Discrepant Events

There is a volcanic rock called pumice.  It starts as lava and it cools so quickly that it is full of air holes.  This makes it very light.  So light in fact that it will float on top of water.  If asked, most of us would say that rocks don't float, they sink, but here is a rock that breaks the rules.  It goes against conventional wisdom.  It challenges our assumptions and makes us go hmmm.  It is a discrepant event.

Discrepant events are things that happen that are different than what we expect.  We anticipate one thing, but get another.  Because they are the exception and not the rule they catch our attention and make us curious.  They are a favorite tool of teachers and circus ringmasters.

I would say that the discrepant events are what make life interesting.  When we ask about someone's day, they tell us about the different, the unusual, the strange.  We don't want to hear that they stopped for gas and it went completely normal, we want to hear about the different.

Sometimes it feels like life is nothing but one big discrepant event.  The unusual and the unexpected seem to be the norm.  SOmetimes we long for a patch of normalcy to bring stability to our world.  But only for so long, then we are ready for something to break up the monotony.

Discrepant events are the unusual and different.  And while that can be fun, no one wants to live their life like this.  We want normal and expected with a dash of discrepancy to liven it up a bit.  But that's not the Christian story.

Watch this clip from Pastor Lowell.

The humble will be given Glory, the meek will inherit the Earth, love those that persecute you, the first will be last.  The teachings of Jesus at first glance go against logic.  But that's it.  Jesus is the ultimate discrepant event and that is why he has been attracting the lost for 2000 years.