I'm sure this is only true for me. None of you out there struggle with this like I do. My life has ... challenges. Financial, spiritual, physical, etc. but I have to say that God has been faithful. A number of times, we have met our landlords on the courthouse steps and was able to hand them a check for the rent as they were going inside to begin eviction proceedings. One might think "Wow, how cool God came through for you... AGAIN!" However, I am somewhat ashamed to admit that what went through the back of my mind just before rent money came in was "God didn't come through for me this time."
I'm sure we all have challenges we've gone through. Has God met them for you as he has for me? Then why do we not just thunder through life knowing God is going to come through for us, every time? If you are like me in this, you should know that we are in "good" company. The Children of Israel had just seen God change the mind of the most powerful man in the world with miraculous plagues & disasters and yet as they stood on the shore of the Red Sea and saw the Egyptian army approaching what did they do? They started yelling at Moses! They weren't singing God's praises because he was going to save them ... AGAIN! Even after the parting of the sea, did they have faith that God would feed them? No. After all God did for them, repeatedly saving them miraculously time after time they still wind up complaining, doubting, even replacing God with a golden cow.
I've thought a lot about this. I may have come to a conclusion that could explain some of this. It makes me feel better about it anyway... God doesn't own a watch.
He doesn't see time like we do. His perspective is beyond the minute to minute, hour by hour existence we must survive. To him, parting the red sea seconds before the first spear is thrown is no different than having everything printed out in an Itinerary weeks before the event. There are no surprises for God. To him it's as if everything has already happened. He can sit back and relax, 'cause it's all over for him. As we fuss & fret over some impending deadline, he can see that it's already been taken care of.
This is where the apologists & theologians will step in and talk about how the stress builds character & faith. I'm sure they're right. So what? That doesn't make things any easier for us, does it? Or does it?
Do YOU take comfort in knowing that God knows how things will turn out? I like to think I do, but I still go through the character-building, heart-pounding, stress routine just about every time. And just about every time I feel silly afterwards.
What about you? Do you sail through life, laughing at problems knowing God's got your back? Or do you fret & fuss every time life throws you a curve? Or, are you somewhere in the middle? I'd like to know...
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Christians are becoming lazier every day.
Christians are lazy. There I said it. Most of us know it, few of us want to admit it out loud in church, and none of us really want to believe it's true of ourselves. But for the majority of Christians in America, I'm afraid it may very well be true and it's evidenced by a growing willingness to let others do our thinking for us. It seems more and more I hear things like "You have GOT to read So-n-so's book..." or "What's-his-name prophesied about..." or "Download Who-ya-call-um's sermon from the internet..." or "You should read Scott's blog about..." So, ok so that last one's not so bad but the rest begin to show a trend that is rather disturbing to me personally.
Of course as Christians we want to believe that all other Christians have the same sense of "Truth" that we do and no one has their own "axe to grind." We have this feeling like "But they're Christians too. Surely they won't try to tell us something that's not Biblically true." And "I trust him because I like the way he uses funny anecdotes, slick power point presentations, & never wears a tie." But the fact of the matter is that even in the best of circumstances it is possible that well-intentioned teachers could be teaching "logical Biblical extrapolation" instead of the simplicity of the Word.
Now before you jump to the bottom of this story & begin leaving me a message telling me how wrong I am, I ask you to read on; hear me out. I know that there are extraordinary Bible teachers out there, I've met many of them and my life has been impacted by them in many ways. I'm also sure you have a favorite teacher or two at your church (I know I do) and you may routinely listen to the head of a mega-church somewhere, or well-known radio or television expositor and there is nothing wrong with that. I know that they are not ultimately responsible for our "Christian Cholesterol Consumption" ... we are.
We have such full lives, don't we? We work our jobs, come home and play with our toys, watch our TV, spruce up our MySpaces, Facebooks, and MySpaceBooks (which may include planting our crops, managing our restaurants, and/or attempting to take over the world). It's not easy to make time to do mundane things such as read the Bible, is it? It takes time and effort and must be fit into our schedules around so many other "important" things. And why do it when so many others are obviously so much better at it than we are? Why not let them read the Bible, study what it says then feed it to us in watered down, sugary, milky little 20 minute sound bites? We have to go to church this Sunday anyway, don't we?
Sounds both reasonable and easy, doesn't it? The problem is that in order to sound relevant, or up-to-date it seems we can no longer stick to the "boring" simplicity of the Bible's message: love. We have to expound on the "old" ideas, illustrate with heart-touching stories, and extrapolate new ideas based on what logically makes sense. Like Paul warned Timothy in I Tim 1:4:
"Apparently some people have been introducing fantasy stories and fanciful family trees that digress into silliness instead of pulling the people back into the center, deepening faith and obedience."
-- The Message
Paul wanted Christians to know that "The whole point of what we're urging is simply love-love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God" (vs. 5). But how will we know that's what we're getting if we don't know enough of the Word for ourselves? If we must take someone else's word for it?
Since Paul's day we are meant to have teachers, preachers and the rest. They play an important role in our Christian lives and carry a great responsibility to share the Word of God with us and the World. But today is not like Paul's day when "The Word" referred to a scroll of the Torah locked away in a Synagogue to be read out loud once a week. Today, most Christians own at least 1 or more Bibles in a variety of versions and some even have a study reference or two from their Bible college days. I even have "The Message" on my cell phone. So, even though I listen to them, respect them, and even submit to some of them, I have less need of those teachers and preachers than the Christians of Paul's day did. I can, for the most part, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, determine what the Bible is telling me for myself.
So, having said all this you should know that I am in no way trying to encourage you to NOT read Christian books, listen to your favorite Bible teacher, or watch that tele-evangelist you love so much. What I AM encouraging you to do is read the passages of Scripture they quote to you and determine for yourself if it really supports the message they are bringing you.
We had some "Bible teachers" come through our church in years past teaching an all-day seminar on a somewhat... controversial subject. I decided to attend to see what they had to say. The first half of the all-day seminar was amazing! Life changing exposition of scriptures I'd hardly ever read and didn't fully understand. I followed, each verse closely, and eagerly listened to what they had to say and by the end of the morning some of what they said changed the way I pray to this day. Each point was clearly supported by scripture references.
At the mid-day break, they announced the upcoming topic, which was part of the controversial subject matter. I turned to my wife and said "Watch, the Bible references will dry up and they'll begin relying on anecdotal evidence." After about 20 minutes or so of the afternoon session, my wife turned to me with eyes wide and said, "You were right! I never realized..."
So the moral of this Blog is "Listen to teachers you trust but don't just take what they tell you as truth." We must all understand that just because someone says "As it says in Matthew 24..." that doesn't mean that's what it says. You are ultimately responsible for what you believe. Make sure you believe it because that's what it says in the Bible, not just because someone told you.
Of course as Christians we want to believe that all other Christians have the same sense of "Truth" that we do and no one has their own "axe to grind." We have this feeling like "But they're Christians too. Surely they won't try to tell us something that's not Biblically true." And "I trust him because I like the way he uses funny anecdotes, slick power point presentations, & never wears a tie." But the fact of the matter is that even in the best of circumstances it is possible that well-intentioned teachers could be teaching "logical Biblical extrapolation" instead of the simplicity of the Word.
Now before you jump to the bottom of this story & begin leaving me a message telling me how wrong I am, I ask you to read on; hear me out. I know that there are extraordinary Bible teachers out there, I've met many of them and my life has been impacted by them in many ways. I'm also sure you have a favorite teacher or two at your church (I know I do) and you may routinely listen to the head of a mega-church somewhere, or well-known radio or television expositor and there is nothing wrong with that. I know that they are not ultimately responsible for our "Christian Cholesterol Consumption" ... we are.
We have such full lives, don't we? We work our jobs, come home and play with our toys, watch our TV, spruce up our MySpaces, Facebooks, and MySpaceBooks (which may include planting our crops, managing our restaurants, and/or attempting to take over the world). It's not easy to make time to do mundane things such as read the Bible, is it? It takes time and effort and must be fit into our schedules around so many other "important" things. And why do it when so many others are obviously so much better at it than we are? Why not let them read the Bible, study what it says then feed it to us in watered down, sugary, milky little 20 minute sound bites? We have to go to church this Sunday anyway, don't we?
Sounds both reasonable and easy, doesn't it? The problem is that in order to sound relevant, or up-to-date it seems we can no longer stick to the "boring" simplicity of the Bible's message: love. We have to expound on the "old" ideas, illustrate with heart-touching stories, and extrapolate new ideas based on what logically makes sense. Like Paul warned Timothy in I Tim 1:4:
"Apparently some people have been introducing fantasy stories and fanciful family trees that digress into silliness instead of pulling the people back into the center, deepening faith and obedience."
-- The Message
Paul wanted Christians to know that "The whole point of what we're urging is simply love-love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God" (vs. 5). But how will we know that's what we're getting if we don't know enough of the Word for ourselves? If we must take someone else's word for it?
Since Paul's day we are meant to have teachers, preachers and the rest. They play an important role in our Christian lives and carry a great responsibility to share the Word of God with us and the World. But today is not like Paul's day when "The Word" referred to a scroll of the Torah locked away in a Synagogue to be read out loud once a week. Today, most Christians own at least 1 or more Bibles in a variety of versions and some even have a study reference or two from their Bible college days. I even have "The Message" on my cell phone. So, even though I listen to them, respect them, and even submit to some of them, I have less need of those teachers and preachers than the Christians of Paul's day did. I can, for the most part, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, determine what the Bible is telling me for myself.
So, having said all this you should know that I am in no way trying to encourage you to NOT read Christian books, listen to your favorite Bible teacher, or watch that tele-evangelist you love so much. What I AM encouraging you to do is read the passages of Scripture they quote to you and determine for yourself if it really supports the message they are bringing you.
We had some "Bible teachers" come through our church in years past teaching an all-day seminar on a somewhat... controversial subject. I decided to attend to see what they had to say. The first half of the all-day seminar was amazing! Life changing exposition of scriptures I'd hardly ever read and didn't fully understand. I followed, each verse closely, and eagerly listened to what they had to say and by the end of the morning some of what they said changed the way I pray to this day. Each point was clearly supported by scripture references.
At the mid-day break, they announced the upcoming topic, which was part of the controversial subject matter. I turned to my wife and said "Watch, the Bible references will dry up and they'll begin relying on anecdotal evidence." After about 20 minutes or so of the afternoon session, my wife turned to me with eyes wide and said, "You were right! I never realized..."
So the moral of this Blog is "Listen to teachers you trust but don't just take what they tell you as truth." We must all understand that just because someone says "As it says in Matthew 24..." that doesn't mean that's what it says. You are ultimately responsible for what you believe. Make sure you believe it because that's what it says in the Bible, not just because someone told you.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Rise of the Consumer?
Did anyone out there watch "The Happening" by M. Night Shyamalan? Anyone out there remember watching "The Happening" by M. Night Shyamalan? I'm pretty sure I did and I think the storyline went something like this.
By the way, I'd warn you that what I'm about to reveal could be considered a "spoiler" but if you haven't seen the film by now, you can pick one up used at Amazon.com for less than the price of a postage stamp. But the plot goes like this: the world's plants are pissed at us Humans and have had it with our constant mowing, harvesting, and just plain getting all emotional around them. As a means of self-defense they've finally learned how to emit a gas that makes people go crazy & indulge in self-destructive behaviors; which in this case means various methods of suicide.
Oddly enough, this seems to be eerily coming true today, but not with plants, with consumers. On a JetBlue flight, a passenger tries to retrieve her bag from at overhead compartment while the plane was still moving. An attendant asks the passenger to put the bag back in the compartment & return to her seat. The attendant gets verbally abused then clocked in the head by the overhead compartment door for his trouble. But when the attendant doesn't get an apology, he sort of goes crazy... overcome by this strange urge to self-destruct. He curses out the passenger, grabs a beer, pops open the emergency door and extends the inflatable slide & glides his way to the tarmac... and then into a jail cell with federal charges on his head.
The "oddly" does not stop there, however as public opinion seems to be siding with him. A large portion of the comments about this incident have been in support of the attendant's behavior. Which I find strange since most of them have presumably been passengers far more often than they've been attendants and should be more sympathetic to the plights of the passenger than those of the attendant. But they seem to be almost hypnotized by the attendant's self-destructive proclivities. They're even calling him a hero.
And the madness doesn't seem to be limited to the airline industry but has begun to spread to other businesses closer to home. I watched a video of a 25 year old woman punching a MacDonald's employee in the face because she was denied Chicken McNuggets. Apparently the woman was unaware that the juicy, tender chicken-like lumps of meat are not suitable for breakfast and therefore not available at the time she wanted them. Denied her fast-food choice, the customer goes berserk, jumps out of her car and assaults the drive-up window, breaking it with a beer bottle she pulled from her car (hmmm, think about that for a second). But the thing that surprises me the most is that the employee's response was to exhibit self-destructive behavior similar to that of the JetBlue flight attendant by approaching the crazed consumer essentially inviting more face punches.
Perhaps it is time for us all as consumers to reconsider our expectations despite the fact that beer was involved in BOTH incidents. When flying coach or business perhaps we shouldn't expect to be able to remove our bags from overhead compartments while the plane is still moving... or be allowed to smack the flight attendants around forcing them to grab a beer and incur federal felony charges. Perhaps we shouldn't expect MacDonald's to sell ALL the items on their menu at ALL hours of the day... or be allowed to smack the employees around with open containers of beer.
If there's any truth to Shaymalan's movie at all (and there really isn't), it would be this: we must stop this demanding & aggressive consumerist behavior before we drive ALL flight attendants, & fast-food employees mad and force them into self-destructive behaviors that will not only threaten their careers, but our ability to fly across the country, eating processed, breaded chicken chunks.
It's not too late. You can stop the madness. You can make a difference.
By the way, I'd warn you that what I'm about to reveal could be considered a "spoiler" but if you haven't seen the film by now, you can pick one up used at Amazon.com for less than the price of a postage stamp. But the plot goes like this: the world's plants are pissed at us Humans and have had it with our constant mowing, harvesting, and just plain getting all emotional around them. As a means of self-defense they've finally learned how to emit a gas that makes people go crazy & indulge in self-destructive behaviors; which in this case means various methods of suicide.
Oddly enough, this seems to be eerily coming true today, but not with plants, with consumers. On a JetBlue flight, a passenger tries to retrieve her bag from at overhead compartment while the plane was still moving. An attendant asks the passenger to put the bag back in the compartment & return to her seat. The attendant gets verbally abused then clocked in the head by the overhead compartment door for his trouble. But when the attendant doesn't get an apology, he sort of goes crazy... overcome by this strange urge to self-destruct. He curses out the passenger, grabs a beer, pops open the emergency door and extends the inflatable slide & glides his way to the tarmac... and then into a jail cell with federal charges on his head.
The "oddly" does not stop there, however as public opinion seems to be siding with him. A large portion of the comments about this incident have been in support of the attendant's behavior. Which I find strange since most of them have presumably been passengers far more often than they've been attendants and should be more sympathetic to the plights of the passenger than those of the attendant. But they seem to be almost hypnotized by the attendant's self-destructive proclivities. They're even calling him a hero.
And the madness doesn't seem to be limited to the airline industry but has begun to spread to other businesses closer to home. I watched a video of a 25 year old woman punching a MacDonald's employee in the face because she was denied Chicken McNuggets. Apparently the woman was unaware that the juicy, tender chicken-like lumps of meat are not suitable for breakfast and therefore not available at the time she wanted them. Denied her fast-food choice, the customer goes berserk, jumps out of her car and assaults the drive-up window, breaking it with a beer bottle she pulled from her car (hmmm, think about that for a second). But the thing that surprises me the most is that the employee's response was to exhibit self-destructive behavior similar to that of the JetBlue flight attendant by approaching the crazed consumer essentially inviting more face punches.
Perhaps it is time for us all as consumers to reconsider our expectations despite the fact that beer was involved in BOTH incidents. When flying coach or business perhaps we shouldn't expect to be able to remove our bags from overhead compartments while the plane is still moving... or be allowed to smack the flight attendants around forcing them to grab a beer and incur federal felony charges. Perhaps we shouldn't expect MacDonald's to sell ALL the items on their menu at ALL hours of the day... or be allowed to smack the employees around with open containers of beer.
If there's any truth to Shaymalan's movie at all (and there really isn't), it would be this: we must stop this demanding & aggressive consumerist behavior before we drive ALL flight attendants, & fast-food employees mad and force them into self-destructive behaviors that will not only threaten their careers, but our ability to fly across the country, eating processed, breaded chicken chunks.
It's not too late. You can stop the madness. You can make a difference.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Uganda 2010: It's not about me... well, maybe a little.
"May my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God"
I have been with World Vision through Master's Image Productions and now on my own for around 9 years or so. Getting kids sponsored is important to me. It makes me feel that I am doing something to help. When I was offered the trip to Uganda, I really didn't know what to expect.
When we pulled into the hotel in Entebbe, Uganda it was late night and my first few thoughts were "where do I plug in my iPhone?" and "how fast is the internet connection here?" and so forth. The next morning I ate breakfast of mostly pineapple, toast, and some mild sausage and although the coffee was wonderful for the most part I was unimpressed. I wandered the grounds, took some pictures, and sweated. Later we walked as a group to the Uganda Wildlife Museum. After the museum, my legs & back were beginning to protest.
Then we got on a long boat and headed out onto Lake Victoria, visited an island covered with these tiny lake flies and very little shade, saw some temporary fisherman's housing that looked like it had been used in Kevin Costner's "Waterworld" but all the while I was anxious to get back to my room so I could get back to the relative luxury of air conditioning and internet access. By now, I was beginning to feel a little sorry for myself. Having to put up with the heat, humidity, walking, unappealing food, slow internet, etc.
In the morning we were scheduled to take a short flight to Gulu, Uganda to visit the Children of War Rehabilitation Centre and some of World Vision's ADPs (Area Development Projects) there. When we arrived at the center we met the obviously caring & dedicated staff. We were told stories of the atrocities perpetrated on the people of Northern Uganda--especially the children--by a group of rebels know as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The rebels would enter a village, burn, pillage, and generally destroy everything. Then take the people into the jungle, some would escape, some would be let go, some were killed sometimes right in front of their children. Then most of the frightened & utterly powerless children would be taken. Over the last 20 years or so, approximately 60,000 children have been abducted by the LRA. World Vision has reintroduced around 14,000 of them.
Children, it seems, were useful to the rebels in a number of ways: as workers, for sex, and after indoctrination/brainwashing, as soldiers. As the rebels traveled from place to place, the children would be tied together in a long line making it impossible for them to escape. In the event of a gov't attack, the rebels would hide behind the tied up children, using them as shields. From time to time, during such an attack, the rebels would be killed or run away leaving the children behind. These "fortunate" children then fell into the hands of the army sometimes suffering the same sexual abuse from their "rescuers" as they did from their abductors.
In 1995 and in collaboration with the Ugandan Gov't, World Vision opened the Children of War Rehabilitation Centre where rescued children could be rehabilitated for reintegration into Ugandan society. Although many of these horribly traumatized children were unable to speak about their ordeals they were able to draw pictures about it. The pictures they drew of soldiers shooting children, or cutting off their heads were, to say the least, disturbing. Using the pictures, counseling, and interviews, World Vision staff began returning these children to their families or villages when possible or reintegrating them into Ugandan society.
To be honest, writing this is particularly difficult for me on a personal level. I listened to the staff, heard the triumphant stories of children enduring overwhelming loss, hardships, and wounds, and met some of the courageous children themselves. My own self-absorbed condition was thrown into sharp relief by the children's stories of overcoming hardship and loss.
We then drove out into the jungle and visited a group of people who are benefitting from World Vision's programs. They greeted us with music, dancing, and smiles. These people work harder than any I have ever met, and yet the joy of hope was evident in every handshake, every smile.
Throughout the trip, I became more and more ashamed of my own preoccupation with my personal comfort. I sat at the back of the van, trailed along behind the rest of the team, and wrestled with the changes I was going through. I came to dislike the person I was who arrived at the hotel complaining about food, heat, and poor internet access. Fortunately, after much soul searching, introspection, and repentance the person I was when I arrived in Uganda is not the person who returned home. Sometimes it IS about "me" if only just a little. And sometimes it's not what you bring home from a trip like this that counts... it's what you leave behind.
I have decided that I will open my child sponsorship appeal differently than I used to. I think I will begin it with...
May my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.
--Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision
As an actor, I perform one-man plays in churches across the United States. After a performance I invite the audience to consider child sponsorship through World Vision. I begin most every appeal with this prayer by Bob Pierce and as an actor, I am able to deliver the line with just the right vocal inflection and pitch to convey the sincerity & conviction I honestly feel. I believe in child sponsorship. I believe in World Vision.
I was invited by Chuck Neighbors and World Vision to go on a trip to Uganda in West Africa in mid-January, 2010. The trip was to show first-hand how World Vision is changing lives there through their child sponsorships. Imagine my surprise when what I saw there changed my life. This will be the first in a series of blogs on that trip and probably the hardest for me to write. Because while the trip was not about me, there were things about it that were about me and I want to start with those.
I have been with World Vision through Master's Image Productions and now on my own for around 9 years or so. Getting kids sponsored is important to me. It makes me feel that I am doing something to help. When I was offered the trip to Uganda, I really didn't know what to expect.
When we pulled into the hotel in Entebbe, Uganda it was late night and my first few thoughts were "where do I plug in my iPhone?" and "how fast is the internet connection here?" and so forth. The next morning I ate breakfast of mostly pineapple, toast, and some mild sausage and although the coffee was wonderful for the most part I was unimpressed. I wandered the grounds, took some pictures, and sweated. Later we walked as a group to the Uganda Wildlife Museum. After the museum, my legs & back were beginning to protest.
Then we got on a long boat and headed out onto Lake Victoria, visited an island covered with these tiny lake flies and very little shade, saw some temporary fisherman's housing that looked like it had been used in Kevin Costner's "Waterworld" but all the while I was anxious to get back to my room so I could get back to the relative luxury of air conditioning and internet access. By now, I was beginning to feel a little sorry for myself. Having to put up with the heat, humidity, walking, unappealing food, slow internet, etc.
In the morning we were scheduled to take a short flight to Gulu, Uganda to visit the Children of War Rehabilitation Centre and some of World Vision's ADPs (Area Development Projects) there. When we arrived at the center we met the obviously caring & dedicated staff. We were told stories of the atrocities perpetrated on the people of Northern Uganda--especially the children--by a group of rebels know as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The rebels would enter a village, burn, pillage, and generally destroy everything. Then take the people into the jungle, some would escape, some would be let go, some were killed sometimes right in front of their children. Then most of the frightened & utterly powerless children would be taken. Over the last 20 years or so, approximately 60,000 children have been abducted by the LRA. World Vision has reintroduced around 14,000 of them.
Children, it seems, were useful to the rebels in a number of ways: as workers, for sex, and after indoctrination/brainwashing, as soldiers. As the rebels traveled from place to place, the children would be tied together in a long line making it impossible for them to escape. In the event of a gov't attack, the rebels would hide behind the tied up children, using them as shields. From time to time, during such an attack, the rebels would be killed or run away leaving the children behind. These "fortunate" children then fell into the hands of the army sometimes suffering the same sexual abuse from their "rescuers" as they did from their abductors.
In 1995 and in collaboration with the Ugandan Gov't, World Vision opened the Children of War Rehabilitation Centre where rescued children could be rehabilitated for reintegration into Ugandan society. Although many of these horribly traumatized children were unable to speak about their ordeals they were able to draw pictures about it. The pictures they drew of soldiers shooting children, or cutting off their heads were, to say the least, disturbing. Using the pictures, counseling, and interviews, World Vision staff began returning these children to their families or villages when possible or reintegrating them into Ugandan society.
To be honest, writing this is particularly difficult for me on a personal level. I listened to the staff, heard the triumphant stories of children enduring overwhelming loss, hardships, and wounds, and met some of the courageous children themselves. My own self-absorbed condition was thrown into sharp relief by the children's stories of overcoming hardship and loss.
We then drove out into the jungle and visited a group of people who are benefitting from World Vision's programs. They greeted us with music, dancing, and smiles. These people work harder than any I have ever met, and yet the joy of hope was evident in every handshake, every smile.
Throughout the trip, I became more and more ashamed of my own preoccupation with my personal comfort. I sat at the back of the van, trailed along behind the rest of the team, and wrestled with the changes I was going through. I came to dislike the person I was who arrived at the hotel complaining about food, heat, and poor internet access. Fortunately, after much soul searching, introspection, and repentance the person I was when I arrived in Uganda is not the person who returned home. Sometimes it IS about "me" if only just a little. And sometimes it's not what you bring home from a trip like this that counts... it's what you leave behind.
I have decided that I will open my child sponsorship appeal differently than I used to. I think I will begin it with...
May my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.
If you want your life to be changed in ways you can't imagine, consider sponsoring a child through World Vision. Feel free to contact me at scott@scottbettis.com for more information or you may Sponsor Online.
Monday, December 21, 2009
A Sad Trend in Entertainment Mirrored in the Church.
I see a lot of movies. Not as many as some, but probably more than most. I saw my first movie in a movie theater with my 4th or 5th grade class. "The Sound of Music" was most likely responsible for my love of entertainment. This movie "had it all"--beauty, song, adventure, the heights of the Human spirit, and the evil of the Human heart, and the confused and timid Human souls caught between. A few years later, I saw my first movie alone... "Captain Nemo and the Underwater City" which was playing as a double feature with another movie I can't remember. The marriage of science and fiction also helped to expand my imagination and broaden my experience to include this new genre.
Now, please understand that I don't just go to see ANY movie, I do have SOME standards. The "Halloween", "Friday the 13th", and "Saw" franchises are right off my list and I wish some of that genre had never been made. But I have seen SOME monster/horror films. The second "Aliens" film (which I saw over at the youth pastor's house) remains one of my favorite films as does the 2nd in the "Terminator" series. My first "horror" film was "Jaws" which I saw back when I was in Bible College. My girlfriend's sister took us to go see it. It was scary and a little gory, but came with a message: the indomitable nature of the Human spirit. That movie opened my eyes to the possibility that "horror" wasn't in and of itself a bad movie genre.
And of course I also love comedies! I took my girlfriend to see "Blazing Saddles" also when we were in Bible College. It was the first R-rated movie she had ever seen. She was appalled. Not too appalled, however, 'cause a few years later she married me anyway. Now that I was married, I realized that I had to nurture a taste for romantic comedies as well. The Princess Bride, Music & Lyrics, and Hitch have also found their way onto my movie shelf. And let's not forget about the animated films that have meant so much to my family. Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Cars, Wall-E have all touched our lives & to some extent shaped the people we have become.
Anyone who has been around long enough to have seen movies released over the last 30 or more years ago will probably agree on a couple of things. The special effects for the King Kong released in 1933 doesn't hold a candle to the realism of the one released in 2005. And yet back in '33, people were fainting in the theater from fright watching the stop-action claymation Kong battle claymation dinosaurs. Another thing most will agree on is that we've lost (or at least are losing) something in movies today. The King Kong of 1933 was a story of Humanity and the depths to which it will sink in the name of exploitation for profit. It was a story of the heights to which Humanity will go-what horrors it will face-to protect the ones we love. The one from 2005 pretty much just shows how much damage a big, PO'd 50-foot ape could cause in a populated area.
I know some will debate the issue, but one can't deny the trend away from Story and towards Distraction. A story draws you in, makes you care, makes you think & consider, makes you vicariously decide what you would do in the same situation. Distraction just holds your attention to the exclusion of all else.
I saw the movie "Avatar" recently. Visually the most impressive movie I have ever seen. The realism of that alien world was amazing. The similarity of the alien culture to our own "primitive" tribal cultures is undeniable. Story? It was there. Simple, classic "Advanced-culture greed vs. primitive-culture naturalism" conflict one can find in many other movies such as "Dances With Wolves" and even "Star Wars: Episode VI-Return of the Jedi." And I must say, it was not badly told. Emotions played by the actors (translated by the animators) were believable and moving, and pretty obviously there just to give animators an excuse to create an unbelievably real, alien world.
I also saw "A Christmas Carol" put out by Disney a month earlier and starring the voice of Jim Carrey as Scrooge (as well as all three Christmas ghosts). Astounding graphics. Realism beyond anything to date, even considering the cartoonish shapes real actors faces were slapped on it had a feeling of real life. But here, we have a slightly different situation... an amazing story. A story written more than a hundred years ago by a master of story-telling: Charles Dickens.
Unfortunately, for the most part story seems to be disposable today. If your movie is visually impressive enough, a simple story will do to give the animators an excuse to blow our minds with scene after scene of realistic yet impossible vistas. Helicopter-like lizards, floating mountains, flying dragons, six-legged horses. Distractions.
It's not just movies either. "Online Environments" such as Second Life, and MMORPGs (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game) routinely allow 10's of 1000's of people from anywhere around the world to interact with one another in virtual environments "safely" exploring any and every aspect of the human condition.
So, here we are as Christians. Faced with multitudes of very effective distractions in this world, we must find a way to compete. Some churches have attempted to adopt the same strategies to get their message out. They maintain rigid time-schedules cutting back on worship songs and sermon content in favor of short videos depicting Sacred Truths in commercial-like time frames.
Others have rigidly "stuck to their guns" and pushed the effectiveness of story-telling eschewing advances in technology. And there are those that just ignore the entire issue and just keep preaching. But, which of these positions is "right" ? Which will prove most effective in doing what we are called to do: Tell EVERYONE the Good News that God has bridged the gap between us and Him? The answer is "All of the above"
The church has always been a repository and sactuary of the arts. The first plays were religious in nature, the art & culture of the Renaissance were infused with the religious imagery of the time. And so it should be. Not only should we support the arts, but as Christians we cannot afford to ignore the "tools of the trade" that are made available to us.
Websites such as SermonSpice.com and even Mastersimage.com are selling short, 2-5 minute videos and presentations that are direct and to the point. Use them, but don't neglect live storytelling. A live performance with a talented actor draws people in in ways short videos can't. A person not just reading the Bible out loud, but someone speaking the Word is sharing it the way it was meant to be shared: verbally.
Don't neglect what has worked in the past, but embrace new opportunities as well. And don't neglect the hidden gems in you own congregations! Find those you worship with that are the storytellers, find those that are technologically literate, find those that are artistically endowed. Find them... and put them to work.
Now, please understand that I don't just go to see ANY movie, I do have SOME standards. The "Halloween", "Friday the 13th", and "Saw" franchises are right off my list and I wish some of that genre had never been made. But I have seen SOME monster/horror films. The second "Aliens" film (which I saw over at the youth pastor's house) remains one of my favorite films as does the 2nd in the "Terminator" series. My first "horror" film was "Jaws" which I saw back when I was in Bible College. My girlfriend's sister took us to go see it. It was scary and a little gory, but came with a message: the indomitable nature of the Human spirit. That movie opened my eyes to the possibility that "horror" wasn't in and of itself a bad movie genre.
And of course I also love comedies! I took my girlfriend to see "Blazing Saddles" also when we were in Bible College. It was the first R-rated movie she had ever seen. She was appalled. Not too appalled, however, 'cause a few years later she married me anyway. Now that I was married, I realized that I had to nurture a taste for romantic comedies as well. The Princess Bride, Music & Lyrics, and Hitch have also found their way onto my movie shelf. And let's not forget about the animated films that have meant so much to my family. Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Cars, Wall-E have all touched our lives & to some extent shaped the people we have become.
Anyone who has been around long enough to have seen movies released over the last 30 or more years ago will probably agree on a couple of things. The special effects for the King Kong released in 1933 doesn't hold a candle to the realism of the one released in 2005. And yet back in '33, people were fainting in the theater from fright watching the stop-action claymation Kong battle claymation dinosaurs. Another thing most will agree on is that we've lost (or at least are losing) something in movies today. The King Kong of 1933 was a story of Humanity and the depths to which it will sink in the name of exploitation for profit. It was a story of the heights to which Humanity will go-what horrors it will face-to protect the ones we love. The one from 2005 pretty much just shows how much damage a big, PO'd 50-foot ape could cause in a populated area.
I know some will debate the issue, but one can't deny the trend away from Story and towards Distraction. A story draws you in, makes you care, makes you think & consider, makes you vicariously decide what you would do in the same situation. Distraction just holds your attention to the exclusion of all else.
I saw the movie "Avatar" recently. Visually the most impressive movie I have ever seen. The realism of that alien world was amazing. The similarity of the alien culture to our own "primitive" tribal cultures is undeniable. Story? It was there. Simple, classic "Advanced-culture greed vs. primitive-culture naturalism" conflict one can find in many other movies such as "Dances With Wolves" and even "Star Wars: Episode VI-Return of the Jedi." And I must say, it was not badly told. Emotions played by the actors (translated by the animators) were believable and moving, and pretty obviously there just to give animators an excuse to create an unbelievably real, alien world.
I also saw "A Christmas Carol" put out by Disney a month earlier and starring the voice of Jim Carrey as Scrooge (as well as all three Christmas ghosts). Astounding graphics. Realism beyond anything to date, even considering the cartoonish shapes real actors faces were slapped on it had a feeling of real life. But here, we have a slightly different situation... an amazing story. A story written more than a hundred years ago by a master of story-telling: Charles Dickens.
Unfortunately, for the most part story seems to be disposable today. If your movie is visually impressive enough, a simple story will do to give the animators an excuse to blow our minds with scene after scene of realistic yet impossible vistas. Helicopter-like lizards, floating mountains, flying dragons, six-legged horses. Distractions.
It's not just movies either. "Online Environments" such as Second Life, and MMORPGs (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game) routinely allow 10's of 1000's of people from anywhere around the world to interact with one another in virtual environments "safely" exploring any and every aspect of the human condition.
So, here we are as Christians. Faced with multitudes of very effective distractions in this world, we must find a way to compete. Some churches have attempted to adopt the same strategies to get their message out. They maintain rigid time-schedules cutting back on worship songs and sermon content in favor of short videos depicting Sacred Truths in commercial-like time frames.
Others have rigidly "stuck to their guns" and pushed the effectiveness of story-telling eschewing advances in technology. And there are those that just ignore the entire issue and just keep preaching. But, which of these positions is "right" ? Which will prove most effective in doing what we are called to do: Tell EVERYONE the Good News that God has bridged the gap between us and Him? The answer is "All of the above"
The church has always been a repository and sactuary of the arts. The first plays were religious in nature, the art & culture of the Renaissance were infused with the religious imagery of the time. And so it should be. Not only should we support the arts, but as Christians we cannot afford to ignore the "tools of the trade" that are made available to us.
Websites such as SermonSpice.com and even Mastersimage.com are selling short, 2-5 minute videos and presentations that are direct and to the point. Use them, but don't neglect live storytelling. A live performance with a talented actor draws people in in ways short videos can't. A person not just reading the Bible out loud, but someone speaking the Word is sharing it the way it was meant to be shared: verbally.
Don't neglect what has worked in the past, but embrace new opportunities as well. And don't neglect the hidden gems in you own congregations! Find those you worship with that are the storytellers, find those that are technologically literate, find those that are artistically endowed. Find them... and put them to work.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
America's "Frankenstein" side...
Earlier this week a musical artist named Kanye West interrupted another musical artist Taylor Swift as she was accepting a VMA award for Best Female Video. He apologized and assured Ms. Swift he would let her finish then turned to the audience and announced that Beyonce had "one of the best videos of all time."
Of course the behavior was denounced by all but a few loyal West fans and comments came from all the way up to the White House. President Obama said the incident was "totally inappropriate" and said of Mr. West "He's a jackass."
And also of course the White racists started hollering about "ignorant Black rappers" and the Black racists yelled back about "rap getting no respect as a musical art form", Liberals started hollering about how it wouldn't have happened if African-Americans had been given equal opportunity and Conservatives yelled back about how Blacks should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and comedians are saying that Kanye West interrupted Patrick Swayze's death to say that Michael Jackson's was the best death of all time... etc. etc. etc.
As usual in this country, everyone's out trying to make political hay while the sun shines down on this sad event. Everyone has an axe to grind and a finger to point. What amazes me is that so few people are pointing their finger at the REAL culprits... us.
You see, in my opinion this is not a "race" issue. It's not an "opportunity" issue. It's not even "character" issue (well, not entirely). It's a "Frankenstein" issue: we've created yet another monster and let it loose to roam the countryside destroying villages & razing crops. We've all seen this happen with sports stars, child actors, musicians, singers, politicians... They do something well, become popular, then more popular and begin to surround themselves with "fans" not friends.
Sports figures ask for obscene amounts of money to play a game, and we give it to them. Singers ask for obscene amounts of money to do what they'd do for free in their own garages or churches, and we give it to them. Actors that used to wait tables or park cars while they acted in community theaters ask for obscene amounts of money so we can escape our troubles for an hour or three, and we give it to them. Politicians accept obscene amounts of money from corporations then ask us for obscene amounts of money to fund those same corporation's pet projects... and we give it to them.
Soon, where there used to be a human being striving to express themselves in their music, or achieve excellence in their sport, or make the world a better place stands a monster, driven by greed & need & the belief that the world loves them (or owes them) so much that they can do what they want and nothing will come of it. And we let them get away with it because we need their music, or the excitement of watching their sport, or the escape their movies bring us, or the influence they wield on our behalf.
As money & popularity & "power" & drugs & alcohol slam into their lives in ever-increasing doses it can completely overwhelm the "good human" behaviors we all use when we want to get along with others and reveal the "dark" nature we all try to hide. Then hubris takes over and they begin to feel that they got there on their own and they don't need anyone else which is the fatal lie. What these people really need are TRUE friends that are not afraid to look at them and say "You're an ass. Stop it."
We have lost something in this country. We no longer know what it means to be a success. We look at those who have achieved notoriety in their field and think they are successful because they have money or power, etc. Rich people get to buy or do what they want. Rich people suffer no consequences. Rich people are therefore successful. How sad.
I'm afraid that I tend to agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson on the subject. "Success: To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!"
The saddest thing of all is that it's very likely not going to change. The same Human nature that causes some of our celebrities to act like asses is the same Human nature that causes some of us to idolize them. Oh, we tolerate their dark side until it boils over and burns us. Then we rise up out of righteous indignation and depose the corrupt in power, boycott artists that exhibit crappy behavior, refuse to watch bloated sports celebrities. But eventually our ire will recede, we'll step off our soapboxes and in the end, all that will happen is that, at best a new human will rise to slip into the vacated position and at worst the same one will seem repentant and be forgiven and the cycle will repeat. As long as our nature remains the same, the cycle will remain the same and for some reason... that seems to be the way we want it.
Of course the behavior was denounced by all but a few loyal West fans and comments came from all the way up to the White House. President Obama said the incident was "totally inappropriate" and said of Mr. West "He's a jackass."
And also of course the White racists started hollering about "ignorant Black rappers" and the Black racists yelled back about "rap getting no respect as a musical art form", Liberals started hollering about how it wouldn't have happened if African-Americans had been given equal opportunity and Conservatives yelled back about how Blacks should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and comedians are saying that Kanye West interrupted Patrick Swayze's death to say that Michael Jackson's was the best death of all time... etc. etc. etc.
As usual in this country, everyone's out trying to make political hay while the sun shines down on this sad event. Everyone has an axe to grind and a finger to point. What amazes me is that so few people are pointing their finger at the REAL culprits... us.
You see, in my opinion this is not a "race" issue. It's not an "opportunity" issue. It's not even "character" issue (well, not entirely). It's a "Frankenstein" issue: we've created yet another monster and let it loose to roam the countryside destroying villages & razing crops. We've all seen this happen with sports stars, child actors, musicians, singers, politicians... They do something well, become popular, then more popular and begin to surround themselves with "fans" not friends.
Sports figures ask for obscene amounts of money to play a game, and we give it to them. Singers ask for obscene amounts of money to do what they'd do for free in their own garages or churches, and we give it to them. Actors that used to wait tables or park cars while they acted in community theaters ask for obscene amounts of money so we can escape our troubles for an hour or three, and we give it to them. Politicians accept obscene amounts of money from corporations then ask us for obscene amounts of money to fund those same corporation's pet projects... and we give it to them.
Soon, where there used to be a human being striving to express themselves in their music, or achieve excellence in their sport, or make the world a better place stands a monster, driven by greed & need & the belief that the world loves them (or owes them) so much that they can do what they want and nothing will come of it. And we let them get away with it because we need their music, or the excitement of watching their sport, or the escape their movies bring us, or the influence they wield on our behalf.
As money & popularity & "power" & drugs & alcohol slam into their lives in ever-increasing doses it can completely overwhelm the "good human" behaviors we all use when we want to get along with others and reveal the "dark" nature we all try to hide. Then hubris takes over and they begin to feel that they got there on their own and they don't need anyone else which is the fatal lie. What these people really need are TRUE friends that are not afraid to look at them and say "You're an ass. Stop it."
We have lost something in this country. We no longer know what it means to be a success. We look at those who have achieved notoriety in their field and think they are successful because they have money or power, etc. Rich people get to buy or do what they want. Rich people suffer no consequences. Rich people are therefore successful. How sad.
I'm afraid that I tend to agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson on the subject. "Success: To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!"
The saddest thing of all is that it's very likely not going to change. The same Human nature that causes some of our celebrities to act like asses is the same Human nature that causes some of us to idolize them. Oh, we tolerate their dark side until it boils over and burns us. Then we rise up out of righteous indignation and depose the corrupt in power, boycott artists that exhibit crappy behavior, refuse to watch bloated sports celebrities. But eventually our ire will recede, we'll step off our soapboxes and in the end, all that will happen is that, at best a new human will rise to slip into the vacated position and at worst the same one will seem repentant and be forgiven and the cycle will repeat. As long as our nature remains the same, the cycle will remain the same and for some reason... that seems to be the way we want it.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Parental Expectations
When the parent-birds gently coax their baby-birds out of the nest, they hope they will begin flying before they hit the ground, but I'm sure that some part of them expects to have to swoop in through the trees and rescue them. So, when my youngest daughter, Caryn moved out a few months ago, it was with great relief to my wife and I to see her wings stretch out, catch the wind and lift her into the sky. We did not however expect to see 2 little jets pop out of her shoes or the pilot's goggles that she lowered over her eyes as she came to hover like a harrier jet before us, salute & blast off to face the world. She has been kind enough to stay close to our little tree and we see a Caryn-shaped blur swoop past our field of vision every once in so often and smile.
Caryn has taught us many things over the last 21 years. Apparently important lessons like: Food coloring turns black when more than 3 colors are mixed together and is difficult to remove from floors and walls even when NOT in the shape of tiny hands & feet. One can make music with one's belly-button. That between herbivores and carnivores betrayal is as sudden as it is inevitable. That a child doesn't have to be 1/8th alien to do amazing things. And no matter how motivated they may be, hamsters cannot fly. As a parent I have been constantly amazed by the things my children have thought I needed to know, and Caryn has been teaching me these things since she began finishing my sentences for me at the age of 6.
And there were other lessons, too. A young girl's fascination with swords can turn out to be prophetic of future Spiritual Warfare. That the character attributes of compassion and strength can develop in response to Life's hardship and handicap. That no matter how many mistakes a parent can make... kids can still grow up to be mighty warriors.
We are proud of Caryn. Proud of all our children. They are all growing into their gifts, learning, exploring and taking ground for the Kingdom in their own unique ways. That's also something, as a parent I hadn't "expected"... that may not be the right word... You see, in the middle of raising my children, it was as much as I could hope for that they would just survive. That they'd get through grade school, middle school, puberty, junior high and high school without getting into a fatal accident, hooked on drugs or prematurely making my wife a grandmother. I became focused on just getting them through the next grade, the next phase intact & relatively healthy. Then one day, I turned around... and they were all gone. They weren't hard to find, they all stayed close. We see them quite a bit, marvel at what happens in their lives. Sometimes my wife & I smile and wink at each other 'cause we know what comes next; sometimes we cry for the same reason.
And now, Caryn-our baby-is an adult. Out in the world, standing on her own, sword in hand scanning the horizon for "new targets." Like The Lord of the Rings' Eowyn, standing between the forces of darkness and the people she loves... and watching the darkness tremble.
Caryn has taught us many things over the last 21 years. Apparently important lessons like: Food coloring turns black when more than 3 colors are mixed together and is difficult to remove from floors and walls even when NOT in the shape of tiny hands & feet. One can make music with one's belly-button. That between herbivores and carnivores betrayal is as sudden as it is inevitable. That a child doesn't have to be 1/8th alien to do amazing things. And no matter how motivated they may be, hamsters cannot fly. As a parent I have been constantly amazed by the things my children have thought I needed to know, and Caryn has been teaching me these things since she began finishing my sentences for me at the age of 6.
And there were other lessons, too. A young girl's fascination with swords can turn out to be prophetic of future Spiritual Warfare. That the character attributes of compassion and strength can develop in response to Life's hardship and handicap. That no matter how many mistakes a parent can make... kids can still grow up to be mighty warriors.
We are proud of Caryn. Proud of all our children. They are all growing into their gifts, learning, exploring and taking ground for the Kingdom in their own unique ways. That's also something, as a parent I hadn't "expected"... that may not be the right word... You see, in the middle of raising my children, it was as much as I could hope for that they would just survive. That they'd get through grade school, middle school, puberty, junior high and high school without getting into a fatal accident, hooked on drugs or prematurely making my wife a grandmother. I became focused on just getting them through the next grade, the next phase intact & relatively healthy. Then one day, I turned around... and they were all gone. They weren't hard to find, they all stayed close. We see them quite a bit, marvel at what happens in their lives. Sometimes my wife & I smile and wink at each other 'cause we know what comes next; sometimes we cry for the same reason.
And now, Caryn-our baby-is an adult. Out in the world, standing on her own, sword in hand scanning the horizon for "new targets." Like The Lord of the Rings' Eowyn, standing between the forces of darkness and the people she loves... and watching the darkness tremble.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)