Uniqueness...a noble goal, I would not deter anyone from it in the least, but the way in which we attempt to attain it will determine whether we actually achieve it.
There is a cruel irony here. People say they wish to be 'better' than others, and so strive for their uniqueness. But that, in and of itself, will undermine our ability to achieve that uniqueness. Let me explain.
An apple is just that...an apple (brilliant, yes I know). There may be apples which are 'better' than others, in flavor or so forth, and so attain a form of uniqueness, rising from common appledom to accomplish something greater than the rest. But even in so doing, there is a type of sameness that must be admitted to even make the comparison. The apple can only be called 'better' because it is not really that different, or more precisely, the differences in which it is attaining 'betterness' are very small.
That is where the phrase, 'comparing apples with oranges', comes in. You can, in some regard, compare the two. But it is very difficult to say which is better. Saying that an apple is better than another apple implies no great intellectual difficulty. However, the statement that an apple is better than an orange immediately brings to mind a myriad of questions, with many more questions to come upon reflection on the statement. You see the difference? The word 'better' really implies a sort of sameness, which is the enemy of true uniqueness.
You cannot strive for both. Elitism is separate from uniqueness. So what is this uniqueness we so desperately desire?
To seek to do something different is foolishness. One could, if one wished, use a pogo-stick to hop down the amazon river while clothed in a tunic, using a dog dish as a hat, and burping your ABC's all along the way. I would venture it is safe to assume that has never actually been done before (nor possibly even thought of). However this action accomplishes nothing of any value,and is therefore only foolishness. So apparently we want to accomplish worthwhile AND unique actions.
But here we must think deeper. Is the uniqueness that we seek an action, or a state of being? Do we wish to perform an act that is unique, having that moment come and go, knowing that was the only truly important moment of our lives? Or do we wish to be something unique, to exude the uniqueness for which we all yearn. I believe hunger for the latter drives people, in their despair of becoming truly unique, to settle for the former. We settle for unique ACTIONS when unique BEINGS is what we truly long for. But how is that accomplished?
How could a human accomplish this? How could we makes ourselves, out of the billions of us that have lived, truly unique, when we ourselves are not creative? Interesting, isn't it? All the things that we have ever called 'creative' have been combinations of things that have come before. New colors can be made, but they are simply combinations of old ones. New monsters can be constructed, but they are simply different arrangements and exaggerations of things found in nature. How can we, who cannot even make a new thing, cannot be truly creative, hope to ever accomplish the uniqueness for which we yearn. The situation seems hopeless.
And so it is, but for one way. All those things that we use to create what we mistakenly term as 'new' and 'innovative' do come from somewhere. What if we were could go straight to the source? What if we could 'tune into' the creative energies of that which is truly creative? We may then have a chance, however slim, of hoping for that which we dare not dream of.
God is the only true 'creator'. He write people as a true author; not as the stereotypical authors that we read, but as a painter that has so many new ideas he could fill all the canvases ever made and still not come close to fulfilling his ability to create 'newness'. To paraphrase Leiws: How shall the infinite repeat Himself? The universe in all its vastness, and time with all it's turnings, is too limited in scope for Him to speak Himself once. He is the source of true uniqueness.
He alone can make a person different from everyone that Has come before, and everyone that is to come. Our hope must come from Him. And He has given us a way. We have been bent, marred, as a sculture in a thousand year rain, blurred. What we could have been and should have been is no longer in our power to be, but it is in His. But we must turn everything over to Him. Hold anything back and what we could be, were meant to be, through Him, suffers. We take a certain amount of possible true uniqueness off every time we turn from Him.
This feeling that we have, that wishes to hold us back. It is ourselves, as we are now. It is the fear of the unknown, of turning ourselves completely over to Him. If we do we know that we will never be the same. In a way, it is our fear of our own uniqueness that is really holding us back. What keeps us from what truly would make us unique is the fear of our own death, and die we will; but what we will become is what we should have been all along: ourselves- a unique soul that is so radically different from all others that to compare any two of them would be like comparing apples to oranges- illogical, impossible, inconceivable.
If we want uniqeness, love God with all our heart soul and mind, and we will never be the same, as we are now, or as anyone else. If we wish anonimity, to fade into the billions, then we must hang onto ourselves, and never let God change us. But with our uniqueness will be lost many other things, talents, enlightenment, joy, true friendship. It really is all or nothing, both what we must sacrifice, and what we will get in return.
Our choice.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=250486304#ixzz1151P49Sc
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Abandon hope, all ye who enter here
One of my favorite characters in Lord of the Rings is Theoden.
He is a fallen king that rises to become a hero once more. But there is one scene that really puzzled me.
The seige of Gondor had begun, and Theoden is taking his Rohirrim to help. He has told his men that there is no hope, that they cannot face the hordes of Sauron and win, and that death awaits them. He no longer clings to life, and freely is willing to sacrifice his life in the battle.
So far, so good; but when the Rohirrim finally reach Gondor, when Theoden reaches that last hill's crest, and he sees the enemy that awaits him, he pauses. He seems to be dismayed, like his courage has left Him (if you read the Tolkien's description of the scene in the 'Return of the King', it is even stronger. The actor does a GREAT job at portraying the feelings in the book).
That bothered me greatly. Why would he lose heart at the end? He already knew that he would face insurmountable odds. He already knew that death awaited him. So why, at the end, did dread grip him so? What could have made him so afraid?
I suppose one answer is that he really didn't expect to die, that all his talk of hopelessness was a charade, but that answer didn't seem likely. Then it hit me....
He had abandoned all hope but one: the hope that his death would do some good. He felt that if death would take him, and those that he led, they would at least have died for some purpose. At least they would be saving Gondor.
But as he crossed that last peak, the hopeless lost more hope. He despaired even of saving those that he was willing to die for. He thought he had known hopelessness, but he hadn't tasted utter loss yet. Now, as the armies of Sauron, and the destruction of Gondor, lay before him, he was stripped of even that last hope. Now, all was truly lost.
God gives us so much, but in the end, we must give all to Him. Many times, the last thing to go is this hope of making a difference. Don't get me wrong, a Christian that is willing to give all to Christ WILL make a difference, a HUGE difference. They can't help but to be an influence to those souls that they touch.
But God want us to give all. He wants us to do right because of who He is, and who we are, and what He has done for us. We must give up all to Christ, even our hope for success. For then, and only then, can God truly use us to our fullest. When we have given over EVERYTHING to God, He will give us everything in return, and God's everything is much more than ours.
When things are at there bleakest, we should obey God, even when we see no hope in doing so, even when failure seems to be the only possible outcome, simply because we love Him; and, more importantly, He loves us.
This total abandon allows us to truly, deeply, and consistently love others. Because we are loving them for who they are, and what we see that they can be, not for the change we think that they should make. Although change they may well need. We love them because God loves them, and He wants so badly for them to see what He knows they can truly become. For what He knows they can truly become....
....is remarkable.
I have been blessed by God to be involved in the lives of so many great Christians. I have seen so many grow, and win victories beyond their years. But, in the end, I must do what is right, even when victories seem scarce, and utter ruin seems inevitable. I certainly don't feel that way now, but I hope I will be strong enough to always serve God, even if that day comes.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=115630513#ixzz10yuNqsdh
He is a fallen king that rises to become a hero once more. But there is one scene that really puzzled me.
The seige of Gondor had begun, and Theoden is taking his Rohirrim to help. He has told his men that there is no hope, that they cannot face the hordes of Sauron and win, and that death awaits them. He no longer clings to life, and freely is willing to sacrifice his life in the battle.
So far, so good; but when the Rohirrim finally reach Gondor, when Theoden reaches that last hill's crest, and he sees the enemy that awaits him, he pauses. He seems to be dismayed, like his courage has left Him (if you read the Tolkien's description of the scene in the 'Return of the King', it is even stronger. The actor does a GREAT job at portraying the feelings in the book).
That bothered me greatly. Why would he lose heart at the end? He already knew that he would face insurmountable odds. He already knew that death awaited him. So why, at the end, did dread grip him so? What could have made him so afraid?
I suppose one answer is that he really didn't expect to die, that all his talk of hopelessness was a charade, but that answer didn't seem likely. Then it hit me....
He had abandoned all hope but one: the hope that his death would do some good. He felt that if death would take him, and those that he led, they would at least have died for some purpose. At least they would be saving Gondor.
But as he crossed that last peak, the hopeless lost more hope. He despaired even of saving those that he was willing to die for. He thought he had known hopelessness, but he hadn't tasted utter loss yet. Now, as the armies of Sauron, and the destruction of Gondor, lay before him, he was stripped of even that last hope. Now, all was truly lost.
God gives us so much, but in the end, we must give all to Him. Many times, the last thing to go is this hope of making a difference. Don't get me wrong, a Christian that is willing to give all to Christ WILL make a difference, a HUGE difference. They can't help but to be an influence to those souls that they touch.
But God want us to give all. He wants us to do right because of who He is, and who we are, and what He has done for us. We must give up all to Christ, even our hope for success. For then, and only then, can God truly use us to our fullest. When we have given over EVERYTHING to God, He will give us everything in return, and God's everything is much more than ours.
When things are at there bleakest, we should obey God, even when we see no hope in doing so, even when failure seems to be the only possible outcome, simply because we love Him; and, more importantly, He loves us.
This total abandon allows us to truly, deeply, and consistently love others. Because we are loving them for who they are, and what we see that they can be, not for the change we think that they should make. Although change they may well need. We love them because God loves them, and He wants so badly for them to see what He knows they can truly become. For what He knows they can truly become....
....is remarkable.
I have been blessed by God to be involved in the lives of so many great Christians. I have seen so many grow, and win victories beyond their years. But, in the end, I must do what is right, even when victories seem scarce, and utter ruin seems inevitable. I certainly don't feel that way now, but I hope I will be strong enough to always serve God, even if that day comes.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=115630513#ixzz10yuNqsdh
Sunday, September 26, 2010
An alien’s view of romance
I've often wondered what aliens would think of our movies...what observations would they make about us based on our box office entertainment. I think I know one conclusion they would come to:
The epitome of human existence, the key that unlocks the human potential, the one object that fills the void in the human soul, that gives meaning and completes everyone:
Romantic Love...
If you watched movies wouldn't that be your impression? Humans are only truly happy when they find that special someone...the 'only happy when in love' theme is ubiquitous through out the entire movie industry.
But does reality meet fantasy? Look around at the world...does anyone have this self-proclaimed 'key to happiness'? People search for it constantly, but more family suffering and romantic misery appears every day.
What's wrong with this picture? The very thing we are told will truly satisfy us seems unattainable in the real world. How can we ever be happy?
People are defining themselves by their romantic relationships alone; whole generations of faceless souls whose identity is purely tied up in romance. They are wooden puppets who wish their romantic lives would make them real people. They are willing to let people pull the strings in order to feel the beat of a real heart instead of the cold dead wood of the mannequins they've become.
But romantic relationships will never fix the problem. Love is more about giving than receiving, more about sacrifice than gain, more about work than play. This is the nature of a true relationship. An empty soul can never get this type of relationship...for they have nothing to give. They are empty vessels waiting for a relationship to fill them. But the relationship they are hoping will fill them can only come to someone who is already filled. A heart of love is a heart that gives...but to give you need identity, to be someone, not to simply be a relationship to someone.
Of course, this all works well at first. Under the spell of 'First Love' anyone can give love. The world seems colored and full of life and love. All seems well and their search for fulfillment appears to have ended. But the task of truly living with another person and truly loving another person, with all their weaknesses and frailties and hurts, takes endurance and real true love. A real romantic relationship requires you to love the person even when you don't like them. Real love is a decision to care about others despite how they treat you, not because of how they treat you.
But this type of love takes an individual that is full, not one that is empty. The lack of self identity brings everything into disarray, and the flesh turns once again into cold hard wood. The puppet searches once more...
I'm so frustrated sometimes with the pain I see in others. Some of the most popular, talented people have reduced themselves to living ghosts hopelessly wishing that the next person will truly fulfill them...trying to pour love out of an empty soul; wasting what they have in a futile attempt to capture a shadow of reality.
Don't get me wrong...romantic relationships can be great...they can add things to our lives that most things are incapable of adding...they can be a source of great joy...
...but if your identity is only the relationship...if there is nothing else beyond that...then you have no true identity; and when/if that relationship ends, you cease to exist...because the relationship has ceased to exist.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=455992530#ixzz10g5Q3Ens
The epitome of human existence, the key that unlocks the human potential, the one object that fills the void in the human soul, that gives meaning and completes everyone:
Romantic Love...
If you watched movies wouldn't that be your impression? Humans are only truly happy when they find that special someone...the 'only happy when in love' theme is ubiquitous through out the entire movie industry.
But does reality meet fantasy? Look around at the world...does anyone have this self-proclaimed 'key to happiness'? People search for it constantly, but more family suffering and romantic misery appears every day.
What's wrong with this picture? The very thing we are told will truly satisfy us seems unattainable in the real world. How can we ever be happy?
People are defining themselves by their romantic relationships alone; whole generations of faceless souls whose identity is purely tied up in romance. They are wooden puppets who wish their romantic lives would make them real people. They are willing to let people pull the strings in order to feel the beat of a real heart instead of the cold dead wood of the mannequins they've become.
But romantic relationships will never fix the problem. Love is more about giving than receiving, more about sacrifice than gain, more about work than play. This is the nature of a true relationship. An empty soul can never get this type of relationship...for they have nothing to give. They are empty vessels waiting for a relationship to fill them. But the relationship they are hoping will fill them can only come to someone who is already filled. A heart of love is a heart that gives...but to give you need identity, to be someone, not to simply be a relationship to someone.
Of course, this all works well at first. Under the spell of 'First Love' anyone can give love. The world seems colored and full of life and love. All seems well and their search for fulfillment appears to have ended. But the task of truly living with another person and truly loving another person, with all their weaknesses and frailties and hurts, takes endurance and real true love. A real romantic relationship requires you to love the person even when you don't like them. Real love is a decision to care about others despite how they treat you, not because of how they treat you.
But this type of love takes an individual that is full, not one that is empty. The lack of self identity brings everything into disarray, and the flesh turns once again into cold hard wood. The puppet searches once more...
I'm so frustrated sometimes with the pain I see in others. Some of the most popular, talented people have reduced themselves to living ghosts hopelessly wishing that the next person will truly fulfill them...trying to pour love out of an empty soul; wasting what they have in a futile attempt to capture a shadow of reality.
Don't get me wrong...romantic relationships can be great...they can add things to our lives that most things are incapable of adding...they can be a source of great joy...
...but if your identity is only the relationship...if there is nothing else beyond that...then you have no true identity; and when/if that relationship ends, you cease to exist...because the relationship has ceased to exist.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=455992530#ixzz10g5Q3Ens
Saturday, September 25, 2010
My Social Contract: I may cause pain, but I may never do harm
A long time ago a made a promise to myself. This promise has meant a great deal to me.
I once heard the Hippocratic Oath: the oath taken by doctors. The oath says, among other things, that the doctor is to 'do no harm.'
Of course, the doctor will do things that seemingly harms others, at least in the short term. Let me explain:
If a person comes to the hospital after having been shot, the doctors may very well perform surgery to remove the bullet. That surgery will cause pain, and the patient may even think the doctor is harming him; even though in the long run the patient's best interests are served by its removal.
I decided to make a social contract with everyone that I ever meet. That contract says this: "I will do NO harm. You can trust me to cause you no pain that is not in your interest. I will not make fun of you unless I know it won't hurt, even if I could make others laugh by insulting you. I will hold anything you tell me in the strictest confidence. You can trust me to never ever hurt you except to help you in the long run. I may cause pain in your life, but that pain will be for your benefit, and will always be done with 'fear and trembling', care and concern. I will do you no harm."
This is my social contract that I hold with every person that I meet. "I will care about you. I will help you. You can trust me."
I have attempted to keep this contract everyone I know: acquaintance or friend, relative or guest. I haven't always suceeded, but I have always tried, and will continue to try, to fulfill my promise.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/foundherentist#ixzz10XjNwjjF
I once heard the Hippocratic Oath: the oath taken by doctors. The oath says, among other things, that the doctor is to 'do no harm.'
Of course, the doctor will do things that seemingly harms others, at least in the short term. Let me explain:
If a person comes to the hospital after having been shot, the doctors may very well perform surgery to remove the bullet. That surgery will cause pain, and the patient may even think the doctor is harming him; even though in the long run the patient's best interests are served by its removal.
I decided to make a social contract with everyone that I ever meet. That contract says this: "I will do NO harm. You can trust me to cause you no pain that is not in your interest. I will not make fun of you unless I know it won't hurt, even if I could make others laugh by insulting you. I will hold anything you tell me in the strictest confidence. You can trust me to never ever hurt you except to help you in the long run. I may cause pain in your life, but that pain will be for your benefit, and will always be done with 'fear and trembling', care and concern. I will do you no harm."
This is my social contract that I hold with every person that I meet. "I will care about you. I will help you. You can trust me."
I have attempted to keep this contract everyone I know: acquaintance or friend, relative or guest. I haven't always suceeded, but I have always tried, and will continue to try, to fulfill my promise.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/foundherentist#ixzz10XjNwjjF
Friday, September 24, 2010
Don't judge a book by its cover, judge a story by its ending
I've never understood why all filmakers and writer aren't Christians. They are constantly writing awesome stories that have happy endings to them. The characters all fit and the ending makes sense, but why should we dream of stories such as these? Why do we yearn for this type of tale?
Is this the way our stories are? Do we see more happy endings, or tragic endings? Actually, we see more pointless endings. Life seems a random series of pointless events. People live, people die, but what really happens?
I saw a quote that really made me start to think about this. Aristotle once said 'Epics are about people better than us, and comedies are about people that are worse than us; but tragedies are about people that are just like us.'
Humans were not meant to write their own story, because we write only tragedies. We write our lives in a way that causes a recurring theme, and that theme is 'What might have been.' We may write a story that looks good in chapter five, but by the end, the plot comes crashing down and the characters fall apart. Just like 'Romeo and Juliet', which looks good for a while but ends in sadness; so is the story of our lives. Doomed to be nothing but a tragic tale for others to read.
That's if we write it.
But what if we let Christ write it? What if the author of all.....the ultimate story teller, the eternal weaver of tales.....what if He were to write our life? What if we gave the pen over to Him? What if we allowed Him to write the title, and the chapters, and the plot, and the characters? What type of story could He tell?
A much better one.
He will write an epic. A story of such majesty and hope that it will inspire all who watch our story unfold, and countless others who only hear of the tale. He will fill it with characers and twists to intrigue and excite even the dullest of imaginations. Pain there will be, hard times too; but that won't matter, because it will make sense. It will be the ultimate classic to us, one of our favorites, because it will be our own.
But we have to give the pen over to Him. We have to let Him write the tale. He must be the final author of all we do. There is no half way. For Him to write the beautiful story that is to be ours, we must give all that is ours over to Him. The pen must go into His hands, and what He write will be our lives. Because even if chapter five looks really bad, the final chapter will be an ending beyond belief.
I know not the plot, nor the characters, that is to be your life, or even my own; but this I know: His stories are always the best, trust Him with the pen, and you won't ever regret that you did.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=86816349#ixzz10TvM0BxA
Is this the way our stories are? Do we see more happy endings, or tragic endings? Actually, we see more pointless endings. Life seems a random series of pointless events. People live, people die, but what really happens?
I saw a quote that really made me start to think about this. Aristotle once said 'Epics are about people better than us, and comedies are about people that are worse than us; but tragedies are about people that are just like us.'
Humans were not meant to write their own story, because we write only tragedies. We write our lives in a way that causes a recurring theme, and that theme is 'What might have been.' We may write a story that looks good in chapter five, but by the end, the plot comes crashing down and the characters fall apart. Just like 'Romeo and Juliet', which looks good for a while but ends in sadness; so is the story of our lives. Doomed to be nothing but a tragic tale for others to read.
That's if we write it.
But what if we let Christ write it? What if the author of all.....the ultimate story teller, the eternal weaver of tales.....what if He were to write our life? What if we gave the pen over to Him? What if we allowed Him to write the title, and the chapters, and the plot, and the characters? What type of story could He tell?
A much better one.
He will write an epic. A story of such majesty and hope that it will inspire all who watch our story unfold, and countless others who only hear of the tale. He will fill it with characers and twists to intrigue and excite even the dullest of imaginations. Pain there will be, hard times too; but that won't matter, because it will make sense. It will be the ultimate classic to us, one of our favorites, because it will be our own.
But we have to give the pen over to Him. We have to let Him write the tale. He must be the final author of all we do. There is no half way. For Him to write the beautiful story that is to be ours, we must give all that is ours over to Him. The pen must go into His hands, and what He write will be our lives. Because even if chapter five looks really bad, the final chapter will be an ending beyond belief.
I know not the plot, nor the characters, that is to be your life, or even my own; but this I know: His stories are always the best, trust Him with the pen, and you won't ever regret that you did.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=86816349#ixzz10TvM0BxA
Never give up; Never surrender
Lately, in my life and others' lives, the spiritual warfare seems to be getting much stronger. I have spoken with several people and they all echoed this idea. For some reason everything seemed to have been ramped up a couple of notches.
So why continue when all of life seems surrounded by hardship?
What hope is there for any of us at all?
Let me give a quick CS Lewis analogy.
Imagine a group of people all living in a large building. Half of these people think the building is a hotel, the other half believe it to be a prison.
The half that believes themselves to be in a hotel might find their surroundings quite distressing. No room service, shoddy furniture: these things bother them. The half that believe it to be a prison might be surprised to discover their comfort. 'This isn't as bad as a prison COULD be!'
If you really understand where you are, your expectations will change.
Let's play a game: I give you a scenario then you tell me whether or not you think the person in the scenario would have a hard life or an easy one. How about this: an American soldier in Nazi Germany during World War II? Do you think His life is going to be difficult or easy?
We are in a war. This life is filled with spiritual conflict. Our main enemy lies not in the physical plane but the spiritual one. We are soldiers in enemy occupied territory. It isn't going to be easy. It may even be agonizing.
But what can keep us going? What can possible pull us through?
Love- love of our fellow soldiers, love of our victorious Leader, love of the ones that are counting on us to stand firm and endure in the face of the burning heat and the wounded hearts, love of the One that did more for us than we could possibly do for Him.
We will hurt. There will be suffering unforeseen and pain seemingly insurmountable. Yet we must go on. For the sake of others, for the sake of ourselves. We must prevail. We must depend on the Source from which all good things come: all love, all courage, all hope.
To those of you that hurt, I tell you this: It is okay to hurt. It is never okay to give up.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=310149200#ixzz10TuqRKsd
So why continue when all of life seems surrounded by hardship?
What hope is there for any of us at all?
Let me give a quick CS Lewis analogy.
Imagine a group of people all living in a large building. Half of these people think the building is a hotel, the other half believe it to be a prison.
The half that believes themselves to be in a hotel might find their surroundings quite distressing. No room service, shoddy furniture: these things bother them. The half that believe it to be a prison might be surprised to discover their comfort. 'This isn't as bad as a prison COULD be!'
If you really understand where you are, your expectations will change.
Let's play a game: I give you a scenario then you tell me whether or not you think the person in the scenario would have a hard life or an easy one. How about this: an American soldier in Nazi Germany during World War II? Do you think His life is going to be difficult or easy?
We are in a war. This life is filled with spiritual conflict. Our main enemy lies not in the physical plane but the spiritual one. We are soldiers in enemy occupied territory. It isn't going to be easy. It may even be agonizing.
But what can keep us going? What can possible pull us through?
Love- love of our fellow soldiers, love of our victorious Leader, love of the ones that are counting on us to stand firm and endure in the face of the burning heat and the wounded hearts, love of the One that did more for us than we could possibly do for Him.
We will hurt. There will be suffering unforeseen and pain seemingly insurmountable. Yet we must go on. For the sake of others, for the sake of ourselves. We must prevail. We must depend on the Source from which all good things come: all love, all courage, all hope.
To those of you that hurt, I tell you this: It is okay to hurt. It is never okay to give up.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=310149200#ixzz10TuqRKsd
Giving up our mud pies
Why is there pain? Why do bad things happen to good people?
Tough questions. There are several answers though.
Here's one that has helped me through some pretty difficult times.
We think of God as this 'heavenly humbug' whose primary task is the destruction of our good times. We dare not think 'Life is good' lest the 'cosmic grinch' come and steal our Christmas.
The truth of the matter is that God wants us to have joy, His joy. Not the weak fleeting happiness that we mistakenly desire, but the everlasting joy that comes from Him. But how can we receive such a gift?
In order to accomplish this, in order to let Him turn us into the awesome Christ-like people that we were meant to be, so that we can experience true peace and pleasure, we must put Him first. We must willingly trust His judgment. We must allow the good times to go, and the bad times to come, because we know God wants what is best. He loves us more than we can comprehend, and He is shaping us into the types of people that really can live in His blessed joy.
CS Lewis said that our desire for pleasure is not too strong, but is actually too weak. We fiddle around with drink, sex, ambition, and greed; when ultimate joy is offered to us. He says we are like a child making mud pies in the slums. When someone offers a trip to the beach, he says no. Not because he doesn't like the beach, but because he doesn't really understand the offer. He doesn't understand that the beach offers so much more than the dirty water he is sitting in. If we take him from his slum, remove him from his weak fleeting happiness, he will cry, because he doesn't understand what we are doing. He thinks we are ruining his fun, when we are really trying to multiply it more than he could ever imagine.
We are like that boy. We are creatures that don't even understand the offer God makes. We want to play with our petty sins, our weak pleasures, while God offers so much more. But to take His offer, to truly have the ultimate joy that He wants us to have, we must be changed. For not only do we misunderstand the offer, but we are incapable of even accepting it. Incapable of experiencing joy as God knows it. Joy as joy should truly be. We must be changed. We must give everything over to Him, and allow Him to make us into creatures capable of accepting His joy.
We must give up our mud pies, and let Him introduce us to the sights and sounds of truly living.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=93434082#ixzz10TueE2AU
Tough questions. There are several answers though.
Here's one that has helped me through some pretty difficult times.
We think of God as this 'heavenly humbug' whose primary task is the destruction of our good times. We dare not think 'Life is good' lest the 'cosmic grinch' come and steal our Christmas.
The truth of the matter is that God wants us to have joy, His joy. Not the weak fleeting happiness that we mistakenly desire, but the everlasting joy that comes from Him. But how can we receive such a gift?
In order to accomplish this, in order to let Him turn us into the awesome Christ-like people that we were meant to be, so that we can experience true peace and pleasure, we must put Him first. We must willingly trust His judgment. We must allow the good times to go, and the bad times to come, because we know God wants what is best. He loves us more than we can comprehend, and He is shaping us into the types of people that really can live in His blessed joy.
CS Lewis said that our desire for pleasure is not too strong, but is actually too weak. We fiddle around with drink, sex, ambition, and greed; when ultimate joy is offered to us. He says we are like a child making mud pies in the slums. When someone offers a trip to the beach, he says no. Not because he doesn't like the beach, but because he doesn't really understand the offer. He doesn't understand that the beach offers so much more than the dirty water he is sitting in. If we take him from his slum, remove him from his weak fleeting happiness, he will cry, because he doesn't understand what we are doing. He thinks we are ruining his fun, when we are really trying to multiply it more than he could ever imagine.
We are like that boy. We are creatures that don't even understand the offer God makes. We want to play with our petty sins, our weak pleasures, while God offers so much more. But to take His offer, to truly have the ultimate joy that He wants us to have, we must be changed. For not only do we misunderstand the offer, but we are incapable of even accepting it. Incapable of experiencing joy as God knows it. Joy as joy should truly be. We must be changed. We must give everything over to Him, and allow Him to make us into creatures capable of accepting His joy.
We must give up our mud pies, and let Him introduce us to the sights and sounds of truly living.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=93434082#ixzz10TueE2AU
Light versus Shadow
What difference can I make? Out of the billions of us that exist, what difference does my life make? But the question itself shows a wrong philosophy. We are not moral dualists. We do not believe that good and evil are equal opposites. We are Christian. And Christians believe that good is the original, evil is the perversion; good is the real and evil is the shadow; good is the healthy body, evil is the virus.
Good and evil are not equal opposites. When light meets darkness, there isnt any question about who is going to win. We seems to think that when we sell out to God, when we totally give our lives over, that we can make up for the influence of one skeptical pagan that is trying to destroy peoples faith. We think that one Godly saint undoes the damage of one destroyer of lives. But that is moral dualism. That is not Christianity. God does not need one sold out Christian to make up for one that hurts others; satan needs 1,000 people hurting others to make up for one saint.
A person that gives everything over to God, that lives their lives in service only to Him, can destroy the influence of thousands of hurtful people. A true Christian can heal thousands and thousands of hours of pain and bad philosophy and immoral input. The spiritual battle of good and evil is not a one to one ratio.
When light meets darkness, the question is not which will win, the question is will the light be turned on?
Satan will try to stop you from serving God. Temptations will come. And to keep your light on your must defeat those temptations. Let me give an example from Chronicles of Narnia:
Edmund wanted something. At first he just wanted sweets, but as his heart was revealed, his true desires were seen. He wanted to be a prince, to sit on a throne. And sit on a throne he did. For all of two seconds until the white witch pulled him off and threw him in a dungeon.
Satan will offer you pleasures. But they will not last. They will be only a shadow of the desires you have. They will not satisfy what your heart really longs for. But if you notice, Edmund does get to sit on a throne. He gets his desire, but only after doing things Aslans way. Only after giving his selfish desires up, does he truly get what he desires.
Unfortunately, by trying his way first, by making his desires his chief aim, he causes pain and suffering to all those close to him, all those that he loves. This is your battle. This is your choice. If you choose to go the wrong way, if you fall, you will cause misery and suffering to all those that you love. But if you choose God, and with it life, you will be the true leaders that Christ has made you to be. You will be a blessing to all those you meet, and will see God do great things with your life.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=110147500#ixzz10TuRXP9D
Good and evil are not equal opposites. When light meets darkness, there isnt any question about who is going to win. We seems to think that when we sell out to God, when we totally give our lives over, that we can make up for the influence of one skeptical pagan that is trying to destroy peoples faith. We think that one Godly saint undoes the damage of one destroyer of lives. But that is moral dualism. That is not Christianity. God does not need one sold out Christian to make up for one that hurts others; satan needs 1,000 people hurting others to make up for one saint.
A person that gives everything over to God, that lives their lives in service only to Him, can destroy the influence of thousands of hurtful people. A true Christian can heal thousands and thousands of hours of pain and bad philosophy and immoral input. The spiritual battle of good and evil is not a one to one ratio.
When light meets darkness, the question is not which will win, the question is will the light be turned on?
Satan will try to stop you from serving God. Temptations will come. And to keep your light on your must defeat those temptations. Let me give an example from Chronicles of Narnia:
Edmund wanted something. At first he just wanted sweets, but as his heart was revealed, his true desires were seen. He wanted to be a prince, to sit on a throne. And sit on a throne he did. For all of two seconds until the white witch pulled him off and threw him in a dungeon.
Satan will offer you pleasures. But they will not last. They will be only a shadow of the desires you have. They will not satisfy what your heart really longs for. But if you notice, Edmund does get to sit on a throne. He gets his desire, but only after doing things Aslans way. Only after giving his selfish desires up, does he truly get what he desires.
Unfortunately, by trying his way first, by making his desires his chief aim, he causes pain and suffering to all those close to him, all those that he loves. This is your battle. This is your choice. If you choose to go the wrong way, if you fall, you will cause misery and suffering to all those that you love. But if you choose God, and with it life, you will be the true leaders that Christ has made you to be. You will be a blessing to all those you meet, and will see God do great things with your life.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=110147500#ixzz10TuRXP9D
To be different: A God given desire
Uniqueness...a noble goal, I would not deter anyone from it in the least, but the way in which we attempt to attain it will determine whether we actually achieve it.
There is a cruel irony here. People say they wish to be 'better' than others, and so strive for their uniqueness. But that, in and of itself, will undermine our ability to achieve that uniqueness. Let me explain.
An apple is just that...an apple (brilliant, yes I know). There may be apples which are 'better' than others, in flavor or so forth, and so attain a form of uniqueness, rising from common appledom to accomplish something greater than the rest. But even in so doing, there is a type of sameness that must be admitted to even make the comparison. The apple can only be called 'better' because it is not really that different, or more precisely, the differences in which it is attaining 'betterness' are very small.
That is where the phrase, 'comparing apples with oranges', comes in. You can, in some regard, compare the two. But it is very difficult to say which is better. Saying that an apple is better than another apple implies no great intellectual difficulty. However, the statement that an apple is better than an orange immediately brings to mind a myriad of questions, with many more questions to come upon reflection on the statement. You see the difference? The word 'better' really implies a sort of sameness, which is the enemy of true uniqueness.
You cannot strive for both. Elitism is separate from uniqueness. So what is this uniqueness we so desperately desire?
To seek to do something different is foolishness. One could, if one wished, use a pogo-stick to hop down the amazon river while clothed in a tunic, using a dog dish as a hat, and burping your ABC's all along the way. I would venture it is safe to assume that has never actually been done before (nor possibly even thought of). However this action accomplishes nothing of any value,and is therefore only foolishness. So apparently we want to accomplishe worthwhile AND unique actions.
But here we must think deeper. Is the uniqueness that we seek an action, or a state of being? Do we wish to perform an act that is unique, having that moment come and go, knowing that was the only truly important moment of our lives? Or do we wish to be something unique, to exude the uniqueness for which we all yearn. I believe hunger for the latter drives people, in their despair of becoming truly unique, to settle for the former. We settle for unique ACTIONS when unique BEINGS is what we truly long for. But how is that accomplished?
How could a human accomplish this? How could we makes ourselves, out of the billions of us that have lived, truly unique, when we ourselves are not creative? Interesting, isn't it? All the things that we have ever called 'creative' have been combinations of things that have come before. New colors can be made, but they are simply combinations of old ones. New monsters can be constructed, but they are simply different arrangements and exaggerations of things found in nature. How can we, who cannot even make a new thing, cannot be truly creative, hope to ever accomplish the uniqueness for which we yearn. The situation seems hopeless.
And so it is, but for one way. All those things that we use to create what we mistakenly term as 'new' and 'innovative' do come from somewhere. What if we were could go straight to the source? What if we could 'tune into' the creative energies of that which is truly creative? We may then have a chance, however slim, of hoping for that which we dare not dream of.
God is the only true 'creator'. He writes people as a true author; not as the stereotypical authors that we read, but as a painter who has so many new ideas he could fill all the canvases ever made and still not come close to fulfilling his ability to create 'newness'. To paraphrase Leiws: How shall the infinite repeat Himself? The universe in all its vastness, and time with all it's turnings, is too limited in scope for Him to speak Himself once. He is the source of true uniqueness.
He alone can make a person different from everyone that Has come before, and everyone that is to come. Our hope must come from Him. And He has given us a way. We have been bent, marred, blurred, as a sculture in a thousand year rain. What we could have been and should have been is no longer in our power to be, but it is in His. But we must turn everything over to Him. Hold anything back and what we could be, were meant to be, through Him, suffers. We take a certain amount of possible true uniqueness off every time we turn from Him.
This feeling that we have, that wishes to hold us back. It is ourselves, as we are now. It is the fear of the unknown, of turning ourselves completely over to Him. If we do we know that we will never be the same. In a way, it is our fear of our own uniqueness that is really holding us back. What keeps us from what truly would make us unique is the fear of our own death, and die we will; but what we will become is what we should have been all along: ourselves- a unique soul that is so radically different from all others that to compare any two of them would be like comparing apples to oranges- illogical, impossible, inconceivable.
If we want uniqeness, love God with all our heart soul and mind, and we will never be the same, as we are now, or as anyone else. If we wish anonimity, to fade into the billions, then we must hang onto ourselves, and never let God change us. But with our uniqueness will be lost many other things, talents, enlightenment, joy, true friendship. It really is all or nothing, both what we must sacrifice, and what we will get in return.
Our choice.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=250486304#ixzz10TtpTX67
There is a cruel irony here. People say they wish to be 'better' than others, and so strive for their uniqueness. But that, in and of itself, will undermine our ability to achieve that uniqueness. Let me explain.
An apple is just that...an apple (brilliant, yes I know). There may be apples which are 'better' than others, in flavor or so forth, and so attain a form of uniqueness, rising from common appledom to accomplish something greater than the rest. But even in so doing, there is a type of sameness that must be admitted to even make the comparison. The apple can only be called 'better' because it is not really that different, or more precisely, the differences in which it is attaining 'betterness' are very small.
That is where the phrase, 'comparing apples with oranges', comes in. You can, in some regard, compare the two. But it is very difficult to say which is better. Saying that an apple is better than another apple implies no great intellectual difficulty. However, the statement that an apple is better than an orange immediately brings to mind a myriad of questions, with many more questions to come upon reflection on the statement. You see the difference? The word 'better' really implies a sort of sameness, which is the enemy of true uniqueness.
You cannot strive for both. Elitism is separate from uniqueness. So what is this uniqueness we so desperately desire?
To seek to do something different is foolishness. One could, if one wished, use a pogo-stick to hop down the amazon river while clothed in a tunic, using a dog dish as a hat, and burping your ABC's all along the way. I would venture it is safe to assume that has never actually been done before (nor possibly even thought of). However this action accomplishes nothing of any value,and is therefore only foolishness. So apparently we want to accomplishe worthwhile AND unique actions.
But here we must think deeper. Is the uniqueness that we seek an action, or a state of being? Do we wish to perform an act that is unique, having that moment come and go, knowing that was the only truly important moment of our lives? Or do we wish to be something unique, to exude the uniqueness for which we all yearn. I believe hunger for the latter drives people, in their despair of becoming truly unique, to settle for the former. We settle for unique ACTIONS when unique BEINGS is what we truly long for. But how is that accomplished?
How could a human accomplish this? How could we makes ourselves, out of the billions of us that have lived, truly unique, when we ourselves are not creative? Interesting, isn't it? All the things that we have ever called 'creative' have been combinations of things that have come before. New colors can be made, but they are simply combinations of old ones. New monsters can be constructed, but they are simply different arrangements and exaggerations of things found in nature. How can we, who cannot even make a new thing, cannot be truly creative, hope to ever accomplish the uniqueness for which we yearn. The situation seems hopeless.
And so it is, but for one way. All those things that we use to create what we mistakenly term as 'new' and 'innovative' do come from somewhere. What if we were could go straight to the source? What if we could 'tune into' the creative energies of that which is truly creative? We may then have a chance, however slim, of hoping for that which we dare not dream of.
God is the only true 'creator'. He writes people as a true author; not as the stereotypical authors that we read, but as a painter who has so many new ideas he could fill all the canvases ever made and still not come close to fulfilling his ability to create 'newness'. To paraphrase Leiws: How shall the infinite repeat Himself? The universe in all its vastness, and time with all it's turnings, is too limited in scope for Him to speak Himself once. He is the source of true uniqueness.
He alone can make a person different from everyone that Has come before, and everyone that is to come. Our hope must come from Him. And He has given us a way. We have been bent, marred, blurred, as a sculture in a thousand year rain. What we could have been and should have been is no longer in our power to be, but it is in His. But we must turn everything over to Him. Hold anything back and what we could be, were meant to be, through Him, suffers. We take a certain amount of possible true uniqueness off every time we turn from Him.
This feeling that we have, that wishes to hold us back. It is ourselves, as we are now. It is the fear of the unknown, of turning ourselves completely over to Him. If we do we know that we will never be the same. In a way, it is our fear of our own uniqueness that is really holding us back. What keeps us from what truly would make us unique is the fear of our own death, and die we will; but what we will become is what we should have been all along: ourselves- a unique soul that is so radically different from all others that to compare any two of them would be like comparing apples to oranges- illogical, impossible, inconceivable.
If we want uniqeness, love God with all our heart soul and mind, and we will never be the same, as we are now, or as anyone else. If we wish anonimity, to fade into the billions, then we must hang onto ourselves, and never let God change us. But with our uniqueness will be lost many other things, talents, enlightenment, joy, true friendship. It really is all or nothing, both what we must sacrifice, and what we will get in return.
Our choice.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=250486304#ixzz10TtpTX67
Servant of the Secret Fire
I want to type out what I said at the end of my junior/senior speech last year. Mainly because I have been thinking alot about it.
"In Lord of the Rings, there is a scene when Gandalf is facing the Balrog. While facing the Balrog, he says, 'I am servant of the secret fire....the dark fire shall not avail you.'
The first time a ever heard that I was fascinated. I knew there was some deep underlying truth there just waiting to be dug out. I read once that Tolkein wrote to a friend that 'servant of the secret fire' was his name for the Holy Spirit. I think that is just a phenomenally cool name for the Holy Spirit, especially when viewed in light of Pentecost.
That got me thinking about fire. Why do people use fire at all when it is so incredibly destructive? The obvious answer is for light and heat. So what would dark fire be like? Dark fire, would definitely not have light, and it wouldn't be too taxing on the imagination to include a lack of heat as well.
So normal fire has both light and heat, while dark fire does not. The application here would be that serving the 'secret fire', the Holy Spirit, allows you to produce something worthwhile, but serving the dark fire, you produce nothing of any value.
But this isn't enough. There is something deeper here. You notice that we have contrasted the two: secret fire to dark fire. But we haven't compared the two. They are both fire. Both consume.
The human soul is made to be consumed. We have no choice in the matter. Whatever you put in the center of your life will consume you. It will become who you are and what you are about. It will be a flame to the very center of your being.
So we will be consumed. We cannot stop or delay it. But we do have a choice, a very important choice. We can choose what we put in the very center of our being. We can choose what consumes us. We can choose the dark fire, or the secret fire.
If we put ourselves in the center, then it is ourselves that will consume us. If we put power in the center, then that is what will consume us. Money, ambition, greed, church, helping, excitement, God: All of these, when put in the center, will eat at our very existence.
So what then, does it matter? Why put one thing there, and not another? If in the end, all will consume. What is the difference between the dark fire, and the secret one?
The difference between destruction and life. The difference between pain and healing. The difference between hell and heaven. The question isn't, 'whether we will be consumed?' That we already know. The question is 'Will there be anything left after the consumption?'
For there is one thing, one consuming fire, that will consume, but not destroy. All other fires will destroy you. They will burn everyone you know, they will burn everything in your path, everything you hold dear, in a selfish blaze of desire. And in the end, the dark fire will consume even you, and produce nothing worthwhile for the pain.
But the secret fire isn't that way. This flame has quite a different nature. The secret fire consumes, but it doesn't destroy. It will give more than it takes. It will build rather than tear down. Yes, it will hurt. Yes you will be consumed. But in the path of this fire, in the wake of this flame, there will not be death, but life. There will not be hurt, but hope. For this flame is God Himself.
And isn't that the great paradox of the Christian faith? The burning bush, the flame that burns but doesn't destroy. Isn't that what Christ said? That if you try to save your life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for Christ, then you will save it. This is what the Bible is talking about. This is what Christ meant. The flame with a secret. The fire with an ability to build and give life, the secret fire.
If you give your life totally to anything: God, self, fame, church; you will be consumed. But what will be left? What will be the end result? If that fire is anything but God, then it will destroy your friends, your environment, your joy, and eventually yourself. It will not only consmue, but it will destroy, everything in it's terrible path.
But if you put God in the center, if you let Him consume your life, destruction will not be your end. There will be life. Life more than you need. Life in such abundance that your friends feel it. So much life that those that meet you see it. All because you are being consumed by the only fire that can truly give life. All because you gave everything over to Him. All because of a choice, to serve the secret fire, and be consumed, and bring life; rather than serve the dark fire, and be consumed, and bring death.
May I be a servant of the secret fire. May I allow God to consume me in a blaze of life, so that I, through Christ, can show others what living really is.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=91894575#ixzz10Tt1gdcy
"In Lord of the Rings, there is a scene when Gandalf is facing the Balrog. While facing the Balrog, he says, 'I am servant of the secret fire....the dark fire shall not avail you.'
The first time a ever heard that I was fascinated. I knew there was some deep underlying truth there just waiting to be dug out. I read once that Tolkein wrote to a friend that 'servant of the secret fire' was his name for the Holy Spirit. I think that is just a phenomenally cool name for the Holy Spirit, especially when viewed in light of Pentecost.
That got me thinking about fire. Why do people use fire at all when it is so incredibly destructive? The obvious answer is for light and heat. So what would dark fire be like? Dark fire, would definitely not have light, and it wouldn't be too taxing on the imagination to include a lack of heat as well.
So normal fire has both light and heat, while dark fire does not. The application here would be that serving the 'secret fire', the Holy Spirit, allows you to produce something worthwhile, but serving the dark fire, you produce nothing of any value.
But this isn't enough. There is something deeper here. You notice that we have contrasted the two: secret fire to dark fire. But we haven't compared the two. They are both fire. Both consume.
The human soul is made to be consumed. We have no choice in the matter. Whatever you put in the center of your life will consume you. It will become who you are and what you are about. It will be a flame to the very center of your being.
So we will be consumed. We cannot stop or delay it. But we do have a choice, a very important choice. We can choose what we put in the very center of our being. We can choose what consumes us. We can choose the dark fire, or the secret fire.
If we put ourselves in the center, then it is ourselves that will consume us. If we put power in the center, then that is what will consume us. Money, ambition, greed, church, helping, excitement, God: All of these, when put in the center, will eat at our very existence.
So what then, does it matter? Why put one thing there, and not another? If in the end, all will consume. What is the difference between the dark fire, and the secret one?
The difference between destruction and life. The difference between pain and healing. The difference between hell and heaven. The question isn't, 'whether we will be consumed?' That we already know. The question is 'Will there be anything left after the consumption?'
For there is one thing, one consuming fire, that will consume, but not destroy. All other fires will destroy you. They will burn everyone you know, they will burn everything in your path, everything you hold dear, in a selfish blaze of desire. And in the end, the dark fire will consume even you, and produce nothing worthwhile for the pain.
But the secret fire isn't that way. This flame has quite a different nature. The secret fire consumes, but it doesn't destroy. It will give more than it takes. It will build rather than tear down. Yes, it will hurt. Yes you will be consumed. But in the path of this fire, in the wake of this flame, there will not be death, but life. There will not be hurt, but hope. For this flame is God Himself.
And isn't that the great paradox of the Christian faith? The burning bush, the flame that burns but doesn't destroy. Isn't that what Christ said? That if you try to save your life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for Christ, then you will save it. This is what the Bible is talking about. This is what Christ meant. The flame with a secret. The fire with an ability to build and give life, the secret fire.
If you give your life totally to anything: God, self, fame, church; you will be consumed. But what will be left? What will be the end result? If that fire is anything but God, then it will destroy your friends, your environment, your joy, and eventually yourself. It will not only consmue, but it will destroy, everything in it's terrible path.
But if you put God in the center, if you let Him consume your life, destruction will not be your end. There will be life. Life more than you need. Life in such abundance that your friends feel it. So much life that those that meet you see it. All because you are being consumed by the only fire that can truly give life. All because you gave everything over to Him. All because of a choice, to serve the secret fire, and be consumed, and bring life; rather than serve the dark fire, and be consumed, and bring death.
May I be a servant of the secret fire. May I allow God to consume me in a blaze of life, so that I, through Christ, can show others what living really is.
Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=40146022&blogId=91894575#ixzz10Tt1gdcy
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