Who Are You?

Hello (hello, hello)
Is there anybody out there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone at home?

*Cough, cough* Sorry, it's a little dusty around here. Looks like no one's written a post in quite some time. This won't be much of one either, but I want to write something before I forget.

A co-worker was lamenting recently about how his messed-up past keeps haunting him, following him around, and he feels sort of branded by it. I knew about some of his problems already but he spent the next few minutes filling me in on some more. He feels trapped by things he's done in the past, and like people now see him as a certain type of person because of the things he's done. It occurred to me that an important lesson Confucius taught me might apply here, with a twist.

Confucius said, "Don't concern yourself with getting recognition. Rather, concern yourself with being worthy of recognition". The twist obviously, is that in this case, the word "recognition" might be replaced with the word "acceptance". The point being that recognition (or in this case acceptance) shouldn't be the goal, but self-improvement.

Well, he dismissed that right away because he doesn't buy into that Chinese philosophy stuff. Okay I suppose it is that, but I just see it as an interesting bit of wisdom that can help get you through some things that don't seem to make sense. It seemed to make more sense after I re-framed it in a Christian context, like an old man/new man sort of thing. You can't change who you were, but you can change who you are and who you will be. You can't change what you did, but starting now you can change what you do.

The past is always there, but it is the past and not the present. Talking about this co-worker's situation reminded me of the freedom I've gained since becoming a Christian, and it reminded me again how sweet grace is.

Love,
derifter

It's Not The End Of The World (probably)

89-year-old Harold Camping of Oakland, California seems to think he's got it all figured out. I don't think he does.

I think he's doing his part to give Christianity a bad name, but that doesn't mean this week is a bad time to ponder your relationship with your Creator. I do think it's a bad time to quit your job, sell your house, charge a fortune on your credit cards, or shave your head and go sit on a hill to wait for The Rapture.

I won't waste much more time on this, but I will refer you to Jesus himself, who said in Matthew 24 verse 36, "Of that day and hour no man knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." Camping tries to explain here, but in my opinion it's a swing and a miss. See you Sunday then?
Love,
derifter

Biting And Devouring

I've been noticing (and so have you) that among Christians there's an awful lot of back-biting taking place. Fundamentalists and some percentage of Evangelicals go on about how the Emergent crowd is off on a tangent and doesn't understand the law or the gospel. They just don't get it. In the Emerging church, one of their claims to fame is that they are able to present the gospel in context, in a relevant way, not like old-school Christians who are stuck in the past and just don't get it. Everybody knows Charismatics are loony, right? God doesn't move anymore! Man, they don't get it. Charismatics are the only ones who know that the Spirit has left all the dead churches and only dwells within their own church.

"Ello, Guvna!"

Remember what Paul said in Galatians 5...
"But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another."

It's not like we don't have enough adversity in the world, without attacking each other to boot. We're the body of Christ. Jesus prayed in John 17, "I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are."

That they may be one, even as We are. Maybe your bothers and sisters don't say it just the way you would, but they're saying it. Maybe they're saying it the way someone needs to hear it, in order to take a step toward God. Encourage that. Encourage them. Let's not forget why we're here. The Body isn't all feet, or eyes, or arms. We need each other.

The Tornado, the Lutherans, and Homosexuality

John Piper posted on the implications of the tornado in downtown Minneapolis that hit the location of the ELCA convention, where they intend to vote on whether homosexuality should disqualify a person from the pulpit.

Any thoughts?

Atheists: "Boo Hoo" Ha Ha

The LA Times has a pretty good article on how boring atheists are getting.

(HT: Art)

You Can't Handle The Truth?

I find it odd that as born-again Christians, many of us hesitate to enter into the amazing truth that God has spoken about us. I could retire a little earlier if I had a nickel for every time I've heard a Christian, even preachers, qualify exciting things that God has done in them personally (or us as a body) by sheepishly adding something along the lines of, "...not that I could have done it without the help of God...". Okay, let's just put that to rest: Most people already knew you couldn't have done it without the help of God! You're not that good.

I'm talking about Christians who wear sinfulness and unworthiness almost like a badge of honor. Are we afraid that if we live like what God says about us is true, we'll fall into pride? I think there's a danger of falling the other way too, and downplaying what God has done in us. I think it's even a form of unbelief. Say for example, the idea that over the years God has cleaned up the way I think. That blows me away! But you never hear it said without the cling-on phrase, "But I still have a lonnng way to go..." Well, of course we do. But I say let's celebrate what God has done. I'm telling you that God HAS cleaned up the way I think. And I'm thankful for it, pure and simple. I have no pride in it, it's His doing. But I take joy in the fact that He is working in me, and I can see the results. If you can't see results in your life, you need to wonder why. If He's given us new life, and a new nature, why do we want to downplay that? Let's get that thing out in the open and see what it'll do! How holy can we possibly live?

The Golden Compass

I got an e-mail a few days ago warning about the upcoming movie, The Golden Compass, saying it's a movie about killing God. According to the e-mail, it's "the anti-Narnia". It also contained a link to Snopes.com, where there's a brief summary of the movie and of the author of the book series the movie is based on. The Snopes.com link quotes the author from a 2003 interview as saying, "My books are about killing God." So I guess there isn't much doubt about what the books are really about.

But if you've seen the trailer, it looks really good!

There's a feature on the movie's website where you can "meet your daemon" by answering 20 questions. Mine is a spider called Aspradora. In the movie, everyone has a daemon (demon), but they dwell in the form of an animal outside your body rather than inside, and they're a reflection of yourself rather than an indwelling spirit. Maybe your exo-soul. So maybe the whole "Demons are our pets" thing is a bit troubling.

I love fantasy-adventure flicks like this. And regarding the hidden message behind the story, I don't think I'll lose any sleep over it. Remember The Matrix? We Christians found a hidden message of hope and life and truth in it, because of all the "other-world", eye-opening, truth-revelation scenes it contained. Non- (or anti-) Christians found in it a hidden message of hope and life and truth, because of all the "other-world", eye-opening truth-revelation scenes in it. I have a hunch The Golden Compass will will be owned by both positions, too. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
But I definitely want to see it. Maybe I'll post on it again afterward.
Normally I like spiders, and I had three tarantulas as pets when I was younger. But if I ever see Aspradora around, that sucker's gunna get squashed.