Faith and the ‘Man of God’

“Sometimes I'm a liar sometimes I'm a fake
Sometimes I'm a hypocrite that everybody hates
Sometimes I'm a poet sometimes I'm a preacher
Sometimes I watch life go by sitting on the bleacher” ~ Audio Adrenaline “Man Of God”

My friend once asked me "what would a man of God act like?" I told her “a man of God is no different than a man of the world, with the only exception that the man of God has been redeemed by a Holy God.”

I am both a man of this world and a man of God. And in this tension, I live out my faith. I live in this world as a believer; I am not immune to the things of this world which sometimes pulls me in its direction.    

My answer to my friend could also be seen in the song 'Man of God' by Audio Adrenalin:  Sometimes I’m a man of God and sometimes I’m a fake. 

Sometimes I snap at my kids or become impatient with wife. The person who I show in public is not always the same person in private. Sometimes I mess things up. And sometimes I get it right.

The moment I understand that life is pretty much indifferent to my needs, and I alone am responsible to make my path, it’s only then will I find true happiness. And it is where God meets me in faith.  

‘Perfection is the enemy of the good’ so they say. The more I try to be perfect, the more miserable I am. It’s the law of diminishing returns.

I’m a big fan of reality. Reality has a way of tempering my illusions of who I think I am. And this is where God reveals himself to me. I stand before him, and the’ phoniness’ that culminates in my life melts away.

When the illusions crumble, and all the worldly knowledge fails to answer the big questions, it is here that God finds me and my faith is animated.   

Faith is found in the everyday humdrum of living, and not is some sanitized cathedral; faith is found in the muscle aches that come with age, the loss of being ‘cool’ with the younger generation, the pain of losing someone I love, the heartbreaks, the worries and joy’s, all serve as the reference point.

I leave this topic with the chorus of Audio Adrenalins’ Man of God:

“Sometimes I don't feel good
It's hard to start the day
It's hard to climb the obstacles
That sometimes come my way
If I make it, I'm a good man
Am I a bad man if I fail?
I know I'm never good enough
so I let grace prevail”

What have we become? A reflection on being human

From the time Cain murdered Abel in a jealous rage, history reveals to us that cruel and callous behavior are nothing new to humanity. Probably the only difference is that this cruelty is posted on YouTube.  

One day, in a crime-ridden, south Chicago neighborhood, a 17 year old boy was beaten ruthlessly by thugs wielding a 2 X 4. Another teen, being a Good Samaritan, jumped in to help. But from behind, he was cold cocked by one of the attackers, wielding the 2X4 board.

I watched this brutality on the news. It was captured by a camera phone. The video shows the teen being hit, and as he was he trying to walk away, he stumbled to the ground. While lying there, lifeless, a punk kicked him in the head. He died later that day of massive head injuries.

Afterwards, the news media was interviewing witnesses, and a grieving grandmother, visibly anguished, cried out “What have we become!?”

Watching this violent beat-down on the news, it generated a lot of anger inside me; anger at the ease, by which one human can mercilessly beat another.

But what really disturbed me, was the “kick in the head” of a helpless teen, lying lifeless on the ground. It has been a few years since this incident, but I can’t shake the image.

The absence of ‘humanity’ in this sadistic act exposed the demonic power of evil. An evil ‘act’ happens when ones ‘humanity’ is stripped from them.

And when this happens the person is no longer seen as an individual with dignity and worth. Instead the person becomes an object; an impersonal nameless, faceless ‘abstract.’

Although the above incident was a few years ago, the grandmother’s anguished question has become a starting point for me when I hear of such callous treatment of people, I ask myself: “what have we become?”

We have become a culture severely deficient of ‘humanity’ in our politics; in our discourse and in our actions towards others with a different point of view.

We divide one another up by race, class, sexual orientation, gender and religious beliefs, among other numerous classifications and hyphenated groups; an abstracted humanity.

And when we reduce people to a ‘pigment color’ or a financial status, we remove their humanity. The person becomes an object to be exploited and a ‘means’ to a political or ideological end.

What have we become?

We have become a culture without the knowledge of a holy, loving and just God. Instead we have built a Tower of Babel and declared ourselves god. Thereby we removed our humanity and replaced it with a false divinity.   

It’s time to return to earth and reclaim our humanity and treat others with the dignity and worth as fellow humans.

We can ask ourselves ‘What have we become? But a further question that could be our starting point is “What will we be?”

4 “Considerations” of Life: cont’

In my Last post, I spoke of 4 "things" I have considered that have put me on a path towards authenticity. I call them the "4 Considerations of Life" they are:

1. Consider God's Love.
   
2. Consider One Another
   
3. Consider Your Words.
   
4. Consider Your Purpose.
   

I conclude with the other 3 considerations-but first a recap on God's Love.

Consider God's Love

Sounds easy right? Even Mother Theresa had doubts about God's love. We view God's love through a "cracked" lens. I begin my life with "blurred vision" as it pertains to love. Human love is an essential Human need. It is a love that is expressed in relationship to one another. And this is where it gets messy-for some people it brings profound pain and disappointment. So I'm not surprised that God's love gets thrown into this man-made mess. It would be easier to consider "Unicorns" than God's love for some. Read the rest here: http://thepirateway-bob.blogspot.com/2009/09/4-considerations-of-life.html

Consider One Another

I like to sit and watch people-not in some creepy-stalker way, but to practice empathy. Empathy is "walking in another persons shoes" as Carl Rogers defined it. "Considering" the other person is practicing empathy. Empathy is not passive-it is actively developing a curiosity and wonder about my friend or the person I interact with. When I consider "you", I train my mind to listen for what is important in your life-what are your anxieties-your hopes and your goals? What does "life" look like through your eyes? I stop making assumptions, because my focus is on your life and not my interpretation of it.

Consider your words

Your words are a window into your heart. What you say reflects who you are. If your word means nothing-your
integrity means nothing. I had an unfortunate experience the other night. I listened to 4 politicians on a Sunday talk show saying a lot of words that mean nothing-hollow promises that reflect their shallow character. Many politicians have "spin doctors" and "pollsters" that tell them what to say and how to say it-they're empty shells. When I consider my words-I consider who I am and my responsibility in what I say. Let your words and your actions match-say what you mean and mean what you say and as Jesus say's "Let your yes be yes and your no be no".

Consider your Purpose

Why are you here? When I consider my purpose, I begin with this belief: My life means something. My life is intentional-it has meaning and a purpose. When I consider my purpose, I consider my worth. I also realize that God has given me a path by which I walk and along the way my purpose interacts with loved ones, friends and acquaintances. My purpose has a responsibility attached to it. Will I squander my purpose? When I die what will my epitaph say? That will have been my purpose.