What am I doing here? Lured back by the bait of my dream job, I endured rush hour traffic to travel downtown and now I sit and I wait and I wonder. Is this what I am supposed to be doing?
The GPS in the car had guided me safely from my home to the interview. The turn by turn directions were spoken in a voice clear and sure. I placed my trust in the “personal travel assistant” to get me to my goal. If I strayed off the course, the voice would redirect me with a firm but gentle “recalculating.”
Having arrived at my destination, I prayed before getting out of my car. Not a prayer for a job offer, instead I asked for clear vision. “May our time together be productive so we can make wise decisions. Make it obvious, God. Is this where you want me to be?”
Do you question how you should invest your time? Do you wonder if God has a plan for you? Perhaps you know that He has a vision for your life, yet you struggle with following his directions.
I am blessed to have the luxury of deciding if I am supposed to return to work. Others may struggle with the call to coach basketball or to teach Sunday school or to join a study group. Like an endless Sunday buffet, our lives are filled with choices. Some people pack so much into a day it overflows into the next. Is your plate full?
Job reminds us that “if they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.” (Job 36:11). Take time to pray about your direction in life. God shows us “the way.”
“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Teach me to do our will, for you are my God; may your Spirit lead me on level ground.” (Psalm 143: 8,10).
Showing posts with label wisdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wisdom. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Common Grounds - Using 5% of your Brain
Scientists tell us we only use 5% of our brains. But if they only used 5% of their brains to reach that conclusion, then why should we believe them? – Joseph Palm, Starbucks Customer from Oshkosh, WI
I don’t remember driving home one day. It was a familiar road and I was lost in my thoughts. It came as a shock when I found myself sitting in my driveway with no recollection of the drive home. How did I get here? Did I remember to stop at all the stop signs? I don’t recall making any of the turns or stops on my five-mile trip. I must have been using less than 5% of my brain that day.
The oddest part was that I wasn’t sure what had me so preoccupied. I don’t recall thinking anything earthshattering or mind-boggling. I had just checked out for a while. Maybe I was abducted by aliens.
Are you ever so focused on your thoughts that you forget to look around and see all that surrounds you? Are you ever so wrapped up in your own circumstances that you are blind to all that life has to offer?
I took quite a detour in getting here today. I doubt anyone who knew me growing up would have predicted I’d be writing a web-log, mixing my thoughts with bible scripture and hoping to share the word of God through a speaking ministry. You see, we weren’t particularly religious growing up. Yet, nothing could have prepared my parents for the shock of my announcement at age 14 that I was an atheist.
I remember my moms tears at the kitchen table that night. She was so upset at my pronouncement. I was purely scientific. If she couldn’t prove the existence of God with math and science, I wasn’t interested. She pleaded with me. “Couldn’t you at least be agnostic?”
I like hard evidence. Proof offers reassurance. I check Consumer Reports before buying a major appliance. It’s a big expense. I don’t want to make a mistake and get stuck with a lemon. There is comfort in knowing their researchers have tested and evaluated the features of the top selling models and determined the best. They do the work for me and spoon feed me their picks. I can skate by using only 5% on my brain.
Facts, figures, and statistics are everywhere you look. The news reports are filled with them: gas prices, stock averages and the latest poll numbers. My college Market Research professor taught me an amazing thing about statistics; you can make the numbers say anything you want. Make a subtle change of words on a questionnaire and your results skew dramatically. Massage the numbers and twist the words and suddenly everything is clear as mud. What is the truth? Who can you trust?
I can’t prove to you with scientific accuracy how I got home that day any more than I can rationalize how as an atheist, I became a Christian. I must have used more than 5% of my brain. I swept the cobwebs from underused parts of my brain and looked beyond the easy explanations. I was seeking something more and my mind and heart were open.
Then something really crazy happened. My son was born. I held him in my arms and stared in amazement. The mathematics of it all were staggering. This child was not a random arrangement of cells. I had studied probability and there was no way that natural selection could have created human life without a lot of help. Clearly God’s fingerprints were all over my son. It was unmistakable. At that moment I took what philosopher Søren Kierkeaards termed “the leap of faith.” I embraced Charlie as all the proof I needed.
Job asks, “where does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?” (Job 28:20). I believe it comes from beyond the 5% of the brain most people engage. It is a truth fed by the Spirit and pumped straight into the heart. It lies within all of us and is as vital as our pulse. It is a gift of love that “comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5) We only need to acknowledge and accept Him.
I still struggle with the discrepancies between science and God’s law. I accept that there are concepts beyond my grasp. I may never understand or be able to explain. Still, I continue to ask questions and seek truth.
“The peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:7, 9)
I don’t remember driving home one day. It was a familiar road and I was lost in my thoughts. It came as a shock when I found myself sitting in my driveway with no recollection of the drive home. How did I get here? Did I remember to stop at all the stop signs? I don’t recall making any of the turns or stops on my five-mile trip. I must have been using less than 5% of my brain that day.
The oddest part was that I wasn’t sure what had me so preoccupied. I don’t recall thinking anything earthshattering or mind-boggling. I had just checked out for a while. Maybe I was abducted by aliens.
Are you ever so focused on your thoughts that you forget to look around and see all that surrounds you? Are you ever so wrapped up in your own circumstances that you are blind to all that life has to offer?
I took quite a detour in getting here today. I doubt anyone who knew me growing up would have predicted I’d be writing a web-log, mixing my thoughts with bible scripture and hoping to share the word of God through a speaking ministry. You see, we weren’t particularly religious growing up. Yet, nothing could have prepared my parents for the shock of my announcement at age 14 that I was an atheist.
I remember my moms tears at the kitchen table that night. She was so upset at my pronouncement. I was purely scientific. If she couldn’t prove the existence of God with math and science, I wasn’t interested. She pleaded with me. “Couldn’t you at least be agnostic?”
I like hard evidence. Proof offers reassurance. I check Consumer Reports before buying a major appliance. It’s a big expense. I don’t want to make a mistake and get stuck with a lemon. There is comfort in knowing their researchers have tested and evaluated the features of the top selling models and determined the best. They do the work for me and spoon feed me their picks. I can skate by using only 5% on my brain.
Facts, figures, and statistics are everywhere you look. The news reports are filled with them: gas prices, stock averages and the latest poll numbers. My college Market Research professor taught me an amazing thing about statistics; you can make the numbers say anything you want. Make a subtle change of words on a questionnaire and your results skew dramatically. Massage the numbers and twist the words and suddenly everything is clear as mud. What is the truth? Who can you trust?
I can’t prove to you with scientific accuracy how I got home that day any more than I can rationalize how as an atheist, I became a Christian. I must have used more than 5% of my brain. I swept the cobwebs from underused parts of my brain and looked beyond the easy explanations. I was seeking something more and my mind and heart were open.
Then something really crazy happened. My son was born. I held him in my arms and stared in amazement. The mathematics of it all were staggering. This child was not a random arrangement of cells. I had studied probability and there was no way that natural selection could have created human life without a lot of help. Clearly God’s fingerprints were all over my son. It was unmistakable. At that moment I took what philosopher Søren Kierkeaards termed “the leap of faith.” I embraced Charlie as all the proof I needed.
Job asks, “where does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?” (Job 28:20). I believe it comes from beyond the 5% of the brain most people engage. It is a truth fed by the Spirit and pumped straight into the heart. It lies within all of us and is as vital as our pulse. It is a gift of love that “comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5) We only need to acknowledge and accept Him.
I still struggle with the discrepancies between science and God’s law. I accept that there are concepts beyond my grasp. I may never understand or be able to explain. Still, I continue to ask questions and seek truth.
“The peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:7, 9)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Common Grounds - Every Child Needs a Laptop
"All children need a laptop. Not a computer, but a human laptop. Moms, Dads, Grannies and Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles - someone to hold them, read to them, teach them. Loved ones who will embrace them and pass on the experience, rituals and knowledge of a hundred previous generations. Loved ones who will pass to the next generation their expectations of them, their hopes , and their dreams." General Colin Powell
I love Colin Powell’s quote. It prompts me to find a small child to plant on my lap. There is immense power in a laptop - a most intimate seating - to convey knowledge, experience, and great expectations.
My own youth was blessed with warm embraces and laptop chats. I was bathed in the love of my parents. From them I learned how to love and how to serve. The hours spent at my mother’s side in the kitchen introduced me to the touches that turn an ordinary meal into a loving occasion. Mom opened my eyes to the importance of details. Meanwhile, my Dad encouraged me to think big. We worked together for years and I learned about perseverance, quick wit and how to sell the sizzle not the steak.
I spent ample time on my parents’ laptops. I was held, read to, and lovingly taught. My mother’s soft caress invited me to linger. She read to my brother and me each night as we explored the amazing fantasy world of novels. My father’s work caused him to travel extensively. Each faraway trip was an opportunity for a private laptop reunion. My parents were clear they had big expectations of me, hopes for a successful career and marriage and future. So what was missing?
Read James 3:17 and you’ll discover the missing ingredient. "...Wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." Although our family life was filled with love, we forgot to include God’s lessons. The rich teachings I received were far from complete, for how can you learn of love and omit the most famous teacher? As Paul advised in Colossians 3:12-14, "...clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together is perfect unity."
I’m grateful to God for sending other teachers and other "laptops". Aunt Rosie reminded me not to be too busy to pray. A neighbor, Mrs. Brown, modeled authenticity and encouraged purity. Their teachings often fell on the deaf ears of a 12 or 17 or 24-year-old. Sometimes messages were lost or unappreciated. They didn’t give up on me and for that I am blessed.
I wonder, were they apprehensive sharing these values with me? Did they ever waver and wonder, "should I or shouldn’t I?"
Looking at Paul in Acts 17:16-23, I am humbled by his courage. He was ever brave and sure. If he had doubts about speaking the truth of God’s mercy through Jesus, there is no proof of it in his actions in Athens.
I look to my own children and wonder what message am I sending them? What lessons will they carry in their hearts? Not just the lessons from daily prayers or mealtime thanksgivings or evening devotions, what will they learn from our common everyday life?
As my parents grow old in years, I face the prospects of the tables being turned; someday I’ll be their caregiver. When my turn comes to hold them in my arms and wipe away their tears and calm their fears, will I have shared all they need to know?
I pray for the courage to share the Gospel with all those I love. I need courage. To be completely honest, I fear ridicule and rejection from those I love. Will they react as the philosophers did to Paul in Athens saying, "What is this babbler trying to say?" What if I never even try to share God’s promise? What then? My deeper fear is that I would miss my opportunity to spend eternity with them.
I pray that, like Paul, I will press forward in finding some common grounds to build upon. Rather than focusing on the difference between us, we can start with all we have in common. We want to be together to share love, laughter and a good meal.
I love Colin Powell’s quote. It prompts me to find a small child to plant on my lap. There is immense power in a laptop - a most intimate seating - to convey knowledge, experience, and great expectations.
My own youth was blessed with warm embraces and laptop chats. I was bathed in the love of my parents. From them I learned how to love and how to serve. The hours spent at my mother’s side in the kitchen introduced me to the touches that turn an ordinary meal into a loving occasion. Mom opened my eyes to the importance of details. Meanwhile, my Dad encouraged me to think big. We worked together for years and I learned about perseverance, quick wit and how to sell the sizzle not the steak.
I spent ample time on my parents’ laptops. I was held, read to, and lovingly taught. My mother’s soft caress invited me to linger. She read to my brother and me each night as we explored the amazing fantasy world of novels. My father’s work caused him to travel extensively. Each faraway trip was an opportunity for a private laptop reunion. My parents were clear they had big expectations of me, hopes for a successful career and marriage and future. So what was missing?
Read James 3:17 and you’ll discover the missing ingredient. "...Wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." Although our family life was filled with love, we forgot to include God’s lessons. The rich teachings I received were far from complete, for how can you learn of love and omit the most famous teacher? As Paul advised in Colossians 3:12-14, "...clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together is perfect unity."
I’m grateful to God for sending other teachers and other "laptops". Aunt Rosie reminded me not to be too busy to pray. A neighbor, Mrs. Brown, modeled authenticity and encouraged purity. Their teachings often fell on the deaf ears of a 12 or 17 or 24-year-old. Sometimes messages were lost or unappreciated. They didn’t give up on me and for that I am blessed.
I wonder, were they apprehensive sharing these values with me? Did they ever waver and wonder, "should I or shouldn’t I?"
Looking at Paul in Acts 17:16-23, I am humbled by his courage. He was ever brave and sure. If he had doubts about speaking the truth of God’s mercy through Jesus, there is no proof of it in his actions in Athens.
I look to my own children and wonder what message am I sending them? What lessons will they carry in their hearts? Not just the lessons from daily prayers or mealtime thanksgivings or evening devotions, what will they learn from our common everyday life?
As my parents grow old in years, I face the prospects of the tables being turned; someday I’ll be their caregiver. When my turn comes to hold them in my arms and wipe away their tears and calm their fears, will I have shared all they need to know?
I pray for the courage to share the Gospel with all those I love. I need courage. To be completely honest, I fear ridicule and rejection from those I love. Will they react as the philosophers did to Paul in Athens saying, "What is this babbler trying to say?" What if I never even try to share God’s promise? What then? My deeper fear is that I would miss my opportunity to spend eternity with them.
I pray that, like Paul, I will press forward in finding some common grounds to build upon. Rather than focusing on the difference between us, we can start with all we have in common. We want to be together to share love, laughter and a good meal.
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