tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97386892024-03-13T12:36:20.620-07:00MOTERVATIONGod, the Bible, and Stuff...Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-8672310997348831122012-12-04T06:15:00.001-08:002012-12-04T06:22:53.583-08:00Good Dog<p>A plate of food will reveal everything about the character of a dog that you need to know. </p> <p>A man has a dog in a leash at his side. The dog is hungry – it’s supper time. The man brings out a bowl of food, filled with the dog’s favorite meal, and he sets it on the ground in front of the dog. How does the dog respond? </p> <p>Some dogs will immediately strain at the collar – lurching forward, maybe barking or whining. They can think about nothing other than their fierce hunger and that enticing dish. That’s a normal dog. That’s his nature – his character.</p> <p>But there are other dogs who are better trained. They will sit, quietly, obediently, faithfully. They won’t fight or strain. They will wait. But notice the eyes. Where are the dog’s eyes? Their eyes will be fixed on the food.</p> <p><img style="display: inline; float: left" align="left" src="http://www.firehow.com/images/stories/treat-on-dogs-nose.jpg" width="254" height="179">And then there is the most noble dog of all. The dog who has been well-trained by a loving master. A dog whose character exceeds all the others. A rare dog, indeed. This dog will notice the food immediately (he is hungry after all). He’ll look at the food, he’ll see it, and he’ll wag his tail. But then .. and this is the key to everything… his eyes will return to the face of his master, and there his focus will remain until the master releases him. </p> <p align="center">~~~~</p> <p align="left">Lord, there are many blessings in my life, and many more that you have whispered to me about – blessings that are to come, but have not yet arrived. For all of these I am deeply grateful. But train my eyes, dear Lord. Teach me to fix my eyes on <em>you</em>, the Author and Perfector of my faith. Let me set my mind on things above, not on things of this earth. Let me see you, loving master. Let me see only You.</p> Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-78280962196134762562012-08-09T10:44:00.000-07:002012-08-09T10:44:04.093-07:00Looking for Clues (on a "Need to Know" Basis)In many ways, I am not qualified for the job I have. But don't tell anyone. It turns out, in a crazy way, I <em>am</em> qualified. Let me explain...<br />
I was given a "job description" when I was hired. In my interview, I warned them that I didn't have a whole lot of experience in that particular role, but that I could learn quickly, and that the experience I did have was (in my opinion) something they could use. To be honest, I knew it was a long shot. So I was blown off my seat when they actually called me back with an offer. Now that's a God thing there. (In point of fact, I actually did predict to my son while I was still unemployed that God would give me a job I was not qualified for -- because I <em>knew</em> that was His way of teaching me true dependence upon Him.)<br />
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Of course, I immediately started studying as intensively as I could -- and I continue to do so -- but the cavern of what I "do not know" in this field far out-matches the frantic shovel-fulls of knowledge I'm trying to throw into it.<br />
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So, I'm not qualified in the "fully prepared for anything that might come up" sort of way. (Or even in the "fairly prepared for the most likely contingencies" sort of way either!) It seems that God has apparently classified the information necessary for such qualifications as "Need to Know", and at the present point of time, I just don't need to know. BUT (and here's the radically cool thing) He knows exactly what I will <em>need to know</em> tomorrow, and He keeps on supplying me with that knowledge <em>just in time! </em>It's uncanny, actually. But I am learning to expect it.<br />
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And it is making me more <em>attentive</em>.<br />
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I've learned that God loves to pepper my life with important clues. Like a good detective story, there's always hidden details that will become important later on. So I'm learning to be extremely <em>observant</em>, knowing that <em>none</em> of the people I meet, the things I read, the conversations I have, or even the boring meetings I attend are random. God is preparing me for tomorrow. I could list 3 dozen occasions in just the last month where little pieces of information I just "happened" to come across turned out to be <em>just what I needed to know</em> a few days later. And each time it happens I look up to heaven and smile and see my Father winking back at me. <br />
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I remember Tony Campolo used to tell this hilarious story about attending a prayer meeting with this long-winded fellow who described to the Lord every trivial detail about some guy in trouble, down to the directions to his house. Tony's consternation intensified by the minute. But later <em>that day</em> Tony just happened to run into this troubled-guy (not knowing it at first, but figuring it out in conversation), and was able to use every detail he had learned in that blustery prayer to radically impact that guy's life and lead him to the Lord.<br />
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The Lord has been doing the same thing for me lately, and I can't tell you how invigorating and fun it is! I'm learning that my best qualification is <a href="http://bib.ly/2cor12.9.NIV">how unqualified I am</a>. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I am finally learning to <em>enjoy</em> living by faith.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-6254486968497812792012-06-12T06:21:00.001-07:002012-06-19T13:57:31.509-07:00Impact isn’t just a font<blockquote>
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<em>“Do you just want to make an impression, or do you want to make an impact?”</em> – Dr. Charles Stanley</div>
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After my first few weeks at my new job I realized that I had fallen into a familiar old pattern: I was trying to impress the other guys at work. I was working hard – feverishly in some cases – because I wanted my “first 100 days” to sparkle. I wanted to make a lasting, favorable impression. I wanted to shine.<br />
Then it suddenly occurred to me that this was the wrong goal. It might be a <em>good</em> goal, but it's not the <em>best</em> goal. So I have decided to change my objective: I don’t want to impress them. I want to <em>help</em> them. I want to choose, every minute of the day, to do what I believe will most help the team, both short term and long term. I want to <em>serve</em> them.<br />
I used to play a little basketball back in college. (Not on the school team, but at lunch hour in the gym.) There were a lot of guys out there who really wanted to make an impression. They’d be dropping threes, doing power drives, impressing people with their one-on-one matchup skills. They were tremendously impressive. But there was one guy that I’ll never forget. His name was Karl. He was an incredibly gifted basketball player. He knew the game and he could do just about anything – big, smart, athletic, skillful. But he had a goal that was distinctly different than anyone else on the court. See, Karl had this surgically precise <em>pass</em>: he could always find the one man that was open, and he could get the ball to that guy at just the perfect time, every time. Laser passes, no-look bounce passes, around-the-back passes -- if you could drive to the basket, Karl could get you the ball just when you needed it. The king of assists: he almost never scored himself, but the team almost always did. It was obvious to everybody that Karl came to serve. He really loved to make <em>other</em> people look good. What a privilege it was to have a guy like that on your team. <br />
That’s the kind of player I want to be on the team. I don’t want to worry about making a sterling impression in my first 100 days. I want to make an impact. I want to be like Karl. Like <a href="http://bib.ly/Mt20.28.NIV">Jesus</a>. I want to serve.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-86257747988618470602012-06-01T07:33:00.001-07:002012-06-01T07:33:08.561-07:00The Matrix is REAL.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jXR_FP-3JP0/T8jSf1U15SI/AAAAAAAAG-c/lZbKtEbXqeQ/s1600/matrix14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jXR_FP-3JP0/T8jSf1U15SI/AAAAAAAAG-c/lZbKtEbXqeQ/s320/matrix14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<img src="http://www.tony5m17h.net/MatrixCode.gif" style="margin: 6px 18px 2px 5px;" /></div>
I just watched the Matrix with Connor for the first time the other day -- first time I'd seen it in 12 years. I'd forgotten how messianic it was. And how spiritually impactful. [Trinity: "What's going on? What's he doing?" Morpheus: "He's starting to <em>believe</em>."] Once Neo began to believe that the world is NOT what he had always assumed it was -- that there is another Reality - a truer one, THEN everything was different. It is really starting to dawn on me how true that is -- that the things I see and hear and taste and feel is just not the real reality. Only the Kingdom is. <br />
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Earlier today I was out in the garage by myself and lost my temper in a momentary fit of frustration and depression. And then God said to me, "Neo, that stuff is just not real. The stuff you’re worried about and all strung up over – it’s not <em>real</em>. Look past it. See the Kingdom underneath it all." I took a deep breath and instantly just felt peace and calm again. I thanked the Lord that my family hadn't been around to take the brunt of my temper, and then I was able to walk back into the house to be with them again without that dark cloud hanging on me. <br />
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That's the Kingdom of God. It’s REAL, and it is HERE – all around me – inside me. THAT’s what Jesus was talking about (in fact it was practically <em>all</em> He could talk about). The Kingdom is Truth – God’s truth. Nothing else matters. Temptations are a lie. Worry is a lie. Fear is a lie. It is irrelevant, unnecessary, and useless. Lust, pride, anger, ego, appetite for bacon – it’s all part of the Matrix that seems so real because we haven’t yet been unplugged. But once we are – once we really <em>believe</em> – we can start to simply, calmly and decisively say, “No.”<br />
That’s when the Agents glance at each other… and start to <em>run away</em>.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-90911728350421735082012-03-14T15:49:00.001-07:002012-03-14T15:50:50.311-07:00A New Paradigm in Seminary Impact<blockquote> <p>I recently read about an extraordinary program at Stanford (“<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/education/moocs-large-courses-open-to-all-topple-campus-walls.html">Instruction for Masses Knocks Down Campus Walls</a>”) which describes the new “MOOC”s (Massive Open Online Courses) in which, for example, “160,000 students in 190 countries enrolled in Artificial Intelligence course taught by Mr. Thrun and Peter Norvig, a Google colleague.” I instantly wondered, “How might churches or seminaries start thinking in terms of massive info-dissemination on such a scale?” I happen to follow the web/tech guru at Dallas Theological Seminary, so I thought I would send a tweet to him. Here’s our conversation:</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-JnvXVfSvU0c/T2EgGp5590I/AAAAAAAAGEg/L4Asv_QFzYc/s1600-h/twit1%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="twit1" border="0" alt="twit1" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ecjBA5vRdtI/T2EgIBeyyvI/AAAAAAAAGEo/H0zEOJrFlME/twit1_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="345" height="58"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-h48vuMu058k/T2EgI6pwdQI/AAAAAAAAGEw/LKH-97X5_Bc/s1600-h/twitr1%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="twitr1" border="0" alt="twitr1" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-EslXd87_nqY/T2EgJqT29DI/AAAAAAAAGE4/CkRiC5igkwM/twitr1_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="345" height="78"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ltwZzPceJSo/T2EgKY-dXoI/AAAAAAAAGFA/72DooeERMHA/s1600-h/twit2%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="twit2" border="0" alt="twit2" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-12IV6K2cWqk/T2EgLNx9nzI/AAAAAAAAGFI/_RYoMV76U7M/twit2_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="346" height="62"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-N32OtWtD5Hk/T2EgMKdTRKI/AAAAAAAAGFQ/PH5oJD4CXgg/s1600-h/twitr2%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="twitr2" border="0" alt="twitr2" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2aYf_OJA1vw/T2EgM38hpuI/AAAAAAAAGFY/INfUEJUSuG0/twitr2_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="349" height="64"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--ZH1N1VOQs8/T2EgOQjI_MI/AAAAAAAAGFg/PySGD_PYkgQ/s1600-h/twit3%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="twit3" border="0" alt="twit3" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pCMTRjuB29k/T2EgPkbivcI/AAAAAAAAGFo/fjU--nVojro/twit3_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="343" height="65"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-My9BiMlWkpY/T2EgQXmwLVI/AAAAAAAAGFw/uzFKOZn0lxU/s1600-h/twit4%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="twit4" border="0" alt="twit4" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-DYpGcG5Ia6s/T2EgRq3hMjI/AAAAAAAAGF4/lq_dRmBwrdk/twit4_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="349" height="67"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-lfQOO5jNJAI/T2EgTYr31NI/AAAAAAAAGGA/T_G04bkXVBY/s1600-h/twitr3%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="twitr3" border="0" alt="twitr3" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-RpgO7cwbfDA/T2EgUr_QzDI/AAAAAAAAGGI/G2ZvxSlxA-s/twitr3_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="347" height="80"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jUZTsv1yXG8/T2EgVWfuCUI/AAAAAAAAGGQ/xsaJzw_6Y0E/s1600-h/twitr4%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="twitr4" border="0" alt="twitr4" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-s7yFzNL-YiQ/T2EgXTveugI/AAAAAAAAGGY/4gMDWUy6R7I/twitr4_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="349" height="67"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cOdlUplqzV0/T2EgY7esmDI/AAAAAAAAGGg/eovZXZzJYhw/s1600-h/twit5%25255B6%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="twit5" border="0" alt="twit5" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-VIvgQclvKkI/T2EgZ7VZ0GI/AAAAAAAAGGo/y36hA4ujMUY/twit5_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="348" height="77"></a></p> <p> </p> <p>Then, just a week later, I got this new tweet from John.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-20jwtnxA8D8/T2EgcN_bV3I/AAAAAAAAGGw/Il2cZTbdUQU/s1600-h/twitr5%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="twitr5" border="0" alt="twitr5" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XKSh6GGZqzE/T2Egc9fQ2ZI/AAAAAAAAGG4/b4jD3mZ_5gk/twitr5_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="348" height="67"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_qlhMNsNxH0/T2EgdvOxCfI/AAAAAAAAGHA/rZRUsmfFPBY/s1600-h/twit6%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="twit6" border="0" alt="twit6" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-62J8obISU3U/T2Egeh5tEDI/AAAAAAAAGHI/u8TmH1fT-v4/twit6_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="352" height="79"></a></p> <p>Way to go, John! That’s exciting vision! </p> <p>(So if any of you run across the <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23DTSMOOC">#DTSMOOC</a> hashtag on Twitter, now you’ll know what its about.)</p> Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-84691588587407449682012-02-14T14:25:00.001-08:002012-02-14T14:25:49.091-08:00Theolagile Programming<p><em>[This post might be better suited for my programming blog: </em><a href="http://motervation.blogspot.com/"><em>MoterDev</em></a><em>, but it is more akin to the thoughts on this blog. I suppose in the future, it will be harder and harder to distinguish between the two.]</em></p> <p>Software developers over recent years have been increasingly gravitating toward a development methodology known as “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development">Agile Programming</a>.” This highly collaborative approach to software engineering emphasizes non-traditional strategies such as rapid development cycles (“sprints”), test-driven development, “pair” programming, and cross-functional teams, among others. The growing popularity of this new trend is testimony to its success in environments where flexibility and robust engineering are valued. I can personally testify to the effectiveness of many of the Agile tenets in my own programming endeavors.</p> <p>But, while the Agile methods are useful, in my experience I have found that they do not go far enough. I learned years ago that I am a much more effective and productive contributor when I base my efforts on the principles of Scripture. The “life-verse” for my career as a programmer has been <a href="http://ebible.com/nlt/1corinthians/10/31">1 Cor 10:31</a>: “So whether you eat or drink or program, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (slightly paraphrased). This is echoed in <a href="http://ebible.com/nlt/ephesians/6/7">Eph 6:7</a>: “Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” And so, in the spirit of true theologically-grounded productivity, I’d now like to share with you some of strategies that I have embraced in my own career. I like to call this “<strong><em>Theol-agile Programming</em></strong>”.</p> <h3>1. Trust-Driven Development</h3> <p>In a “test-driven” approach, the programmer <em>starts</em> every project by building a suite of (failing) automated tests, then writes code until the tests no longer fail. I prefer to start with a different mindset. I believe that I personally am <em>guaranteed to fail</em> unless and until I seek the power and blessing of God on my work. “Unless the Lord builds the code, those who build it labor in vain” (<a href="http://ebible.com/esv/psalms/127/1a">Ps 127:1a</a>; my paraphrase). Whenever I forget this principle, I invariably wind up stuck and stressed. The magnitude of my own inadequacies quickly overshadows my efforts and leaves me wringing my knuckles in anxiety. </p> <p>Thankfully I have discovered that there is a much more enjoyable way to code. <em>Trust</em>-driven development asserts that there is One Expert who <em>already knows</em> all about my program. He understands the intricacies of every programming language and every operating system library. He has descended into dll-hell and proclaimed release to the captives. He knows all my bugs and how to fix them, and He simply asks me to <em>trust</em> Him. Trust Him because He is utterly faithful. That doesn’t mean He’ll whisper debugging suggestions from a burning desk shrub, or that He’ll miraculously write my code for me. It simply means that I no longer have to <em>worry</em> about those incessant challenges. I can rest peacefully in any storm with the confidence that He will be faithful to lead me and guide me like a good shepherd to a verdant resting-place. To God, it’s <em>never</em> about the product; it’s <em>always</em> about the process. His goal is to make me a man of faith, no matter how many scrum-iterations it takes. A man who doesn’t cry out to Him, “Lord! Don’t you care if we drown?” but who has learned to enjoy the ride, even when the waves loom large.</p> <h3>2. Prayer-Programming</h3> <p>Now, I must admit, I have never been a strong adherent to the XP “Pair Programming” strategy where coders are encouraged to work side-by-side at the same computer, taking turns with the keyboard. I have participated a few times and I have found that, while it can be fun and effective in certain circumstances, it really requires a well-matched set of partners. </p> <p>A far more effective tool in my utility-bag is prayer programming. This principal follows directly from the previous one. If I knew that my scrum-master knew exactly how to fix my broken code, and had an open-door policy with all the time in the world, how foolish would I be to stay locked up in my office desperately trying to hammer it out all on my own? But that is exactly what I do all too often. I drift from the TDD described above, and I end up stuck and stressed. </p> <p>I recently stumbled across <a href="http://findinggodinthemachine.blogspot.com/">Andrew Hare’s blog</a>. He skillfully addresses many of these ideas and more – check it out! </p> <h3><strong><font size="4">[More to come…]</font></strong></h3> Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-85460895928615386502012-02-07T09:25:00.001-08:002012-02-07T13:49:06.904-08:00Clarity is overrated<p align="center"><em>It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,<br>But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.</em> <a href="http://ebible.com/nkjv/proverbs/25/2"><font size="1">Pr. 25:2</font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Qr1vz5f-shM/TzFeocVKP5I/AAAAAAAAGC8/hhI2-Y_Oes8/s1600-h/XLVI-ending%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="XLVI-ending" border="0" alt="XLVI-ending" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iqO_XtdRJTM/TzFepMOj6RI/AAAAAAAAGDE/LrasZGGSI2g/XLVI-ending_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="208"></a>My family and I watched the Super Bowl with a two-hour delay on Sunday. Half-way through the game, my daughter, who had been texting her friends, inadvertently found out who won. She didn’t care much, as she was really only watching for the commercials, but with a sly smile she raised one eyebrow and tauntingly asked the rest of us, “Do you want to know the outcome?” We all energetically said “No!!” Of course we don’t want to know how it ends! That would <em>spoil</em> the game! The fantastic thing about XLVI was that <em>no one </em>knew who was going win right down to the very last second! (Wow, what a finish!) That’s what made it so awesome! Inside information would have spoiled it.</p> <p>Years ago I picked up “A Tale of Two Cities” and was immediately engrossed. I was completely enamored by the genius of Dickens’ writing skills. I didn’t just love the book – I loved the <em>experience</em> of reading it. Unfortunately, at one point while I was buried deeply somewhere in the middle of the book, I casually glanced at the back cover and read the blurb. To my utter astonishment and horror, the inane publisher had for some inexplicable reason decided to reveal a major climactic plot-twist from the end of the story! I was flabbergasted and I was furious! It completely sucked the joy out of that literary moment. (You know my pain if you’ve ever watched a movie with a loud mouth who’s seen it before.) (I still haven’t forgiven that publisher!) The point is:</p> <p align="center"><em><strong>Don’t tell me the ending! I don’t want to know till I get there!</strong></em></p> <p>So <em>why in the name of all that’s holy</em> do I get so bent out of shape when I don’t know how my loving Father is going to solve my day-to-day problems? Why do I pray so desperately for clarity? It’s like that Third Day song (which I really love): “Give Me Revelation/ Show me what to do.” Those words really resonate with me. I so often find myself in frustrating and difficult situations and everything in me wants to cry out, “Lord! What are you doing? Why is this so difficult? How are you going to solve this? What am I supposed to do?” It’s like I desperately want Him to tell me the end of the story. To give away His plot twist.</p> <p>But that would ruin it! </p> <p>His stories are all awesome because the endings are always a surprise. No one likes movies that are so obvious that you can guess the ending after 20 minutes. Where’s the joy in that? A great and godly friend of mine has been going through real rough waters in his life over the last few years, and in a recent phone call he admitted that he still doesn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, or how his circumstances are going to turn around -- despite hours and years of prayer. But the man is an overcomer. His attitude blows me away. He said to me, “I used to pray for clarity, but you know what? <em>clarity is overrated</em>.”</p> <p>The world is filled with awesome mysteries: plot twists, Hail Mary passes, surprise birthday parties, unexpected gifts, strategically pixelated sonograms. Sometimes the joy is in <em>not</em> knowing. So thank-you Lord, for being the God of mysteries! Thank you for keeping secrets! And please help me to learn the joy of <em>living in suspense!</em></p> Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-64661236802194342512012-01-26T13:52:00.000-08:002012-03-12T14:53:34.783-07:00Creative Design<p><img style="display: inline; float: left" align="left" src="http://en.es-static.us/upl/2012/01/moon_venus_jean_marie_delaporte_normandy.jpeg" width="240" height="161">This evening I had an opportunity to “spout off” a little on an <a href="http://earthsky.org/tonight/moon-and-venus-closest-for-month-on-evening-of-january-26-2012">astronomy forum</a>. The <a href="http://earthsky.org/tonight/moon-and-venus-closest-for-month-on-evening-of-january-26-2012/comment-page-1#comment-634294">thread of comments</a> were posted to an article about a particularly beautiful conjunction of planets. The stellar show was breath-taking that evening (to those of us who appreciate such things), but not everyone had the same interpretation. One particularly caustic comment just <em>invited</em> a response, so I posted one:</p> <p> </p> <p><img style="display: inline; float: left" alt="" align="left" src="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/609311b0de22ee1b8bc812391e3a8ff4?s=32&d=http%3A%2F%2F0.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2Fad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536%3Fs%3D32&r=G" width="32" height="32"></p><cite>Mershid kt</cite> says:<br><a href="http://earthsky.org/tonight/moon-and-venus-closest-for-month-on-evening-of-january-26-2012/comment-page-1#comment-634294">January 26, 2012 at 8:03 am</a> <p>Wonderful!<br>GOD Is Great! <blockquote> <p><img style="display: inline; float: left" alt="" align="left" src="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/6cf0b03d9366ef7571f8be2425568bb7?s=32&d=http%3A%2F%2F0.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2Fad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536%3Fs%3D32&r=G" width="32" height="32"></p><cite><cite>Todd</cite> </cite>says:<br><a href="http://earthsky.org/tonight/moon-and-venus-closest-for-month-on-evening-of-january-26-2012/comment-page-1#comment-634294">January 26, 2012 at 9:25 am</a> <p>Yep! God totally put this here for us to look at! Makes sense.</p></blockquote> <ul> <li> <ul> <li> <p><img style="display: inline; float: left" alt="" align="left" src="http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/942b14d020c6788c24369cb9ed3a6cb3?s=32&d=http%3A%2F%2F1.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2Fad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536%3Fs%3D32&r=G" width="32" height="32"><cite><a href="http://kevinmote.blogspot.com/"><font color="#000000">kmote</font></a></cite> says:<br><a href="http://earthsky.org/tonight/moon-and-venus-closest-for-month-on-evening-of-january-26-2012/comment-page-1#comment-634294">January 26, 2012 at 8:19 pm</a> <p>I just spent the afternoon decorating my 3 yr old son’s bedroom wall with the planets of the solar system. If your son came to visit, would he say to mine “Yeah sure. Your dad just put these here for you to look at. Like any dad would bother to do THAT!” <p> </p></li></ul></li></ul> Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-19477647224584106292012-01-11T15:01:00.001-08:002012-02-21T12:08:06.049-08:00Cross-communicating<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-LWxsI3AYuSY/Tw4UvcT9TyI/AAAAAAAAGAo/LvglAPcYPWo/s1600-h/phone%252520lines%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="phone lines" border="0" alt="phone lines" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xT7ZROaPUqg/Tw4UwGL525I/AAAAAAAAGAw/-A44rAWBbrQ/phone%252520lines_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="189" height="199"></a>Years ago my brother told me a story that occurred while he was at work. He happened to overhear two of his colleagues engage in the following conversation:</p> <p>Bob says, “Hey Biff, do you have a tent at home?”</p> <p>Biff (who <em>thought</em> Bob asked, ‘Do you have an antennae at home?’) replies, “No. But I do have a TV.”</p> <p>Bob (who <em>thought</em> Biff said, ‘No, but I do have a teepee.’) responds, “Yeah? Cool.”</p> <p>The real comedy, not lost on my eavesdropping brother, was that both men proceeded on their merry way, completely happy with their short conversation; but <em>neither</em> of them had any idea that they <em>had totally missed what the other was talking about!*</em></p> <p>People can often be communicating on two entirely different levels – and in some cases they never even notice the disconnect. Such “cross communication” can be comical -- or downright frustrating --depending on the context. </p> <p>Jesus raised the art-form of cross-communication to a whole new level. A spiritual one. He loved to inject profound spiritual truths into banal conversations using subtle, hidden meanings which often flew right over the heads of his less-attentive listeners. My son pointed out one of these incidents to me the other day. He was reading in <a href="http://ebible.com/esv/john/4/27/-/4/38">John 4:27-38</a>. That passage, as told from the viewpoint of Jesus’ less-than-astute disciples, went something like this:</p> <blockquote> <p>Disciples: “Rabbi, do you want some of this food we bought?”</p> <p>Jesus: “No, I’m good. I’ve got some food you don’t know about.”</p> <p>Disciples: (“Did someone bring him a Big Mac?”)</p> <p>Jesus: “Look around you, fellas. The fields. They’re ready for harvest. So I started harvesting. Rejoice, dudes. Others did the work – we get to do the reaping!”</p> <p>Disciples: (“Uh oh. You <em>know</em> we’re gonna get busted for this again!”)</p></blockquote> <p>Of course, that’s what the disciples heard, but it’s not what he said. Once again, he was on a whole different level. He loved to do that. He did it all the time. As my 14 year-old son observed, “That must have been seriously frustrating for his disciples!” Indeed. </p> <p>So what’s the point? Why did he do that so often? Was he just trying to be annoying? a smart-alec? No. This just goes back to one of God’s favorite games: playing Hide and Seek. He loves Treasure Hunts. This is a theme that is repeated over and over in Scripture: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” (<a href="http://ebible.com/nasb/proverbs/25/2">Pr 25:2</a>; cf. <a href="http://ebible.com/nasb/deuteronomy/29/29">Dt 29:29</a>). Jesus admitted he loved this game in <a href="http://ebible.com/nasb/matthew/13/10/-/13/13">Matt 13:10-13</a>. Read that passage for yourself and see if you can figure out why.</p> <p>…Oh, you want <em>me</em> to tell you? Come back another day and I’ll fill you in.</p> <p> </p> <p>*UPDATE: I just encountered another example of this: </p> <p>My daughter, coming across a word in Wikipedia that she didn’t know how to pronounce, asked me, “Dad, what does ‘int-a-grated’ mean?” Trying to give her a simple answer, I said, “Integrated? It means ’built-in’.” Satisfied, she said, “OK. It says here the Eiffel tower was ‘built in’ 1889.” My curiosity piqued, I peeked at the article she was reading. It said, “Eiffel tower: <em>Inaugurated</em>, 1889”!</p> Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-1110907200732757932011-11-15T08:56:00.000-08:002011-11-15T10:19:44.835-08:00Copernican Realignment<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZPdbRJAVy90/RwJdTBS3BVI/AAAAAAAAAAs/-Envh3r8fcY/s1600-h/Copernican+Sphere.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116754707992741202" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZPdbRJAVy90/RwJdTBS3BVI/AAAAAAAAAAs/-Envh3r8fcY/s320/Copernican+Sphere.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0 0 10px 10px;" /></a><br />
The biggest problem in my life is that I have been living by the kevinocentric model of the universe. I have found that I need a daily realignment of my perspective. Copernicus is credited with the radical paradigm shift which proclaimed that the earth is not the center of the universe. As it turns out, neither am I.<br />
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The words of Andrew Murray have helped me in this respect:<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">"Let your first act in your devotion be a setting yourself still before God. In prayer, or worship, everything depends upon God taking the chief place. I must bow quietly before Him in humble faith and adoration, . . . When you have given God His place of honor, glory, and power, take your place of deepest lowliness, and seek to be filled with the Spirit of humility. As a creature it is your blessedness to be nothing, that God may be all in you. As a sinner you are not worthy to look up to God; bow in self abasement. As a saint, let God's love overwhelm you, and bow you still lower down. Sink down before Him in humility, meekness, patience, and surrender to His goodness and mercy. . . . Oh! take time, to get very low before God."</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<em>-The Deeper Christian Life</em></div>
</blockquote>
I remember reading a parenting book years ago that articulated a simple guideline: "Children should be made to feel that they are abundantly welcome in your family, but that <i>they are not the center of your family.</i>" I still consider that to be profound advice. And as I reflect upon it, I realize that this is precisely how the Lord is raising me. He loves nothing in the universe more than me (the Cross teaches me that). But I am decidedly <i>not</i> the center of His universe (the Cross teaches me that as well).<br />
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Which all goes to explain why I have come to believe that the famous adage "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life" is misguided (and misleading). It would be more accurate to say that "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for His Kingdom -- and He would be delighted to include you in His plans!" OK, so it doesn't roll off the tongue with the same flair, but I believe it more accurately describes the true state of affairs. The entire Bible has one dominant plot line: <i>God is establishing His Kingdom here on earth</i>. THAT's it. THAT's the story. (Everything else is just "character development".) If you doubt the preeminence of that statement, read the Gospels again and notice that whenever Jesus is speaking about the "Good News", he was teaching about the <i>Kingdom</i>. The "Good News" is that we have been invited to <i>join</i> His work in building the Kingdom. (That's why the Bible never speaks about "inviting Jesus into your heart" -- it is <i>Jesus</i> who is inviting <i>you</i> into His Kingdom!) And when you accept His invitation, you will be abundantly welcome -- but you will never be the center. That Position has already been spoken for.<br />
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If you only skimmed lightly over the Murray quote above (come on -- admit it; you know you did), go back right now and really let his revolutionary words sink in. Copernicus' Revolution was profoundly disorienting to the scientists and theologians of his day, but it was also eminently liberating. Andrew Murray's revolution is no different. It reminds me that God doesn't lay awake at night dreaming about my success. No, this entire universe is designed around the story of the success of <i>His </i>Kingdom. Disorienting to my ego, perhaps. But the liberation comes as I realize the incredible privilege of being invited to play an integral part in that Kingdom-building plan.<br />
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Now <i>that's</i> the universe I want to be a part of!Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-9551372588787360842011-10-18T14:43:00.000-07:002011-11-15T15:11:04.577-08:00The Author of Predicaments<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BS2zwLFaC9g/TrsioimekTI/AAAAAAAADd8/yvJWwh8LCvY/s1600-h/open-book4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="open book" border="0" height="216" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-F0SLr22W8po/TrsipogPNiI/AAAAAAAADeE/XAkqd5h8b2k/open-book_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 18px; margin-top: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="open book" width="320" /></a>Whenever I'm reading a novel, I love coming to the end of a chapter and turning the page to the start of a new chapter. It's just a refreshing moment that combines a sense of closure with the promise of new beginnings, new plot developments, new adventures. But the best authors always write their characters into a particularly harrowing predicament at the close of each chapter. I'd wager that you've <i>never </i>read a book or seen a movie that didn't have a serious dilemma -- even <i>Cat in the Hat </i>was distressing to the poor kids ("Susie and I did not know what to do!"). In fact, that's what <i>makes</i> a story <i>good </i>-- the more perilous the hero's plight, the greater the story. That's why I am so thankful that the Author of our story always writes the perfect endings -- he never fails to tie up all the loose ends; never wastes a single plot element. What a cool privilege to be in His story! (reminds me of <a href="http://trevinwax.com/2011/10/15/i-wonder-what-sort-of-a-tale-weve-fallen-into/">this blog</a> I read yesterday) <br />
The author of the book of Hebrews refers to Jesus on two occasions as “<a href="http://biblia.com/bible/niv/Heb2.10;Heb12.2">the Author</a>” (ἀρχηγός). What is interesting about those passages, is that, in the context, both of them directly refer to the notion of “perfection through suffering”. The idea seems to be, that when it comes to faith, one is only “complete” or “finished” (τελειόω) when he has “endured the cross”, so to speak. What is even more remarkable about these passages, is that in both cases, it is the Author Himself who had to endure the suffering.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-4216523449802213652008-12-26T10:42:00.000-08:002008-12-26T10:52:12.933-08:00Servant LeadershipGreat quote from <a href="http://www.joelonsoftware.com/index.html">Joel Spolsky </a>(in <a href="http://www.inc.com/magazine/20081201/how-hard-could-it-be-my-style-of-servant-leadership.html?partner=fogcreek">an article for Inc</a>.):<br /><blockquote><p>As for the sergeant major's job, it basically consisted of two main duties: being the chief disciplinary officer and maintaining the physical infrastructure of the base. As such, he was a terror to everyone in the battalion. Most people knew him only from the way he strutted around, conducting inspections, screaming at the top of his lungs, and demanding impossibly high standards of order and cleanliness in what was essentially a bunch of tents in the middle of the desert -- tents that were alternately dust-choked or mud-choked, depending on the rain situation.</p><p>Anyway, on my first day of work for the sergeant major, I didn't know what to expect. I was sure it was going to be horrible, a suspicion that seemed to be confirmed when he took me to the officers' bathroom and told me I would be responsible for keeping it clean. And then he said something I didn't anticipate.</p><p>"Here's how you clean a toilet," he said.</p><p>And he got down on his knees in front of the porcelain bowl -- in his pressed-tarched-spotless dress uniform -- and scrubbed it with his bare hands until it shined.To a 19-year-old assigned to clean toilets, which is almost by definition the worst possible job in the world, the sight of this high-ranking, 38-year-old, manicured, pampered disciplinary officer cleaning a toilet was a shock. And it completely reset my attitude. If he can clean a toilet, I can clean a toilet, I thought. There's nothing wrong with cleaning toilets. My loyalty and inspiration from that moment on were unflagging. </p><p>Now <em>that's</em> leadership.</p></blockquote>The cool thing about this illustration is that it comes from a software engineer. A techie teaching about life truths. I love it.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-77611279748646637402008-10-28T12:00:00.000-07:002008-10-28T12:12:51.930-07:00Fellowship ClansHave you ever heard of "<a title="Dunbar's number" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number">Dunbar's number</a>"? Here's a quick summary from Wikipedia:<br /><blockquote>The rule of 150 suggests that the typical size of a social network is constrained to about 150 members due to possible limits in the capacity of the human communication channel. The rule arises from cross-cultural studies in <a title="Sociology" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociology">sociology</a> and especially <a title="Anthropology" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropology">anthropology</a> of the maximum size of a <a title="Village" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village">village</a>. It is theorized . . . that the number may be some kind of limit of average human ability to <a title="Recognition" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognition">recognize</a> members and track emotional facts about all members of a group. However, it may be due to <a title="Economics" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics">economics</a> and the need to track "<a title="Free rider problem" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_rider_problem">free riders</a>", as it may be easier in larger groups to take advantage of the benefits of living in a community without contributing to those benefits.</blockquote>You can read more about it in a recently poplular book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tipping-Point-Little-Things-Difference/dp/0316346624">The Tipping Point</a>" (M. Gladwell), ch. 5, where the author points to military standards, corporate policies, and even Hutterite colonies to substantiate his claim that we are "hard-wired" to function best in small communities. For example:<br /><blockquote><p>The Hutterites… have a strict policy that every time a colony approaches 150, they split it in two and star a new one. “Keeping things under 150 just seems to be the best and most efficient way to manage a group of people,” Bill Gross, one of the leaders of a Hutterite colony outside Spokane told me. “When things get larger than that, people become strangers to one another.” The Hutterites, obviously, didn’t get this idea from contemporary social psychology. They’ve been following the 150 rule for centuries. But their rationale fits perfectly with Dunbar’s theories. At 150, the Hutterites believe, something happens — something indefinable but very real — that somehow changes the nature of community overnight. “In smaller groups people are a lot closer. They’re knit together, which is very important if you want to be effective and successful at community life,” Gross said. “If you get too large, you don’t have enough work in common. You don’t have enough things in common, and then you start to become strangers and that close-knit fellowship starts to get lost.”</p></blockquote>Churches have been riding the wave of "small groups" for the last couple decades (with fairly questionable Scriptural grounding, I might suggest). Perhaps the model we really ought to be promoting is one of small clans. I'm <a href="http://www.subversiveinfluence.com/wordpress/?p=1101">not the first one</a> to sugggest such a thought, but it's worth considering. (Personally, I can testify that I developed deeper bonds and spiritual growth in a group of 100 college kids than I ever did in a "small group" -- <em>or</em> a large congregation.) What I'm suggesting is, perhaps a ministry strategy worth exploring for the coming year could be: how can we subdivide our growing congregations into smaller, tightly-knit fellowship communities where a few score people can regularly connect in lasting, meaningful ways? (<em>Just don't call them Sunday School classes!!</em>)Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-63380151101384488292007-11-19T09:47:00.000-08:002007-11-19T10:10:54.609-08:00Thanksgiving SacrificeThe Lord has been speaking to me this morning about the "Sacrifice of Thanksgiving" (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%2050:14,%2023;&version=49;">Ps 50:14, 23</a>):<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,<br />and pay your vows to the Most High. . . .<br />He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;</em></blockquote></em>and I'm wondering: when is giving thanks a <em>sacrifice</em>? Well, it's a sacrifice when the <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=59&chapter=5&verse=18&version=31&context=verse">circumstance</a> in which I'm thanking Him is not one that I would naturally be thankful for. Giving thanks when I'm not inclined to be thankful, or when my heart is filled with pain or grief -- <em>that's </em>the offering that truly honors God. David taught us that worship is more meaningful when it costs us something (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=13&chapter=21&verse=24&version=31&context=verse">1Chr 12:24</a>).<br /><br />My kids sometimes (often?) have to be <em>reminded</em> to say “thank you” – and many times it is offered with less enthusiasm than their parents would wish. And sometimes (especially when it is meant to be directed to their sibling) it is offered with upturned eyes and clenched teeth. I’m afraid my own heart might actually be like that more often than I’d care to admit. Obviously that type of false gratitude isn’t worth much (although I hope for my kids’ sake that it’s at least a start!) What God is looking for, of course, is the valuable treasure of genuine gratitude -- and when that gratitude comes from context of deep pain or unjust suffering, it is truly a Sacrifice that honors God.<br /><br />Here's a quote I read recently:<br /><br /><blockquote>Matthew Henry, an English biblical expositor three centuries ago, had his wallet stolen. Here are the conclusions he wrote down about his loss: "Let me be thankful, first, because he never robbed me before; second, because although he took my purse, he did not take my life; third, because although he took all I possessed, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed."</blockquote>Now if we’re honest we might feel that when God forces us to be thankful when we’re not it is a bit like torture; it is God’s way of “rubbing our noses” in our pain. But I’m beginning to believe qute the opposite. Perhaps sacrificial thanksgiving is the fundamental secret that can release our hearts from the bondage of bitterness.<br /><br />That’s the way it worked for Jonah. Remember it? <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=39&chapter=2&version=49">There he was</a>: soaking wet in the pitch-black claustriphobic innards of a fish; choking with the stench of decaying, half-digested fish guts; slimy weeds wrapped around his head; desperately lost with little hope of survival; and grieving with the knowledge that the righteous hand of God had brought him here.<br /><blockquote><em>“You have cast me into the deep…I have been expelled from Your sight” (2:3-4).</em></blockquote>But in repentance and faith he made up his mind:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>“Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.”</em><br /></blockquote><p>And that’s when he discovered the Secret. In the midst of the blackness he said, </p><blockquote><em>“But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving”</em> (2:9; italics added). </blockquote>Jonah didn’t have an altar to go to. He didn’t have a lamb handy there in the fish guts that he could offer to the Lord. He knew his sin demanded a sacrifice and he had nothing to give. So he offered the only thing he could: a sacrifice of thanksgiving. And apparently that was exactly what God was waiting for, because in the very next verse it says:<br /><blockquote><p><em>“Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land”</em> (2:10) </p></blockquote>Ejected from bondage because he was willing to offer thanks when he could think of nothing to be thankful for.<br /><br />So Lord, I’d really, <em>really</em> rather not have to get swallowed by a fish this week. But if it happens. . . well. . . I will thank You for the opportunity of bringing You a truly meaningful sacrifice. (And I’ll do my best not to clench my teeth!)Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-12094874490501365592007-08-17T14:44:00.000-07:002008-12-09T19:25:26.235-08:00Magnetic Prayers<div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZPdbRJAVy90/RwF9SRS3BTI/AAAAAAAAAAc/FMb2xvajIcc/s1600-h/magnet+&+keeper2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116508404503217458" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZPdbRJAVy90/RwF9SRS3BTI/AAAAAAAAAAc/FMb2xvajIcc/s200/magnet+%26+keeper2.jpg" border="0" /></a>I'm really grateful that the Lord has really given me a renewal in my prayer life over the last 4 weeks. About a month ago our youth pastor was preaching. Great guy. Wonderful heart. I don't remember a thing he said. Except in the conclusion to his sermon he quoted this verse. It was as if the Holy Spirit himself was enunciating it directly into my heart: "But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Dt 4:29) I decided at that very moment that I would wake up early the next morning, skip breakfast, go to our church "prayer shack" and seek God. I thought I would do it for a week or so, but I can't stop. It has become the richest time of fellowship with the Lord that I have experienced in years. I can't tell you how grateful I am that God has put this craving in my heart to be in His presence again. It's a selfish thing really. I can't stop. I'm addicted.<br /><br />Back in college (the 2nd one) I had a physics class in which I had to do an independent study project on magnetism. Fascinating things, those magnets. They pull on things, they push on things but there's literally nothing connecting them. What is this mystical invisible force attracting the positive and<a href="http://ww2.slcc.edu/schools/hum_sci/physics/tutor/2220/magnetism_in_matter/domainAni.gif"></a> repelling the negative? The more you study it, the more mind-blowing it is. (Einstein once commented that it was his childhood fascination with a magnetic compass that set him on his life's course.) </div><br /><div><a href="http://ww2.slcc.edu/schools/hum_sci/physics/tutor/2220/magnetism_in_matter/domainAni.gif"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://ww2.slcc.edu/schools/hum_sci/physics/tutor/2220/magnetism_in_matter/domainAni.gif" border="0" /></a>Anyway, it turns out that each "permanent magnet" (like the ones attached to your fridge) is made up of tiny, microscopic regions called "domains." Each domain is perfectly aligned with it's own little north pole and south pole. You can magnetize a sewing needle by rubbing it with a permanent magnet. What is happening when you do that is that you are rotating all those little magnetic domains so they are aligning themselves in the same direction -- you're spinning all those little compasses around to point true north. And when they do -- bingo -- you've got yourself another permanent magnet. Well, it's called "permanent", but that's just a technical term referring to its "ferromagnetic" properties. It can lose its alignment, and it will over time. That's why, when you buy a good horeshoe magnet, it comes with a "keeper" -- it's a little bar that you place across the poles of the magnet and it helps preserve the strength of the magnet by completing the magnetic "circuit."<br /><br />So the other day it occurred to me that the prayer shack has become my "keeper" in my efforts to keep every fiber in my body oriented towards True North.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-53343925567341112042007-07-30T14:40:00.000-07:002007-11-20T07:13:09.856-08:00This I Believe (Essay contribution)<em>Contributed to NPR's <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138 ">"This I Believe"</a> Essay compilation:</em><br /><br />I believe…<br />that technology can never save us. And I’m sure that most people would nod assent, in tacit agreement. “Of course! Who ever said it could? How silly!” And then they will continue on down the road in their computer equipped cars, with a computer in their pocket and another attached to their hip, speeding to work where, more likely than not, they will stare at some kind of computer or another, for most of the day, only to slip home at the end of the day to watch digital tv served up from a computer storage device, sipping microwave-heated tea.<br /><br />If you haven’t noticed: the computers have arrived.<br /><br />I’m sure that everyone would agree that the computer is a pretty clever piece of machinery. A fascinating toy, an indispensable tool – it is indisputably the work of genius. But in all my years of undergrad and graduate studies in computer science, what impressed me the most was all the countless layers of genius that lie below the surface. <br /><br />We usually see only the top level – the user interface. Those who delve a little into programming begin to see some of the inner workings of the programs, or perhaps get a glimpse of the underlying libraries and drivers. They may even peer into some of the layers of the registry or the operating system. Perhaps they open the black box itself and ponder the mother board or gaze with not a little bit of awe at that metropolitan map carved inexplicably into a fingernail-sized piece of silicon. And deeper it goes, and deeper. Every layer deftly and intricately crafted and intertwined with all that lay beneath it, and each one boasting the extraordinary brilliance and genius of its creators and designers.<br /><br />For me, uncovering and admiring all of those layers was like looking down through the center of a giant spiral staircase, gazing through floor after floor of a might tower (a library perhaps), and then, beyond ground level, deep into the chasms of a multi-floor basement, and on into the darkened depths into which not even grad students descend. It was an amazing realization for me, to behold the phenomenal depth of the genius of the computer. <br /><br />So why do I believe that the computer can’t save us? Is it because of some fatal flaw? Some Turing-Church thesis that categorically proves the inherent limits of the machine?<br /><br />No. What convinced me that the computer can never be our savior, was the realization that all of the mind-boggling brilliance of the computer -- every bit of the genius in its chips – was placed there, just so, by its creators. It was the vast intellect of the designers that bestowed such awe-inspiring complexity to the computer. Giants, on the shoulders of giants, on the shoulders of still more shoulder-riding giants, whose collective intelligence has dared to erect the most daunting structure in history. Energized by dreams more lofty than anything since the architects began drawing up plans for the Tower of Babel, these geniuses are the true masterminds. Even if someday the computers themselves begin to create even more computers, it will always be the brilliance of the original designers that will be on display. Only genius could unleash such genius.<br /><br />And so, perhaps, at the end of the day, we must ask: is it the giants themselves that will be our saviors? Is it our own genius that will save us?<br /><br />And as I ponder that question, I am forced to admit that it can not be so. Despite all the weight of the arguments to the contrary, I simply cannot escape the logic that all the genius in our chips – the brilliance in our collective brains – did not spawn itself (the result of some infinite chain of accidents) but was placed there, just so, by its creator. And so with overwhelming awe and wonder I am led to the inescapable conclusion, that the uncharted genius in our race is simply a dim, fingernail-sized reflection of the incomprehensible brilliance of our Designer.<br /><br />And that is why I believe, that we can never be saved until we finally discover, like the builders of that Babylonian Tower did so long ago, that we simply can’t save ourselves. We need a Savior.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-68131113347862924712007-03-06T16:07:00.000-08:002007-10-01T16:19:43.999-07:00Jesus' bonesThe scandalous "Jesus Family Tomb" has been <a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/02/25/tomb_arc.html?category=archaeology&guid=20070225073000">in the news</a>. Personally I'm praying for an opportunity to talk to someone about the Lord because of this new publicity. I'm sure you've seen all the <a href="http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2007/02/jesus-tomb-titanic-talpiot-tomb-theory.html">Christian responses</a> to the "controversy." Here's one that I thought of this morning: After reading the <a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/tomb/explore/media/tomb_evidence.pdf">actual archaeological report </a>of the Talpiot tomb, and noting the how common the names were in ancient jewish communities, the following exchange occurred to me:<br /><br />JOURNALIST: "We've found a gravesite in Dallas with the names John, Jacky, Bobby, and Edward -- It MUST be the Kennedy family grave!"<br />OBJECTOR: "Um, it can't be -- Ed Kennedy isn't dead."<br />JOURNALIST: "You've been led to BELIEVE he isn't dead. But what are the odds of finding all these graves together? It MUST be the Kennedies!"<br />OBJECTOR: "Those are some of the most common names in the country. And besides, that's not how Jackie Kennedy spelled her name."<br />JOURNALIST: "Well, there was a newspaper article once that spelled it that way. Perhaps it's a variant."<br />OBJECTOR: "None of the Kennedies are from Dallas; why would they be buried there?"<br />JOURNALIST: "It's where John <em>died</em>, isn't it?"<br />OBJECTOR: "I notice you're not an archaeologist or a historian. Are you sure you're not insisting on this for reasons other than objective historical research?"<br />JOURNALIST: "What? I am offended that you would insinuate that the millions of dollars from book and movie deals are motivating me to stretch the truth! The money means nothing to me! (By the way, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Family-Tomb-Discovery-Investigation/dp/0061192023/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-8868425-0284656?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173200890&sr=1-1">the book</a> is available at all major bookstores.)"Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-76455311440426065762006-11-16T14:37:00.000-08:002007-09-17T15:38:27.989-07:00Golf-ball Godliness"Let us throw off everything that hinders...." <br /><br />If I read that right, that means we are to: <br /><br />1. "*THROW* off the hindrances." <br />Not just set them aside or hide them where we can reach them when we want, or rearrange them on our desk. We need to remove them as far from us as we can. THROW 'em!<br /><br />2. "Throw off *ALL* the hindrances." <br />EVERYTHING that hinders. I pray that God would scour my life with his spotlight and reveal anything and everything that would keep me from running the race. I don't just want to get rid of the obvious and onerous things, but everything that could possibly slow me down. EVERYTHING.<br /><br />3. "Throw off everything that *HINDERS*." <br />That's the word that really gripped me. We're not just called to get rid of the sin (that so easily entangles), but anything that even hinders us in any way from being the men of God He designed us to be. Just because it's not sinful doesn't mean that it doesn't have to go.<br /><br />I watched an interesting scientific documentary last night for a half hour or so. At one point in the show they went to a golf ball factory in which a golf ball hitting machine demonstrated the difference between a smooth golf ball and a dimpled one. The two balls were identical in all ways except for the dimples. The one that had all those little craters in it went TWICE as far as the smooth one. I won't bore you with the aerodynamic principles, but what struck me was that in order to make a champion ball, the golf ball maker had to painstakingly scrape out every little hindrance that would hold that ball back. <br /><br />My prayer is that God would not stop with just removing the sin from our lives but that He would make us golf balls: that He would carve out everything that would impede our flight. And I realized that it may not be one or two major amputations, but perhaps instead just several dozen "little" things. <br /><br />Lord, reveal to me every hindrance that has to go!Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-43997324252878857012005-11-14T16:16:00.000-08:002007-09-17T16:18:37.292-07:00The Fundamental Constants<em>The following </em><a href="http://wpr.org/book/Brian%20Greene%20on%20TTBOOK%20050302.mp3"><em>question</em></a><em> was posed to Brian Greene, author of The Fabric of the Cosmos, and host of TV show, NOVA: The Elegant Universe, and professor Physics and Math at Columbia University:<br /></em>It’s become my understanding that among physicists and cosmologists there is something of an issue that the fundamental constants of the universe just happen to be exactly right to be hospitable to life and that the vast majority of them if they were changed by just a small amount, would make life impossible. There seems to be some consternation as to what the possible reason for this is. Do you have any thoughts about that?<br /><br /><em>Brian Greene's response:</em><br />Well, yeah, I think that is one of the main “alternative” driving forces for a theory like string theory. So you’re absoloutely right. It turns out that there are roughly 20 – a little bit more – numbers that experimental physicists have measiured with great accuracy. Numbers like the mass of the electron, the mass of the quark, the strength of gravity, the strength of the electro-magnetic force, and so on. They’ve measured those numbers, so we know their numerical values with great accuracy, but nobody has any explanation for WHY they have those particular numerical values. And the reason why that’s a compelling issue is, what you mentioned, if you fiddle with those numbers, you know, if I have twenty dials up here and I let you come up and start to fiddle with the mass of the electron, the strength of gravity, and you see, for almost any fiddling that you do – you destroy the universe. For any fiddling that you do, you destroy the nuclear processes that power stars. Without stars, there isn’t a universe as we know it. So the question is: Why do those 20 numbers have just the right values to allow the universe to be the way it is and, certainly, to allow life to form on one planet?<br />No theory has given any answers to that question. String theory hasn’t given an answer either. But, for the first time, it has set up a framework, with a capacity to provide an answer. And basically, in string theory, those 20 numbers reflect the vibrational patterns of strings. Now the vibrational patterns depend on a lot of things, including the exact shape and form of the extra dimensions that the theory requires. So the basic message is, if we understood string theory completely -- we don’t yet – but if we did, we might be able to calculate the allowed vibrational patterns, and in that way, hopefully, calculate those numbers. And truly, if the calculations agreed with what the experimenters have found … I think it’s hard to deny that that would be the first fundamental explanation of why the universe is the way it is.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-1116259058112624102005-05-16T08:46:00.000-07:002007-09-17T15:38:33.807-07:00Manifest PresencePerhaps one of my earliest and most momentous spiritual revolutions came as I read these words of A.W.Tozer. He compared the true purpose of the Christian life to the experience of a Hebrew priest in the tabernacle. The tabernacle, of course, was God's chosen location (in the Old Testament) to manifest Himself in palpable, experiential presence. Tozer describes what a worshipping priest would have experienced in that Holy Place:<br /><blockquote>Though the worshipper had enjoyed so much, still he had not yet entered the Presence of God. Another veil separated him from the Holy of Holies where above the mercy seat dwelt the very God Himself in awful and glorious manifestation. While the tabernacle stood, only the high priest could enter there, and that but once a year, with blood which he offered for his sins and the sins of the people. It was this last veil which was rent when our Lord gave up the ghost on Calvary, and the sacred writer explains that this rending of the veil opened the way for every worshipper in the world to come by the new and living way straight into the divine Presence.<br />Everything in the New Testament accords with this Old Testament picture. Ransomed men need no longer pause in fear to enter the Holy of Holies. God wills that we should push on into His Presence and live our whole life there. This is to be known to us in conscious experience. It is more than a doctrine to be held, it is a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day.<br><p align="right"><i>--"The Pursuit of God", AW Tozer</i></p></blockquote><br />These last words refer to Hebrews 10, where the "sacred writer" invites us -- indeed, urges us -- to boldly enter into that very Presence -- the Manifest Presence of God. What an extraordinary privilege!Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9738689.post-1114526201054433652005-04-26T07:14:00.000-07:002007-09-17T15:38:33.807-07:00Brudda Lawrence<p>"Our purpose in living -- our only business -- is to love and delight ourselves in God. The end we ought to propose to ourselves is to become in this life, the most perfect worshipers of God we can possibly be, as we hope to be through all eternity."</p><p align="right">Brother Lawrence, <em>Practicing the Presence of God</em> </p><P align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/297/2736/1024/presenceOfGod.jpg"><img align="center" style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/297/2736/400/presenceOfGod.jpg" border="0" /> </a></p>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356848622604927956noreply@blogger.com0