that comes to mind is the difference between individual sports/team sports and which one is better. This has been a debate for ages and it wouldn't surprise me if we continue to have this debate. I was involved in team sports throughout high school and there is nothing better than the fellowship among your teammates and learning to not only do your best but also relying on others to perform up to their talents as well. Being able to set team goals and work towards them is fun and brings great joy and a lot of frustration at times. Team sports can teach that scoring thirty points a game is cool, but if you are always loosing, what's the point. Learning how to win and loose as a team, family, or at your job is an important skill to have but learning what is the best for myself may not be the best for my team, family, coworkers is something that we all need to learn and its not easy. It could be fun to be the Michael Westbrook or James Harden and average near a triple double, but the question is how did their teams fare against the team orientated Golden State Warriors.
The individual sports such as tennis and golf and have team elements to them, but these sports are primarily based on the individual and what they can accomplish. Individual sports can teach many great things such as being a self starter, self reliance and being able to claim all the glory in the win and accountability in the loss. Individual sports can cause people to get better and grow if they want to get better at their respective sports. There are people who enjoy living on an island and being self reliant in everything they do. There is no where to hide or people to throw underneath the bus when you play an individual sport. Some people enjoy looking in the mirror looking where they need to grow, setting goals and reaching them on their own terms.
The Apostle Paul has some interesting things to say about competition and how it translate to our spiritual life. In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul tells us that everyone runs this race called life, and if we are to run this race well, there are some things that we need to put into practice. The first one is that we are to have discipline. It means that not only should we set goals, but the types of goals we set and our follow through are important. How can we get somewhere or achieve something if we do not set some obtainable goals to move us towards that goal. We are all moving towards something, whether we have goals or not. The question is, is it worth moving towards or do we just end up there?
The second idea that comes to mind is this idea of endurance. We can have the best goals in the world, but if we do not have endurance, we are going to quit. How many of us have given up on that gym membership by March 1 because we either didn't have the endurance, or we let other things get in the way. Endurance often requires us having some sort of accountability, we can seek the encouragement of others, make the changes to the things that are not working and celebrate the things that are. Endurance often means that we have to do things that we don't want to do, or are extremely difficult. Whether is passing on seconds, eating an apple instead of ice cream, or having a difficult, but needed conversation. Endurance has that element of submission to it. We all bow down to something, whether it is ourselves, other people, or God. Here is the thing about endurance/submission and even life in general. All of us are only given 24 hours in a day and 7 days a week, what we do with it, shows what is important to us and what we bow down to.
The third idea is that endurance often leads to discernment. As we go through life, we find out what works and what doesn't work and be bold enough to make changes. None of us would run a race of any length in a three piece suits, because it would be to cumbersome. Now three piece suits are cool and are appropriate for certain situations, but not running. What are those things in your life that are cumbersome that are bring you down and taking you of target. In the words of the Ray Charles song, those things just need to hit the road Jack, and don't come back no more.
The fourth idea is that the destination matters. Its awesome that we are not sitting on the sidelines and actively participating in life, but if we don't know where we are going, we might not get there. Or the more devastating thought, we know where we are going, but its not worth going to. To put in the Christian perspective, heaven is our goal, and how we run is important. Are we looking for the fire insurance, so we don't spend eternity in Hell. As we are on our race to our destination, our character is always being formed, and I hope and pray that it is something worth imitating. I also pray that how you run and the character you are developing is something that other people can imitate. Are we developing such things as peace, patience, self control, godliness love, joy and long suffering. These are the essential characteristics of the Christian life. How well formed characteristics these characteristics are in our life is pretty good measure how we live our life and we respond to what it throws at us.
The fifth idea is that there is a finish line. At the end of his life, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy, that he has fought the good fight, and he has finished the race and he is ready to take up his reward. Earthly rewards and accolades are cool, but nothing compares to the eternal reward that we are pursuing. Earthly rewards fades away and champions are eventually forgotten about, but our relationship with not only each other, but with God will last forever. How we develop these relationships shows not only how we are running our race, but what our destination is.
The first thought that comes to mind is the difference between individual sports/team sports and which one is better. This has been a debate for ages and it wouldn't surprise me if we continue to have this debate. I was involved in team sports throughout high school and there is nothing better than the fellowship among your teammates and learning to not only do your best but also relying on others to perform up to their talents as well. Being able to set team goals and work towards them is fun and brings great joy and a lot of frustration at times. Team sports can teach that scoring thirty points a game is cool, but if you are always loosing, what's the point. Learning how to win and loose as a team, family, or at your job is an important skill to have but learning what is the best for myself may not be the best for my team, family, coworkers is something that we all need to learn and its not easy. It could be fun to be the Michael Westbrook or James Harden and average near a triple double, but the question is how did their teams fare against the team orientated Golden State Warriors.
The individual sports such as tennis and golf and have team elements to them, but these sports are primarily based on the individual and what they can accomplish. Individual sports can teach many great things such as being a self starter, self reliance and being able to claim all the glory in the win and accountability in the loss. Individual sports can cause people to get better and grow if they want to get better at their respective sports. There are people who enjoy living on an island and being self reliant in everything they do. There is no where to hide or people to throw underneath the bus when you play an individual sport. Some people enjoy looking in the mirror looking where they need to grow, setting goals and reaching them on their own terms.
The Apostle Paul has some interesting things to say about competition and how it translate to our spiritual life. In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul tells us that everyone runs this race called life, and if we are to run this race well, there are some things that we need to put into practice. The first one is that we are to have discipline. It means that not only should we set goals, but the types of goals we set and our follow through are important. How can we get somewhere or achieve something if we do not set some obtainable goals to move us towards that goal. We are all moving towards something, whether we have goals or not. The question is, is it worth moving towards or do we just end up there?
The second idea that comes to mind is this idea of endurance. We can have the best goals in the world, but if we do not have endurance, we are going to quit. How many of us have given up on that gym membership by March 1 because we either didn't have the endurance, or we let other things get in the way. Endurance often requires us having some sort of accountability, we can seek the encouragement of others, make the changes to the things that are not working and celebrate the things that are. Endurance often means that we have to do things that we don't want to do, or are extremely difficult. Whether is passing on seconds, eating an apple instead of ice cream, or having a difficult, but needed conversation. Endurance has that element of submission to it. We all bow down to something, whether it is ourselves, other people, or God. Here is the thing about endurance/submission and even life in general. All of us are only given 24 hours in a day and 7 days a week, what we do with it, shows what is important to us and what we bow down to.
The third idea is that endurance often leads to discernment. As we go through life, we find out what works and what doesn't work and be bold enough to make changes. None of us would run a race of any length in a three piece suits, because it would be to cumbersome. Now three piece suits are cool and are appropriate for certain situations, but not running. What are those things in your life that are cumbersome that are bring you down and taking you of target. In the words of the Ray Charles song, those things just need to hit the road Jack, and don't come back no more.
The fourth idea is that the destination matters. Its awesome that we are not sitting on the sidelines and actively participating in life, but if we don't know where we are going, we might not get there. Or the more devastating thought, we know where we are going, but its not worth going to. To put in the Christian perspective, heaven is our goal, and how we run is important. Are we looking for the fire insurance, so we don't spend eternity in Hell. As we are on our race to our destination, our character is always being formed, and I hope and pray that it is something worth imitating. I also pray that how you run and the character you are developing is something that other people can imitate. Are we developing such things as peace, patience, self control, godliness love, joy and long suffering. These are the essential characteristics of the Christian life. How well formed characteristics these characteristics are in our life is pretty good measure how we live our life and we respond to what it throws at us.
The fifth idea is that there is a finish line. At the end of his life, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy, that he has fought the good fight, and he has finished the race and he is ready to take up his reward. Earthly rewards and accolades are cool, but nothing compares to the eternal reward that we are pursuing. Earthly rewards fades away and champions are eventually forgotten about, but our relationship with not only each other, but with God will last forever. How we develop these relationships shows not only how we are running our race, but what our destination is.
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