It is with real sadness that I interrupt the post that I was writing for this one. I just received news that a woman who I worked with a little and knew only in a peripheral sense is dead. I am very sad as I liked this woman and enjoyed the minimal contact that we had. It would be unfair to say that i am in deep mourning, however, as I did not know her that well.
However, those who are around me today are in mourning and the dark gloomy day has deepened.
I understand death in theory and theologically. The reality of it is hard for me to grasp, however. Someone who I saw a couple of days ago is not coming back, ever. I looked in at her workspace and just stared for a few moments, realizing that i will never again see her there or anywhere else.
Sometimes it is when that realization becomes concrete that it really hits home. My mother died in May of 1990. I missed her terribly, but in some way it didn't become real to me until August. That month Tina, who was six weeks pregnant, miscarried. I left her overnight at the hospital and came home. Upon entering the house the first thing I did was walk over to the phone and pick it up. I was going to call my mom. All of a sudden the enormity that I would not see her in this life hit me. It was a sad moment.
I grieve today for my friends here at the library who knew this woman more than I did and are in deep mourning. I hope I can be a comfort to them at this time. All the other things I have going to day just lost their importance in the mystery of life and death.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Faith not Flu
In the midst of our economic melt-down comes news that a nasty flu virus is spreading the globe. One child has died in our country and many more in Mexico. It is possible that there will be more before this is over.
There have been plagues throughout history. One of the worst in very modern times was the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1917-1919, during the climax of World War I. In all, an estimated 525 million people were infected world-wide. It killed 21 million, more than 1% of the world's population and more than were killed in the war.
My grandfather was an city policeman when it broke out in Los Angeles. The virus had hit hard in the poorer communities of East L.A., and the entire region was put under quarantine. He was part of the squad assigned to enforce the embargo on people coming or leaving the zone. So frightened were the city leaders that the orders they gave the police were shoot-to-kill. I wonder if they would have been so draconian if the outbreak had been in Beverly Hills.
We have become a bit numb to crises like this. There seems to be a new one every week and many, like the bird-flu scare of a few years back, didn't impact us too much. On thge other hand, I do know people, as do you, who are in a perpetual state of worry over dramatic news events.
Whatever reasonable precautions you and I take, there is one thing that should be added to the list: prayer. Not so much intercessory prayer, though that is always in order. No, what we need is aligning prayer. The kind of prayer that seeks the face of God for peace and comfort rather than demanding answers and understanding. The kind of prayer that puts us in proper relationship with the creator and sustainer of the universe.
Even when we are properly aligned, it is possible that we may get sick, that someone close to us may die. I would never minimize the tragedy if this occurs, but I know that if I am aligned with my God and his ways, then I will be able to walk through this disaster and the next one becasue he is my strength.
So the next time the news scares you, turn off the TV or internet and go into the presence of God. Align yourself with his majesty. Receive his grace and comfort. And then go out ready to face anything.
There have been plagues throughout history. One of the worst in very modern times was the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1917-1919, during the climax of World War I. In all, an estimated 525 million people were infected world-wide. It killed 21 million, more than 1% of the world's population and more than were killed in the war.
My grandfather was an city policeman when it broke out in Los Angeles. The virus had hit hard in the poorer communities of East L.A., and the entire region was put under quarantine. He was part of the squad assigned to enforce the embargo on people coming or leaving the zone. So frightened were the city leaders that the orders they gave the police were shoot-to-kill. I wonder if they would have been so draconian if the outbreak had been in Beverly Hills.
We have become a bit numb to crises like this. There seems to be a new one every week and many, like the bird-flu scare of a few years back, didn't impact us too much. On thge other hand, I do know people, as do you, who are in a perpetual state of worry over dramatic news events.
Whatever reasonable precautions you and I take, there is one thing that should be added to the list: prayer. Not so much intercessory prayer, though that is always in order. No, what we need is aligning prayer. The kind of prayer that seeks the face of God for peace and comfort rather than demanding answers and understanding. The kind of prayer that puts us in proper relationship with the creator and sustainer of the universe.
Even when we are properly aligned, it is possible that we may get sick, that someone close to us may die. I would never minimize the tragedy if this occurs, but I know that if I am aligned with my God and his ways, then I will be able to walk through this disaster and the next one becasue he is my strength.
So the next time the news scares you, turn off the TV or internet and go into the presence of God. Align yourself with his majesty. Receive his grace and comfort. And then go out ready to face anything.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Voice of God Thunders
I had trouble staying asleep last night because of the storm. Lightning flashed, thunder rolled, and rain pelted the house for several hours. After a warm day, the cool air that resulted felt refreshing as it drifted through the windows.
When I was a kid, my mother used to tell us that thunder was the sound of the angels bowling. Parents say things like that because thunder is frightening to a small child. Even adults can be surprised by it.
On a few occasions in the Bible, thunder or a thunderstorm was attributed to the hand of God. This is not because the ancients believed that thunder was God's voice or some such thing. They were a bit more sophisticated than we give them credit for. Rather, they believed that, at least some of the time, God controlled the weather and could direct it as he wished.
Even so, thunder was used metaphorically in Scripture to describe either the voice or power of God. Isaiah 33:3--At the thunder of your voice, the peoples flee; when you rise up, the nations scatter. Job 26:14--Who then can understand the thunder of his power?
And thunder is a fitting metaphor. It is a sound that booms from the sky. It is typically accompanied by powerful weather conditions. Though it is not the only way to describe God's act of speaking (such as the still, small voice), it communicates one aspect of his speaking: When God says something, it has power and authority behind it.
As I listened to the thunder, I thought this: Just as the rainbow in the sky is supposed to remind us that God will never again destroy the entire earth with water, perhaps we should think of his authoritative voice every time we hear the thunder roar across the sky.
When I was a kid, my mother used to tell us that thunder was the sound of the angels bowling. Parents say things like that because thunder is frightening to a small child. Even adults can be surprised by it.
On a few occasions in the Bible, thunder or a thunderstorm was attributed to the hand of God. This is not because the ancients believed that thunder was God's voice or some such thing. They were a bit more sophisticated than we give them credit for. Rather, they believed that, at least some of the time, God controlled the weather and could direct it as he wished.
Even so, thunder was used metaphorically in Scripture to describe either the voice or power of God. Isaiah 33:3--At the thunder of your voice, the peoples flee; when you rise up, the nations scatter. Job 26:14--Who then can understand the thunder of his power?
And thunder is a fitting metaphor. It is a sound that booms from the sky. It is typically accompanied by powerful weather conditions. Though it is not the only way to describe God's act of speaking (such as the still, small voice), it communicates one aspect of his speaking: When God says something, it has power and authority behind it.
As I listened to the thunder, I thought this: Just as the rainbow in the sky is supposed to remind us that God will never again destroy the entire earth with water, perhaps we should think of his authoritative voice every time we hear the thunder roar across the sky.
Monday, April 27, 2009
What This Blog Is About
I just re-read my first post and realized that you might think that this blog will be about me whining about not fitting in all the time. Au contraire, mi amigo. That just provides the background for my perspectives. My life itself is simply not interesting enough to write about most of the time.
Subjects that I intend to cover: Theology (hopefully the interesting parts--you let me know), church issues, baseball, music (especially guitars), cultural musings, and reflections on daily life. I will tell the occassional story, review a book or moive, bemoan the lack of good Mexican food outside of the southwest, and maybe tell a joke or two.
But I promise: no whining.
Subjects that I intend to cover: Theology (hopefully the interesting parts--you let me know), church issues, baseball, music (especially guitars), cultural musings, and reflections on daily life. I will tell the occassional story, review a book or moive, bemoan the lack of good Mexican food outside of the southwest, and maybe tell a joke or two.
But I promise: no whining.
Why "Stranger in a Strange Land"
I have always been a bit of a misfit. I don't say this for sympathy; it's just the way it is. I belong to a denomination (Assemblies of God) that I respect, but into which I often do not fit culturally. I am finishing up my degree at a church-school (Concordia Seminary) which has significantly different practices than mine. Nearly all of my Christian friends are Rush-Limbaugh-type conservatives, which I am not. I allow for Biblical interpretation that takes into account genre and authorial intent in the midst of people who tend to read literalistically. When I have worked outside of church/school circles, I had little interest in those things in which my co-workers were interested.
Now if I had better people skills, these differences would be easier to finese. Alas, I am too introspective. Many people like me, but once I move away, I am mostly forgotten. This makes my life-journey a bit different than it is for some. Therefore, in any of my life-circles, I always feel as if I am standing not in the middle, but toward the edges. Hence the title of this blog.
Once again, I do not say this for sympathy. I am comfortable with my place in life. It does mean, however, that my prespective as expressed in this blog may not always match that of my readers. I hope no one is offended by this. I only desire a fair hearing for what I express.
Feel free to comment on anything I post. I am always interested in dialogue with anyone who will think and care deeply about issues. And I hope I can listen. Even at my age (52), I find that I can be persuaded to different position from time to time.
I have no idea how often I will post. I do have a backlog of things I have been working on to keep it going for a while. I promise not to waste your time on trivial things I hope to always have something that might be of interest to you.
Now if I had better people skills, these differences would be easier to finese. Alas, I am too introspective. Many people like me, but once I move away, I am mostly forgotten. This makes my life-journey a bit different than it is for some. Therefore, in any of my life-circles, I always feel as if I am standing not in the middle, but toward the edges. Hence the title of this blog.
Once again, I do not say this for sympathy. I am comfortable with my place in life. It does mean, however, that my prespective as expressed in this blog may not always match that of my readers. I hope no one is offended by this. I only desire a fair hearing for what I express.
Feel free to comment on anything I post. I am always interested in dialogue with anyone who will think and care deeply about issues. And I hope I can listen. Even at my age (52), I find that I can be persuaded to different position from time to time.
I have no idea how often I will post. I do have a backlog of things I have been working on to keep it going for a while. I promise not to waste your time on trivial things I hope to always have something that might be of interest to you.
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