Just sayin’ – Limping

If you want to know something, just ask. Sometimes it’s that easy.. and sometimes it’s not. Take for example: Which way to downtown? Easy. But how about, How do bicycles work? Not so easy.

In fact, the bike’s ability to work has yet to be figured out. In 2011, a group of Cornell university engineers led by Andy Ruina, said this about their efforts: “The complex interactions have not been worked out.  My (Ruina) suspicion is that we will never come to grips with them, but I don’t know that for sure.” [1]

And then there’s the question that I often hear and ask as well. God, what do I do now? And I really want God to tell me what to do. More often than not, those bigger questions take more time and more effort.

Jacob, of the Bible, struggled to know what to do about his brother. And finally, after years, just before he meets his brother, Jacobs spends all night wrestling and struggling with God. When he finally leaves that place:

And then, right then and there, (God) blessed him. So Jacob (said), “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip (Genesis 32:30-31)

God touched Jacob in the midst of blessing Jacob’s query. And that touch actualy hurt Jacob to the point of walking with a limp. From Jacob’s struggle, we can know that God answered him because Jacob limped. It wasn’t a sports injury. It was real and physical reminder that sometimes the not so easy questions not only take time but they are also a struggle. How do you know when you’ve struggled long enough with God to get an answer – when you walk away with a limp. Because some answers require the struggle and the physical evidence that it was a struggle.

I’m just sayin’…

 

(1) http://www.livescience.com/34215-simple-questions-scientists-really-should-have-answered-by-now.html

Just sayin’ – The heart wants what the heart wants (April 18, 2014)

“The heart wants what the heart wants,” belongs to Emily Dickinson but it was popularized by Woody Allen when he was interviewed by Walter Isaacson of Time magazine in 2001.

Mr. Allen’s was quoted as saying “”The heart wants what it wants. There’s no logic to those things. You meet someone and you fall in love and that’s that.” There were lots of questions regarding his relationship to Soon-yi, his wife of now 17 years. You can read about the highly publicized relationship by just Google-ing it [1].

But I’m not so much interested in Woody’s married life as I am in what he and Emily said. “The Heart wants what it wants.” I hear this statement from many of us Christians who believe that if our hearts wants it, than God would grant it to us. Here’s a popular Bible promise/verse to validate such a claim:

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psa 37:4

For some, the thought is that the Lord would indeed give me what my heart desires. But I’m thinking, “Not.” I mean, really? Would I be blessed with something that I desire just because I do? That can’t be, otherwise I’d still be living on the soda pop river and candy tree planet that I so desired when I was a child.

How about this? What if the text is actually speaking to the idea that the Lord would replace your desires with His desires. In other words, if you and I “take delight” in the Lord – then the self desire would be replaced with the Lord’s desire. So that… when we take delight in the Lord, his desires would be ours. And when we pray for our hearts desire – it would be a prayer request perfectly within His will.

May the wants of our hearts be more than “our” wants. May those wants be what the Lord wants for us.

I’m just sayin’…

(1) for the quote, see. http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,160439,00.html

Just sayin’ – Temple thoughts (April 4, 2014)

Whose zeal is whose? I mean did Jesus Christ inspire and example himself as the justification for Christian violence (e.g. Crusades, domestic violence)? Let’s consider the story.

In John 2 Jesus is found at the temple with whip in hand and clearing it out.  Even Rembrandt’s depiction of the temple scene shows the elderly running away and money changers protecting their faces from Jesus’ whip.(1) And when his disciples reflect on this scene, it is written:

“Zeal for your house will consume me.” John 2:17 NIV

But, in fact a closer look at the story does not align well with a violent prone Jesus. Weapons were not allowed in the temple and Jesus did not say stop their established practices of buying and selling. Even those that protested did not ask him to stop his actions – they instead asked him to show them a sign that gives him permission to interrupt their worship practices.

This is where Jesus changes the meaning of temple. The temple that Jesus refers to is himself. In other words, the temple Jesus was bringing to the folks attention was himself. (2)

Y’see, Jesus concern for the temple wasn’t the physical temple that they were in, the one that Herod built. It was him, the temple that came into their presence. Herod’s temple was great for a place of worship and practice but it wasn’t itself to be the object of worship – Jesus is to be the object of worship.

The “zeal” of John 2:17 (cf. Psa 69) was not Jesus’ zeal – it was the zeal of folks that seek to continue in their worship so much so that the true temple, Jesus, is consumed.

The violence of John 2 wasn’t against the people, the violence was against Jesus himself. And if we worship Jesus more than we worship our practices and methods, I bet we’ll see a lot more violent-less Christians. May Jesus be our true object of worship.

I’m just sayin’…

[1] http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_Christ_Driving_the_Money_Changers_from_the_Temple.jpg

[2] Later in the gospels and epistles we learn that Jesus’ temple is His people and he is the head of his people.
You

Just sayin’ – Present past present (Mar 14, 2014)

What comes third in this set: past, present, …

The obvious answer is “future.” So when God’s presence is presented in scripture in a tense progression that misses the obvious, it’s worth taking note:

To His imprisoned servant John, Jesus’ description of himself misses the obvious, note:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  Rev 1:8 NIV

The expected description is “who is (present), and who was (past), and who will be (future).  But the text tenses read, “present (who is), past (who was), present (who is to come).” And the reasoning why is that the future has not yet happened from the perspective of John’s prophetic visions at this point in scripture or in his point in history.

Y’see the future of Jesus’ appearing has not happened for John. John is reminded in the text of a Jesus that is present (who is) and that has existed from the days of his forefathers, Abraham, Jacob and Esau (who was) but he himself lives in a historical moment of tension between the present that and a not-yet future.

The tension of living between present “who is” and present, with a promise of returning “who is to come” is where we all live. Like John, the obvious tense progression wouldn’t really help us our present time. We need morethan future to have happened. We need to know that future will happen.

May God’s timing continue to carry you through life as we continue in Hope for the future.

I’m just sayin’…

Just sayin’ – “Archangel airlines” (Mar 7, 2014)

As I stood in a rather long security line at Seatac airport earlier this week, there was an elderly couple next to me pining for the airport days of pre-9/11. In those days show you could show 30-45 minutes prior to departure, receive priority in clearing security, have family/friend escort you to the gate and abandon your bag at your seat while you walk away to grab a pre-flight meal. This past week it took me close to 1.25 hour from airport entry to the gate.

For the fortunate insiders,  there is a way to speed up the process. There are airline clubs, frequent flyer memberships, and flying premier airlines like Emirates. But for many of us… we shall be sharing line-time with the rest of the many of us.

However, their is one flight that I am looking forward to that will best the priviledges of any club or airline of yesteryear or today. The Bible speaks of an airline that not only picks you up but gives you supernatural abilities:

…the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 1 Thes 4:13-18

That’s the airline… Here’s the change

For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”  1 Cor 15:52 ff

And guess what – no long security line, this will all happen in a twinkling of an eye. Archangel air is going to be great!

I’m just sayin`…

Just sayin’ – Zombie-fied Nation

You’d have to be living under a rock to not know that Zombies are taking over the world. Well… they are not literaly taking over but literature-ly, movie-ly and culturally. How do we survive Zombeism.

First of all – you should know that the Zombie, the undead dead, is not real nor does anyone really believe that they are. So for us Christians that are tempted – please don’t, this is not the time for a Bible study on what happens to people when people die.

According to literary Stanford scholar Angela Becerra Vidergar[1], she has identified the destruction culture connected to crises points such as WWII and the years post 9/11. And, Zombies really are the center of the dramatic storyline – they are instead a reflection of ourselves and the choices we make for survival while under duress and not during regular life.

Penn State Professor Peter Dendle suggests that our modern, technology-driven society[2] finds visceral satisfaction regarding “the simplicity of the zombie’s cravings and impulses.” There’s a kind of freedom in the simplicity of the undead. After all – have you ever witnessed the folks that walk around staring into screens and are not at all connected to those that are physically present.

Or maybe Zombies speak to our need to belong. After all, they are the only monster club that is all inclusive. The do not roll like the cool vampire clicks, or require super powers. They’re mission statement is inclusitivity, from the broom pusher to the CEO. They don’t care who you are, they are bigger than Uncle Sam, they not only want you but the person next to you.[3]

Anywhich way you might connect (or not) to the Zombie nation – they reflect a real need for more than what we can put a microprocessor on or what we might watch in a reality TV episode.

We need to live a life that is more than un-dead, we need a life that is alive and well. May you and I find lives worth living while we are living.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. Ecclesiates 9:10

I’m just sayin’…

Just sayin’ – Meal food

One of my most favorite food memories is from when Leiah (wife) and I lived in Korea. But, it was not a Korean food item, in fact it was all-American, the Burger King Whopper . I probably ate one every couple of months. It was super. In fact, the burgers even looked real close to it’s advertisement pictures.

I remember sharing with one of my local friends, Ele, my enthusiasm for the Korean BK Whopper. That’s when he looked at me in puzzlement and said, “But you have Burger King restaurants everywhere you go in America. How is it that there is any difference? I said, “I don’t know, I just know that back home, they don’t look like their I.D. picturesand that sometimes you even have to re-arrange the disheveled ingredients before eating.”

And after a long pause, he said, “Oh, I know why our burgers are different.” I paused, “Why?” Ele said, “Because over there, you think of food as a snack and over here we thinkof it as a meal.” I think there is wisdom in what he said.

This morning, I fixed breakfast for the family, not burgers, the household is mostly pescetarian. And as we spent time at the table this morning, I experienced another favorite food memory. Sharing a meal together. Not snacking but sharing – sharing timeand life. Not a snack but a meal.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, Iwill come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Rev 3:20

For today and this coming weekend, let’s take time to fellowship with each other andwith our Lord. Make it a meal – and not just a snack.

I’m just sayin’

 

(1) Our family version of pescetarianism is similar to octo vegetarian which includes some fish.

Just Sayin’ – Underdog

The racehorse Seabiscuit was the quintessential underdog of the 30’s. He was overraced, underappreciated and too small to be taken seriously. And in a country that was still feeling as if it was punched in the gut because of the great depression, Seabiscuit became a symbol for the little guy that needed a win.

In 2003, Seabiscuit’s story was made into a movie. In one particular scene, where thousands were gathered at a train stop to support to show their support, Charles Howard, the owner played by Jeff Bridges, said a most memorable line, “Our horse is too small. Our jockey’s too big. Our trainer’s too old. And I’m too dumb to know the difference.”[1]

When Seattle lost to the Steelers in Super bowl XL (2005), it felt as if it had been punched in the gut. Coach Holmgren himself was quoted later, “We knew it was going to be tough going against the Pittsburgh Steelers. I didn’t know we were going to have to play the guys in the striped shirts as well.”[2] And he wasn’t the only that felt that way. In 2010, Michael Leavy, the referee of that Super bowl validated the criticism.[3]

And so it doesn’t surprise me that nearly 1 million 12th man fans stood the freezing temperatures to welcome home the NFL champions – for the Seahawks also became also a symbol for the little folks that need a win. The Seahawks win this year was great not only for Seattle but for all of the folks that have suffered from a gut punch.

And isn’t it nice to root for the underdog…

…the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world… Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. Rev 13:8, 14:1 (NIV)

I feel as though i’m getting real close to a line I ought not cross by using the NFL to make a point about Jesus – but if there was ever a underdog that could help a people that need a win – it is the lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world and yet stands victorious with all those that followed him whereever he goes (Rev 14:4). Praise Jesus.

I’m just sayin’…

=========

 

(1) “Seabiscuit (film).” – Wikiquote. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Seabiscuit>.

 

(2) “NFL will review Holmgren comments.”ESPN.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. <http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs05/news/story?id=2322700>.

(3) On August 6, 2010, while visiting the Seahawks’ preseason training camp for an annual rules interpretation session with the Seattle media, Leavy brought up Super Bowl XL without being asked,and admitted to having blown calls: It was a tough thing for me. I kicked two calls in the fourth quarter and I impacted the game, and as an official you never want to do that. It left me with a lot of sleepless nights, and I think about it constantly. I’ll go to my grave wishing that I’d been better … I know that I did my best at that time, but it wasn’t good enough … When we make mistakes, you got to step up and own them. It’s something that all officials have to deal with, but unfortunately when you have to deal with it in the Super Bowl it’s difficult. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XL&gt;

Just sayin’ – Umbrella girl

“When it rains, it pours,” probably doesn’t mean what you think it means, or at least it didn’t. For most of us, the idiomatic phrase means that when things go bad – they get worse. However, the phrase is a slogan and it belongs to the Morton Salt company and it doesn’t refer to the above definition.

You’ve probably saw the slogan on your last trip to the grocery store or in your own pantry. It belongs next to one of the best known symbols in the United States. Known as the Umbrella girl, she wears a yellow dress, carries an umbrella in one hand and a blue cylinder of salt under her other arm.

I used to wonder the reason for such a negative slogan? It turns out, that it’s not negative at all. Y’see back in the day, salt used to cake-up or clump-up whenever there was moisture in the air (cue Pacific NW). And in the early 1900’s, the Morton salt company food scientist discovered that by adding a food additive, the salt would not cake-up. It would still pour freely, hence, “When it rains, it pours.”

[umbrella girl] [1]

Here in the Pacific NW we make jokes about our liquid sunshine. For others, it’s not so funny, not even healthy. And so, as I sit here writing, I see the rain outside my window (it’s been raining this whole week), I say a silent prayer; “Lord, would you please share to me an anti-caking additive so that I can flow freely today.”

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

May the words of our Lord encourage your today. May we be used today without the worry of being unusable.

I’m just sayin’…

(1) “Morton Salt.” Morton Salt. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. <http://www.mortonsalt.com/our-history/history-of-the-umbrella-girl>.

Just sayin’ – woof woof

So a dog walks into a telegraph office, takes a blank form and writes: ‘Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof.’ The clerk examines the paper and politely tells the dog: ‘There are only nine words here. You could send another “Woof” for the same price.’ The dog looks confused and replies, ‘But that would make no sense at all.'(1)

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Eph 4:29

May we be a blessing to each other with our words this year. Looking forward to hearing and talking to you later. God bless.

I’m just sayin’…

 

1. The truth about lying and laughing.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 21 Apr. 2007. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/science/2007/apr/21/weekendmagazine&gt;