Home of the jester in the court of the ragtag soldiers.
Faith
We All Have Goals
Jul 2nd
Mine is seeing the Anchoress at a Brian “Head” Welch concert:
[video http://www.diecast-dude.com/gac/brian_head_welch_flush.flv nolink]
Oh, and here’s his testimony:
[video http://www.diecast-dude.com/gac/brian_head_welch_i_am_second.flv nolink]
Happy To Be Humbled
May 28th
An old friend newly made — she’s nowhere near old, but you get the idea — and dear sister in the Lord mentioned a Scripture yesterday: “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position [NOTE: This can also be translated as "willing to do menial work"]. Do not be conceited.”
Me being me, naturally I chimed in with a “as I often remind everyone, I am a truly humble man” comment. At which point in time she challenged me to a humble-off. My offerings thus far have been that I’m so humble:
- The air I breathe has to force its way into my lungs because I don’t want to bother it by drawing it in myself;
- When I go fishing the fish have to swim up to me and beg for permission to jump in my boat because I can’t bring myself to put my hook in the water.
Yeah, weird Christian humor. Gets us through the unfunny times.
The reason I mention this is, other than the obvious “if that’s your idea of being witty you really do have something to be humble about” comment, is because something took place yesterday that truly did humble me. We tend to think of being humbled as being humiliated in defeated, our illusions about ourselves shattered by reality of someone or something triumphing over us. That’s not always the case. Sometimes, being humbled means standing in awe of a moment when perfect God works through imperfect people, namely us, to carry out something we in and of ourselves could never bring about. Yet because somewhere along the line we were not only willing to do what He asked us to do but actually did it, that which we could never accomplish was in fact accomplished.
Shortly after I started working in earnest on the book, I decided I wanted to include at least one metal band from that era. The one that immediately came to mind was Barnabas, since despite their skill — their music still holds up — they were something of the music industry’s unwanted stepchild. Also, the band had an active fan-run message board to which at least one of the members regularly contributed. So I made contact with the member, namely Kris Klingensmith (drummer and lyricist), and did the interview. He was kind enough to provide contact information for a couple of former bandmates: Mick Donner, who played guitar on the band’s second album, and Nancyjo Mann who was the lead singer throughout the band’s recorded history. Made the calls, did the interviews. I had a vague memory of Mann being involved in the pro-life movement, but didn’t know the full story until she provided it in unvarnished detail. Her story is one of the book’s most sobering moments.
Fast forward to that period of time earlier this year between the book being completed then sent off to the publisher and its release. Being one who works in marketing yet intensely dislikes sales (makes for some interesting internal conundrums), how to get the word out about the book without being obtrusive was, and is, a challenge. I’m a firm believer in networking and social media as it offers the opportunity for mutual marketing; an exchange of assistance. Much better than beating someone over the head with your message, methinks. Therefore, I started looking for opportunities to put this belief in action.
Since I’m a twit… uh, am on Twitter a lot I of course looked there. One day, one of the people I follow made mention of her actively working in the pro-life movement and looking for stories from people who had personal experience with abortion. Said person had a couple of blogs of her own that are well-read and is a participant in assorted political organizations.
Hmm.
An agenda item I’ve picked up on over the years is the need to be wise with what you have been given; i.e. as you receive so you should give but don’t throw it out there willy-nilly as Willy can pay for it like everyone else. This is why the book isn’t available digitally and won’t be for quite some time. I simply can’t afford to give it away wholesale. Not that I’m looking to get rich here; due to not being in possession of a time machine thus being unable to return to the 80s and own a certain record label this is not an option. I’m not hoping to so much as break even on the travel and communication expenses incurred in the course of writing the book. I also can’t afford to be handing it out on the street corner. Anyway, said all that to set up the following.
One of the oft-used methods of promoting a book is the teaser, this consisting of making a small portion, usually a single chapter, freely available. The hope is this sample will prove enticing to those who read it, so much so at least some will be motivated to purchase the book so they can read the rest of the story. Now, in the case of a book such as mine where each chapter is an entity in and of itself there is the potential downside of losing a sale to someone whose primary if not sole reason for buying it is obtaining that one chapter. However, two factors weigh against this. The first is how I’ve never encountered a scenario where more than one artist in the book is not of interest to a potential buyer. The second, one that factors into all marketing considerations for the book, is the ministerial element. Not everything can be squeezed into a spreadsheet.
Hmm…
“Hi. I just finished a book that has a chapter you may find of interest. If you’d like to run it in your blog and in the process of doing so mention the book…”
She agreed and in a few days time did so, mentioning the book and in a separate post reprinting Mann’s chapter. Now that she was aware of Mann’s story, she also ran an article from several years ago about Mann’s experience.
A young woman pregnant with her third child read that story. Her mother was pressuring her to have an abortion as her husband had left her and her mother didn’t believe she could handle the two children, both under five, she already had let alone another. Her mother arranged for her to go to a clinic and abort her pregnancy.
She went to the clinic.
She thought about Mann’s story.
She didn’t end her pregnancy.
The story doesn’t end there, of course. It cannot end there. A sacred obligation for deeds not just words is pressed on the heart of every believer. In this case, be it directly or through an organization there is a mandate from God to offer what support, financial and other, one can both during the pregnancy and after birth to moms-to-be who choose life. Yet even with this there is the breathtaking, awe-inspiring moment of realization that this stumbling fumbling bumbling sinnerboy, namely me, was used by God as part of a process giving an unborn child the opportunity to be born.
Never been happier to be humbled in my life.
Priorities, Please
May 18th
There’s something a tad disconcerting about whether Maureen Dowd pinched something from a blog without giving it proper due being a hotter topic than Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visiting the White House today. Punditry’s obsession with itself being its primary topic is hardly news, but given the gravity of the situation in the Middle East would all y’all mind putting down the mirror long enough to take a look at what’s going on in the world where throwing live ammo around doesn’t mean exchanging snarky comments on the Internet? Thanks.
Anyway, the notion Obama is going to push to Netanyahu — just make nice to the Palestinians and Iran will forget all about those silly nuclear weapons and threats to wipe you off the map with them — would be laughably naive if the matter wasn’t so serious. Come on. I mean, come on. Other than occasional lip service, when has Iran ever given a rip about the Palestinians? For that matter, when has Hamas ever stated its purpose is anything besides the destruction of Israel? Somehow I doubt Netanyahu is going to be all that keen on chancing Obama’s proposal won’t backfire to the tune of ready aim at Tel Aviv fire.
I’m not seeing this ending well. And oh, do I hope I’m wrong.
Don’t Outlaw The Outlaw
Mar 18th
I sort of remember the ’60s. No, not due to the (ahem) medicinal reasons which prompted Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane fame’s quip that if you remember the ’60s you weren’t there. I turned eleven in 1970. Just a tad premature for any chemical experiments, as if I would have done so anyway. But I digress.
While childhood memories are often the ones most fondly and fervently clung to, they are rather fuzzy critters. Time molds and shifts them into recollections not altogether accurately reflecting what actually happened. However, they’re all we’ve got to go on, so go with them we do.
Given that I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, what to previous generations or those who shared the same time span of formative years although located in a more mainstream location seemed like people, places and things that were kicked off of Mars for being too weird were to me perfectly normal. How could they be anything but? I had no point of reference letting me know this was something extraordinary. Hippies and anti-war demonstrations were merely part of the landscape. No big.
Another element of the time accepted as standard operational procedure was the radical priest. Be it espousing liberation theology, strident opposition to the military, or an interpretation of Christ decidedly outside the norm these leftist men of the cloth weren’t seen as what they were, namely radicals. Rather, they seemed to my youthful mind as being quite cool. Thankfully I had a father who taught me how to separate wheat from chaff so when my salvation experience came a few years later I had accurate information as to what was and wasn’t Biblical; that and what was or wasn’t in sync with the Church’s true teachings. That said, a trace of the rebel influenced my thinking, and to this day remains.
One of the teachings popular during the aforementioned time was the image of Jesus as an outlaw; a dashing young rebel against society and the religious institutions of the day. A spiritual Robin Hood, if you will, who roasted the rich and praised the poor. On the surface it’s apparent why this could be assumed. Christ was no fan of wealth, often speaking out about how it wasn’t so much a reward as a mandate for using it to directly take care of the less fortunate. He wasn’t being cutesy when He commented that it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus spoke strongly about how the pursuit of material gain could and would consume people until they paid no attention to the spiritual side of life. While not neglecting the temporal, as some who inaccurately believe Christianity is all about sweet pie in the sky by and by when we die assume, He taught the complete view of life, one that looks past the beginning and end of our time on this planet and into eternity.
That all said, portraying Christ as a leftist is inaccurate in the extreme. He was an equal opportunity offender. Those who hoped He’d be a rebellious anarchist were no doubt more than a little put off when He not only said the people of Israel should pay taxes to the occupying Romans but paid them Himself (with some help from a fish). His unwillingness to lead a revolt against Rome contributed in no small part to the crowd which a few days earlier hailed him when He entered Jerusalem calling for His execution. And no, He wasn’t a community organizer either.
Nevertheless, to actively follow Christ is to be a radical in that it forces nonconformity with the mores and practices of this world. It means believing in absolutes and accepting harsh truths. It means declaring these truths and let the listener find offense where they may. Not your problem. You are not responsible for someone else’s head trip. Not even once.
Certainly no believer should go out of their way to offend others. We are called to as much as possible live at peace with everyone. However, there is no way — absolutely no way — to tell the truth about Jesus and sin and hell and death without ruffling some feathers. We must accept this as part of the landscape. To not do so is to deny any genuine belief in the truthfulness of our message.
There is a touch of the outlaw in refusing to be bound by the constraints of a world so afraid of offending anyone it mutes itself to the point of being indecipherable. We must speak the truth accurately and plainly. We can’t worry about what the other person will think. We’d better worry about what Jesus thinks.
And we know what He thinks about compromise.
Defining And Defeating Divisions
Mar 12th
I was thinking about Hebrews 12:4-11 a while ago:
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
I’ve ruminated and/or ranted more than once, and will continue to do so, about what I believe to be a fundamental weakness permeating the conservative blogosphere: the wholehearted promulgation of Christ-haters such as Christopher Hitchens, Allahpundit and Charles Johnson while simultaneously promoting itself as the oracle of God or reasonable facsimile thereof. If we are Christians, or if one is not a believer at least respectful of the faith and those who hold it as truth, why follow those who at their core belittle and despise us for believing the name of Jesus is something other than a swear word?
Take this a step further. Is there the slightest justification for rejecting the fellowship of fellow believers who hold different political views? One can argue what method is best to fix the economy, the proper role of government in the public and/or private lives of its citizens, America’s place in the world, and so on as much as one wishes. Preferably your arguments are rooted in faith along with logic, reason and experience. But within this, again it must be said: is there the slightest justification for rejecting the fellowship of fellow believers who hold different political views? Can any case be made for demonizing others who think along lines dissimilar to ours? No.
Why are we not mindful of Paul’s words when he wrote, “And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you?” Why do we simultaneously proclaim God’s glory and actively deny His power? Bono put it most succinctly: “Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady.” For example, we hate our political opponents. Why? While we ought not promote those who hate us, we also must be cognizant that the saving grace and life refreshing, thought transforming power of Jesus does not stop working at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or the halls of Congress. Do we believe our God is so feeble He can’t change the heart and mind of any political leader? Are we so consumed by our self-proclaimed righteousness as to what we believe politically we are unable to see what genuinely matters first is the value of each person? Taking this a step further, what is more important — politics or Christ?
I believe the Lord is disciplining us and will continue to do so until we drop the hate and reject the haters. Don’t talk to me about how the other side doesn’t play nice so why should we. We do not have the option of behaving that way. We are called to demonstrate strength and resolution are never mutually exclusive to kindness. Period.
We are commanded to say to those on the other side of the aisle, “I disagree with you, and this is why. But you’re just as valuable and loved in God’s sight as I am, so I’m going to treat you the same way I want to be treated.” Think about it. How will they know about Jesus if we don’t tell them in both word and deed? And how can we do that if we create a no man’s land between ‘us’ and ‘them’ based on ideology? We must never compromise our political beliefs. That said, it is even more urgent we do not compromise our spiritual beliefs by refusing to be a witness because of the fallacious notion that devotion to our political beliefs demands crossed swords over kneeling at the foot of the Cross.
We are commanded to say to fellow believers of a different political persuasion, “I disagree with you on this, and here are my reasons why. But we are brothers and sisters in the Lord, and there are no party affiliations in heaven. Let’s love and care for each other, and share Christ’s love with the world, together. Always.”
Finally, we ought to say to those among us, “Jesus is more important than politics. Believe or don’t believe however you wish; the God you do or don’t believe in gave you a free will to do just that. But don’t spit hatred and contempt toward the God I serve and me for serving Him while expecting me to sing your praises because you articulate the conservative position… provided there’s a paycheck in it for you.”
We’ve earned a good thrashing. Let’s learn from it.
Those Godless… Conservatives?
Jan 12th
Since the South Park Republican shtick has been losing steam post-election — let’s face it, there’s a limit to how many times one can recycle “be crude, be crass, be conservative” before you run out of material — it’s been interesting to note the growing trend of right-wing pundits proudly wearing their I ♥ Jesus badge with an international no symbol plastered over the heart and on the nose of everyone who dares to disagree with their dour opine of the Divinity. Led by patron un-saint Christopher Hitchens, both Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs and Allahpundit at Hot Air haveas of late bloviated loud and long about their cherished non-beliefs. The Man from Galilee is a goober and a ghost if He ever lived in the first place, all you braindead dinosaur disbelieving Christians want to see me burn, why should I believe in a God Who hates me and wants to see me burn even more than you do, why is He blaming me for being a sinner blah blah blah ad nauseum. Actually, the more they kvetch the clearer it becomes they indeed do believe in at least a God, namely Bacchus the god of wine’s brother Bozochus the god of whine.
Starting at the head of this tossing Christ aside trinity, why exactly is Hitchens so revered in conservative circles? His arguments are seldom anything than invective-laced vitriol drenched with contempt for everyone and everything not part and parcel to his puny militant atheism. The devotion he routinely receives parallels the instant acclaim a pop musician who publicly acknowledges Jesus receives in the Christian marketplace regardless of whether there’s anything actually there. It’s the illusion of credibility inferred by association with celebrity. In Hitchens’ case, it’s the “ooh — we done got us a former liberal who’s an intellectual!” factor. And this validates the truth in what fashion? The truth was already present before Hitchens stumbled by. And how much genuine validation is gleaned from the presence of one so utterly wrong about the reality of God, the reality of Christ crucified and risen?
Johnson is an odd case. A passionate defender of all things Israel, he has a burr on his bicycle seat over those who propose intelligent design spilling over into virulent disdain for believers and what they believe along with in Whom they believe. While he’s perfectly free to play the fool in this regard, he has apparently forgotten Israel’s most enthusiastic supporters are the selfsame evangelical Christians most likely to endorse the intelligent design theorem which rankles him so. Just because you’re not enthralled with your brother in arms’ uniform doesn’t make it wise to send him elsewhere.
As for Allahpundit, despite his never missing a chance to rip on Christ, Christians and Christianity it’s quite apparent he is a loyal lay person routinely attending services at the parish of St. Joe Btfsplk. The man routinely gets slapped upside the head by Eeyore telling him to lighten up with the gloom and doom. Exactly why Michelle Malkin is so enthralled with him to where she has the man as a lead writer on Hot Air escapes me. It can’t be anything he’s doing now, for if you look at his present-day output aside from sniping at believers and the One they believe in he’s nothing more than another third grader art project perpetrator. You know… cut and paste?
It’s not that I have the slightest interest in reading nothing but Christian commentators any more than I want to buy Christian toothpaste modeled after Aquafresh where in lieu of stripes the breath freshener part comes out of the tube shaped like icthuses. That said, is it asking too much (answer: apparently so) for those who aspire to be lead vocalists in the conservative chorus to show respect for the beliefs that are the foundation of many conservatives’ political and world view? Ripping on the reason someone is reading your latest tome isn’t the most prudent path for winning friends and influencing people.
It’s time to let the Christ-haters stew in their own bile. Alone. We don’t need them. We need love, compassion, forgiveness and an actively lived out faith in an active living Savior. We don’t need the Christ-haters. They need Christ even as we need Christ. The difference is we know it. And if we as part of the very fundamentals of life know this which they do not know, how much can we really learn from them? Far better to sit at the feet of Jesus and gain wisdom from His teachings. Far, far better.
Uninvited Guest
Dec 28th
Picking up from yesterday:
The Oakland A’s are the red-headed stepchild of San Francisco Bay Area sports when it comes to local media attention. Never mind how during their stay in the “other” city by the bay they’ve accomplished a feat never achieved by the Giants. Namely, win something. Four world championships, six American League pennants and fourteen American League West division championships as compared to zero world championships, three National League pennants and six National League West division championships. While contemplating the above, please note the Giants started playing in San Francisco ten years before the A’s came to Oakland. Nevertheless, when the Giants sneeze every newspaper and radio station in these parts reaches for a facial tissue and makes it a banner headline. The A’s could trade the entire team for the Yankees’ current roster plus cash along with moving Wrigley Field next to Lake Merritt and still be buried on page nine of an eight-page sports section.
Yet none of this genuinely matters to me. The A’s are my team.
Which leads to the point of yesterday and today’s illustration.
Those among us who believe are very much the Oakland A’s of this world. We’re not the glamor boys. We don’t get the pretty new toys to play with, or in the Giants’ case in as is the case with their ballpark as compared to Oakland’s. We don’t get the big bucks. We don’t get the attention. We don’t get the world’s love. We’re the uninvited guest.
Which is exactly as it should be.
We’re supposed to be these things. In fact, if we’re not these things we’re not doing what we’re supposed to be doing. It’s our calling, our obligation to go about our business regardless of whether it’s deemed appropriate or convenient or desired by others.
We do the work of loving and caring for others regardless. The world crows whenever a hypocrite or stumbler appears in our midst. We make no effort to hide these, acknowledging we all fail in some fashion every day. Yet even as the world screams about the many among us who attempt to make us a joke, we hold dear the many, many more never admitted to by the world whose lives are founded in actively lived out love. They make those clinging to self-created myths when it comes to believers as an excuse for avoiding the truth about what we believe victims of their own joke.
We light the candles and say the prayers and smile in the face of hostile reaction. We quietly, sadly chuckle at the hatred and anger thrown up on us by those who blame a God they don’t believe in for the ill fortunes of their existence, never seeing the fatal flaw in believing He should directly intercede on their behalf to prevent grief by directing how others live. Yet simultaneously, they insist their life is theirs and theirs alone to live as they see fit and how dare anyone on heaven or earth interject themselves into the manner with which they conduct their affairs.
We answer “how can you believe in a good and perfect God when there’s such evil in the world” with “how can we not believe in a good and perfect God when there’s also good in the world.” How can humanity with its propensity for evil also do that which is good? How can this selfsame humanity with its ability for hatred also love? You cannot have both coming from the same source. Written on humanity’s heart is the signature of its Creator calling it to reunite with the author of love Who is God, for God is love.
The world says how can humanity be created by God in His image yet be held accountable for its wrongdoing. We say how can humanity not be created by God in His image when He has provided the means to be absolved of its wrongdoing. If we were not created in His image, why would He care to this degree?
The world says how can a loving God condemn anyone to eternal torment. We say how can there not be a loving God when He willingly endured human agony on a level unimaginable and physically died so we might have a path to eternal blessing. No one has to go to hell. Heaven is available to all who reach out to Christ. He has made this possible. We are the ones who turn our backs on Him. Not the other way around.
The world says how can you identify with that ragtag team. We say how can we not.
Yeah, I’m an A’s fan.
Wouldn’t have it any other way.
P.S. Speaking of the uninvited guest…
[video http://www.diecast-dude.com/gac/Marillion_Uninvited_guest.flv "Uninvited Guest" -- Marillion nolink]
Telling Ourselves The Truth
Dec 25th
First and foremost, my prayer for you is that you are enjoying a blessed celebration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s birth. Way more important than politics.
Picking up from yesterday, it’s vital we go into the new year and the new administration committed to the truth. It is easy to wave off with a resigned sigh how telling the truth in politics places you in unfortunately rare company, therefore is borderline futility. While this attitude is understandable, it is also not permissible. Declining to be anything but truthful regardless of the reception? Never an option.
Regardless of whether we like it, the fact is we’re not doing the job in terms of effectively communicating our message to the general public. Granted, we enter the fray at a disadvantage. Traditional media is not our friend. While we can crow all we want over declining ad revenue at the New York Times, it and the CNNs of this world remain the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room. It is therefore mandatory, should we desire to make any inroads as far as winning over hearts and minds, that we be as Steve Jobs puts it “insanely great.” And right now this isn’t happening.
The South Park Republican shtick of being crass, crude and conservative doesn’t cut it. Neither does trying to make ripping on the media a career when you’re pulling 99 44/100% of your material from the same media. Demonizing your opponents, be they liberal politicians or bloggers, generates a lot of heat but shines no light. These approaches don’t cut it. They don’t cut it, because if they did cut it we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in, said position consisting primarily of pointing fingers at each other trying to assign blame for the minority status we’re in.
So what will work?
While there aren’t all that many Victor David Hansons among us, a more intelligent approach to how we present ourselves and our positions is more than a little advisable. The ranting raving outraged histrionics act has long since worn out its welcome. Instead of knee jerk reactions, we should be on our knees praying for wisdom with which to refute arguments against what and why we believe. The calm measured response and the logically laid out proposal go much farther as far as persuading others to at least consider our words than all the vein-popping venom we can spit at the opposition.
It would also help tremendously if we were more open about our faith. As mentioned above, we need to be articulating not only what we believe politically, but why. The whole Gospel — the need for repentance, the availability of salvation, the joy of life in Christ, the call to serve — should be part of our daily vocabulary. We also need to live out that about which we speak out. The posing and preening “look at me — SQUEE!” attitude needs to be permanently dismissed pronto. We must stop turning the blogosphere into an excuse for the latest chapter of the mutual admiration society. What have we done that’s genuinely worth admiring? Self-serving isn’t service. We need to get over ourselves by abandoning class distinction and embracing each other regardless of social or site visit standing.
We need to adopt the four tenets of the blogging evangel:
- The ability to broadcast ones opinion neither elevates nor validates said opinion;
- Blog from and for the heart, not the bank account;
- Answer your e-mail every time all the time;
- Never become what you profess to oppose.
If we do these things, we’re doing the right things for the right reasons.
The world, although it would never admit as much, needs us. Christ needs us to do His work and spread His word. To sum it up, we need to git’r done. So let’s do this thing. Starting now.
Truth, Inconvenient And Otherwise
Dec 24th
Mrs. Dude and I have a Christmas Eve tradition of going out to a late lunch/early dinner, then to a movie. It’s usually whichever Disney film is currently in the theaters. Today was no exception. The film we saw was Bolt.
The film itself is very good; a definite step up quality-wise from Disney’s other animated films in recent years. It’s not in the same league as WALL·E or the other Pixar movies, but it’s well worth seeing. Try to catch it in a theater showing the 3D version.
Without giving away the plot, one of the film’s main threads is what happens to someone who isn’t told the truth about who and/or what they are. It’s rather like the adage about a person’s perception being their reality, only amplified as in this case there’s no available contrary evidence. You can’t accuse someone of willfully closing their eyes to how life genuinely is when they are deliberately kept uninformed about it.
We live in a world prone to not telling the truth. We don’t tell it to each other, we don’t tell it about each other, and we don’t tell ourselves the truth about ourselves. An illustration of this I’ve mentioned before comes from an interview I once heard with Pete Townshend, guitarist and songwriter for the Who. His comment was that in relationships the woman wants to be told she’s loved and the man wants to be told he is who he thinks he is. Never mind the truth. These are the words we want to hear.
Those of us who believe fight this mindset every day, both when it comes from others and especially when it comes from within. Far too often we see too much of one side and not enough, if any at all, of the other when it comes to how we view ourselves. We either see ourselves as such worthy children of God we give ourselves a free pass on sin because the good we do negates the bad, or we see ourselves as such wretched sinners we lock ourselves away from any notion of being an emissary of Christ’s love because we’re too pathetic to be of any use to Him or anyone else. Obviously these are the extremes. That said, these are the ballparks in which so many of us dwell.
The truth about ourselves is that we are at once both of the above and yet neither. While there is no free pass on misbehavior, there is also the constant, consistent presence of Jesus’ love in our lives and the work of the Spirit in our hearts and minds. Christ not only knows us as we are, He knew us in the eternity before now. He declared us, as we are, worthy of spending the eternity after now with Him, dying in our place and then rising from the dead so this could be so. We honor His sacrifice by imitating Him, living in love and while acknowledging our shortcomings not allowing ourselves to excuse ourselves from always working to do things correctly.
Including telling each other and ourselves the truth.
More on this as it relates to politics in the next post.
