In his play, Ion, Euripides attempts to answer the question of why the gods hold back justice. In the play, Creusa is seduced by Apollo and she becomes pregnant. In order to avoid shaming her father, Creusa abandons her son in a cave near Apollo’s temple at Delphi. She later marries Xuthus, who is unaware that she ever gave birth to a child. The two travel from Athens to Delphi because Xuthus wants to seek an oracle from Apollo concerning a male heir since they are childless.
At the temple, Creusa meets a young man named Ion who is the keeper of the temple. He tells Creusa of how he was abandoned as an infant and taken into custody at the temple, where he has lived for his whole life. He longs to know his mother and father but has lost all hope of ever knowing who they were. Touched by his sad story, Creusa tells of her misfortune, only she says it is a story of one of her friends.
Meanwhile, Xuthus receives an oracle in the temple telling him the next person he sees will be his son. As soon as he exits the temple he sees the Ion and runs and embraces him. Ion is startled, but when he hears that he will be adopted as Xuthus’s heir, he rejoices because at least he will have a father and a future.
Creusa, however, is outraged at this, fearing that Xuthus will kill her and give her inheritance and kingdom to Ion. She devises a plan to murder Ion with poison, lest she lose all she has. She has her servant put a drop of gorgon venom into Ion’s wine cup while he is partying with his friends over his good fortune and Xuthus is offering a sacrifice to Apollo. Ion, however, anticipates treachery and pours out the wine and has new wine brought. A bird drinks the wine and dies, confirming Ion’s suspicions. He calls the leaders of the city to arrest Creusa and throw her off a cliff for her crime.
Creusa hides in the temple but is found by Ion. Fortunately, Creusa realizes that Ion is the son she abandoned many years earlier when he tells her about the blanket and the basket he was left in. Ion rejoices to be reunited with his real mother and to learn that his father is a god. He agrees to keep this a secret from Xuthus, and they prepare to return to Athens as a happy family.
As they are leaving the temple, Athena appears and explains why Apollo had them wait so long to be reunited and why they had to go through such trying circumstances. Creusa repents of her anger and hatred towards Apollo, realizing that he had a greater plan to bless the region with a powerful new nation. Ion will have four sons who will set up power city states along the coast and on the islands of the Aegean Sea. This Ionian kingdom with have great influence throughout Asia and Europe. Xuthus will also have a natural son, Dorus, who will become a powerful king in Achaea.
Athena concludes her speech: “Heaven’s justice may tarry a while, yet comes it at the last in no wise weakened.”
The play ends with the chorus chanting: “’Tis only right that he, whose house is sore beset with trouble, should reverence God and keep good heart; for at the last the righteous find their just reward, but the wicked, as their nature is, will never prosper.”
The Greeks, as well as the Hebrews, struggled with the sovereignty of God (the gods) and the problem of evil. Both concluded that while the righteous may suffer, in the end, they will be blessed by God, and while the wicked may prosper for a while, they will not ultimately prosper in the end. God is in control and has our ultimate blessing in mind even though we may have to endure some trouble along the way. Don’t curse God when trouble comes; be patient and remain righteous.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Morning Prayer
Here is a good prayer to pray each morning to get you started on the right foot:
“Dear Lord, so far today I have been doing all right. I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy, grumpy, nasty selfish or self-indulgent. I haven’t whined, cursed or eaten any chocolate. But I am going to get out of bed in a few minutes, and I will need a lot more help after that. Amen.”
“Dear Lord, so far today I have been doing all right. I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy, grumpy, nasty selfish or self-indulgent. I haven’t whined, cursed or eaten any chocolate. But I am going to get out of bed in a few minutes, and I will need a lot more help after that. Amen.”
A New Kind of Calvinism
In her review of the recently released The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, Books & Culture, January/February 2007, pages 12-13, Sarah Hinlicky Wilson makes some interesting observations about the decade-long comic strip that had a profound influence on our culture. I have always loved Calvin & Hobbes and felt that Bill Watterson had a keen sense of American culture and critiqued it in a humorous, yet profound way.
Here are a few of her observations that I enjoyed:
“Hobbes…is neither Calvin’s better half nor his psychopomp. He is evry bit the rascal that Calvin is, though considerably more disguised in his misdeeds, especially in a rousing game of Calvinball or the at the sight of Susi Derkins. If Calvin is the unrepentant sinner, the ethicists will observe, then Hobbes is the Pharisee, smug of his virtuous living and immensely proud of not being human.”
“Is it right to charge ten billion dollars for a dinosaur skeleton constructed from backyard trash? Is it wrong to steal a truck from a bully if he stole it from you first? How about the quandaries raised by recent advances in corrugated cardboard technology? One must consider what benefits could be gained for science by transmogrifying oneself into a 500-story tall gastropd, a slug the size of the Chrysler building. One must decide whether the duplicator is better used as a counterfeit money machine or as a clone generator to supply oneself with a baseball team. What if the duplicator has an ethicator tacked on—and what if one’s good side is prone to badness?”
“The lure of a slushball square in Susie’s face confronts his limitless greed in an epic struggle. Calvin therefore tries to rationalize. It should count for more if a bad kid tries to be good than if a naturally good kid is good. Ten spontaneous, if reluctant, acts of good will a day should compensate for a year’s sordid sin. Relinquishing retaliation rights on Susie should produce [Christmas] presents by the truckload (never mind that Calvin provoked her in the first place and lied to Mom about it). Still, every Christmas without fail, Calvin is acquitted of his crimes and showered with gifts, even when he learns the wrong lesson from it. A parable of God’s love for the sinner and justification by faith, no works, the theologians infer—good Calvinism, indeed.”
Sorry, but I couldn’t find the article on the website. It must be only available in the print version.
Here are a few of her observations that I enjoyed:
“Hobbes…is neither Calvin’s better half nor his psychopomp. He is evry bit the rascal that Calvin is, though considerably more disguised in his misdeeds, especially in a rousing game of Calvinball or the at the sight of Susi Derkins. If Calvin is the unrepentant sinner, the ethicists will observe, then Hobbes is the Pharisee, smug of his virtuous living and immensely proud of not being human.”
“Is it right to charge ten billion dollars for a dinosaur skeleton constructed from backyard trash? Is it wrong to steal a truck from a bully if he stole it from you first? How about the quandaries raised by recent advances in corrugated cardboard technology? One must consider what benefits could be gained for science by transmogrifying oneself into a 500-story tall gastropd, a slug the size of the Chrysler building. One must decide whether the duplicator is better used as a counterfeit money machine or as a clone generator to supply oneself with a baseball team. What if the duplicator has an ethicator tacked on—and what if one’s good side is prone to badness?”
“The lure of a slushball square in Susie’s face confronts his limitless greed in an epic struggle. Calvin therefore tries to rationalize. It should count for more if a bad kid tries to be good than if a naturally good kid is good. Ten spontaneous, if reluctant, acts of good will a day should compensate for a year’s sordid sin. Relinquishing retaliation rights on Susie should produce [Christmas] presents by the truckload (never mind that Calvin provoked her in the first place and lied to Mom about it). Still, every Christmas without fail, Calvin is acquitted of his crimes and showered with gifts, even when he learns the wrong lesson from it. A parable of God’s love for the sinner and justification by faith, no works, the theologians infer—good Calvinism, indeed.”
Sorry, but I couldn’t find the article on the website. It must be only available in the print version.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
A New Paradigm
Stephen Covey, in his book The 8th Habit, says:
“If you want to make minor, incremental changes and improvements, work on practices, behavior or attitude. But if you want to make significant, quantum improvement, work on paradigms.”
A paradigm is a perception, assumption theory, frame of reference or lens through which you view the world. It is like a map of a city. If the map is inaccurate, it will make no difference how hard you try to find your destination or how positively you think—you’ll stay lost. But if the map is accurate, then diligence and attitude matter. But not until.
Covey uses the practice of bloodletting in the Middle Ages as an example of a wrong paradigm. It was the wrong paradigm of sickness and health that led the unnecessary death of many. If the paradigm is inaccurate, then the more efficient you are, or the faster you are, the more damage you will do. You could be the best at bloodletting and still be highly ineffective in curing disease. It wasn’t until a new paradigm of sickness and health was discovered, Germ Theory, that modern medicine was able to cure many of the diseases and illnesses that confounded doctors in the Middle Ages.
When we change our paradigm, and then our practice changes. Instead of spending time trying to get people to change their behavior, we should focus on changing their mindset. It takes more effort to do this, but it is much more effective in the long run. Give them an accurate map of reality, then they will be able to find their way through life. Paul said in Romans 12:2, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It takes more than just getting people to do a few more things better; it takes changing their mindset, so that they see things as God sees them and they think and feel about things as God thinks and feels about them. In this way, the whole person is transformed.
“If you want to make minor, incremental changes and improvements, work on practices, behavior or attitude. But if you want to make significant, quantum improvement, work on paradigms.”
A paradigm is a perception, assumption theory, frame of reference or lens through which you view the world. It is like a map of a city. If the map is inaccurate, it will make no difference how hard you try to find your destination or how positively you think—you’ll stay lost. But if the map is accurate, then diligence and attitude matter. But not until.
Covey uses the practice of bloodletting in the Middle Ages as an example of a wrong paradigm. It was the wrong paradigm of sickness and health that led the unnecessary death of many. If the paradigm is inaccurate, then the more efficient you are, or the faster you are, the more damage you will do. You could be the best at bloodletting and still be highly ineffective in curing disease. It wasn’t until a new paradigm of sickness and health was discovered, Germ Theory, that modern medicine was able to cure many of the diseases and illnesses that confounded doctors in the Middle Ages.
When we change our paradigm, and then our practice changes. Instead of spending time trying to get people to change their behavior, we should focus on changing their mindset. It takes more effort to do this, but it is much more effective in the long run. Give them an accurate map of reality, then they will be able to find their way through life. Paul said in Romans 12:2, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It takes more than just getting people to do a few more things better; it takes changing their mindset, so that they see things as God sees them and they think and feel about things as God thinks and feels about them. In this way, the whole person is transformed.
Lying with Statistics
We need to be careful when we use statistics to bolster our arguments. We also need to be more critical when others use statistics as well. Here is an excellent article that calls Christians to use statistics much more ethically. If we lie in order to make the truth more appealing or seem more urgent, we are doing God a disservice. While we might get short term results, we will end up hurting Christianity in the long run. Read this article and then evaluate how you use statistics, or how you have been misled by statistics, in the past.
Evangelicals Behaving Badly with Statistics
Mistakes were made.
by Christian Smith
Books & Culture, January/February, 2007.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/001/5.11.html
Evangelicals Behaving Badly with Statistics
Mistakes were made.
by Christian Smith
Books & Culture, January/February, 2007.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/001/5.11.html
Nicholas Nickleby
I always enjoy reading what Charles Dickens has written. In Nicholas Nickleby, Dickens spins a wonderful tale about a young boy, Nicholas, his sister, and his mother who are left destitute at the death of his father. He begs his uncle to help them, and he grudgingly gives them some token help. His uncle sets him up as a teacher in a boarding school. When the headmaster starts beating a crippled boy, Nicholas intervenes and beats the headmaster, ending his teaching career.
He finds another job acting in a theatre. He is at the height of his popularity when he gets a message that his sister is in trouble and needs his help. He instantly leaves his acting career and goes to defend his sister from an older man who is trying to take advantage of her. His actions against the man and the schoolmaster ruin his relationship with his uncle and his support is cut off. This begins a long feud between him and his uncle, who tries several times to destroy Nicholas.
Nicholas develops a close relationship with the crippled boy he rescued from the schoolmaster and he takes care of him and raises him like a younger brother. Nicholas is offered a great job and he becomes a respected man in the community. The crippled boy eventually dies and Nicholas is heartbroken. In addition to losing his best friend, his uncle schemes to take away the girl he loves, threatening Nicholas with the loss of all he loves.
But all of his uncle’s plans to destroy Nicholas backfire. His uncle eventually loses everything and is totally ruined. The last blow is that he learns the crippled boy was his son, born after he sent his wife away and raised by another family. He was told the boy died while he was still young, but the lie is uncovered after all he has been totally devastated financially and socially. The loss is too great for him and he commits suicide.
As he listens to the church bells ringing, he gives a moving speech before ending his life:
“Lie on! with your iron tongue! Ring merrily for births that make expectants writhe, and marriages that are made in hell, and toll ruefully for the dead whose shoes are worn already! Call men to prayers who are godly because not found out, and ring chimes for the coming in of every year that brings this cursed world nearer to its end. No bell or book for me! Throw me on a dunghill, and let me rot there, to infect the air!'
Dickens clearly contrasts the unfortunate end of Nicholas’ wicked uncle with Nicholas’ future. This is clearly demonstrated in the next two quotes, showing that the righteous are blessed in this life, in spite of their poverty, while the wicked are cursed, in spite of their wealth.
Another moving passage clearly shows that Charles Dickens had a profound empathy for the suffering of London’s poor, especially children:
“In every life, no matter how full or empty one’s purse, there is tragedy. It is the one promise that life always fulfills. Thus, happiness is a gift, and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes, and to add to other people’s store of it.”
The movie ends with a toast at a double wedding with a powerful description of what a family should be:
“What happens, if too early, we lose a parent, that party on whom we rely for only…everything. What did these people do when their families shrank? They cried their tears. But then they did the vital thing; they built a new family, person by person. They came to see the family need not be defined merely as those with whom they share blood, but as those for whom they would give their blood. It is in that spirit that we offer this heart-felt toast to the brides and grooms.”
He finds another job acting in a theatre. He is at the height of his popularity when he gets a message that his sister is in trouble and needs his help. He instantly leaves his acting career and goes to defend his sister from an older man who is trying to take advantage of her. His actions against the man and the schoolmaster ruin his relationship with his uncle and his support is cut off. This begins a long feud between him and his uncle, who tries several times to destroy Nicholas.
Nicholas develops a close relationship with the crippled boy he rescued from the schoolmaster and he takes care of him and raises him like a younger brother. Nicholas is offered a great job and he becomes a respected man in the community. The crippled boy eventually dies and Nicholas is heartbroken. In addition to losing his best friend, his uncle schemes to take away the girl he loves, threatening Nicholas with the loss of all he loves.
But all of his uncle’s plans to destroy Nicholas backfire. His uncle eventually loses everything and is totally ruined. The last blow is that he learns the crippled boy was his son, born after he sent his wife away and raised by another family. He was told the boy died while he was still young, but the lie is uncovered after all he has been totally devastated financially and socially. The loss is too great for him and he commits suicide.
As he listens to the church bells ringing, he gives a moving speech before ending his life:
“Lie on! with your iron tongue! Ring merrily for births that make expectants writhe, and marriages that are made in hell, and toll ruefully for the dead whose shoes are worn already! Call men to prayers who are godly because not found out, and ring chimes for the coming in of every year that brings this cursed world nearer to its end. No bell or book for me! Throw me on a dunghill, and let me rot there, to infect the air!'
Dickens clearly contrasts the unfortunate end of Nicholas’ wicked uncle with Nicholas’ future. This is clearly demonstrated in the next two quotes, showing that the righteous are blessed in this life, in spite of their poverty, while the wicked are cursed, in spite of their wealth.
Another moving passage clearly shows that Charles Dickens had a profound empathy for the suffering of London’s poor, especially children:
“In every life, no matter how full or empty one’s purse, there is tragedy. It is the one promise that life always fulfills. Thus, happiness is a gift, and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes, and to add to other people’s store of it.”
The movie ends with a toast at a double wedding with a powerful description of what a family should be:
“What happens, if too early, we lose a parent, that party on whom we rely for only…everything. What did these people do when their families shrank? They cried their tears. But then they did the vital thing; they built a new family, person by person. They came to see the family need not be defined merely as those with whom they share blood, but as those for whom they would give their blood. It is in that spirit that we offer this heart-felt toast to the brides and grooms.”
Monday, January 29, 2007
Valentine's Day Skit
Here is a skit I wrote for our youth group to be made into a video and shown at our Valentine's Banquet. It is still in the editing stage, so let me know what you think so I can make some last minute changes.
I Can Show You the World
AGYG Valentine’s Skit 2007
Cast:
Alan (Aladdin): Grant
Jessica (Jasmine): Christina
Andy (Abu): Paul
Jeff (Jafar): Charles
Gene (Genie): Josh
Jessica’s Mom: Eunice
Jessica’s Friend: Liz
Alan is a non-Christian who smokes, drinks, steals, and is mean
Jessica is a Christian girl who wants to be a missionary and serve God
Andy is Alan’s friend who often eggs him on to do bad things
Jeff is Jessica’s uncle who wants to get Alan arrested to keep him away from Jessica
Gene is Alan’s friend who teaches him how to trick Jessica into thinking he is a Christian
Jessica’s mom orders Jessica not to date Alan
Jessica’s friend uncovers the truth about Alan and convinces Jessica to break up with him
Scene One (Alan and Andy talking about the things they have just stolen)
Alan: That was close. We almost got caught by the store owner.
Andy: Yeah, but look at what we got! (Dumps iPod, camera, cds, etc. onto table).
Alan: Not bad. I bet we can get $100 for this iPod. $75 for the camera. $20 for these cds.
Andy: All in a day’s work. Hey, you wanna go get a beer? Cruise for some chicks?
Alan: I know just the place. There’s this cute girl that rocks.
Andy: Let’s go.
Scene Two (Jessica and Liz are talking about their future work for God)
Jessica: I just got back from this amazing retreat. God really spoke to me.
Liz: What happened?
Jessica: I dedicated my life to God and promised that I would become a missionary and go anywhere in the world to serve Him.
Liz: That’s pretty extreme, isn’t it?
Jessica: Yeah, but it is what I want to do with my life. I mean, I want to do something eternally significant.
Liz: I can see why you’re so excited about it. Who knows, I just might join you.
Jessica: That would be awesome.
Liz: I’ll pray about it. And for you, too.
Jessica: Thanks. You’re my best friend. I don’t know if I could make it without you.
Scene Three (Jeff and Jessica’s mom are talking about Jessica’s decision to be a missionary)
Jeff: I heard that Jessica is going to become a missionary.
Mom: I wish she would come to her senses and choose a more reasonable career.
Jeff: What a waste. She’s so talented, intelligent…and beautiful.
Mom: You don’t think you could talk some sense into her, do you?
Jeff: For you, my dear sister, I would do anything. Consider it done.
Mom: Thanks. You can’t imagine how troubling this is for me.
Jeff: Don’t worry. She’ll come to her senses, get a good job, find a nice guy….
Scene Four (Alan, Andy and Gene talking about how to get Alan hooked up with Jessica)
Alan: What did I tell you! She is one fine looking girl!
Andy: You weren’t kidding. She is hot!
Gene: Are you guys talking about Jessica?
Alan: That’s the beauty!
Gene: I feel sorry for you.
Alan: Why?
Gene: She’s a Christian.
Alan: So, what difference does that make? I don’t care what her religion is.
Andy: Yeah. What’s the big deal?
Gene: You don’t get it. She wouldn’t give a guy like you a second thought. She would never date a non-Christian.
Andy: What, is she some kind of bigot?
Gene: No. It’s just that she believes that dating someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus is wrong.
Alan: Wow. Is she a loony toon or something? I don’t want to get mixed up with some religious fanatic.
Gene: Don’t worry. She’s perfectly normal. Once she falls in love with you, Jesus will be out the window.
Andy: Yeah, Romeo here can charm any girl. Jesus doesn’t stand a chance against him.
Alan: Tell me your plan, gen-i-us. I’m all ears.
Scene Five (Jessica and Liz are talking about Alan)
Liz: I heard you went out with Alan last night. How did it go?
Jessica: It was like a dream! He’s so handsome… charming… romantic!
Liz: What did you guys do?
Jessica: Dinner at Maggiano’s. A movie. Talking late into the night.
Liz: What did you guys talk about?
Jessica: He told me he wants to go on the mission field and teach others about Jesus. I was so excited—he wants to do exactly what I want to do! Can you believe it; I’m so blessed.
Liz: Sounds like a dream come true. Maybe it’s too good to be true.
Jessica: It can’t be. I just feels so right.
Scene Six (Jeff and Jessica’s mom discussing Jessica’s new boyfriend)
Jeff: I heard Jessica has a new boyfriend.
Mom: Yes, and he wants to be a missionary, too. I just can’t win.
Jeff: All is not lost. I can get rid of this religious Romeo, no problem.
Mom: Are you sure?
Jeff: Leave it to me, sister. This guy is going down!
Scene Seven (Alan, Andy and Gene are discussing Jessica)
Alan: Gene, you’re a gen-I-us!
Andy: Stop the puns, Romeo. You’re making me sick.
Gene: I told you it would work.
Alan: She is eating out of my hands. She fell for every line I fed her. Now, if I can just take this to the next level. What should I do?
Andy: Slow down, Al, you’re going a little too fast, don’t you think?
Alan: No way. I’m going to reel this fish in as fast as I can. I don’t want her to get away.
Gene: Well, let me tell you what to do.
Alan: I’m all ears, gen-I-us.
Andy: (Andy rolls his eyes and groans)
Scene Eight (Jeff and Liz are talking about Jessica and Alan)
Jeff: I’m concerned about Jessica. What do you think of this new boyfriend of hers?
Liz: He seems ok. I mean, he is all that she wants in a guy.
Jeff: Really? That’s not what I found out.
Liz: What do you mean?
Jeff: I’ve been asking around, and it seems that Jessica’s boyfriend has quite a record of misdeeds.
Liz: Like what?
Jeff: Well, he’s been arrested twice for shoplifting in the past few years. He’s well known at all the bars and dance clubs. In fact, word on the street says he is even dealing crack, but I can’t verify that.
Liz: Are you sure?
Jeff: Checked it out with my cop friend. It all is true.
Liz: Wow. I need to tell Jessica.
Jeff: Yes. Please do. I am really concerned for her. So is her mother.
Scene Nine (Jessica and Alan fighting over the revelation of his true nature)
Jessica: How could you do this to me! You’re such a liar! A phony! We’re history!
Alan: But Jessica, I did it because I love you.
Jessica: Puh-lease! You don’t know what love is.
Alan: I can change. I’ll stop doing all the bad stuff.
Jessica: It’s more than that. I need someone who has the same passion for God that I have. You don’t even come close. I’m sorry, but I’m through with you!
Alan: But… I can show you the world.
Jessica: Don’t call me, I’ll call you…. Not!!!!
Scene Ten (Jeff and Jessica’s mother glorying in their victory)
Mom: I didn’t think you could pull it off.
Jeff: I’m surprised that you doubted me, sis.
Mom: And you even got him arrested for drug possession. How did you do that?
Jeff: You just have to know the right people. All it took was a phone call and a quick stash of crack in his car, and the rest is history.
Mom: You are sooooo evil. I love it. Now we just have to finish the work of changing Jessica’s mind.
Jeff: Leave it to me.
Mom: I will.
Scene Eleven (Two years later Alan runs into Jessica and tells her of his conversion in prison)
Alan: Hey, Jessica. Is that you?
Jessica: Alan? You look totally different. What’s up?
Alan: I just got out of prison. It changed my life.
Jessica: Really (sarcasticly)?
Alan: No, I’m serious. I hit bottom and all I could do was look up and ask Jesus to help me. And he did.
Jessica: I find it hard to believe.
Alan: I know. I don’t expect you to believe me. But give me a chance and I will show you that it’s real.
Jessica: I will pray for you. That’s all I can promise right now.
Alan: Thanks. That’s enough.
Scene Twelve (Two years later Jeff and Jessica’s mom are fighting about Jessica marrying Alan and going to Africa as missionaries)
Mom: I don’t believe it. You let them get married!
Jeff: I didn’t think she would ever talk to him again after what happened.
Mom: Well, you thought wrong. Now I have two religious psychos in my family. And Africa. Why Africa? Of all the places in the world to go, why did they go to that God-forsaken place?
Jeff: I’m sorry, but everything I tried didn’t work.
Mom: And now I have to live with the mess. You couldn’t have failed more miserably. Sometimes I wonder why mom ever let you live.
Scene Thirteen (Alan and Jessica in Africa)
Alan: This is the most incredible experience I have ever had. I couldn’t have imagined life could be so fulfilling and meaningful. And the best part is that I get to spend it with you.
Jessica: You’re so wonderful. You’re all that I want in a man, and more. And to think we can serve God together for our whole lives. It’s truly amazing.
Alan: We are so blessed. I finally understand what love is all about. I’m going to cherish you for the rest of my life.
Jessica: It is truly a miracle how God brought us together. It couldn’t be more perfect.
Alan: I agree. Loving Jesus, loving you, and loving these Africans is the most important thing I could do with my life. I have found true love in every aspect of my life. Thank you for being patient with me.
Jessica: I’m truly glad that I gave you a second chance. I guess God still works miracles and changes lives. I have never been so happy in all my life, and you are an important part of that. I love you.
I Can Show You the World
AGYG Valentine’s Skit 2007
Cast:
Alan (Aladdin): Grant
Jessica (Jasmine): Christina
Andy (Abu): Paul
Jeff (Jafar): Charles
Gene (Genie): Josh
Jessica’s Mom: Eunice
Jessica’s Friend: Liz
Alan is a non-Christian who smokes, drinks, steals, and is mean
Jessica is a Christian girl who wants to be a missionary and serve God
Andy is Alan’s friend who often eggs him on to do bad things
Jeff is Jessica’s uncle who wants to get Alan arrested to keep him away from Jessica
Gene is Alan’s friend who teaches him how to trick Jessica into thinking he is a Christian
Jessica’s mom orders Jessica not to date Alan
Jessica’s friend uncovers the truth about Alan and convinces Jessica to break up with him
Scene One (Alan and Andy talking about the things they have just stolen)
Alan: That was close. We almost got caught by the store owner.
Andy: Yeah, but look at what we got! (Dumps iPod, camera, cds, etc. onto table).
Alan: Not bad. I bet we can get $100 for this iPod. $75 for the camera. $20 for these cds.
Andy: All in a day’s work. Hey, you wanna go get a beer? Cruise for some chicks?
Alan: I know just the place. There’s this cute girl that rocks.
Andy: Let’s go.
Scene Two (Jessica and Liz are talking about their future work for God)
Jessica: I just got back from this amazing retreat. God really spoke to me.
Liz: What happened?
Jessica: I dedicated my life to God and promised that I would become a missionary and go anywhere in the world to serve Him.
Liz: That’s pretty extreme, isn’t it?
Jessica: Yeah, but it is what I want to do with my life. I mean, I want to do something eternally significant.
Liz: I can see why you’re so excited about it. Who knows, I just might join you.
Jessica: That would be awesome.
Liz: I’ll pray about it. And for you, too.
Jessica: Thanks. You’re my best friend. I don’t know if I could make it without you.
Scene Three (Jeff and Jessica’s mom are talking about Jessica’s decision to be a missionary)
Jeff: I heard that Jessica is going to become a missionary.
Mom: I wish she would come to her senses and choose a more reasonable career.
Jeff: What a waste. She’s so talented, intelligent…and beautiful.
Mom: You don’t think you could talk some sense into her, do you?
Jeff: For you, my dear sister, I would do anything. Consider it done.
Mom: Thanks. You can’t imagine how troubling this is for me.
Jeff: Don’t worry. She’ll come to her senses, get a good job, find a nice guy….
Scene Four (Alan, Andy and Gene talking about how to get Alan hooked up with Jessica)
Alan: What did I tell you! She is one fine looking girl!
Andy: You weren’t kidding. She is hot!
Gene: Are you guys talking about Jessica?
Alan: That’s the beauty!
Gene: I feel sorry for you.
Alan: Why?
Gene: She’s a Christian.
Alan: So, what difference does that make? I don’t care what her religion is.
Andy: Yeah. What’s the big deal?
Gene: You don’t get it. She wouldn’t give a guy like you a second thought. She would never date a non-Christian.
Andy: What, is she some kind of bigot?
Gene: No. It’s just that she believes that dating someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus is wrong.
Alan: Wow. Is she a loony toon or something? I don’t want to get mixed up with some religious fanatic.
Gene: Don’t worry. She’s perfectly normal. Once she falls in love with you, Jesus will be out the window.
Andy: Yeah, Romeo here can charm any girl. Jesus doesn’t stand a chance against him.
Alan: Tell me your plan, gen-i-us. I’m all ears.
Scene Five (Jessica and Liz are talking about Alan)
Liz: I heard you went out with Alan last night. How did it go?
Jessica: It was like a dream! He’s so handsome… charming… romantic!
Liz: What did you guys do?
Jessica: Dinner at Maggiano’s. A movie. Talking late into the night.
Liz: What did you guys talk about?
Jessica: He told me he wants to go on the mission field and teach others about Jesus. I was so excited—he wants to do exactly what I want to do! Can you believe it; I’m so blessed.
Liz: Sounds like a dream come true. Maybe it’s too good to be true.
Jessica: It can’t be. I just feels so right.
Scene Six (Jeff and Jessica’s mom discussing Jessica’s new boyfriend)
Jeff: I heard Jessica has a new boyfriend.
Mom: Yes, and he wants to be a missionary, too. I just can’t win.
Jeff: All is not lost. I can get rid of this religious Romeo, no problem.
Mom: Are you sure?
Jeff: Leave it to me, sister. This guy is going down!
Scene Seven (Alan, Andy and Gene are discussing Jessica)
Alan: Gene, you’re a gen-I-us!
Andy: Stop the puns, Romeo. You’re making me sick.
Gene: I told you it would work.
Alan: She is eating out of my hands. She fell for every line I fed her. Now, if I can just take this to the next level. What should I do?
Andy: Slow down, Al, you’re going a little too fast, don’t you think?
Alan: No way. I’m going to reel this fish in as fast as I can. I don’t want her to get away.
Gene: Well, let me tell you what to do.
Alan: I’m all ears, gen-I-us.
Andy: (Andy rolls his eyes and groans)
Scene Eight (Jeff and Liz are talking about Jessica and Alan)
Jeff: I’m concerned about Jessica. What do you think of this new boyfriend of hers?
Liz: He seems ok. I mean, he is all that she wants in a guy.
Jeff: Really? That’s not what I found out.
Liz: What do you mean?
Jeff: I’ve been asking around, and it seems that Jessica’s boyfriend has quite a record of misdeeds.
Liz: Like what?
Jeff: Well, he’s been arrested twice for shoplifting in the past few years. He’s well known at all the bars and dance clubs. In fact, word on the street says he is even dealing crack, but I can’t verify that.
Liz: Are you sure?
Jeff: Checked it out with my cop friend. It all is true.
Liz: Wow. I need to tell Jessica.
Jeff: Yes. Please do. I am really concerned for her. So is her mother.
Scene Nine (Jessica and Alan fighting over the revelation of his true nature)
Jessica: How could you do this to me! You’re such a liar! A phony! We’re history!
Alan: But Jessica, I did it because I love you.
Jessica: Puh-lease! You don’t know what love is.
Alan: I can change. I’ll stop doing all the bad stuff.
Jessica: It’s more than that. I need someone who has the same passion for God that I have. You don’t even come close. I’m sorry, but I’m through with you!
Alan: But… I can show you the world.
Jessica: Don’t call me, I’ll call you…. Not!!!!
Scene Ten (Jeff and Jessica’s mother glorying in their victory)
Mom: I didn’t think you could pull it off.
Jeff: I’m surprised that you doubted me, sis.
Mom: And you even got him arrested for drug possession. How did you do that?
Jeff: You just have to know the right people. All it took was a phone call and a quick stash of crack in his car, and the rest is history.
Mom: You are sooooo evil. I love it. Now we just have to finish the work of changing Jessica’s mind.
Jeff: Leave it to me.
Mom: I will.
Scene Eleven (Two years later Alan runs into Jessica and tells her of his conversion in prison)
Alan: Hey, Jessica. Is that you?
Jessica: Alan? You look totally different. What’s up?
Alan: I just got out of prison. It changed my life.
Jessica: Really (sarcasticly)?
Alan: No, I’m serious. I hit bottom and all I could do was look up and ask Jesus to help me. And he did.
Jessica: I find it hard to believe.
Alan: I know. I don’t expect you to believe me. But give me a chance and I will show you that it’s real.
Jessica: I will pray for you. That’s all I can promise right now.
Alan: Thanks. That’s enough.
Scene Twelve (Two years later Jeff and Jessica’s mom are fighting about Jessica marrying Alan and going to Africa as missionaries)
Mom: I don’t believe it. You let them get married!
Jeff: I didn’t think she would ever talk to him again after what happened.
Mom: Well, you thought wrong. Now I have two religious psychos in my family. And Africa. Why Africa? Of all the places in the world to go, why did they go to that God-forsaken place?
Jeff: I’m sorry, but everything I tried didn’t work.
Mom: And now I have to live with the mess. You couldn’t have failed more miserably. Sometimes I wonder why mom ever let you live.
Scene Thirteen (Alan and Jessica in Africa)
Alan: This is the most incredible experience I have ever had. I couldn’t have imagined life could be so fulfilling and meaningful. And the best part is that I get to spend it with you.
Jessica: You’re so wonderful. You’re all that I want in a man, and more. And to think we can serve God together for our whole lives. It’s truly amazing.
Alan: We are so blessed. I finally understand what love is all about. I’m going to cherish you for the rest of my life.
Jessica: It is truly a miracle how God brought us together. It couldn’t be more perfect.
Alan: I agree. Loving Jesus, loving you, and loving these Africans is the most important thing I could do with my life. I have found true love in every aspect of my life. Thank you for being patient with me.
Jessica: I’m truly glad that I gave you a second chance. I guess God still works miracles and changes lives. I have never been so happy in all my life, and you are an important part of that. I love you.
Cymbeline
This is another of Shakespeare’s romantic plays written near the end of his life. Cymbeline, King of Britain, who lost his two sons while they were very young, marries a new wife with an arrogant son, Cloten. Cymbeline’s daughter, Imogen, is expected to marry Cloten, but she disobeys and marries the brave, but poor, Posthumus Leonatus. Cymbeline banishes Posthumus, and the couple exchange gifts to seal their love since they are unable to consummate their marriage. Imogen gives Posthumus a ring and he gives her a bracelet.
Posthumus flees to Rome where he defends his wife’s honor after the villain Iachimo questions her chastity. Iachimo brags that he can seduce Posthumus’ wife easily, so the two make a bet. Iachimo schemes to enter Imogen’s bedroom in a trunk, steals her bracelet and discovers a mole under her breast. He convinces Posthumus that he has slept with her with this knowledge and the bracelet. Posthumus gives his ring to Iachimo and then writes a letter to his servant to kill his unfaithful wife.
Meanwhile, Imogen again spurns Cloten and tells him he isn’t worthy to wear even Posthumus’ shabbiest clothes. The Queen is furious and tries to poison Imogen, but the physician realizing her scheme, makes a potion that merely numbs the senses but doesn’t kill. Imogen dresses like a young boy and goes with the servant to meet Posthumus. Along the way she meets Belarius, a nobleman, who had kidnapped the Cymbeline’s two infant sons, Guiderius and Arviragus, and raised them as his own. Calling herself Fidele, the two men are unaware that she is a girl, let alone their sister.
Cloten realizes that Imogen has fled, so he dresses in Posthumus’ clothes and chases after her. Cloten argues with Guiderius and is killed by him and his brother Arviragus. Imogen has taken the Queen’s poison, thinking it is medicine, and she passes out. The two men hide the decapitated Cloten in the forest and do the same to Imogen when they find her, thinking she is also dead. When Imogen recovers from the poison, she sees the decapitated body and thinks it is her husband, Posthumus.
The Queen goes mad at the disappearance of her son, Cloten, and dies. King Cymbeline then encounters Belarius with the two young men Guiderius and Arviragus, and orders them killed for killing the king’s stepson Cloten. Belarius then reveals the true identity of the boys and they are reunited with their true father, King Cymbeline. Iachimo also confesses to the King Cymbeline how he came upon the ring that belonged to Posthumus. After his confession, Imogen reveals her true identity and Iachimo is horrified. King Cymbeline is overjoyed to be reunited with his daughter as well as his two long-lost sons. At last, Posthumus is discovered and the whole family rejoices together.
Imogen’s chastity and loyalty to her husband, even though he had lost faith in her, is touching. In a world where such loyalty and virtue are rare, it is important to have such positive role models. Chastity and loyalty are essential to a healthy marriage and society. It would do everyone good to meditate on the attitude and actions of Imogen and seek to imitate her virtue.
Posthumus flees to Rome where he defends his wife’s honor after the villain Iachimo questions her chastity. Iachimo brags that he can seduce Posthumus’ wife easily, so the two make a bet. Iachimo schemes to enter Imogen’s bedroom in a trunk, steals her bracelet and discovers a mole under her breast. He convinces Posthumus that he has slept with her with this knowledge and the bracelet. Posthumus gives his ring to Iachimo and then writes a letter to his servant to kill his unfaithful wife.
Meanwhile, Imogen again spurns Cloten and tells him he isn’t worthy to wear even Posthumus’ shabbiest clothes. The Queen is furious and tries to poison Imogen, but the physician realizing her scheme, makes a potion that merely numbs the senses but doesn’t kill. Imogen dresses like a young boy and goes with the servant to meet Posthumus. Along the way she meets Belarius, a nobleman, who had kidnapped the Cymbeline’s two infant sons, Guiderius and Arviragus, and raised them as his own. Calling herself Fidele, the two men are unaware that she is a girl, let alone their sister.
Cloten realizes that Imogen has fled, so he dresses in Posthumus’ clothes and chases after her. Cloten argues with Guiderius and is killed by him and his brother Arviragus. Imogen has taken the Queen’s poison, thinking it is medicine, and she passes out. The two men hide the decapitated Cloten in the forest and do the same to Imogen when they find her, thinking she is also dead. When Imogen recovers from the poison, she sees the decapitated body and thinks it is her husband, Posthumus.
The Queen goes mad at the disappearance of her son, Cloten, and dies. King Cymbeline then encounters Belarius with the two young men Guiderius and Arviragus, and orders them killed for killing the king’s stepson Cloten. Belarius then reveals the true identity of the boys and they are reunited with their true father, King Cymbeline. Iachimo also confesses to the King Cymbeline how he came upon the ring that belonged to Posthumus. After his confession, Imogen reveals her true identity and Iachimo is horrified. King Cymbeline is overjoyed to be reunited with his daughter as well as his two long-lost sons. At last, Posthumus is discovered and the whole family rejoices together.
Imogen’s chastity and loyalty to her husband, even though he had lost faith in her, is touching. In a world where such loyalty and virtue are rare, it is important to have such positive role models. Chastity and loyalty are essential to a healthy marriage and society. It would do everyone good to meditate on the attitude and actions of Imogen and seek to imitate her virtue.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Prayer & the Cross
Here is an excerpt from a helpful article by Laureen F. Winner entitle “Prayer and the Cross” that reviews Philip Yancy's book, Prayer: Does it Make Any Difference, and David Crump's book, Knocking on Heaven's Door, in Books & Culture, January/February 2007, page 9:
In the last chapter, Crump draws together several overarching, constructive conclusions: the Bible tells us that we pray to a personal God, who responds to our prayers. Indeed, the New Testament suggests an intimate relationship with God, a God who cares even about the small details of our lives. Crump insists that God is "personally available to hear and to respond to each individual's requests in a two-way relationship of personal give and take." Those who charge that such a view somehow undoes God's sovereignty are themselves, says Crump, captive to a "Neoplatonic theological prejudice that substitutes … philosophical smoke and mirrors for the truth plainly revealed in Scripture."
Crump dwells on the eschatological emphasis of New Testament prayer. Jesus taught us to pray "thy will be done," a petition that underscores the fact that we live, and pray, in in-between times, and most New Testament prayers focus on "things that matter for eternity." Paul's intercessions, for example, typically found him praying that others would be eschatologically formed and eschatologically minded, that they would finish the race well, and come to the throne of Christ where they could hear the praise, "Well done, good and faithful servants." Taken as a whole, the New Testament—which is filled not with requests for miracles so much as pleas for endurance during times of trial—seems to suggest that "suffering [is] the norm for God's people." Today, many of the prayers that go unanswered are prayers that, one way or another, ask to evade suffering. Hence in his last few paragraphs, Crump offers a radical affirmation of the centrality of the Cross to Christian prayer. Powerful prayer, he says, is not prayer that leads to bodily healing and riches. Rather, the Bible's model of powerful prayer is Paul's petition, in prison, that we "may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ."
One wishes only that Crump's provocative concluding remarks were not so brief. His clearly circumscribed purpose is to address prayer as it appears in the New Testament, not as it appears in people's homes and churches today—yet, his words about eschatology and suffering are so unsettling that one wishes he had teased out more explicitly the implications of New Testament prayer for the lives of ordinary Christians in the 21st century.
Perhaps the implications for us are this: without dissenting from the notion that prayer can make a difference in human events, we can, as Crump suggests, affirm that the essential shape of our prayer is cruciform. When we suffer, a miraculous answer to prayer is not out of the question, but our hopes for a miracle ought to be secondary. The primary hope with which we pray, in our sufferings and our darkness, is the hope of the Resurrection.
Read the complete article at:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/001/2.8.html
In the last chapter, Crump draws together several overarching, constructive conclusions: the Bible tells us that we pray to a personal God, who responds to our prayers. Indeed, the New Testament suggests an intimate relationship with God, a God who cares even about the small details of our lives. Crump insists that God is "personally available to hear and to respond to each individual's requests in a two-way relationship of personal give and take." Those who charge that such a view somehow undoes God's sovereignty are themselves, says Crump, captive to a "Neoplatonic theological prejudice that substitutes … philosophical smoke and mirrors for the truth plainly revealed in Scripture."
Crump dwells on the eschatological emphasis of New Testament prayer. Jesus taught us to pray "thy will be done," a petition that underscores the fact that we live, and pray, in in-between times, and most New Testament prayers focus on "things that matter for eternity." Paul's intercessions, for example, typically found him praying that others would be eschatologically formed and eschatologically minded, that they would finish the race well, and come to the throne of Christ where they could hear the praise, "Well done, good and faithful servants." Taken as a whole, the New Testament—which is filled not with requests for miracles so much as pleas for endurance during times of trial—seems to suggest that "suffering [is] the norm for God's people." Today, many of the prayers that go unanswered are prayers that, one way or another, ask to evade suffering. Hence in his last few paragraphs, Crump offers a radical affirmation of the centrality of the Cross to Christian prayer. Powerful prayer, he says, is not prayer that leads to bodily healing and riches. Rather, the Bible's model of powerful prayer is Paul's petition, in prison, that we "may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ."
One wishes only that Crump's provocative concluding remarks were not so brief. His clearly circumscribed purpose is to address prayer as it appears in the New Testament, not as it appears in people's homes and churches today—yet, his words about eschatology and suffering are so unsettling that one wishes he had teased out more explicitly the implications of New Testament prayer for the lives of ordinary Christians in the 21st century.
Perhaps the implications for us are this: without dissenting from the notion that prayer can make a difference in human events, we can, as Crump suggests, affirm that the essential shape of our prayer is cruciform. When we suffer, a miraculous answer to prayer is not out of the question, but our hopes for a miracle ought to be secondary. The primary hope with which we pray, in our sufferings and our darkness, is the hope of the Resurrection.
Read the complete article at:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/001/2.8.html
Naming God & Prayer
Here is an excerpt from an article (“Naming God” by Virginia Stem Owens, Books & Culture, January/February 2007, page 10) that I thought was helpful:
As for the generic term, god, talk about God can get by with that designation, but addressing God directly seems to require something more. Prayer bonds us to God with a peculiar intimacy. It is what brings us to the point of actually needing to name this Person in whose image we are made.
If God is no more than concept or, as some theologians like to say, construct, then there is little point in naming him. One does not cry out to a concept or a construct. One may respect or admire it, even preach about it or advertise it, trying to attract converts to its cause. But one does not expect an answer if one were to address it or try to communicate with it. Only a person can do that. Calling God's name in the expectation or maybe just the hope that he hears, the supplicant recognizes God, if only fleetingly or even unwittingly, as a person, a person who can respond.
You can read the whole article at:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/001/1.8.html
As for the generic term, god, talk about God can get by with that designation, but addressing God directly seems to require something more. Prayer bonds us to God with a peculiar intimacy. It is what brings us to the point of actually needing to name this Person in whose image we are made.
If God is no more than concept or, as some theologians like to say, construct, then there is little point in naming him. One does not cry out to a concept or a construct. One may respect or admire it, even preach about it or advertise it, trying to attract converts to its cause. But one does not expect an answer if one were to address it or try to communicate with it. Only a person can do that. Calling God's name in the expectation or maybe just the hope that he hears, the supplicant recognizes God, if only fleetingly or even unwittingly, as a person, a person who can respond.
You can read the whole article at:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/001/1.8.html
Revival or Political Action
In the 1700’s the First Great Awakening helped shape the new nation, rejuvenating the spirit of the colonies and propelling them forward to stand on their own as an independent nation. In the early part of the century, the religious climate of the colonies began to cool as men began to focus on building prosperity instead of seeking after God. Several great preachers, Jonathan Edwards being in the lead, vigorously proclaimed the Word of God in the power of the Spirit, igniting a revival the swept across the New World. The basis of the Great Awakening was the Bible and revival broke out when men began to live their lives according to the Word of God. The major result of the Great Awakening was the founding of schools to teach the Word of God to the next generation. Such great universities as Harvard, Yale and Princeton owe their existence to the Great Awakening.
In the 1800’s the Second Great Awakening helped shape the growing nation, calling many to work to rectify the many of the social ills plaguing the growing urban and industrial areas. Revival spread like wildfire through the frontier, as circuit preachers and revivalists whipped the hardened frontiersmen into a frenzy. The fire spread back east as well, and the whole nation was stirred. Prominent preachers, such as Charles Finney, Lyman Beecher, Barton Stone, and Peter Cartwright, focused not on a deep understanding of the Word of God, as in the First Great Awakening, but on getting people to make a “decision” for Christ. As a result, the revival was much more emotional and given to extreme excesses. In spite of this, the revival sparked a nation-wide effort to stomp out social ills and injustice. Instead of establishing universities, they established hospitals, orphanages, the YMCA, temperance societies and pursued women’s rights and the end of slavery. The greatest immediate impact was the rise of the abolitionists and the Civil War. The end of slavery was greatly brought about because of the Second Great Awakening.
In the 1900’s there was no great revival. Instead, conservative Christians retreated from the world in response to the embarrassment of the Scopes Trial and the incessant attacks of scientific rationalism. Mainline denominations responded to this onslaught by jettisoning orthodox theology and adapting to the growing rationalistic and scientific mindset of the nation. By rejecting miracles, creation, biblical inerrancy, the deity of Christ, and the sacrificial atonement, mainline churches lost their distinctiveness and spiritual power. They focused on social issues, such as the poor, segregation and equal rights. However, they lost the ability to change the spiritual condition of the nation.
Conservative Christians, on the other hands, retreated from the world and had a fortress mentality. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that they began to venture out of their enclaves and their own unique subculture to engage society. However, instead of seeking to renew society by first renewing the church through revival, Conservative Christians sought to change society through political action. First, they helped the first “born again” president to get elected. However, they quickly dropped Jimmy Carter in favor of the suave Ronald Reagan. Many Conservative Christians were enamored with Reagan and thought that he would be instrumental in restoring the nation spiritually. However, it is doubtful is Reagan was even a “born again” Christian according to Conservative Christian standards. His successor, George Bush Sr. did even less to solve the social ills that Conservative Christians lamented. Eight years under Bill Clinton frustrated their efforts until they got George Bush Jr. into office. Along with dominating the executive branch, Conservatives also took control of the legislative and judicial (somewhat) branches as well.
In spite of obtaining all of this political power in the last three decades of the 20th century, there has been little improvement in our society. There has been no revival, no spiritual renewal, no massive social change. Christianity had little impact on the ills of society in the 20th century. Unlike the previous two centuries, where revival brought social change, this last century brought neither revival nor social change, primarily because the order was reversed. Until the church seeks revival, and allows God to change us first, there will be no change in society. If the church is languishing and suffering from many of the same ills as society, it is powerless to make any difference. I'm not saying Christians shouldn't be involved in politics--they must--but that political action is no substitute for revival and the action of God.
While Mainline churches became like the world in their beliefs, and lost their influence, Conservative Christians became like the world in their practice, and lost all credibility and power. If the church is no different from the world, in belief and practice, it will be incapable of solving the problems that plague our nation. We need a mighty work of God, not man, that sweeps through the church, blowing out the dust within, making it holy, righteous and pure, so that it can be filled with the Spirit. Until then, we really have nothing to offer to the world.
In the 1800’s the Second Great Awakening helped shape the growing nation, calling many to work to rectify the many of the social ills plaguing the growing urban and industrial areas. Revival spread like wildfire through the frontier, as circuit preachers and revivalists whipped the hardened frontiersmen into a frenzy. The fire spread back east as well, and the whole nation was stirred. Prominent preachers, such as Charles Finney, Lyman Beecher, Barton Stone, and Peter Cartwright, focused not on a deep understanding of the Word of God, as in the First Great Awakening, but on getting people to make a “decision” for Christ. As a result, the revival was much more emotional and given to extreme excesses. In spite of this, the revival sparked a nation-wide effort to stomp out social ills and injustice. Instead of establishing universities, they established hospitals, orphanages, the YMCA, temperance societies and pursued women’s rights and the end of slavery. The greatest immediate impact was the rise of the abolitionists and the Civil War. The end of slavery was greatly brought about because of the Second Great Awakening.
In the 1900’s there was no great revival. Instead, conservative Christians retreated from the world in response to the embarrassment of the Scopes Trial and the incessant attacks of scientific rationalism. Mainline denominations responded to this onslaught by jettisoning orthodox theology and adapting to the growing rationalistic and scientific mindset of the nation. By rejecting miracles, creation, biblical inerrancy, the deity of Christ, and the sacrificial atonement, mainline churches lost their distinctiveness and spiritual power. They focused on social issues, such as the poor, segregation and equal rights. However, they lost the ability to change the spiritual condition of the nation.
Conservative Christians, on the other hands, retreated from the world and had a fortress mentality. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that they began to venture out of their enclaves and their own unique subculture to engage society. However, instead of seeking to renew society by first renewing the church through revival, Conservative Christians sought to change society through political action. First, they helped the first “born again” president to get elected. However, they quickly dropped Jimmy Carter in favor of the suave Ronald Reagan. Many Conservative Christians were enamored with Reagan and thought that he would be instrumental in restoring the nation spiritually. However, it is doubtful is Reagan was even a “born again” Christian according to Conservative Christian standards. His successor, George Bush Sr. did even less to solve the social ills that Conservative Christians lamented. Eight years under Bill Clinton frustrated their efforts until they got George Bush Jr. into office. Along with dominating the executive branch, Conservatives also took control of the legislative and judicial (somewhat) branches as well.
In spite of obtaining all of this political power in the last three decades of the 20th century, there has been little improvement in our society. There has been no revival, no spiritual renewal, no massive social change. Christianity had little impact on the ills of society in the 20th century. Unlike the previous two centuries, where revival brought social change, this last century brought neither revival nor social change, primarily because the order was reversed. Until the church seeks revival, and allows God to change us first, there will be no change in society. If the church is languishing and suffering from many of the same ills as society, it is powerless to make any difference. I'm not saying Christians shouldn't be involved in politics--they must--but that political action is no substitute for revival and the action of God.
While Mainline churches became like the world in their beliefs, and lost their influence, Conservative Christians became like the world in their practice, and lost all credibility and power. If the church is no different from the world, in belief and practice, it will be incapable of solving the problems that plague our nation. We need a mighty work of God, not man, that sweeps through the church, blowing out the dust within, making it holy, righteous and pure, so that it can be filled with the Spirit. Until then, we really have nothing to offer to the world.
Pericles: Prince of Tyre
This is one of William Shakespeare’s romantic plays written near the end of his life. While it is touching, I felt it was too contrived, losing its appeal. It is a wonderful tale of love lost and regained, but the circumstances are hard to believe and relate to. The ending was also easy to figure out half way through the story.
Young prince Pericles falls in love with the princess of Antioch, but the king tries to kill him, sending his chamberlain to pursue Pericles back to Tyre and kill him. Pericles takes a trip to escape the king’s wrath and ends up in Tharsus, where he helps alleviate a famine. He then goes on a sea voyage to escape the king’s assassin, and is shipwrecked and washed ashore at Pentapolis. There he enters a jousting contest and wins the heart of the king’s daughter, Thaisa. They marry, Thaisa becomes pregnant, and they agree to return to Tyre.
On the voyage back to Tyre, Thaisa gives birth to a daughter, whom they name Marina because she was born at sea. Thaisa dies in childbirth and Pericles buries her at sea in a wood coffin. Pericles stops off at Tharsus and leaves Marina there because he is afraid she might die in a storm at sea as well. After 12 months in Tharsus, Pericles returns to Tyre a broken and lonely man, having lost all that he loves.
However, Thaisa’s coffin washes ashore at Ephesus. The coffin is brought to Cerimon’s house, where he uses an ancient Egyptian ritual to restore her back to life. She takes up residence in the temple of Diana as a vestal virgin, convinced she will never see Pericles again.
Marina grows up in Tharsus, but the woman taking care of her becomes jealous of her beauty and seeks to kill her. The murder plot is thwarted but Marina is captured by pirates of Valdes who sell her to a brothel in Mytilene. Meanwhile, the story is spread that Marina is dead, making Pericles’ anguish greater. Pericles becomes so depressed he sets out to end his days wandering about.
Marina, meanwhile, refuses to be a prostitute and maintains her virginity. Many who try to seduce her end up being converted to living righteouly. She escapes the brothel and finds refuge teaching music to the children of the nobles. Pericles’ ship arrives at Mytilene and he is reunited with his daughter. He refuses to believe that she is truly Marina, but is finally convinced and rejoices in finding his long lost daughter.
Pericles then receives a vision from the goddess Diana who tells him to go to Ephesus and worship at her temple. He obeys the vision and finds his wife Thaisa living in the temple. Again, he refuses to believe that she is really his wife since he buried her at sea with his own hands. He is finally convinced and he embraces her and the family is joyfully reunited.
Pericles and Thaisa return to Pentapolis to rule in place of Thaisa’s dead father. Marina and her husband Lysimachus return to Tyre and reign on Pericles’ throne. The play ends with the narrarator, Gower, giving the moral of the tale, explaining how each character is an object lesson. As for Pericles, Thaisa, and Marina, the moral is that those who live righteous lives will be able to withstand the hatred of evil men and the harsh misfortunes of life.
Young prince Pericles falls in love with the princess of Antioch, but the king tries to kill him, sending his chamberlain to pursue Pericles back to Tyre and kill him. Pericles takes a trip to escape the king’s wrath and ends up in Tharsus, where he helps alleviate a famine. He then goes on a sea voyage to escape the king’s assassin, and is shipwrecked and washed ashore at Pentapolis. There he enters a jousting contest and wins the heart of the king’s daughter, Thaisa. They marry, Thaisa becomes pregnant, and they agree to return to Tyre.
On the voyage back to Tyre, Thaisa gives birth to a daughter, whom they name Marina because she was born at sea. Thaisa dies in childbirth and Pericles buries her at sea in a wood coffin. Pericles stops off at Tharsus and leaves Marina there because he is afraid she might die in a storm at sea as well. After 12 months in Tharsus, Pericles returns to Tyre a broken and lonely man, having lost all that he loves.
However, Thaisa’s coffin washes ashore at Ephesus. The coffin is brought to Cerimon’s house, where he uses an ancient Egyptian ritual to restore her back to life. She takes up residence in the temple of Diana as a vestal virgin, convinced she will never see Pericles again.
Marina grows up in Tharsus, but the woman taking care of her becomes jealous of her beauty and seeks to kill her. The murder plot is thwarted but Marina is captured by pirates of Valdes who sell her to a brothel in Mytilene. Meanwhile, the story is spread that Marina is dead, making Pericles’ anguish greater. Pericles becomes so depressed he sets out to end his days wandering about.
Marina, meanwhile, refuses to be a prostitute and maintains her virginity. Many who try to seduce her end up being converted to living righteouly. She escapes the brothel and finds refuge teaching music to the children of the nobles. Pericles’ ship arrives at Mytilene and he is reunited with his daughter. He refuses to believe that she is truly Marina, but is finally convinced and rejoices in finding his long lost daughter.
Pericles then receives a vision from the goddess Diana who tells him to go to Ephesus and worship at her temple. He obeys the vision and finds his wife Thaisa living in the temple. Again, he refuses to believe that she is really his wife since he buried her at sea with his own hands. He is finally convinced and he embraces her and the family is joyfully reunited.
Pericles and Thaisa return to Pentapolis to rule in place of Thaisa’s dead father. Marina and her husband Lysimachus return to Tyre and reign on Pericles’ throne. The play ends with the narrarator, Gower, giving the moral of the tale, explaining how each character is an object lesson. As for Pericles, Thaisa, and Marina, the moral is that those who live righteous lives will be able to withstand the hatred of evil men and the harsh misfortunes of life.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Life Lessons 13
The final life lesson is Happiness. Be fully alive or fully dead. Make your life count because your time is limited. Learn to enjoy every moment of life.
Happiness is a state of mind and is not based on circumstances. Temporary elation is not lasting happiness. The culture trains us to be unhappy, tells us we are not worthy of happiness, and causes us to feel guilty when we are happy. You are God's child, you have all you need so you can give to others.
Happy people are unselfish while unhappy people are selfish. Happiness depends not on what happens to you but on how you respond to what happens to you. Happiness is determined by how you interpret your circumstances, what you perceive, and how you integrate your experiences into your life. Do you focus on what is negative or what is positive. Do you see what is the worst or what is the best. Whatever you focus on tends to grow. You get more of what you dwell on, so if you dwell on the negative you will get more negative things in your life. If you focus on what makes you unhappy, you will get more of what makes you unhappy. Conversely, if you focus on what is good, positive, and makes you happy, you will get more of that.
Don't compare yourselves to others. This is a great source of unhappiness. Realize that you are not a victim of the world. The world is not out to get you ad make you miserable. Nothing happens TO you, it just happens. Its’ not about YOU, so don’t interpret it as happening to you.
As long as you live in “when”, “if”, or “should”, you will never be happy. If you are waiting for something to happen before you can be happy, you will never be happy. If you think you can be happy only if certain conditions are present, you will never be happy. If you focus on what “should” be, you will never be happy. “Should” is an illusion; “is” is reality.
There is no problem that God can’t deal with. God can handle whatever comes your way, so relax. There is no good without bad, no light without darkness, no joy without sorrow. Learn to accept ALL that happens to you and you will find happiness.
Don’t wait for a big moment to be happy. Don’t wait to accomplish something important before you can be happy. Find the special and extraordinary in the ordinary. If you are not happy with what you have now, you won’t be happy with more. The problem is not the externals but the internals. The problem is not lack of things or circumstances, but a lack of inner development and satisfaction.
Happiness is a state of mind and is not based on circumstances. Temporary elation is not lasting happiness. The culture trains us to be unhappy, tells us we are not worthy of happiness, and causes us to feel guilty when we are happy. You are God's child, you have all you need so you can give to others.
Happy people are unselfish while unhappy people are selfish. Happiness depends not on what happens to you but on how you respond to what happens to you. Happiness is determined by how you interpret your circumstances, what you perceive, and how you integrate your experiences into your life. Do you focus on what is negative or what is positive. Do you see what is the worst or what is the best. Whatever you focus on tends to grow. You get more of what you dwell on, so if you dwell on the negative you will get more negative things in your life. If you focus on what makes you unhappy, you will get more of what makes you unhappy. Conversely, if you focus on what is good, positive, and makes you happy, you will get more of that.
Don't compare yourselves to others. This is a great source of unhappiness. Realize that you are not a victim of the world. The world is not out to get you ad make you miserable. Nothing happens TO you, it just happens. Its’ not about YOU, so don’t interpret it as happening to you.
As long as you live in “when”, “if”, or “should”, you will never be happy. If you are waiting for something to happen before you can be happy, you will never be happy. If you think you can be happy only if certain conditions are present, you will never be happy. If you focus on what “should” be, you will never be happy. “Should” is an illusion; “is” is reality.
There is no problem that God can’t deal with. God can handle whatever comes your way, so relax. There is no good without bad, no light without darkness, no joy without sorrow. Learn to accept ALL that happens to you and you will find happiness.
Don’t wait for a big moment to be happy. Don’t wait to accomplish something important before you can be happy. Find the special and extraordinary in the ordinary. If you are not happy with what you have now, you won’t be happy with more. The problem is not the externals but the internals. The problem is not lack of things or circumstances, but a lack of inner development and satisfaction.
Life Lessons 12
The twelfth life lesson is Forgiveness. Forgiveness is more beneficial for the forgiver than for the forgiven. Learn to give up your rights in order to receive what is far more valuable. Forgiveness is to be restored to a place of grace.
Forgiveness is not condoning the hurtful behavior. By forgiving you do not justify the wrong act. But when you refuse to forgive you are only punishing yourself, not the wrongdoer. Forgiveness is not letting people walk all over us. It is realizing that they are bigger than their mistakes.
Getting even may make us feel good for the moment, but it ultimately makes us feel guilty. We want the other person to know our pain, but revenge only makes our pain worse. Refusal to forgive keeps us stuck and makes us a victim. We lose our power when we hold back forgiveness.
Become aware of your anger and let it out constructively. Allow yourself to feel the pain, sorrow, loss, and other negative feelings. Then, let those feelings go. Often what others say or do to hurt you is not about you but about themselves. People think they are doing the right thing; they usually don’t set out to do wrong. No one plans on making a mistake or doing something that will make themselves miserable. Learn to give people the benefit of the doubt and you will find it easier to forgive them. Realize that you often make similar mistakes, and you will find your heart becoming more agreeable to forgiveness.
Revenge is in God's hands not ours. Give the situation to God and trust Him to right any wrongs. Don’t take the management of the universe on your shoulders. Ask God for the grace to forgive. See forgiveness as a Spiritual Maintenance Plan to keep our hearts open and receptive to God’s grace.
Forgiveness is not condoning the hurtful behavior. By forgiving you do not justify the wrong act. But when you refuse to forgive you are only punishing yourself, not the wrongdoer. Forgiveness is not letting people walk all over us. It is realizing that they are bigger than their mistakes.
Getting even may make us feel good for the moment, but it ultimately makes us feel guilty. We want the other person to know our pain, but revenge only makes our pain worse. Refusal to forgive keeps us stuck and makes us a victim. We lose our power when we hold back forgiveness.
Become aware of your anger and let it out constructively. Allow yourself to feel the pain, sorrow, loss, and other negative feelings. Then, let those feelings go. Often what others say or do to hurt you is not about you but about themselves. People think they are doing the right thing; they usually don’t set out to do wrong. No one plans on making a mistake or doing something that will make themselves miserable. Learn to give people the benefit of the doubt and you will find it easier to forgive them. Realize that you often make similar mistakes, and you will find your heart becoming more agreeable to forgiveness.
Revenge is in God's hands not ours. Give the situation to God and trust Him to right any wrongs. Don’t take the management of the universe on your shoulders. Ask God for the grace to forgive. See forgiveness as a Spiritual Maintenance Plan to keep our hearts open and receptive to God’s grace.
Life Lessons 11
The eleventh life lesson is Surrender. Learning to surrender makes life more enjoyable, meaningful, and peaceful. When you try to control the uncontrollable you lose the enjoyment of the experience of life and become exhausted. Refusing to surrender leaves you exhausted, hinders your relationships, destroys your happiness.
You don't know what is best for you. Let God be God in your life. Learn to pray like Jesus, “Thy will be done.” Your plans are only a working blueprint; let God make His last minute changes as He sees fit.
Learn to receive. It is more blessed to give, but we must also learn to be blessed by receiving. Often our pride gets in the way and we lose out on this blessing. Surrender to what God and others give you. Accept what they give as it is given, not as you wish it would be.
Listen to all that someone has to say before disagreeing with her. Let her express herself in her own words from her own perspective. Don’t demand that everyone think and feel exactly as you do. Surrender for the time it takes for others to fully express themselves so that you fully understand them before making any comments.
Learn to be happy with the way things are if you can't change them. Surrender to reality. Peace comes when we stop struggling. Ask: What do you want to change? Why do you want to change it? Is it possible for me to change it? If it is not possible, then surrender. Opportunities we would never have thought of come only after we surrender. Learn to pray the “Serenity Prayer”:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.
--Proverbs 3:5-6
You don't know what is best for you. Let God be God in your life. Learn to pray like Jesus, “Thy will be done.” Your plans are only a working blueprint; let God make His last minute changes as He sees fit.
Learn to receive. It is more blessed to give, but we must also learn to be blessed by receiving. Often our pride gets in the way and we lose out on this blessing. Surrender to what God and others give you. Accept what they give as it is given, not as you wish it would be.
Listen to all that someone has to say before disagreeing with her. Let her express herself in her own words from her own perspective. Don’t demand that everyone think and feel exactly as you do. Surrender for the time it takes for others to fully express themselves so that you fully understand them before making any comments.
Learn to be happy with the way things are if you can't change them. Surrender to reality. Peace comes when we stop struggling. Ask: What do you want to change? Why do you want to change it? Is it possible for me to change it? If it is not possible, then surrender. Opportunities we would never have thought of come only after we surrender. Learn to pray the “Serenity Prayer”:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.
--Proverbs 3:5-6
Life Lessons 10
The tenth life lesson is Patience. This is the hardest and most frustrating lesson to learn. Patience indispensable to success in life. Live with things as they are instead of getting frustrated and angry. The key is: Everything is going to be fine. Tell yourself this whenever you feel impatience boiling to the surface.
Patience is like a muscle; it needs to be developed and used constantly if it is going to work. Develop by using it daily in little things. Then, when larger problems arise, your patience muscle will be strong enough to handle the challenge. Practice patience waiting in line, listening to a boring person, waiting for your favorite show.
Relax; God is in control. Nothing happens without His consent. All things are being directed according to His timetable and purposes. Let God be God. Everything has a purpose and all will be accomplished in His time. God is more concerned about who you are becoming than your career, marital status, etc.
Patience is not giving up your power or allowing people to walk all over you. When others abuse you, don’t allow them to trespass on your rights. However, when something is out of your control, then let it unfold in its own way. Don’t try to change what you cannot change or hurry up something that needs time to occur. Pray for God to give you the wisdom to know the difference between those things you have control over and those that you don’t, and then ask for the grace to be patient.
Patience is like a muscle; it needs to be developed and used constantly if it is going to work. Develop by using it daily in little things. Then, when larger problems arise, your patience muscle will be strong enough to handle the challenge. Practice patience waiting in line, listening to a boring person, waiting for your favorite show.
Relax; God is in control. Nothing happens without His consent. All things are being directed according to His timetable and purposes. Let God be God. Everything has a purpose and all will be accomplished in His time. God is more concerned about who you are becoming than your career, marital status, etc.
Patience is not giving up your power or allowing people to walk all over you. When others abuse you, don’t allow them to trespass on your rights. However, when something is out of your control, then let it unfold in its own way. Don’t try to change what you cannot change or hurry up something that needs time to occur. Pray for God to give you the wisdom to know the difference between those things you have control over and those that you don’t, and then ask for the grace to be patient.
Life Lessons 9
The ninth life lesson is Play. Play is what matters at the end of life. Often people say on their deathbed: "I wish i hadn't taken life so seriously." Play is our life-force: it keeps us young, it revitalizes our work, it energizes our relationships. When we get too busy to play, we hurt ourselves and those we love. We often leave our loved ones behind when we try to get ahead.
Play is doing what brings us pleasure for pleasure's sake. Burnout happens when you stop doing what you love. Play is underappreciated in our culture, but it has great value. It helps reduce stress and pumps endorphins into our blood. It heals disease and renews the body. It is essential to a healthy life.
Find ways to have fun. Enjoy the small things in life. Find fun in your work but don't turn fun into work. Leave your work in the office and be fully engaged with your family when away from the office. If you have no fun, you will have nothing of value to give to others.
Play is doing what brings us pleasure for pleasure's sake. Burnout happens when you stop doing what you love. Play is underappreciated in our culture, but it has great value. It helps reduce stress and pumps endorphins into our blood. It heals disease and renews the body. It is essential to a healthy life.
Find ways to have fun. Enjoy the small things in life. Find fun in your work but don't turn fun into work. Leave your work in the office and be fully engaged with your family when away from the office. If you have no fun, you will have nothing of value to give to others.
Life Lessons 8
The eighth life lesson is Anger. We often let old anger build up until it explodes. Anger is helpful if it is processed properly. Anger propels us to action and forces us to clarify boundaries. Anger is a warning system that something is wrong. It is a signal that something is out of sync with our value system.
Anger is only an emotion; we don’t need to be afraid of it. It is a feeling that we must allow ourselves to experience. We need to get in touch with our feelings of anger, not by thinking about them but by feeling them in our bodies. When we allow ourselves to experience anger then we can channel it productively to healthy expressions.
We are not our anger. Anger is not our identity. You must see yourself as separate from your anger. Don’t allow anger to take over your personality.
When anger is internalized instead of expressed properly it slowly destroys us. Internalized anger is manifested as depression and guilt. Anger cannot be suppressed without it affecting us in some negative way. Depression can be dealt with only when the anger is externalized and dealt with.
Anger is merely a manifestation of fear. It is easier for us to express anger than fear, so we often convert fear into anger. When we explode with anger we may make ourselves feel better temporarily, but we usually make the surface problem worse and don’t solve the underlying issues caused by fear.
We must learn healthy ways to externalize our anger or it will destroy us. Anger will come out sooner or later. The more you suppress your anger the more dangerous it is. The key is not in denying anger or suppressing it but in expressing it in constructive ways and then forgetting it.
God is big enough to handle our anger. Often we become angry with God but we don’t know how to express it. However, if we express our anger in reverential ways, God understands. Many of the psalms are expressions of anger and disappointment to God. Use the psalms as a pattern for letting your anger out in proper ways. When we accept our anger and other people’s anger, then we are able to heal each other. Anger is healed only by patient love.
Anger is only an emotion; we don’t need to be afraid of it. It is a feeling that we must allow ourselves to experience. We need to get in touch with our feelings of anger, not by thinking about them but by feeling them in our bodies. When we allow ourselves to experience anger then we can channel it productively to healthy expressions.
We are not our anger. Anger is not our identity. You must see yourself as separate from your anger. Don’t allow anger to take over your personality.
When anger is internalized instead of expressed properly it slowly destroys us. Internalized anger is manifested as depression and guilt. Anger cannot be suppressed without it affecting us in some negative way. Depression can be dealt with only when the anger is externalized and dealt with.
Anger is merely a manifestation of fear. It is easier for us to express anger than fear, so we often convert fear into anger. When we explode with anger we may make ourselves feel better temporarily, but we usually make the surface problem worse and don’t solve the underlying issues caused by fear.
We must learn healthy ways to externalize our anger or it will destroy us. Anger will come out sooner or later. The more you suppress your anger the more dangerous it is. The key is not in denying anger or suppressing it but in expressing it in constructive ways and then forgetting it.
God is big enough to handle our anger. Often we become angry with God but we don’t know how to express it. However, if we express our anger in reverential ways, God understands. Many of the psalms are expressions of anger and disappointment to God. Use the psalms as a pattern for letting your anger out in proper ways. When we accept our anger and other people’s anger, then we are able to heal each other. Anger is healed only by patient love.
Life Lessons 7
The seventh life lesson is Fear. Pain produces growth. Without pain there is no development and transformation. [While listening to this I passed a billboard advertising the Marines: "Pain is weakness leaving the body."] Pain is also weakness leaving the soul.
There is more to life than what we let ourselves experience. We let fear keep us from doing things that would add meaning and value to our lives. Fear in the midst of danger is healthy, but false fear cripples us and keeps us from reaching our true potential. Fear is: False Evidence Appearing Real. What we fear is an illusion created by our mind. Remember, fear doesn't stop death-it stops life. Very little of what we fear ever happens to us, so why let fear stop us?
Love always overcomes fear. All emotions flow from either love or fear. Every positive emotion has love at its root and every negative emotion has fear as its root. Every moment you must choose whether to act out of love or out of fear. Most of us act out of fear but we can, and must, learn to act out of love.
Fear is based on the past or the future while love is based on the present. Fear focuses on self while love focuses on others. To live in the present is to live in love. When you are afraid, focus on the positive and not the negative. Focus on helping others instead of protecting yourself. Freedom comes when you choose to do what you fear, when you reach out in compassion to help others. Fear and love cannot coexist at the same time, so the only way to overcome fear is to act out of love in the present moment.
There is more to life than what we let ourselves experience. We let fear keep us from doing things that would add meaning and value to our lives. Fear in the midst of danger is healthy, but false fear cripples us and keeps us from reaching our true potential. Fear is: False Evidence Appearing Real. What we fear is an illusion created by our mind. Remember, fear doesn't stop death-it stops life. Very little of what we fear ever happens to us, so why let fear stop us?
Love always overcomes fear. All emotions flow from either love or fear. Every positive emotion has love at its root and every negative emotion has fear as its root. Every moment you must choose whether to act out of love or out of fear. Most of us act out of fear but we can, and must, learn to act out of love.
Fear is based on the past or the future while love is based on the present. Fear focuses on self while love focuses on others. To live in the present is to live in love. When you are afraid, focus on the positive and not the negative. Focus on helping others instead of protecting yourself. Freedom comes when you choose to do what you fear, when you reach out in compassion to help others. Fear and love cannot coexist at the same time, so the only way to overcome fear is to act out of love in the present moment.
Life Lessons 6
The sixth life lesson is Time. Time is not under our control, and when it brings change, it frightens us. We are afraid of what we can’t control. But when one door closes, another door opens. However, the hallway can be very difficult and scary. We must learn to embrace change.
Our culture doesn’t value age. We fear it, we hate growing old, we don’t think the elderly are valuable. But we need to see that age is good, and it brings many valuable things that youth can’t. Instead of dreading getting older, learn to fully experience each season of life and learn all that you can from it.
As people grow older, we tend to view them the way they were instead of the way they are now. We even do this to ourselves. Learn to see people as they are, not as your remember them. Also realize that your past experiences shape your present reactions. Evaluate your reactions and create new ones if they don’t reflect the current reality.
The past does not equal the future. Don’t let the past control how you live today. Live in the present and you will experience true happiness. Focus on what you are doing right now in the present. Don’t get trapped in the past or caught up living only for the future. Dread, worry, and even anticipation can rob you of living fully in the now. Fully experience everything, and be fully engaged in whatever you are doing at the moment.
Realize that you can never be sure that the past happened exactly the way you remember it. Your memory is shaped by your perceptions and prejudices. You also can’t know the future. No matter how much you plan and prepare, you will never be able to know what will happen next. Therefore, live in the present. You still need to reflect on the past to learn from it and plan for the future and prepare for it, but the bulk of your attention should be on the present moment.
You do not know when you will die. It may be tomorrow or fifty years from now. No matter what your current situation may seem, you cannot predict the time of your death from it. Remember that heaven is timeless. It is outside of this temporal realm. There are things more important than this temporal world, so don’t get too entangled in them.
Our culture doesn’t value age. We fear it, we hate growing old, we don’t think the elderly are valuable. But we need to see that age is good, and it brings many valuable things that youth can’t. Instead of dreading getting older, learn to fully experience each season of life and learn all that you can from it.
As people grow older, we tend to view them the way they were instead of the way they are now. We even do this to ourselves. Learn to see people as they are, not as your remember them. Also realize that your past experiences shape your present reactions. Evaluate your reactions and create new ones if they don’t reflect the current reality.
The past does not equal the future. Don’t let the past control how you live today. Live in the present and you will experience true happiness. Focus on what you are doing right now in the present. Don’t get trapped in the past or caught up living only for the future. Dread, worry, and even anticipation can rob you of living fully in the now. Fully experience everything, and be fully engaged in whatever you are doing at the moment.
Realize that you can never be sure that the past happened exactly the way you remember it. Your memory is shaped by your perceptions and prejudices. You also can’t know the future. No matter how much you plan and prepare, you will never be able to know what will happen next. Therefore, live in the present. You still need to reflect on the past to learn from it and plan for the future and prepare for it, but the bulk of your attention should be on the present moment.
You do not know when you will die. It may be tomorrow or fifty years from now. No matter what your current situation may seem, you cannot predict the time of your death from it. Remember that heaven is timeless. It is outside of this temporal realm. There are things more important than this temporal world, so don’t get too entangled in them.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Life Lessons 5
The fifth life lesson is Power. True power is the outward expression of our inner being. Position and wealth are not true power. Control is not true power. The more you try to control others the less you have real power over them. Only when you let go of what you can’t control, including other people, will you be able to exercise your true power.
Wealth and poverty are states of mind that affect the way you live. Power comes when you adopt an abundance mindset. A scarcity mindset causes you to think like a victim, disempowering you. When you realize that power comes from within, you can exercise your power in every situation.
Don’t give up your power to others. When you let other control you and force their opinions, desires, and ideas on you, you give up your power. But when you express your own ideas, desires, and opinions you exercise true power. When you try to make others happy, you give up your power and become codependent. Victims abdicate their power and refuse to take responsibility for themselves.
Don’t fall into the “More Trap”. If you think that more money, more things, more knowledge, or more of anything is needed for you to be happy, you are trapped because you will never have enough; you will always need a little bit more. But if you realize that you already have all that you need to be happy, then you will be able to get more of what you want and it will increase the happiness you already have. As long as you are waiting for “tomorrow” you will never be happy “today.” Gratitude is power because it frees from the “More Trap”. When you are thankful for what you already have, you are free to enjoy life.
Guilt and shame rob you of your power. Guilt is based on what you have done and shame is based on who you are. When you do wrong, you feel guilty. When you realize that you are a bad person, you feel shame. Often others force guilt and shame on us by the way they treat us and talk to us. False guilt and shame needs to be removed by the realization that we were not responsible for the things that others have done. But guilt is usually based on the wrong choices and actions we have made. The way to freedom is through forgiveness. We need to believe that God forgives us in Christ, who died for our sins, and he accepts us now as blameless and guiltless in his sight. The blood of Christ takes away our guilt and washes away our shame. This freedom is obtained by faith alone in Jesus Christ. When you experience God’s forgiveness in Christ then you will have true power.
Wealth and poverty are states of mind that affect the way you live. Power comes when you adopt an abundance mindset. A scarcity mindset causes you to think like a victim, disempowering you. When you realize that power comes from within, you can exercise your power in every situation.
Don’t give up your power to others. When you let other control you and force their opinions, desires, and ideas on you, you give up your power. But when you express your own ideas, desires, and opinions you exercise true power. When you try to make others happy, you give up your power and become codependent. Victims abdicate their power and refuse to take responsibility for themselves.
Don’t fall into the “More Trap”. If you think that more money, more things, more knowledge, or more of anything is needed for you to be happy, you are trapped because you will never have enough; you will always need a little bit more. But if you realize that you already have all that you need to be happy, then you will be able to get more of what you want and it will increase the happiness you already have. As long as you are waiting for “tomorrow” you will never be happy “today.” Gratitude is power because it frees from the “More Trap”. When you are thankful for what you already have, you are free to enjoy life.
Guilt and shame rob you of your power. Guilt is based on what you have done and shame is based on who you are. When you do wrong, you feel guilty. When you realize that you are a bad person, you feel shame. Often others force guilt and shame on us by the way they treat us and talk to us. False guilt and shame needs to be removed by the realization that we were not responsible for the things that others have done. But guilt is usually based on the wrong choices and actions we have made. The way to freedom is through forgiveness. We need to believe that God forgives us in Christ, who died for our sins, and he accepts us now as blameless and guiltless in his sight. The blood of Christ takes away our guilt and washes away our shame. This freedom is obtained by faith alone in Jesus Christ. When you experience God’s forgiveness in Christ then you will have true power.
Life Lessons 4
The fourth life lesson is Loss. We lose everything we own. You don’t own anything; everything is on loan. The most important things in life cannot be taken away from you. The sooner you accept the fact that loss is an essential part of life, the sooner you will be able to live fully. Everything is temporary, so don’t try to make it permanent.
In the school of life, loss is one of the major courses. Loss teaches us what is truly important in life. Loss also draws us closer to each other and deepens our connections with each other. When you realize that you will eventually lose a loved one you will treasure that person all the more. Without loss there can be no growth. With loss there is always growth. With growth there is always loss. Everything that begins will eventually end. When we go through loss we are enabled to change. If we guard against loss, we hurt ourselves and hinder our own growth.
There is a natural process of grieving over loss. First, we deny the loss. Second, we become angry. Third, we try to make bargains to regain what was lost. Fourth, we become depressed. Finally, we learn to accept the loss and move on. Each person will experience this process differently, in a different order and at a different pace. This process can’t be forced or hurried along before the person is ready. All we can do is let it take its own course, realizing it will pass. Accepting this process is essential to healing and change.
In the school of life, loss is one of the major courses. Loss teaches us what is truly important in life. Loss also draws us closer to each other and deepens our connections with each other. When you realize that you will eventually lose a loved one you will treasure that person all the more. Without loss there can be no growth. With loss there is always growth. With growth there is always loss. Everything that begins will eventually end. When we go through loss we are enabled to change. If we guard against loss, we hurt ourselves and hinder our own growth.
There is a natural process of grieving over loss. First, we deny the loss. Second, we become angry. Third, we try to make bargains to regain what was lost. Fourth, we become depressed. Finally, we learn to accept the loss and move on. Each person will experience this process differently, in a different order and at a different pace. This process can’t be forced or hurried along before the person is ready. All we can do is let it take its own course, realizing it will pass. Accepting this process is essential to healing and change.
Life Lessons 3
The third life lesson is Relationships. When faced with death, no one wishes they had spent more time at the office or watching TV. Instead, people always wish they had spent more time with those who are important to them. Why wait for either your death or the death of your loved ones to learn this lesson when you can learn it now and change your priorities so you have more time to spend with your loved ones.
Never take relationships for granted. Realize that every encounter with another human being is significant. Each person you meet in your life has something important to teach you, even people you meet for just a few seconds. There are no insignificant encounters. This is especially true of “difficult” people. Difficult people are your best teachers. They will teach you more about yourself than anyone else. Learn to pay attention and allow every encounter to deepen your understanding of yourself and life.
Don’t think that a relationship will solve all of your problems. If you have problems now, you will have the same problems if you enter into a relationship. If you expect others to solve your problems and make you happy, you will only end up hurting them and destroying the relationship. Any problem that you have right now will only be magnified and complicated by a relationship if you expect the relationship to solve the problem for you. You must learn to take responsibility for your own problems and your own happiness or you will never change and be happy.
Relationships won’t make you happy if you are not already happy. Relationships can magnify your happiness but will not create happiness if it is not already there. Often people who are unhappy in a relationship think that a different person will make them happy. But all they do is bring their old problems into the new relationship. Instead of throwing away your partner, throw away your problem. The problem is not your partner but you, and until you realize this you will never be happy in any relationship. Don’t try to change the other person, thinking that you will be happy if they would only be different. Rather, you need to change and become a better person if you are to be happy in the relationship.
Never take relationships for granted. Realize that every encounter with another human being is significant. Each person you meet in your life has something important to teach you, even people you meet for just a few seconds. There are no insignificant encounters. This is especially true of “difficult” people. Difficult people are your best teachers. They will teach you more about yourself than anyone else. Learn to pay attention and allow every encounter to deepen your understanding of yourself and life.
Don’t think that a relationship will solve all of your problems. If you have problems now, you will have the same problems if you enter into a relationship. If you expect others to solve your problems and make you happy, you will only end up hurting them and destroying the relationship. Any problem that you have right now will only be magnified and complicated by a relationship if you expect the relationship to solve the problem for you. You must learn to take responsibility for your own problems and your own happiness or you will never change and be happy.
Relationships won’t make you happy if you are not already happy. Relationships can magnify your happiness but will not create happiness if it is not already there. Often people who are unhappy in a relationship think that a different person will make them happy. But all they do is bring their old problems into the new relationship. Instead of throwing away your partner, throw away your problem. The problem is not your partner but you, and until you realize this you will never be happy in any relationship. Don’t try to change the other person, thinking that you will be happy if they would only be different. Rather, you need to change and become a better person if you are to be happy in the relationship.
Life Lessons 2
The second life lesson is Love. We need to learn to love people for who they are, not for what we want them to be. Accepting others as they are and not how we would like them to be is the foundation of genuine love. Often we try to change people by manipulation or pressure, but it never works. The more we push people to change to our way, the more they will resist. While they may change externally, they will refuse to change internally. However, when we love people for who they are and accept them unconditionally, they will be drawn into change.
In order to love others we must let go of our conditions. We must be willing to love others no matter how they may respond to our love. When we fear that our love won’t be reciprocated, we close our hearts and make it impossible for the other person to respond in love. When we are angry we tend to withhold love and close our hearts in order to protect ourselves from getting hurt. However, this actually causes us to actually hurt ourselves. But when we open up our hearts and love others, then they are free to change and respond freely to our love. Until we learn to love unconditionally, we will not be able to truly live.
In order to love others we must let go of our conditions. We must be willing to love others no matter how they may respond to our love. When we fear that our love won’t be reciprocated, we close our hearts and make it impossible for the other person to respond in love. When we are angry we tend to withhold love and close our hearts in order to protect ourselves from getting hurt. However, this actually causes us to actually hurt ourselves. But when we open up our hearts and love others, then they are free to change and respond freely to our love. Until we learn to love unconditionally, we will not be able to truly live.
Life Lessons 1
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler have written an insightful book on the major lessons we must learn in life if we are to find fulfillment and meaning. Ms. Ross is famous for her work on death and dying, especially the five stages of grief. In this book, she and David Kessler clearly identify, explain, and illustrate these lessons. Their basic premise is that while many people learn these lessons only when faced with death or tragedy, we can learn these lessons before such drastic events occur.
The first lesson is Authenticity. People who are facing imminent death quickly lose all pretense and remove all of their masks and become authentic. This authenticity enables them to see life more clearly, put tragic events into perspective, heal broken relationships, and accept their death. When we meet someone who is authentic, we trust them more easily because we trust them. Without authenticity, trust is difficult to develop.
One of the most important things is that roles, while helpful in new situations, can become confining and cause us to act in unauthentic ways. When we get married, have children, or enter into new phases of life, adopting culturally acceptable roles can help us adjust to unfamiliar situations more quickly and with less stress. However, roles often put us in boxes that don’t fit our personality or abilities, causing us to act in ways that are not normal for us. This leads to putting on masks and pretending to be what we are not.
Often we act out fear and selfishness because we either don’t want people to think we are bad, or because we want people to think we are good. However, acts of kindness that are done out of fear or selfishness are not good at all, nor are they helpful. When we are authentic, we choose to do good because we sincerely want what is best for the other person, then our deeds can be considered good and helpful. Much of the good that we do is for our own benefit and not the benefit of the ones we are supposedly doing them for.
It is better to be transparent and admit that we are not genuinely loving, even though it may be painful, because then we are able to change. But as long as we pretend to be loving and kind when we aren’t, we are not able to change. So, authenticity is essential to growth and change as well as for ministering to others in a way that meets their deepest needs.
The first lesson is Authenticity. People who are facing imminent death quickly lose all pretense and remove all of their masks and become authentic. This authenticity enables them to see life more clearly, put tragic events into perspective, heal broken relationships, and accept their death. When we meet someone who is authentic, we trust them more easily because we trust them. Without authenticity, trust is difficult to develop.
One of the most important things is that roles, while helpful in new situations, can become confining and cause us to act in unauthentic ways. When we get married, have children, or enter into new phases of life, adopting culturally acceptable roles can help us adjust to unfamiliar situations more quickly and with less stress. However, roles often put us in boxes that don’t fit our personality or abilities, causing us to act in ways that are not normal for us. This leads to putting on masks and pretending to be what we are not.
Often we act out fear and selfishness because we either don’t want people to think we are bad, or because we want people to think we are good. However, acts of kindness that are done out of fear or selfishness are not good at all, nor are they helpful. When we are authentic, we choose to do good because we sincerely want what is best for the other person, then our deeds can be considered good and helpful. Much of the good that we do is for our own benefit and not the benefit of the ones we are supposedly doing them for.
It is better to be transparent and admit that we are not genuinely loving, even though it may be painful, because then we are able to change. But as long as we pretend to be loving and kind when we aren’t, we are not able to change. So, authenticity is essential to growth and change as well as for ministering to others in a way that meets their deepest needs.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Thy Kingdom Come
I have just finished listening to Randall Balmer’s book, Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America. It is a well presented, cutting evaluation of modern Evangelicalism and the dangers of Christians pursuing political influence through single-issue politics and selective biblical interpretation.
Balmer traces the development of Evangelicalism from its beginning involvement in social reform and progressive politics to the present where it ignores social reform and attacks progressive politics. Balmer feels that the Religious Right has used selective biblical interpretation to push single-issue politics in order to motivate Evangelicals to vote for Republican candidates. Issues such as abortion and gay marriage have been used to lure Evangelicals to support the Republican Party without looking at all the other issues, many which were more important to Jesus. There is great danger in Christians becoming tied to one political party.
Religious freedom, pluralism, and separation of church and state are foundational to our democratic society. However, much of what the Religious Right is doing is contrary to the heart of the constitution. In stead of fearing pluralism and trying to gain hegemony, Christians need to embrace pluralism and seek to influence those who are different through love, care and personal evangelism. Much of what the Religious Right is doing is counterproductive and pushes others away from Christ.
Many Evangelicals will hate this book and seek to defame Randall Balmer. However, I think he needs to be head and his insights seriously considered. Humility and introspection is needed if Evangelicalism is to regain its voice and influence in our society.
Balmer traces the development of Evangelicalism from its beginning involvement in social reform and progressive politics to the present where it ignores social reform and attacks progressive politics. Balmer feels that the Religious Right has used selective biblical interpretation to push single-issue politics in order to motivate Evangelicals to vote for Republican candidates. Issues such as abortion and gay marriage have been used to lure Evangelicals to support the Republican Party without looking at all the other issues, many which were more important to Jesus. There is great danger in Christians becoming tied to one political party.
Religious freedom, pluralism, and separation of church and state are foundational to our democratic society. However, much of what the Religious Right is doing is contrary to the heart of the constitution. In stead of fearing pluralism and trying to gain hegemony, Christians need to embrace pluralism and seek to influence those who are different through love, care and personal evangelism. Much of what the Religious Right is doing is counterproductive and pushes others away from Christ.
Many Evangelicals will hate this book and seek to defame Randall Balmer. However, I think he needs to be head and his insights seriously considered. Humility and introspection is needed if Evangelicalism is to regain its voice and influence in our society.
Monday, January 22, 2007
The Trojan Women
In his epic poem, The Illiad, Homer describes the heroic deeds of both the Greek and the Trojan warriors. Euripides, however, takes a different vantage point to the fall of Troy in his play, The Trojan Women. Instead of painting war in the colors of valor and heroism, Euripides paints war in the colors of sorrow and loss by focusing on the fate of the women of Troy after the fall of their city. The horrors of war and the tragedy suffered by non-combatants are a counterbalance to the popular view of the war.
The story chronicles the fate of Hecuba, queen of Troy, widow of king Priam and mother of Paris and Hector. Hecuba, along with her daughters, Cassandra and Polyxena, along with the other Trojan women have been raffled off to the Greek generals. Hecuba is to be given to Odysseus, Cassandra belongs to Agamemnon, and Polyxena, fated to guard the grave of Achilles, commits suicide and lies dead on his tomb. Andromache, Hector’s widow, has been given to Neoptolemus, Achilles’ son, and her infant son, Astyanax, by command of Odysseus, is thrown down from the city walls and killed. Hecuba tries to commit suicide but is stopped and forced to return to Ithaca with Odysseus.
Helen, who had left her husband Menelaus to marry Paris, is captured and brought to the Greeks. Menelaus is furious with her and almost has her stoned to death. Helen tries to lie, saying that she was taken by force and had tried to escape many times but failed. Hecuba is outraged by Helen’s feeble attempt to escape punishment and tells Menelaus the truth that Helen came to Troy willingly and never once regretted her decision. The play ends with the women boarding the Greek ships as Troy burns to the ground.
Euripides effectively shows that war is not as glorious as the Greeks believe. Many innocent non-combatants suffer and the conquered are frequently mistreated. I feel it is good to balance the heroism and valor of soldiers in war with the suffering and pain caused by those warriors. We need both Homer and Euripides in order to have a more complete view of the Trojan war. Both remind us to look at both sides of war today so that we do not become too enamored with it.
The story chronicles the fate of Hecuba, queen of Troy, widow of king Priam and mother of Paris and Hector. Hecuba, along with her daughters, Cassandra and Polyxena, along with the other Trojan women have been raffled off to the Greek generals. Hecuba is to be given to Odysseus, Cassandra belongs to Agamemnon, and Polyxena, fated to guard the grave of Achilles, commits suicide and lies dead on his tomb. Andromache, Hector’s widow, has been given to Neoptolemus, Achilles’ son, and her infant son, Astyanax, by command of Odysseus, is thrown down from the city walls and killed. Hecuba tries to commit suicide but is stopped and forced to return to Ithaca with Odysseus.
Helen, who had left her husband Menelaus to marry Paris, is captured and brought to the Greeks. Menelaus is furious with her and almost has her stoned to death. Helen tries to lie, saying that she was taken by force and had tried to escape many times but failed. Hecuba is outraged by Helen’s feeble attempt to escape punishment and tells Menelaus the truth that Helen came to Troy willingly and never once regretted her decision. The play ends with the women boarding the Greek ships as Troy burns to the ground.
Euripides effectively shows that war is not as glorious as the Greeks believe. Many innocent non-combatants suffer and the conquered are frequently mistreated. I feel it is good to balance the heroism and valor of soldiers in war with the suffering and pain caused by those warriors. We need both Homer and Euripides in order to have a more complete view of the Trojan war. Both remind us to look at both sides of war today so that we do not become too enamored with it.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Are You Ready for Massive Change?
Peter Drucker said:
“In a few hundred years, when the history of our time is written from a long-term perspective, it is likely that the most important event those historians will see is not technology, not the Internet, not e-commerce. It is an unprecedented change in the human condition. For the first time—literally—substantial and rapidly growing numbers of people have choices. For the first time, they will have to manage themselves. And society is totally unprepared for it.”
Massive changes are taking place as we live and these changes are ushering in a whole new era unlike any period in human history. In order to survive and succeed in this new age, today’s workers must make massive changes in his or her mindset, skills and behaviors. Failure to enter the new era with radically different tools will result in being left behind and unable to compete in the new society.
The first Age in human history was the Hunter/Gatherer Age and it lasted for millennia. The way to survive was to be a good hunter and gatherer, which meant developing the skills, mindset and behaviors that would make one effective in hunting game and gathering food from the wild.
The second Age in human history slowly encroached on this first age, and man began to use Agriculture to meet his needs. As a few men began to cultivate the earth, they discovered that they could produce fifty times as much food as the hunter/gatherers. Men began to develop the skills, mindset and behaviors needed to succeed in this new age, and within several millennia 97% of all men were farmers and only 3% were hunter/gatherers.
The third Age in human history burst on the scene as men discovered that by building factories they could increase productivity fifty times over the family farm. Within a century 97% of the population crowded into cities and industrial areas, leaving only 3% of the population on the farm. Those who learned the new skills, mindset and behaviors succeeded in this new age, while those who were slow in adapting suffered.
The fourth Age in human history has exploded in our faces within the past several decades. We are no longer in an Industrial Age but have transitioned to an Information/Knowledge Worker Age. The skills, mindset and behaviors of the Industrial Age will not work in this new age, and those who do not adapt will suffer. Within several decades 97% of all workers will be Knowledge Workers and only 3% will be Industrial Workers. What is fascinating the Information Age is the Knowledge Worker will be 100 times, 1,000 times, and even 10,000 times more productive than the Industrial Worker (according to Nathan Myhrvold, former Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft). Those who quickly obtain the proper skills, mindset and behaviors of the Information Age will find themselves light years ahead of those who cannot, or will not, learn to use the Knowledge Worker tools.
The near future holds unprecedented potential for those who have the foresight, wisdom and discipline to adapt quickly to these seismic changes. Those who can’t, or won’t, will be left behind.
Peter Drucker concludes:
“The most important, and indeed the truly unique, contribution of management in the 20th century was the fifty-fold increase in the productivity of the MANUAL WORKER in manufacturing.
The most important contribution management needs to make in the 21st century is similarly to increase the productivity of KNOWLEDGE WORK and the KNOWLEDGE WORKER.
The most valuable assets of a 20th century company were its production equipment. The most valuable asset of a 21st century institution, whether business or non-business, will be its knowledge workers and their productivity.”
“In a few hundred years, when the history of our time is written from a long-term perspective, it is likely that the most important event those historians will see is not technology, not the Internet, not e-commerce. It is an unprecedented change in the human condition. For the first time—literally—substantial and rapidly growing numbers of people have choices. For the first time, they will have to manage themselves. And society is totally unprepared for it.”
Massive changes are taking place as we live and these changes are ushering in a whole new era unlike any period in human history. In order to survive and succeed in this new age, today’s workers must make massive changes in his or her mindset, skills and behaviors. Failure to enter the new era with radically different tools will result in being left behind and unable to compete in the new society.
The first Age in human history was the Hunter/Gatherer Age and it lasted for millennia. The way to survive was to be a good hunter and gatherer, which meant developing the skills, mindset and behaviors that would make one effective in hunting game and gathering food from the wild.
The second Age in human history slowly encroached on this first age, and man began to use Agriculture to meet his needs. As a few men began to cultivate the earth, they discovered that they could produce fifty times as much food as the hunter/gatherers. Men began to develop the skills, mindset and behaviors needed to succeed in this new age, and within several millennia 97% of all men were farmers and only 3% were hunter/gatherers.
The third Age in human history burst on the scene as men discovered that by building factories they could increase productivity fifty times over the family farm. Within a century 97% of the population crowded into cities and industrial areas, leaving only 3% of the population on the farm. Those who learned the new skills, mindset and behaviors succeeded in this new age, while those who were slow in adapting suffered.
The fourth Age in human history has exploded in our faces within the past several decades. We are no longer in an Industrial Age but have transitioned to an Information/Knowledge Worker Age. The skills, mindset and behaviors of the Industrial Age will not work in this new age, and those who do not adapt will suffer. Within several decades 97% of all workers will be Knowledge Workers and only 3% will be Industrial Workers. What is fascinating the Information Age is the Knowledge Worker will be 100 times, 1,000 times, and even 10,000 times more productive than the Industrial Worker (according to Nathan Myhrvold, former Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft). Those who quickly obtain the proper skills, mindset and behaviors of the Information Age will find themselves light years ahead of those who cannot, or will not, learn to use the Knowledge Worker tools.
The near future holds unprecedented potential for those who have the foresight, wisdom and discipline to adapt quickly to these seismic changes. Those who can’t, or won’t, will be left behind.
Peter Drucker concludes:
“The most important, and indeed the truly unique, contribution of management in the 20th century was the fifty-fold increase in the productivity of the MANUAL WORKER in manufacturing.
The most important contribution management needs to make in the 21st century is similarly to increase the productivity of KNOWLEDGE WORK and the KNOWLEDGE WORKER.
The most valuable assets of a 20th century company were its production equipment. The most valuable asset of a 21st century institution, whether business or non-business, will be its knowledge workers and their productivity.”
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Make today a masterpiece
Give a block of marble to the average person and after a few weeks you will get a block of marble back. Give a block of marble to a master sculptor, and in a few weeks you will get back a beautiful statue. The difference is in knowing what to do with the marble.
In the same way, give 24 hours to the average person and what you get back is a lot of useless things that have little or no eternal value. But give 24 hours to a wise man and you will get back something of infinite and eternal value. The difference is in knowing what to do with the time. Make Today a masterpiece; yesterday is gone and you cannot change it. Tomorrow doesn’t exist, so you cannot do anything it yet. You have only today, and what you do today will affect what happens to you tomorrow. So make today a masterpiece so tomorrow will be a beautiful treasure.
If you kill time, you are the one who gets hurt. If you waste time, you will never have a second chance to use it again. Don’t waste time; it is too valuable. Don’t just spend time; it is too powerful. Instead, invest time, and you will gain infinite and eternal value.
There are two basic things you must do in order to invest your time wisely so that you make today a masterpiece: Make good decisions and Practice good discipline. Decisions without discipline accomplishes nothing. Discipline without good decisions leads to monotony without reward. Learn to make each day a masterpiece by deciding to invest your time in things that truly matter and then discipline yourself to follow through. (More on this later.)
In the same way, give 24 hours to the average person and what you get back is a lot of useless things that have little or no eternal value. But give 24 hours to a wise man and you will get back something of infinite and eternal value. The difference is in knowing what to do with the time. Make Today a masterpiece; yesterday is gone and you cannot change it. Tomorrow doesn’t exist, so you cannot do anything it yet. You have only today, and what you do today will affect what happens to you tomorrow. So make today a masterpiece so tomorrow will be a beautiful treasure.
If you kill time, you are the one who gets hurt. If you waste time, you will never have a second chance to use it again. Don’t waste time; it is too valuable. Don’t just spend time; it is too powerful. Instead, invest time, and you will gain infinite and eternal value.
There are two basic things you must do in order to invest your time wisely so that you make today a masterpiece: Make good decisions and Practice good discipline. Decisions without discipline accomplishes nothing. Discipline without good decisions leads to monotony without reward. Learn to make each day a masterpiece by deciding to invest your time in things that truly matter and then discipline yourself to follow through. (More on this later.)
What do you know?
I heard a few sayings today that I want to pass along:
“To know and not do is to not really know at all.”
“The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.”
“Learning is changed behavior.”
“The problem is not that people don’t know how to solve their problems, but rather the problem is the people don’t even know what their problems are.”
“You don’t know what you don’t know.”
Knowledge is not merely amassing a lot of facts and being able to spout them off at will. Knowledge is taking what you learn and applying it to your daily life. Learning facts and not acting on them leads to self-deception, so that you think you are wise when you really are a fool. Whenever you learn something, always ask yourself what you are going to do about what you learned. Find some small practical way that you can utilize the knowledge you have gained. Never leave the scene of learning without taking a small step forward in response to the knowledge gained. In this way, you will truly become a wise person.
Ignorance is not bliss; it can kill you, or at least keep you from experiencing life in all its fullness. One of the main reasons to study and gain knowledge is so that your ignorance and blind spots can be exposed. If you don’t even know what your problems are, there is no way that you will be able to solve them. Most people go through life thinking they know what is going on, but in reality, they are ignorant of the real issues. Constantly learn and expose yourself to new ideas, stretching yourself in many different directions, so that you become aware of your limitations, failures, mistakes; then you will begin to understand what your true problems are. Only then will you be able to begin to search for the solutions to your problems. If you don’t know what you don’t know, there is no way for you to even know what you need to learn in order to overcome your ignorance. So make life-long learning and growth an essential part of your life.
“To know and not do is to not really know at all.”
“The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.”
“Learning is changed behavior.”
“The problem is not that people don’t know how to solve their problems, but rather the problem is the people don’t even know what their problems are.”
“You don’t know what you don’t know.”
Knowledge is not merely amassing a lot of facts and being able to spout them off at will. Knowledge is taking what you learn and applying it to your daily life. Learning facts and not acting on them leads to self-deception, so that you think you are wise when you really are a fool. Whenever you learn something, always ask yourself what you are going to do about what you learned. Find some small practical way that you can utilize the knowledge you have gained. Never leave the scene of learning without taking a small step forward in response to the knowledge gained. In this way, you will truly become a wise person.
Ignorance is not bliss; it can kill you, or at least keep you from experiencing life in all its fullness. One of the main reasons to study and gain knowledge is so that your ignorance and blind spots can be exposed. If you don’t even know what your problems are, there is no way that you will be able to solve them. Most people go through life thinking they know what is going on, but in reality, they are ignorant of the real issues. Constantly learn and expose yourself to new ideas, stretching yourself in many different directions, so that you become aware of your limitations, failures, mistakes; then you will begin to understand what your true problems are. Only then will you be able to begin to search for the solutions to your problems. If you don’t know what you don’t know, there is no way for you to even know what you need to learn in order to overcome your ignorance. So make life-long learning and growth an essential part of your life.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Darwin’s Graveyards
I am reading an excellent article in Books & Culture, written by Edward T. Oakes, a professor at St. Mary’s in Mundelein. His article reviews Richard Weikart’s book, From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany. It is an excellent illustration of how Charles Darwin’s ideas about evolution were not limited to biology, but he clearly taught the social implications as well.
Darwin’s evolutionary ideas, combined with Nietzsche’s nihilistic philosophy, shaped the culture and mindset of Germany in the early 20th century. When Hitler came to power, his publicly announced goals to turn Germany into a master race by eliminating all inferior races, along with the sick, weak, homosexuals and other undesirables, met with wide acceptance by every strata of German society, including Christians. Not only had Germany’s intellectual elite bought into the idea of killing off inferior races, but the common people supported these ideas as well. Hitler was not seen as a madman but as a true prophet whose heart beat in sync with the majority of the German populace.
Darwin’s theory of evolution gave them the foundation upon which to build the most horrific society the world has ever seen. The only difference between Hitler and his contemporaries was that he was willing to put his ideas into practice. And he put them into practice with all the zeal and energy he could muster.
Ideas have consequences, and Darwin’s ideas led to the death of six million Jews under Hitler’s reign of terror. Here are some quotes from the article clearly showing what Darwin, Nietzsche and many other Germans taught that led to Hitler’s diabolical plan to rid the earth of all inferior races:
Darwin:
Letter to William Graham: “I could show fight on natural selection having done and doing more for the progress of civilization than you seem inclined to admit. Remember what risk the nations of Europe ran, not so many centuries ago, of being overwhelmed by the Turk, and how ridiculous such an idea now is! The more civilized so-called Caucasian races have beaten the Turkish hollow in the struggle for existence. Looking to the world at no very distant date, what an endless number of the lower races will have been eliminated by the higher civilized races throughout the world.”
Descent of Man: “At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace throughout the world the savage races.”
Origin of Species: “Let the strongest live and the weakest die.”
Nietzsche:
The biblical prohibition "Thou shalt not kill" is a piece of naïveté compared with the seriousness of Life's own "Thou shalt not" issued to decadence: "Thou shalt not procreate!" —Life itself recognizes no solidarity, no "equal right," between the healthy and the degenerate parts of an organism… . Sympathy for the decadents, equal rights for the ill-constituted—that would be the profoundest immorality, that would be anti-nature itself as morality!
“Far too many keep on living; they hang on their branches much too long. May a storm soon come, which shakes all this rotten and worm-eaten fruit from the tree!”
Hitler:
A stronger race will supplant the weaker, since the drive for life in its final form will decimate every ridiculous fetter of the so-called "humaneness" of individuals, in order to make place for the true "humaneness of nature," which destroys the weak to make place for the strong.
Other Germans:
In a section of The Gay Science entitled "Holy Cruelty," a Nietzschean "saint" advises a father to kill his disabled child, rhetorically asking, "Isn't it crueler to allow it to live?" The Twilight of the Idols includes a section entitled "Morality for Physicians" that calls sick people "parasites" who have no right to life and advocates the "most ruthless suppression and pushing aside of degenerate life." And finally in his autobiography Ecce Homo, one of the last books he sent to the publisher before his collapse into insanity, he said: "If we cast a look a century ahead and assume that my assassination of two thousand years of opposition to nature and of dishonoring humans succeeds, then that new party of life [!] will take in hand the greatest of all tasks—the higher breeding of humanity, including the unsparing destruction of all degenerates and parasites."
It is important to remember that ideas have consequences. Many people are willing to hold onto unbiblical ideas but lack the guts to live consistently with them. But when enough people believe the lie, then all it takes is for someone with enough guts to come along and sweep the whole society along with him. No one will oppose him when he begins to act on the lie because everyone believes in the lie already and were secretly wishing for the opportunity to live it out. The leader who acts on the lie gives them the excuse they have been looking for, so they do not oppose the leader but eagerly support him. Unfortunately, millions who called themselves Christians also believed the lie and actually supported Hitler! Can it happen again?
You can read this article at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2006/006/15.35.html If this link doesn't work, click on the link for Books & Culture on the left sidebar and do a search for "Darwin."
Darwin’s evolutionary ideas, combined with Nietzsche’s nihilistic philosophy, shaped the culture and mindset of Germany in the early 20th century. When Hitler came to power, his publicly announced goals to turn Germany into a master race by eliminating all inferior races, along with the sick, weak, homosexuals and other undesirables, met with wide acceptance by every strata of German society, including Christians. Not only had Germany’s intellectual elite bought into the idea of killing off inferior races, but the common people supported these ideas as well. Hitler was not seen as a madman but as a true prophet whose heart beat in sync with the majority of the German populace.
Darwin’s theory of evolution gave them the foundation upon which to build the most horrific society the world has ever seen. The only difference between Hitler and his contemporaries was that he was willing to put his ideas into practice. And he put them into practice with all the zeal and energy he could muster.
Ideas have consequences, and Darwin’s ideas led to the death of six million Jews under Hitler’s reign of terror. Here are some quotes from the article clearly showing what Darwin, Nietzsche and many other Germans taught that led to Hitler’s diabolical plan to rid the earth of all inferior races:
Darwin:
Letter to William Graham: “I could show fight on natural selection having done and doing more for the progress of civilization than you seem inclined to admit. Remember what risk the nations of Europe ran, not so many centuries ago, of being overwhelmed by the Turk, and how ridiculous such an idea now is! The more civilized so-called Caucasian races have beaten the Turkish hollow in the struggle for existence. Looking to the world at no very distant date, what an endless number of the lower races will have been eliminated by the higher civilized races throughout the world.”
Descent of Man: “At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace throughout the world the savage races.”
Origin of Species: “Let the strongest live and the weakest die.”
Nietzsche:
The biblical prohibition "Thou shalt not kill" is a piece of naïveté compared with the seriousness of Life's own "Thou shalt not" issued to decadence: "Thou shalt not procreate!" —Life itself recognizes no solidarity, no "equal right," between the healthy and the degenerate parts of an organism… . Sympathy for the decadents, equal rights for the ill-constituted—that would be the profoundest immorality, that would be anti-nature itself as morality!
“Far too many keep on living; they hang on their branches much too long. May a storm soon come, which shakes all this rotten and worm-eaten fruit from the tree!”
Hitler:
A stronger race will supplant the weaker, since the drive for life in its final form will decimate every ridiculous fetter of the so-called "humaneness" of individuals, in order to make place for the true "humaneness of nature," which destroys the weak to make place for the strong.
Other Germans:
In a section of The Gay Science entitled "Holy Cruelty," a Nietzschean "saint" advises a father to kill his disabled child, rhetorically asking, "Isn't it crueler to allow it to live?" The Twilight of the Idols includes a section entitled "Morality for Physicians" that calls sick people "parasites" who have no right to life and advocates the "most ruthless suppression and pushing aside of degenerate life." And finally in his autobiography Ecce Homo, one of the last books he sent to the publisher before his collapse into insanity, he said: "If we cast a look a century ahead and assume that my assassination of two thousand years of opposition to nature and of dishonoring humans succeeds, then that new party of life [!] will take in hand the greatest of all tasks—the higher breeding of humanity, including the unsparing destruction of all degenerates and parasites."
It is important to remember that ideas have consequences. Many people are willing to hold onto unbiblical ideas but lack the guts to live consistently with them. But when enough people believe the lie, then all it takes is for someone with enough guts to come along and sweep the whole society along with him. No one will oppose him when he begins to act on the lie because everyone believes in the lie already and were secretly wishing for the opportunity to live it out. The leader who acts on the lie gives them the excuse they have been looking for, so they do not oppose the leader but eagerly support him. Unfortunately, millions who called themselves Christians also believed the lie and actually supported Hitler! Can it happen again?
You can read this article at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2006/006/15.35.html If this link doesn't work, click on the link for Books & Culture on the left sidebar and do a search for "Darwin."
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Children of Men
P.D. James’ novel plays well as a movie. Even though it is a British production, I thought it was a good movie. It is bleak, intense at times, and does an excellent job of portraying the hopelessness, despair and anger of a doomed earth. I was drawn into the gloom and despair, making the movie work for me.
I enjoyed the movie mainly for its philosophical message. The movie basically portrays how humans would respond if all hope was lost and the end of mankind was imminent. For some unknown reason, all women have become infertile and there hasn’t been a single birth on the whole planet for eighteen years. The end of the human race is inevitable and despair sets in.
P.D. James effectively portrays man’s response to hopelessness and inevitable doom. Most humans give in to despair while a few hold on to hope. Those few find hope in Christianity, calling for repentance. Most, however, reject religion and give in to hopelessness. Some choose to peacefully end their lives by committing suicide through a government program of self-poisoning. Others isolate themselves and find refuge in drugs and music. Many, however, are filled with rage and commit violent acts towards civilians or the government.
I feel the movie accurately portrayed the chaos, despair and violence that would run rampant if something like this really did happen. In fact, these responses are seen in societies where hopelessness reigns, such as in the inner city, war-ravaged regions and poverty-stricken areas. Without hope, there is very little reason to live; and if one does live, there is very little reason to live civilly.
In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl chronicles how Jews interred in Nazi concentration camps dealt with hopelessness and despair. Man cannot live a meaningful and prosperous life without hope. Take away hope, and man degenerates into violence, destruction and despair. This is why the Gospel is so powerful, because it gives man true hope, filling life with meaning and purpose. The Children of Men paints an accurate picture of what life is like without hope.
When a young girl is found pregnant, hope is injected into the story. The birth of the child brings new hope to mankind. It is hard to miss the analogy to Jesus, who brought new hope to the world when he was born. Christ is our only true hope, and when man discovers him and believes in him, life is transformed and infused with new power. Despair and destruction are replaced with hope and creativity as the new man is sent out into the world to be a redeeming influence in a hopeless world.
I enjoyed the movie mainly for its philosophical message. The movie basically portrays how humans would respond if all hope was lost and the end of mankind was imminent. For some unknown reason, all women have become infertile and there hasn’t been a single birth on the whole planet for eighteen years. The end of the human race is inevitable and despair sets in.
P.D. James effectively portrays man’s response to hopelessness and inevitable doom. Most humans give in to despair while a few hold on to hope. Those few find hope in Christianity, calling for repentance. Most, however, reject religion and give in to hopelessness. Some choose to peacefully end their lives by committing suicide through a government program of self-poisoning. Others isolate themselves and find refuge in drugs and music. Many, however, are filled with rage and commit violent acts towards civilians or the government.
I feel the movie accurately portrayed the chaos, despair and violence that would run rampant if something like this really did happen. In fact, these responses are seen in societies where hopelessness reigns, such as in the inner city, war-ravaged regions and poverty-stricken areas. Without hope, there is very little reason to live; and if one does live, there is very little reason to live civilly.
In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl chronicles how Jews interred in Nazi concentration camps dealt with hopelessness and despair. Man cannot live a meaningful and prosperous life without hope. Take away hope, and man degenerates into violence, destruction and despair. This is why the Gospel is so powerful, because it gives man true hope, filling life with meaning and purpose. The Children of Men paints an accurate picture of what life is like without hope.
When a young girl is found pregnant, hope is injected into the story. The birth of the child brings new hope to mankind. It is hard to miss the analogy to Jesus, who brought new hope to the world when he was born. Christ is our only true hope, and when man discovers him and believes in him, life is transformed and infused with new power. Despair and destruction are replaced with hope and creativity as the new man is sent out into the world to be a redeeming influence in a hopeless world.
Monday, January 15, 2007
The Suppliants by Euripides
One of my long-term goals is to finish reading all 54 volumes of the Great Books of the Western World. Right now I am reading the Greek plays of Euripides. While Euripides was not as popular as Aeschylus or Sophocles during his lifetime, his plays were in greater demand after his death, so that more than twice as many of his plays exist today than the others. Of the three, Sophocles is my favorite.
I just finished reading the Suppliants, a tragedy about the death of the seven valiant warriors of Argos who died trying to regain the Theban kingdom for Polyneices which was usurped by Creon after the death of Oedipus, Polyneices’ father. Creon refused to allow anyone to bury the dead warriors, forcing the aged king of Argos to plead for help from Thesseus, legendary king of Athens. Theseus agrees to help, moved by the Suppliants (mothers of the dead warriors) and Aethra, his wife, even though he is insulted and warned by Creon’s messenge not to interfere.
Theseus attacks Thebes, and in a fierce battle drives Creon back into the walled city and recovers the bodies of the seven warriors. The bodies are returned to Argos where they are burned and interred in a proper manner.
Several passages in the poem caught my attention. The first was the exchange between Theseus and the messenger from Creon. The messenger ridicules Athens for being ruled by a mob and Theseus counters with the travesties of a dictatorship. This is a classic debate between the two major Greek forms of government, democracy and monarchy. In this passage we get the major arguments for and against both forms of government.
The second passage is the eulogies pronounced by Adrastus, the aged king of Argos, for the seven warriors. It is moving how he portrays the character of each of the valiant men, emphasizing their courage, humility, and integrity. It causes one to pause and reflect on what one wishes to be at his or her own funeral.
I just finished reading the Suppliants, a tragedy about the death of the seven valiant warriors of Argos who died trying to regain the Theban kingdom for Polyneices which was usurped by Creon after the death of Oedipus, Polyneices’ father. Creon refused to allow anyone to bury the dead warriors, forcing the aged king of Argos to plead for help from Thesseus, legendary king of Athens. Theseus agrees to help, moved by the Suppliants (mothers of the dead warriors) and Aethra, his wife, even though he is insulted and warned by Creon’s messenge not to interfere.
Theseus attacks Thebes, and in a fierce battle drives Creon back into the walled city and recovers the bodies of the seven warriors. The bodies are returned to Argos where they are burned and interred in a proper manner.
Several passages in the poem caught my attention. The first was the exchange between Theseus and the messenger from Creon. The messenger ridicules Athens for being ruled by a mob and Theseus counters with the travesties of a dictatorship. This is a classic debate between the two major Greek forms of government, democracy and monarchy. In this passage we get the major arguments for and against both forms of government.
The second passage is the eulogies pronounced by Adrastus, the aged king of Argos, for the seven warriors. It is moving how he portrays the character of each of the valiant men, emphasizing their courage, humility, and integrity. It causes one to pause and reflect on what one wishes to be at his or her own funeral.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
The Pursuit of Happyness
Will Smith and his son put on an excellent performance dramatizing the life of Chris Gardner who fought against all odds to become a broker. After failing as a salesman, Chris seeks the position of an apprentice in a brokerage firm, fighting disappointment after disappointment just to make it into the non-salaried position with the hope of being the one selected to become a stock broker. Not only does Chris have his wife walk out on him, he gets evicted from his apartment and has to live on the street with his five-year-old son. Struggling to provide for himself and his son while competing for the brokerage position, Chris has to constantly find the courage and the will to go on each day as life beats him down.
After watching this movie, all of my problems seemed to be very insignificant, leaving me with no excuse for giving up. Everyone should watch this movie and pray that God would endow them with the same courage and perseverance that Chris Gardner exhibited. Without these qualities you will not be able to accomplish anything of value in your life. Knowing that this was a true story made the message all the more powerful: don’t give up no matter what life throws at you; do whatever you have to in order to fulfill your life’s purpose.
After watching this movie, all of my problems seemed to be very insignificant, leaving me with no excuse for giving up. Everyone should watch this movie and pray that God would endow them with the same courage and perseverance that Chris Gardner exhibited. Without these qualities you will not be able to accomplish anything of value in your life. Knowing that this was a true story made the message all the more powerful: don’t give up no matter what life throws at you; do whatever you have to in order to fulfill your life’s purpose.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Essential Conditions for Change
Some of this is redundant, but it is helpful:
1. There must be the capability for change, in the individual and group, for the new system. If there is not the potential or capacity for change, then change cannot take place. If we expose people to too great of complexity before they are able to handle it, we have not exhibit any level of human caring. For example, small children are not developmentally ready for complex thought and abstract reasoning, so to expect them to move to a higher level than they are capable of will do more harm than good. But as they grow, they gain new skills and abilities that will allow them to handle more complex problems. A leader must be able to evaluate his followers so that he knows when they are able to provide solutions that are able to move them to the next level and not try to force them to implement strategies that are beyond their capablility.
2. Solutions to the problems of living must be implemented before transformational change can take place. For example, if someone is starving, you cannot move them to change until you feed them. If someone is grieving over a loss, a leader must wait until the grieving process is complete before change can be implemented. Leaders must resolve all the previous problems before new ones can be addressed.
3. Dissonance is needed in order to give the individual or group a wake up call. People must be jostled out of their false sense of security before change can take place. For example, 911 was a wake up call, or a serious illness or a child arrested by the police can provide the dissonance needed. These wake people up to the fact that the present system is not working and transformation needs to take place.
4. In order for transformation to occur, the individual or group must fail so that it is clear that old solutions will not work. Until people come to the end of their rope, they will not look for radically new solutions. Often we become prisoners of our past success when our old solutions which worked so well no longer produce satisfactory results. It often takes repeated failure to teach us that we must look for new solutions. Leaders must be patient and wait for the process to run its course and be ready to lead the organization out of the old at the right time.
5. When we give up on old solutions we gain insight and begin to see the new solutions. We realize why the old stopped working and why the new will work. New models and systems emerge when we let go of the old and embrace the new.
6. We must then overcome barriers, often in the form of resistance from the old order. The new system must be instated even if the old system opposes it. As the new system takes root and it proves to be superior to the old, the old system will lose its grip and fade away.
7. Finally, you must consolidate and put all aspects of the system into practice. Resources and people must be mobilized in such a way as to focus their efforts like a laser beam. At this point a new system emerges and becomes the accepted way of doing things.
1. There must be the capability for change, in the individual and group, for the new system. If there is not the potential or capacity for change, then change cannot take place. If we expose people to too great of complexity before they are able to handle it, we have not exhibit any level of human caring. For example, small children are not developmentally ready for complex thought and abstract reasoning, so to expect them to move to a higher level than they are capable of will do more harm than good. But as they grow, they gain new skills and abilities that will allow them to handle more complex problems. A leader must be able to evaluate his followers so that he knows when they are able to provide solutions that are able to move them to the next level and not try to force them to implement strategies that are beyond their capablility.
2. Solutions to the problems of living must be implemented before transformational change can take place. For example, if someone is starving, you cannot move them to change until you feed them. If someone is grieving over a loss, a leader must wait until the grieving process is complete before change can be implemented. Leaders must resolve all the previous problems before new ones can be addressed.
3. Dissonance is needed in order to give the individual or group a wake up call. People must be jostled out of their false sense of security before change can take place. For example, 911 was a wake up call, or a serious illness or a child arrested by the police can provide the dissonance needed. These wake people up to the fact that the present system is not working and transformation needs to take place.
4. In order for transformation to occur, the individual or group must fail so that it is clear that old solutions will not work. Until people come to the end of their rope, they will not look for radically new solutions. Often we become prisoners of our past success when our old solutions which worked so well no longer produce satisfactory results. It often takes repeated failure to teach us that we must look for new solutions. Leaders must be patient and wait for the process to run its course and be ready to lead the organization out of the old at the right time.
5. When we give up on old solutions we gain insight and begin to see the new solutions. We realize why the old stopped working and why the new will work. New models and systems emerge when we let go of the old and embrace the new.
6. We must then overcome barriers, often in the form of resistance from the old order. The new system must be instated even if the old system opposes it. As the new system takes root and it proves to be superior to the old, the old system will lose its grip and fade away.
7. Finally, you must consolidate and put all aspects of the system into practice. Resources and people must be mobilized in such a way as to focus their efforts like a laser beam. At this point a new system emerges and becomes the accepted way of doing things.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
The Stages of Transformational Change
In the chapter on change in Spiral Dynamics Integral, Don Beck gives the five stages of Transformational Change:
Stage One: All is Well. Individuals and groups tend to plateau and become comfortable in their current situation. There is little or no impetus to change even if the current situation isn’t ideal or healthy. As long people are comfortable they will not change.
Stage Two: Growing Discontent. When dissatisfaction begins to grow, people begin to look for solutions. There are three basic strategies that are tried: 1. Do more of the same. But if what we are doing isn’t working, doing more of it won’t solve the problem, but usually make it worse. 2. Go back to the ‘Good Old Days.’ Solutions to today’s problems cannot be found in the past but only in the future. Besides, the good old days were not as good as we like to think they were. 3. Realization of new possibilities. When we realize that all of our old solutions don’t work, then we will begin to look for new solutions. The same thinking that created the problems were are currently in cannot solve those problems. Only new thinking, new ideas, new paradigms will bring the transformation we need.
Stage Three: The Trap. There is always the danger that finding or implementing solutions will be more difficult than we imagined and we may fall into the trap of thinking that we can’t move forward. This is where pathologies emerge, suicide becomes rampant, and people generally begin to withdraw from reality because the pain and disappointment are too great to bear. Leaders need to ask, “Who is afraid of what and why?” If we can answer these questions, we can help people overcome the blockage and avoid the trap.
Stage Four: The Surge. Barriers are overcome and a new surge of energy sweeps through the individual or group, As barriers are overcome they are no longer seen as obstacles but as stepping stones to a higher level. As problems are solved and new solutions are implemented, fresh energy and excitement drive an increase in creativity and production.
Stage Five: The New State. The surge of creative energy brings about a higher stage of existence which begins to stabilize and plateau. When discontent begins to grow again, the process repeats itself.
As leaders it is important to understand these stages in order to be an effective change agent. Realizing which stage an individual or group is in will help you craft an appropriate strategy to help them move to the next level. Trying to bring about change in the wrong sequence will frustrate you and the group, so it is vital to understand and work in the proper order.
Stage One: All is Well. Individuals and groups tend to plateau and become comfortable in their current situation. There is little or no impetus to change even if the current situation isn’t ideal or healthy. As long people are comfortable they will not change.
Stage Two: Growing Discontent. When dissatisfaction begins to grow, people begin to look for solutions. There are three basic strategies that are tried: 1. Do more of the same. But if what we are doing isn’t working, doing more of it won’t solve the problem, but usually make it worse. 2. Go back to the ‘Good Old Days.’ Solutions to today’s problems cannot be found in the past but only in the future. Besides, the good old days were not as good as we like to think they were. 3. Realization of new possibilities. When we realize that all of our old solutions don’t work, then we will begin to look for new solutions. The same thinking that created the problems were are currently in cannot solve those problems. Only new thinking, new ideas, new paradigms will bring the transformation we need.
Stage Three: The Trap. There is always the danger that finding or implementing solutions will be more difficult than we imagined and we may fall into the trap of thinking that we can’t move forward. This is where pathologies emerge, suicide becomes rampant, and people generally begin to withdraw from reality because the pain and disappointment are too great to bear. Leaders need to ask, “Who is afraid of what and why?” If we can answer these questions, we can help people overcome the blockage and avoid the trap.
Stage Four: The Surge. Barriers are overcome and a new surge of energy sweeps through the individual or group, As barriers are overcome they are no longer seen as obstacles but as stepping stones to a higher level. As problems are solved and new solutions are implemented, fresh energy and excitement drive an increase in creativity and production.
Stage Five: The New State. The surge of creative energy brings about a higher stage of existence which begins to stabilize and plateau. When discontent begins to grow again, the process repeats itself.
As leaders it is important to understand these stages in order to be an effective change agent. Realizing which stage an individual or group is in will help you craft an appropriate strategy to help them move to the next level. Trying to bring about change in the wrong sequence will frustrate you and the group, so it is vital to understand and work in the proper order.
The Process of Change
In the chapter on change in Spiral Dynamics Integral, Don Beck claims that positive and lasting change is the result of changes in the life situation of the person or group. When the life conditions are oriented properly so that they support the individual or group in positive transformation, change will occur naturally. Our focus, then, should not be in trying to get individuals or groups to change by external pressure but by providing the appropriate life conditions.
First, there needs to be a Dissatisfaction with the way things are. When people begin to realize that the current situation is not working, meeting their needs or providing the opportunities for growth and development one desires, dissatisfaction will begin to emerge.
Second, as individuals begin to realize that a better life situation is possible, then Desire will begin to increase. As Dissatisfaction and Desire increase to a level of critical mass, the process of change will begin as individuals and groups seek solutions to their problems. As long as people are happy where they are at and have no desire to improve, then change will not occur.
Third, as Dissatisfaction and Desire increase, Problems are identified and solutions are sought. If an individual or group gets stuck and believes that there are no solutions to their problems, the cycle of change will short circuit. However, if the pain of the problems is strong enough, then a process of trying various solutions will begin.
Fourth, in order to find adequate solutions to the Problems, the right Resources must be available. If the right Resources are not available, or are overlooked, then change cannot take place. It is important for leaders to seek out the proper Resources that will enable change to take place.
Fifth, when the Problems have been identified and the right Resources have been found, then the leader needs to find the right Content that will solve the Problems with the Resources at hand. Leaders must ask, “What changes need to take place in the life situation of the individual or group in order to move to the next level?” If the right Content is not given, then the Resources will not be used to solve the Problems in a way that produces Transformation.
As leaders, we must always ask ourselves and our followers to evaluate our situation in order to create dissatisfaction and desire before we seek to implement change. Often we get frustrated because we try to get individuals or groups to change before they feel a need to change. This needs to be our primary function as change agents if we are to be effective
First, there needs to be a Dissatisfaction with the way things are. When people begin to realize that the current situation is not working, meeting their needs or providing the opportunities for growth and development one desires, dissatisfaction will begin to emerge.
Second, as individuals begin to realize that a better life situation is possible, then Desire will begin to increase. As Dissatisfaction and Desire increase to a level of critical mass, the process of change will begin as individuals and groups seek solutions to their problems. As long as people are happy where they are at and have no desire to improve, then change will not occur.
Third, as Dissatisfaction and Desire increase, Problems are identified and solutions are sought. If an individual or group gets stuck and believes that there are no solutions to their problems, the cycle of change will short circuit. However, if the pain of the problems is strong enough, then a process of trying various solutions will begin.
Fourth, in order to find adequate solutions to the Problems, the right Resources must be available. If the right Resources are not available, or are overlooked, then change cannot take place. It is important for leaders to seek out the proper Resources that will enable change to take place.
Fifth, when the Problems have been identified and the right Resources have been found, then the leader needs to find the right Content that will solve the Problems with the Resources at hand. Leaders must ask, “What changes need to take place in the life situation of the individual or group in order to move to the next level?” If the right Content is not given, then the Resources will not be used to solve the Problems in a way that produces Transformation.
As leaders, we must always ask ourselves and our followers to evaluate our situation in order to create dissatisfaction and desire before we seek to implement change. Often we get frustrated because we try to get individuals or groups to change before they feel a need to change. This needs to be our primary function as change agents if we are to be effective
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Variations of Change
The chapter on change in Spiral Dynamics Integral by Don Beck was very helpful by clarifying the various levels and types of change. His analysis not only helps prevent misunderstanding when talking about change, but it also is a useful tool to help leaders determine which type of change is needed for specific situations.
There are two tiers of change, the first being change within a system and the second being change from one system to another. Here are the eight variations of change:
TIER ONE
C1: Fine-tune, Minor alteration
C2: Reshuffle the Deck, Rotate existing resources or people
C3: New and Improved, Making existing things better or more effective
C4: Hunker down, Making changes to survive crises
C5: Stretch up, Think outside the box (and then return to the box with the new insight)
TIER TWO
C6: Revolutionary attack on barriers, Replace key components of a system
C7: Upturn to the next level, Transformational: change the form from one system to the next
C8: Epic change, Major shifts across multiple domains (e.g. industrial revolution, information revolution)
As a leader it is important to identify the “From what, To what, and How” aspects of change and then determine which variation of change is needed. Analyzing the situation effectively will enable the leader to make the appropriate changes and avoid meaningless or harmful changes.
There are two tiers of change, the first being change within a system and the second being change from one system to another. Here are the eight variations of change:
TIER ONE
C1: Fine-tune, Minor alteration
C2: Reshuffle the Deck, Rotate existing resources or people
C3: New and Improved, Making existing things better or more effective
C4: Hunker down, Making changes to survive crises
C5: Stretch up, Think outside the box (and then return to the box with the new insight)
TIER TWO
C6: Revolutionary attack on barriers, Replace key components of a system
C7: Upturn to the next level, Transformational: change the form from one system to the next
C8: Epic change, Major shifts across multiple domains (e.g. industrial revolution, information revolution)
As a leader it is important to identify the “From what, To what, and How” aspects of change and then determine which variation of change is needed. Analyzing the situation effectively will enable the leader to make the appropriate changes and avoid meaningless or harmful changes.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Elements of Effective Organizations
I am listening to Spiral Dynamics Integral by Don Beck. It is basically A Theory of Everything approach to psychology, sociology and global change and development. The whole system is too complex to explain in this short space, but I want to share some helpful ideas I have gleaned from the program.
In the chapter on leadership, he gives five essential elements for effective organizations:
First, there needs to be a Noble Purpose. All members of the organization must have a grand vision for what they are doing that is larger than themselves, their group and their organization.
Second, Efficient and Effective Processes need to be developed to fulfill the noble purpose.
Third, Profit must be used rightly, not simply to enrich the people at the top, but to make the organization more effective and efficient at fulfilling its noble purpose as well as making the community and world a better place.
Fourth, there needs to be Sensitivity to Human Beings. People are not machines or resources to be used, but human beings who need to be cared for, developed and empowered if the organization is to fulfill its noble purpose.
Fifth, care must be taken that the organization acts Ecologically. Not only do we need to be careful of the environment, but people and organizations must act with integrity to guard the industry they are in.
In the chapter on leadership, he gives five essential elements for effective organizations:
First, there needs to be a Noble Purpose. All members of the organization must have a grand vision for what they are doing that is larger than themselves, their group and their organization.
Second, Efficient and Effective Processes need to be developed to fulfill the noble purpose.
Third, Profit must be used rightly, not simply to enrich the people at the top, but to make the organization more effective and efficient at fulfilling its noble purpose as well as making the community and world a better place.
Fourth, there needs to be Sensitivity to Human Beings. People are not machines or resources to be used, but human beings who need to be cared for, developed and empowered if the organization is to fulfill its noble purpose.
Fifth, care must be taken that the organization acts Ecologically. Not only do we need to be careful of the environment, but people and organizations must act with integrity to guard the industry they are in.
Monday, January 8, 2007
The Good Shepherd
Don't let the title fool you; it has nothing to do with Psalm 23 or John 10. The movie is about the beginning of the CIA and the leaks that plagued it, culminating in the Bay of Pigs fiasco. The story revolves around Edward Wilson's search for the source of the leak that resulted in one of the biggest failures of U.S. intelligence. I am not recommending you to see this movie by commenting on it (there are some intense scenes and sexual situations).
What intrigued me about this movie is its excellent portrayal of the twisted world of intelligence. The main characters struggle with loneliness and isolation because they cannot trust anyone. People are being turned by the enemy and even the most private areas of their lives are being used to manipulate and thwart them. Without trust, there can be no intimacy. This is the main theme of the movie and the script hammers it home effectively.
As a young boy, Edward's father tells him to never tell a lie, because if he does, then no one will ever trust him and he will lose all of his friends. As Edward leaves the room, his father commits suicide because he had been caught lying in his government position. Edward never forgot the moment when he found his father dead on the floor, and as a result, his final words haunt Edward the rest of his life.
Unfortunately, always telling the truth and being a spy don't go well together. Struggling to maintain his integrity in the midst of the twisted world of espionage becomes the main conflict in the movie. Edward's commitment to integrity impressed me and I truly felt his inner turmoil as he had to make one of the most difficult decisions: remain loyal to his country or to save his son. This movie pulls no punches, and the incredible price Edward has to pay to maintain his integrity is graphically portrayed.
The theme of the movie is very applicable to our daily lives, even though we are not spies. We also struggle with maintaining our integrity in a twisted world, whether at work or school or home. Often the price is just as high, and the temptation to lie and be disloyal is real and great. But God calls us to live lives of integrity in the midst of this wicked and crooked generation, so that we might be as stars in the night sky. Jesus never said it would be easy to follow him; in fact, he often warned his would-be followers of the price they would have to pay if they chose to follow him. The stakes are just as high today. Count the cost and determine to remain loyal before you are tempted to turn aside from the truth.
Much of the loneliness we face is the result of a lack of integrity. We cannot develop intimacy without trust. Unfortunately, many poeple today do not maintain their integrity, therefore they are not able to develop intimacy. Without integrity, we are like isolated islands in a vast ocean unable to make contact with each other on the deepest levels. So, listen to the advice of Edward's father and never tell a lie.
What intrigued me about this movie is its excellent portrayal of the twisted world of intelligence. The main characters struggle with loneliness and isolation because they cannot trust anyone. People are being turned by the enemy and even the most private areas of their lives are being used to manipulate and thwart them. Without trust, there can be no intimacy. This is the main theme of the movie and the script hammers it home effectively.
As a young boy, Edward's father tells him to never tell a lie, because if he does, then no one will ever trust him and he will lose all of his friends. As Edward leaves the room, his father commits suicide because he had been caught lying in his government position. Edward never forgot the moment when he found his father dead on the floor, and as a result, his final words haunt Edward the rest of his life.
Unfortunately, always telling the truth and being a spy don't go well together. Struggling to maintain his integrity in the midst of the twisted world of espionage becomes the main conflict in the movie. Edward's commitment to integrity impressed me and I truly felt his inner turmoil as he had to make one of the most difficult decisions: remain loyal to his country or to save his son. This movie pulls no punches, and the incredible price Edward has to pay to maintain his integrity is graphically portrayed.
The theme of the movie is very applicable to our daily lives, even though we are not spies. We also struggle with maintaining our integrity in a twisted world, whether at work or school or home. Often the price is just as high, and the temptation to lie and be disloyal is real and great. But God calls us to live lives of integrity in the midst of this wicked and crooked generation, so that we might be as stars in the night sky. Jesus never said it would be easy to follow him; in fact, he often warned his would-be followers of the price they would have to pay if they chose to follow him. The stakes are just as high today. Count the cost and determine to remain loyal before you are tempted to turn aside from the truth.
Much of the loneliness we face is the result of a lack of integrity. We cannot develop intimacy without trust. Unfortunately, many poeple today do not maintain their integrity, therefore they are not able to develop intimacy. Without integrity, we are like isolated islands in a vast ocean unable to make contact with each other on the deepest levels. So, listen to the advice of Edward's father and never tell a lie.
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