Vacation

Soupstones is taking a week or so off.  I hope that everyone has a happy holiday.

See you next week.

I Am Sorry That You Feel That Way

Have  you ever heard the non-apology apology?  They are very common in politics and public relations.  A speaker reads a statement that acknowledges no wrong doing and generally expresses remorse for something unrelated to the actual problem.  They are more sorry that they have to read this statement than anything else.  There is actually a wikipedia page on this.

It is like saying, "I'm sorry that you feel that way." It says this is your problem not mine.  It's about how you perceive my actions not what I have done.  It is like saying, "I'm not sorry at all, I just wish that you weren't upset with me."

How many of us take the same approach with God.  I am sorry that you feel that way God, but I am still doing my own thing.  I know what you want from me God, and I am sorry that you feel that way.  We know what the right choice is, but that is not what we are going to do.  And we are sorry that God has a problem with it.  We see it as God's problem, not ours.

So what area of our lives do we tell God, "I'm sorry that you feel that way." CS Lewis described redemption as total surrender, obedience to God's will over our own.  I think where God is calling for surrender, we sometimes try to make do with a cease fire. 

Selective Deafness

A mother takes her son to the doctor and tells the doctor that she thinks that there is something wrong with his hearing.  "Half the time, when I say something to him, he doesn't seem to hear me." The doctor looks at the young man and asks, "How old are you?" "Twelve and a half", he replies.  The doctor looks at the mother and says, "I imagine in six months he won't hear you at all."

We all have the ability to suffer from selective deafness.

So many  of us only hear what we want to hear.  That comes from not really listening to someone who is telling us something we don't like.  But it also comes from only listening to advice that confirms the position that we have already set.  

Say that you are going to buy something on line.  You go to the web site.  You look at the reviews, but only read the ones with five stars, even when there are several lower reviews right there.  Cable news is segmented so we only hear that from our political perspective.  And when we want advice, we go to a friend that will support our decision, not one that will be honest no matter what.  It's selective deafness.

And so it goes as we make decisions that affect our lives.  God is still speaking, but we do not listen.  Maybe we think that we won't like the answer and maybe we know the answer, we just don't want to hear it.

We live in an amplified world.  We are so used to everything coming at us at high volume that we have lost the art of listening.  When Lincoln spoke the Gettysburg Address, there were no microphones or loud speakers.  He spoke up and everyone paid attention.  

We need to give God that much attention.  We need to take time and quiet ourselves and pray and then listen.  That is if we want to hear what He is saying.

What We Know That Just Ain't So

Have you ever looked at a magician performing a trick and tried to figure it out.  The trick is always always always in the place where you think its not.  Ask yourself what part of the trick do I know for sure, the box is empty, the cup is solid, the page is blank, there you will find the trick.

I think that the problem is not the unknown unknowns.  It is the things that we put into the known column, but are really unknowns.  Or as that old saying goes, "It's not what we don't know, it what we do know but just ain't so."

In education, there isn't anything harder to break through than a long held misconception.  You understand the world is like this, but it is really like that.  It is not true that your blood is blue sometimes and red at others, men don't have less ribs than women and water does not go down a drain differently in the northern hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere.  (Really!)  The problem is what we know but just ain't so.

This is a particular challenge when it comes to making life decisions.  We think that the best course is this but later discover that it should have been that.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3: 5-6

When faced with a problem there are certain things that I know to be true.  

• Most problems are solved by either by hard work or ignoring it and letting it solve itself.
• Most decisions are best decided by weighing the costs, benefits and risks.
• If I am worried about being caught, it's probably a bad idea.

But what if these are the things I know that just ain't so?  What if the best course is one that makes absolutely no sense, that I am somewhat embarrassed by that sounds crazy when I say it out loud.  It is only by trusting in God and getting in the habit of seeking His wisdom that we can know the difference.

Hold on Loose - It's a Bumpy Ride

I heard a story a while back about a driver who was ticketed for not securing their baby seat in the car.  He told the officer that he needed the seat belt for holding the cases of beer.  It's all about priorities.

What's important to you?  Try this, imagine that there is a flood and you are evacuating.  You have a few minutes to throw in the car 8-10 things.  Everything else would be ruined in the flood, lost to looters, gone.  What would it be?   Round 2 - Imagine you wake up in the night and the house in on fire.  You have to get out now.  What do you grab on the way out of the door.  What is important to you?

This exercise really isn't fair.  The lists will focus on the things that are the hardest to replace.  The file with birth certificates and other documents makes the list because of this reason.  There is a lot of information on the computer that I hate to lose.  Can't forget the photo albums and the paintings.  In the fire example I often think of my glasses and a pair of shoes as being important.  Oh yeah, we should get the family out too.  I wonder how the list would change if there were no insurance and every thing we didn't take was really gone and not to be replaced.

God calls us to have a lose hold of our possessions.   Every thing that we own, own's us.  There is the maintenance and the responsibility of looking after it.  The things that we hold tightly can be a hindrance to the purpose that he has for us.

I have tried to picture what it would be like to sacrifice my son.  I have tried, but to be honest, there is no scenario that I picture where I actually go through with it.  I know in the Bible that Abraham did not have to sacrifice Isaac, but Abraham didn't know that at the time.  I know intellectually that my family is already God's and not mine.  I know that no matter how much I love my family God loves them more.  But being honest, I can't picture how I would be able to do it.  Maybe Abraham thought the same thing on the way up the mountain.  Maybe that's why God built a nation through Abraham and not through me.

Significance

The joke goes - What is big and gray and doesn't matter?  An Irrephant.

Throughout history, popular trouble makers have been offered the same deal. You quit making such a fuss and we will leave you alone.  We both can have everything really easy, all that's necessary is that you need to go off an be irrelevant.

It was offered to Dr. King, to Nelson Mandela, to Ghandi.  It was even offered to George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life".   Old Mr. Potter offers George a great job.  All George has to do is give up the building and loan and the help and impact he is having in his town.  All he needs to be is irrelevant and everything will be easy.

In the book of acts, the Disciples are offered the deal.  They don't need to be in trouble, they just need to stop making such a fuss.

The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!  The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.  After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.  Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. Acts 5:27-42

So the apostles didn't take the deal either.  Significance requires risk.

I suppose that throughout history there have been many who have taken the deal, avoided the risks and went away quietly.  They avoided the risks and lived safe.  I can't tell you who any of them are, because what they did, didn't matter.

You Got This

They showed this  video in church this morning in honor of Father's Day.  I wanted to share it.

Change

Some people don't like change.  We get used to a pattern, and we like that pattern to repeat itself.  We sit in the same places, buy the same brands, eat the same foods, and there is nothing wrong with it.  Our patterns make us comfortable.

But it never lasts, change is inevitable.  Sooner or later that restaurant closes, they stop making that brand, someone rearranges the chairs, they decide that facebook needs a new look. 

Some of these changes are miner irritations, but some are really a big deal.  Changes at the workplace or home can have serious impacts on life and they can be stressful.  It is through these life changing transitions that we really need to trust God and lean on the stability that He gives us.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: - Ecclesiastes 3:1 

Changes are inevitable, the only question is how we deal with them.  And when the real big changes come, the question is will we walk through them alone or according to God's plan.

Never Stop Learning

My grandfather played the organ.  He has two organs in his living room and a large lesley speaker to go with them.  When I was young and we would visit he would often play.  What I didn't realize then was that he never learned to play until after he retired.  He had many interests, he worked on cars, repaired radios and he had a creative approach to home wiring, but evidently he wanted to play music.  So after 30 years of working at Chrysler, he learns to play the organ.  We are never too old to learn something new.

Learning isn't about age, it's about curiosity.  Learning is about opening ourselves up to new ideas and new information.  Whether it is because we want to know it, or because we need to know it, the process is the same.  

Some lessons are hard to learn.  Some of the hardest are the personal lessons on how we live our lives.  Of course the challenging part isn't learning what to do, but to put that knowledge into practice.  Most of have some unhealthy practices.  The problem isn't that we don't know.  The kind of learning that makes us change what we do, is often a bit harder.

And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned - 1 Corinthians 2:13-14

In school I have heard it said that some people teach for 30 years, others teach that first year 30 times.  I suppose every profession is like that.  Some people do it the same over and over, never improving.  Others use the experience to make improvements so that each time through is a little different and hopefully a little better.  Which are you.

Twenty Moves Ahead

Recently on a news program they were interviewing scientists about the possibility of an asteroid hitting the Earth.  At one point the interviewer asked, what if they found a large asteroid a few weeks away from hitting the Earth on a collision course, what would we do?  The astronomer's was, "Pray."  His opinion was that if it was that close, it would be too late to do anything, but if we saw it coming 20 year away, we could give it a little nudge.  Just running something into it would slow it a bit and over 20 years it would make the difference, but it would take time.

How often are there things in life like the asteroid?  If we were to make small changes long ago, we would be in a better position today.  Health issues are like this, finances. relationships... what else.  Some of these are predictable, and others we never see coming.

Life really isn't so much like the asteroid as a Rube Goldberg device.  Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist that drew overly complicated machines to do a simple purpose.  One thing leads to another to another.  Much like the kids game Mouse Trap.

Comparing life to either the asteroid or the Rube Goldberg device is misleading because there is not a single task to complete.  There are multiple interlocking outcomes to achieve.  I want my son to grow up to be a healthy, responsible adult, and I want a healthy marriage, and have a successful career and and and and and.    There is no way for me to see all the moves, all of the possibilities, all of the asteroids.  

Luckily God's got my back.  What seems impossible for me is all in God's plan an he sees more than a few moves ahead.

God has the long view and sees the potential pitfalls and problems long before we do.  We just need to be in a position to listen to the plan and follow His will for us.

For a Purpose

Many people think that they would like to be a millionaire, but what they really mean is that they want to spend a million dollars.  And that's not really the same thing.*

Once you spend the million bucks, it's gone.  A millionaire invests the money wisely and uses the proceeds, and doesn't just make out a shopping list.  Some people who have tremendous wealth make the most of it. do great things and help society.  Other people spend their money on their own comforts and status with little regard for others.  How many times have you heard stories of people self destructing after winning the lottery?  Life becomes all about making themselves happy.

God's are a little like this.  Many people want God's blessings without walking in His purpose.  They want to win the spiritual lottery and have the floodgates of heaven open on them, but they want those blessings with little regard to how God would have them use them.

God's blessings have a purpose.  They do not come to make our lives easy but to advance His causes.  

I think that we sometimes get it backwards.  We think that if I had the money I would give to charity, help people, make large donations, pay for this, pay for that.  If only if we had the resources.  Maybe the key is to not think about the resources, but to focus on God's purpose.  If we are following God's purpose, the resources will be there.

*I got that line from somewhere, but I can't find the original source.

Be Prepared

Do you ever have to work with someone who is not prepared?  You show up at a meeting or an event and they haven't done anything to get ready.  There is that time of fumbling and plodding while everyone tries to figure out what is going on.

It's not that we can't get by or make it work, it's that being unprepared cheats us out of making the most of a situation.  If we are doing everything at the last minute, our standard becomes "good enough" and not "excellence".  A friend of mine says that there is a difference between a job done and a job well done.  

The same is true in our walk with God.  We need to be prepared to get the biggest impact from what God does.  

I don't think that we can just get up one day and say, I am going to now be someone who is excellent.  I think that excellence requires practice so that it becomes a habit.  The same is true for preparedness. We need to make it a habit so that it feels like the norm, not a special event.

The same goes with our walk with God.  We need to always be prepared so that when God does move, we will be ready to make the most of His blessings.