This weekend’s podcast talks about… oh, you know. Stuff.
You can listen to the podcast here. If you have iTunes and are brave enough to go there this weekend with all the issues swirling around server crashes from everyone trying to activate their new iPhone 3G, you can subscribe here. In either case, please let me know what you think. And thank you for listening. I mean that more than I can possibly express.
Here’s the text for this week’s edition.
And welcome to this week’s edition of the Diecast Dude’s (Mostly) NASCAR Positively Persnickety Podcast. It is Saturday July the twelfth 2008, and this week we’ll be taking a look at this evening’s Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland along with taking a stand regardless of consequences. But first, a look back at the past weekend that was in NASCAR.
Well, that’s enough said about Jeff Gordon’s evening. How about Kyle Busch?
Yes, he’s a terrific driver. No, that doesn’t mean I have to root for him or like him.
Anyway, on to this weekend.
I’m pretty sure Robert Johnson knew Chicago wasn’t in California. At the time the song was written during the Great Depression in the 1930s, California was viewed as a land where everyone was wealthy and all one had to do to become part of this was go there. Didn’t really work that way, but that was the urban legend of the time. I suspect he was using “the land of California” as a metaphor for a kind of Promised Land. Whether it actually is or not is a subject best approached by those who live there, in Chicago, as the only time I’ve spent in Chicago has consisted of changing planes at O’Hare. Although I do hope to go to Wrigley Field someday.
A couple of songs before the next segment.
I’ve come to the realization that regardless of how much I detest the whole process I’m going to have to look for a new job. I like my current job; in fact I love it. The job itself, that is. However, it has become more than apparent over a lengthy period of time I can’t stay there for reasons which I’d rather not detail here. Suffice it to say I don’t belong there.
One of the accusations often hurled at me in my present place of employment is that I’m always convinced I’m right and I always want to do everything myself and do it my way. Which I freely admit is true. I am a stubborn cuss, prone to outbursts of self-righteousness and insufferable confidence in my correctness. There. Those are my sins. That said, I’ve noticed that while there is no shortage of accusation hurling against me for these, there’s also a near-total void of anyone else confessing their sins. I must be the only sinner in the place, in which case that line in Paul’s letter to the Romans about how all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God must have been an example of his just funnin’ everyone. Which I doubt. But maybe that’s just me being convinced I’m right again.
Sarcasm aside, it’s always a challenge to examine myself and determine whether my thoughts and/or words and/or actions are genuine and true, based on the One True wisdom of God, or my spinning lollipop dreams in a cotton candy sky in my own private universe where I’m the star of the movie. It’s all too easy to go overboard in either direction, either giving myself a pass on everything because I’m so tight with the Lord or beating myself up for everything because I’m such a miserable wretch of human clay. Neither is true, but we don’t always believe the truth about ourselves. Now do we.
So often we want to either hear that we’re loved, even if the statement is a lie, or that we are who we think we are as opposed to who we actually are. This is the nature of mankind. There’s not a lot of call to the genuine, because frankly we don’t want to see the genuine. Usually that’s interpreted to mean we don’t want to see the genuine about how we are all sinners with nothing standing between us and hell except the blood of Jesus shed on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. However, I believe there is another side to the genuine we don’t want to see. That side is we are all indeed created in God’s image, we are indeed worthy of salvation, and we are indeed worthy of love; both the love of others and love of self. Love of self isn’t ego. It’s a love for the wonderful child of God we have inside of us and we can be if we’ll let Him show us how to be one.
Sometimes you are right. Not always. But sometimes. Sometimes the other person is wrong. Not always, but sometimes. Sometimes the other people are wrong. It happens. Sometimes you’re the one doing things the right way, while others act out of the sin in which they wallow. Sometimes you’re going to get pounded for sticking to your guns, especially if you point out the sins of others not in the spirit of judgment but rather the spirit of wanting people to have what is best for them, which is communication with God and fellowship with others without the hindrance of sin dragging them down along with everyone else who comes into contact with them. Sometimes the actions that appear to be born out of pride or stubbornness are in fact born out of a broken heart grieving over those who choose being lost over having life. Sometimes by the grace and power of God you reach them. And sometimes all you can do is wash your hands and walk away.
It would appear to be a paradox, but sometimes it’s true. Sometimes the best way to stand your ground is walking away, knowing you did all you could and that there are others with whom you can share the love of God without being called a sinner for it.
Sometimes.
Thankfully, with Jesus there is no “sometimes” in His love.
And thankfully, with Jesus there is no “sometimes” in having others with whom you can share love and be loved.
And that concludes this week’s podcast. Take care everyone, and we’ll get together next time.
