Incivility will not cure incivility.
Bigotry will not cure bigotry.
Anger will not cure anger.
Pride will not cure pride.
Graciousness is the balm for incivility.
Compassion is ointment for bigotry.
Forgiveness is surgery to heal anger.
Servanthood is the hospital for curing pride.
In my discovery of fountain pens and the fountain pen world, I discovered a company via YouTube that is brilliant. In answering the: How do I get started with fountain Pens? Go to Gouletpens.com. But there is more to fountain pens then the pen or a business selling pens.
Informative
Brian posted tons of video, including a Fountain Pen 101 series, on YouTube. Any info you need to know in getting started and beyond is answered there. You’ll also gain leadership and business insights that are quite helpful. Honestly, in the law of fountain pens, interacting with his content is a must. (There is no law of fountain pens.)
Community
I discovered there is quite a community around fountain pens. It’s a hobby and niche, but it is a classy one. One big thing gained from being a part of this community is increased thoughtfulness and art in doing what we’re doing. It helps bridge the gap of work being a pleasurable experience, not just utility. (I write a lot for work.) This community develops a sense of thoughtfulness and intentionality in not just what we do but in how we do it.
Personal
Goulet Pens brings back what is really lacking in our culture. They prove that technology isn’t the problem in our increasingly impersonal culture. I am amazed at how accessible Brian and his team are. Classy, fun, and professional. There is more to a hobby or a tool. There are people. Goulet Pen company brings back the personal in a tech filled world.
The bottom line:
Fountain pens are a tool and a hobby. Finding a personal connection for information or as a vendor can be a challenge. Goulet Pen Company, while online, fits the bill amazingly well. I’m just a customer. If you’re looking at getting started, equipped, enjoying the pleasure of fountain pens, check them out.
We read reports of those on the right causing dissention, dividing, being bigoted, etc.. In those spheres there is no disagreement, so it must be true. We read reports of those on the left causing dissention, dividing, being bigoted, etc.. In those spheres there is … Continue reading To my friends both right and left
One of my core values is to enjoy the simple things of life. One such fairly recent thing is the world of fountain pens. Friday’s will be devoted to all things fountain pen related. Many ask me questions, and so I’ll dump such answers here. … Continue reading Fountain Pen Friday
It is not wrong to fear. We all have fear. I wonder though if because of fear we act out of cowardice instead of courage? The presidential elections, the economy, that awful food we’re about to eat a dinner. Fear is ok, but I’m starting to wander if cowardice is.
When we do not engage and work through conflict, we create an unhealthy climate. Then we bemoan the bad climate we put ourselves in. We fear conflict, but too often choose to act out of cowardice by avoiding it.
When we do not take risks and fight for the relationship, we create an apathetic climate. Then we bemoan apathy and ask why people don’t care. We give up. We fear rejection, but too often choose to act out of cowardice by not acting.
When we do not fight with mercy and grace, we create a brittle climate. Then we bemoan the over sensitivity, and ask why people can’t be honest. We get frustrated. We fear being hated, but too offer choose to act out of cowardice by choosing the path of least resistance.
Choose courage despite fear. Reject cowardice and all that it brings. Acting out of cowardice does not quench our fears. It allows our fear to become a prison. Jesus didn’t die and rise again for us to be trapped in fear by acting out of cowardice. You can choose courage over fear. If you think you can’t, find someone who can help you figure out how. Asking for help, after all, is a healthy step of courage.
Let us change the discussion from navel gazing at ‘the why’ of our problems and look to solutions. One sentence on the why of the “church” problems: Unbiblical thinking combined with lack of thought and theology leads to poor discernment and a mess. Now that the problem is out of the way, we can stop reading numerous church is blah blah blah articles. A wise professor drilled three concepts that will help us overcome: Think. Judge. Redeem.
Think.
Proverbs teaches us to be wise is to be godly. Ephesians 5&6 teaches us to be godly is to be wise. In Ephesians 4 as well as Romans 12 the Spirit points directly at the life of the mind. Christianity must work in the midst of suffering and chaos of our current world. And it does. Our fear stems from a lack of thought. Reason and faith are not opposed to one another. Our devotional life must ponder the deep questions of life as we study the Bible. Renewing our mind is a critical aspect to worship. Jesus did say we will not only worship in spirit but also in truth.
Judge.
God is the source of all truth. In our current reality there is evil and suffering in the world. The question we then need to ask is how to we discern good form evil? Developing the mind is for the pragmatic result of discerning between good and evil, and between better and best. It is to, as Jesus stated, be wise as serpents but innocent as doves. This level of discernment is expected of us as Christians. (Read Hebrews 5:11-14)
Redeem.
Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save it. The world is not a mere reference to people, but all creation as well. As we discern truth from error we must answer the question of how to redeem it. As Paul states, redeeming the time for the days are evil. How can we take an object that is depraved, discern the truth of it, and then use such for God’s glory? We are not to live life as a great waiting room for heaven. We are to engage in life and assist in the process of making it new in anticipation of Jesus return. This takes courage.
Lights. Trees. Action.
Think. John talks about Jesus being the light of the world. Judge. Martin Luther, a pastor in Germany, is faced with the paganism of the people he is trying to reach. One pagan ritual was bringing in evergreen trees to celebrate the winter solstice. The people needed to move away from false religion and instead focus on Christ. Redeem. The solution was to add lights to the evergreen tree to represent Jesus as the light of the world. A tradition once tied to paganism is renewed to a symbol of an incredible truth.
Act, don’t react.
We react negatively when our mind and discernment lacks development. Worse, we act in fear. Developing the mind is a critical spiritual discipline. Discernment is essential if we are to not only speak the gospel but also live it. Redemption is a critical role we play as ambassadors for Jesus Christ. Developing the mind does not take away from faith. Truly, developing the mind bolsters the reasonableness and truthfulness of the gospel.
The bottom line:
Developing the life of the mind is a solution to help the church radiate the truth of the gospel, bless our culture, and act with gracious courage.
Today marks 30 years of walking with Jesus. May marks 15 years pastoral ministry. It is hard to fathom. Half of my saved life is invested in leading Christ’s church.
We hear tons of news of pastoral hurt (Some unwarranted according to Ed Stetzer.) We hear of only 1 in 10 pastors making it to the finish line, of 80% of 20’s walking away from church, etc. And too often, we hear of church implosions. Questions of why bother and does Christianity work come to mind. Here are some key points to why bother and why it works:
There’s a theme. I see only two common characteristics of those engage with church despite past hurts.
Knowing what I know now, I’d make the same choice I made 30 years ago and endeavored 15 years ago. Jesus rising from the dead to save people like you and I is that amazing.
I debated writing this as it’s no doubt controversial, but seeing some weigh in on Santa and avoiding The Clause, I must quote Charile Brown: Good grief. So, for the Scrooges who want to Grinch my Good boy from the north (Pole, not UP for my Michigan friends), here are top reasons I believe in Santa:
1) When I was a child I thought as a child. Boom. Let kids be kids and relish fantasy land. They’ll spend the rest of their lives dealing with the problem of evil in relation to he Gospel.
2) Fantasy stories lead to real stories. St. Nick was a real dude who showed chivalry to children and beat down heretics. Love kids, beat Satan. That’ll preach.
3) imagination teaches what teaching cannot teach. Ultimately imagination turns into problem solving. Play turns into careers. Fantasy turns into hopefulness. When their ready to drop Santa they’re ready to take on some challenging concepts. Oh, and they’ll do Santa still because it’s about the fun & love of family.
4) I believe in consistency. If you want to pull off a drive by on the big man, please inform me on: avoiding Star Wars, Disney, Left Behind Movies (I’m a Dispy, but still), and anything resembling a talking animal (Eve missed that point) or talking veggie’s. Same league as Santa. Kids act them out. I’ve done the VBS thing. Let’s get real, we do fantasy all the time teaching Jesus.
5) I value work, even on the holidays. Elves do a great job. (Elf is annoying. Seriously, a rocket engine? For sure Santa could have something cool like a warp engine that’s powered by elvish spirit. I digress.) Churh is work not play. It’s not a club or a commodity. God made us to work, not rest & retire. There is purpose and value to serve others.
6) I dig ministry. Set-a-part-one(that’s what Saint means) Nicholas devotes his life to blessing and serving others. Granted he’s the big man for about 30 days, then he’s at work the other 335 days. Devotion to serving others is a noble task. Noble tasks tend to bring on larger than life characters. Should we not do great things because they might become… SANTA?
7) I think we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously. Play with your kids. Cherish the smiles, play, fantasy and cheer. Later in life you’ll have to teach them the harder lessons of dealing with heretics. So, don’t be dumb and do the Santa thing. It’s no different than sipping air tea from an empty plastic cup or answering the play phone handed you.
The bottom line: I believe in Santa. I think avoiding Santa is dumb. I believe in childhood. I think avoiding fantasy is dumb. I believe Jesus would pop on a Santa hat. After all, he did let kids hop on his lap. Jesus is Santa’s hero.
Kim Davis enters quite a few conversations or questions lately. Is she a hero? Some say yes. Is she a villain? Some say yes. Of course the question then arises: which do I think? Perhaps I don’t know is he best answer. Here’s what I mean:
We’re lawless
She is not the first government official to thwart the law. She’s just the first we’ve seen held accountable. Here are numerous cases of government officials thwarting the law. Either we’re a nation of laws or a nation run by people. The later is tyrannical, and it is what we have.
We’re clueless
Too many events that made national news come out with less than all the facts. It seems this case fits that pattern. After initial viewpoints and uproars, more of the facts came out that make people look foolish. Sadly our pride prevents us from admitting errors, so the original narrative sticks. This is a sad pattern, regardless of political viewpoint on any issue. We could all use a study on slander from the Bible.
We’re ignorant
The incident also points to a gaping problem: we the people are truly ignorant of how our government works. The president is not a king. The Supreme Court is not he final arbiter of the land. We are. There are checks and balances because each branch can be in error. The system was also set up so divisive issues get settled legislatively and preferably by states. Because of our ignorance, government became something it should not be.
We’re hated
They killed Jesus. They killed Paul. Christians are the most persecuted minority in the world. So, to my Christian friends: Yes, Jesus was known as a friend of sinners. They also yelled crucify him. His very own scattered and left. Peter denied him three times- and he was warned about it! If they hated Jesus, they’ll hate us too. It is possible this is our “Shadrach” moment. The incident does not fit yes hero or villain mold.
The bottom line:
I don’t know if Kim is a hero or a villain. I don’t know if she acted foolishly or wisely. I don’t know if she is a Pharisee or being faithful. Here is what I do know: her actions are revealing more about us then about her. We- you and I- have some serious logs we need to remove from our own eyes before we can answer the hero or villain question, if that is even the right question to ask. So my take: I don’t know, but I do know we need to look in the mirror more.
It may seem odd to raise this question, but it’s one I think needs to be raised. We often say “Of course kids matter!” Though I wonder if our actions line up with that. For my boyz, today is the first day of school. With the coming of the first day of school I see many parent’s excited that the kids are gone, others who don’t care, and a minority who prefer our kids at home, but are not able to do that. The first day leaves me with an uneasy feeling.
Kids aren’t pets
Throughout my years working with kids I see a sad and growing trend. If a kid is not causing trouble or being too annoying, they’re essentially left alone. Kids aren’t pets. They take work. Painstaking, drive you up the wall at times, work. As parents we are either intentionally engaged or we’re in trouble and don’t know it. I honestly think it is that clear of a binary. Kids need us to be intentionally engaged in their lives. Too often we as parents approach teachers as a hairdresser for our poodle who can do no wrong. Let us be honest, your kids nor mine are perfect.
Teachers aren’t parents
A teacher’s job is to educate our kids. Our job is to parent them. In the realm of education I see two frustrated groups: parents and teachers. What I find interesting is how much agreement there often is on the frustrations, yet they exist. Both are frustrated with the system. One party has the power to change it. That’s right, we as parents. We expect things of teachers that kids really need from us as parents, and we often question a teachers ability, when they actually agree with us on things. Teachers are professionals and they’re good and bad teachers. Growing are tapped out and apathetic teachers because…
Politicians aren’t teachers
The goal of education is the reach in retrospect the goalposts constantly changing before them. Honestly, sometimes our kids getting an education is by chance of a skilled teacher educating despite the system. We’re all affright about the status of education, and so politicians jump in to regulate. Here is an idea: why not let teachers do the job they’re trained for? Politicians are not trained educators. We would think it crazy for state legislatures to dictate how a football team should operate and play the game. Yet, we do that with teachers all the time. Why?
Empty chairs aren’t helpful
There are too many empty chairs that should be occupied by parents. Sadly, the parents who often show up are not always the ones who need to. Showing up matters. If more of us parents were informed about how things work, things would be different and better for our kids. This would make it better for teachers. We’d likelier be on the same team. Teachers may even start enjoying the job that they love again. I too often see and hear about empty chairs at parent meetings,teacher conferences, workshops, etc.
The bottom line:
Parents, we are the key. This year and the coming election cycle, can we change the discussion on education? If kids really do matter, then let us ask our politicians, ESPECIALLY state legislators, how they can get out of teacher’s way and let them do their job. If kids really do matter, let us fill those empty chairs and realize teachers are neighbors with us and not a commodity for us. We say kids really matter, then let us act on it. After all, we can.
