Say no to attitudes from platitudes

I am going to dedicate the blogspot for at least the next week to meanderings about the characteristics I found to be outstanding in the account from Mark. I found 9 characteristics. Today's discussion is on characteristic # 4.

Characteristic 4: (S)He understands that there are intrinsic barriers to the reign of God in one’s life that must be overcome.

Jesus looked straight at him with love and said, “You need only one thing. Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me.” (Mark 10.21)

Other textual support for characteristic:10.17-31, 12.28-34, 3.20-30, 6.1-6, 3.31-35, 16.14
Fact from Mark: barriers in trust come from one’s own family, town, or belief community

Beyond the restorative touch needed to return their lives to normalcy, beyond the beginning point of acknowledging that Jesus is God's son in order to rid themselves from the slavery of their addictions, followers of Jesus know that they have to beware always of those traditions and values that they grew up with. Values and traditions pose as foundations for good living, but so often they are masks for a corrupt and rotten system of status quo. Even people brought up in church traditions have to beware that the church traditions themselves are not a barrier to the authentic teachings of Jesus.

In Mark 12.28-34, a man versed in the Jewish law came to Jesus and asked him what the greatest commandment was. Jesus told him. The man agreed with Jesus. Then Jesus told the man that he was not far from the kingdom of God. Jesus didn't compliment the man for being in the kingdom since they had agreed. Jesus didn't invite the man to join the kingdom. Instead, Jesus told the man that he was near the kingdom of God.

Assumedly, a modern person could find himself or herself in the same condition, that is, near the kingdom of God. If so, then perhaps understanding what the kingdom of God is would keep one from only being near it, but allow one to fully participate in it. If one were to be able to fully participate in the kingdom, then one would also know what could be a barrier to that full participation.

The word kingdom is an archaic term, not in the sense that the word has passed from our language, but in the sense that the term is only used of a time period that is not our own, but in the past. Americans hate irrelevance, so another idea that is relevant should be understood. A kingdom is a geographic location for most Americans; perhaps Americans extend the idea to castles, serfs, knights, or other symbols (by metonomy) for what a king has sovereignty over.
Americans are, however, familiar with the idea of a rule of someone over another. If one still needs to feel that some vestige of Jesus' teachings needs to represent the age of the original teachings or the manuscripts that bring those teachings to the modern person, then the idea of reign could be substituted for rule. Thus, to the man who asked Jesus about the greatest commandment, Jesus replied that God's reign in his life was not too distant. Although the man agreed with Jesus, he still had a barrier that kept him from fully participating in the reign of God for him. Mark does not elaborate on the man's barrier like he did for the rich young ruler cited above in the representative sample from Mark. Somehow, though, the man was not vested in the rule or reign of God.

What might keep a modern person from having God's reign in his or her life? Mainly, attitudes. A follower of Jesus accepts and knows the teachings of Jesus. So, the follower should be living decently toward others. But, actions are generated by one's thoughts behind those actions. And, the thought behind the actions comes from attitudes which are derived from traditions and values. So, how does one respond to an insult from someone else? What acknowledgment is allowed if an addiction has taken over a person? When is the best time to go to someone with whom a problem exists? Where is it that one should want find himself or herself on Friday nights? Who is the master one truly serves?

For many, platitudes provide the thought behind their actions. "A penny saved is a penny earned." So, they save, maybe even in miserly way. "Those who make the gold make the rules." So, they work their way up the ladder to make more money. "The early bird gets the worm." So, people are so very busy breaking others backs to get the worm. "Plan you work. Work your plan." So, meetings at all hours abound for planning, and working at all hours and at all costs carry out those plans.

So, when does the follower of Jesus have the time and stamina to know Jesus' teachings? When does the decent living happen in front of families? When does one have time to see the healing taking place in his or her own life? What kind of restoration takes place when so little time is given for recognizing the need for restoration? When does the follower of Jesus have time to reflect on his or her attitudes to know if adjustments are necessary? What keeps one a short distance from participating in God's rule, His reign for one's life? Simple agreement with Jesus' message keeps one at arm's length from the rule. So, it must be more than simple agreement.

If attitudes from platitudes disappear, then the distance to the reign of God in our lives disappears. Jesus' teachings can then be authentic. Then we can go and follow him.

Restoring what has deteriorated

I am going to dedicate the blogspot for at least the next 2 weeks to meanderings about the characteristics I found to be outstanding in the account from Mark. I found 7 characteristics that I listed and two more that I didn't list because I didn't think it was the right forum for the other 2. They were more personal in nature. Today's discussion is on characteristic #3.


Characteristic 3: (S)He understands that the message of God is accompanied by a ministry of “healing” for oneself and others.

Representative sample from Mark:
Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk?” I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, ”I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
(Mark 2.11-12)

Other textual support for characteristic:1.30-32, 1.40-41, 2.11-12, 3.5, 3.10, 5.29, 5.4, 6.13, 7.36
Fact from Mark: 16% of all textual episodes in Mark comment on Jesus’ healing.

Jesus did his share of healing others while he was on the earth. He restored sight to blind men. He restored skin to lepers. He restored normalcy to lunatics. He restored natural functions for diseased members of the body. He restored life to bodies of death. Restoration was Jesus' business. Oh, yes he taught his message. But, he restored people so that they could comprehend what his message was about. He had a message of forgiveness, among other characteristics. So that at least one crowd could understand forgiveness in its full form, Jesus healed a person. Once restoration happened, realization took place.

In today's world much of what people get sick with is treated with medicine. So, what the ancient people needed to have healed by someone supernaturally, today is routinely healed by scientific advances. That doesn't mean that God has been displaced from the healing business. We still cannot heal the mind or control circumstances. When loved ones die unexpectedly, medicine cannot touch the mind's hurt. But God's healing touch of perspective for the cause of death is still available. When job loss, people's horrendous treatment of each other, or injury that can't be repaired to a body occur, only a miracle man can step forward to relieve the grief or the pain.

So, one of the characteristics evident in a follower of Jesus is that one trusts Jesus to perform a work of healing in areas of life that humans cannot touch. An oldest son who has to have intervention from the rest of his family to recognize that he has a drug problem trusts that the addiction can be healed if he follows Jesus. A man who loses a daughter in a car accident and a wife to cancer six months later trusts that God's perspective is better than his for why he was dealt a harsh hand, so he prays for God's touch on his perspective. A woman who lives constantly with the mistrust of her husband trusts that if she remains faithful, God will touch the heart of her spouse or make it evident to her that her life will count for something with somebody. Everywhere people need God's restorative touch in order to live out their lives full of his message.

Followers of Jesus know the master's touch on their bodies or in their minds. They follow him whole-heartedly because of it.

Basic assumption

I am going to dedicate the blogspot for at least the next 2 weeks to meanderings about the characteristics I found to be outstanding in the account from Mark. I found 7 characteristics that I listed and two more that I didn't list because I didn't think it was the right forum for the other 2. They were more personal in nature. Today's discussion is on characteristic #2.

Characteristic 2: (S)He understands that the result of “casting out demons” is an acknowledgment of Jesus as the son of the most high God.

Representative sample from Mark:
And whenever the people who had evil spirits in them saw him, they would fall down before him and scream, “You are the Son of God!”
(Mark 3.11)

Other textual support support for characteristic: 1.27, 1.34, 1.39, 3.11, 5.1-16, 6.12
Fact from Mark: 40% of all textual episodes in Mark mentioning healing also mention casting out demons. 4 textual episodes in Mark mention casting out demons without mention of healing.

I know that there is some debate on what exactly Jesus was casting out when Mark refers to casting out demons. But, I would like to ignore the debate for the purposes of this blog. Instead, I want to take a purely modern approach to casting out demons by allowing the phrase to be symbolic in nature. Casting out demons becomes the symbol for anything in a person's life that serves as a detractor from the person himself (herself) or those around her or him to allow a belief in the deity of Jesus. It could be alcohol or drugs. It could be perverted lyric preference. It could be a party spirit, or tobacco addiction, or obesity. It is whatever distracts one from looking at Jesus and seeing liberty from oppression.

When Jesus cast out demons, a number of times it is clear that the demons acknowledged that Jesus was the son of God. Applying the phrase as a symbol, people today can be rid of their distractions. Trust in Jesus begins with the expression of one's soul, "Jesus is God's son." From that point on, placing one's trust in the messenger and the message from God allows the freedom from the slavery of the demon, that is, from the oppression of whatever detracted one from Jesus. The addict realizes that a higher power delivers him or her from the lower power of addictive beverage or substance. The person stuck on death lyrics breathes in life lyrics for a change. The partying young man or woman learns a new kind of celebration. The obese person learns that God uses people in the condition in which they find truth or restores ability to find a stopping point with food.

The follower of Jesus takes a journey with him throughout life. But, the first step of the journey begins with the utterance, "Jesus is the son of God." The rough part of the journey depends on the absolute, raw truth that self-reliance does not kick in, that reliance on the supernatural is first nature. Call it psychology of religion 101 or the cardinal principle of Jesus' teaching or the basic assumption of every follower. One has to be rid of distractions so that one realization becomes crystal clear. Jesus is the son of God most high.

It's the first step out of the boat onto the waves of a large lake across which Jesus is walking. Trust in Jesus replaces distracting oppression. The power of the detraction succumbs to the power of one name—Jesus. It's not hocus pocus. It's every follower's basic assumption.

Knowing and modeling

Recently I was involved in a study of the fabulous story of Jesus as presented by Mark. The men who were asked to study the various accounts of this story were asked to come up with the characteristics of a follower of Jesus based on the account they were studying. Today those men all met again to bring forth the characteristics they had found. It was interesting to see how the accounts mirrored the walks of life each one had taken. But beyond that, they brought out what they had studied over a month's period of time.

I am going to dedicate the blogspot for at least the next 2 weeks to my meanderings about the characteristics I found to be outstanding in the account from Mark. I found 7 characteristics that I listed and two more that I didn't list because I didn't think it was the right forum for the other 2. They were more personal in nature. So, I start with characteristic #1

Characteristic 1: (S)He knows the tenets of the message of God’s reign and knows (s)he must exude it.

Representative sample from Mark:
We must go on to the other villages around here. I have to preach in them also, because that is why I came.
(Mark 1.38)


Other textual support for characteristic: 1.38, 2.2, 3.34, 4.1, 4.33, 6.6b-7, 6.34, 8.31
Fact from Mark: 37% of all textual episodes in Mark contain the teaching of Jesus.

If I were asked what Jesus' reason for coming was, I would have answered that he came to seek and save the lost. But, after reading Mark's account, I see the statement above. And teach is what Jesus did. He went all over the countryside around his hometown teaching. He crossed lakes and walked miles to villages near and far. He sent his selected 12 out in pairs to a number of villages to get his message out. Mark's account is rife with teachings about human behaviors from people divorcing to people trying to show that they deserve the kingdom of God.

But, just because Jesus taught, does it mean that his followers should follow suit? Well, let's call it "teaching." Under finer analysis, it is probably closer to knowing for ourselves the tenets of what Jesus taught so that our behavior is consistent with those tenets. What we know from Jesus' lessons and how we act ought to be consistent. Some of Jesus' most castigating words were reserved for the educated elite who said one thing, but did another. So, knowing the message so that we can model it is paramount.

And the message is not merely a series of good lessons. Its provenance is from the kingdom of God, so the path on earth his lessons put us on end in our entering the kingdom of God. I think there is a bit of a problem with that idea for Americans. We are not "kingdom" people. The word is in our language and we understand it. But it is so archaic that we don't make a true association with it. An alternate word is "reign." It is an old term as well, but Americans have more of an association with its idea than "kingdom." We all are held accountable to somebody or we report to some "boss." So a word like "reign" carries with it the idea that we are held to a set of expectations by someone or some company.

So, the idea is complete. Jesus taught the message of God's reign in a person's life. We accept God's reign and show it by modeling the behavior asked of us by the various tenets of the message. Our behavior, in turn leads us to our home where God reigns. In that manner, then, we teach as Jesus taught. We know the tenets of the message of God's reign and exude it for others to desire to emulate it.

Block peace

The block I live on is everyone's block. Mine is not special in any way. That's what makes one generation the same as the last or the next. That's what makes one culture the same as the next. People are people. They basically have the same nature—the human nature. But for all the despair I may see on my block, I also see the striving on my block for there to be peace in people's lives. They are decent people seeking to live in harmony with their neighbors. Viva block peace!

The affairs of the block I live on

The neighbors surrounding my house are a motley crew. The people on one side of me live day to day with a menial job in today's society's view. As far as I can tell they have no church affiliation. The lady across the street from them is an old maid. She was moved in by her daughter from out of state. She rarely comes out of her house. One never knows whether she is home or not because she always keeps her car in her garage. She apparently has no religious affiliation. The couple directly across from me are Mormons, very active ones. They are the kindest people you will meet and are hard workers in their yard and in their church. They have tried sharing their faith over the years several times. The people next to them are raising two children. The father is a hard worker and an alcoholic. The son inherited his father's party spirit. The mother is so nice and tries to be sociable with her neighbors. The man next to me is on hospice. His sight left him several years back. I haven't seen him in about 2 years, but I visit with his children when they come to see him. He's Methodist, but has not gone to a church building in the 12 years of my living on this block.

It's quite a state of affairs on this block I live on. People are doing what it takes to stay alive and put food on the table. But, I don't know any of these people very well although we are all nice to each other if the occasional yard visit is the measuring stick. I know the Great Teacher moved around a lot when he taught. He would go through the cities of a region teaching. I don't know how he would have gotten his message out if he had lived in my neighborhood. I do know however, that one of his teachings works in any neighborhood. "Whatever you would like people to do for you is what you should do for them." It has worked in neighborhoods for a couple of thousand years. I don't see it failing now or failing me when I enact it. It's a phenomenal, supernatural teaching.

A decade in the life of ...

"What a difference a year makes" is a common expression. One can imagine what a difference a decade makes. I have lived at my current residence for 12 years. My neighbor to my left housed a couple who were in their 70s. The man there died after 3 years after we moved in. His wife died last spring. Now a whole new family lives there. The man and his wife across the street from them and diagonal to me took care of his wife for 5 years after we moved in. I saw her only once before she died. The man lived in his house for 3 years after that, moved to his daughter's house in another state and died about 2 years after that. Another person lives in that house now, but it stood vacant for at least a year. The people directly across the street had two children at home in high school when we first moved here. They're now long gone and married. The neighbor and his wife on the other side of me have had their share of difficulties. He grew blind within 7 years of our moving here. His mind also has been deteriorating over the last three years. His wife has been making monumental efforts at watching after him. But, she died last week, and he was put in the care of hospice.

Oh! My household? We are not untouched. Both of my kids were in grade school when we moved here. Now both are out of school. My son graduated only to break out with cancer and die at age 19. My daughter has been seeing a phsychiatrist and/or a psychologist ever since. My wife was a practicing alcohlic for all but the last 3 years in this house, but has since lived each day that comes her way as a sober alcoholic. My father died 3 years ago 8 days before my son did after a cognitive illness of 11 months.

And that's just me and the block I live on. Multiply this times about 6 billion people on the earth. What does it take to be the Creator of heaven and earth? I have no idea. But, somehow he shows that he cares about me. He sends encouragements amidst hardships. He inspires determination and commitment. I am thankful that somehow he cares about me and the block I live on. Not in his spare time. And not with just me and my block people. I truly have great respect for the way he handles everybody's business in the whole world. It's supernatural.

On embracing sin

Alexander Pope said that first we abhor sin, then we tolerate it, finally we embrace it. He is talking about how people are influenced by the tainted world around them. I find this to be true for my own walk in life, but it doesn't bother me. I think Pope had the wrong angle on the situation. As a young man, I tended to see the world in black and white. Something was either according to the moral law I had grown up knowing from teenage years or it wasn't. But, I matured and watched carefully how older people in the world behaved. Matters weren't just black or white. Next, I figured that the world was a big place, so I could walk to the beat of my own moral law and not have to hold anyone else responsible for it—just me. Then, I matured and noticed how situations were never according to any moral law. Good situations were nearly always tainted by evil and evil situations nearly always had some noble element about them.

That being true, I realized that striving for some fictitious moral code that no one ever observed was ludicrous. I might as well let life play out. Where I could be the good part of an evil situation, I would be. Where I could act on behalf of good even though a situation was mostly bad, I did. I know to someone looking in it might seem that once upon a time in my youth I abhorred evil and that as I matured I began to tolerate evil, only to finally embrace it. I would rather think as an insider that I finally understood the human condition and the other-worldly principle that a little leaven, leavens the whole lump. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

A divine moment captured on earth

I am seeing something tonight that warms the soul. My friend knows someone in trouble. He and his wife's extended families are gathering around this person to show that they still believe in this person, that no one has been discarded. That resonates with every fiber in my core. It's what the Teacher taught. No one has to stand alone and be condemned even if society thinks differently. I cannot think of stronger measures to show the Teacher's message. It's not a parable or words on a page. It's a reality, not a reality show with a script. It's true, unadulterated reality. The Creator of the universe has to be weeping tears of happiness—tears for the trouble the person is in, happiness for the number of people standing behind this person with unfiltered care. I am truly touched.

What I see happening on the human scene tonight and tomorrow morning reflects what will happen in a future, more heavenly scene captured in a statement written at the end of the book Discerning the 7 Sealed Scenes.

"The broken seals reveal God's urgent and emphatic message—broken people proudly exhibiting His mark of ownership and approval. Notably, the broken seals reveal that broken people are not discarded. God's broken people are never discarded! Never! God dresses them in brilliant white robes. That is assured!" (page 70).

Empty sounds

From time to time people tell me that those whose actions have been an impediment to progress have changed and have said that they want to work with the one they have been causing grief to. My first reaction is that their words are deceptive. Words have to have accompanying actions. Otherwise, they are empty sounds in the wind. While it is true that words can be a precursor to good actions, it is usually true that words are mere vapors that dissipate before actions can be put in place. That's why we have the expression in English, "Words are cheap." So when an enemy has a change of heart based on his words, I just laugh. I'll believe it when I see it. Hit me up in a month and tell me the same thing. I'll check the book of actions and see if the words are true.

Desire confused for truth

One matter that irritates me most is the dishonesty that comes when people confuse their desires with the truth. I know a lady who is on her second doctoral level course (she has just started her program). She wants the Ph.D. so badly that she has already signed her name and put Ed.D. following it. But it's not true. She goes around proudly saying, "research says thus and so," but when admonished to produce the research, she can't or doesn't. She doesn't know the research like a doctor would. She recently wanted a particular educational instrument to be purchased for her school district so badly that she sent an email to the powers that be stating that most schools in the US used this instrument. There are precious few pieces of curriculum that most schools in the USA implement, and this instrument is not one of the precious few pieces. Such a lie. It's hard for me to tolerate the above actions and other ones on their own merits, much less when they come from the lips of someone who has the same religious roots I do and still espouses Christian tenets. I would think honesty should be near the top of the list for such a Christian. I have to take action next week because I can no longer understand nor stand for dishonest behavior. I eschew in the most vehement terms expressible the deception of this person who confuses desire with truth. I will take this action next week in the clearest of conscience. I have seen this person's fruit. It doesn't pass muster.

Matthew 7
The Tree and Its Fruit
15"Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. 16You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don't pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles. 17A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. 18A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. 19So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.
New Living Translation

Honesty is not always direct

It's interesting to hear people speak when they don't know how to speak double-speak. They say things transparently, but they also don't understand what is being said from when someone uses double-speak on them. That makes them vulnerable. They think language use is for purely straightforward communication.

There's a certain arrogance to that view. They usually are not diplomatic people nor are they people-oriented people. And although directness is sometimes necessary, to be direct always is not the same as being honest always. They're different most of the time. It's an arrogant person who always wants direct communication because they feel that they are always honest. People who know how to be indirect with grace are more the work of beauty than those whose pragmatism stunts their use of indirect language.

From my experience, transparency, directness, pragmatism, and honesty only converge in rare moments. People who want those qualities to merge all the time either get hurt a lot or do not get out much around people. Even the greatest teacher used parables in much of his teaching.

The enemy paradox

Sometimes the enemy is one who is least expected. People get close, learn all they can, and fire away. It's sad, but it happens at times when least needed. The master teacher said to "pray" for such individuals. He doesn't say what to pray for them. If "request" is meant by prayer, then I request that their plans be exposed, thwarted. If "carry on a conversation" is meant by prayer, then I would like to explain my position and ask how in the world that position needs to be brought down or attacked. If "ask a blessing" is meant by prayer, then I simply make that request and leave it in the hands of the judge of all to take action. I'm not in control of my enemies, so I guess I will trust the Maker of those enemies to deal with them justly (and me for that matter).

Matthew 5
43 < 44But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil. 46Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that! 47And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that! 48 R52 You must be perfect---just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Riveting drama

I guess the thing that I most liked about this weekend was a TV show from My Great Big Obnoxious Fiance. It is supposed to be hilarious for viewers to see how people aren't nearly as committed to making money as they think they are. However, in this episode, the show met its match. The family picked was one that every American family ideally desires. A family that stuck together even in the face of great difficulty. The action of the show was riveting because normal people, not actors, provided the drama of every day life. I think I liked it because, under conditions of great duress, a family did not split apart. It cracked in several places, but it did not come apart. It was a work of beauty. My wish is just that for every family tonight. I know people are working hard so that splits in the fabric do not unravel. I know immense pressure is brought to bear on families. But, my wish is for those families to stand firm tonight.

Walking in a sun basin

This morning I got to see in 3D what every newspaper runs on the front page this time of year after an ice storm. Papers usually run some picture of a tree glistening in ice. My 3D experience this morning was that picture times 100 in its beauty. The park's walking path is ringed in trees which in winter looks pretty bleak since the leaves are all gone from the trees' branches. It was still and quiet. Very little movement by either nature or humans was perceptible. The sun had been up for about 20 minutes. As it shone through the glistening ice waxed onto the trees, the park looked as if it was a part of a sun basin. The brilliance was much brighter than high noon on a summer day. The walk with the Maker this morning was like being in Heaven already. The words spoken there seemed like they lasted a couple of minutes rather than the 20 they actually lasted. What a pleasure to walk in beauty and talk in time suspension.

Dump the childishness

The Creator has built in one of the best ways to perpetuate a value system. Our brains learn through repetition because they build dendrites and create synapses all the way through youth so that our values become "second nature" to us. Although we continue to build dendrites at will in adulthood, it is the "will" part that slows down the process in adulthood.

The problem lies with our will in adulthood. We humans have the capacity and hardwired ability in our brains to continue seeing situations and forming informed repsonses. Instead, we rely on the values in place from childhood. Why should we stop there? I know that a proverb from the Hebrew sacred tradition says that if principles are given when people are young, they will not depart from those principles when old. That is an accurate observation, but it is because lazy people in adulthood depend on the value system formed in their childhoods. That's why cultural differences exist. Some people, to give an example, have been conditioned to burp after a meal in order to show their appreciation for the meal. Other people have been conditioned to burp silently, if at all, because the burp is a show of ill manners. It was a value taught in youth and perpetuated into adulthood.

If the idea of this topic is applied to our sacred traditions, then people get nervous for tampering with something "holy." What I like about the Master Teacher's principles is that they are born from experience or are designed for practical application to situations that change from culture to culture, from one generation to the next. Arguments for the existence of God change from one generation to the next and from one culture to another. Which of the master's teachings to highlight change from one generation to another. Three generations ago, the judgment aspect was highlighted, today the love aspect is.

As a child I learned that "going to church" was important. There was a principle behind that, but the outward manifestation of attending a church service became the value that I put in my system. As an adult, I find that stimulus from life's journey really should allow the information traveling through the synapses formed about sacred traditions to change. Church meeting attendance absolutely has nothing to do with the principles of living according to the One who represented the Creator. Or when I read, "You have heard it to be said that you must not commit adultery, but I tell you not to even think about others in wicked ways," I can see that I am bound to repsect other people's personal space. Otherwise they might see my lack of respect for their space and invite me in, or they might reject me and quit listening to other aspects of my life that are worthy of respect. But how does one teach this understanding of adultery to a child? Of course, it is for adult understanding.

So adults need to continue forming synapses so the message from the Teacher can have a refined understanding, not a childish one. Why do so many adults want the rigid teachings designed for children to last on into adulthood? They're lazy. They don't want to allow life's stimuli to grow new synapses or reroute existing ones. New stimuli causes conflict with some of the manisfestations of childhood values. Familiarity with an idea makes it comfortable. Comfort turns into routine. Routine becomes "second nature," opinions and notions. It is not necessarily accurate or refined adult reality.

So, when my heart speaks to others in honest moments, I wish for them to see adult illumination for the real journey through life, the one that leads us all to our home not seen through our earth-bound eyes.

Viva Bill!

Recently I heard from a man who is 76. I called him. He is half Indian and half white. But he is pretty proud of his Indian heritage. He cares a lot about those on the reservations because he sees it as the main reason for the demise of his people, that and alcohol. So, he is busy contacting chiefs, 4 of which he has had some success, in order to tell them of the message of the Great Teacher. At 76! Now that's impressive. Also at age 76 this is his second year to be learning Biblical Hebrew. Power to him. He is still trying to get at the heart of the message. That's commendable. I can only wish to be as active as he is when I reach his age. He's raised 5 children and still is able to help give money to his grandchildren's college funds. I can only wish to be so generous at his age. In an age when we all need models, I certainly adopt this man as one of mine. Viva Bill!

"The answer is blowing in the wind"

I see all kinds of Christians. Many act in ways that are different from the way I interpret the Bible. I have struggled in the past with this. I know how to be tolerant of others' viewpoints. That's not the struggle. What about the people who decide to come against me in one arena or another other than religion. What about the person who asks me to support him in an election by writing a letter to the editor (which I did) and then turns around about a month and a half later to tell me how offensive my interpretation of prophecy is. To me there is a disparity. Or what about the person who attends a Christian church but decides to ensure that I get no money in the work place as a part of a budget I am supposed to oversee because he wants to see my programs fail. To me there is a disparity.

I don't know what to think about these 2 situations when I read John 3.8.

8 The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.

What was the Teacher trying to say? I can't judge others because I can't see their spirits which have been born again? Or I can't tell when God has moved in someone else's spirit since I don't have the big picture? Or I should be able to judge another's spirit if I hear the sound of a spirit?
Or this is a corollary passage to the one Paul writes about the fruits of the spirit because one should see evidence of the blowing of the wind?

In the passage, Nicodemus didn't understand about a second birth. I guess I don't understand either since I think a second birth ought to relate to actions that are consistent with decent intents and motives from those who have the sound of the wind in their lives. In the park in the morning, I will try to feel the wind on my face in hopes that illumination can happen about the "wind passage."

A mere speck of sand

Sometimes we get caught up in living for the moment. I certainly am guilty of that. Then like tonight, I watch a science documentary of the eras of the earth. That makes my puny number of years lived on this earth a grain of sand in comparison. It's hard to imagine the immensity of the universe, the number of years the earth has been around, the number of terrains extant on the plot of land my house sits on, or how many more number of terrains into the future that those alive then will see that I don't. But, what is not hard to imagine is the small impact any single life has. Even the people history has designated as great, really have no impact except in an era that will disappear into oblivion. Who were the great people of 25,000 years ago or 5000 years ago? What criteria made them great? What was their daily life like? What did they think of when they thought of the Creator? Did He communicate with them? How? But even if I knew, I would see the changes in that just like a geologist does the earth or the astromer does the heavens.

So, getting caught up in the moment will probably happen again to me. But, I have plenty of reminders that my space of a speck of sand is not that important. So, I just need to focus on the path in front of me that leads me through my era to another place prepared for me.

No talk of history

I don't know why some people have the need to wallow in bringing up unpleasant past events on a regular basis. I suppose it fills some need or they wouldn't do it. What is the need? Perhaps they need to feel superior in some way. Perhaps they need to feel that they should punish someone else since they themselves perceive that they are suffering some kind of persecution. Maybe it's the willingness to live in misery since they don't deserve better. Maybe the subtle idea that torturing someone else actually feels good is attractive to them.

I realize that revisiting the past can have productive ramifications if continuous improvement is the plan. Or revisiting is good if resolution of something unresolved is being achieved. But to bring the same events up on a regular basis for the same reasons to make the same points seems sadistic or masochistic.

It's like people won't accept the youth changing the language in some regard or another just because of their conditioning to other, more familiar ways. I'm with Bill Parcells. In a press conference before their first playoff game in 3 years, reporters wanted to know why the Cowboys lost 3 of the last 4 games even though they had cinched the playoffs. Parcells told them if they wanted to talk about history, they needed to go to the museum down the street. If they wanted to talk about the playoffs that 20 other teams were not getting to experience, to go ahead with questions. Go Bill. I'm all for making a better future, not bemoaning the past.