Each year I can't help but try to breakdown the Easter message into as simple terms as possible. Each year I end up writing pages and pages of tangents, quotes, metaphors trying to get to something that is simple, but hard.
It's 2018, here goes:
The World is awful, often without Hope.
Yet, our hearts long for Love and Peace and our spirits seek Justice in an unjust world.
What in this world would make us think Love, Peace and Justice are things to be desired?
The answer: There is nothing from THIS world that brings these desires out of us, but it is the Creator of all that has written these other worldly expectations into our very DNA.
Why Christ Matters:
Things are not as they should be, yet we retain these expectations, working towards them. Something had to come from the outside the world to infect the world with the power to deliver on these strange expectations. Jesus Christ came from outside in, from perfection into chaos. To Teach? Yes. To Heal? Yes. But more comprehensively to display the Kingdom, his Kingdom on Earth.
Why it's tricky:
The world is awful, and also, if we are honest, so are we. Each of us possesses not only Hope, but also the ability to dismantle Hope. It is this fundamental nastiness that prevents the presence of our perfect Creator. What balances the equation? Payment. Christ's death is the payment for our global, local and personal awfulness.
Overcoming:
In his Death, we have payment. In his Resurrection, we have hope. If he only died for our sins, that would leave us with no debts, but also with nothing to look forward to. The Risen Christ calls us into action. Though he has physically ascended, we are strengthened by his Spirit to do his work until he returns again. We work for Love, Peace and Justice...this is what we are made for.
Timeline:
Perfect Creation. Broken world. Personal failure. A rescuing Savior from another world. Redemption and Calling. Everything made new.
You can make a solid rational argument that the story of Christianity, the Good News of Jesus is the most comprehensive explanation for why things are the way they are and why we continue to Hope. But we don't make decisions entirely based on rational thinking. It's emotional. It's painful. There are things that prevent us from hearing the call of our Creator. I heard the Gospel 100's of times before it took. I can't say exactly why it did take. But I know this: I am Loved and that Love will endure forever. If that sounds good, it might be time to take a good long look at Jesus.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Friday, March 16, 2018
Feed Back Loop.
Positive Feedback Loop is a ecological and biological term. It is used as an economic term as well. Here is one definition:
Positive feedback loops enhance or amplify changes; this tends to move a system away from its equilibrium state and make it more unstable.
I was watching a YouTube video on "The last time the Globe warmed" which talked about ice ages. It was pretty interesting. At one point, as Hank Green was going through theories of warming he talked about how a slight increase in warming may have melted methane trapped in the ice. That released methane into the atmosphereand more methane meant more warming, which meant more methane ice melt. This is a Positive Feedback loop. The Last Time the Globe Warmed.
When I look at my YouTube recommendations, I see this happening as well. My daughters (and myself) watch a fair amount Vine Compilations and Fail Videos. So now when I scroll through recommendations, it is ALL of these types of videos. I watch Ted Talks sometimes just to alter the embarrassing recommendations. I won't tell you what Amazon suggests based on my searches. You may have noticed that the news that is suggested to you through Google or Yahoo starts to become homogenized. It all starts to look the same. This effects us. It may even drive fear or anxiety if there isn't a balance to it. Where we live and who we hang out with can do this too. We have a natural affinity for others that look like us and think like us and validate the way we feel about things.
We currently live in a state of distrust in which we are questioning everything (rightfully so). But what can happen is that we dig into our positions out of self protection and rarely question ourselves. Awareness is key. Nothing can be analyzed without first being aware. As I become aware of the Positive Feedback Loops in my life, what is my responsibility? Every single one of us has unique views and every single one of us thinks those view are the correct views. Each of us has somehow come up with the most nuanced and thoughtful world view. Of course, that can't be true for all of us. Some of us are more receptive the idea that we could be wrong or could change our minds than others. Hopefully, the majority of people feel a need to be well informed, no matter what the subject. The problem of course is that if that informing comes from a Positive Feedback Loop, the chances of diverse or alternate thinking gradually goes away. Our responsibility means that we have to be intentional about seeking diversity. And I think it should be Diversity in news sources, entertainment, food, and friends. But here's a tricky little scenario I encountered. Sometimes when I intentionally seek the opposite of what I have come to believe, that opposite will be so far from my belief that it actually reinforces the belief.
My neighborhood is pretty progressive and as a result, even though I consider myself conservative by nature, I have begun drifting more and more liberal as I get older. My kids have had an effect on that as well. But wait, since I live in a diverse community, isn't that community just reinforcing the belief that diversity is the most important thing? Isn't there value on being around people that are like you, grew up like you and you feel at home with? Yup, I think that's true too. I wouldn't stop being with family because I need diversity. I need my family to remind me of who I am. I don't have any real answers for this problem I have brought up. That's kind of the point as well. We cannot pretend like there is a "right" way to be a person. We each have to figure it out. I do suggest that each of us has a responsibility to question our own worldview and question what has fed that worldview. Be intentional about what you consume for your own good and for the good of those around you.
And since I usually talk about Jesus in this blog, I will end with this: Jesus dug diversity. The knuckleheads he hung out with, his disciples, were a diverse group: zealots, wealthy, poor, doubting, disloyal. Jesus was a Jew, that was his affinity group, but often he would lift up other ethnic groups in praise and certainly was the most critical of his own tribe. The Good Samaritan is a prime example. This story has power because the people Jesus was talking to would have despised Samaritans. He hung out with women and improved their status, affirming their value. That was radical! And while a lot of people have a problem with Christianity because it appears to exclude, the reality is that there is no belief that is more inclusive than this: Christ Died for all. John 3:16. While the way in is narrow, through Jesus, it is available to all. Nothing has disrupted me more than following Christ. Every time I set a belief in stone, he shatters it. He consistently corrects me when I miss the point. As I became more conservative, hoping to please him and follow his teachings, he said "What about Love and Compassion?" And as I lean in the other direction, he will have something to say as well. On this Earth, I will never be settled, I will never be comfortable, I will always be in conflict with my heart and flesh. But that's okay, I wasn't meant for this Earth. I'll love it and those in it, but I'm preparing for Eternity.
Positive feedback loops enhance or amplify changes; this tends to move a system away from its equilibrium state and make it more unstable.
I was watching a YouTube video on "The last time the Globe warmed" which talked about ice ages. It was pretty interesting. At one point, as Hank Green was going through theories of warming he talked about how a slight increase in warming may have melted methane trapped in the ice. That released methane into the atmosphereand more methane meant more warming, which meant more methane ice melt. This is a Positive Feedback loop. The Last Time the Globe Warmed.
When I look at my YouTube recommendations, I see this happening as well. My daughters (and myself) watch a fair amount Vine Compilations and Fail Videos. So now when I scroll through recommendations, it is ALL of these types of videos. I watch Ted Talks sometimes just to alter the embarrassing recommendations. I won't tell you what Amazon suggests based on my searches. You may have noticed that the news that is suggested to you through Google or Yahoo starts to become homogenized. It all starts to look the same. This effects us. It may even drive fear or anxiety if there isn't a balance to it. Where we live and who we hang out with can do this too. We have a natural affinity for others that look like us and think like us and validate the way we feel about things.
We currently live in a state of distrust in which we are questioning everything (rightfully so). But what can happen is that we dig into our positions out of self protection and rarely question ourselves. Awareness is key. Nothing can be analyzed without first being aware. As I become aware of the Positive Feedback Loops in my life, what is my responsibility? Every single one of us has unique views and every single one of us thinks those view are the correct views. Each of us has somehow come up with the most nuanced and thoughtful world view. Of course, that can't be true for all of us. Some of us are more receptive the idea that we could be wrong or could change our minds than others. Hopefully, the majority of people feel a need to be well informed, no matter what the subject. The problem of course is that if that informing comes from a Positive Feedback Loop, the chances of diverse or alternate thinking gradually goes away. Our responsibility means that we have to be intentional about seeking diversity. And I think it should be Diversity in news sources, entertainment, food, and friends. But here's a tricky little scenario I encountered. Sometimes when I intentionally seek the opposite of what I have come to believe, that opposite will be so far from my belief that it actually reinforces the belief.
My neighborhood is pretty progressive and as a result, even though I consider myself conservative by nature, I have begun drifting more and more liberal as I get older. My kids have had an effect on that as well. But wait, since I live in a diverse community, isn't that community just reinforcing the belief that diversity is the most important thing? Isn't there value on being around people that are like you, grew up like you and you feel at home with? Yup, I think that's true too. I wouldn't stop being with family because I need diversity. I need my family to remind me of who I am. I don't have any real answers for this problem I have brought up. That's kind of the point as well. We cannot pretend like there is a "right" way to be a person. We each have to figure it out. I do suggest that each of us has a responsibility to question our own worldview and question what has fed that worldview. Be intentional about what you consume for your own good and for the good of those around you.
And since I usually talk about Jesus in this blog, I will end with this: Jesus dug diversity. The knuckleheads he hung out with, his disciples, were a diverse group: zealots, wealthy, poor, doubting, disloyal. Jesus was a Jew, that was his affinity group, but often he would lift up other ethnic groups in praise and certainly was the most critical of his own tribe. The Good Samaritan is a prime example. This story has power because the people Jesus was talking to would have despised Samaritans. He hung out with women and improved their status, affirming their value. That was radical! And while a lot of people have a problem with Christianity because it appears to exclude, the reality is that there is no belief that is more inclusive than this: Christ Died for all. John 3:16. While the way in is narrow, through Jesus, it is available to all. Nothing has disrupted me more than following Christ. Every time I set a belief in stone, he shatters it. He consistently corrects me when I miss the point. As I became more conservative, hoping to please him and follow his teachings, he said "What about Love and Compassion?" And as I lean in the other direction, he will have something to say as well. On this Earth, I will never be settled, I will never be comfortable, I will always be in conflict with my heart and flesh. But that's okay, I wasn't meant for this Earth. I'll love it and those in it, but I'm preparing for Eternity.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Anniversary.
Marriage:
Though stronger than ever, we are beautifully more delicate than ever. We have become increasingly sensitive to our own, and each others proximity to God. If we are distant from each other, we are distant from God and if we are distant from God we are distant from each other. This ebb and flow in marriage is to be expected. What is extraordinary is that God will not allow us to endure this distance. Like a rock in the shoe, our discomfort must be resolved. Our hyper-sensitivity won't allow us to just push through or ignore things, God insists on resolution and restoration. That is amazing to me. Even in the petty stuff, no matter how hurt or sad one of us feels, what does not fail is our trust and hope in Christ. Thus, our success in marriage comes from nothing we bring to it, merely a complete (and it must be nothing less than complete) dependence on God and the work of Christ. God's strength in our marriage hasn't made us individually stronger, it has made us more fragile and more vulnerable. It's so beautiful though. If we turn from him even for a moment, we are no further along than 21 years ago. Christ is not a helping hand to see us through hard times, he is everything, the very breath of life. It is clear now that our marriage is not our own, but a vessel for God's will, and what joy it brings to us as a result.
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