There is no doubt in my mind that writing a post today is a bad idea. I am ill and have an appointment with the Doc in a couple hours. I did not sleep well this weekend and I am restless, irritable, and discontent. No, I'm not. I'm just plain angry! What's new? Right?
This post, however, has been simmering for some time. I had actually planned to continue with the Golden Calf theme for a few weeks. The idolatry idea hit a nerve with many of you and the responses were very interesting, to say the least. My reading this past week has confirmed something that I've been thinking about for long time.
I'm half way through the second book I received on Tuesday concerning Jesus. Bear with me, you Agnostic types! There is no need for you to roll your eyes and abort the page! These two books are affirming and confirming something that Stainless and I have talked about on numerous occasions.
Colonel Jessup was right! In A Few Good Men, when the Nicholson character screamed as only Nicholson can, "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!", he summed up the human dilemma in its entirety.
The life of Jesus confirmed this truth 2,000 years ago. Like Him or not, believe Him or not, relationship with Him or not....one does not have to read very much about this guy to understand that He dedicated his entire life to trying to shine light in a very dark place and all it got Him was MURDERED!
I tried it a couple of times this past week. I just tried to shine some light. I didn't get murdered, but I believe that's what was on their hearts.
Guess what? I Do Not Care! And I'm more and more convinced that the "way you say it", or the "tone" of your voice, or as the Christians say "speak the truth in Love" has absolutely NOTHING to do with it!
Evidently, I can't handle the truth. Certainly, you can't handle the truth, either. And we are going to give it every kind of label under the Sun to dismiss it. Harsh, judgemental, intolerant, PHOBIC. Please tell me just WHEN on God's green earth did the REALITY arise that whenever I see something that is unacceptable to me, that I have some kind of PHOBIA about it?
I find the wearing of pants below one's butt cheeks, exposing their boxer-covered ass to the world totally and completely unacceptable. However, I am not "Pants Below Butt Cheeks, Exposing Ass---PHOBIC!"
I already know that I lose this argument. We discussed a few weeks ago, that we now live in a world where Truth is created. I've offended entire groups of people, in a public meeting environment, on a couple of occasions this year. On both occasions, I was ASKED to speak. Unfortunately, on those occasions, I made the mistake of trying to shine a little light into a dark place.
So, eventually, the only person reading this Blog will be me. As I recall, I started this Blog for me, anyway. If you are not prepared for the answer, Please Do Not Ask the Question!
And, if you want to be popular, accepted, and loved by all, for crying out loud, please do not shine any light! You may just get a butt-whipping you are not prepared to take!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
The Golden Calf in the Living Room.
One of my greatest accomplishments as a Father is that my kids still refer to the television in the Family Room as Dad's Golden Calf. It's about 4 or 5 years old now. We had just gotten home from vacation. We had spent more money than budgeted. I hit the power button on the very old TV we had and a plume of smoke emanated from the back of it.
The kids were over-joyed that we were finally going to join the real world and get a big screen TV. Thus, the lesson of the Golden Calf!
My entire life I was never able to understand how the Israelites could have been so STUPID as to build a golden calf and worship it when Moses had just been gone a few days. They had been on the receiving end of DOZENS of miracles. They had witnessed the Red Sea parting. They were being lead around by a cloud. They had groceries falling from the sky. Then, Moses goes up on Sinai for a few days and they start dancing around a worshipping a golden calf.
MORONS! Are these the stupidest people to ever walk the Planet?
After purchasing our first big screen TV, I find myself being more tolerant of the Israelites. I NEED to sit in front of this big-screen TV, and RUN through more channels than I can count. I BOW to my golden calf. MORON! Am I the stupidest person on the Planet?
Idolatry. Pagan, idol worshippers. Aren't they on....what channel is National Geographic? Only illiterate, third world people from countries I've never heard of worship idols, right?
Sadly, I am embarrassed to admit that too much of my life was behind me before I was able to grasp what idolatry really looks like. As a matter of fact, I am convinced that in the 21st Century, we practice idolatry in ways that makes those Israelites look like beginners. Oh, do we ever have our idols! And we bow at their feet!
I am not going to go into much detail. I want to challenge the readers of this Blog to think about idolatry. I may address some of these idols on an individual basis in the future. Actually, this whole subject of idolatry could make for a series of posts.
However, I will name a few. See if you can relate to any of these altars.
We bow at the altar of education, career, fame, kids, pets, golf, hunting, fishing, fitness, politics, church (this one will definitely get its own post) MONEY......in fact.....just fill in the blank. Almost anything CAN and everything HAS become an idol for someone.
A friend once suggested that "Kevin, whatever you think about the most....that is your god!" In the spirit of true transparency, I defer on answering that question! I will say this. If I prayed a TENTH as many times as I check into Facebook on a daily basis......
My kids are grown now. I'm not sure I've taught them much. But, I hope they will always remember the golden calf in the family room and not be so hard on those Israelites. After all, we are bowing down just as they did. I just hope we can be mindful of who and what we are bowing to.
The kids were over-joyed that we were finally going to join the real world and get a big screen TV. Thus, the lesson of the Golden Calf!
My entire life I was never able to understand how the Israelites could have been so STUPID as to build a golden calf and worship it when Moses had just been gone a few days. They had been on the receiving end of DOZENS of miracles. They had witnessed the Red Sea parting. They were being lead around by a cloud. They had groceries falling from the sky. Then, Moses goes up on Sinai for a few days and they start dancing around a worshipping a golden calf.
MORONS! Are these the stupidest people to ever walk the Planet?
After purchasing our first big screen TV, I find myself being more tolerant of the Israelites. I NEED to sit in front of this big-screen TV, and RUN through more channels than I can count. I BOW to my golden calf. MORON! Am I the stupidest person on the Planet?
Idolatry. Pagan, idol worshippers. Aren't they on....what channel is National Geographic? Only illiterate, third world people from countries I've never heard of worship idols, right?
Sadly, I am embarrassed to admit that too much of my life was behind me before I was able to grasp what idolatry really looks like. As a matter of fact, I am convinced that in the 21st Century, we practice idolatry in ways that makes those Israelites look like beginners. Oh, do we ever have our idols! And we bow at their feet!
I am not going to go into much detail. I want to challenge the readers of this Blog to think about idolatry. I may address some of these idols on an individual basis in the future. Actually, this whole subject of idolatry could make for a series of posts.
However, I will name a few. See if you can relate to any of these altars.
We bow at the altar of education, career, fame, kids, pets, golf, hunting, fishing, fitness, politics, church (this one will definitely get its own post) MONEY......in fact.....just fill in the blank. Almost anything CAN and everything HAS become an idol for someone.
A friend once suggested that "Kevin, whatever you think about the most....that is your god!" In the spirit of true transparency, I defer on answering that question! I will say this. If I prayed a TENTH as many times as I check into Facebook on a daily basis......
My kids are grown now. I'm not sure I've taught them much. But, I hope they will always remember the golden calf in the family room and not be so hard on those Israelites. After all, we are bowing down just as they did. I just hope we can be mindful of who and what we are bowing to.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Reality Schmeality!
This weekend was one of those self-pitying, woe is me, my life sucks kind of weekends. NO! STOP THAT! They are not ALL like that for me. But, I found myself reflecting on the "reality" of the situation and with my refusal to reach out to anyone to "keep me in check", I sort of slid into the abyss.
It was my first Father's Day in 21 years that I didn't have at least one of kids with me. One is living in another state and the other is traipsing around England. My wife was trying to get through her first Father's Day without her Dad. I could have gotten out of myself and tried to console and comfort her. But the self-centeredness WON again. No surprise there!
Shoe made me go with him to visit a dying man in hospice. One would think that a little gratitude would arise from that effort. Maybe it did. But it was brief and fleeting.
No, I found myself contemplating reality. I was attempting to do it by myself. I was alone in my head--- a very dangerous neighborhood. I was doomed to fail from the very start.
Stainless paints a negative picture of man and his ability to face reality when he unabashedly states that "People are naturally and perfectly capable of IGNORING reality in order to meet a personal desire." At the surface, the statement almost sounds like an asset. Not so much!
From marital vows, to child-rearing responsibilities, to job-related commitments, to participation in healthy life-style choices.....REALITY is often ignored and outright abandoned in order to do what we WANT to do. The consequences of this behavior cannot be quantified!
We all do it. No one is immune. It is the human condition. As always, you are no doubt thinking, "Well Kev, you are pretty good at the problem! Any solution?"
First and foremost I am committed TODAY (okay the next 10 minutes) to stop evaluating YOUR talents at ignoring reality. I've got a couple of friends who are "acting a fool." I'm giving them too much free rent in my head. They are on the precipice of reaping what they've sown. I must be willing to let that happen in order for them to learn the lesson they must learn.
Secondly, I am going to attempt to face and stay in the reality of my situation. The Denton Yogi calls it "living in your truth." That makes me a little tense because you all know I'm afraid of "truth creation." But I think what she's trying to say was muttered years ago by Bill Shakespeare when he said, "To thine own self be true."
Finally, I'm gonna heed the advice of a dear friend who died a few years ago. Soon before her death, I was explaining to her how I was doing "just enough" to manage my life and just get by. She said something to the effect of "You poor, pathetic little man! It's God's job to manage your life! It's your job to go out and try to be a blessing to His kids."
Even yesterday, if I had simply tried to be a blessing to my wife in her grief, the reality of my situation would not have seemed so grim. In fact, gratitude would have taken over as I thought about what a great job she did with those kids and reflected on how proud I am, and how much I love that kid in Louisiana and that kid running around the UK.
It was my first Father's Day in 21 years that I didn't have at least one of kids with me. One is living in another state and the other is traipsing around England. My wife was trying to get through her first Father's Day without her Dad. I could have gotten out of myself and tried to console and comfort her. But the self-centeredness WON again. No surprise there!
Shoe made me go with him to visit a dying man in hospice. One would think that a little gratitude would arise from that effort. Maybe it did. But it was brief and fleeting.
No, I found myself contemplating reality. I was attempting to do it by myself. I was alone in my head--- a very dangerous neighborhood. I was doomed to fail from the very start.
Stainless paints a negative picture of man and his ability to face reality when he unabashedly states that "People are naturally and perfectly capable of IGNORING reality in order to meet a personal desire." At the surface, the statement almost sounds like an asset. Not so much!
From marital vows, to child-rearing responsibilities, to job-related commitments, to participation in healthy life-style choices.....REALITY is often ignored and outright abandoned in order to do what we WANT to do. The consequences of this behavior cannot be quantified!
We all do it. No one is immune. It is the human condition. As always, you are no doubt thinking, "Well Kev, you are pretty good at the problem! Any solution?"
First and foremost I am committed TODAY (okay the next 10 minutes) to stop evaluating YOUR talents at ignoring reality. I've got a couple of friends who are "acting a fool." I'm giving them too much free rent in my head. They are on the precipice of reaping what they've sown. I must be willing to let that happen in order for them to learn the lesson they must learn.
Secondly, I am going to attempt to face and stay in the reality of my situation. The Denton Yogi calls it "living in your truth." That makes me a little tense because you all know I'm afraid of "truth creation." But I think what she's trying to say was muttered years ago by Bill Shakespeare when he said, "To thine own self be true."
Finally, I'm gonna heed the advice of a dear friend who died a few years ago. Soon before her death, I was explaining to her how I was doing "just enough" to manage my life and just get by. She said something to the effect of "You poor, pathetic little man! It's God's job to manage your life! It's your job to go out and try to be a blessing to His kids."
Even yesterday, if I had simply tried to be a blessing to my wife in her grief, the reality of my situation would not have seemed so grim. In fact, gratitude would have taken over as I thought about what a great job she did with those kids and reflected on how proud I am, and how much I love that kid in Louisiana and that kid running around the UK.
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