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.

4 “Considerations” of Life

This is the first part of a 4 part post…

What does it mean to consider something?

To consider something means I ponder the "thought" without judgment. It takes practice to quiet the mind and just allow the idea to idle. It forces us to take a look at what is being considered. Author Steven Covey's "5th Habit" (out of his 7 Habits) says "Understand before being understood". When I consider, I move towards an understanding.

Life affords us many things to consider-some trivial and some deep. There are 4 things I have considered in the last few years that have put me on a path towards authenticity. I call them the "4 Considerations of Life" I invite you to consider them also-they are:

1. Consider God's love.
   
2. Consider one another.
   
3. Consider your words.
   
4. Consider your purpose.
   

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. From day one, I need love to thrive-that is "parental love" as expressed with physical touch and emotional affirmation. Human love is an essential Human need. It is a love of "mutuality" that is nurtured in relationships. 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.

God's Love is hard to fathom because there is no human equivalent. Parental love is the closest we come but even then, it is a two way street. God's love however is one way as it flows from His being without conditions to us. God does not say "I will love you, under one condition"-He strikes out the "under one condition" part and say's "I will love you". God's love is given freely-even when we were in rebellion towards him. His love is expressed sacrificially in the death of Jesus who was executed on a cross for us.

God's love is a "life transforming" love. His love gives life to a dead soul-no human love can do this. I was spiritually dead now I am alive. God's love is a perfect love. Not only does God love, He is Love. And He created me in His image therefore I am capable of giving love. As a "follower of Christ" I live under the "ethic of love" I am to love one another. But my love is not perfect. Sometimes I get it right-sometimes I blow it. When I consider God's love I'm grateful a perfect God loves an imperfect man like me.

When I think of God's love, the words of St Paul come to mind as he beautifully describes love: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails". Considering God's love moves me towards this "ethic of love" and the desire to unshackle the hurt from the past-to live a free and authentic life.

So I ask you to consider God's love…

Get Over Yourself

Several years ago my friend Kreg told me to "get over myself" and I did. I remember going on-and-on about how someone slighted me. I was getting tired of my own voice-it was that bad-I wanted to say "shut up already".

At first I was ticked off by his "cut-the crap" remark. But I noticed something was happening in me as I was making this effort to "get over myself"-I was becoming genuine.

St Paul says "For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you, not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith God has assigned- Paul confronts a "prideful attitude" and he provides a nice way to temper this selfish disposition-by the "measure of faith God has assigned us"-which is sufficient. Pride is an "inflated sense of self" and eventually this illusion leads us away from an authentic life and genuineness.

Genuineness is closing the gap between "who you are and who you think you are". It seems to me, that in order to maintain this grandiose illusion you must always be "on". It's almost like having an insatiable need to always prove yourself-it's exhausting.

I remember a time where I wanted to fit into this certain social group. I would concentrate on making a witty comment or a timely joke while monitoring if the group was accepting me or not. It was emotionally draining because I spent an enormous amount of psychic energy trying to be someone I was not.

Then it hit me-my value and worth was not found in another person's acceptance of me-that's an unfair burden to place on other people. The burden is on me to accept myself.

We all desire to be accepted, which is normal, but before I can be accepted by others-I must accept myself-flaws and all. I began to mull over this thought: If God created me in his image, has given me life and loves me even though I stuck-it-to-Him in my rebellion-who am I to say "I am no good"? That's not my call. My worth comes from the one who created me and loved me while I was still running from Him.

In time I needed to stop proving my existence and just live. I needed to close the gap. I began to find a certain freedom in being genuine. For me "Getting over myself" meant no longer proving my existence to others. I am nowhere near the genuine place I want to be, but as I become "smaller" in my life-my enjoyment of others becomes bigger. Not only do I accept myself but other people feel more comfortable around me.

G.K. Chesterton has a quote that I carry as one of my "life statements": "How much larger your life would be if your "self" were smaller in it-if you could really look at other people with common curiosity and pleasure-you would begin to be interested in them"

So in the wise words of my friend Kreg: Get over yourself"

Dishan is Gone-to Sri Lanka

Go and make disciples of all nations is the clarion call of the Great Commission. We who are followers of Jesus are to GO.

The great commission is a journey that brings new life to a dead world-as St. Paul says: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news". But wait-there's more. Paul presents a series of questions in reverse order to demonstrate the importance of going:

How can they believe-if they have not heard?
How can they hear if no one preaches?
How can they preach-if they are not sent?

I sat down the other day with my friend Dishan Wickramaratne who has GONE-Gone to Sri Lanka-where death-disease-civil war and terrorism confront him frequently. This isn't Dishan's first rodeo in Sri Lanka-he was born and raised there. Our conversation turned towards his life and ministry on the small island. I summarized the conversation below:

Bob: How would you describe the people of Sri Lanka?

Dishan: First of all Bob, I can't get over the fact that you're all dressed up. In Bible College all you wore was jeans and a casual shirt.

Bob: Thanks for noticing Dishan-I think. Now how would you describe the people of Sri Lanka?

Dishan: The large cities are pretty modern with the latest technology. There's a large contingent of young professionals that are upwardly mobile and seek a better life for their families like you and me. But there is also abject poverty and a strong "socio-class system"-as it always has been-the poor are very poor and poverty is in your face. It's not hidden like on the outskirts of town.

Bob: Like the movie Slumdog Millionaire?

Dishan: Exactly. Yeah that's reality.

Bob: What's the major religion?

Dishan: Buddhism is the major religion then Hindu-then Muslim and only 1% is Christian.

Bob: What impact does Christianity have in the culture?

Dishan: Christians are in the minority. They are often targeted with violence and persecution-churches were burnt down recently by Buddhist extremist.

Bob: Come at me again-Buddhist what?

Dishan: Yeah I know-even in Buddhism they have an extreme element.

Bob: Wow that's an oxymoron

Dishan: What'd you call me?

Bob: No not you Dish-when I think of the "Buddha"-I think of peaceful thoughts and food-but not violence

Dishan: I know it's crazy but since they are the majority religion there are some who love power more than peace.

Bob: What about Christians-what impact do they have?

Dishan: Christians are very active in social service. Our church reached out during the 2004 tsunami-we helped with housing, clothing and food for the victims. Our church has about 10, 000 that attend. We are very involved in the community-we practice lifestyle evangelism.

Bob: What's an example of lifestyle evangelism?

Dishan: Believers in Sri Lanka can't be overt because of the persecution. So we have creative ways of being a witness. For example I have a radio spot called "Think a Minute" where I discuss moral lessons about family, faith and life. It has been a positive influence. One time I was going through customs at the airport and the guy saw my passport and said "Hey are you the Dishan on the radio?"

Bob: Who were your Missionary Influences?

Dishan: My Dad (Colton Wickramaratne). He really lived the Great Commission. He was poor-no home and no means for work. He traveled to the U.S. and was stranded. But God provided for his needs and since then he has been serving God fully. (A Biography of Colton is called: "My Adventure in Faith") see link below

http://www.allbookstores.com/book/9781880689172/My_Adventure_in_Faith_How_One_Man_Dared_to_Trust_God_for_the_Impossible.html

Bob: What is God saying to you nowadays?

Dishan: God gave me this word recently: "Live right and walk straight and I will take care of the rest"

Bob: God really breaks it down to a simple proposition-huh?

Dishan: Yes, we complicate things and God's say's "I have an easier way."

Bob: How did this word impact your life?

Dishan: Last time when I was in the states, I was invited to preach in this church and I was going through my sermon files and praying which one would be applicable. Then I heard God say-"you don't need a sermon-you need a word." And that's when I received the "live right and walk straight" word. So I was at the pulpit and I began to preach-a few moments later I stopped preaching-and called for all those with back problems to stand up-22 people stood. I prayed for them and afterward I asked who was healed-22 people raised their hands. I always remember what God said that day: "live right and walk straight" he will take care of the rest.

Bob: That's a great word to end on Dish. It was great to connect with you, bro after all these years-any parting words?

Dishan: I'm still impressed by your dress attire.

Bob: Now I'm nervous.

As I left Dishan that evening-I realized how much more I need to tune in to the Great Commission-here in my own backyard.

Mullets and Biases Oh My

I ran into a guy at Starbucks with a mullet. At first I didn't know how to take it. I was both amazed and amused at the same time. So I sat down at the table next to him with my Venti Ice Green tea with 3 splenda. He was enjoying a Grande Colombia Nariño Supremo.

In my mind a picture unfolded of who I perceived this guy to be: He's not married-He rents a room from his mom-He works for a small Auto Parts store-stocking Delco Water Pumps. Call it a hunch but I got this guy figured out-or do I?

As I was studying the mullet without posing as a stalker-I realized I had a bias towards men, who were stuck in the "Joe Dirt" world of the 1980's- you know in a failure to launch kind of way. But for all I knew this guy could be a Superior Court Judge. We all have a certain bias about life-it's how we perceive things to be. We lean a certain way or we have tendencies to respond to people based on our experience and beliefs about them.

Sometimes reality confirms our biases-like if a guy is comes at me with a knife I'm biased to believe this isn't good. I'm not sticking around to see if he's going to butter my toast or slice my throat-other times my bias clouds reality. Like the guy with the mullet, I perceived him one way-but was it accurate? I was seeing him through his mullet and making assumptions.

So with this in mind I turned to the guy and said "I haven't seen a mullet in years-pretty cool". We began a conversation. He told me his name was Rick and he played in a band. I found out that he was married and he had two kids and although he didn't work in an Auto Parts store-he did change his own oil.

Our biases are filters of the psyche-they're neither good nor bad-its how we act upon them. I'm open to check my biases for accuracy. Maybe learn something new. I'm not an ideologue-I'm always finding new and fascinating things about people along the journey of life. It was a good thing to see Rick through who he was and not through what I perceived him to be-mullet and all.

Dad and The Grad

I'm the proud father of a High School grad-Matt my oldest son. As he received his degree he had a spring in his step and a thousand pounds lifted off his shoulders. He turned towards the stands in our direction and gave us the thumbs up. My mind flashed to the day he was born. He was just a few minutes old when the doctor handed him to me. I asked the doctor "what do I do with him?" The doctor said "raise him-you have 18 years."

So here I am 18 years later watching Matt morph into a young man. But I was changing too. I was struck by the idea that Matt has more years ahead of him and is beginning his life and I have more years behind me and am winding down. I too was promoting to the next phase as a father-but without the fanfare and I was cool with that.

The role I held before was that of an active parent with the responsibility to make sure Matt had the stuff to make it to this place today. As he increased his responsibility I decreased mine-as he was taken more control of his life I was relinquishing it. My role was changing from a top down-authoritarian relationship to that of a partnership giving him advice. I was still his dad but in a different way. The change needed to happen-for my growth. Otherwise I'd be wearing a hat on backwards and a t shirt that read I'm with stupid.

The other ah ha moment came when I walked on the field after graduation. I saw Matt with a perpetual smile walking my way and he said "Dad I did it!"-HE did do it. His mom and I could only do so much but in the end Matt took what we gave him and-Did It.

I also realize that that there is power in the words a father imparts to his son. What I say can nudge him forward into manhood where he takes the mantle and moves forward or my words can deter his journey where he spends the rest of his life seeking the affirmation of being a man-a lot of times in the wrong places.

When Matt and my other two boys' were born, I made a concerted effort to speak affirmation into their lives as young men and as followers of Jesus. I am not the perfect father and I have probably made more mistakes. But on that football field watching Matt and his class walk the line-a Dad and his Grad made the next step in our father and son relationship. A journey I am looking forward to.

You Did it Son!

The First Paul part 3

As Ignacio say's to Encarnacion in the movie Nacho Libre- let's get down to the nitty-gritty.

The authors of The First Paul are not espousing Liberation Theology or Marxism. What they do believe is that Paul teaches Distributive Justification in contrast to Retributive Justification. There is a dispute among theologians about the type of Justification Paul has in mind. Andy Johnson writes in his Reclaiming Paul blog the different views http://www.reclaimingpaul.org/?p=103

To be sure, both positions hold that Justification is given to us freely by Gods' Grace through Faith: This is Paul's battle cry of the Gospel-Martin Luther marshaled in the reformation with these words. So what's the difference?

Let's start with Retributive Justification: We are sinners and fall short of the Glory of God-our works of righteousness are not enough to put us in a right relationship with Him. But righteousness is possible for us through Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the cross. God declares us righteous-it is imputed to us and is activated by our faith-Justification by grace through faith.

The authors present Distributive Justification, which is also freely given to us by God's grace and activated by our faith. But righteousness is not imputed to us-God does not declare us righteous. Instead God's righteousness is transformed in us-distributed through us-as a part of God's character. After being transformed through faith, we distribute God's justice including,radical equality to the world. This is God's way of making the world just.

I do agree with the premise of this book that the Radical Paul preached that a radical Kingdom has been ushered in through a risen Christ-in direct opposition to the Kingdom of the world. Paul spoke a kingdom language that is summed up in famous terms. This Kingdom language put Imperial Rome on notice and drew lines in the sand-a demarcation that would eventually lead the believers to their death. What were these terms that brought the ire of Caesar? Here are some:

Jesus Christ Is Lord: Before Paul introduced the phrase Jesus is Lord this was already a divine designation to Caesar-Caesar is Lord. There could be only one Lord and for Paul it was Jesus. Caesar had been dethroned.

Christ Crucified: Paul says Jesus was crucified not killed or murdered why? The term Crucified places the execution of Jesus in the hands of Imperial Rome. For Paul it was a Roman cross. Rome crucified those who challenged the iron rule of Caesar which the Kingdom of God did.

Life Together In Christ: this was
Paul's vision of believers living together as the Body of Christ-one body-one spirit and contrary to the ways of the world. The radical equality of living in Christ was experienced in the community-from there to the neighborhoods and then to the world.

The book also discusses the $64 thousand dollar question nagging all believers-What was Paul's Thorn in the Flesh? Its conjecture but what they say makes sense:

Thorn in the flesh: I once heard a preacher say that people have a natural tendency to mimic famous characters-so if we knew what Paul's thorn was, we would all have it. The authors speculate that Paul's thorn in the flesh was the symptoms of Malaria he contracted as a boy in Tarsus which had an overabundance of marshes and mosquitoes. The authors reference the work of Mitchell Ramsey and his book: St Paul and the Traveler and Roman Citizen: He combines Gal 4:13 with 2 Cor. 12:7 and concludes this Stake in the Flesh or Thorn was a species of chronic malaria fever: Paul had contracted malaria during his youth at Tarsus from a climate that easily produced the chills and fevers, the uncontrollable shivering and profuse sweating, the severe headaches, nausea and vomiting of chronic malarial fever.

The First Paul is a good read and it clarifies the 3 different Paul's we see develop over time in his writings-as a fan of Paul I was re introduced to this great man and apostle of Jesus.