out with the old; in with the new

the t-ls annotated version of the better known part of "auld lang syne" (out with the old; in with the new!)

"should old acquaintance be forgot, & never brought to mind?" i'd say forget 'em in 2011 if they were acquaintances who were bad influences & brought you down! if they were acquaintances who are possibly positive friends waiting to happen, look 'em up & forge a connection in 2011!

"should old acquaintance be forgot, & days of old lang syne?" as for the latter part of this rhetorical question, don't forget your days gone by or where you came from. the past is a teacher; learn from it. remember it. don't relive it. revolutionize it. renovate it. restore it. recreate it.

"for auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne." for old times' sake past, & for goodness' sake present, & heaven's sake future, remember you're not an island unto yourself. this line says "we'll." not you. not me. not them. not us. we. you can take the cup of kindness & you will have done exactly that…taken the cup of kindness that could have been, should have been shared. just ask scrooge what taking the cup of kindness meant for him. luckily he had a chance to make it right; you might not, so do it right the first time. be inclusive & open to relationships built on kindness & just watch the year you’ll have in 2011!

happy new year & all the best in 2011 indeed! out with the old; in with the new!


for more see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auld_Lang_Syne#Lyrics
(ps: i know wikipedia isn't the most reliable source for a link, but i think it does a good job presenting the variations of this poem/song...and the 1st column is beautiful, imho)

don't get bitter, get better

tonight i was thinking about getting hurt. it happens. unless you're a masochistic person, you generally don't let it happen on purpose. getting hurt is usually beyond your control. people don't typically choose to get hurt.

let me briefly qualify this idea. you might make a series of bad choices that result in getting hurt, but you probably didn't choose to get hurt. for instance, you see that your shoe is coming untied. then you see that your shoe is completely untied. then you step on the untied shoelace and trip, landing on your hands and knees which will be scraped and bruised. you got hurt, not because you chose to get hurt, but because your choices led you down that road. it was bound to happen.

or maybe your the kind of person who would die for someone else, or at least soften a blow. like, if your parent, or your significant other, or your sibling, or your friend was in harm's way, you would instinctively reach out, step in, grab for...you would react on behalf of someone else, but in so doing, jeopardize yourself. someone else was about to fall down the stairs, but you intercept and avert disaster for the other person. however, you lose your balance in the process and go tumbling down. you chose to put someone else's safety first, getting hurt in the process, but you didn't actually choose to get hurt.

so, practically speaking, hurt isn't a choice. we don't choose to get hurt. but it happens. physical hurt is my rather obvious metaphor for hurt that isn't physical, but is often just as deep, if not more so.

really, i can't control when i get hurt. i can't control who hurts me. i can't control how or why i get hurt. i might be able to take steps to limit or minimize hurt, but hurt happens. and sometimes from the people we'd never imagine, at the times we'd never expect, and in the ways we'd never fathom.

the way i see it, what we can control is the healing. we can chose to let healing come. and we can even take steps to expedite, rather than aggravate and interrupt the process. think about it. you didn't choose to sprain your ankle, but you did chose to immobilize it, rest it, ice it, wrap it, elevate it, etc. you didn't choose to get hurt, but you did chose to let healing come.

i don't need to spell it out here, so i won't. just let me say that healing is a choice. it's a choice that the one who got hurt makes. if you don't, it will destroy you like cancer that goes untreated, or gangrene that eats away at you.

choose to let it go. choose to forgive. choose to turn the other cheek. choose to be bigger. choose to not get bitter. choose to get better.

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ps: wanna see a footnote that was recently written about this post? go to http://suzie-k.blogspot.com/2011/01/footnote-to-httpmy-point-o.html

anticipate and facilitate

this will be short and sweet, because the message can't be any clearer...

if you expect something to happen, you will probably go out of your way to make it happen. i mean, if you want something bad enough, you will find a way to get it or make it happen.

think about the kid saving every penny of chore and special occasion money to go toward some new toy or gadget. or the teacher who sees so much potential in the teenager who just needs a goal. or the guy who has found the girl of his dreams, who's about to pop the question. or the bride trying to find the perfect dress. or the pastor who has a vision for the people he leads. or the student who wants to go on to post-secondary education on scholarships, instead of loans. or the real estate agent looking for the perfect home for his client. or the mother who wants to make her new little one's nursery perfect before her arrival. or the athlete who won't stop training and trying until he wins gold.

inventer doug hall said, in part, "don't make excuses. make things happen..." and then there's the proverbial saying that some people make things happen, some watch things happen, while others wondered what has happened.

it's that simple. if you expect something, take steps to make it happen. don't expect silver linings if you aren't willing to deal with the clouds. your castle in the air will stay right there if you aren't willing to improve your situation in the here and now. and your pipe dream will remain impossible to achieve if you don't replace dreaming with doing. don't be that person who dreams armchair dreams for others, while making lame excuses as to why you never get things done. believe in yourself. if you had the courage to think it, have the courage to realize it. make it happen.

that thing you want to see fixed, changed, obtained, shared, developed, improved, made real, or laid to rest is waiting for your undivided attention. expect that it's going to happen. and get out there and make it happen. go.

offer accepted!

hello! welcome back to me. it has been ages, i know...i kept getting competing and better offers than sitting and writing and sharing my thoughts :-)

which brings me to this...

there's an expression that generally carries a derogatory connotation. if you get this title, it's generally not a good thing. it's "king or queen of the better offer." i've been guilty of this on more than one occasion. it's one thing to get 2 offers at once and have to choose one or the other, or neither; it's something else entirely to definitively accept an offer, only to turn around and accept another offer. sometimes it can't be helped, and the second offer takes precedence because of utter importance. but sometimes favourtism is the clear impetus.

i got thinking about this the other day, given the time of year it is. let me cut right to the punch line. we're all guilty of accepting the better offer, if we've accepted that Jesus actually is Emmanuel, God with us, who came to save us from our sins with the sacrifice He made on Calvary...if we accept that He actually did what Abraham prophetically told his son Isaac He would do..."God will provide Himself a Lamb" (gen. 22:8), and if we apply that sacrifice to our lives by choosing God's offer: abundant life here on earth, followed by eternal life.

don't kid yourself, or take a chance and hope you were born perfect. why take the chance, and wind up being wrong? i dare you to recognize and acknowledge that you were born with free will, with the opportunity to choose the better offer. we all have set before us "life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life" (deut. 30:19). take the better offer that comes with christmas, the life Christ lived, and the sacrifice that He made to save us. accept that He is Saviour, and wants to be your Saviour. accept the better offer of salvation, by having Christ's death, burial, and resurrection applied to your life by following the biblical, apostalic plan of salvation found in acts 2:38. accept the better offer! being king or queen of the better offer isn't that bad, spiritually speaking :-)

once we've accepted the better offer of life over death, because of the nature of free will and choice, we are often presented with tantalizing offers that can put us in compromising situations that look good in the moment. for those who've accepted the better offer of salvation, but perhaps are struggling with other competing offers for your time, or your attitude, or your attention, or your commitment, or your faithfulness, or whatever, let me remind you of some of what your initial acceptance affords, which you would sacrifice by going back on the offer you first accepted. hebrews talks about the many better things that accompany salvation. here are a few: a better hope (7:19), a better covenant (8:6), better promises (8:6), a better reward in heaven (10:34). be resilient. you've already accepted the better offer. don't be tempted by something that masks itself as being a better offer. remind the offerer you already accepted the better offer, and your mind can't be changed. you've already accepted the better offer; everything else pales in comparison, is dull competition, and doesn't stand a chance of being accepted. let this verse ring in your ear as a reminder once you've already accepted the better offer, that accepting any other puts you in jeopardy: "for if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins" (hebrews 10:26). in other words, don't change your mind about the offer you accepted in Christ, in favour of what will invariably be fleeting, empty, and resulting in ultimate loss.

so, be king or queen of the better offer. it's why Christ came. He wants you to accept His offer and He's relentless in His pursuit of your acceptance. don't disappoint Him by accepting any other lack luster offer...He "offered one sacrifice for sins for ever" (hebrews 10:12), and He did it for you. and if you've already accepted life over death, live each day in a way that affirms and makes accessible all the better things God has for you.

the power of touch

last night i was invited to pet a cat. a friend who was holding our mutual friends' cat came over to me and gave me this option. i declined because of allergies. i seldom pet cats because no matter how often i'm around them, often even building up a resistance to their dander from a distance, i invariably have a reaction if i touch them and then don't wash. when i declined, i said these words: "i can love you without touching you." i think i wanted mikey to know that even though i never pet him, i love him.

my words got me thinking about how opposite and removed from the truth this actually is. at the recent birth of a friend's baby, like mother and baby, the father was encouraged to hold his newborn daughter next to the bare skin of his arms and chest because of the importance of touch. studies in orphanages and hospitals repeatedly tell us that infants deprived of skin contact lose weight, become ill, and even die. premature babies who are administered touch therapy gain weight faster, cry less, and show more signs of a relaxed pulse, respiration rate, and muscle tension. research shows that children who are hugged regularly thrive more positively socially, and mature into a healthy young adulthood. marriages suffer when the simple romance of hand-holding is replaced by merely waiting on the other spouse hand-and-foot, and when he or she never gets a kiss for the sake of a kiss. there are noticeable changes in the mood and health of elderly people when they have exposure to simple human kindness in the form of touch. and yes, even fido and tabby like it when you take the time to pet them and give them a good scratch. the way i see it, one cannot love fully or properly without that love being accompanied by touch.

now, while the latter paragraph dealt with the power and importance of physical touch, touching doesn't just refer to the physical. we can touch people's lives socially, financially, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. it's called caring...caring so much that you show it in whatever way that person needs it. it might even be caring enough to put yourself aside and putting that other person first, which is always a good principle to follow.

but everything i've said up to this point isn't even what i want to say...let's go back to my erroneous statement: i can love you without touching you. where my mind really went was to how i don't want to be the kind of person that Jesus called a hypocrite: one who honours him with my lips, but whose heart is far from him (mark 7:7 & isaiah 29:13). i don't think i can adequately love God without touching him. in fact, i was created to touch him. colossians 1:16 (niv) says this: "by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." revelation 4:11 (msg) says, "worthy, o master! yes, our God! take the glory! the honor! the power! you created it all; it was created because you wanted it." that last verse is a statement of worship, repeated by 24 worshippers around the throne in heaven, and is accompanied by the action of each worshipper taking off their crown and laying at the feet of the One sitting on the throne.

my point is that i really think that if i love him i will touch him...not just when it's convenient for me, or when i feel like it, or when the mood strikes me, but every chance i get, especially since i was created for that purpose. if i love him, i won't just tell him; i'll show him...so that he'll know my heart isn't far from him...plus, when we touch him, we get his attention. he makes touching him worth it. think of the woman with the issue in the bible. Jesus responded to the woman who deliberately touched him (luke 8:45 & 46 nlt). 

it's in my best interests to touch him. i fulfill his desire when i do. and as much as there is power in his touch, there is power in my touch, for when i touch him he stops everything he's doing and turns his ear and his eye my way...
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this brings me to another statement i heard the same evening i made my statement. while watching the vancouver 2010 olympics opening ceremony the other night, i was struck by something one of the officials said: "let us touch as many as we can while we can."

now, it's not hard to see where this is going to go. i could arrest my commentary here and that simple statement will have been enough to make you think about what that means to you.

in fact, i think i will stop with this: if olympic officials feel this strongly about affecting people, how much more should the church be living by this principle? we don't have forever. we need to be touching lives on a daily basis by being the church God has called us to be..."by caring for orphans and widows in their distress" (james 1:27 nlt); by showing "mercy to those whose faith is wavering" and rescuing others "by snatching them from the flames of judgment" (jude 22 & 23 nlt); by inviting and urging people "to come, so that the house will be full" (luke 14:21-24 nlt)...and those are just a few things we need to be doing...God left a long letter about what we can be doing to touch others...

i agree; let's touch as many as we can while we can...

knowing-doing=sin; knowing+doing=blessing

awhile ago i was doing some vacuuming and dusting in my room. i caught myself actually cleaning around stuff, instead of moving the pictures and the books and the cds...it's not like i was in a hurry, or had somewhere to be, or something else to do...and i don't even think it was a conscious decision to do a half job...actually, if i'm being honest, doing a half job in this area is chronic for me...

on the topic of the habitual, as i was sucking up some dust off the bottom shelf of my bookcase--without moving other personal effects--and thinking how badly i hate dusting, i was reminded about doing chores when i was younger. my mom would often do up a list of stuff for my sister and me. if dusting appeared on my list, i would invariably try and swap with my sister: "i will do allllll of this for you, if you will dust for me."

you see, i hated dusting. i hated the feeling of just moving the dirt around. i hated getting dirt under my nails. i hated the dried out feeling my hands would get after rinsing my rag in warm, sudsy water multiple times. but, i loved the end result of being dust-free. i still do.

so this got me thinking about how i'm sometimes willing to do a half job in many areas of my life. i'm willing to work on this, but will leave that. i will devote time to that, but not this. i will sacrifice here, but not there. i will push the envelope there, but not here. i will go out of my way to do one thing, but not another. at the end of the day, it looks like i've got all my ducks in a row and the dirt dealt with, but if you were to just shift your gaze from what you can easily see to what i try to hide, you'd see things that i'd be embarrassed for you to see. admittedly, sometimes i make clean the outside of the cup, but inside there's an ugly ring of stain.

if you had walked in my room on that particular morning and watched me dust, or if you had moved this picture or that book, i would have been ashamed for you to see my laziness and indifference in dealing with the dust and cobwebs. the way i see it, i can't let this be an exercise in futility for me. this simple illustration has reminded me that since i hate how i feel when i dust and vacuum improperly, i must have the same disgust when i do the things i shouldn't do, and don't do the things i should do...and i'm not even talking about heinous sin here...i'm talking about the times i know i should pray and i choose to text, or the times i know i should read and i choose to watch, or the times i know i should respond and i choose to sit...those times i know i should do and i don't, or the times i know i shouldn't and i do...

unlike trading chores with my sister so i wouldn't have to dust, i know that today in my life there are things i need to do that only i can do. and you know what? maybe you'd never move the book or the cd and see how i failed to properly clean, and maybe you don't see my weaknesses like i feel you do, but the thing is, i know they're there. and knowing in the biblical sense implies doing: "it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it" (james 4:17 nlt), and doing implies blessing: "don't just listen to God's word. you must do what it says...and if you do...then God will bless you for doing" (james 1:22-25).

now, i must go dust properly ;-)

what on earth am i doing for heaven's sake?

today a friend sent me a list of the top 10 church sign sayings. the title of this entry was on the list. when i read it, i was immediately pricked in my heart. it didn't help matters when i started reading the parable of the 3 servants...actually, maybe my matters were helped...now i just need to do what i've seen...

long story short, the master entrusted his servants with his money to look after while he was gone. in his absence, 2 servants invested what they'd been given so that when the master returned he was "full of praise. 'well done, my good and faithful servant...let's celebrate together!'" the 3rd servant, being afraid to lose the master's money, hid it, and "the master replied, 'you wicked and lazy servant...why didn't you deposit my money in the bank? at least it could have gotten some interest on it?' to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. but from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away."

i've been thinking a lot lately about what i'm currently doing for God versus what i've done in the past...and what i want to do right now versus what i'm currently doing...and what i want to do in the future. boy, i'm gonna be busy if i get my act together :-) (and on a parenthetical side note, "tomorrow starts today...")

my pastor often says something to the effect of "if you're not doing as much today for God as you were a year ago, what changed?" since the start of the new year, i find i'm being challenged more and more to evaluate what i'm doing for God...not because there are negative consequences for calling myself a christian and then not working/serving/living like it--because it's not about being guilted into doing, or only doing 'cause i don't want to be punished--but because there are positive consequences when i do work and serve and live and act according who i say i am, and whose i say i am (i.e. to whom i say i belong). it's not about having to...it's about getting to...

for me, the key word is service. there's a cheesy saying, but one that rings true: saved to serve. just a few verses after the parable of the servants, Jesus explains a bit about the final judgment: "he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. he will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. then the king will say to those on his right, 'come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. for i was hungry, and you fed me. i was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. i was a stranger, and you invited me in. i was naked, and you gave me clothing. i was sick, and you cared for me. i was in prison, and you visited me.'"

the way i see it, i was saved to serve; i wasn't saved to be served. and if i'm not serving, then i have to ask myself if i'm really saved. according to the parable, the servants were supposed to be busy doing something, and being faithful in the little things. according to Jesus at the end of his instruction, those who don't feed, or don't give a drink, or don't invite, or don't clothe, or don't visit are cursed and sent away...

what on earth am i doing for heaven's sake? that's what i'm asking myself today. vesta mangun, a true servant who has been serving for decades, recently spoke to hundreds of other servants/ministers. she said something that left an indelible impression on me: "we take nothing into eternity with us...except who we are and what we've done...if we haven't done well, He won't say 'well done'...we will all stand before God unsupported by family, friends, spouses, pastors, counselors, etc. would you want to stand before Him today as exactly who you are right now and with what you've done?"

that's a pretty big "except" when i consider that i must "stand before Christ to be judged. [i] will receive whatever [i] deserve for the good or evil [i] have done" (1 corinthians 5:10 nlt). i will be accepted based on my "except." i will be accepted based on who i am and what i've done...not compared to you and what you've done, but on my servanthood and my level of service. certainly, our doing will invariably be different, and it's supposed to be because that's the way we've been designed...but the ostensible truth is that we must be doing...

"occupy till i come" (luke 19:13). this is what the master told his servants. it's an imperative sentence. the subject "you" is understood, so it applies to me when i read it. it's a command; not an option. well, i can choose not to occupy, but the ramifications are pretty clear. i need to be absorbed and employed and immersed in serving while i'm on earth...to answer the earlier question, i wouldn't want to stand before God today with who i am and what little i've done...i want to get busy, and like the first recorded words of Jesus in the new testament, "be about my Father's business." that's what i want to be doing on earth for heaven's sake.

*warning: looooooong entry* "living deeply...a 'non-biblical' approach from literature, which has plenty of biblical overtones" :-)

walden, by henry david thoreau, is one of my favourite non-biblical books. it's the account of his life from 1845-47. thoreau went to walden pond to live during this time because he wanted "to transact some private business with the fewest obstacles." he had made some very sobering observations about the lifestyles of those around him, coming to the conclusion that "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation," full of life-negating obstacles. he eventually asks the provocative question: "why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed, and in such desperate enterprises?" he was determined to overcome the desperate and materialistic obstacles of obtaining more, by becoming content with less.

thoreau wasn't alone in his questioning about this desperation--this illness of modern culture. friedrich nietzsche, in the birth of tragedy, responds to the unhealthy nature of society that he also had observed, calling it "the fundamental malady of modern culture." he imagined a culture with "intrepidity of vision...in order to live resolutely in wholeness and fullness." thoreau referred to a vision which penetrates the surface of things, in order to live a full life. since thoreau's going to the woods is a debatable remedy to the blinding discontent he witnessed, i wanted to examine thoreau's diagnosis of culture as well as his remedy; that is, to "live deliberately...to live deep."

thoreau saw that those around him were living discontented lives. they were so occupied with the cares of life they were merely playing life, and not earnestly living it. nietzsche echoes this in tbot when he remarks that man had become "alarmed and dissatisfied at his own consequences." thoreau's diagnosis of this condition was that his countrymen were too consumed with obtaining the "necessaries of life." he had determined that 'wants' had taken the place of 'needs,' fostering complicated lifestyles and mechanical living. no more were people living lives appreciative of what they had, but were living lives of resentment and seemingly bitter longing for the things which they hadn't yet obtained. people were no longer asking what they needed to live, but were living hurried and wasted lives, all in the attempt to "get into business" and "get out of debt." thoreau posited that this hectic kind of lifestyle lacked purpose, being "frittered away by detail," ultimately making people sick. he recognized these feelings and was "torn by two powerful and opposing drives--the desire to enjoy the world...and the urge to set the world straight."

the hectic lifestyle thoreau spoke about can be seen today. he concluded that in the attempt to procure food, clothing, and shelter, people had become so caught up in the rat race of 'getting' that they were now doing penance for these things, becoming owned by the very things they were trying to own. the things 'gotten' had gotten the 'getter,' such as houses and animals, leading thoreau to believe that in the end "the more you have...the poorer you are." people were no longer concerned with what they needed to live simply and deliberately, and with purpose. they had become more concerned with getting new things. he observed that meeting basic biological needs was--and still is--replaced by obtaining "the comforts of life."

thoreau speaks of the importance of meeting these basic biological needs--the things necessary for life, such as food, clothing, shelter. he maintains, however, that people had let these things, especially the obtaining of them, become a hindrance "to the elevation of mankind." his countrymen could go no further because their consumption was consuming them. life was no longer an adventure, nor a thing to be loved because people were spending the best part of their lives earning and obtaining "in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of [life]." in life without principle, thoreau uses the expression "the way in which we spend our lives." he articulates further that "this world is a place of business...i think there is nothing, not even crime...more opposed...to life itself, than this incessant business." he realized there was something drastically wrong "when men focussed their energies on the acquisition of material things." further, he saw that there was "a kind of slavery to things." thoreau understood that this endless pursuit for things helped to keep civilization "poor as long as they live." to overtly add a biblical element, we need to find ways in which to invest our lives. in so doing--by committing our time, our talent, our treasure to something bigger than ourselves--we will then, and only then, be really living.

in light of his diagnosis that the "mass of men" were living desperate lives to acquire things that would eventually control and impoverish them, thoreau proposed a remedy. in practice, he withdrew from society in an effort to seek independence from society. in theory, however, his remedy is far more practical, since running away from something really only means you're running to something else. in going to walden pond, thoreau hoped to simplify his life, thereby forging a deliberate and deep life for himself--a life which would penetrate the surface of things, becoming rich in "sunny hours and summer days," if not in money. when he came to die, thoreau didn't want to discover that he had not lived. so, with passion he proposed to "suck out all the marrow of life...to know it by experience, and to be able to give a true account of it." it wasn't enough for him to know that others had experienced it. he wanted to know it for himself.

thoreau encourages others to look at themselves--to determine what one truly requires to be content. he also states emphatically that he isn't speaking to the whole of civilization, but "mainly to the mass of men who are discontented." he advises that in order to live deliberately, one must "live free and uncommitted" from 'things.' for when one begins to pursue a simple life, one finds that it is less of a "hardship" than if one pursues a complicated and materialistic lifestyle. he says further, it isn't until we begin to simplify our lives that we become free: "not till we are lost, in other words, not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves." matthew 16:26 asks, "and what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your soul?" putting aside the desperation to succeed, and the paralyzing, life-negating obstacles of materialism, will encourage and generate a richer and more gratifying life...and really, it's only through God that we find real life anyway. thoreau insists that change can happen when one is willing to change. civilization can escape its low condition by acknowledging that change comes from within. "things do not change. we change." by escaping its low condition, mankind will experience "simplicity of life and elevation of purpose," in turn experiencing the kind of purpose that penetrates the surface of living.

thoreau knew he couldn't change others, and he didn't want them to change for him: "i would not have any adopt my mode of living on any account...i desire that there may be many different persons in the world as possible; but i would have each one be very careful to find and pursue his own way." people have to desire change for themselves. people have to find their purpose in life and actively pursue it...be driven by it.

in walden, thoreau makes the declaration that "to the sick the doctors wisely recommend a change." this is the crux of his remedy--why he went to the woods to live. this is arguably the only remedy; not going to the woods, but making changes, to somehow make life better and deeper than mere surface, shallow living. matthew talks about 4 types of soil, each representing a type of lifestyle: "what do you make of this? a farmer planted seed. as he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams" (matthew 13:3-8 msg). the gravel, or stony soil, doesn't allow for seeds to penetrate the surface because it has no "deepness of earth" (13:5 kjv). the allusion here is to shallow lives that never penetrate the surface of living because they lack depth as individuals. to rise above mere existence and surface living, which lacks fullness and wholeness, one must make changes which will foster the kind of deep living to which thoreau alluded and the bible addresses over and over again.


the kind of change necessarily depends on the individual and the imminent circumstances, but ultimately, to the individual sick of his or her life, sickness requires that changes be made--not to accommodate the sickness, but to annihilate it. when it comes to living a deep and deliberate life, full of purpose, one must "simplify, simplify, simplify," cutting out the unnecessary commotion and detail. in losing the world and the materialism that impairs true living, as well as the desperate to succeed in desperate and temporal enterprises, one ultimately finds self. according to proverbs 28:29, "where there is no vision the people perish." to fix yourself, find yourself, and to find yourself and abundant life, turn to Christ. in so doing, you will be living not just deliberately, but deeply, and with fearless vision that penetrates the surface, lead a full and whole life.


 

just do what you're told!

"just do what you're told!" how often have i heard this? many times while growing up. it was often accompanied with, "don't ask questions." i hear it occasionally today, usually as a joke from a friend...and in my head i hear one friend in particular saying, "go pee now!" :-) and of course you're familiar with nike's successful 1980s marketing and advertising "just do it" campaign which got people buying by imploring them to take charge of their physical fitness.

i got thinking about this "just do" implication today...however, not in relation to the various "thou shalts" or "thou shalt nots," as in the very important and 'meant-to-be-kept' 10 commandments, or the various laws of the land which we're also expected to obey. instead, i got thinking about this expression as it relates to all the promises God has given that we can claim as our own...if we just do what we're told because, and this is my recurring theme, if we will, he will...

we're given not only the instruction--but the promise, i believe--that if we do certain things, perform specific actions, engage in particular behaviours, we will be the recipient of great things...yes, we will be rewarded when we diligently do whatever we're each supposed to be doing (hebrews 11:6). i can't tell you what the specifics are for you, but i can tell you in general that when we "seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously...he will give you everything you need" (matthew 6:33 nlt). luke adds this: "it gives your father great happiness to give you the kingdom" (12:32 nlt).

matthew goes on to say this: "keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. keep on seeking, and you will find. keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. for everyone who asks, receives. everyone who seeks, finds. and to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened" (7:7-8 nlt).

we're told to ask, seek, and knock, and when we do we'll receive, find, and have doors opened. if we don't do any of the aforementioned, we won't get the end result. and this reminds me about another story from the same friend i referred to at the beginning. one time she went to mcdonald's on her lunch break--a place she frequents regularly since it's close to her work. the kids' meal toys at the time were various finding nemo little stuffed things, i think. anyway, she approached the counter, placed her order, and then called the worker back and said, "can you hook me up with a fish?" meaning one of the little plush things. when she got back to work and opened her mcdonald's bag she pulled out her order...and a filet-o-fish! let me just add that we need to be specific in our asking. the more we give God to work with, the more likely we'll be to get what we're asking for...

too often we live beneath our privilege. i'm not talking about the sense of entitlement to which my generation all too often succumbs, because what we really deserve isn't what any of us would ever want; what i am talking about is living each day like we really believe that God cares...that we believe that "he himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need...for in him we live and move and exist" (acts 17:25 & 28 nlt). but the catch is that we must approach him: "the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion...he will...if you ask" (isaiah 30:18 & 19 nlt)

so, the way i see it, doing what we're told benefits us all the way around. just do it. no, it won't always be easy. goodness, does being told to "take up the cross, and follow" (mark 10:21 kjv) sound easy? not really. there's no promise that doing what we're told will always be easy. sometimes, like the rich young ruler, we'll have to give up the things we feel are so important and that we can't live without...but we have the promise of being led if we follow, of having life, and breath, and every need met...

i think i want to just do what i'm told...

oh, and back to my very first story. i was on a road trip with friends. we made a bathroom break and gas stop, but i didn't take advantage of the stop, even though i was told to "go pee now." well, not too far down the road guess who had to go? yup. you guessed it. me. trust me, do what you're told...even when you don't agree sometimes, or when you feel like it doesn't apply to you, or when you want to be defiant, or whatever...sometimes the person telling you what to do really is looking out for you...

so whatever it is you're supposed to be doing, do it. now.

;-)

 

♪ ♬ "you are important to me...i need you to [produce]" ♫ ♩

ok, so i'm being honest here. i have passed judgment on more than one occasion. this pot has called the kettle black far more often than i care to admit. i feel like passing judgment on a situation isn't neeeeeeaarly as bad as passing judgment on a person...but i don't think it's any more justifiable either, especially since i might not have a clue about the circumstances surrounding a situation...the whys, the wherefores, and the like...

now, i'm not talking constructive criticism here, where we have a tidbit of advice that can potentially turn a situation around. i'm talking about being just plain critical, where nothing positive is accomplished, feelings get hurt, relationships damaged, institutions devalued...i'm talking about the kind of behaviour that points a finger but offers no hand of assistance...it's always seeing what's wrong but never helping to make right; it's always trumpeting what needs done but never doing; it's seeing the bad fruit on someone else's tree, but overlooking the same rotting decay on my own...

i was reminded of this the other day while reading the words of Jesus in matthew 7:15-20. he teaches that just as a tree is known by its fruit, a person can be identified by their actions. a good tree produces good fruit and a bad tree bad fruit, and every tree that doesn't produce good fruit is no longer allowed to produce. in fact, it's cut down and thrown into the fire. so, we're not only recognized by our fruit, the fruit we bear is brought to bear on the reward we reap.

and what does this have to do with judging, you might ask? well, the bible says "you can identify people by their fruit" (matthew 7:16). this is natural...as natural, so it seems, as looking at a tree and seeing that it's bearing apples and not oranges. now this doesn't make me a judge, but a fruit inspector. i can, according to the bible, know a tree by its fruit, and a person by their actions...but it doesn't give me the right to be judgmental or critical...i can know...but i can't judge...

in an ongoing effort to let the bible read me, i realized that i'm under the same kind of inspection by others, and more importantly by God. as for being under inspection by others, i don't want to be judged or criticized, but i do want to be held accountable. i don't want to fly under the radar. i want the people in my life to correct me when i'm wrong, give me a hand getting back on track, and be there along the way to help me with the pruning and harvesting--not just take me to task, but show me where i've gone astray and what i can do to make it better. i want people to pour into my life so that what i produce can be extraordinary, and not just ordinary. when people look at my life, i want them to see good fruit...and i'm not so naive as to think that i can accomplish this on my own. i need you. yeah...you. 

as for being under inspection by God, i want to have a teachable spirit. ultimately, it's his correction and approval i need. i'm a people-pleaser by nature...to a fault, i think...but i also know that it's incumbent upon me to "as much as lieth in [me], live peaceably with all men" (romans 12:18). it behooves me to go out of my way to do this, and in so doing, i think i give God good ground with which to work...and like david in the old testament, i want God to search me, try me, know me. i want him to root out the wicked ways in me so that bad fruit can't exist. when he judges me according to my works (revelation 20:12-13), i want there to be good fruit.

i guess what i'm trying to say is that i want constructive criticism and i want to get beyond being hypocritical...and hyper-critical for that matter. this pot doesn't want to call the kettle black anymore. i want to kick that can to the curb once and for all. i don't want to pass judgment every time i turn around since i never have all the facts anyway. i want to be concerned with producing good fruit and i want you to be able to identify me by my fruit, my works, my actions, my words...i want to be who Jesus talks about when he says, "a good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart" (matthew 12:35 msg)...and i want you to cultivate me with your wisdom and experience...yeah...you.

oh yeah...a final explanation...we sing a hezekiah walker song sometimes at my church which seemed to fit this post, and is where i got my title:
"i need you...you are important to me, i need you to survive...i pray for you, you pray for me. i love you, i need you to survive. i won't harm you with words from my mouth. i love you, i need you to survive."

"a change will do you good"--my lengthy comments in response to "going through the change" (http://suzie-k.blogspot.com/2009/10/going-through-change.html)

i love that when we take a step to make any kind of change, which is the necessary and obvious first requirement to change (ie: that we take the first step), God promises to meet us where we are. but, it's a choice we make, and a process in which we must actively participate. we can't check out and expect to really experience a life of godly, positive, and ongoing change. aristotle, while perhaps not a spiritual authority, had it right when he said in his "poetics" that "life exists in actions." we have to be active participants in the change we want to see and be in life.

i think it's telling when paul says, "be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (romans 12:2 kjv). the biblical imperative is for us to actively choose transformation and change (don't be conformed, be transformed, prove)--thereby rejecting conformation--so that we can be changed from the inside out, readily recognizing what God wants from us, and quickly responding to it (message translation). and who can argue with this verse: "therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 corinthians 5:17).

once we take the step to be transformed, we have the further promise of "being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (philippians 1:6 kjv). i am so thankful that when we make a break from what we know and our personal little status quo, God is right there, ready to guide every step of the way. sure, he wants to know we're serious, but we don't have to go it alone, and the godly, positive, and ongoing changes we're actively making is the "good work" he's been waiting to perform all along.

finally, i really enjoyed reading this post, and i particularly love the title..."going through the change." that's really what it's all about. the 'through-ness' of it all. if we stop in the middle of the process, we haven't gone through, and the good work of change and transformation hasn't been effected...

yeah, i'm going through the change, too ;-)

application attracts attention

you are getting ready for your wedding. you carefully select and assemble your various bridal accoutrements. you make your choices based on your likes and your soon-to-be spouse's likes. you apply your personal effects deliberately and diligently...because you want to get his/her attention.
 

you get your dream job because you sold yourself well in your cover letter and résumé. you were exactly what they were looking for and you stood out from among the rest of the applicants. you got the job because your application got your employer's attention.
 

you get noticed by your community because you did something noteworthy and of merit that deserves credit, a special mention, an award. you get recognition because how you applied yourself caught someone's eye.
 

these are just some examples of attracting attention because of application.
 

now, not every blog is going to have a biblical bent or spiritual slant, but my short and sweet point--which will invariably be recurring, since it's where my head is these days--is that we can also get God's attention when we apply ourselves--both positively and negatively. and let me just add that not applying ourselves also gets his attention. remember the proverbial saying "actions speak louder than words?" well, i think our non-action speaks pretty loudly too. by extension, remember that your application and non-application speaks loudly.

anyway, back to my point: the bible is full of instances where God basically states that if we will, he will. the inverse is true: if we won't, he won't. he waits for us to give him something to work with. consider these verses: 

"if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, i will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made." 2 chronicles 7:14-15

"if you will fully obey...and keep all his commands...God will set you high...the Lord will conquer your enemies...the Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do...the Lord will establish you...the Lord will give you prosperity...the Lord will send rain at the proper time...the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom." deuteronomy 28:1-14

it's basic "cause and effect," "action-reaction," the "ripple effect." and the principle is simple: when we apply ourselves we get results. keeping it spiritual, here are a couple examples. isaiah puts it this way: the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion" (30:18). matthew says this: "if you refuse to forgive others, your father will not forgive your sins" (6:15). bottom line, if we will, he will; if we won't, he won't.

i don't know about you, but i want to get God's attention in a way that pleases him. i want to apply myself in ways that make me shine and stand out...not so that i can get the praise and recognition, but for this reason: "let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly father" (matthew 5:16). when we apply ourselves--when we "do"--it benefits, us, others, and God!

with my church family, at the start of this new year and new decade, i am attempting to do the following (i'm doing it to get God's attention; you can do it for whatever reason you need...check out www.everydayccc.com): enlist and get involved everyday; voice my prayer and worship everyday; extend and reach out everyday; read the bible everyday; and, yield my time, talent, and treasure everyday. i invite and encourage you to do the same. and like the verse on the calendar indicates, if we will put ourselves out there, God will help us, because if we will, he will...

it's like this...

well, i am precariously and tentatively entering the blogging world...


i've called my blog "the way i see it: observations, outposts, and overtures," because i suspect a lot of my posts will be about things that catch my attention, my position on these things, and what i propose can be done with or about these things. did you catch the first part? it's the way i see it. you may see it differently, and if you do, i hope you'll share. the it in question, by the way, will be any number of topics, ranging from the biblical, to the linguistic, to the practical, to the material, to the metaphysical, to the mundane...basically, like i said, whatever catches my attention...hence my blogspot addy, my-point-o-view.blogspot.com, since i'm going to be sharing my observations, outposts, and overtures :-)


point-of-view is a wonderful thing. it allows 2 people to stand at a window, take in the outside world, process the information, and then share their experience. sometimes, as with optical illusions, 2 people looking at the image can see the same thing, yet have a different impression of the object. standing at said window, you might be looking at a tree and i might be looking at the sky. or maybe we're both looking at the tree, but what are we seeing? maybe you're seeing the possibility for a homemade swing; maybe i'm seeing a place to sit and read in the shade. as for said optical illusions, perhaps you see a man playing the saxophone, whereas i'm seeing a woman's face.


my point is that we look--we turn our eyes toward something or in some direction in order to see--but our seeing is based on where we stand, literally and dare i say it, philosophically. we see differently. we analyze differently. and i'm not just talking about the visual or the physical act of looking and seeing; i'm also talking about perception and how we apprehend the physical, the spiritual, the social, etc.--how we come to see, and know, and interpret, and be.


this blog will be an opportunity for us to encounter the world and to exchange our experience(s), because i want to know how you see it...