A new perspective

For those of you who know me, you are likely aware of my generally cynical nature, and somewhat bleak outlook on the state of the US and the world. Maybe it is just residual endorphins from my last weekend (see previous post), but I've suddenly become aware of a tremendous shift in my outlook on life, and particularly in God's plan for the world.

I've generally been highly patriotic (jingoistic?) in my belief that since the turn of the last century, America has been the shining light on the hill. Europe held that position until probably the early 1900's, but regional squabbles and two continental wars, combined with cultural decay and a clear shift away from Christian ideals and outreach, has caused their beacon to diminish.

America, the land of innovation, the land of eminent domain, the land of opportunity, took the torch, and lead the world through the 20th century in into the 21st. Nowhere else were the combined ideals of innovation, freedom, faith, hope, love, brotherhood, and moral direction championed with such fervor, and by an incomparable diversity of race, ethnicity, religious expression, and thought. Even through some of the most trying times of the century - the great depression, the civil rights struggles, Vietnam, stagflation, the cold war - America always came through, and our particular brand of democracy always seemed to win out.

But as it states in Ecclesiastes, "there is a season for everything under heaven... A time to tear down and a time to build." And my view is that the time for tearing down is approaching for America, much like it already has come for Europe. Our government has become largely separated from its people. The people themselves are losing their faith, love and hope, and are isolating from one another. Our moral and spiritual compass is wavering, and we are rapidly losing our way in our leadership of the world.

And to make matters worse, there is no "next" America to take the torch this time. Europe is still stumbling. China has the strength, but are not under God and lack the morality for competent world stewardship. India has the resources, but neither the will nor the faith to press forward. The Middle East, Africa, Russia, Southeast Asia - all are too poor in resources and government.

I had been concerned for some time that the world was approaching towards a chasm, with no leadership to steer us away from it. But over the weekend, I learned a number of valuable lessons which have greatly uplifted my spirit.

Even as our institutions may lay crumbling around us, God still works to His benefit through millions of His disciples throughout the world. The short version is that institutions seem to be listing, and government, business, and large portions of society are hyperventilating about our current financial "crisis", which is incidentally making things worse - apologies, as that is off topic and worth a whole different discussion. Yet through all of that, tremendous numbers of individuals and charitable organizations have developed inroads all over the world, and are making monumental progress in enriching and improving the lives of countless people through their love, compassion, and giving of themselves.

I still feel strongly that we are moving towards a time where the American "light on the hill" is beginning to flicker, fade and darken. But in its place, where I previously only saw darkness, I am beginning to see that millions of smaller candles are being lit all over the world to pierce that darkness and to cover the world with their glow.

As it is again late, and I am finding it difficult to concentrate, I urge you to do some research into the work of organizations such as Compassion International, Kiva.org, Campus Crusade for Christ, International School Project, or innumerable other groups that are providing charity, training, resources, support, and service for some of the poorest and worthiest communities in the world. Most importantly, they are providing these communities with a light, and a renewed hope for the future.

And always remember, it doesn't take much for you to provide a little bit of light as well. I hope you find one that calls to you.

Four days of glory

The last four days have been an incredible and unexpected blessing to me.

First, I was given an unexpected opportunity over Thursday and Friday to attend Leadership Summit, a two-day conference produced by Willow Creek church in Illinois, and telecasted locally by Grace Point Church in San Antonio. While there, I was exposed to lectures by a number of phenomenally gifted and blessed speakers. A couple of notes on the strongest lessons and lasting impressions:

- Gary Hamel absolutely blew me away with his presentation on adjusting to and "outrunning" change, balancing the changing demands and flow of life with the immovable rock of God's immutable Word, and structuring your life and organization for prolonged success. His was a completely unexpected revelation from the list of presenters.

- Tim Keller, a Presbyterian pastor from Brooklyn, provided an excellent topical discussion of the parable of the prodigal son, turning the conventional reading on its head, and providing excellent new insight into a well known but inadequately understood lesson. His style wasn't the most attention grabbing, but his message has stuck with me very strongly.

- Jessica Jackley, the co-founder of a website called Kiva.org, discussed her project and the tremendous impact it is having in the world. If you don't know about Kiva, I strongly encourage you to visit the website, plug in and get involved. I'll likely be adding a permalink on my page in the near future.

- Harvey Carey wrapped up the first day with an incredible, motivational, inspirational, nigh on indescribable sermon. This incredible leader has voluntarily placed himself into what many would consider one of the least desirable jobs in America (senior pastor at a small church in the poorest part of Detroit), and filled his congregation with life, love and hope. I cannot do justice to the incredible power of his words, but even more awesome is the power of his church's actions to support those words.

There were a number of other presenters not listed here, and each provided valuable insights and information from which to grow and develop. There were also strong lessons to be learned from such dignitaries and titans of business as Carly Fiorina, David Gergen, Bono, and the Rt Hon. Tony Blair.

I also have to give special recognition to one other presenter. Dr Wess Stafford is the CEO of Compassion International. His story and presentation deeply affected me, and I am still pained by the vivid imagery that his presentation left on my mind and heart. I ache for the children that Dr Stafford is working so hard to serve and protect, and I am in prayer to God to find clearer understanding for what he wants me to do about this yearning.

......

As if the awesome blessings from Leadership Summit were not enough, we were provided with another amazing gift from God this weekend. Two of our closest and dearest friends (temporarily living out of state to complete their schooling) surprised us all with a visit over the weekend. We got to pick them up at the airport Saturday morning after finding out on Friday afternoon that they were coming into town. We took several opportunities to spend time with them and their two precious boys over the weekend. The life and love that emanates from this family is truly uplifting, and I am deeply thankful for being able to share in their life and friendship.

We also had special guests at Church on Sunday evening, we had our church "officially" launched Sunday morning, my wife got a nice raise, and I'm sure there were two or three other things that happened that I'll remember once I've had a chance to rest.

After having all of this pile up item after item, I haven't come close to having the time to process everything. My cup runneth over in ways it never has before. As exhausted as I should be from the excitement and busyness of the last four days, I'm still so wired that I find myself sitting here writing to re-experience the weekend. I don't want it to end. Nevertheless, as I write this, my clock is showing 12:57 am, and I do have to go to work in less than 7 hours. As such, the two or three other things I originally intended to write about will just have to wait until later.

May God bless all who read this, and I hope you get to experience a "cup runneth over" weekend like mine sooner than later, if you haven't already.

Blessed be the peacemakers

This past Saturday, I was presented with an awesome opportunity to meet and serve some members of a valuable, yet under-noticed profession. Our church was granted the privilege of sponsoring a picnic for the San Antonio District office of Texas Parole Officers. These wonderful ladies and gentlemen do the often thankless job of supervising parolees, helping them transition back into society and assisting in their continued rehabilitation after their conviction.

As I understand it, the parole office structure has recently undergone a fairly notable shift. The chaplaincy is a newly created position within the district office. Jim, the wonderful gentleman who has been hired into this role, has done an outstanding job of hitting the ground running in his efforts to support and encourage the men and women in the San Antonio branch of the district office. I hope his efforts will be as fruitful as he expands his efforts to offering the same services to the other cities and towns within his district.

Jim first met our pastor at a small church conference, which Jim did not even really want to attend. His reluctant attendance opened a door for our church, when the two happened a strike up a conversation and an exchange of contact info. Further meetings between Jim and some of our leadership team evolved into an opportunity to serve in a small capacity by sponsoring their appreciation picnic. While at the picnic, I was impressed by the friendliness and appreciation of a group who probably get little to no recognition and thanks in their daily jobs. Looking ahead, I am excited for the opportunity to serve these wonderful people in a further capacity, and to develop a closer relationship between their office and our church.

I am frequently awed by the intricacy and subtlety of God's work. There were a number of small steps that had to be taken, and a multitude of small blessings and nudges required to put our two groups in alignment. For all of that, I'm very hopeful that this will not be a one-time event, and we will have many further chances to serve and minister to these folks.

A small aside here - While at the picnic, several of our group had a chance to talk a little with Mike, the district director. He told us how in the early 90's, the recidivism rate in the state of Texas used to be around 58%. To translate, 58% of parolees used to turn back to crime, and usually end up back in prison, due to any combination of factors and influences. In or around 1994, then-Governor Bush initiated a faith-based initiative to offer a different path to help parolees reintegrate into free society. Since the implementation of this faith-based program, the recidivism rate in Texas has dropped to around 28%.

What is immediately clear is that these people are doing God's work, and doing a fine job of it. What also becomes apparent at closer inspection is that for all that they pour out, they need and deserve to have more poured into them. I heard a great description of the Christian life tonight. It was said that we, as followers of Christ, need to be like rivers. As we are fed and poured into by many different sources, so we need to pour forth of ourselves, continuing to give the water of life further down the line. In looking at the lives and jobs of these parole officers, it is clear that they live this way, as they pour their lives into people who are desperately in need of it. Even granting what an awesome job they already do, how much better could their service be if their river is more amply fed by heartfelt service and ministry?

I'm so thankful for the small glimpse I got on Saturday into this previously unnoticed niche of our community. I look forward in the future to finding many more opportunities to share in their lives.

The long and short of it

Over the last week, I've become acutely aware of an odd paradox taking place in our communications.

On the one hand, individual communication is becoming increasingly clipped and shortened. Between such quick fire mediums as e-mail, texting, and Facebook updates, grammatically correct and complete written interchanges are becoming a thing of the past. The phenomenon has been kicked into warp speed by the massive and viral growth of Twitter as a communications medium. It is disconcerting to see the dwindling of written eloquence in everyday communication. Our entire culture seems to be shifting in this direction. It's been rehashed over and over, but the truth remains - we're becoming an ADD society. If you can't sell your idea in 10 seconds flat, you're likely to lose your audience altogether.

On the other end of the spectrum are the "big" ideas of government, and the absurdly complex legalese and verbosity coming from those who purport to be the champions of these ideas. Just take a look at a few big legislative items that have recently passed or are currently being debated. Stimulus was an 800? page bill. Cap and Trade was, I believe, around 1,600 pages, and that included "placeholders" where the legislation would be more fully fleshed out at a later date. Healthcare reform is another several thousand pages long, and seemingly growing by the day.

I reread a passage from Ecclesiastes a few nights ago that seems particularly apropos in this regard:

Ecc 6:11 - "The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?"

So why the disconnect? How has a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" evolved to the point where the way government thinks and operates is so antithetical to the lives and styles of the people it aims to represent? I have several theories, some conspiratorial, some innocuous, and some outlandish. But they don't matter a whole lot. The actual reasons for the disconnect are ultimately only marginally important. What is more important is how to bridge that gap and bring the two more closely in line.

I claim no feel-good answer to this. As I see it, there is no quick fix, only a difficult commitment. That commitment is to the task of reengaging and reining in our government. Of course, it would take more than a few activists, as small-scale activism combined with large-scale nonchalance is what has gotten us into this situation in the first place.

So I make this plea to everybody. Get involved. Take time to understand the issues. Demand honesty, trasnsparency, and simplicity. Question everything. Engage people about the issues. Discuss the problems, not the soundbites. Forget about the D, R, L, I, or whatever next to somebody's name. We need to pay more attention to what people believe, and less to whose side they're on.

Baptism

For those of you who know me, but were not aware, my wife and I were baptised this weekend. My pastor had told us that each of us might be expected to say a little bit to our assembled friends and family as part of the celebration. That opportunity did not present itself, and as I am somewhat gunshy when it comes to talking publicly, or off the cuff in those types of situations, I let it pass.


But as I sit here tonight, I feel a renewed urge to say what I intended to say on Saturday afternoon. So here it is, more or less. (I'll omit the stammering and verbal pauses for the sake of you, dear reader)

I understand my commission as a follower of Christ, but I so often fall short of that task. From my short amount of study, I feel woefully unprepared to present or discuss the Scripture. I know so many of my own shortcomings that I feel meek in opening myself up to examination. As a result, I have in the past shied away from discussing matters of faith with non-believers for fear of being "exposed".

In reading and praying on baptism, I have come to understand two things that have had a powerful impact on my faith and courage. The first is that baptism, as with the commission, is an act of obedience. By my baptism, I am making an outward declaration that Christ dwells inside of me. With that indwelling, I gain His strength, courage, and glory. When speaking for Him, I am really a mouthpiece, saying what He would have me say. For how can I truly fail when He is leading?

Secondly, I understood that no amount of reading, or memorization, or biblical knowledge, can adequately prepare me for baptism. Baptism is not a culmination of my knowledge, but a declaration of my faith. My growth in the knowledge of the Word will continue so long as I continue to read the Bible and seek understanding with an open mind. Likewise, my faith in Christ will continue to flourish so long as I am obedient to His will. His Will is clearly that I, as should all of his followers, be baptised. How can I deny His will, when it is so clearly placed upon my heart?

Running ahead of God

(note - this post was started on 7.6, but not posted until the night of 7.12)

I am often amazed by the obstinance and rebellious attitude of the human mind. It is so easy for people to claim to want to do something grand and helpful. Yet when given the opportunity, they immediately veer off course, whether via distraction, poor understanding of the situation, or misrepresentation of their original intent. I am, of course, referring to this blog experiment.


I began this blog upon the urging of God to explore the philosophies of His kingdom. Within a week, I had already diverged from that path, and re-branded this as MY blog. It took all of 6 posts before I began to acutely stray from the original intent, which was to post based the philosophies and ideas which He wants me to consider. I felt my own stirrings to set up rules - I want to post x number of times a week. No politics (a "rule" which I immediately broke). The first thing I did every time I logged in was to check for new followers, and then check for new comments. When I didn't find either, I took it as a sign of discouragement that nobody was reading, or cared what I thought.

And the worst thing was that I lost all sense of direction. The urgings and ideas that had been swarming around became faint, muddled, and eventually unintelligible. In very short order, I went from clarity of vision to blindly grasping. At that point, I felt that I needed to forge ahead anyways. After all, I had to meet my quota. And surely new ideas would come.

I was given a small revelation last weekend. Turns out I had run off ahead, and lost the path that God laid out for me. I started to write this post that night, but was uncomfortable with posting it, for whatever reason. A week of prayer followed, along with consideration and meditation on the direction forward. I hope that I've now rediscovered that path.

I always look for a central point when I post. As far as I can tell this time, it is this. Always be aware of your place in your journey. If the next step is not illuminated right now, resist the urge to charge blindly ahead. The path will become clear on His timing, not yours. If you take off on your own direction, you will more than likely lose the path that He desires for you, and you may be unable to recover it at all.

I, for one, am thankful for the small lesson in this regard, and can only hope that I remember as the larger journey continues to unfold.

Follow-up to Monday's item

As I accused our President of prevarication in my Monday item, I wish to clarify my statement.

During the president's press conference, he stated that California residents used 40% less energy per capita than the US average. According to this table - http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/esr/table5.html - the statement was truthful, and not in and of itself a prevarication.

In reality, CA's low per capita usage is likely due to a combination of several factors, none of which are directly applicable, and only the first of which might be desirable in the rest of the US. 1 - The CA climate is far more temperate during the summer and winter months than most of the rest of the US. They don't get the frigid winters seen in MN and MI, for example. For a large portion of the state, they don't see the heat of summer found in places like TX and AZ. 2 - As mentioned in the original post, rolling blackouts have been a problem in previous years, and when the energy isn't flowing, usage typically stays at or very near 0. 3 - At the high usage rates mentioned below, there is an added incentive to cut back wherever possible.

From that same report, the next column over provides the average retail price per kw-hr. This is what Californians 'pay' for their electricity relative to the rest of the US, and is therefore a more relevant and applicable data set. Here, we find that CA pays, on average, 14.42 cents/kw-hr, which ranks as the 7th highest rate in the contiguous 48 states (I don't include AK and HI, as they have unique energy requirements and circumstances owing to their geographical isolation from the rest of the US). It is also 35% ABOVE the national average.

So, while the President's statement was factually true, it was either grossly intellectually dishonest, or representative of a terrible misunderstanding of reality with respect to the rest of America. Either way, I would hope that the President of the United States would be held to a higher standard when it comes to presenting factual, accurate and intellectually honest data to the American People he was elected to represent.

I realize that this is a second politics related post in three days, but I feel that this one is more in-line with the intent of my blog. Among other goals, I seek to urge people to reclaim honesty, integrity, and accountability in every day life. But more than that, I want people to hold their neighbors, friends, colleagues, and leaders to that same elevated standard. And that goes all the way up to the President, if he can be demonstrated to fall from these ideals.