my most precious resource

The headline on msnbc.com today did not come as a surprise. “Study: drivers lose five days a year to traffic jams”.

Time is such a precious resource. Or so it seems. Recently, I have taken to driving the back roads to work. Not because it saves you any time, but the idea of going 10 miles an hour on a winding road somehow is more pleasing that going 5 miles an hour on the parking lot known as the Merritt Parkway.

Overall, the study reports, drivers languish 4.2 billion hours in traffic delays every year. And that’s not commuting time, mind you, that’s sitting-in-traffic-looking-at-bumpers time.

What are we not doing because of traffic? Hmmm. Recently my friend Kevin finished his MBA program, and was trying to figure out what he would do with an extra 15 hours a week. A month later, he wasn’t figuring anymore. Not that he could point to anything different he was doing, but that extra 15 hours somehow got sucked up. I guess time is simply the lone sock in the laundry of our life – it disappears, it shows up, and we get through the day either way.

I used to think of time as a resource. I’m sure that if you opened a Bible there would be pages and pages on time management… but after doing some digging, I’m thinking now that maybe time isn’t this “precious resource” after all… perhaps it’s just an excuse. As in “I would do this if I only had the time…” and “sorry, can’t find the time.”

So am I really losing five days a year to traffic jams? I guess not. For if there was something I really wanted to do, I am sure I could find the time.

The word “time” does appear in the Bible (NIV) over 900 times… but most of those mentions are references of measurement (the second time) or transitional (at that time). In fact, throughout the whole Bible, the idea that time as a resource is only mentioned three times.

When God’s people were driven out of Egypt, they ate unleavened bread. Why? They didn’t have the time. No time… no problem.

And in Ecclesiastes we are reminded… “there is a time for everything.”

Paul does write about “making the most of your time” in Ephesians 5:15. And I guess that’s pretty good advice. But do you know what I really think? God doesn’t care much about time either way. Heh, he’s got all of eternity. Jesus never seems rushed... and he knew he was on a deadline, too. Maybe its because he also knew that everything will happen at the appointed time. (Or, maybe because he didn't have to drive the Merritt). Hmmm.

Like a Dove

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. (Mark 1: 9-10)

This past Sunday, my wife and I stood over our youngest child and proclaimed, 'We baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spitit.' Yes, this was a good day. Thank you Kris and Tracie for the photos! Praise the Lord!

tired of being tired

I never thought I would be so tired at 22.
- Jules

When Demi Moore’s character bottoms out in St. Elmo’s Fire, she talks about being tired. Tired beyond reason. I’ve been tired for the past few weeks (it happens sometimes) and what I’ve come to realize is that there is a strong correlation between the times I am tired, and the times I feel more distant from God. So it made me wonder:

1. Do I get tired… and then spend less time with God because I am struggling just to get through the day-to-day? Or…
2. Do I drift away from God… and that distance then causes me to feel tired?

In my head, I act like the first answer is true. I may wake up a few minutes late, then decide to skip bible reading… or prayer time… or both… just so I don’t fall too far behind on my day.

But my heart tells me that the second is probably more accurate. I make some decisions on priorities… or take some liberties with my relationship with God… and suddenly life starts becoming more of a chore… a series of connected events with no rest or peace.

Perhaps there is a bit of truth in both… which explains why I sometimes find myself in a downward spiral… tired… then distant… then more tired… then more distant.

And then it happens. You wake up and say today’s the day we are going to start over. I felt that way late this morning, and this evening on the way home from work I stopped off at church to say hello (sounds silly, but for me the effort counted for something). And tonight, I feel a bit better. And tomorrow will be better still.

So I log off early, called to lie down in green pastures, beside quiet waters, where He will restore my soul. For my Lord has said: My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.

Amen.

One word. No explanations.

1. Yourself: trying
2. Your spouse: home
3. Your hair: short
4. Your mother: solid
5. Your father: heaven
6. Your favorite item: pen
7. Your dream last night: weird
8. Your favorite drink: water
9. Your dream car: mine
10. The room you are in: office
11. Your ex: friends
12. Your fear: underperforming
13. What you want to be in 10 years: better
14. Who you hung out with last night: family
15. What you're not: worried
16. Muffins: tops
17: One of your wish list items: Paris
18: Time: fleeting
19. The last thing you did: solved
20. What you are wearing: shorts
21. Your favorite weather: rainless
22. Your favorite book: hmmm
23. The last thing you ate: taco
24. Your life: starting
25. Your mood: satisfied
26. Your best friend: there
27. What you're thinking about right now: everything
28. Your car: convertible
29. What you are doing at the moment: pondering
30. Your summer: over
31. Your relationship status: happy
32. What is on your TV: everything
33. What is the weather like: sunny
34. When was the last time you laughed: today

Thank you to Erin for encouraging me to play... now it's your turn!

Still intuitive, now more introverted

A few weeks ago, TK asked if I had any personality. I don't think he was trying to insult me, because he included a link to this myers-briggs type test.

I took a similar test while working at Citibank (some 15-20 years ago) and the results then were different, but the same. (ENTP then, now INTJ).

Turns out that an individual is primarily classified by two letters. Mine were (and still are) NT -- an intuitive thinker. So perhaps your "core" remains constant over time. But the fringes (an EP now an IJ) can change over time. I definitely think I've become more introverted over the years... I hold my cards closer to my chest and take fewer chances when it comes to relationships. And I've definitely come to appreciate order (J) and I'm less spontaneous (S).

But most of all... Intuitive people focus on the future and the possibilities. Thinkers are ruled by their head instead of their heart. And that pretty well describes me. These results are echoed in the "Multiple Intelligence" test. The only new learnings: with "musical intelligence" ranking at the bottom, maybe its time to stop singing in the shower.

Acting Childish

I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. MK 10:15

Receive the kingdom of God like a little child. Now what does that mean? How would a child receive the kingdom of God?

For the past few days, I’ve reflected on this verse by thinking about my own three children. While perhaps not little anymore (14, 12, 10), they were recently. So what could I learn from them about receiving the kingdom of God?

My son Brian would simply accept this gift. A gift, after all, is not something that one must work for -- that would be a job. School, for example, is his job, complete with goals, and effort and grades. And while there are things Brian will work for – there are other things that he realizes are well out of the grasp of anything he could attain for himself. Like a new video system. And he accepts these gifts, as a son should, with no apologies. A simply thank you is enough.

In a way, he “earns” his new gifts simply by appreciating the gifts he has been given in the past – not by listing out his most recent accomplishments.

Often, I look at attaining the kingdom as a job. I think “being a Christian is hard work.” But we all know the kingdom of God is well out of the grasp of anything I could achieve on my own. Perhaps I should receive the kingdom for what it is – a gift from Christ – where a simple “thank you” will suffice. Thank you Lord! (And thank you, Brian).

My middle child, Meaghan, would be relentless. To the point of annoyance. When Meaghan has her heart set on something, nothing can turn her away. You can’t distract her. You can’t bribe her. You can’t offer her a substitute.

She stays focused – and whether her goal is acing a school paper, completing a jigsaw puzzle or going to that party she was already told she was not going to – she persists. If I am the one in between Meaghan and her goal, she knows she can outlast me.

Personally, I have my heart set on the kingdom, but I am often distracted. I am easily bribed. I readily accept substitutes. If I were to receive the kingdom like a little child, I would be relentless. I would run in such as way as to get the prize. Like my daughter. (Thank you Meggie.)

My youngest, Erin, would give it away. She would treasure the kingdom—and receive it with joy--even though the price paid was far too much. But soon, she would come across someone, whether friend or stranger, and she would feel for this person. And she would give what she treasured away, like a seat on a crowded bus.

Erin is blessed with two gifts – and eye for those in need, and a heart that wants to act. This fall, she will become the first of my children to walk into the waters on her own accord to be baptized.

Often, I think in terms of the kingdom in me-centric ways. I see a need for me to serve, when I should just see people who need God’s love. I see a need to correct my sins, instead of unleashing the power of God. I think about what I need to do to receive the kingdom – when I should, like Erin, simply find someone and give it away. (Thank you Erin.)

So go. Receive the kingdom of God like a child. And if you have a second, let me know what else we can learn from a child you know.

Dual Standards

There was a Christian man who after twelve years of marriage, realized he was gay. He and his wife divorced, and some time later this gay man fell in love and married his new life-mate. Years later, when he died, this man approached the Pearly Gates where he met Saint Peter. “You know you can’t come in,” Peter said with a smile.

“I know,” the man replied, “it’s because I’m gay, right?”

“Heavens no,” Peter retorted. “It’s because you divorced and remarried. Don’t you read your bible? You’re an adulterer!”

My friend TK recently linked me to a YouTube clip that featured Brian McLaren at Willow Creek, speaking on the topic of the church and homosexuality. McLaren, who according to wikipedia is a “controversial voice in the church”, noted that the approach taken by many churches today – welcoming but not affirming – does little to bring gay people to Christ.

So what does Christ say about homosexuality? I’ve discovered that many of the bible passages on this topic are from the Old Testament, plus a frequently-quoted verse from Paul’s letter to the Romans:

In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Compare this verse with the direct quote from Jesus found in Mark 10:

Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.

One is a direct quote from Jesus – no symbolism here, it’s meaning so clear, beyond debate. But for some reason, McLaren didn’t feel a need to talk to Christians about their need to be “welcoming, but not affirming” to divorcees. And why is that?

At my church, it’s possible that the “welcoming, but not affirming” stance means that individuals who are gay cannot serve in leadership positions. But divorced and remarried people can. And why is that? And why is it also likely that across the country we have church leaders who cheat on their taxes, pass along gossip and fantasize about women?

Early, I wrote about seeing Jesus through your own experiscope – and I am sure that impacts our acceptance of divorce – and our feelings towards gays. After all, I have good friends who are divorced, and they seem like OK people to me.

Now I don’t mean to pick on divorced people (just a convenient example) nor do I mean to promote homosexuality (see earlier post). But it seems to me that we as Christians pick and choose our battles based not on WWJD – but rather on “what I or one of my friends may someday do”.