Nov 2008
Gracefully empowered thankfulness
26/November/2008 09:40 Filed in: Weekly Column
Tomorrow here in the United States we celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday, originally set aside to commemorate the blessings of the Creator towards Christian Pilgrims in the Massachusetts colony almost 500 years ago.
A lot has changed in those half millennia for sure. The Pilgrims basically came to these shores to flee established religious persecution in Europe and to build a new life for their families. To face the unknowns of sea and the new lands across the Atlantic required deep faith, which is generally absent in America and the rest of the world today.
We want it easy, with immediate gratification, or we find other things to do with our time, like nothing of much importance, even temporally. Things of eternal significance are pretty much undefined for the mass of people. However people are still changed by faith, sometimes their own, but many times there are other people which we do not at this time know personally, that are truly responsible for our life changing pilgrimage.
Early last Sunday morning I had a dream in which family members, some alive, some passed, were having a reunion of sorts. I was sitting on the front porch talking to someone about something, when a person who has had a very dramatic effect upon my life came out the door behind me and sat on the grass and asked, “What am I doing here?”
My immediate response was something really not at all profound, which was answered in another brief, but equally pedantic statement from the person now relaxed and feeling at home on the lawn. Then I woke up, with the thought, where does this conversation go from here?
“Well you are an inspiration of my life, whether you know it or not. In fact, when things get really tough and I wonder why I can do this work at all, eventually you come to mind.”
A pretty heavy thought to lay upon someone with whom you have never spoken with personally before. To which the proper and I believe most common response would be, “When and how did I do that for you?”
“Of course, if the truth is laid out, it probably occurred too many times to count, in situations really too complex perhaps for you to bear, but you were there along side in the hard times, and it really cost you nothing towards me. At the same time you probably deserve a substantial part of any reward. All you did, was be you, and that was more than enough.”
Perhaps the best and Biblical response comes from Matthew 25:33-40 in the sheep and the goats parable:
And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
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A lot has changed in those half millennia for sure. The Pilgrims basically came to these shores to flee established religious persecution in Europe and to build a new life for their families. To face the unknowns of sea and the new lands across the Atlantic required deep faith, which is generally absent in America and the rest of the world today.
We want it easy, with immediate gratification, or we find other things to do with our time, like nothing of much importance, even temporally. Things of eternal significance are pretty much undefined for the mass of people. However people are still changed by faith, sometimes their own, but many times there are other people which we do not at this time know personally, that are truly responsible for our life changing pilgrimage.
Early last Sunday morning I had a dream in which family members, some alive, some passed, were having a reunion of sorts. I was sitting on the front porch talking to someone about something, when a person who has had a very dramatic effect upon my life came out the door behind me and sat on the grass and asked, “What am I doing here?”
My immediate response was something really not at all profound, which was answered in another brief, but equally pedantic statement from the person now relaxed and feeling at home on the lawn. Then I woke up, with the thought, where does this conversation go from here?
“Well you are an inspiration of my life, whether you know it or not. In fact, when things get really tough and I wonder why I can do this work at all, eventually you come to mind.”
A pretty heavy thought to lay upon someone with whom you have never spoken with personally before. To which the proper and I believe most common response would be, “When and how did I do that for you?”
“Of course, if the truth is laid out, it probably occurred too many times to count, in situations really too complex perhaps for you to bear, but you were there along side in the hard times, and it really cost you nothing towards me. At the same time you probably deserve a substantial part of any reward. All you did, was be you, and that was more than enough.”
Perhaps the best and Biblical response comes from Matthew 25:33-40 in the sheep and the goats parable:
And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
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Grace in Winter
19/November/2008 09:43 Filed in: Weekly Column
Before we begin this week’s article I would like you to spend a little time with your thoughts. When we mention winter, what comes into your mind? Do it mentally or write it down, nothing all that elaborate just word associations.
Finished? Now do the same for summer. OK!
If you are a somewhat normal human being, your winter thoughts included, cold, dark, miserable, wet, snow, and so forth.
For summer your concepts were probably, warm, sunny, colorful, flowers, birds, and eventually you got around to too hot.
What you have just accomplished is a very real application of the absolutes of natural law and common grace, in which winter was law and summer was grace, at least until you got to those unbearably hot days when you sought out air conditioning where ever it may be.
Now let us say, when the alarm clock went off this morning you got up and looked out the window and there was six inches of new fresh snow on the ground and it was snowing heavily. Your first thoughts were, “Oh, God how am I going to get to work?” As you stood there gazing at the increasing snow, you apprehended the reality that you can’t get to work, at least not on time, and no one is really going to know when that time really is, because your boss lives on the other side of town and the weather is always worse in that more ritzy suburb.
So you go into the kitchen and the coffee is warm and fresh, you look for the morning paper, and it has yet to arrive, so you turn on the TV and get the news. The news is that this sudden storm is expected to add another six to eight inches before it quits later this morning. With all that snow you are snowbound at least for the day. “Praise the Lord!” You have a day when the cares of the world and work are only what you decide to make them.
What you are experiencing is the title of this week’s article, “Grace in Winter.”
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Finished? Now do the same for summer. OK!
If you are a somewhat normal human being, your winter thoughts included, cold, dark, miserable, wet, snow, and so forth.
For summer your concepts were probably, warm, sunny, colorful, flowers, birds, and eventually you got around to too hot.
What you have just accomplished is a very real application of the absolutes of natural law and common grace, in which winter was law and summer was grace, at least until you got to those unbearably hot days when you sought out air conditioning where ever it may be.
Now let us say, when the alarm clock went off this morning you got up and looked out the window and there was six inches of new fresh snow on the ground and it was snowing heavily. Your first thoughts were, “Oh, God how am I going to get to work?” As you stood there gazing at the increasing snow, you apprehended the reality that you can’t get to work, at least not on time, and no one is really going to know when that time really is, because your boss lives on the other side of town and the weather is always worse in that more ritzy suburb.
So you go into the kitchen and the coffee is warm and fresh, you look for the morning paper, and it has yet to arrive, so you turn on the TV and get the news. The news is that this sudden storm is expected to add another six to eight inches before it quits later this morning. With all that snow you are snowbound at least for the day. “Praise the Lord!” You have a day when the cares of the world and work are only what you decide to make them.
What you are experiencing is the title of this week’s article, “Grace in Winter.”
Read More...
Common Graciousness
12/November/2008 09:25 Filed in: Weekly Column
Last week we wrote about the now generally accepted notion of the American Dream, namely home ownership and it’s pending demise. So how are you going to keep them down on the farm, or in this case in the suburbs and the townhouses, if they can’t afford to buy the place?
Of course one of the options is stated in the question’s preface, they could move down on the farm, but that assumes that rural housing values are commensurately less expensive than their urban and suburban alternatives. When you consider job and income disparities between the two locales. Common sense dictates that cheaper home values reflect lower economic realities, at least if real estate is a market driven enterprise, with or without government incentives.
However, I have noticed recently that in the excessive drive to own you own piece of the American Dream in real property, something much more important may have been scuttled in this attempt for continual wealth appreciation. That factor, for lack of a better word, is the loss of America’s common graciousness.
I write extensively here at Wonder Springs about the reality of natural law and common grace. What I have failed to realize is that when you take common grace and humanize it, what flows out is common graciousness. Common graciousness is beautiful, pretty much beyond description.
In contrast, getting mine at the expense of others is just ugly. Getting mine by empowering others is a start, but true common graciousness means my reward comes from you realizing that there is more to your life than just material possessions, stuff, and junk. True wealth begins when you believe more in others than they can presently realize.
America, last week elected a black President, a true Afro-American. Conservative pundits and news commentators are still trying to figure out how John McCain was able to lose by six percentage points. The underlying reality is that the Obama campaign was about six percentage points more commonly gracious than the McCain candidacy.
What you basically saw from McCain was a grumpy old man, telling you like it is, and how he could help you maintain that status quo. Following the election, anonymous McCain sources began smearing the Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, as dumb and stupid. This only verifies the Obama gracious margin of victory. The fact that McCain has seemly done nothing about these leaks, seems to attest that he lost for more than a few good reasons.
Read More...
Of course one of the options is stated in the question’s preface, they could move down on the farm, but that assumes that rural housing values are commensurately less expensive than their urban and suburban alternatives. When you consider job and income disparities between the two locales. Common sense dictates that cheaper home values reflect lower economic realities, at least if real estate is a market driven enterprise, with or without government incentives.
However, I have noticed recently that in the excessive drive to own you own piece of the American Dream in real property, something much more important may have been scuttled in this attempt for continual wealth appreciation. That factor, for lack of a better word, is the loss of America’s common graciousness.
I write extensively here at Wonder Springs about the reality of natural law and common grace. What I have failed to realize is that when you take common grace and humanize it, what flows out is common graciousness. Common graciousness is beautiful, pretty much beyond description.
In contrast, getting mine at the expense of others is just ugly. Getting mine by empowering others is a start, but true common graciousness means my reward comes from you realizing that there is more to your life than just material possessions, stuff, and junk. True wealth begins when you believe more in others than they can presently realize.
America, last week elected a black President, a true Afro-American. Conservative pundits and news commentators are still trying to figure out how John McCain was able to lose by six percentage points. The underlying reality is that the Obama campaign was about six percentage points more commonly gracious than the McCain candidacy.
What you basically saw from McCain was a grumpy old man, telling you like it is, and how he could help you maintain that status quo. Following the election, anonymous McCain sources began smearing the Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, as dumb and stupid. This only verifies the Obama gracious margin of victory. The fact that McCain has seemly done nothing about these leaks, seems to attest that he lost for more than a few good reasons.
Read More...
Redefining the American Dream
05/November/2008 10:46 Filed in: Weekly Column
The recent two-year American election cycle is over and we have elected a new President. Now comes the huge task of putting substance to change. As is the nature of modern elections throughout the world, the emphasis has been long on hyperbole and absent any specifics anchored in true reality.
But the real substance facing President-elect Obama is trying to restore or redefine the American Dream. Since very liberal tenants have little history in the United States, especially since the Reagan Revolution in the 1980s, any infrastructure to provide these services must be built from scratch, or rebuilt on old ruins.
That leads to tremendous social opportunity, if that dream can be made into some sort of reality. Historically the ability of government to provide anything positive, other than consistently developing infrastructure, does not have a positive record. It has been a very long time indeed since that coordinated governmental role has been active in the United States. Special interest earmarks, or pork barrel spending, and an increasing invasive and bumbling bureaucracy have pretty much steered the recent course at all levels of government. The exceptions are very rare indeed.
To further complicate the recent economic developments, both energy and housing fiascos have pretty much shattered the American Dream that has been the driving force in the United States since World War II. That dream of course was to have a nice car and own your personal home.
After graduation from high school and before graduation from college, the first goal of most American males was to get a nice car, somewhat to impress the chicks, but more importantly to impress your other male compatriots. Once the wheels novelty began to wear off, the reality of work, and probably family began. The next hurdle was to be able to purchase your own house, and attempt to make that into a home.
Read More...
But the real substance facing President-elect Obama is trying to restore or redefine the American Dream. Since very liberal tenants have little history in the United States, especially since the Reagan Revolution in the 1980s, any infrastructure to provide these services must be built from scratch, or rebuilt on old ruins.
That leads to tremendous social opportunity, if that dream can be made into some sort of reality. Historically the ability of government to provide anything positive, other than consistently developing infrastructure, does not have a positive record. It has been a very long time indeed since that coordinated governmental role has been active in the United States. Special interest earmarks, or pork barrel spending, and an increasing invasive and bumbling bureaucracy have pretty much steered the recent course at all levels of government. The exceptions are very rare indeed.
To further complicate the recent economic developments, both energy and housing fiascos have pretty much shattered the American Dream that has been the driving force in the United States since World War II. That dream of course was to have a nice car and own your personal home.
After graduation from high school and before graduation from college, the first goal of most American males was to get a nice car, somewhat to impress the chicks, but more importantly to impress your other male compatriots. Once the wheels novelty began to wear off, the reality of work, and probably family began. The next hurdle was to be able to purchase your own house, and attempt to make that into a home.
Read More...