Occupy whatever… The problem of protests & morality

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News and discussions about the Occupy Wall Street abound. It brings up larger issues in my mind. I’m a bit fearful of political leaning posts as they tend to be polarizing, so as in all things I ask that we listen. My point is simply this: Protests rarely if ever lead to reconciliation and forcing morality rarely leads to real change.

He who whispers speaks loudest
The biggest problem with protests is they’re not heard. That’s right, not heard. “A soft answer turns away wrath.” Very few people, especially strong leaders, respond favorably to in your face, vehement approaches. We ignore those who nag or shout at us. Protesting is both of these things. It lacks civility. While I’m glad I live in a country that we can protest I do not think we should.

We’re all hypocrites
Occupy Wall Street is protesting itself. The protesters are just as broken as those they are protesting. We’re all broken and we’re all guilty. Wall Street and our government. It seems the greater injustice is how many of us have remained naive at how our society works. We elected officials based on rhetoric then truth. The way we made our lives complex propelled the consumerism and greed. It seems one side greeds for money the other for things. While one side decries income disparity, it seems the other can decry coveting. It’s the same sin.

Legislating morality
Legislating morality often doesn’t work. People choose what moral issue they wish to legislate. Why is legislating how one uses money more important than protecting life? Yes, bringing abortion into this is bringing in another polarizing issue. But, one of the criticisms of the pro-life movement is you shouldn’t legislate morality. Dealing with life, those who are anti-death penalty argue that the death penalty isn’t a deterrent. That’s not the issue, justice is. Why is justice more important with money than with life? Why is it ok to legislate morality of money?

We the people…
The problem isn’t the 99% vs 1%, its the 100%. The role of government is to maintain a just and peaceful society. It is a key reason why Paul instructs us to pray for our leaders in 1 Timothy 2. A key aspect and provision in our society is innocent until proven guilty. Are we affording that protected right in our country to Wall Street? The real question shouldn’t be aimed at Wall Street but the role and effectiveness of our government.

Pawns & being played…
When people are shouting they are not listening. When no one listens you have chaos and not reconciliation. As Christians our aim should be reconciliation. Chaos creates a large avenue for more injustice. When we read on totalitarian movements siding with the Occupy Wall Street movement, and the bigoted statements that are coming from the movement it gives me great pause. Getting even is a lousy motivator and leads to injustice. Often it brings out the “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Life isn’t fair & income mobility
There is evil in the world, and not everyone is dealt the ideal hand in life. The freedom we have in our country can allow a poor orphan to become one of the greatest CEO’s. While one may say that is an acceptation, I disagree. The Bible says if one does not work one does not eat. Hard work, making wise decisions and not giving up plays a big role. We have a choice to be a victim or to embrace obstacles as challenges. We have a choice to blame someone else, or to take responsibility for our own lives.

The bottom line
Seek to whisper and be heard. Seek to live a quiet and simple life. The problem is really us. When everyone is shouting no one is listening. When everyone is seeking their own rights, the path to reconciliation is blocked.

Manic Monday: Out of time?

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We are all given 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to accomplish God’s will. I often find that people who get burned out in ministry often do so because of time management. There are times when people have taken on too many ministry assignments, but I’ve found that to be the exception rather then the rule. I find ministry burnout is often a result of an over busy life. Here is a prescription for ministry burnout:

Redeem the time Ephesians 5:15ff
A key aspect to spiritual maturity is how one uses their! To be godly is to be wise and to be wise is to be godly. God gives us each the same amount of time. It takes discernment to utilize our time. It takes wisdom to live a simple life.

Learn to rest Psalm 46
A key aspect to utilizing our time is to wait upon God. We too often think that business is a mark or spirituality. Sometimes the most spiritual thing to do is rest. Remember, God is God and we’re not! The danger of not taking the time to rest and just plain ‘ol stop is we forget God. Busyness is the vaccine against relational intimacy!

Learn who you are Psalm 139
Let me be frank, you cannot do anything you want. God wired and artistically designed you as a unique creation that brings Him glory. He’s given you a combination of gifts, passions, abilities and experience unlike any other. Pursuing and understanding how God designed you is key to utilizing your time. Take time to name your purpose and values in life. They help guide in saying yes or no to things.

Start walking Ephesians 2:10
God has a plan for you life. The only way to discover it is to pick a direction and to start following it! You can’t steer a still ship. Trust in the fact that God has a plan and pursue something. God has a way of showing up and guiding you in the adventure called life. Remember, salvation is secured on the cross. Sometimes we think in making decisions about our time we may make the wrong one. Relax, make a decision and pursue it. Even our mistakes God uses to shape us into the image of His son.

Helpful resources:
Here are a couple of resources I found very helpful in navigating how to redeem the time. I’m sure there are others and what works for me may not work for you, but it’s a start.

http://www.thinktq.com/
http://www.franklincovey.com/tc/resources
http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/en-US/Home/home.htm

iMac, iShuffle, iPhone, iMourn

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I remember getting yelled for handing in a dotmatrix printed school report. I was told I MUST write in cursive because that is what I’d use in a job. I replied I hope to one day not have to write by hand because iStink at it.

One of my few memorable shopping experiences as a kid was with my dad visiting the store that sold Apples. My first was an Apple IIc. (For those of younger generations, it ran by putting in 5 1/2” floppy disks.) I remember the advent of the mouse and the creative fun that could result. I developed my love of writing & stories, and of design. In school they had the next best thing Apple produced, the Mac.

In high school I had the privilege of being on the technology committee, was the first to use CAD in design & architecture class via a Mac that had a whopping 2mb memory. My home Mac was a performa, while slower and less robust outperformed my PC beasts needed due to college. Lesson plans, study guides, school reports, and of course writing stories all done on a Mac. My college years with a PC, not scottish. Out of college, I went back to the Mac.

I remember the days when people said the Mac was dead. I also remember the days before the iPod and the iPhone. I loved watching keynotes because they were just awesome. They got me thinking about what I loved most, ministry.

Men love their tools, and my tool of choice is the Mac. It reminds me of the importance of substance & design, of creativity & usefulness. God designed us to create and to work. God designed within us an appreciation for design. Just gaze at sunsets and you’ll see what I mean.

I don’t always get God’s plan. Great minds are rare and each generation is lucky to have one or two. We appreciate the image of God in them, accept their flaws, and pray their soul matches their greatness. The thing about death, it points us to the hope of all things being new.

I appreciate Steve’s story. I appreciate the work he did that makes my job easier and more enjoyable. I thank God who gives us people unique abilities which keep life interesting.

Ok, iCal is telling me its time to get back to sermon prep….

The Devil is in the tech -or- why you need books & original Languages…

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Today is one of those days!

Both of my computer programs are not working and websites I use are not working as well. Even on other devices/confusers! Yep, weird. Sermon preparation is part of spiritual warfare just as preaching the Word is. Here’s the thing…

Books don’t crash… Minds do…

I’ve always used original languages as much as possible in my teaching preparation. As I stepped into a lead pastoral role, the urgency to keep my mind sharp on Greek increased. Before I relied on technology. Take your mentor’s words of wisdom and use technology as a back up or resource, not as a main stay! Some, like myself, are not adept at language. Still push yourself and don’t quit. God called us to be ourselves, but there is no replacement for original languages. When technology fails, you’ll be thankful.

Build a solid library of books as well. Granted that technology will increase in our lives. But, the Devil is in tech and while skeptics may say coincidence, coincidence happens A LOT during sermon prep. (Also true of church copiers on Sunday mornings!)

The bottom line: Build a solid library. Keep your mind sharp. I’m glad I have other resources to prepare when other things fail.

Oh, one more thing… Be grateful to those mentors who push you to excel! It’s for days like mine when things just don’t come together but you’re still confident in preparing to preach the Word. Training for ministry is a sacred trust. Be a good steward of that trust and be thankful when a professor pushes you hard. I had a great team of mentors. I’m glad they pushed hard.

Blog update thoughts…

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I’m in the process of reviewing and thinking through where to take this blog next. There are a couple of possibilities of where to take it. It’s interesting how life changes and the available time and even desires on what to write about change.

The last couple of months I’ve been adjusting to the lead pastor position at Life Fellowship Chapel. It’s been a wild ride and good to see God at work. It’s also taken up the time I’d normally invest in blogging. I love writing and will be getting back into it.

For those who read this, what content did you enjoy most? What would you add?

Blessings,

TWoznek

Lynx & Stuff

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5 Cultural Nuances of the Millennial Generation
http://mikecalhoun.wol.org/blog/blog/5culturaluancesofmillenialgen?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Trek news…
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/09/13/j-j-abrams-directing-star-trek-2/

An example of a giving church
http://pastormark.tv/2011/09/12/is-your-church-small

Moleskine pens!
http://blog.howdesign.com/gifts-and-goodies/moleskine-pens-and-pencils/

Electronic giving & worship
http://www.thinkchristian.net/index.php/2011/09/06/the-offering-as-worship-in-an-electronic-age/

On loving muslims
http://www.edstetzer.com/2011/09/thursday-is-for-turkey-intervi-1.html

Mobilizing techies & creatives
http://blog.pastors.com/blogs/pcom/creativemissions-getting-techies–creatives-involved-in-missions/

Another view on hell
http://blog.pastors.com/blogs/pcom/hell-is-real-but-i-hate-to-admit-it/

Insight into the dangers of rapid growth
http://www.ronedmondson.com/2011/08/5-dangers-of-explosive-growth-and-what-to-do-about-it.html

Civility is a marathon and we’re out of breath

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On January 6th I wrote a blog piece on the need for civility: https://twoznek.com/2011/01/06/a-return-to-civility/ . It is my desire for my boyz to live in a world were ideas are discussed with proper respect and not vitriol. Given the shootings that occurred in Tuscon, AZ soon after the blog post I wrote this: https://twoznek.com/2011/01/11/civility-civility-where-art-thou/ . Civility isn’t easy. I appreciated the way President Obama put it when addressing those hurting in AZ:

“We should be civil because we want to live up to the example of public servants like John Roll and Gabby Giffords, who knew first and foremost that we are all Americans, and that we can question each other’s ideas without questioning each other’s love of country, and that our task, working together, is to constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American dream to future generations.”
~ President Obama.

Failing the Tea Party and the Unions
Statements by public officials and other leaders regarding the Tea Party are the furthest from the concept of what civil discourse is. Note: I am not defending, promoting the Tea Party, nor am I criticizing them in this post. The vitriol within statements regarding the Tea Party pales in comparison of the rhetoric that was scolded soon after the Tuscon shooting.  The rhetoric against the Tea Party is bigoted, caustic and beneath contempt for those holding office. It serves no greater purpose than feed hostilities. For those making such statements to promote or protect unions, it ultimately fails for it gives up the high ground

Beyond party
We see the lack of civility in both parties. President Obama wisely stated “If [the Tuscon shooting] tragedy prompts reflection and debate, as it should, let’s make sure it’s worthy of those we have lost. Let’s make sure it’s not on the usual plane of politics and point-scoring and pettiness that drifts away in the next news cycle.” Sadly we are currently failing in the area of civility. This isn’t a right vs left problem, it is a lack of discernment and wisdom by all of us. We the people are the problem.

The bottom line:
We need to catch our breath n the marathon that is civility. It is time for our leaders to reflect on the rhetoric they are using. They should exemplify civility. We the people should be careful with what we desire. Civility doesn’t mean being emotionless. It does mean we should accord even those we cannot stand proper respect whether deserved or not.

Book Review: Love Wins

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 Guest Post by H.H. Comings of http://more-than-tennis.blogspot.com/2011/08/book-review-love-wins.html?spref=tw

I would strongly recommend Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins, to anyone teaching a course on Christian worldview and philosophy. It would provide the class with three things. First, it is a book rich in worldview language such as story and imagination and dualismand the issue of a closed or open system of the cosmos. Second, it reveals how people who hold an orthodox view of doctrine are judged by those who do not and, on occasion, reveals things we do which exacerbate that judgment. Third, it reveals the convolution of thought which results from faulty presuppositions.
With regard to presuppositions, students would uncover and evaluate at least four which compete for primary-presupposition status.  There would be the proposition that the Scriptures are a trove of mystery messages with a preferred theme around which all those messages revolve. In this case, the theme is itself a proposition: namely that love is the overarching character of God and all other character qualities are malleable subsets. A companion proposition to these two would be the unspoken allegation that the author and his readers are capable of applying the proposition of love to the Scriptures and, thus, making an art form of adjusting defiant scriptures to fit the theme or else ignoring them altogether. Beyond that students would wrestle with the question of whether the human problem is rational misinformation, circumstantial confusion or treacherous rebellion and whether the answer to that problem has any bearing on the character of repentance.
Besides examining the consequences of faulty presuppositions, students would be exposed to twenty-first century expressions of Platonism, Gnosticism, Universalism and allegorical interpretation. They would also confront rhetorical reasoning fallacies such as circular reasoning seen in disparagement of people who think of themselves as being part of a self-righteous “in” group, a disparagement which puts them “outside” the author’s approved circle thus implying his own “in” group.
Other fallacies include but are not limited to:
  • Guilt by association (if you believe in the existence of hell you are one of those guys who berate people);
  • Straw men (if you believe separation from God is eternal you must believe if someone in hell begged for mercy God would say, ‘Sorry, too late’);
  • The excluded middle (the assertion that Paul’s reference to the rock in the wilderness in Israel’s story  as “Christ,” means other people may be worshiping Christ and not know it);
  • The appeal to antiquity (the statement that Origen held to this view and implies the student should accept the assertion that Origen is a great light in the church);
  • The appeal to sympathy (presenting anecdotes which call on the student to make a judgment based on insufficient information about the person or persons involved);
  • Appeal to the crowd (the fact that a lot of people are offended by those who believe in a literal and eternal hell or in the exclusivity of Jesus as one’s direct object of faith);
  • Faulty cause (people who believe in hell cause people to reject Christ);
  • Bifurcation (you cannot believe in an eternal hell and believe in a loving God); and,
  • False dilemma (seen in the rapid-fire sequence of questions at the beginning of the book – questions designed to break down resistance by implying dilemmas which cannot be explained).
Added to all of these learning opportunities, of special interest would be the author’s ability to dance a hermeneutical salsa with passages of Scripture until, as in the case of John 14:6, they say something completely different than the clear meaning the words convey based on simple laws of language.
In short, other than as a teaching tool, Love Wins translates to mean the Gospel, as set forth in Scripture, loses – not, in this case, because of the self-righteous demagoguery of those who misuse it, but because of the self-congratulatory twists and turns of someone who finds it easier to conform God to human specifications of love governed by human reasoning than to submit to God’s specifications of love governed by his revelation of holiness.

Manic Monday: iShock…

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As an Apple fanboy (nut?) I was shocked to read about Steve Jobs retiring as CEO. Then, seeing all the articles pondering what Apple will be like without Jobs interested me. From a leadership perspective here is what I think…

Apple’s best days are ahead…
Enduring organizations hold vehemently to their set of values. The language used over the last decade from Apple centered on its DNA. Steve focused on keeping Apple’s values first and foremost. The saga around the iPhone 4 Gizmodo deal pointed this out greatly.

Apple figured out its culture
Culture leads long term where a person cannot. Apple returned to its culture and who it was. At a point where everyone thought Apple was done, it came back. Many companies have gone through this cycle. Ford is going through this journey.

Apple figured out discernment
Apple figured out the power of no is a stronger yes. This is hard for anyone to do. Learning to say no also sets an organization up to act vs react. Apple astutely states: if people don’t like it, they wont buy it. Apple gave realization that people really want quality & artistic expression.

Apple learned to take steps not add programs
Everything Apple did since ’97 propelled it to the next step. A key part was choosing to focus on usability vs speed & specs approach to development. In the computer race Apple was the tortoise as its 30% market growth over the last few years demonstrates.

Apple may not succeed
Qoheleth states one cannot control what happens after them. Is it possible Apple is Jobs? Yes. Is it possible that for other reasons not related to Jobs Apple will decline? Yes. But, it’s possible for reasons stated above that Apple may endure as well. And, we may suppose, that a day will come when another company will take the reigns of innovation and wow us.

The bottom line:
We cannot control what happens after us.