An Almost Late Valentine

I have 14 minutes before Valentine's Day is over, so here's my valentine for anyone who has stumbled upon my blog. It's Rob Bell's Nooma (www.nooma.com) video about love. It is entitled "Flame." As I have told the teen-agers in my church as they consider who to date: BE PICKY! True love is worth it! Another thing we believers might want to reflect on in the wake of Valentine's Day, is our passion for the Lord like a match, or on the way to being a bonfire. Here's the video:

Get SKYPE If You Don't Already Have It

I am NOT doing this as an advertisement, but just in hopes of sharing with you all a great way to keep in touch. I recently got a cheap webcam ($20) and it works great with Skype. It's just too cool to be able to talk (and see) friends across the country and in Africa for nothing! If you have broadband internet and a microphone, you can SKYPE. The webcam is not required, though it does make it more fun. Most webcams come with a microphone, too. So try it. Just go to: http://www.skype.com/

Everything you need to know is there. It is absolutely free to make calls to any other SKYPE user. (You can buy skype minutes at .02 in $10.00 chunks charged to your credit card if you want to call regular phones, but no credit card is needed for regular Skype to Skype calls.) I've had friends overseas who have used it for years, so it's trustworthy. They even sell SKYPE enabled phones. Go ahead, extend your boundaries, conquer the internet, and connect with someone today!!

The Danger of Judging Others

I'm preaching on Romans, and have come across two compelling reasons in chapter 2 to leave the judging of others to God.

Reason One: We lack perfect truth and perfect character. Compare how God judges people to how we tend to do it. Verse 2 states, "Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth." God judges people based not just on truth, but on absolute, perfect, all-encompassing truth, with no mixture of error, and no mixture of selfish motives, or imperfections in His character. His judgments are always on the mark, perfectly.

I, on the other hand, usually judge on the basis of "me," not on perfect truth. (Thanks to Rick Mckinley of Imago Dei Community Church in Oregon for that thought.) We tend to judge people based on who we are, and what we want, and how well this person matches up to what we like, what we think, etc....not a great basis for making judgments.

Read the post below, which I wrote before this one, for more on how prone we are to commit "fundamental attribution errors" when we judge others.

Reason Two: When we judge others, we can, without realizing it, hold God's kindness, tolerance and patience in contempt. To hold something valuable in contempt is to treat it as if it has no value. This reason to withhold judgment is much scarier than the first. In verse 4, Paul writes, "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?" Think for a moment what would happen if God carried out His holy judgments right when we messed up? McKinley paints a great pictures of what a world would be like if God inflicted painful boils on us at the moment of our sin. Everyone would be lying on the ground in pain most of the time.

God is waiting, however, to allow people to realize who He is, and how judgment can be avoided (through Christ!). Paul is writing about judgment to everyone, to the "obvious" sinners, and to the not-so-obvious...in short...to us all. No one gets a free pass. When we pass judgment on people now, we're, in a way, telling God He's wrong in waiting, in being patient, kind and tolerant as He works to draw people to Him. It's like we're saying, "God, we have a better way of dealing with sin than You do."

As an aside, some may say, "Why should God judge anyway?" Well, can you imagine a world without consequence? What if the world operated where everyone could do anything they wanted to do with no consequences? People could drive as fast as they wanted, steal what they wanted, kill who they wanted. Actions have consequences. It's how the universe works. It's how God works, but He withholds the ultimate consequence of man's rejection of Him...He waits to give people the opportunity to know the truth, and to know Him.

What does God want us to do when people hurt us, betray us, or disagree with us? Simple. He wants us to be kind, patient and tolerant, praying for them, loving them, and doing good to them. He wants us to put their need for Him before our need to be right, or comfortable. If you've forgotten how this looks, just read how Jesus treated "sinners." Funny thing is that the only people Jesus REALLY got angry with was those religious people who took great pleasure in condemning people. The Bible is clear that even with regards to our enemies, we are to forgive them, pray for them, and even do good to them.

So the next time you're tempted to judge someone, take a little time to reflect on a more appropriate response, one that honors and imitates God's way of dealing with people, and one that communicates His patience, His kindness, His tolerance and His love.

Maybe The Amish Commit Attribution Errors, Too!

Somehow I doubt the Amish have much trouble with road rage (you can click on the picture to enlarge it). Most of us non-Amish types probably don't have much of a problem with it either. More of us probably suffer more from "Road-Simmer" or "Road-Mutter," or maybe an occasional "Road-Condemnation," where everyone who passes us at excessive speed (that would be anything faster than you're going!) is a "maniac," while anyone impeding our progress is an "idiot." Some of us don't want to put that much thought into it, and just call anyone driving in a manner below our standards as a "moron."

We must be careful, however, that we are not committing a "fundamental attribution error," which is basically an incomplete (and often erroneous) judgment of someone else's behavior. It involves our well-documented tendency to explain people’s behavior in terms of their character, abilities, intelligence, motives (all their "internal" stuff!) while overlooking the way that their situation (their "external" stuff) may have influenced their actions.

This error is further compounded with how our judgments of ourselves tend toward the inverse of this problem. When we do something wrong, we tend to over-emphasize the role of external forces on our lives. An example: "I cut that guy off in traffic because I was late for an important doctor's appointment. He cut me off because he's a selfish jerk." For more info on this prevalent human mechanism responsible for a fair amount of our own unhappiness, go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_attribution_error

Or you could just remember the following:

Cut the other guy some slack, you don't have all the facts.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. (Pretty "golden" advice isn't it?)

Be careful. Luke6:37-38; 41-42 states, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you...Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, "Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye," when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Maybe the next time someone does something that offends you, or just bugs you, maybe a quick prayer for them would be a good idea before you let loose with your judgment. They might not be a "moron" after all!

Hmmm...Let's See If I Can Change Your Life

Looking for a new career? Why not publish a book and become a famous author? If you have $20...it could happen! I was loaned a new book yesterday, by a very good friend, who wrote it, and published it! He published five copies to loan to friends before he attempts to publish it for the rest of the world.

He did this through www.lulu.com. You can publish your own book for very, very little upfront cash. Hey, why not? Could make a very interesting Christmas or birthday gift to your family and/or friends! Who knows? Maybe even a book like "The Blogging Adventures of a Country Parson!" has a chance! Go on. Take a chance! Write! Publish! Leave your mark! It could change your life!

The Future: Exciting or Terrifying? It's Your Choice

Weeks ago a good friend pointed me to a video presentation making the rounds in educational circles. The emphasis is on how we need to prepare our children (and ourselves) for a future that is racing toward us at light speed. Click on it to get a glimpse as to what's ahead...



(Note: This video took a little long to start up. Could be that's it's being accessed by all those people in India and China and being overrun. If your patience runs out, click here for the YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U)

It is simple, yet clear in its implications. Change is happening faster and faster and faster. Those who refuse to adapt will be faced with an altered world regardless. Christ, much smarter than His opponents (or supporters, for that matter), knew this fact when He said, "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." (Matthew 9:16-18)

Read any new books lately? Attempted to learn a new skill lately? Experienced anything new lately? Better hurry up, the future's coming, and it's coming fast! The future? Exciting or terrifying? Depends on whether you decide to go it alone or with somebody. It might be a good idea to put some "renewed" energy and effort into knowing the only One who's already been there, and Who knows the way to it and through it!

Thank God for Teachers with Passion!

I found this clip from "Ratatouille," a movie that you may grow tired of hearing about, but it may be a final attempt to get people who normally shun animation to see this inspiring tale of a rat who refuses to give into difficulty, selfishness, family pressure, cultural norms, fear, etc., to pursue his passion of cooking. This clip focuses on Colette, a frustrated cook who has been given the duty of instructing Linguine, the inept "garbage boy turned chef" who needs to learn the ropes of cooking. Remy, the movie's real hero, sits atop Linguine under his toque (chef's hat) manipulating him (to cook) by pulling on his hair. Click on the video...




It amazes me how Pixar can animate characters who can communicate so much emotion. Later in the film, these two fall in love, which is a nice twist. In my academic life, I was blessed with great teachers all along the way, none of whom ever threatened me with knives! I keep in touch with two who continue to be friends (in spite of sporadic communication from me), and who continue to exemplify everything great about teaching. So to Corinne and Dan, thank you for everything you've taught (and continue to teach) me through the years! Thank you for having the passion of Colette, without the intimidation!

PS. For more insight into the making of Ratatouille, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=RatatouilleMovie

In Case You Need to Make a "Formal Apology!"

If any of you ever suffer, like I do, from "oralpedolitus," (Foot-in-mouth disease!) this form might help you get out of hot water with someone. Then again, used in the wrong circumstance, could escalate the damage from the original offense. Use with extreme caution!

Please Be Careful Forwarding Stuff...It Might Not Be True!

I received a disturbing forward in my email from someone I love dearly the other day, and it was something a dear friend of theirs had forwarded to them and to many other "Christians," who feared our nation is in danger with regards to our next presidential election. I promise that those forwarding this thing to me did not know they were being tricked into spreading untruths.

This blog post is NOT about who needs to be our next president; it is about being careful when distributing false information about another person. The biblical descriptions for such activity include "bearing false witness" (It must be pretty important to make it in the Ten Commandments.), "slander," and "gossip."

In short, the email accused presidential candidate Barack Obama of being a radical Muslim, among other anti-American activities, beliefs, etc. The email that is circulating is claiming the truth can be found at www.snopes.com, and that this website substantiates their claims. Well, I go to snopes quite a bit, so I did for this item. Guess what? The email was lying. Snopes completely contradicts the claim that Obama is a Muslim of any kind, or ever was one. Here is the official response to the email:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp
(By the way, it was on the top of the lists for distributed urban legends this week.)

I have read in several places (that I trust including Snopes) that Obama is member ("baptized" and everything!) of the United Church of Christ since 1985, long before he had presidential aspirations. Who you vote for in any election is your business, but "our" business as Christians is to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15), put away ALL slander (Eph. 4:31; Col. 3:8; Titus 3:2; 1 Peter 2:1), and one of my favorites: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Eph 4:29)

So have at all of these candidates as they promise us the world, declare their fitness for office, etc. Attack them all you want on their political stances (as long as you are dealing with their "actual" political stances and not some untruths you received in an email). This is just a reminder that God commands us not to spread untruths about any of them, in either party, ever! Just take less than a minute to check out an email before you forward it.

By the way, this all applies to everyday life, too! Most people have probably experienced the pain about some untruths being spread about them (ask anyone in the ministry). Just remember to THINK before you speak (or forward)! Ask yourself, is what I am about to say or forward:

T - TRUE? (go to www.snopes.com or www.truthorfiction.com)
H - HELPFUL?
I - INSPIRATIONAL? (i.e. good for "building up" another)*
N - NECESSARY?
K - KIND?

*One variation of this is that I stands for INVOLVEMENT. Am I "involved" in whatever I am passing on to others, or just a spectator?

Thanks for letting me ramble, now go out there and say something that is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Don't Let Circumstances Get the Best of You

When I saw this...(Oh, you have to click on it to see "the point.")

I had some rambling thoughts. Typical isn't it? Anyway, these goats remind me of how we can over-react to unexpected circumstances. Aren't some people just like these goats? I confess that I am sometimes. I thought about how amazed I am at how often we allow our circumstances to have so much control over us.

I'm still (at a half a century) trying to learn to "respond" to circumstances, vs. "react" to them. Learning to respond more effectively to life events takes time, discipline, study, meditation, maturity etc. "Reacting" to life doesn't take so much time to learn and has more to do with the hypothalamic - pituitary - adrenal axis located deep within your brain. You can find more about this at wikipedia if you want, but it won't do you much good. Most of us don't really know how to manipulate our HPA axis for our own good.

Instead we probably need to spend more time learning how to respond more effectively in 2008. Sure, it takes more work up front than depending on brain hormones, but in the long run, you'll be better off.

Who knows, you may even experience more joy in your journey as James did when he wrote in the first chapter of his epistle: Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (1:2-4).

It does help me to know that if I'm willing, God can teach me some very powerful lessons, if I don't just roll over and give up like a fainting goat. Trust me, I'm not there yet , but I'm wanting to be! For more insight into learning how to respond to life, check out Choosing to Learn from Life: The Life Shapes Circle by Mike Breen.

(http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=442966&event=CF#curr)