I have a request.
Brian commented, "I'm not sure where you landed on this. Maybe you didn't land, but the ending felt like an abrupt landing. I'd really like to hear you say some more about this."
Well the last post may have pushed the deep thinking part of my brain past its limits, but I'll try to explain my thoughts (if that's possible).
I have always watched people from a distance, to watch how they act and react. To listen to their words, their passions. To read their body language, the volume of their voice and their swagger. But what I find most interesting is how people convey to others and how people respond to the truth.
If that truth is the Word of God, people respond differently. The parable of the sower is a good example of what people do with truth. They accept or reject.
Now let's just say for fun we want to change the truth.
Let's say we don't like what we hear, so we create our "truth". When told we are wrong we cry foul and say "there really isn't one truth" and "our truth is just as good as yours!"
But is it the truth?
Hitler was a master at creating and conveying his special "truth". He worked the podium and speaker in such a way that made people follow him to their ultimate defeat and destruction. I think these people wanted so badly to believe in what Hitler was saying, that they looked the other way and began to believe every word that he said.
Is truth, like beauty, in the eyes of the beholder?
Let's take something from today, like global warming. You can find a hundred scientist who say it exists, and you can find a hundred who say it doesn't. And while I'm sure they can all give us data to prove their points, I wonder, does how they see the world influence how the see global warming? Would a scientist who worked for Greenpeace see the data in the same way the Heritage Foundation scientist would? My guess is no.
The data would be the constant, or truth, yet these two very different groups would see the data or truth in a very different light. Each would promote their version of the truth to be the correct truth.
I guess maybe what I'm ultimately saying is that we have so many different views of the world and we now have so many ways of distributing our views that we have the ability to convince people of things, that may not be the truth.
Look at reality television.
While it claims to be "reality", I would contend that it is really the farthest thing from reality. Even shows that do a good work, like re-doing homes or the super nanny, are not reality. If you have brats for kids or need a home make over, chances are they are not going to pull up at your door. The real reality is your going to have to fix those things yourself. Waiting on the lottery? The truth is that the odds are so far out that you might have a better chance of being hit by lightning.
And yet.
Because people want to believe in something, a truth that really isn't truth, that they continue to hope their six numbers come up, or the super nanny just happens to hear the kids fighting and pops in.
Truth is sometimes what we want it to be, not what it really is.
Many people want to believe there isn't a hell, they want to believe that everybody goes to heaven with a harp and a new set of wings. That becomes their truth. They simply refuse to listen or believe anything else.
I hope as a people we never stop searching for the real truth, but when we find it we must set aside our feelings and judge the truth on its own, without an agenda.
This probably will not answer Brian's questions, and the truth is it may have him asking even more questions.
But for right now, my brain hurts.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Monday, February 20, 2006
The Truth
Is there anything more elusive?
It is something that everyone longs for, yet when confronted with it, the same people deny it. I have wanted to talk about it for so long, but I just couldn't find the words to express my feelings. I did today.
I was reading an article about the British right wing historian David Irving's contention that the holocaust did not happen. His point was that most of the millions of Jews that died at the concentration camps, died of diseases and not by the use of torture and the gas chambers.
His argument is not new, many people deny the holocaust for one reason or another, usually because it goes along with their hatred of the Jews. Now that David has been sentenced to 10 years for making these allegations, he has now stated that the holocaust did happen.
So truth is relative?
We all see the world in a different light. Conservatives see truth differently than liberals do. Pro choice people see truth differently than anti-abortion people do. The NRA people see truth differently than the gun control people do. This just goes on and on.
So is truth the truth or is truth just what we think it is?
The examples of relative truth is everywhere, many people think that Elvis is still alive, that all college and pro sports are fixed, the grassy knoll, and of course the denial of the holocaust.
And yet people can look at solid evidence to the contrary, but continue to believe their "truth".
This "relative" truth creeps into our lives. We establish a position, then we create truth around that position. We yell and scream, pound our fist on the table and hold our truth to be beyond question. Even when we are proven wrong we still cannot admit that perhaps our truth wasn't the truth after all. We then go to the name calling and fit throwing phase in hopes people won't dig to deeply into our truth.
I don't like gray areas, I want the truth. It is either right or it is wrong, black or white.
I went searching for the truth about the teachings of Calvin or in other words Calvinism. I wanted to hear both sides of the argument so I bought the book "Debating Calvinism" and in it two very intelligent Biblical scholars wrote letters back and forth to each other. Each man stated his point, the other man made a counterpoint, and on and on it went. It was interesting to read each mans passion for his "truth". I'm afraid that some Biblical truths will always be a point of conflict between believers, but it is interesting the way we use our Bibles to prove our 'truths". Here was two men reading the same truth, and yet seeing two different truths.
That has always interested me.
I want to look at truth as a rock, a solid foundation, unwavering no matter what storm is raging around it. As people we should either accept it or disagree with it, but don't try to change it just because you don't like it. It is what it is.
Which brings me to my last point. We are a spiritual people, but not everyone believes in our God. They hear the truth, but because it doesn't fit their lifestyle or whatever, they search for another god. One that fits their "truth". It happened in the Old Testament as the people of Israel chased after the gods of their neighbors. The truth they had been a witness to was simply not their "truth" anymore.
So are you searching for the real truth or do you think you know what the real truth is?
It can be a tough question,
and that's the truth.
It is something that everyone longs for, yet when confronted with it, the same people deny it. I have wanted to talk about it for so long, but I just couldn't find the words to express my feelings. I did today.
I was reading an article about the British right wing historian David Irving's contention that the holocaust did not happen. His point was that most of the millions of Jews that died at the concentration camps, died of diseases and not by the use of torture and the gas chambers.
His argument is not new, many people deny the holocaust for one reason or another, usually because it goes along with their hatred of the Jews. Now that David has been sentenced to 10 years for making these allegations, he has now stated that the holocaust did happen.
So truth is relative?
We all see the world in a different light. Conservatives see truth differently than liberals do. Pro choice people see truth differently than anti-abortion people do. The NRA people see truth differently than the gun control people do. This just goes on and on.
So is truth the truth or is truth just what we think it is?
The examples of relative truth is everywhere, many people think that Elvis is still alive, that all college and pro sports are fixed, the grassy knoll, and of course the denial of the holocaust.
And yet people can look at solid evidence to the contrary, but continue to believe their "truth".
This "relative" truth creeps into our lives. We establish a position, then we create truth around that position. We yell and scream, pound our fist on the table and hold our truth to be beyond question. Even when we are proven wrong we still cannot admit that perhaps our truth wasn't the truth after all. We then go to the name calling and fit throwing phase in hopes people won't dig to deeply into our truth.
I don't like gray areas, I want the truth. It is either right or it is wrong, black or white.
I went searching for the truth about the teachings of Calvin or in other words Calvinism. I wanted to hear both sides of the argument so I bought the book "Debating Calvinism" and in it two very intelligent Biblical scholars wrote letters back and forth to each other. Each man stated his point, the other man made a counterpoint, and on and on it went. It was interesting to read each mans passion for his "truth". I'm afraid that some Biblical truths will always be a point of conflict between believers, but it is interesting the way we use our Bibles to prove our 'truths". Here was two men reading the same truth, and yet seeing two different truths.
That has always interested me.
I want to look at truth as a rock, a solid foundation, unwavering no matter what storm is raging around it. As people we should either accept it or disagree with it, but don't try to change it just because you don't like it. It is what it is.
Which brings me to my last point. We are a spiritual people, but not everyone believes in our God. They hear the truth, but because it doesn't fit their lifestyle or whatever, they search for another god. One that fits their "truth". It happened in the Old Testament as the people of Israel chased after the gods of their neighbors. The truth they had been a witness to was simply not their "truth" anymore.
So are you searching for the real truth or do you think you know what the real truth is?
It can be a tough question,
and that's the truth.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Ode to Mr Doe.
You know who you are.
I want to talk about people that don't want to be talked about.
They attend our churches, but they are very quiet, and yet their handiwork is everywhere.
In my church we have several people who work behind the scenes, and they do a great job.
I thank the good Lord we have them.
But I'm thinking of one man, and I find that most churches have at least one, that can fix anything and is always ready to donate his time and money to the church. Now I know there can be several people who fit that mold, but what is so unique about this special person is he never wants the spotlight. He hates being recognized, he just wants to serve his God with his special talents.
Now because he wants to remain out of the spotlight I won't use his name, we will call him Mr. Doe.
Mr Doe is an artist with the hammer and saw, wiring and the hedge trimmer. The church needs a new VCR-DVD combo unit, amazingly one appears, and when he is asked about it he calmly says that "I saw one fall out of the back of a truck I was following, I stopped and picked it up and it still works", (I have to admit I fell for this at first, until he told me the same thing about a new bathroom sink the church needed).
I want so badly to tell you who he is, I love this guy and I think his work needs to be recognized, but I can't and I won't.
It is so neat that in this day and age of self gratification and ego stroking there are people who want just to serve without recognition.
So many will do things in the church, but they want the spotlight shined on them. Look what I did, look at what I have sacrificed. See how special and important I am. It becomes less Christ service and more self service.
So today Mr. Doe I want to shine a little light on you, both in my church and in the other churches your special kind attend all over the world. You may think that nobody knows what you do, but don't worry, God knows and He will reward you when it counts. I thank the Lord for you and your kind. You are an example of true servant hood, and my hope is that we all catch your kind and gentle spirit.
To coin a bad commercial slogan,
this blogs for you!
I want to talk about people that don't want to be talked about.
They attend our churches, but they are very quiet, and yet their handiwork is everywhere.
In my church we have several people who work behind the scenes, and they do a great job.
I thank the good Lord we have them.
But I'm thinking of one man, and I find that most churches have at least one, that can fix anything and is always ready to donate his time and money to the church. Now I know there can be several people who fit that mold, but what is so unique about this special person is he never wants the spotlight. He hates being recognized, he just wants to serve his God with his special talents.
Now because he wants to remain out of the spotlight I won't use his name, we will call him Mr. Doe.
Mr Doe is an artist with the hammer and saw, wiring and the hedge trimmer. The church needs a new VCR-DVD combo unit, amazingly one appears, and when he is asked about it he calmly says that "I saw one fall out of the back of a truck I was following, I stopped and picked it up and it still works", (I have to admit I fell for this at first, until he told me the same thing about a new bathroom sink the church needed).
I want so badly to tell you who he is, I love this guy and I think his work needs to be recognized, but I can't and I won't.
It is so neat that in this day and age of self gratification and ego stroking there are people who want just to serve without recognition.
So many will do things in the church, but they want the spotlight shined on them. Look what I did, look at what I have sacrificed. See how special and important I am. It becomes less Christ service and more self service.
So today Mr. Doe I want to shine a little light on you, both in my church and in the other churches your special kind attend all over the world. You may think that nobody knows what you do, but don't worry, God knows and He will reward you when it counts. I thank the Lord for you and your kind. You are an example of true servant hood, and my hope is that we all catch your kind and gentle spirit.
To coin a bad commercial slogan,
this blogs for you!
Monday, February 13, 2006
Youth Night
I hate having this feeling.
Every so often my youth group has the Sunday evening service. They pick the music and the format. They pretty much have free reign. As with most teens they needed a little prodding from me to come up with something. All in all it went pretty well, they decided to do the same thing upstairs as we do downstairs when we are by ourselves.
The way we start our time together is spending about 10 minutes just talking. I bring some pop and sometimes I'll bring some chips. I let them talk about anything and everything that goes on in their life. So to emulate that I had the adults just take 5 minutes to meet and greet. They got up a walked around and talked to each other. I thought that was pretty cool. So far so good.
I had the girls lead us in a couple of worship songs. That was fine, I like it when they pick the music because it's something that's got a pretty good beat to it.
Then came game time.
I played a version of Hollywood squares, I picked a couple of ladies from the congregation and I had my teens be the squares. Everything was going fine, until...
one of the ladies picked a teen boy. Now this kid is a great kid, but he is one of the shy ones. He would do anything that I would ask him to do, as long as it wasn't anything that would shine the spotlight directly on him. I asked him a question, and then I realized what I had done. I put the spotlight on him. He stammered, answered the question with the wrong answer and then blurted out "I don't know". I instantly knew I had messed up.
After our game we did our lesson, which funny enough was on wisdom. Boy if anyone needed to hear that one it was me. As I did the lesson I couldn't help but feel horrible about what I had done. I should have picked a multiple choice question for him. I really blew it.
I remember back to my Campus Life days, I was doing a lesson on dating. I said something like "you go to her parents house and you discover that her mom is crazy". I said it really without thinking, I thought it was funny because that situation would NEVER happen, right? Well wrong, one of my kids mothers had some mental illness issues. He was hurt by what I had said. I didn't mean to hurt anyone and I didn't know about her illness, but yet I had hurt someone.
I hate that feeling.
It's times like these that make me want to crawl back to my pew and become a spectator. Just become a pew potato. Just sit and watch others do stuff. No risk of hurting anyone, no risk of making the wrong call. No risk at all.
Many people have told me that I would make a good pastor, I always smile and thank them for their comment, but I know in my heart that sooner or later my mouth would get me in trouble. I know pastors aren't perfect and I know I'm not perfect. But the reality is that many people think that they should be. Always say the right thing at the right time. I have never been able to do that. Much like my young friend, I stammer and when something does come out, it's never good enough in my eyes.
God uses imperfect people. I understand my role as a leader is to listen to God. To do the best that I can with what God has given me. I just wish that I could do that without messing up. I know that nobody does it without making mistakes, but when your a leader, messing up can hurt a lot of people.
And I just hate that feeling.
Every so often my youth group has the Sunday evening service. They pick the music and the format. They pretty much have free reign. As with most teens they needed a little prodding from me to come up with something. All in all it went pretty well, they decided to do the same thing upstairs as we do downstairs when we are by ourselves.
The way we start our time together is spending about 10 minutes just talking. I bring some pop and sometimes I'll bring some chips. I let them talk about anything and everything that goes on in their life. So to emulate that I had the adults just take 5 minutes to meet and greet. They got up a walked around and talked to each other. I thought that was pretty cool. So far so good.
I had the girls lead us in a couple of worship songs. That was fine, I like it when they pick the music because it's something that's got a pretty good beat to it.
Then came game time.
I played a version of Hollywood squares, I picked a couple of ladies from the congregation and I had my teens be the squares. Everything was going fine, until...
one of the ladies picked a teen boy. Now this kid is a great kid, but he is one of the shy ones. He would do anything that I would ask him to do, as long as it wasn't anything that would shine the spotlight directly on him. I asked him a question, and then I realized what I had done. I put the spotlight on him. He stammered, answered the question with the wrong answer and then blurted out "I don't know". I instantly knew I had messed up.
After our game we did our lesson, which funny enough was on wisdom. Boy if anyone needed to hear that one it was me. As I did the lesson I couldn't help but feel horrible about what I had done. I should have picked a multiple choice question for him. I really blew it.
I remember back to my Campus Life days, I was doing a lesson on dating. I said something like "you go to her parents house and you discover that her mom is crazy". I said it really without thinking, I thought it was funny because that situation would NEVER happen, right? Well wrong, one of my kids mothers had some mental illness issues. He was hurt by what I had said. I didn't mean to hurt anyone and I didn't know about her illness, but yet I had hurt someone.
I hate that feeling.
It's times like these that make me want to crawl back to my pew and become a spectator. Just become a pew potato. Just sit and watch others do stuff. No risk of hurting anyone, no risk of making the wrong call. No risk at all.
Many people have told me that I would make a good pastor, I always smile and thank them for their comment, but I know in my heart that sooner or later my mouth would get me in trouble. I know pastors aren't perfect and I know I'm not perfect. But the reality is that many people think that they should be. Always say the right thing at the right time. I have never been able to do that. Much like my young friend, I stammer and when something does come out, it's never good enough in my eyes.
God uses imperfect people. I understand my role as a leader is to listen to God. To do the best that I can with what God has given me. I just wish that I could do that without messing up. I know that nobody does it without making mistakes, but when your a leader, messing up can hurt a lot of people.
And I just hate that feeling.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Turning 40
It really caught me off guard.
My father was leaving the hospital again, I was going to bring him home. Neither of us knew that in a few short months he would be gone.
He was dressed and ready to go, all but his shoes and socks. He got himself to the edge of the bed, looked down, and asked me something that he had never asked me before.
"Could you put them on for me buddy?"
I paused for a second, and began to put my dad's shoes and socks on his feet.
It's hard to explain what I felt. This was my father, the man I never could beat arm wrestling, the man who could lift anything and work from dawn to dusk with energy to spare. He had been growing weaker as time had past and I knew that, but I was jolted by his request. How many times had he put my shoes and socks on when I was a boy, and now I was doing it for him. It just seemed strange and foreign to me.
I have not looked at life the same since.
I guess as you get older you start to understand the life cycle more, as a Christian you begin to understand God's plan for a man's life. You really start understanding the "life is but a vapor" verse.
Now I'm not whacked out about turning 40, I'm not going to buy a sports car or anything like that. In fact I feel the same now as I did when I turned 30.
But there have been some changes.
My hair certainly is grayer, I have strange spots on my face and I have noticed a few more aches and pains, but other than that, I'm okay.
If anything is bothering me it's the speed at which time flies. My next 40 years, if the good Lord grants me that, probably will not be as much fun. Will the next 40 go as fast as the first?
Well enough of that, since I have become wiser in my years, I would like to make the following observations about life.
1. I have become content with who I am. I don't mean that in the "I'm perfect and don't need to improve" way. I mean that in the "I'm not sorry I wasn't a rock star" way. I made my life choices, for better or for worse, and I'm okay with where I have ended up. God has taken all of my questionable choices and turned them into blessings. God does that kind of stuff.
2. We are a people of extremes. Some might say that this is a recent thing, but I'm not so sure. As I study history I find that free people sometimes take extreme views. Freedom allows that.
If you think I'm wrong, think about the civil war. Talk about extremes. I think we just have more media outlets and talking heads who want to talk about their views.
3. People don't listen. Listening is a lost art. Everybody wants to talk, share what they think is right, but they refuse to listen to any other view. What's worse is that we don't even let people share their views because we have made our minds up that we are right and they are wrong. Let's have some conversation, and then decide how we feel about it.
4. I have become amused and saddened at the lengths men will go to find happiness.
5. I am neither Democrat or Republican. I vote for the man I feel will do the best job.
6. A bad day at the ocean is better than the best day at work.
7. A great wife and great sons bring their husband/father much joy.
(I'm starting to sound like King Solomon)
8. If you want to help your church, start by getting yourself closer to God.
9. I really don't think Phil Collins has that great of a voice, but he is one of my favorite singers.
10. I'm not an ultra conservative, but I have to admit I read Ann Coulter and Mike Adams.
11. I don't understand some pastors who think they have to use vulgar language to get their message out. Did Jesus do that?
12. While I'm on pastors, were does it say that all Christians will and should be healthy and wealthy?
13. The homosexual lifestyle is NOT pleasing to God. If you think it is, your reading the wrong Bible.
14. I am willing to admit I have made mistakes in my life that have hurt people.
15. Christians are not perfect, but somehow the rumor got started that we are.
16. The 69-70 Dodge Charger has got to be the coolest car ever built.
17. Life goes by so fast, but we continue to live like we will be here forever.
18. Never say crazy things that will get put into your class yearbook. Those things live forever.
19. I have only taken one good picture of myself in my whole life, and by the way what are those humps above my eyes?
20. I am one of the few people who can give Brian Miller the neck slash sign and live to talk about it.
Well that's all for now, look out big 50!
My father was leaving the hospital again, I was going to bring him home. Neither of us knew that in a few short months he would be gone.
He was dressed and ready to go, all but his shoes and socks. He got himself to the edge of the bed, looked down, and asked me something that he had never asked me before.
"Could you put them on for me buddy?"
I paused for a second, and began to put my dad's shoes and socks on his feet.
It's hard to explain what I felt. This was my father, the man I never could beat arm wrestling, the man who could lift anything and work from dawn to dusk with energy to spare. He had been growing weaker as time had past and I knew that, but I was jolted by his request. How many times had he put my shoes and socks on when I was a boy, and now I was doing it for him. It just seemed strange and foreign to me.
I have not looked at life the same since.
I guess as you get older you start to understand the life cycle more, as a Christian you begin to understand God's plan for a man's life. You really start understanding the "life is but a vapor" verse.
Now I'm not whacked out about turning 40, I'm not going to buy a sports car or anything like that. In fact I feel the same now as I did when I turned 30.
But there have been some changes.
My hair certainly is grayer, I have strange spots on my face and I have noticed a few more aches and pains, but other than that, I'm okay.
If anything is bothering me it's the speed at which time flies. My next 40 years, if the good Lord grants me that, probably will not be as much fun. Will the next 40 go as fast as the first?
Well enough of that, since I have become wiser in my years, I would like to make the following observations about life.
1. I have become content with who I am. I don't mean that in the "I'm perfect and don't need to improve" way. I mean that in the "I'm not sorry I wasn't a rock star" way. I made my life choices, for better or for worse, and I'm okay with where I have ended up. God has taken all of my questionable choices and turned them into blessings. God does that kind of stuff.
2. We are a people of extremes. Some might say that this is a recent thing, but I'm not so sure. As I study history I find that free people sometimes take extreme views. Freedom allows that.
If you think I'm wrong, think about the civil war. Talk about extremes. I think we just have more media outlets and talking heads who want to talk about their views.
3. People don't listen. Listening is a lost art. Everybody wants to talk, share what they think is right, but they refuse to listen to any other view. What's worse is that we don't even let people share their views because we have made our minds up that we are right and they are wrong. Let's have some conversation, and then decide how we feel about it.
4. I have become amused and saddened at the lengths men will go to find happiness.
5. I am neither Democrat or Republican. I vote for the man I feel will do the best job.
6. A bad day at the ocean is better than the best day at work.
7. A great wife and great sons bring their husband/father much joy.
(I'm starting to sound like King Solomon)
8. If you want to help your church, start by getting yourself closer to God.
9. I really don't think Phil Collins has that great of a voice, but he is one of my favorite singers.
10. I'm not an ultra conservative, but I have to admit I read Ann Coulter and Mike Adams.
11. I don't understand some pastors who think they have to use vulgar language to get their message out. Did Jesus do that?
12. While I'm on pastors, were does it say that all Christians will and should be healthy and wealthy?
13. The homosexual lifestyle is NOT pleasing to God. If you think it is, your reading the wrong Bible.
14. I am willing to admit I have made mistakes in my life that have hurt people.
15. Christians are not perfect, but somehow the rumor got started that we are.
16. The 69-70 Dodge Charger has got to be the coolest car ever built.
17. Life goes by so fast, but we continue to live like we will be here forever.
18. Never say crazy things that will get put into your class yearbook. Those things live forever.
19. I have only taken one good picture of myself in my whole life, and by the way what are those humps above my eyes?
20. I am one of the few people who can give Brian Miller the neck slash sign and live to talk about it.
Well that's all for now, look out big 50!
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