You may have heard me talk about my next-door neighbor yesterday--the Bible.
Eccentric, full of stories about real people who experienced...well...really extraordinary moments.
Take Isaac for instance. He was born to Abraham and Sarah when they were beyond child-bearing age and not by just a little bit: he was 100 and she was 90. Abraham had been promised this child by God for so long that he had given up a few years before and at his wife's arranging (!), had a child by her maid, Hagar.
When God is too slow, DIY?
At any rate, Issac is an old-age blessing to his parents when, out of the blue, God directs Abraham to take him to a certain mountain and sacrifice this precious son. Without question, Abraham takes Isaac on this journey.
Isaac: Father, we have flint and wood, but where's the sheep for the burnt offering? Um...who is going to die here? (Genesis 22)
Abraham: God will see to it that there is a burnt offering.
My neighbor goes on to tell me Abraham prepared the altar, tied up his son, placed him on the altar and took the knife to kill him. (The story has a happy ending as God intervenes and provides a ram caught in a nearby thicket but nobody tells me how Isaac feels climbing down from the altar.)
Me to my neighbor: How in the world does Isaac reconcile his view of a God that nearly kills him in what is explicitly referenced as a test for his father?
Neighbor (Bible): silence
I can't explain it but the more extraordinary the moment, the more I want to ponder what it must mean about my neighbor who is (did I tell you?) the spoken face of God.
21 January 2012
20 January 2012
The Bible is My Next-Door Neighbor
Meet my next-door neighbor...the Bible.
He is a little eccentric. I met Him, really met Him, about 20 years ago, because I was tired of just hearing about Him and all His children and stories. I felt like if He lived just next door, it would be better if I got to know Him myself.
But I was nervous. What if I couldn't understand how He talked, what He meant? So, being a first-grade teacher, I got to know Him through a children's Bible storybook. I had small children at the time so I could pretend I was reading to them but not so--it was all I could handle in the beginning. If you haven't met Him yourself, you might not know He can be a bit intimidating and overwhelming at first glance.
So now we were on speaking terms but if I was going to really engage as a neighbor, there would need to be some regular visits where we really listen to each other. You know, we get to know each other's stories and children and concerns and celebrations. So I asked Him to speak to me in a language I could understand.
I settled on two "versions" of my neighbor: the Message--MSG--translation (my favorite way to hear Him speak) and the New International Version--NIV. Now we were in a position to hang out some together but, oh, where to begin--too much of Him!
It makes me think of the question: How do you eat the elephant in the room? and its proverbial answer: One bite at a time.
Over the next few days, I hope to bring you snapshots of my Neighbor--some of His eccentricities, a crazy story or two, some ways to meet Him yourself if you choose since, oops, He's your next-door neighbor, too!
He is a little eccentric. I met Him, really met Him, about 20 years ago, because I was tired of just hearing about Him and all His children and stories. I felt like if He lived just next door, it would be better if I got to know Him myself.
But I was nervous. What if I couldn't understand how He talked, what He meant? So, being a first-grade teacher, I got to know Him through a children's Bible storybook. I had small children at the time so I could pretend I was reading to them but not so--it was all I could handle in the beginning. If you haven't met Him yourself, you might not know He can be a bit intimidating and overwhelming at first glance.
So now we were on speaking terms but if I was going to really engage as a neighbor, there would need to be some regular visits where we really listen to each other. You know, we get to know each other's stories and children and concerns and celebrations. So I asked Him to speak to me in a language I could understand.
I settled on two "versions" of my neighbor: the Message--MSG--translation (my favorite way to hear Him speak) and the New International Version--NIV. Now we were in a position to hang out some together but, oh, where to begin--too much of Him!
It makes me think of the question: How do you eat the elephant in the room? and its proverbial answer: One bite at a time.
Over the next few days, I hope to bring you snapshots of my Neighbor--some of His eccentricities, a crazy story or two, some ways to meet Him yourself if you choose since, oops, He's your next-door neighbor, too!
19 January 2012
Where is the Hope for Today?
"Teamwork, teamwork" is the chant my daughter-in-law teaches my grandkids. The first time I heard it, the older two were carrying a stepladder into the kitchen for their mom. They were barely out of toddler-hood and totally unable to move the stool on their own.
That is the only chant I know that gives hope for today. Only the team needs to be God and me. He can bless, organize, remind, redeem, change, miracle-ize (I know--a made-up word), and oh yes, forgive (me). What's not to like about that team?
Will He do it my way? Probably not.
Will He make me mad? Possibly.
Will He be slower than I like? Most likely.
So why hook up with this version of teamwork? Because of one very extraordinary truth: He has my best interest at heart. Period.
I don't know what this day or any other day has in store, but my teamwork chant is to put all my eggs in God's basket.
I hope you have Hope for today.
That is the only chant I know that gives hope for today. Only the team needs to be God and me. He can bless, organize, remind, redeem, change, miracle-ize (I know--a made-up word), and oh yes, forgive (me). What's not to like about that team?
Will He do it my way? Probably not.
Will He make me mad? Possibly.
Will He be slower than I like? Most likely.
So why hook up with this version of teamwork? Because of one very extraordinary truth: He has my best interest at heart. Period.
I don't know what this day or any other day has in store, but my teamwork chant is to put all my eggs in God's basket.
I hope you have Hope for today.
18 January 2012
What is the Fuel for Underlying Hostility?
Did you know underlying hostility has its own fuel source?
It is called misunderstanding.
It's like the proverbial ship that charts its course to reach the desired destination, but veers one degree off course, continuing--unknowingly--until the original course is nowhere in sight. One degree, over time, carries the ship far from charted waters.
Relationships have a charted course--draw closer, share community--but a single misunderstanding can leave one or both parties operating under mistaken information. The seed of hostility is planted and as the relationship continues, over time, every interaction is fed with the fuel of the misinformation, the misunderstanding.
Consider someone you are slightly annoyed with based on something you have been told that might or might not be fully true. What course do you chart? Continue, believing that you are not impacted by that information? Confront, and get the truth of the matter so the relationship can adjust its course?
You are the captain of the ship of your relationships. Smart captains constantly check their course and adjust their direction and speed. They don't waste fuel on misdirection.
Be a smart captain. Cut off the fuel source of misunderstanding. Reach your destination with your spouse, your friend, your child. The joy ride of rich relationships is yours for the taking.
It is called misunderstanding.
It's like the proverbial ship that charts its course to reach the desired destination, but veers one degree off course, continuing--unknowingly--until the original course is nowhere in sight. One degree, over time, carries the ship far from charted waters.
Relationships have a charted course--draw closer, share community--but a single misunderstanding can leave one or both parties operating under mistaken information. The seed of hostility is planted and as the relationship continues, over time, every interaction is fed with the fuel of the misinformation, the misunderstanding.
Consider someone you are slightly annoyed with based on something you have been told that might or might not be fully true. What course do you chart? Continue, believing that you are not impacted by that information? Confront, and get the truth of the matter so the relationship can adjust its course?
You are the captain of the ship of your relationships. Smart captains constantly check their course and adjust their direction and speed. They don't waste fuel on misdirection.
Be a smart captain. Cut off the fuel source of misunderstanding. Reach your destination with your spouse, your friend, your child. The joy ride of rich relationships is yours for the taking.
17 January 2012
Should We Schedule Time with God?
Only if you want it to happen.
A father should schedule dates with his daughter, but only if he wants her to have a glimpse of how a man should treat her, in hopes that she will hold out for that.
A company leader should schedule vision meetings with his (her) staff, but only if he (she) wants to head an endeavor known for maximum cohesiveness and productivity.
A married couple should schedule time where nothing is on their radar except each other, but only if they want their relationship to endure well the exhaustion and exceeding demands of everyday life.
So schedule time with God? Our relationship with Him is like every other relationship: time put in + how present we are = quality and meaningfulness of how we know each other.
There is a way to have a glimpse of how love should treat us...God's love shows that.
There is a way to lead yourself with maximum cohesiveness and productivity...God's vision for living inspires that.
There is a way to have nothing on our radar for a few precious moments each day except ourselves and God...God's input in that time spent is how we endure well the exhaustion and exceeding demands of everyday life.
Is He on your schedule today?
A father should schedule dates with his daughter, but only if he wants her to have a glimpse of how a man should treat her, in hopes that she will hold out for that.
A company leader should schedule vision meetings with his (her) staff, but only if he (she) wants to head an endeavor known for maximum cohesiveness and productivity.
A married couple should schedule time where nothing is on their radar except each other, but only if they want their relationship to endure well the exhaustion and exceeding demands of everyday life.
So schedule time with God? Our relationship with Him is like every other relationship: time put in + how present we are = quality and meaningfulness of how we know each other.
There is a way to have a glimpse of how love should treat us...God's love shows that.
There is a way to lead yourself with maximum cohesiveness and productivity...God's vision for living inspires that.
There is a way to have nothing on our radar for a few precious moments each day except ourselves and God...God's input in that time spent is how we endure well the exhaustion and exceeding demands of everyday life.
Is He on your schedule today?
16 January 2012
Ponder, Google, Martin and When?
It is hard to look with fresh eyes at the meaning of a day that comes every year.
Depending on our age and where we grew up, we may or may not have given a second thought to race relations, the plight of living with rabid discrimination, the hatred birthed from giving too much credence to the color of one's skin.
Yesterday our church showed a video of Martin Luther King's last speech, given the day before his assassination in Memphis, TN. I was struck by his prophetic words, "I may not be with you...but I've been to the mountaintop." Did he know he would die early? Did God give him insight into the early exit from his earthly endeavor to inspire freedom, equality and a remembrance of our faith?
With time to ponder on this holiday and the help of Google, I ran across ten quotes from Dr. King, one of which was expressed in his imaginary letter from the Apostle Paul to American Christians, delivered as a sermon on November 4, 1956. "Paul" [a.k.a. Martin Luther King] says to us, even 56 years ago, that our spiritual development has not kept pace with our amazing scientific strides and reminds us to concentrate on faith.
When exactly are we going to change that?
In another 56 years?
The recipe for change that Dr. King so embraced is simple: investigation of God and Jesus, willingness to let love drive out hate, and time in our personal agenda to let these take hold.
Thank you, Dr. King, for remembrance.
Depending on our age and where we grew up, we may or may not have given a second thought to race relations, the plight of living with rabid discrimination, the hatred birthed from giving too much credence to the color of one's skin.
Yesterday our church showed a video of Martin Luther King's last speech, given the day before his assassination in Memphis, TN. I was struck by his prophetic words, "I may not be with you...but I've been to the mountaintop." Did he know he would die early? Did God give him insight into the early exit from his earthly endeavor to inspire freedom, equality and a remembrance of our faith?
With time to ponder on this holiday and the help of Google, I ran across ten quotes from Dr. King, one of which was expressed in his imaginary letter from the Apostle Paul to American Christians, delivered as a sermon on November 4, 1956. "Paul" [a.k.a. Martin Luther King] says to us, even 56 years ago, that our spiritual development has not kept pace with our amazing scientific strides and reminds us to concentrate on faith.
When exactly are we going to change that?
In another 56 years?
The recipe for change that Dr. King so embraced is simple: investigation of God and Jesus, willingness to let love drive out hate, and time in our personal agenda to let these take hold.
Thank you, Dr. King, for remembrance.
15 January 2012
I'm Making a List and Checking it LIFE
True story: one young spouse says to the other, "I know you want me to pursue you, but you've never been less appealing than you are now."
Why are we so mean to each other?
Why do mean people say things that hurt so badly that we feel sliced up inside?
Where does all this meanness come from?
I don't know. Human nature? Vomiting up what was done to us in our own past?
But of this I'm sure: we have a choice of which list to believe about ourselves--the one dictated to us by mean people with their slicing statements OR the one transcribed by God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the Bible, where They tell us thousands of times how beautiful we are, how loved we are, how treasured we are.
The list you believe will define the quality of your life.
I'm making my list--the-beautiful-words-of-love-to-me-list--and checking it LIFE.
Why are we so mean to each other?
Why do mean people say things that hurt so badly that we feel sliced up inside?
Where does all this meanness come from?
I don't know. Human nature? Vomiting up what was done to us in our own past?
But of this I'm sure: we have a choice of which list to believe about ourselves--the one dictated to us by mean people with their slicing statements OR the one transcribed by God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the Bible, where They tell us thousands of times how beautiful we are, how loved we are, how treasured we are.
The list you believe will define the quality of your life.
I'm making my list--the-beautiful-words-of-love-to-me-list--and checking it LIFE.
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