Sunday 17 July 2011

Thinking about life and ideas

Everybody has a theme that their life revolves around. When I started thinking about this blog I was thinking of making it about how people have made up cute lines and made them out to be scripture. The examples that came to mind first of included "Cleanliness is next to godliness" and "God only helps those who help themselves".

Neither of these quotes appear in the bible. In the Old Testament God does emphasise to the people of Israel the importance of cleanliness, but it doesn't make you a better person just by being clean on the outside. It was the inside that remained to be cleansed by God's power. That leads into the other idea that God only helps those who help themselves. I say this idea is completely false, due to the fact that the bible is filled with references of how we are increase in our dependence on God, and not acting rashly, or on our own ability.

I was reading one of the many examples in the story of the "waters of Meribah" in Numbers 20. To sum up the story the people of Israel have been in the dessert for a while and come to a place without water. The people complain to God and long to be back in Egypt. God tells Aaron and Moses to speak to a rock and water will come forth. Moses instead strikes the rock and water gushes out. However, because Moses didn't rely on God's command to SPEAK to the rock, but instead STRUCK the rock, both Moses and Aaron were not allowed into the promised land.

The disciples stood in the way of Jesus and Peter was called Satan because he deemed common sense more important than God's plan. In Matthew chapter 16 Jesus tells His followers that He must go to Jerusalem, be tried, crucified, and be raised on the third day. Peter objects, and cautions His master to avoid this path. After all, dying didn't exact seem like the correct way to bring in a new political regime to replace the occupying Romans. But, Peter was helping Himself without God's plan. Common sense often conflicts with what God requires. I know it's not exactly showing how God wants us to trust Him, wait on Him, and serve Him, rather than helping under our own strength.

Since these themes aren't in the bible, I dismiss them for my life. I am  not a fan of pride in humanity. Pride always leads to some form of destruction, or prejudice. ("There is I in team." is not in the bible either by the way, but I like it better than some other mantras.) So, what are the other themes or ideas that I've gone through that I discovered were not in the bible, but still followed? Well, since I was a male child from the 80's many of my life forming ideas are also linked to TV, and movies.

There are a number of ideas that I lived by that came from Star Wars. "The Force will be with you, always." could be converted to "The Lord will be with you, always." That sounds nice doesn't it? The thing is, that it can be interpreted to mean the God is always on my side. There are times when I have definitely gone against what God or even common sense required. That means I was way out there. Another great line is "Do or Do not: There is no try." Great words of wisdom from a pointy eared puppet, eh? I still like this saying, but since Star Wars has been out of my life for over a decade (that's another story), then I don't follow the idea much.

Since, I am getting long winded here, I will only put down some of the ideals I held true, and let you think them over for yourself. "Run at the Darkness until it bleeds daylight." "Pain is weakness leaving the body." "Knowing is half the battle." The last one I leave with is having a great comeback in popular culture and we can apply it to this blog, even if it is surely not in the bible. We need to examine some of the ideas we hold to be true, find out what their origin is, and the real meaning behind the lines, because after all "There is more than meets the eye."


 

Monday 4 July 2011

Ignorance is Not Bliss

One of my favorite movies and stories I have is A Christmas Carol written by Charles Dickens. Near the end of Stave III Scrooge is with the ghost of Christmas present. At this time he commands Scrooge to behold two wretches that cling to the ghost. "This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased."

We live in a society here in North America that has so much, that it wants and craves all things, all the time. We want to be entertained. We want riches, and more of them. We want people to like us. We want, want, want all the time. But, our desires are only a part of our malady. We are, for the most part, ignorant. In the biblical book of Proverbs we hear of a wicked people who only think of them selves in Chapter 30 verses 11-14 "There is a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation-oh how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men." 

This verse speaks of a people that are self-absorbed. I think many of the worst prejudices in history can be traced to ignorance of fellow man. Would we have had the cruelty of slavery if the owners saw the slaves as people? Would we need unions if employers treated all their employees as they would like to be treated? There is a great shield in not knowing. Then what is wrong is not really my fault. I just didn't know the evil existed. The slaughter of millions of innocents during World War 2, and its after math canned be summed up in a handful of excuses like "He didn't seem like a mad man to us." or "We were destroying the enemies ability and morale in order to stop the war." or the ultimate excuse of "I was only following orders." Excuses hide us, but ignorance denies the problem exists.

What about the very rich versus the very poor? That was part of the point of "A Christmas Carol", to show the humanity of the poor and the often lost opportunities of the rich to help their fellow man. I think that is one of the draws of shows like "Undercover Boss". The barriers of ignorance are removed and people see each other as human beings. Jesus destroyed the concept of having to be rich to enter heaven. We are all in need of a spiritual physician, rich or poor, healthy or sick, beautiful or beastly, all of us need a savior. Not everyone was comfortable with this thought.

Of course, all that I am writing about isn't new. In his book "The Irresistible Revolution" Shane Claiborne does a much better job of bringing the point home that "...when the poor meet the rich, riches will have no meaning. And when the rich meet the poor, we will see poverty come to an end."
 
In my own life God has delivered me from a number of prejudices. How have these deliverance's happened you ask? Was there some fantastical demonic expulsion? No. Was there some paradigm shifting light bulb moment? No. Did I hear an audible voice from God saying "That's stinking thinking!" No. I was simply exposed to the people I disliked, and even hated. I was once very opposed to immigration and the idea of  catering to visible minorities, like Sikhs or Muslims. While away at an Air Cadet camp my bunk mate just happened to be a Sikh who taught me about himself and his people. I have met people from many religions and discovered that they weren't fanatics or hypocrites, they were just people. Even amongst Christianity I have  had some crust removed; like how I loathed people who I saw as religious. I was a young Christian from a non-denominational church, so any one belonging to a denomination must have been spiritually slow, that is until I met Christians with immense grace and maturity from many other groups of churches.  Now, I know that the body of Christ is much more vast and includes all kinds to make up a beautiful mosaic.

The same goes for people with political affiliations. Let's face it Religion and Politics are generally hands-off subjects. Since I've already touched on religion, let's move on to politics. I became very wary of certain political views in high school mostly because some of my teachers were leading many of the students with their teaching. I can't blame them, now, for adding their own two cents into the curriculum, to make some more protesters flock against the evils of  Conservatism. These teachers turned me off, and I also began to condemn all unions and socialists for their 'childish' rants against the injustices they saw being carried out, which I clearly did not see. Since that time, I have been able to meet several socially active people, and see the need for people who care enough to stand up for what is decent and right. I have met some of the peopIe in need, and those who were being abused. I also have been part of a union, and have met many different people in that movement and appreciate the role that organized labour has played in developing our nation. I am pleased when there is an array of parties representing in Ottawa or our provincial legislature, because more ideas and points of view can create a great government. That is when parties aren't too focused on their own agendas.

I guess I'd like to finish of with a final thought. Ignorance is not bliss. In fact, ignoring others is most often caused by our unrelenting focus on ourselves. That isolation is what leads us down a path of destruction, the doom of mankind, known as sin. I challenge you to look at others with eyes that see, and ears that hear. 

Wednesday 22 June 2011

Locks taking us further

I grew up in Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario, and we often went to St.Catharines to shop, and my Dad worked in  Thorold. In order to get to those cities we had to cross the Welland canal. This waterway links Lake Ontario to Lake Erie and the rest of the Great Lakes. It is an important trade route because taking the Niagara River would lead to a disastrous trip over Niagara Falls. Today's blog is not about trade, or the geography of Niagara, or even reminiscing on my childhood.

No, today is more about the Locks that are spaced throughout the Welland Canal. The canal enables ships to bypass  the river, but it is the locks that allow the ships to go up to Lake Erie or down to Lake Ontario in an orderly fashion. While these great vessels are in the canal there is not much freedom for movement, and while in the lock itself the ship can't move at all, and yet it is while in these locks that the ships move up to greater heights.

Think of the application this makes on our own life. These ships have a time to be filled, as do we. There is a time for the ships to unload their cargo, which also is important to us in helping serve others. There are times of rough seas, and times when there is clear open ocean. But, today lets think again about the canals and locks. Sometimes in life it is when there seems to be nothing going on that are actually pathways to new places in our life. These ships could not reach new destinations without patiently enduring the slow, process of entering and exiting the locks.

Another note to make about canals and locks is that often a captain may have to give up control of his ship to a pilot who is familiar with that particular waterway. There are times where we have to allow the "master pilot" to steer the ship for us. It's not to say that a captain couldn't steer the ship well enough to get through the course, but that the pilot knows exactly how it should be done, and how long it should take. So, when you find yourself having what seems to be a slow time in your journey called life, it may well be that God is wanting to pilot you through a specific course that will lead you to new ports and destinations that you can't even see. Don't even think of doing things the 'natural' way, as that would lead to disaster like crashing over the falls or wrecking on the rapids. Allow God to lead you, and listen for His still, small, voice. It may seem a painfully slow time, and only a few people have the ability to really relinquish control of their lives to others easily. But, it is comforting to note that thousands of ships have passed through the Welland canal with very few accidents. It is even more comforting to know that millions of other pilgrims have journeyed with God along the paths we walk. The Lord is not a task-master, but He is a wonderful master to serve.

Saturday 11 June 2011

Why am I bloggng?

Why am I taking the opportunity to blog? One reason is because of the encouragement I receive from other individuals who blog . I am currently on a parental leave, and have a tiny bit more time. But, the main reason, I think, is to send out thoughts that will challenge people to think, or help people to grow.

That's it for now. I have a two-year old on my lap who needs a little attention before I head to the BBQ.