Thoughts at Bok Tower

Bok Tower Gardens

I have a good friend of many years, Angelo Lundy. Today we visited Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, FL. After a stroll through the gardens, we sat in the restaurant there and Angelo shared with me some statements that have helped him structure situations in his journey through life. One set of statements comes from observations by Dale Carnegie in which he addresses simple facts of human relationships. When we meet others, we will (perhaps even despite ourselves) evaluate and classify them—as they will us. Therefore in attempting to relate and connect with others, four things are very important: 1) What you do; 2) How you look; 3) What you say; and 4) How you say it. People who attempt to be absolutely assessable and welcoming to all may find these observations a little arbitrary and restrictive. But I think when one honestly considers how one truly reacts when meeting others, these observations hold. In my view, these observations can be extended to not only how we connect with others, but how we connect to things or situations. For example, when I consider whether to buy a new smart phone, I ask—what does it do, how does it look, what does it say (or what does it mean to me), and how does it say it? 

Angelo next shared how he effectively approaches moving on in life. His action list includes to: 1) Set goals; 2) Make necessary adjustments; 3) Cope with aspects beyond one's control.

The beauty of these observations is that they are helpful and are readily retrievable from memory whenever meeting others on the one hand, or confronting tasks on the other.

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Christmas Greeting

At work we have a little contest on Christmas door decorations. In our office (the IT Department) each person contributes something to the project. It was my job to create Christmas cards out of card stock paper that will be placed in a little container on the outside of the door. Each passerby may take one. Here's the card. The image at bottom I got off the internet, but the poem and design are mine.

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The “Light of the World” Metaphor

Jesus said that believers were “the light of the world” (Mt 5:14). From this passage, what did he mean by that image [quoted below]? How might the promises in this passage apply to you when you feel as though your efforts to follow God have little effect on others? 

It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:8 NIV). (Serendipity Bible 10^th Anniversary Edition, page 1029).

When we ask what Jesus meant when he said the believers were “the light of the world” we must first look to the life of Jesus himself.  He did good works such as healing and encouraging, but he absolutely refused to assume a role that would summon immediate widespread power results—such as becoming a military or political leader.   In a real sense, we must conclude that Jesus wanted to effect outcomes indirectly, or to put it another way, he wanted to change man's perception first and thereby alter his actions.

I think of The Sound of Music when I consider this.  The children were controlled by their father with a strong military hand, but Maria controlled them indirectly through their hearts.  Her object was to affect their perception first and thus have impact upon their actions.  She declined to use the direct “military action” and stentorian whistle of their father.

There is great realism here, for to change behavior over the long run and to ensure real stability, and to do so within a context of happiness, people must want to do rather than be forced to do.  Thus, the signal importance of shifting perception and not just forcing behavior.

The perceptual shift that Jesus desired is aided by throwing light on a situation or “turning on the lights.”  Light does not force one to see, but it does allow one to see.  And in this regard God's grace is important because it is observable that we have very limited control over our perception.  In our present understanding of the matter, salutary shifts in some sense remain a mystery.  The complexities of perception still are largely unknown and beyond direct control or manipulation.  Perhaps that is as God intended when he made us ethically responsible beings.  In any case, it is arguable that “little things” can have great impact upon perception as they mount over time and help bring about perceptual change, and thus the absence of immediate obvious results in Christian witnessing (bestowing light) need not be and invitation for despair.  Jesus acknowledged the necessity of patience and process when he compared the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed which is tiny, but when planted eventually yields a tree in which birds alight (Matthew 13:31-32). 






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The Heart of Structure and Hearts of Blame

It is intensely bizarre the extent to which we often gain much satisfaction out of sitting in judgment and placing blame.  Not infrequently we completely overlook structural causes for mishaps and freight the victims of those structures with blame.  It's much like if I had a guest in my home.  I summarily took all his socks and shoes and locked them up in an inaccessible place.  The next day, my guest must walk to town so must do so barefoot.  On his return, because of injuries to his feet during the walk, he tracks blood on my new carpet--whereupon I roundly reprimand him for soiling my carpet and being careless.  The eagerness with which I place blame upon him suggests I gain much pleasure and a remarkable ego boost from feelings of superiority.  One way of understanding this is to say that I suffer from myopia.  I focus entirely on symptoms and not more indirect causes.  The symptoms are very concrete and immediate—even sensational—while the causes are more indirect and remote and require some complexity and abstraction to understand.  Something in this way happens countless times daily in human affairs.  We often count as character defects (again from a highly superior perch) what actually have structural causes.  For example, in the absence of democracy, people too often become despots and we heap opprobrium upon them for it—never seeming to realize without the blessings of our form and structure of government the same could happen here—that despotism is the result of the absence of a structure favorable to good government.   In this regard structure is much more important than rules.  One can have codes of ethics that stack a mile high, but if the organizational structural is not favorable to ethical behavior, no amount of rules will compensate for it.

Today I find America cruel in many ways.  It seems to be inherent and we look to character degeneration and decay to explain it.  I think our focus is misdirected and should instead be raising questions as to root causes in basic organizational structures (the handful of umbrella institutions that are the fundamental building blocks of society).  I am no scientist—that's for sure—but even I realize that atomic and chemical structure forms the genesis of stability and integrity in elements and compounds and without such structural integrity no other ramifications of it would be tenable or even conceivable.






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Easter in Christmastime

Illustration by: Jacob Thomas

What examples can you think of in Jesus' life when his speech was gentile...? When it was cutting like a sword? Why the difference? When is it best to be gentle with people? To be strong and cutting? (Serendipity Bible 10^th Anniversary Edition, page 1029). 

Following quotations from the Gospel, NIV translation.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.” 

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying: 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

It is clear that Jesus had kind words for the humble, spiritually innocent, and those who conceded they were vulnerable (with no record unblemished) and harsh words for those with hard self-righteous hearts even though possessing a clean legalistic rap sheet. It is certainly true that it is much more rewarding to work with humble individuals behind bars than prideful pillars of society sure of their own superiority. Jesus' modulated approach made sense because the humble and vulnerable are easily hurt and do not misconstrue kindness whereas the self-righteous ensconce themselves in a maddening shell and see kindness as a weakness and hurt those who live by it.

At Christmastime the gentle Jesus is greatly emphasized. It is well to remember at this time that Jesus did not get crucified for being a wishy-washy wimp. He regularly made people mad—very mad. No fury can match that of spurned self-righteousness exercising unchecked revenge.

We, it must be remembered, are to follow the example of Christ—not only in our gentleness, but in our strength and crazy courage—for it remains always crazy to poke a stick at coiled self-righteousness.

Some Christians panned the movie “Jesus Christ Superstar” and found it profoundly unbiblical. Not so me. It is worrisome to me that Christ can be so abstractly conceived as gentle and sweet as to make his crucifixion unthinkable. Anytime we find this to be the case, we can be assured it is a fictional characterization born of a Pharisaical heart within a steady state of wishful thinking.

 

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Objectively Subjective

What do you see?

Have you ever obstinately refused to do something merely because a certain person suggested it? What did that do for your relationship? (Serendipity Bible 10^th Anniversary Edition, page 1027).

This is very typical of my behavior.  If Fox News were to say that heaven awaited if I only wore white, you can be sure I would wear black.  I very much consider the source of assertions and am prone to dismiss any statement of fact or opinion from a source that I do not find credible.

This serves to simplify my world greatly.  I do not bother to consider seriously any proposal made from a suspect source.  I don't have to “waste energy” in careful evaluation, judgment, and the maintenance of objectivity.  As I am likely to uncritically reject some sources, I am likely to uncritically accept those whom I feel credible.  I say “feel” intentionally rather than “think” for emotions are very much tied up in it.  Ironically, sources that I distrust the most are those who claim to have absolute objectivity.  Objectivity is something that is evasive and the principal danger is in assuming we have it.





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Christianity as an Idol

How might Christianity itself end up being an idol? (Serendipity Bible 10^th Anniversary Edition, page 1021).

It is instructive to view how the scribes and Pharisees made an idol of their religion—and how virtually all religions do so.  The key movement in this direction is when religion ceases to be a pathway to righteousness and instead becomes a drudge of self-righteousness.  Anytime someone becomes religious to be better than someone else, the road to perdition is underway.  For righteousness never seeks to feel itself better than another, but is keenly aware of its own weaknesses and its identity with imperfection. 

Christianity becomes an idol as soon as it becomes a shibboleth signifying entry into an exclusive club of the superior few.  Jesus railed against self-righteous above all else.










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