Halloween, Reformation, Saints, and the End of October

Most of you probably know October 31 by the day of Halloween.  For many of my faith tradition, we also know this day as Reformation Day.  It's a day that carries a great deal of significance toward understanding God and His actions in this world, and in some ways, observes a day that had a great deal of influence in shaping the world we know today.

In ancient days, November 1 was set aside as a day to remember those who had died.  For Christians, this day was one in which those who had died in faith would be remembered.  They had received the inheritance of their faith: eternal life with God because they had been forgiven through Jesus and the cross.  So the day was called All Saints Day, as God's people would remember those who had gone on in faith before them.

Several traditions sprung up from that.  In many towns and villages, the night before, a person or two would dress up as a devil or demon, and the townspeople would chase that devil or demon out of town.  They would then be rewarded for doing this.  (I'm sure you can see how this would later on lead to the current observance of Halloween, with people dressing up and looking for treats.)

For Christians, November 1 would be a very high celebration day.  Special worship times were set aside to remember God's promises of grace and forgiveness, and many would gather for those times of worship.  So, in the early 1500's, when a young monk by the name of Martin Luther wanted to initiate some discussion on the teachings and practices of the church, he went to the door of the local church in Wittenberg, Germany, to post his 95 different thoughts, or theses, upon which he desired discussion.

That began a movement that has had both good and bad repercussions.  On the one hand, Luther and a number of his colleagues wanted to get back to what the Bible said about God, Jesus, and salvation, rather than things that were decided by group vote at council-type meetings.  The message of Good News that God gave in the Bible should be the focus, they maintained.  This led to a movement to look to the Bible for the truth, rather than other places.

On the other hand, though, it created a great rift between people who held to the Christian faith.  Some people were kicked out of the church at that time, which led to their gatherings being separate from other Christians.  Over time, those differences have led to more and more "splinter groups" of Christians, forming what are the many denominations, each of which have different understandings of what God says in the Bible, and how it impacts our life.

For those of my tradition, who have Luther's name attached to our churches, and who study his thoughts in how to understand the Bible, October 31 has always been a special day.  It is the day that essentially started the whole Reformation process.  That's why, in Lutheran churches throughout the world, special times of worship were held yesterday or today which remember those events that have given shape and form to how we understand God and His work.

A few last thoughts on character

I've really enjoyed putting these blog posts about character together.  It's helped shape a few things in my mind, and I hope for all of you who have been reading that it has done the same for you.

As we seek to grow and adopt the kind of character that is spoken of throughout the Bible and that we want to have as part of our lives, we also have to come to grips with the fact that we will never fully achieve this.  The sinful nature in our lives simply does not permit us to always do everything in the way we want, or in good ways.  I would actually argue that part of our character development is learning how to "own up" to those times when we fail, learning how to admit to others that we were wrong, and then asking for forgiveness and seeking to change (especially if it's a recurring problem or sin). 

Another thing we have to face is that developing character will often leave scars behind.  One TV show that I regularly watch usually opens and closes with sayings that pertain to the topic of the show.  One in particular has stuck with me for a long time.  It says "Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars."  (Quote is by Kalil Gibran)  What it seems that he is saying here is that we won't grow our characters by hiding in safe places.  It is by being put into the new, the uncomfortable, the challenging, where we will encounter growth.  It doesn't take a lot of character to keep doing the same things over and over again.  It does take and develop great character to try new things, to stretch yourself in ways that you could not have imagined. 

All of this also takes a great deal of courage.  Courage is not the absence of fear, but is more like staring fear in the face and going ahead with what you were doing anyway.  We discover the strength that God has given us when we put ourselves in new situations and seek to grow.  (Would you be surprised to know that this also has the potential to grow us in our trust in God as the One who cares for us and provides for and protects us?) 

In all of these things, we can also rest completely assured that, when we fail, or when we falter, or when we plain just don't want to, the relationship of forgiveness that God has for us does not change.  How well or poorly we may do in changing our character still does not change our relationship with the forgiving God.  He who begun the good work in us is also the only one who can bring it to completion, and He will do that on the day when Christ once again appears and claims His own to be with Him forever.  This gives us courage and the strength to take those chances, to step forth in courage. 

Thanks for listening to my thoughts on character.  I look forward to the next series and seeing what your thoughts are!

Shaping Character in a Desirable Way

"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the prophets."  Jesus

As I have been thinking about this topic of character over the past couple of weeks, I've been led more and more to the thought that our character is shaped to a great degree in how we interact with others.  While we would all love to just be given a good character, the reality is that the development of a good character involves a good bit of work and a great deal of consideration for others.

Or maybe a better way to say it is something along the lines of what Jesus said in the quote above.  If you do to other people what you want them to do to you, the likelihood is that you will have a good character.  If you want people to treat you kindly and with respect, it's a good idea to treat them kindly and with respect.  If you want them to think less of you, then simply think less of them.  In the grand scheme of things, how we interact with and treat others will invariably become the way that they interact with and treat us.

This is by no means a guarantee.  I'll use a personal example.  I generally try to be good-natured and good humored around others.  I'll try to greet them with a smile and say something uplifting to them, or ask how they are doing.  But there are always those who will seem like they just want you to leave them alone.  They brush you off, or ignore you, or just kind of grunt back at you and move on.  In that case, it's likely that your character, at least in their eyes, is less than desirable.

But overall, I really do believe that Jesus knows what He is talking about here.  Our character is going to be defined by how we interact with and treat others.  If we think that we are better than other people, or that we deserve more than they do, that's just going to come across, and will affect our character in their eyes.  If we are humble toward others, if we listen to them, if we show a genuine interest in their life, that also will come across and affect our character in their eyes. 

Our character is shaped by the way we are toward others.  And wouldn't you know that God knew that all along?

For whom do we have good character?

Please forgive the absence of the last couple of days.  A more full schedule, along with a little forgetfulness, will go a long way toward the lack of posts that sometimes comes up.

As we've been looking at character, the next arena of character I want to enter into is that which thinks about for whom we have good character.  When we strive to have "good" character, who do we see as the recipient of this character?

Naturally, our first place to look will always be at ourselves.  We want to be known for our good character because it enhances our reputation.  We want to feel good about ourselves, and the things we accomplish.  We want to be known as someone who keeps our word, or who is helpful.  Very few of us strive to be known as selfish, or to be arrogant, or mean, or other character qualities that we may tend to view more unfavorably.

But looking at that previous paragraph, notice that, while we want these things for ourselves, they really involve how others see us.  That means that our character is going to end up being defined by how we act toward and treat other people.  If we want to be known as "good", then we'll have a hard time living up to that character if we are not good to others.  If we want to be known as generous, it will be hard if we never give of our our time or resources to help others.

In other words, a significant part of our character is going to be determined by how we see others and what we do for them and to them.  We don't have "good" character for ourselves.  We have good character when we are truly good to others.  In fact, the way that it works, when we are good to others, then we will become known for our good character.  The reverse just doesn't happen.  We aren't known for being good, and then decide to do good to others.

I recognize that you can probably find a number of characteristics that may not exactly fit this.  Yet, every characteristic is somehow going to involve others, even if it is merely how we appear to others.  (For example, a shy person may not interact much with others, but even that lack of interaction involves the lack of others, which other people notice.) 

So when we think about the kind of characteristics we want to be known for, we would be wise to look at how we interact with others to see if those characteristics are being made clear.  After all, character is formed to a great degree in the eyes of those whom God has put around us.

Character: Good or Bad? Who Decides?

Up to this point in this series on character, I've been treating the thought that character is a neutral thing.  In other words, we come to be known for certain things in our lives, which define our character.  From that standpoint, character is neutral.  To use an example I have been using throughout, we avoid conflict, or we find some level of comfort in dealing with conflict.  In and of itself, our reaction is neutral.

However, when we look at the character of others, or even our own, or when others see our character, we tend to label that character as good or bad.  We might say that the person who avoids conflict has bad character, whereas the one who deals with it is good (and the one who seeks out conflict because they enjoy it, well, many would probably say that's bad, too).  But here is the question for today.  How do we determine what kind of character is good and what is bad?

Quite often, I believe that we do this based upon our own character.  In my ongoing example, a family that has developed and avoids conflict would probably find someone who is comfortable with it as bad, especially should that person point out an area or two where this family perhaps should talk about their differences, and not merely avoid them.  On the other hand, a family that develops their ways of dealing with conflict might seem bad to a person who was taught to avoid conflict.  That might seem overly stressful.  And many others might look at the person that seems to seek out conflict and think it's bad that this person never can seem to let anything go, but seems to have to make their point at almost everything that comes along.

But is there a better place to look than our own personal experience when it comes to defining what good character is, and what constitutes bad character?  I would suggest that we look to the God who made all things, which includes us, and includes not only our character, but who knows what perfect character is.  And yet, I have to admit that even this can be somewhat confusing.  After all, we might look at different places in, say, Proverbs in the Bible, and we see that it says things like "so quit before a quarrel breaks out" (Proverbs 17:14) and "whoever heeds reproof is prudent" (Proverbs 15:5), and we may wonder, which is better, to avoid the conflict, or to engage in it to better the person? 

I would suggest that God actually intends something even greater than mere specific verses to apply to any particular situation.  When it comes to defining "good" character or "bad", I would suggest that character which demonstrates love for one's neighbor would be "good" character.  And that is not always a cut and dried thing.  Sometimes it's more loving to pass over something that causes conflict, perhaps like a minor thing that is a one time occurrence.  At other times, it's more loving to speak up to the person, especially if the thing they are doing is hurtful to themselves or others.  Love for our neighbor, and not something from our own selfish desires, probably should be the criteria for determining if character is good or bad.

We'll talk more on this subject on Monday.  In the meantime, have a blessed day of worship tomorrow!

A Changing Character: Dealing with Doubters

Okay, so you have identified something about yourself, some characteristic, that you want to change.  You spend the time learning how to change, working on the change.  You fight through the setbacks and start to intentionally bring out the characteristic you want to be known for.  However, that's when you start to hit another obstacle: other people's expectations.

We as humans do not change quickly, and that goes for how we perceive others when they change.  We think that they will always be the same person that we have known.  So, when someone does something differently, the first few times, we may be somewhat surprised at them, but figure that they will go back to normal before too long.  Then, if they persist in the new character for a while, we find ourselves in an uncomfortable position, that of having to change our view and thoughts of them.

That change does not happen easily.  If you talk to the family of an alcoholic, one of the toughest tasks for the recovering person is having others change their expectations and behaviors.  In so many ways, we sort of form ourselves around that person's behavior or character, and then, when they change, we have a lot of things that have to change as well.  But we may not want to change.  It's easier to hope that the other person will change back to what they were before.

How do you deal with these, for lack of a better word, doubters?  That can be tough, especially since some of them are likely ones that you look to for support in the change.  Helping them to see your seriousness in changing can help.  Share with them the things that they do which hinder your change, and emphasize how important it is to you that they do this with you.  These are truly some of the ways that we show love and care for others.

This time may seem the most difficult to the person who is trying to make the character change.  It can truly seem like the whole world is against you, even those who are close to you.  I have a thought that this may be the kind of suffering and endurance that Paul was talking about when he said that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character.  So my encouragement is to hang in there, and work with those in your life who may be your support, but also some of your greatest challenges.

Developing Character: When Failure Strikes

You really want to change something about yourself, some character trait that you just plain don't like.  So you take a little time to learn how to go about the change, and then you start trying to do things differently.  Maybe you have a few times where you are able to do the new thing you want, but you find yourself plagued by the desire to just do what seems to come naturally.  You might even find that you do slip back into what you've always done before, and you end up kicking yourself for not being stronger, or for your failure.

Trying to change a pattern or habit is very difficult.  It gets much harder when it comes to something that we seem to be "wired" for.  Over the past few days, I've been using the example of someone who has the characteristic of avoiding conflict, but who wants to learn how to actually engage in it constructively. 

So this is how today's thought applies.  You've learned a few things about how to handle conflict constructively.  You've even found a few times to try out what you have learned, and they didn't go badly.  In a way, you may have been surprised that things actually worked, though you have to admit that your stomach was churning the whole time.  You were really nervous, and you thought that it might go away after one or two successful times.  But you still find your stomach in knots when you think about confronting something in a conflict situation.

So then it happens.  You give in to that feeling.  Rather than engage in the conflict that comes your way, you avoid it.  You give in to the other person, even though you know it's wrong.  Now you feel like a failure in addition to your fear of conflict.  All your work and preparation seems for naught.  You may even start to think that you should just give up.

For some reason, we humans have a tendency to think that, if we don't do something perfectly the first time, that we should just give up.  And yet, that is a completely false thought.  None of us are able to do things well without working on them or practicing them.  Even people who seem to have natural talents in areas have to work to further develop those skills.  And the same thing goes with changing our character.

I would argue that this is where the help and support of another person or other people is vital.  God did not make us to go through things alone, but gave us a community in order to give strength and support.  It's only our stubborn pride which thinks that we can do it all by ourselves.  And quite often, just knowing that we have others to help makes it a little less difficult to bring about that change in life.

So, back to the example.  You go ask two of your friends if they will help you by keeping you accountable when it comes to learning how to deal with the conflicts that arise in your life.  They agree to ask you how you responded, and maybe even to walk you through how the discussion might go.  They will also be there to understand when you fail to live up to the new standard you are trying to create, but will also not just let you get away with it. 

Believe it or not, sometimes just knowing that you will have to tell someone else about your encounter gives you the courage to press forward.  It might actually be easier to go through the confrontation rather than have to let your friends know that you failed.  Bringing others in to give you help and assistance does not take away the possibility of failure, but can give you the means and motivation to make the changes that you are after.

Dealing With Unsatisfying Characteristics

We've heard the expressions before.  "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."  "A leopard doesn't change its spots."  These expressions seem to indicate that it is impossible for us to change who we are.  The claim they make is that we are static beings, that, once we have come to have certain characteristics, they simply cannot be changed.

You might guess that I disagree with this, and you would be right.  I do believe that it is possible for us to change our character.  However, I also will acknowledge that this will likely prove very difficult to do.  Yesterday, I used the example of someone who naturally runs from and avoids conflict.  And I'll stick with that example to describe what I'm thinking today.

Let's say that you were raised in a way to avoid conflict, for whatever reason.  And yet, you find that this character trait isn't helping you in situations you come across in life.  So you want to change.  You want to get more comfortable and able to deal with conflict situations.  So what do you do?

Well, you've already done the first thing that is necessary.  You've realized what your character is.  You have come to know who you are (and believe me, it seems that I know a lot of people who don't really know who they are.).  You are able to see something in you that you are unhappy with, and you've taken the next step toward wanting to change that character trait.

So, you decide to work on your ability to be a steady presence in conflict.  You discover some of the many curricula or books out there which teach some of these skills.  You work through the workshop, or you read the book.  You discover great ideas on what do to do.

Now, at this point, our human nature may want to stop.  We've learned more, and for some reason, we tend to think that knowledge will suddenly make everything better.  But you find that, even though you know more about dealing with conflict, when someone says or does something with which you disagree, you still find that you want to close up and avoid rocking the boat.

Knowledge is merely a step along the way of change.  In fact, I would say that the next part is the hardest.  You have to start trying out what you have learned.  An opportunity arises for you to practice what you have learned, and, if you are serious about changing who you are, you have to be bold and courageous and actually start doing things differently.

When you try to do that the first time, you will probably learn a lot about yourself.  Very likely, you'll be relieved to get through the situation as quickly as possible.  In fact, it might be a success that you actually said something, where you would have kept quiet in the past.  That might be enough for a good first time.  Then, the next time, you might try to explain why you think the thing you are standing up for is right.  Don't get me wrong, you'll probably still need a Tums afterward, but you have started learning how to actually do something in a different way, and are working on changing your character.

It would be nice if this were a smooth, easy process, right?  Tomorrow I'll talk a little bit about failures and what they mean as we try to grow or change our character.

When life throws you lemons...sometimes you just get sour

Let's face it, we all have character flaws.  They are those little parts of us which we are not proud of, and which we would much rather have go away.  However, we have found that no amount of wishing them away or trying to battle them has completely overcome them.  They just seem to be a part of who we are.

Once again, in this talk about character, I'm using character as a neutral kind of thing.  Character is what we are known for.  One person is known to avoid conflict, while another almost seems to take a perverse joy in seeking it out.  While we might look at one as better than the other, the reality is that our response becomes part of our character.  And there are times where we really wish our character could be different.

Let's take my illustration from the previous paragraph.  Let's say that I am a person who avoids conflict.  This could be for a number of reasons.  It may be that I grew up in a family that made it a habit to avoid talking about difficult issues, or the theme of my family may have been "don't rock the boat."  While these may have shaped my character to avoid conflict, it's very likely that there would be times in my life where I would really wish that I had the courage to stand up for something, or to address someone in something that I know is wrong. 

Now, in this situation, I could recognize that my character is to avoid conflict.  However, wanting things to be different is likely not going to suddenly make things different.  It would take major work and effort to bring about that kind of character change, and very likely, that initial character will always be present, no matter how much I may learn how to deal with conflict, or to see the need for it, or even develop tools to be better equipped for it.  In all likelihood, my initial response will probably always be a bit of a recoil.

A vital part of our character development happens when we encounter negative experiences in life.  We may become bitter, or fearful, or we may try to overcompensate by going in the opposite direction.  And when we look back on it later in life, we may wish that we had developed different characteristics at a younger age. 

So what do you do when you come to a point of wanting to change your character?  Tune in tomorrow for a few thoughts on that!

Character: in good times or bad?

I apologize for not getting a blog post up on Saturday, as I was dealing with an illness.  Though you have probably noticed by now that my character is not such that I consistently hit my goal of blogging 6 times a week. 

Last week, I ended by asking if character is something we are born with, or something that develops through life experience.  You may recall that I believe it's a little bit of both, that we have certain things that we are born with, and that we can grow in character through life experience as well.  So today, I want to look a little bit at the growth of character as we experience life.

If I were to ask you what some of the most influential experiences have been which have made you who you are today, would they consist of mostly good events or bad events in life?  As I look back at a number of different things that have shaped my character, I tend to find that those elements developed as a result of events that tended to be more difficult.  Don't get me wrong, I believe that good events can help shape our character, too.  However, it does seem that character is built most when we find ourselves tested.

The apostle Paul also seemed to note this.  Romans 5:3-4 states that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character.  When we are challenged in life, we tend to discover who we are.  When trials come upon us, we discover much about ourselves.  Sometimes what we discover is good.  Sometimes we don't like what we discover, and so we make an intentional effort to make a change.

Once again, I'd like to point out that these trials and challenges reveal our character, which consists of what we are known for.  Someone who encounters a challenge in life and runs from it finds that the challenge reveals the characteristic of flight.  On the other hand, another person might encounter that challenge, and then strive to bring good out of the situation, regardless of how difficult that might be.  The challenge reveals the characteristic of fight.  This is not to say that one is better than the other, but that, in both situations, the challenge revealed the character of the person.

How have bad events or experienced shaped your character?  Well, they don't always do so in ways that we are proud of.  So tomorrow, I'll look a little bit at that. 

How do you build character?

Yesterday I kicked off a blog series talking about character.  I'm finding that the discussion on character is very interesting, and wanted to put a few thoughts out there about how you build up character in life.

I've heard and read two different "theories" about character development.  The first one says that you are born with your character, or at least, the foundation is there before you ever start working on it.  This theory would say that we are born with certain fundamental personality aspects that will simply build up over time as we grow.  For example, a person whose character can be defined as trustworthy is someone who was born with some kind of leaning or gift in that direction.

The second theory about character development says that character aspects are nurtured and grown through life experience.  What you are taught as you grow up, the various experiences in life, and your willingness to learn and adapt shape your character as you grow.  For example, that same person with the character trait of trustworthiness becomes so because he learns that being trustworthy is preferable to being untrustworthy, he finds himself in situations that reinforce that, and so these experiences shape his character.

Personally, I see a little bit of each of these at work in shaping our character.  God creates each of us unique, which means that we each have a distinct personality and character that God has put inside of us as we were conceived and born.  However, the experiences that we face in life help to either build upon that character, or work to alter it as we go through life.  A person whom God created as a very caring, trustworthy person may find herself in a situation where she experiences abuse, and so she finds it difficult to trust others, even though she may really want to.  Her care for others is influenced by the lack of care she has experienced in life, and without someone there to develop that character trait, she may find it challenging to care for others, especially if she has had that character trait used against her.

On the other hand, you can take someone who doesn't seem very caring, and then introduce them into a situation where the need for care becomes very apparent.  A person who finds his parents suddenly disabled in a car accident may suddenly discover that caring is something that he needs to do, regardless of how intuitively it may come to him.  By caring for his parents, he learns how to care for others, and that experience shapes his character, even if such caring does not come easily to him.

It would seem that the ideal would be to nurture those character traits which God gives us in our nature, and to let our life experience nurture them to even greater levels.  (As an aside, this is one reason why I believe that everyone should be open to new situations and trying something that you've never done before.  You never know how much such an experience will shape you, and how it will help sharpen your character as you endure through it.)  When a person has the gift of caring, and then puts herself in a situation where she can demonstrate that care, she will likely find even greater ways of enhancing that character. 

Just a few thoughts from me.  Feel free to let me know if you agree, disagree, or just have a few thoughts to share!

Character, godliness, and integrity

"More than that, we know that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope."  Romans 5:4-5

I've been doing a bit of reading on the topic of character lately.  It's also been a topic which I have been talking about with others in my life.  And so, for a little while, I'm going to focus on a few things involving character on this blog.  So please stick with me, and feel free to offer feedback, share thoughts, and even correct me if/when I may step out of line.

How do you recognize character in a person?  Well, perhaps the first step to that is to discover what we mean by character.  In my mind, that's not the easiest thing to do.  We have characters in a play, characters in movies, we call people who act out or have distinctive personalities "characters".  So what do we really mean by this word?

Part of my reflections on this word character involve coming up with what I mean when I use it.  So for the purposes of clarity in future blog posts, this is what I will mean when I use the word.  Character is the distinctiveness and uniqueness of an individual which is observed over time.  Okay, let me explain that a little bit.

Every one of us has certain things that we will tend to do with a degree of regularity.  These come to define who we are as a person.  This is not to say that a particular characteristic is good or bad, it is to say that this comes to define who we are as a person.  For example, I might know a person who regularly goes out of his way to help others.  That would be part of that person's character.  I might know another person who lies every time he gets caught doing something.  Again, that's part of that person's character.  While the action which defines the person may be good or bad, right or wrong, the idea of character is neutral in itself.  In other words, it shows what makes that person distinctive and unique, regardless of whether the action is right or wrong.

Now, I understand that we tend to use the word character in a more positive sense.  When someone stands up to others for what is right, we say that person has character.  When someone endures consequences for doing the right thing, we say that person has character.  While I will not disagree with these kind of statements, I would also argue that the person who regularly lies in certain situations is also demonstrating character.  That person is living up to the thing that makes him distinctive and unique.

For my last point today, I will say that character can be either good or bad.  The person who has a tendency to tell the truth, regardless of the consequences for himself, demonstrates good character.  The person who has a tendency to tell lies, regardless of the consequences, demonstrates bad character.  Therefore, as we work to discover what character is, and how we demonstrate it in life, we'll very likely find that we have both good points and bad points to our character.  But more on that tomorrow!

Fall: A Beautiful Season

The leaves are starting to change color around here.  Over the past week, we've had a couple of cold fronts that have brought night-time temperatures into the 30s, which means that the leaves start to show their beautiful colors, and the air gets a bit of a nip to it in the mornings.

In some ways, I think fall here where I live is the most beautiful time of the year.  The grass is still green, not scorched brown from the summer anymore.  The leaves show their bright colors before they start to find their way to the ground.  And then, looking up to the tops of the mountains, the white snow starts to blanket the ground.

Psalm 19 starts off by declaring that the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky His handiwork.  It seems that this world also likes to display the creativeness and splendor of God.  And the thing is, this is a broken, fallen, cursed world (read Genesis 3:17-19).  Can you imagine the beauty and splendor of a world that isn't cursed, that knows no sin? 

That's the world that is promised to those who believe that Jesus lived, died, and rose again for them.  He has purchased your ticket to that world, and you get that ticket by believing that He has washed you and made you perfect through His blood.  Just think of the splendor of that world, which awaits us when He shows Himself once again and re-creates this world.

Reaction to the News: Steve Jobs

Watching the news last night, I heard a lot about Steve Jobs and his death.  When we think about the technological world in which we live, it's hard not to see his fingerprints all over it.  While I am not a huge Apple person, I use my ipod pretty much every day, especially when I run, and I frequently listen to songs on my itunes player. 

That really got me to wondering.  We have so much technology in these days, and how does that technology relate to God and His work in our lives?  In some cases, it seems that technology and God are on opposite ends of the spectrum.  Technology often seems to be about discovery, about knowing more, and about human potential.  Technology and faith matters seem to create lots of gray areas, especially when we think about things like cloning, in vitro fertilization, artificial human body parts, and the extension of life.  Some of these questions are not easily answered, and, in reality, we may not know what God would say about some of the particulars while we live this life on earth.

Yet, at the same time, technology and God also seem to fit hand in hand in some ways.  God demonstrated His creativeness when He made the various life forms present in this world.  He gave some of that creative ability to His creation, as they not only reproduced and multiplied, but as they also learned about this world and came to a greater understanding of how God is at work here.  In fact, much of today's technology should be thankful for those Christians who studied this world and laid the foundation for modern day science and learning. 

God created us to learn and to grow and to be creative.  That would seem to suggest that God isn't necessarily opposed to technology.  When His people are able to connect with one another and provide resources that help and assist in the faith, that would seem to be something He would desire.  And yet, when technology starts to become the goal of life, or when it starts to take over responsibilities that we are supposed to have for ourselves, then it becomes a dangerous thing.

Overall, it seems that technology has both its good points and its warnings.  Technology is never to become the thing in which we put our faith.  That role belongs to God, and to God alone.  When technology assists people in knowing God, in growing in their faith, and in connecting with one another, then it seems to serve a purpose in line with what God would intend.  When it crosses the line and becomes something to control life, or when we start to put our faith in technology rather than in God, then it becomes a false god, and a danger to us.

I'm thankful for the contributions that Steve Jobs has made in our world.  He demonstrated the creativity that God seems to have put inside all of us.  While I do not know his particular faith life, I can say that there are many Christians throughout this world who are thankful for his contributions, and how they have helped people grow in their faith in God and Christ Jesus. 

Finding Joy!

Yesterday, something really fun happened in my life.  My favorite baseball team growing up won their playoff series and advanced in the playoffs.  Last year, I had a great deal of joy as they made it all the way to the World Series for the first time ever (up until that point, they had won a total of one playoff game, and had never advanced).  For those who may be wondering, my favorite baseball team is the Texas Rangers.

I remember growing up and finding a great deal of joy and happiness when the sports teams I supported did well.  When my favorite football team, the Dallas Cowboys, had some good years in the 1990s, I celebrated, and in many cases, my joy in life ebbed and flowed depending on how well my teams did.  When they won, I was happy.  When they lost, I was sad.

That's what makes it a bit incredible now.  I'm happy for my baseball team, but my joy and happiness does not depend on how well or poor they happen to be doing.  While I would still consider myself a big sports fan, I have come to realize that joy in life comes from many different things, and especially, from my relationship with God and my fellow believers.

In a letter to Christians in a town called Philippi, Paul writes that they should "rejoice in the Lord always."  (Philippians 4:4)  When I daily think that God has made me, and He has molded me to be the person that I am, I find a lot of reasons to rejoice.  I am given the opportunity to work and use the gifts that He has given me, and I strive to do so in a way that points to Him.  So I find joy that my life, in some small way, points to my God.  I find each day that I stand in need of His forgiveness, grace, and mercy, and rejoice to find that He has a never-ending supply of those to pour into my life because of Jesus and the cross.  Each day, I find countless opportunities to be a neighbor to others, to demonstrate love for my neighbors in so many different ways, and I take great joy that I recognize some of them and see God's hand at work when I do so.

I also see how God pours out joy into my life.  I see it when I spend time talking to my wife, and discovering daily just how much God loves me by having her share my life.  I see it when I have regular interactions with people that I enjoy being around, with whom I enjoy talking, and being able to share in their joy, even as I share my joy with them.  I see how God has created many relationships through my frequent runs, and how He has opened the door to many wonderful conversations through those relationships. 

All of these bring much greater joy to me now than how well my baseball team may ever do.  Yes, if my Rangers win the World Series, I will be jumping up and down, and may even buy a T-Shirt to remember the occasion.  But no matter how happy that kind of event might make me, it pales in comparison to the daily joy that I see God providing around me, through me, and to me, in so many ways.

Do you really NEED it?

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content."  Paul, in Philippians 4.

"But Mom, I neeeeed it!"  Who hasn't been in a store and heard a child say something to that effect?  Or, for those who are parents, who hasn't heard their child say that several times?  I remember watching a mother one time, after her child had said this, who tried to convince her child that he wouldn't die if he didn't get what he wanted.  But it didn't seem that logic really helped that young one to understand that he didn't really "need" what he wanted.

How do we tell the difference between what we need and what we want?  Is it possible that much of what we think we need in life really are only things we want?  And then, if we should happen to have more than what we merely need, do we start to think of those extras, those luxuries, as needs that we cannot live without?

I'm not going to proclaim myself an expert on this.  I'm just as guilty as anyone on confusing needs and wants.  It seems that I still have a long way to go in learning to be content in all things.  I also have grown to realize that I will not suddenly get to a point in life where I no longer desire to go above the basic needs of life.  This desire to have more, to have my wants fulfilled, will be with me until I die. 

That's why Jesus and the cross means so much to me in my life.  I cannot overcome my desire for more.  Only God can do that, and He has done it in Jesus.  In some way, I cannot wait until God brings me to His everlasting realm, where I no longer have that desire for my wants, but rather, live in the fullness of God's riches.  But until then, my prayer is that God will help me learn more about contentment in my journey with Him. 

Reaction to the News: Protests in NYC

I'll admit up front that I am not a huge watcher or reader of the news.  Usually the only times I see the news are on the treadmill at the gym and those mornings and evenings when I want to find out what the weather will be like.  Nevertheless, there are times when a particular news story strikes me and makes me think about things.

That happened to me yesterday as I was signing in to my Yahoo account.  I noticed a headline about protestors in New York, which had led to something like 400 arrests over the weekend.  The reason for the protests: a few college students started the protest about 3 weeks ago to protest how big businesses were influencing the government, which, in turn, was passing bills which would help those businesses that were helping fund their campaigns.  What started out as a few students has led to the huge debacle that caught my attention.

I realize that money has always been a matter of concern for us as humans.  Even back in the biblical times, Paul had to warn the young Timothy that the "love of money is a root of evil."  But more and more, it seems that this nation has become all about money and profit.  Sports leagues disagree about how to divide up billions of dollars.  Politicians try to spur on the economy because it helps raise money.  We get regular reports on how much money presidential hopefuls have raised for their campaigns.  Even many "Christian" books are written on how God wants everyone to be rich and wealthy, and how to get that way in X number of steps.

Jesus said that, where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.  Sadly, much of western culture now seems to have their heart set on their treasure.  401k's, savings accounts, checking accounts, all of these now seem to be used to determine how much a person is worth.  And I find that very sad.

This single-minded pursuit of wealth and money contributes to the "I'm in it for myself", individualistic mindset that has come to be identified with most of Western society.  And that, more than almost anything, is why I cannot say that North America is a Christian society.  Throughout the Bible, we find God's constant refrain of caring for others, being part of a community, looking toward the needs of others, and being a good neighbor to others. 

To be honest, there is much sin everywhere in the world, and North America is no exception.  That is really where the stark contrast of God's good news in the Gospel carries a truly different message.  You are not valued because of how much money you have, or how well-off you are.  You are valued because God has loved you so much that He would willingly empty Himself to win you back.  Rich or poor, healthy or sick, influential or not, God values you infinitely more than He values your net worth.

That is truly startling news in a culture defined by the pursuit of wealth and individualism.  It makes the proclamation of God's Gospel message so vitally important, and yet, so foreign in our all too human ears.

A Few Random Thoughts

This week, quite often I have found it difficult to focus on whatever I happen to be working on.  Sadly, that has even applied to my blog entries this week.  So today, I'm just going with it, and so we have a few random thoughts.  Feel free to react, to criticize, or to jump on board with the scatteredness!

• I've been thinking a lot about appreciation.  I think most of us have a tendency to feel under-appreciated at times.  We would really like someone to notice what we are doing and to tell us that they appreciate us and that we are doing a good job.  Truthfully, I think that our society doesn't do a good job encouraging people to be sincerely appreciative of others, and that takes a great toll on us, especially when it goes on for a long time.
• I've also been thinking about what it means to be a community, especially a community of faith.  It seems to me that most of us tend to think of our faith communities as basic social gatherings that may occasionally throw something religious in.  But as I have been reading about what all a community can be, I have come to see that the faith community is a place to share burdens, to be encouraged and strengthened, and to be there for the others in the community more than to be there to get something out of it.  

These are the two primary things that have been floating around in my head, and about which I have been trying to figure things out.  Really, I have been much more concerned with the practical application of these things.  How can I teach others to be more forward with their appreciation for others?  How can I not only teach others about what a true community looks like, but actually guide them in taking steps to truly living it out?  I recognize that these things may not solve many problems, but I do tend to think that, if we have a safe haven where these kind of things are reality, it would go a long way toward battling against the hopelessness and uselessness that so many people seem to be going through these days.