for all those desperately clamoring for more pearls of wisdom…
that title is tongue-in-cheek, BTW.
here’s a poem:
I’ll give you a hint – it’s about the end of the age (and the guy in the poem isn’t really me…my sister doesn’t have a front porch and I’ve never owned a Jetta)…and I wrote before I got to IHOP.
Open and Shut
A woman once stated,
“hope deferred makes a heart sick”
I was the deferment
she was the heartsick.
Then I shut the door
she pounded for weeks
grew tired
walked away.
I was nineteen years old.
Now, I wonder
where my hope resides…
is it in some distant
desert land of snakeskin
and cattleprods?
Is it in a book by Kierkegaard, Bonhoeffer,
or Dostoyevski’s yearning groans?
Is it in memory of my father’s aching back
and failing eyes? My sister’s newly
painted front porch, my new VW Jetta
or, recently, in a woman with red hair?
Or is it, should it be in the Eschaton?
Not some pre-millenialist tale
of airline pilot preachers and anti-christ assassination attempts; instead
the stirring pot,
humanity boiling in its own
blood-filled, edited and televised catastrophe.
Overflowing the kettle, hissing,
clouds gather,
the Bridegroom arises
sun-burst rays
judgement, piercing light, and a
new blood, poured out upon all flesh
rejoicing, groaning, signs of the earth giving
way to this weight of glory, now.
January 13, 2002
An obligatory post to maintain my readership.
Intercession is real. It is more real than voting, politics, or public policy.
Recently, I’ve been reading up on a lot of foreign policy books (mostly related to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the last 50 years or so). What I’ve realized is that though people spend their entire lives trying to figure out nations, government, and ways of acheiving peace and safety – the people in charge are really just guessing.
You can’t predict the rise of al-Queda – you can’t forsee 9/11 – you can only ‘push and pull’ other nations back and forth with economic sanctions, covert ops, and the threat of military invasion. Every situation is ‘win-lose’. The strong prevail over the weak. There is no justice in international affairs.
So, who is really calling the shots? People like Daniel – those who stare into eternity. Those like the apostle John who are invited into the counsel of the Lord.
I’m learning to pray for my enemies: Mahmoud Ahmidinajad and Kim Jong-il. I’m asking that God would raise up prophets who would speak the word that would break the back of the strongholds destroying their people and blinding them to truth.
I’m also praying for the leaders in this nation. We need grace.
But the good news is that we can shift nations. We can bring (in a limited sense) justice to bear and haste the coming of the one who will finally rule with true justice. We are doing the most significant work in the earth. Prayer is the center. We are changing nations.
An Addendum to Burning Your Lists
I’ve gotten quite a few ‘outside of the wordcast world’ comments on this post – so I want to have and addendum to make a few things clearer. I’d like to restate my first point by adding a positive:
- Burn your lists AND listen to your friends: If you have close friends who are walking with God, you really don’t need a list. They will give you the list in their feedback, comments, probing questions, etc. The people who know you best will know whether your ’special friend’ is someone who will challenge you, is compatible, etc. Friends are great, lists aren’t. Friends make you mad because they tell you the truth – lists smile at you and reassure you of things about yourself that may not be true.
Also: If you absolutely MUST have list just keep it about values, NOT about personality, physical type, etc. – and like I said, ‘fiery christian’ covers 80% of the territory already.
Burning Your Lists
Got into a lively debate/conversation with a dear (female) friend of mine yesterday over questions of dating in our sphere around here. Basically, I mentioned that I feel many people (usually on the female side of things) get a little too intense about dating a little too quickly – and that ‘lightening’ up a little would make life a more enjoyable for all.
She begged to differ on several of my points, but I feel we came to some consensus on a few things that may be helpful for the singles out there reading this. Though I’m intensely opposed to imposing ‘rules’ for relationships and dating (never a helpful solution when dealing with the mystery of a man and a maiden, see Proverbs 30:18-19) here are our conclusions.
- Burn your lists: Whatever little ‘list’ you have of the perfect mate – yeah, that one tucked away in a journal, scrawled somewhere away from prying eyes – pull it out and burn it…or shred it…why? Because it is fantasy. It’s birthed outside of reality and far afield from the bumps and bruises of actual relationships. I’m not saying you can’t have a few qualities you prefer (I’d say…two outside of them being saved and fiery for God).
- Let Friendship Lead You: Put yourself in contexts where friendship can emerge – ways to serve so you get to know that special someone. Instead of building a ‘romantic fantasy’ apart from community, create a friendship within the community. Pray together, work together, serve together. Have a relationship that can weather the mundane and isn’t an attempt to replay some lame romantic comedy.
- Men- GET CREATIVE: C’mon dudes. Yes, you asked like, six girls out for ‘coffee’ and they all said no. Maybe that’s because coffee is kind of…well, BORING! Try thinking outside the box. Have a barbecue at the park and invite 15 people (including the only one you really care if they show up). Plan a day trip to St. Louis with yourself and three or four of your ‘friends’. Create a fun, safe, context where you can get to know her.
- Women – CHILL OUT: You don’t really need to know if he is the “one” after the first time you hang out with him. Get your friends opinions, give him a second chance if he was bumbling and awkward before the stunning beauty that stood before him. And hey, every now and then – go out for coffee with someone.
That’s my story. Thoughts?
Global Warming Debate
For those interested in this and my previous post - there is a thorough, thoughtful and patient set of answers to fillmore’s queries (i just love that word!) here.
Didn’t think my comment would provoke that much discussion – but hey, THIS is the glory of the internet.
New Wordcast Site Up
Enjoy.
To kick things off, check out the ongoing dialogue a few of us have with Brent on Global Warming.
Should I Switch to WordPress? Convince Me. My on…
Should I Switch to WordPress? Convince Me.
My only reasons for not switching were 1) it involves a slight amount of work 2) Randy was on blogger…alas, now that he’s not blogging anymore – that reason is lost.
So – I’ll leave it up to my adoring public.
My fate is in your hands.
Remote Control Pigeons…Yes, REAL Pigeons
Chinese scientists, those tricky guys have made it possible to control pigeons flight via remote control. Check it out.
More and more I’m convinced, the end is near.
How long until these are available for Christmas on the black market?
I’m the Grinch Who Stole Birthdays So – I have th…
I’m the Grinch Who Stole Birthdays
So – I have this theory that, once you’re a grown-up, you shouldn’t expect people to make a big deal out of your birthday. (P.S. If your reading this, that probably means you’re a grown-up).
Now, I know that certain families have traditions, and of course, if it’s your family (or a request you have made of friends) you can have a fair expectation for a certain amount of attention, love, gifts, whatever.
Suffice to say – this is not a popular theory. But I do wonder if we have overly stoked expectations for this sort of stuff because we live in a close-knit Christian context.
Let me put it this way: If my job was as a systems analyst at IBM – I couldn’t expect people there to:
A) Know it was my birthday
B) Care if it was my birthday
C) Buy me presents, throw me a party and bring me cards and cake
Again – I’m assuming I’m not close friends with ALL my co-workers: “A man of too many friends comes to ruin…” Proverbs 18:24
I’m not saying we shouldn’t do anything for anyone. For example – I asked some of my friends to take me out to dinner this year for my birthday. It was fun. I was thankful for their appreciation of me, amen.
So my question: Do we have unrealistic expectations when it comes to this? I guess you already know my answer.
Another question someone might know the answer to: Is all this birthday stuff uniquely American or do other cultures celebrate birthdays of everyone yearly?
And a brief note: This really has NOTHING to do with ANYONE who has had a birthday in the last month, week, etc. – it’s something I’ve thought about for years.
