Ah, yes. My brain, it hurts me so much!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Thoughts
So, I've been thinking about a lot of things lately, but I think I think perhaps for the sake of my own self-sane organization, I'll just kind of talk about them one at a time...
Firstly, I'm upset about the fact that my church, Christ Presbyterian, back home, is giving my mom such a hard time over this pastor nominating committee nonsense. To give some background, my church is currently in the process of looking for a pastor. "Looking for a pastor" means a whole slew of committees. That's the lovely bureaucratic side of the Presbytery of the Western Reserve. That whole idea aside, this committee is proving to be quite the sour apple. The guy who heads it up, excuse me, who declared himself the head, has some very outspoken and controversial opinions. Controversy isn't a bad thing, but when you've got a committee that is trying to find a new pastor, you kind of need a sense of unity. This leader is not providing that. According to my mom, he is bossy and forceful, who has taken the more persuadable members of the committee and made them his little cotillion of voters. My mom happens to be the only person on the committee who is willing to speak out, to disagree with some of the things this leader has put forth. And for that, she has been repeatedly attacked, even to the atrocious extent of getting inadvertently accused of being the "instrument of the devil." She's tired of fighting what feels like a losing battle. And it hurts me to hear this wonderful woman, who I love so dearly, getting repeatedly beaten down. I had no idea that this would be such an ordeal. In fact, I don't really think anyone could have predicted it. The lines of our lives are so intermingled...
Secondly, I have been thinking a lot about the way we interact with one another, which goes along, I suppose, with the committee thing. How often, in our lives, do we parry conflict with animosity and bitterness? I don't want to become bitter. All around me, I see good and wonderful people turn sour when they feel threatened. It breaks my heart. I believe that you only stir up further conflict when you respond to challenge with anger. With Christians, this is doubly hard. You and I are faced every day with challenges that we feel we are given to help us grow. This outlook is a great one to help keep you optimistic, but it kind of comes with this tail-end promise - you get more conflict when you recognize conflict is a means to growth. I think as we mature as Christians, God puts more and more challenge in our lives, and we are further called to rise to the occasion, and learn.
I think, then, that the opposite of accepting hardship in our lives, is the disengagement from our lives. And that can lead to a hard heart, and a lukewarm person. I don't want this for my life, and I'm ashamed to say that all too often this is how it works for me. It's so much easier to just detach myself, and be the objective leader and decision-maker. How much harder, to be an active participant in the strife, moving and changing with it.
Reading all about the atom bomb these past few weeks, and having heated discussions about its use, I've come to see the dark side of a dehumanized weapon. The scientists who created the bomb had no idea the impact that their technology, in the hands of the military, would have. they simply saw an unfinished science, and it excited them. Likewise, actually, the man who decided to drop the bomb, Truman, was detached from the effects of the bomb. He didn't have to tour Hiroshima and Nagasaki after they hit. He simply had to accept, with much joy and relief, the surrender issued by Hirohito and his military officers. Now, admittedly, the bomb was effective. In all likelihood, the war would have continued on much longer, and we would have had to lose many hundreds of thousands more lives to see Japan surrender. Fine, I'll admit efficiency. However, does that make it right? And what do you do about the fact that the bomb is intrinsically so impersonal? How do you rationalize the dehumanization of war?
The world isn't just made of pieces. We all live on this Earth, an inherent part of her system; we all breathe her air. I'm not going to say anything about, "Why can't we all just get along?" But I do want to point out some of the things that are happening to us, as we speak, and we need to be aware of them. How now shall we live?
Firstly, I'm upset about the fact that my church, Christ Presbyterian, back home, is giving my mom such a hard time over this pastor nominating committee nonsense. To give some background, my church is currently in the process of looking for a pastor. "Looking for a pastor" means a whole slew of committees. That's the lovely bureaucratic side of the Presbytery of the Western Reserve. That whole idea aside, this committee is proving to be quite the sour apple. The guy who heads it up, excuse me, who declared himself the head, has some very outspoken and controversial opinions. Controversy isn't a bad thing, but when you've got a committee that is trying to find a new pastor, you kind of need a sense of unity. This leader is not providing that. According to my mom, he is bossy and forceful, who has taken the more persuadable members of the committee and made them his little cotillion of voters. My mom happens to be the only person on the committee who is willing to speak out, to disagree with some of the things this leader has put forth. And for that, she has been repeatedly attacked, even to the atrocious extent of getting inadvertently accused of being the "instrument of the devil." She's tired of fighting what feels like a losing battle. And it hurts me to hear this wonderful woman, who I love so dearly, getting repeatedly beaten down. I had no idea that this would be such an ordeal. In fact, I don't really think anyone could have predicted it. The lines of our lives are so intermingled...
Secondly, I have been thinking a lot about the way we interact with one another, which goes along, I suppose, with the committee thing. How often, in our lives, do we parry conflict with animosity and bitterness? I don't want to become bitter. All around me, I see good and wonderful people turn sour when they feel threatened. It breaks my heart. I believe that you only stir up further conflict when you respond to challenge with anger. With Christians, this is doubly hard. You and I are faced every day with challenges that we feel we are given to help us grow. This outlook is a great one to help keep you optimistic, but it kind of comes with this tail-end promise - you get more conflict when you recognize conflict is a means to growth. I think as we mature as Christians, God puts more and more challenge in our lives, and we are further called to rise to the occasion, and learn.
I think, then, that the opposite of accepting hardship in our lives, is the disengagement from our lives. And that can lead to a hard heart, and a lukewarm person. I don't want this for my life, and I'm ashamed to say that all too often this is how it works for me. It's so much easier to just detach myself, and be the objective leader and decision-maker. How much harder, to be an active participant in the strife, moving and changing with it.
Reading all about the atom bomb these past few weeks, and having heated discussions about its use, I've come to see the dark side of a dehumanized weapon. The scientists who created the bomb had no idea the impact that their technology, in the hands of the military, would have. they simply saw an unfinished science, and it excited them. Likewise, actually, the man who decided to drop the bomb, Truman, was detached from the effects of the bomb. He didn't have to tour Hiroshima and Nagasaki after they hit. He simply had to accept, with much joy and relief, the surrender issued by Hirohito and his military officers. Now, admittedly, the bomb was effective. In all likelihood, the war would have continued on much longer, and we would have had to lose many hundreds of thousands more lives to see Japan surrender. Fine, I'll admit efficiency. However, does that make it right? And what do you do about the fact that the bomb is intrinsically so impersonal? How do you rationalize the dehumanization of war?
The world isn't just made of pieces. We all live on this Earth, an inherent part of her system; we all breathe her air. I'm not going to say anything about, "Why can't we all just get along?" But I do want to point out some of the things that are happening to us, as we speak, and we need to be aware of them. How now shall we live?
Friday, February 22, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Postsecret
I don't know if any of you have ever been here, but Post Secret is quite the nifty blog. It's basically just a compilation of postcards that have been sent to this guy, on which people don't put a return address or their name, but they do put a secret about their life. They're inspiring and interesting, and the guy has written a couple books of compilations of his favorite cards.
Here you go.
Here you go.
Once Upon a Time
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