Thursday, September 30, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Weaving through life
I’m about 1/3 through reading a book called ‘Midlife Manual for Men’, and have gotten to the point where the authors ask me to list 3 men in my personal life who have meant the most to me, along with the characteristics which make them admirable. At first I had a tough time coming up with more than one, but as I listed all the men I know who have meant something to me along my journey, I was able to narrow it down to the three I admire most. My good friend Mel who encouraged and mentored me during some of the most difficult years of my life; my father who remained faithful and provided for our family, despite the personal and financial obstacles he faced; and one longtime friend who has a true heart for God, and whom I have always been able to share with and count on.
Alongside this list, I made notes on 15 men who have been a part of my life, some have been positive examples, others have been somewhat of a disappointment. I listed a characteristic of each man that I felt would describe them best. A i described one friend, the word that I felt fit him best was 'follower'. Although this friend is a leader, he has become an admirer and follower of some great men. Great ministers, leaders and businessmen from whom he wishes to learn from and in who’s footsteps he has decided to follow. As I thought of this friend, I saw him as a compilation of the men he admires.
I paused at this thought, and wondered who my friend would be if these men had not influenced his life or if he had not decided to follow in their footsteps? I wondered about his motivation to follow in these men’s footsteps, was it to become a ‘copy’ of the men he so admired? I struggled with this thought for a moment, and the question of who am I? Am I the compilation of those I‘ve admired and allowed to influence me? Who would I be without the influence of these men? And what part of the ‘real me’ remains?
Clearly we are all followers, as well as unique creations. Our families, piers, mentors and friends have all influenced and formed who we are. God creates the framework and life weaves in the pattern. Woven into us naturally are bits and pieces of people we admire adding texture and color to the unique tapestry of who we are. A wonderful design of God as described in Psalm 139...
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways...
13 For You formed my inward parts, You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made,..
15 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret,..
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
Our lives are an amazing tapestry woven through birth, and woven through life. As we admire and learn from the lives of others, let us never forget what unique individuals God has created us to be.
Alongside this list, I made notes on 15 men who have been a part of my life, some have been positive examples, others have been somewhat of a disappointment. I listed a characteristic of each man that I felt would describe them best. A i described one friend, the word that I felt fit him best was 'follower'. Although this friend is a leader, he has become an admirer and follower of some great men. Great ministers, leaders and businessmen from whom he wishes to learn from and in who’s footsteps he has decided to follow. As I thought of this friend, I saw him as a compilation of the men he admires.
I paused at this thought, and wondered who my friend would be if these men had not influenced his life or if he had not decided to follow in their footsteps? I wondered about his motivation to follow in these men’s footsteps, was it to become a ‘copy’ of the men he so admired? I struggled with this thought for a moment, and the question of who am I? Am I the compilation of those I‘ve admired and allowed to influence me? Who would I be without the influence of these men? And what part of the ‘real me’ remains?
Clearly we are all followers, as well as unique creations. Our families, piers, mentors and friends have all influenced and formed who we are. God creates the framework and life weaves in the pattern. Woven into us naturally are bits and pieces of people we admire adding texture and color to the unique tapestry of who we are. A wonderful design of God as described in Psalm 139...
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways...
13 For You formed my inward parts, You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made,..
15 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret,..
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
Our lives are an amazing tapestry woven through birth, and woven through life. As we admire and learn from the lives of others, let us never forget what unique individuals God has created us to be.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Humpty Dumpty Omelette
This morning i woke up thinking about an old english rhyme, probably one of the best known in the english world:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again
The origins of the rhyme is somewhat unclear, but it depicts an individual who is fragile as an egg. This rhyme seems to imply that a clumsy person falling off a wall may become irreparably damaged, as an egg would be...
Clumsy or not, someone who is broken or crushed holds little hope of being restored to his or her original state. We all know, life is filled with events that can break or even crush us at times. Perhaps Humpty had no business climbing so high on that wall,... perhaps we had no business climbing as high as we did,.. before we fell to pieces.
But let's consider the possibility that, high on that wall was exactly where the King intended Humpty to be. The fact that he's fragile cannot be changed. What event or distraction may have caused him to fall? What precautions should have he taken to prevent his fall? Could he have better secured himself?
We can't answer these questions for Humpty, but we often ask and answer these questions for ourselves. All the could have, would have, and should have's of our lives, sometimes good lessons that we can apply to our lives, at other times it just becomes something to wallow about in regret. Yet neither resolves what's happened, nor puts the broken pieces back together again.
Then we seek help, trying to restore what once was. Restore our position, our relationships, our vision, and perhaps even our hope... Yet as we seek this help from others, it often seems all the King's horses and all the King's men can't put our broken pieces back together again.
So if all the King's men can't succeed in putting all the pieces together again, what's to become of Humpty? He's no longer the same, but broken and scrambled into nothing more than the makings of an omelette. Hmmm,.. perhaps the whole idea was to transform Humpty into an omlette, pick out the shells, add a few ingredients, life's spice and heat... Perhaps the King prefers a good omelette over a raw egg!
Transformation is the key! Broken and crushed lives can never ever be restored to their original state. Through these breaking experiences we are changed for good, meaning changed forever and potentially changed for the better. The potential is in how God can take what's broken and scrambled, and transform it into something greater than before. Perhaps a wonderful 'omelette'! That is if we allow God to be the chef...
or do we instead choose to wallow and remain the broken yolk?
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again
The origins of the rhyme is somewhat unclear, but it depicts an individual who is fragile as an egg. This rhyme seems to imply that a clumsy person falling off a wall may become irreparably damaged, as an egg would be...
Clumsy or not, someone who is broken or crushed holds little hope of being restored to his or her original state. We all know, life is filled with events that can break or even crush us at times. Perhaps Humpty had no business climbing so high on that wall,... perhaps we had no business climbing as high as we did,.. before we fell to pieces.
But let's consider the possibility that, high on that wall was exactly where the King intended Humpty to be. The fact that he's fragile cannot be changed. What event or distraction may have caused him to fall? What precautions should have he taken to prevent his fall? Could he have better secured himself?
We can't answer these questions for Humpty, but we often ask and answer these questions for ourselves. All the could have, would have, and should have's of our lives, sometimes good lessons that we can apply to our lives, at other times it just becomes something to wallow about in regret. Yet neither resolves what's happened, nor puts the broken pieces back together again.
Then we seek help, trying to restore what once was. Restore our position, our relationships, our vision, and perhaps even our hope... Yet as we seek this help from others, it often seems all the King's horses and all the King's men can't put our broken pieces back together again.
So if all the King's men can't succeed in putting all the pieces together again, what's to become of Humpty? He's no longer the same, but broken and scrambled into nothing more than the makings of an omelette. Hmmm,.. perhaps the whole idea was to transform Humpty into an omlette, pick out the shells, add a few ingredients, life's spice and heat... Perhaps the King prefers a good omelette over a raw egg!
Transformation is the key! Broken and crushed lives can never ever be restored to their original state. Through these breaking experiences we are changed for good, meaning changed forever and potentially changed for the better. The potential is in how God can take what's broken and scrambled, and transform it into something greater than before. Perhaps a wonderful 'omelette'! That is if we allow God to be the chef...
or do we instead choose to wallow and remain the broken yolk?
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Milking the land...
I'm not sure what was on the Israelites' minds when God led them out of slavery toward the promised land, a land of milk and honey. I'm sure they had visions of a land that would be blessed and prosperous, full of peace and justice, abundant in crops and wealth, and that everyone would have more than sufficient to live on. Sounds more like a fairytale land if you ask me, yet i believe this very vision may have been God's exact plan.
Yet we people in our greed and selfish pride tend to screw things up. The Israelites didn't even make it to the promised land before they started whining, and in greedy contempt turned and began to neglect God's plan. What's interesting, it wasn't the regular folk who led this rebellion. It was the leaders who compromised. As the leaders do, so the people follow,.. justice turns to injustice, peace turns to rebellion, abundance turns to greed, and prosperity to poverty. Human nature (sin) turns God's blessing into a curse.
A couple of weeks ago i saw a man looking for food in a dumpster. In our land of 'prosperity' i wondered what injustice has brought him there? I felt shocked, yet not so suprised as i wondered how many more blows i would need to end up in this fellow's shoes? We all feel injustice at times, some certainly more than others. Where is our help? Where are our leaders? What are our brothers doing?
Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 states:
If you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and justice being miscarried thoughout the land, don't be suprised! For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice only get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. Even the king milks the land for his profit!
So if the king is already milking the land for his own profit, what can you expect from his subjects? Leaders who like to divide 'the pie' amongst themselves, leave little for the labourers. Laws are created to protect certain intrests groups, judges and officials are bribed to open and close doors, and the labourers are 'milked' to uphold a structure that 'blesses the chosen few'... at least until the labourer has nothing left to 'milk'...
Moving here 18 years ago, i hoped this land of opportunity would become blessed and prosperous, and be transformed into a more honest and compassionate society. Sadly, our 'prosperity' has fed much greed and injustice instead, and 'milking' has become a way of life. Of course, we are not the only land where kings milk it for their own profit and where the poor remain oppressed. Yet there is a much better way, that is to bless and care for the needy, and to be our brother's keeper. So how long will we continue to be so selfish and blind, milking and consuming our brothers for profit? Surely this is not the way to live in a land of milk and honey...
I too once dreamed of a better land, but this dream has succumb to what 'the writer' evokes: 'What else should i have expected?'
Yet we people in our greed and selfish pride tend to screw things up. The Israelites didn't even make it to the promised land before they started whining, and in greedy contempt turned and began to neglect God's plan. What's interesting, it wasn't the regular folk who led this rebellion. It was the leaders who compromised. As the leaders do, so the people follow,.. justice turns to injustice, peace turns to rebellion, abundance turns to greed, and prosperity to poverty. Human nature (sin) turns God's blessing into a curse.
A couple of weeks ago i saw a man looking for food in a dumpster. In our land of 'prosperity' i wondered what injustice has brought him there? I felt shocked, yet not so suprised as i wondered how many more blows i would need to end up in this fellow's shoes? We all feel injustice at times, some certainly more than others. Where is our help? Where are our leaders? What are our brothers doing?
Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 states:
If you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and justice being miscarried thoughout the land, don't be suprised! For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice only get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. Even the king milks the land for his profit!
So if the king is already milking the land for his own profit, what can you expect from his subjects? Leaders who like to divide 'the pie' amongst themselves, leave little for the labourers. Laws are created to protect certain intrests groups, judges and officials are bribed to open and close doors, and the labourers are 'milked' to uphold a structure that 'blesses the chosen few'... at least until the labourer has nothing left to 'milk'...
Moving here 18 years ago, i hoped this land of opportunity would become blessed and prosperous, and be transformed into a more honest and compassionate society. Sadly, our 'prosperity' has fed much greed and injustice instead, and 'milking' has become a way of life. Of course, we are not the only land where kings milk it for their own profit and where the poor remain oppressed. Yet there is a much better way, that is to bless and care for the needy, and to be our brother's keeper. So how long will we continue to be so selfish and blind, milking and consuming our brothers for profit? Surely this is not the way to live in a land of milk and honey...
I too once dreamed of a better land, but this dream has succumb to what 'the writer' evokes: 'What else should i have expected?'
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