Our church is in the midst of a three-week corporate fast. It's sort of amusing to me that fasting is God's way of slowing us down and bringing us near and helping us listen to His voice. I am excited about what He'll speak into our lives this year as we listen carefully for His voice.
John 10:1-18
“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
New Threats to Freedom - The Freedom to Fail
The loss of the freedom to fail is a true American tragedy. Today's young adults grew up in the era of positivity and self-esteem, which predictably turned out a self-centered generation convinced of its entitlement to academic success, to employment, to financial stability, and to other things prior generations knew came only with hard work. Members of this generation seem to be uniformly convinced - all eighty-five million of them - that they are special. But the real question is this: what does special mean if everyone qualifies?
Without failure, success becomes meaningless. Motivation to excel evaporates. This is basic introductory psychology: if we reward a behavior, we incentivize more of it. If we reward mediocre work, then we should expect more mediocre work. These conditions encourage not a race to the top, but a regression toward the mean. Further, if even a lack of effort will be declared just as successful as outstanding effort, there is no incentive to push harder to achieve difficult goals. When excellence is no longer rewarded by recognition, true accomplishment vanishes.
Also, when failure is uncommon, the healthy fear of failure which motivates people to be diligent disappears, replaced by an unhealthy, paralyzing anxiety. Failure takes on a disproportionate degree of importance. This is why we have parents lined up to protest their children's grades and why teachers "socially promote" unsuccessful students. This is, at least in part, why there are high school graduates in this country who cannot read. I ask you, can we call their education a success? We have decided failure is an unacceptable insult to a person's self-esteem, but maybe rewarding false success is the real insult, because it implies the person is incapable of real success.
When the unhealthy fear of failure reigns, to fail (or worse, to be a failure) becomes unthinkable. This leads to inertia and paralysis. It stifles risk-taking, innovation, and creativity. People who are afraid to fail are defeated already because they become afraid to try.
The reason this is a tragedy for America is obvious. Innovation and creativity are what have made this country great. If we become afraid to take risks, we limit our capacity to succeed and lead the world in discovery and innovation. As the story goes, Thomas Edison failed thousands of times in his creation of the light bulb before he finally arrived at success. While this may be an urban legend, the point itself is valid: those who give up because they are afraid to fail are guaranteed never to succeed.
Failure is not defeat unless it results in surrender, and it is almost always a stepping stone on the path to success. The truly great achievers of the past knew this, but it's a wisdom we have lost. We need the freedom to fail so we can recover the freedom to try and to excel. Anything less puts the American dream and its ideals in jeopardy.
Note: This post is an entry for a short essay scholarship contest. The essay is in response to this video, which carries over themes from the book New Threats to Freedom, edited by Adam Bellow (available for purchase on Amazon and at other major booksellers).
Without failure, success becomes meaningless. Motivation to excel evaporates. This is basic introductory psychology: if we reward a behavior, we incentivize more of it. If we reward mediocre work, then we should expect more mediocre work. These conditions encourage not a race to the top, but a regression toward the mean. Further, if even a lack of effort will be declared just as successful as outstanding effort, there is no incentive to push harder to achieve difficult goals. When excellence is no longer rewarded by recognition, true accomplishment vanishes.
Also, when failure is uncommon, the healthy fear of failure which motivates people to be diligent disappears, replaced by an unhealthy, paralyzing anxiety. Failure takes on a disproportionate degree of importance. This is why we have parents lined up to protest their children's grades and why teachers "socially promote" unsuccessful students. This is, at least in part, why there are high school graduates in this country who cannot read. I ask you, can we call their education a success? We have decided failure is an unacceptable insult to a person's self-esteem, but maybe rewarding false success is the real insult, because it implies the person is incapable of real success.
When the unhealthy fear of failure reigns, to fail (or worse, to be a failure) becomes unthinkable. This leads to inertia and paralysis. It stifles risk-taking, innovation, and creativity. People who are afraid to fail are defeated already because they become afraid to try.
The reason this is a tragedy for America is obvious. Innovation and creativity are what have made this country great. If we become afraid to take risks, we limit our capacity to succeed and lead the world in discovery and innovation. As the story goes, Thomas Edison failed thousands of times in his creation of the light bulb before he finally arrived at success. While this may be an urban legend, the point itself is valid: those who give up because they are afraid to fail are guaranteed never to succeed.
Failure is not defeat unless it results in surrender, and it is almost always a stepping stone on the path to success. The truly great achievers of the past knew this, but it's a wisdom we have lost. We need the freedom to fail so we can recover the freedom to try and to excel. Anything less puts the American dream and its ideals in jeopardy.
Note: This post is an entry for a short essay scholarship contest. The essay is in response to this video, which carries over themes from the book New Threats to Freedom, edited by Adam Bellow (available for purchase on Amazon and at other major booksellers).
Sunday, September 12, 2010
In Remembrance
"The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'This is My body, broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes."
May we never forget the price He willingly paid to provide for us a place at His table. May we live eucharistically and continually proclaim the Lord's death through the celebration of His Supper as a sign to the world until He returns.
May we never forget the price He willingly paid to provide for us a place at His table. May we live eucharistically and continually proclaim the Lord's death through the celebration of His Supper as a sign to the world until He returns.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Revel
Today I'm letting morose pass. Today I'm reveling in joy. In good times and in bad, the joy of the Lord is my strength! And this is a good time, it really is. I'm hard at work, but my work is honest and good. My life is honest and good. If at the end of the day, I've given all I can, then I must be satisfied with the results. I don't have to be the best, the highest, the #1. I simply have to be me, the person God created. Because He is the author and finisher of my faith, I know that I've been given all the raw materials I need to live a life that pleases Him. Those qualities I don't have, I've been given the ability to develop. God does not expect the impossible from His people (and indeed, with God, what is impossible, other than an inconceivable word?).
It's Saturday, and a beautiful one at that. On top of it all, tomorrow is the Lord's day! I've been given so much; why, other than ingratitude, would I not be joyful? May God give me the strength, the courage, the insight, and the gratitude to rejoice in Him always.
It's Saturday, and a beautiful one at that. On top of it all, tomorrow is the Lord's day! I've been given so much; why, other than ingratitude, would I not be joyful? May God give me the strength, the courage, the insight, and the gratitude to rejoice in Him always.
Today We Remember
Today we remember. May we never forget those who died as victims of terrorists or willingly gave their lives to save those of others on this date nine years ago. May we never forget, so that we do not repeat. Let us learn from the past to have a positive impact on the future.
"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
-2 Chronicles 7:14
May we be humbled so that He may heal. God bless America.
"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
-2 Chronicles 7:14
May we be humbled so that He may heal. God bless America.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Blue Like Jazz
My mood is so uneven. I am fine and then irked and then in tears. Irritations abound because difficulty abounds. Where is my peace? Where can I ever be safe from the tornadoes of the everyday?
The answer lies, I know, in the hollow of His hand. He is big, He is mighty, and He is shelter and rest. My inability to relax and rest in His peace is its own sort of learned helplessness, I suppose. Like the animal who refuses to leave its long-dwelt cage even when the door is open, so I too am trapped in my own insecurities. This is a lack of faith, because I know (but don't - can't? - really trust) that He is security, that God and my husband as an illustration of God are perfectly trustworthy and out for my good.
Maybe I've been running so long, kept and held so long as an object of responsibility rather than love, that I find it difficult to conceptualize what it means to be loved, what it means for others to care for real about my happiness and my success. I'e been told all my life that I am self-absorbed, that I am selfish, that I need to learn to think of others. Looking back, did I really ever have a problem, or were those who so instructed me simply revealing their own self-absorption? I don't know. I have worked at humility, but will I ever arrive? What's at play here? Are my womanhood and short stature relevant to my emotional state?
I am a loving person generally. Love is what drew me to God, and love is what drew the Lord to die for me. I would say that love is a, if not the, defining characteristic of my life. I care about others, or at least I think I do. How do I appear to others? Do they know that I love them, or do I seem concerned only with self? My goal is not to impress others, but to be a representation of truth if I can. No one can see my heart but me and God. I worry about my own motivations. Self-doubt has been both bred and instilled in me; nature and nurture are a double-whammy.
What do the two great commandments mean? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and like unto the first one, love your neighbor as yourself. The Law is LOVE. I have never had a big problem loving God or others, but do I love myself? Do I honor myself as a creation of the Most High God? The questions come easy, but the answers never may. In this area I am, as in all things, a work in progress.
"Everybody sings their song the way they feel it, everybody closes their eyes and lifts up their hands."
-Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz
The answer lies, I know, in the hollow of His hand. He is big, He is mighty, and He is shelter and rest. My inability to relax and rest in His peace is its own sort of learned helplessness, I suppose. Like the animal who refuses to leave its long-dwelt cage even when the door is open, so I too am trapped in my own insecurities. This is a lack of faith, because I know (but don't - can't? - really trust) that He is security, that God and my husband as an illustration of God are perfectly trustworthy and out for my good.
Maybe I've been running so long, kept and held so long as an object of responsibility rather than love, that I find it difficult to conceptualize what it means to be loved, what it means for others to care for real about my happiness and my success. I'e been told all my life that I am self-absorbed, that I am selfish, that I need to learn to think of others. Looking back, did I really ever have a problem, or were those who so instructed me simply revealing their own self-absorption? I don't know. I have worked at humility, but will I ever arrive? What's at play here? Are my womanhood and short stature relevant to my emotional state?
I am a loving person generally. Love is what drew me to God, and love is what drew the Lord to die for me. I would say that love is a, if not the, defining characteristic of my life. I care about others, or at least I think I do. How do I appear to others? Do they know that I love them, or do I seem concerned only with self? My goal is not to impress others, but to be a representation of truth if I can. No one can see my heart but me and God. I worry about my own motivations. Self-doubt has been both bred and instilled in me; nature and nurture are a double-whammy.
What do the two great commandments mean? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and like unto the first one, love your neighbor as yourself. The Law is LOVE. I have never had a big problem loving God or others, but do I love myself? Do I honor myself as a creation of the Most High God? The questions come easy, but the answers never may. In this area I am, as in all things, a work in progress.
"Everybody sings their song the way they feel it, everybody closes their eyes and lifts up their hands."
-Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Lord's Prayer, Exemplary of Imprecatory Prayer, Exalts God
I'll let it speak for itself, keeping in mind that these are the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen."
-Matthew 6:9-13
Notice how Jesus, in His example of how His disciples [that's us] should pray, emphasizes God's glory. God's name (which is not Jesus, by the way, although Jesus is unquestionably God) is lifted up as holy, and the individual praying asks for God's kingdom to come and for His will (not the praying person's will) to be done. It closes by recognizing that the kingdom, the power, and the glory belong to God forever and ever - not to man. In this way, the Lord's prayer, the example Jesus gave of how we should pray, exalts God and recognizes men as askers, not commanders, of God.
God doesn't need our permission to accomplish His purposes in the world, but like any good Father, He hears the requests of His children, and grants them if it suits Him. We must always keep in mind that He knows better than we do, that He sees a bigger picture that He has not revealed to us. Although, as His children, we may be crying out for the spiritual equivalent of ice cream, the Father knows we haven't yet eaten our dinner. Or maybe what we're crying out for is so outside His plan for us that He snatches it away quickly, because He knows that, like the can of pesticide beneath the kitchen sink, it would be poison to our souls if granted. He knows. We don't. That's why our prayers are always to be couched in gentle requests with the acknowledgement that God's will and knowledge are higher and better than our own.
To say something akin to, "Father right now in the name of Jesus I command this affliction to leave this individual" is to fail to recognize that it's possible GOD HIMSELF caused the affliction for His own purposes. Like that of the man blind from birth, some afflictions are not from sin, but rather came about so that God's glory might be revealed (John 9:1-4). And some afflictions actually do come from God. Take, for instance, the case of King David's affliction.
"I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me."
-Psalm 119:75
Why was King David afflicted? To bring about his renewed obedience to God.
"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your word."
-Psalm 119:67
I personally believe, though it's not explicitly stated in the Bible, that King David strayed from God because he followed after the lusts of his flesh - not just his lust for another woman, but lust in general born of a greedy and manipulative heart. He became so consumed with his riches and power that he got comfortable and no longer obeyed God. I believe that God had to strip David of some of these things to accomplish His purpose in David's life - namely, repentance and a renewed commitment to obeying the Lord. Again, I believe that like any good Father, the Lord removes things from our lives that are preventing us from being the person into whom He is shaping us. This may, in the momentary and temporary sense, be perceived by us children as an "affliction," but really the Lord is just chastising and growing us by removing anything that is not of Him. By framing our prayers in an imprecatory fashion, by asking God instead of telling Him, we exalt Him and acknowledge the superiority of His thoughts and ways over our own.
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
-Proverbs 16:9
This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen."
-Matthew 6:9-13
Notice how Jesus, in His example of how His disciples [that's us] should pray, emphasizes God's glory. God's name (which is not Jesus, by the way, although Jesus is unquestionably God) is lifted up as holy, and the individual praying asks for God's kingdom to come and for His will (not the praying person's will) to be done. It closes by recognizing that the kingdom, the power, and the glory belong to God forever and ever - not to man. In this way, the Lord's prayer, the example Jesus gave of how we should pray, exalts God and recognizes men as askers, not commanders, of God.
God doesn't need our permission to accomplish His purposes in the world, but like any good Father, He hears the requests of His children, and grants them if it suits Him. We must always keep in mind that He knows better than we do, that He sees a bigger picture that He has not revealed to us. Although, as His children, we may be crying out for the spiritual equivalent of ice cream, the Father knows we haven't yet eaten our dinner. Or maybe what we're crying out for is so outside His plan for us that He snatches it away quickly, because He knows that, like the can of pesticide beneath the kitchen sink, it would be poison to our souls if granted. He knows. We don't. That's why our prayers are always to be couched in gentle requests with the acknowledgement that God's will and knowledge are higher and better than our own.
To say something akin to, "Father right now in the name of Jesus I command this affliction to leave this individual" is to fail to recognize that it's possible GOD HIMSELF caused the affliction for His own purposes. Like that of the man blind from birth, some afflictions are not from sin, but rather came about so that God's glory might be revealed (John 9:1-4). And some afflictions actually do come from God. Take, for instance, the case of King David's affliction.
"I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me."
-Psalm 119:75
Why was King David afflicted? To bring about his renewed obedience to God.
"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your word."
-Psalm 119:67
I personally believe, though it's not explicitly stated in the Bible, that King David strayed from God because he followed after the lusts of his flesh - not just his lust for another woman, but lust in general born of a greedy and manipulative heart. He became so consumed with his riches and power that he got comfortable and no longer obeyed God. I believe that God had to strip David of some of these things to accomplish His purpose in David's life - namely, repentance and a renewed commitment to obeying the Lord. Again, I believe that like any good Father, the Lord removes things from our lives that are preventing us from being the person into whom He is shaping us. This may, in the momentary and temporary sense, be perceived by us children as an "affliction," but really the Lord is just chastising and growing us by removing anything that is not of Him. By framing our prayers in an imprecatory fashion, by asking God instead of telling Him, we exalt Him and acknowledge the superiority of His thoughts and ways over our own.
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
-Proverbs 16:9
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