This will probably be the shortest post I ever compose. Go ahead. Cheer and be happy. Relish this moment of simplisity. Enjoy this short minute where I don't go on and on about what I think.
On to the point. Could you, my readers, tell me what I should post that would make this blog into something good and beneficial. I am at the verge of just throwing this mess away. I feel that everything I write is long, drawn out, and highly opinionated. I'm not really getting anywhere. I'm just boring you to death by telling you what I think. I need life and dynamics. Yes! that is it. I need a dynamic blog. But how? What should I post about. Please, readers, give me some ideas. I can just hear my blog screaming out for relief. I know you are too.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
My Sister
I sit in my bedroom. Army men lay out in front of me. Strategies and scenarios running through my head, I prepare each plastic soldier for his impending doom. Shots are fired from both sides. Men fall, tanks are blown up from Aerial assault, and then, suddenly, out of nowhere, I hear uncontrollable laughter. I look up at my opened front bedroom door and then back at the battle before me. I am trying to figure out which is more important: a world altering battle, or a very peeked curiosity. With out much further thought I choose the latter. As I make my way out the door and around the corner I wonder what could have triggered the sudden outburst. I’m not left curious for much longer. As I enter the dining room I behold a very humorous scene. A smile begins to form on my face and then I begin to laugh. Less then five years old and standing on a chair, my little sister looks at an hysterical mother. She has a smile of embarrassment on her face even though it is apparent she is enjoying the attention. Cute as could be, strapped down tight to ensure total safety; a little girl’s bike helmet rests on her head.
That is one of my favorite stories about Beth. Apparently, being younger and not used to the kitchen and its hidden mysteries, she had gained a very painful habit of knocking her head against one of the cabinet corners. Where most people would have considered taking out the whole cabinet with a bat or a sledge hammer each time they hit there head, Beth did not. Instead of getting angry, she thought up a very affective way to continue working in the kitchen without altering her position or the cabinet’s position. Strapping a helmet on her head, she eliminated a whole lot of bad kitchen memories and put in its place a very fond one.
Whether wearing a bike helmet to cook chicken noodle soup or trying to dance like a star in the middle of the living room Bethany was constantly the center of entertainment. She could make us laugh in a good productive kind of way. As time passed, however, maturity followed, leaving the funny cute stories in the past while drawing different future recollections to the present.
In another scene I sit in a car pondering what to do. Should I get out and follow my mom and sister into the building? They are already on the grass median in front of our van and aren’t stopping for anyone. A school book lies on my lap. My brother sits in the back. As I look inside at one of the science modules I decide to put it down. School could wait until later. Opening the door I step out and let the book drop into the front seat. After a few minutes we enter the building through one of the doors. Two other people have joined us by now. They engage in a little bit of small talk. We arrive at a door in one of the hallways. Shifting my weight to my left leg I watch Beth go into a room with a lot of other girls. It is her first day of babysitting class.
The stage of cute humorous thoughts and actions far behind her, Beth had entered the era of responsibility. She took the initial babysitting course and was all set for the big leagues. Fortunately a neighbor down the street had home-group meeting on Wednesday night. Beth, being responsible and easy access was picked for the job. Ever since then she has been working hard keeping the children in line and earning the money she can.
One last story that comes to my mind reflects another characteristic of Beth that followed her into her more mature years.
I sit on a couch throwing a tennis ball against the bricks in our fireplace. I haven’t finished school yet, but I don’t intend to. My brain is fried from the endless math and science questions. I hear footsteps in the hallway walking towards my position. The footsteps are not heavy enough to be my brothers. There is no question in my mind about who is coming. Bethany walks into the room a deck of cards in her hand. She gets the questioning look in her face and asks the anticipated question. “Could you play with me?” My initial reaction is to say no. I usually do. But this time I feel bad for her. Besides, I think to myself, I’m bored out of my wits. I go into her room and we play speed for a while.
As the story indicates, Bethany really liked spending time with me and my brother. She would constantly ask us if we had time to play with her or do things with her. Though I haven’t appreciated my sister’s devotion like I should, my mind set is slowly changing. I realize now how great it is to have a sister that cares. One who is willing to ask us a million times to play with her just so she can spend time with us.
So I hope that I have written a post that helps you see Bethany a little clearer now. She is a sister who can be funny and witty. But she can also be determined, responsible, caring, loyal, and much more. Yes, she is human and does have her bad moments. But overall she is a great sister and I couldn’t ask for a better one.
Thanks Beth for being such a great sis
That is one of my favorite stories about Beth. Apparently, being younger and not used to the kitchen and its hidden mysteries, she had gained a very painful habit of knocking her head against one of the cabinet corners. Where most people would have considered taking out the whole cabinet with a bat or a sledge hammer each time they hit there head, Beth did not. Instead of getting angry, she thought up a very affective way to continue working in the kitchen without altering her position or the cabinet’s position. Strapping a helmet on her head, she eliminated a whole lot of bad kitchen memories and put in its place a very fond one.
Whether wearing a bike helmet to cook chicken noodle soup or trying to dance like a star in the middle of the living room Bethany was constantly the center of entertainment. She could make us laugh in a good productive kind of way. As time passed, however, maturity followed, leaving the funny cute stories in the past while drawing different future recollections to the present.
In another scene I sit in a car pondering what to do. Should I get out and follow my mom and sister into the building? They are already on the grass median in front of our van and aren’t stopping for anyone. A school book lies on my lap. My brother sits in the back. As I look inside at one of the science modules I decide to put it down. School could wait until later. Opening the door I step out and let the book drop into the front seat. After a few minutes we enter the building through one of the doors. Two other people have joined us by now. They engage in a little bit of small talk. We arrive at a door in one of the hallways. Shifting my weight to my left leg I watch Beth go into a room with a lot of other girls. It is her first day of babysitting class.
The stage of cute humorous thoughts and actions far behind her, Beth had entered the era of responsibility. She took the initial babysitting course and was all set for the big leagues. Fortunately a neighbor down the street had home-group meeting on Wednesday night. Beth, being responsible and easy access was picked for the job. Ever since then she has been working hard keeping the children in line and earning the money she can.
One last story that comes to my mind reflects another characteristic of Beth that followed her into her more mature years.
I sit on a couch throwing a tennis ball against the bricks in our fireplace. I haven’t finished school yet, but I don’t intend to. My brain is fried from the endless math and science questions. I hear footsteps in the hallway walking towards my position. The footsteps are not heavy enough to be my brothers. There is no question in my mind about who is coming. Bethany walks into the room a deck of cards in her hand. She gets the questioning look in her face and asks the anticipated question. “Could you play with me?” My initial reaction is to say no. I usually do. But this time I feel bad for her. Besides, I think to myself, I’m bored out of my wits. I go into her room and we play speed for a while.
As the story indicates, Bethany really liked spending time with me and my brother. She would constantly ask us if we had time to play with her or do things with her. Though I haven’t appreciated my sister’s devotion like I should, my mind set is slowly changing. I realize now how great it is to have a sister that cares. One who is willing to ask us a million times to play with her just so she can spend time with us.
So I hope that I have written a post that helps you see Bethany a little clearer now. She is a sister who can be funny and witty. But she can also be determined, responsible, caring, loyal, and much more. Yes, she is human and does have her bad moments. But overall she is a great sister and I couldn’t ask for a better one.
Thanks Beth for being such a great sis
Monday, August 2, 2010
The Meaning of Life and a Little Bit on Shaving
I sat across the table from Grant Yost Sunday evening. In front of me an assortment of food awaited my attention. I stared down at the table my purpose in life being quite apparent. I needed to clear that plate. Little did I know, however, that my train of thought would be promptly directed toward priorities I hadn’t considered in a long time.
The young man in front of me began talking. A look of deep concentration and a slight smile showed on his face. Listening intently, I forked food into my mouth without giving the wonderful taste much thought. I was captivated. He presented the idea that life for the Christian should be completely spiritual. The other things that lay on a more material level aren’t important. I think that he was taking the verse in Mathew six about selling everything we have and following Christ literally.
Next to me on my left another great mind, Bryan Elliff, put his ideas in the mix. He seemed to lean towards Grant’s train of thought. We shouldn’t have the picture of five Christian business men, he told me. Instead, he presented the view that all Christians everywhere should live with the necessities only preaching the gospel and further the kingdom.
In the end, we left the table with unresolved issues, confused ideas, intangible thoughts and one main question: Is the passage, “sell everything you have, pick up your cross, and follow me” a mindset or an action? Should we live a life where spirituality is our only action while the rest like fashion, hobbies, or more important secular activities like work lay stagnate? Or should we live a life where our main Goal is spirituality while we incorporate the material as a means of supporting the spiritual.
The main point of this post is not really to answer that question because I can’t do so with confidence. I want to cause you readers to consider your life and what it means. What is your purpose and how exactly do you go about fulfilling it. So, though I will tell you a little bit about what I think, I only want to provoke your thoughts enough for you to go out and find the answer for yourself.
So, we all probably hold the view that we must glorify God in this life. That is our life’s meaning: "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Mathew 5:16) But how much of our lives and what part of our lives should be dedicated to that cause. We live a life where there are so many more things then just the spiritual realm. Every where we turn around there is always something material staring us in the face. Unless we are missionaries or pastors, work’s goals are always material, so, according to our question, can we work in a material world and still glorify God? Or should we not work at all and focus solely on glorifying God. If we go to a store to look for cloths our goals are material and won’t really glorify God, so, according to our question, can we shop fashionably and yet still glorify God. Or should we not focus on fashion at all. I Hope the picture I am painting is becoming clear. Can we focus on this material world and yet still fulfill our meaning in life? According to Mathew 6, we must “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” So it is somewhat clear from this verse that we should first focus on seeking the kingdom of God, or glorifying God, in everything we do. Then certain things like what we wear and what we eat will be provided for us. But is it sinful if we engage in a material way after we have first sought the kingdom?
Before I continue with this train of thought I want to incorporate a quick illustration. As most boys my age who have begun to sprout facial hair, I must shave. If I don’t I look trashy and ill prepared for my day. There are times when I don’t shave and tend to let the hair grow. It begins to look bad and eventually I begin to feel scratchy. As the days go on and I still don’t shave, my mind starts to be affected. I feel lazy. Not wanting to do anything I won’t work as hard and periodically find myself sitting around doing nothing. So if I want to stay on top of my game I need to shave. Now from a birds eye view, shaving may not seem like a very important part of my overall life. It is way more important for me to finish college and get a good job then to shave every day. However, if you look closely at the subtle affect that occurs from not shaving you will slowly see the birds-eye-view changing. My life would essentially begin to look pretty unproductive. In fact, I might not ever finish college. That doesn’t mean shaving should be my number one priority, mind you, because it doesn’t directly result in my getting a college degree or a job. I must primarily focus on striving for the degree. But since how I feel—like being scratchy and trashy—does affect how well I do at big things like college and work, I should focus somewhat on getting rid of the trashy feeling.
All of that to say, yes, our number one priority should be glorifying God. That is our purpose in life. But that doesn’t mean I should just let my physical existence go. I need to stay in shape so that I will have a body that can continue to preach the gospel and seek first the kingdom of God. That doesn’t mean my main focus should be staying in shape just like my mane focus shouldn’t be shaving, But I still need to put some energy and care in that part of my life so that I can better fulfill my true meaning. In a sense, then, I am incorporating in a material goal and using that goal to glorify God. I also shouldn’t give up on creating a good appearance. Who will take a Christian seriously if he begins evangelizing dressed carelessly? People will find him unkempt and repelling. Again, we are using a material goal to glorify God. The same goes for every part of our physical being. So all I am trying to say is that the material life around us is linked in a very intimate way with our spiritual lives. We can’t have the spiritual with out the physical. We must care about what happens in this material world. We must also be incorporated in material activity because it does flow over into our spiritual lives.
So to answer the main question should we actually physically get rid of everything we own and then follow Christ? It isn’t obligated. But, in a way, it is like separating two very necessary parts from each other: the physical existence we were created to enjoy from the spiritual existence we were created to live for. We can use our physical desires and needs to work as a catalyst for our spiritual growth and the expansion of God’s kingdom. I’m not saying that we can’t sell everything we own and get rid of every material thing we do to follow Christ, because some great Christians do that. I am saying that we shouldn’t feel obligated as Christians to literally sell everything and just stop incorporating ourselves into certain material things. I believe God was saying that we should use everything we own and everything we do for His glory. If that means selling everything, giving to the poor, and going out to evangelize then follow that call. But even then the Christian won’t escape all of material things in this world. He must still deal with them as they come using them to further the kingdom. So don't just rid yourself of everything material but use everything and every circumstance you have and are in for God’s glory.
The young man in front of me began talking. A look of deep concentration and a slight smile showed on his face. Listening intently, I forked food into my mouth without giving the wonderful taste much thought. I was captivated. He presented the idea that life for the Christian should be completely spiritual. The other things that lay on a more material level aren’t important. I think that he was taking the verse in Mathew six about selling everything we have and following Christ literally.
Next to me on my left another great mind, Bryan Elliff, put his ideas in the mix. He seemed to lean towards Grant’s train of thought. We shouldn’t have the picture of five Christian business men, he told me. Instead, he presented the view that all Christians everywhere should live with the necessities only preaching the gospel and further the kingdom.
In the end, we left the table with unresolved issues, confused ideas, intangible thoughts and one main question: Is the passage, “sell everything you have, pick up your cross, and follow me” a mindset or an action? Should we live a life where spirituality is our only action while the rest like fashion, hobbies, or more important secular activities like work lay stagnate? Or should we live a life where our main Goal is spirituality while we incorporate the material as a means of supporting the spiritual.
The main point of this post is not really to answer that question because I can’t do so with confidence. I want to cause you readers to consider your life and what it means. What is your purpose and how exactly do you go about fulfilling it. So, though I will tell you a little bit about what I think, I only want to provoke your thoughts enough for you to go out and find the answer for yourself.
So, we all probably hold the view that we must glorify God in this life. That is our life’s meaning: "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Mathew 5:16) But how much of our lives and what part of our lives should be dedicated to that cause. We live a life where there are so many more things then just the spiritual realm. Every where we turn around there is always something material staring us in the face. Unless we are missionaries or pastors, work’s goals are always material, so, according to our question, can we work in a material world and still glorify God? Or should we not work at all and focus solely on glorifying God. If we go to a store to look for cloths our goals are material and won’t really glorify God, so, according to our question, can we shop fashionably and yet still glorify God. Or should we not focus on fashion at all. I Hope the picture I am painting is becoming clear. Can we focus on this material world and yet still fulfill our meaning in life? According to Mathew 6, we must “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” So it is somewhat clear from this verse that we should first focus on seeking the kingdom of God, or glorifying God, in everything we do. Then certain things like what we wear and what we eat will be provided for us. But is it sinful if we engage in a material way after we have first sought the kingdom?
Before I continue with this train of thought I want to incorporate a quick illustration. As most boys my age who have begun to sprout facial hair, I must shave. If I don’t I look trashy and ill prepared for my day. There are times when I don’t shave and tend to let the hair grow. It begins to look bad and eventually I begin to feel scratchy. As the days go on and I still don’t shave, my mind starts to be affected. I feel lazy. Not wanting to do anything I won’t work as hard and periodically find myself sitting around doing nothing. So if I want to stay on top of my game I need to shave. Now from a birds eye view, shaving may not seem like a very important part of my overall life. It is way more important for me to finish college and get a good job then to shave every day. However, if you look closely at the subtle affect that occurs from not shaving you will slowly see the birds-eye-view changing. My life would essentially begin to look pretty unproductive. In fact, I might not ever finish college. That doesn’t mean shaving should be my number one priority, mind you, because it doesn’t directly result in my getting a college degree or a job. I must primarily focus on striving for the degree. But since how I feel—like being scratchy and trashy—does affect how well I do at big things like college and work, I should focus somewhat on getting rid of the trashy feeling.
All of that to say, yes, our number one priority should be glorifying God. That is our purpose in life. But that doesn’t mean I should just let my physical existence go. I need to stay in shape so that I will have a body that can continue to preach the gospel and seek first the kingdom of God. That doesn’t mean my main focus should be staying in shape just like my mane focus shouldn’t be shaving, But I still need to put some energy and care in that part of my life so that I can better fulfill my true meaning. In a sense, then, I am incorporating in a material goal and using that goal to glorify God. I also shouldn’t give up on creating a good appearance. Who will take a Christian seriously if he begins evangelizing dressed carelessly? People will find him unkempt and repelling. Again, we are using a material goal to glorify God. The same goes for every part of our physical being. So all I am trying to say is that the material life around us is linked in a very intimate way with our spiritual lives. We can’t have the spiritual with out the physical. We must care about what happens in this material world. We must also be incorporated in material activity because it does flow over into our spiritual lives.
So to answer the main question should we actually physically get rid of everything we own and then follow Christ? It isn’t obligated. But, in a way, it is like separating two very necessary parts from each other: the physical existence we were created to enjoy from the spiritual existence we were created to live for. We can use our physical desires and needs to work as a catalyst for our spiritual growth and the expansion of God’s kingdom. I’m not saying that we can’t sell everything we own and get rid of every material thing we do to follow Christ, because some great Christians do that. I am saying that we shouldn’t feel obligated as Christians to literally sell everything and just stop incorporating ourselves into certain material things. I believe God was saying that we should use everything we own and everything we do for His glory. If that means selling everything, giving to the poor, and going out to evangelize then follow that call. But even then the Christian won’t escape all of material things in this world. He must still deal with them as they come using them to further the kingdom. So don't just rid yourself of everything material but use everything and every circumstance you have and are in for God’s glory.
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