Book Review: Decisions Points by George W. Bush

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I highly recommend President Bush’s book, regardless of one’s political disposition. The book deals well with the Learn. Dream. Live. focus of this blog. The book reads well and offers much insight to things other than politics. This review is not intended nor should be viewed a defense of President Bush.

Civility
I am impressed by the President’s quest for civility and new tone. This is something that Bush learned and grew in. The focus on respect for the office of President is profound, and the process of growth in being civil is a skill everyone would benefit from learning. Reading the book also gives a larger reason to be civil; we often do not have the full story. Frankly, if more people were as down to Earth as Bush, or aspired to the civility he describes, American politics would be better.

Choices & Consequences
Responsibility is not a popular term. The book brings about a healthy view and reality of making choices and living with the consequences. Hard decisions are often controversial. The process that repeats throughout the book is: understanding one’s responsibility, gaining wisdom from others, and making sure you have the best view or data of the situation possible. Then, after that, one must act and be willing to face the consequences. Bush does not describe himself as perfect nor do we all agree with the choices he made. But, his process is sound and he acted as a man should.

Family
Bush is a family man. The profound respect he has for his dad is amazing. Honestly, I think the strength of the Bush family is foreign and almost incomprehensible today. I’m sure this issue in spun hundreds of different ways. (Skepticism abounds with public persons.) Taking Bush at his word, his relationship with his dad is one we should all value and aspire to.

Readability
The book reads well and has a refreshing pace. Each chapter focuses on a particular decisions or related decisions. The book is not a biographical timeline, which I found refreshing having read a few biographies of leaders. This style gives you better insight into the real job the president does- making decisions- then the life of a president.

A Warning
The overly political disparity of our country tends towards party rhetoric instead of focus on truth and history. Bush correctly asserts that history will make its own judgments; noting in one point in his book that people are still debating the “first George W.” Sometimes extremely unpopular decisions that people are against are viewed years, decades or even centuries later as wise. Regardless of our political views or our views on Bush, we should listen.

Dismissing what Bush writes as political fluff or just a book written by a ghost writer creates a most dangerous of scenarios: ignore history and you’re doomed to repeat its mistakes. Could such be true? Possibly. But giving the complexities of the modern age, writing such book as this is no easy task. As with all things, discernment is in order.

The bottom line:
Decisions Points by George W. Bush is a worthwhile read regardless of viewpoint. It offers much insight into the job the presidency, a turbulent time in history, and offers much about how to conduct ourselves. As in all things it is wise to listen and to always exercise discernment.

Why not Wednesday? Simple

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Ecclesiastes 5:2 NAS
Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth ; therefore let your words be few.

Matthew 6:7 NAS
“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.”

First step to praying well, just say it. Prayer isn’t about length as much as clarity. Some of the best prayers are the simplest prayers.

God,
I love you.
Amen.

Say as much as required. Then stop.

It’s not wrong to pray long, read a Scripture or sing a song,
But when talking to Him who is strong, its ok if your prayer is not long.

The bottom line:
Pray simple.

Psalm 37

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A Psalm of David.

1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. 2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD and do good ; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD ; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. 8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath ; Do not fret ; it leads only to evildoing. 9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land. 10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more ; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. 11 But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. 12 The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct. 15 Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken. 16 Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But the LORD sustains the righteous. 18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever. 19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have abundance. 20 But the wicked will perish ; And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish –like smoke they vanish away. 21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. 22 For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off. 23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. 24 When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. 25 I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread. 26 All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing. 27 Depart from evil and do good, So you will abide forever. 28 For the LORD loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones ; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. 29 The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, And his tongue speaks justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart ; His steps do not slip. 32 The wicked spies upon the righteous And seeks to kill him. 33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand Or let him be condemned when he is judged. 34 Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land ; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it. 35 I have seen a wicked, violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. 36 Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more ; I sought for him, but he could not be found. 37 Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright ; For the man of peace will have a posterity. 38 But transgressors will be altogether destroyed ; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off. 39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD ; He is their strength in time of trouble. 40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.

~ Psalm 37 NASB

Lynx & Stuff

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Lynx & Stuff is about things or ideas that stood out during the week and made me think.

Interesting series on preaching Christ in a post-modern world
http://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/preaching-christ-in-postmodern/id378879885

Bias in academia?
http://www.albertmohler.com/2011/02/11/is-academic-bias-against-conservatives-real-an-amazing-admission/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+AlbertMohlersBlog+%28Albert+Mohler%27s+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

A paradigm shift is occurring
http://blogs.forbes.com/stevedenning/2011/02/16/another-familiar-firm-falls-borders-files-for-bankruptcy/

A theory on growth & decline
http://www.ronedmondson.com/2011/02/a-theory-speed-of-growth-determines-speed-of-decline.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GracedAgain+%28Ron+Edmondson+%29&utm_content=Twitter

Why not Wednesday? Define and protect what’s #1

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A comment by Lance Armstrong, on politics, stood out to me. Reading the morning news, I stumbled upon a USAToday article about Retirement 2.0. They asked Lance about his political ambitions. Below is the quote:

… A second career in politics someday does not seem out of the question.

“I don’t think so. I get asked that question a lot. It’s a job. It’s probably many times a thankless job. … If I were to run for any kind of office, it’s impossible or very difficult to run right down the middle,” he said.

“I would have to immediately alienate half of our constituents: ‘Wait a minute, we thought this guy was a Republican. Wait a minute, we thought he was a Democrat.’ I think the effect there would be a negative effect for the foundation. For now, absolutely not on my radar.”

Lance’s response is great in many respects and something we can learn from.

  1. Demonstration of respect for politics and their job.
  2. Communication of the nature and reality of politics.
  3. Clarification on what is most important.

I believe people should be well-educated and informed about politics. I also believe people engage actively  in politics. At the same time we must show discernment about what takes the public stage in our lives. Ponder this question:

Is there something so important in your life that other needed and important things take a back seat?

The bottom line:
I think there is something we can learn from Lance’s response. I love politics and keeping up on current events. But, for me, a person’s soul is more important. Increasingly I’ve backed away from politics, save a couple of close friends. Privately I am engaged, publicly the missions of the church is #1.

Retirement article from USAToday:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycling/2011-02-16-armstrong-retirement_N.htm

Manic Monday: Love, exciting and true…

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Translation 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous, not bragging, not being conceited, not behaving improperly, not seeking its own, not being provoked, not calculating evil, not rejoicing in unrighteousness, but rejoicing the truth: [love] puts up with all, believes all, hopes all, bears all.

Thoughts on the passage
Paul describes the actions that love involves. Interestingly, these actions are of an emotional and attitude verbiage. Of the fifteen verbal descriptions of love, seven are stated positively, eight are described in a negative format: this is what love does, this is what love does not. More than giving a definition, Paul gives a picture of what the “fruit” of love looks like.

Each of the verbs Paul uses to describe love carries the idea of something that is ongoing, and not complete. Viewing love as a process denotes work and consistent focus. The words are fairly self-explanatory. The interesting thing is they are profoundly lacking in the Corinthian church. If “the list” is absent from one’s church or life, then love is also lacking. The verbal actions of love boil down the very definition of love: to prize, to hold as precious. If love were truly ingrained in the church, then 1 Corinthians would have been a very different book. If I prize people, if I hold God’s people as precious, it will actively demonstrated in how I interact with them. Paul defines love via its actions.

The bottom line:
Show some love

(especially on Monday)

Lynx & Stuff

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Various articles and ideas of interest…

Preaching tips from an older pastor
http://kenpierpont.com/2011/02/advice-from-an-older-pastor/

Unreasonable doubt… Interesting article I’m thinking through.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/january/35.48.html

Electronic Presentation tips
http://designshack.co.uk/articles/graphics/how-to-design-a-professional-powerpoint-presentation

Interesting article on church budgeting
http://tonymorganlive.com/2011/02/09/big-budgets/

Graphic design classes
http://thinksmartdesigns.blogspot.com/2011/01/50-excellent-graphic-design-theory.html

10 common Twitter mistakes
http://www.randyelrod.com/do-you-make-these-ten-common-twitter-mistakes/

Why not Wednesday? Own depravity

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We try to push the idea human depravity away. We hide it, talk it away, claim that it’s a negative outlook, etc. The last we want to do is own it. Some overplay the depravity hand claiming because we are depraved we are therefore worthless. This too doesn’t own depravity. We need to own it.

Conflict resolution
This idea did not go over well as I was training camp counselors in conflict resolution.

“People are naturally good, not depraved,” said a counselor.
“People who say people are naturally good have never worked with children,” I replied.

The group wasn’t buying it. To move forward and be optimistic you first need to understand and see reality. Understand the reality of things and you can move things towards the best. They still didn’t buy in. I told them to give it a week… it only took a couple of hours.

“Trouble makers”
A church that had a large group of unchurched kids asked my advice on dealing with them. Apparently my answer did not have an appreciation for the situation. The rebuttal given was “but they don’t behave!” Aha, there is the problem. My advice was you need to love them first. We polarize discipline and love- they are truly one. If we love we deal with the reality of the situation and work towards the best. Love includes discipline, it’s not exclusive. Good behavior doesn’t come first and then we love. Despite our depravity, Christ acted on our behalf! Jesus loved, saved and then begins to perfect us.

Easier said then done
My kids pour on the love talk when they are in trouble. It KILLS me. They’re cute. They’re adorable, and I LOATH to see them hurt or cry. I knew this moment would come. I knew it would be hard. But love does what is best for the person. It doesn’t act with a cold heart, but it does compassionately deal with reality. This too is the Gospel. As God saves us He also lovingly shapes us. As hard as it is to discipline my boyz, hugging them afterward and showing forgiveness is a powerful moment. It communicates that even when they mess up, they’re still loved.

The bottom line:
We must own depravity. It means doing something that is counter-culture these days: taking responsibility. Bringing it back to the Cross, God knew we could not be perfect. That is why He gave us Christ. Owning our depravity isn’t seeing everyone as evil and worthless- it’s seeing people as being imperfect and need of redemption. Yes we are depraved, but that doesn’t have to be the end of the story. Yes people are depraved, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t love them and get involved in people’s lives. That is precisely what Jesus did, and one day we’ll be made perfect because of it.

Hot Stuff: The Song of Songs

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Song of songs is an incredibly important and needed book. I believe the book describes a young woman’s process to grown and maturity as she navigates the complexity of love, culture and who she is. The book helps us navigate the unquenchable fire of love.

Song of Songs is an incredibly hard book to interpret. There are many ways to view the book. The common evangelical view is the book is about Solomon and one of his brides.  I struggle accepting that view. Regardless of view, certain things hold true about the book:

1- It celebrates sex and love!
2- It describes sex and love as more than just procreation.
3- It demonstrates a potent respect for the love between a man and a woman.

Regardless of view on the Song, these things stay true. However there are certain things that always bothered me by the popular view that Solomon was the groom.

1- The picture of Solomon does not follow Deuteronomy 17:14-20. I find it a significant contradiction to use Solomon as the standard of romantic love. If anything, the book is a criticism of Solomon and the direction he lead Israel. The Bible celebrates love between one man and one woman. Solomon started well, but he failed miserably.

2- The book’s plot seems to follow a time-line. The common view that the wedding takes place in chapter 3 doesn’t seem to fit with the often repeated phrase “do not wake my love until he pleases.” The plot I would describe as the growth of the bride throughout the book.

3- The Bible celebrates modesty and quietness. There are two distinct descriptions in the book One of natural comparison and one of a flashy more urbanized comparison. The juxtaposition doesn’t seem to be more contrast than analogous. For instance, if Solomon is the groom verse 2:8-9 doesn’t fit well with 3:7. The contrast is too stark- a free running animal followed by a man being carried around.

The best handling of the book I’ve heard is by the late Dr. Colin Smith. He handles the book exceptionally well and gives clear direction on how to use it in our modern culture. Taking the time to listen to them would be fruitful.

Song of Solomon I
http://www.bbc.edu/chapel/archive/20040120_colinsmith.mp3
Song of Solomon II
http://www.bbc.edu/chapel/archive/20040121_colinsmith.mp3
Song of Solomon III
http://www.bbc.edu/chapel/archive/20040122_colinsmith.mp3

The Bottom line: Study the book, its part of the Bible and a helpful part on that!

Lynx & Stuff

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Lynx & Stuff is links to various things on the internet that stood out to me, or perhaps an idea or video that stood out.

Info Graphic on groups and the internet
http://www.jimgrayonline.com/infographic/how-groups-hang-out-on-the-internet-infographic/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+jimgrayonline+%28Jim+Gray+Online%29&utm_content=Twitter

What is a missional community?
http://www.exponential.org/2011/02/jeff-vanderstelt-what-is-a-missional-community/

20 most brilliant Christian professors
http://www.collegecrunch.org/professors/the-20-most-brilliant-christian-professors/

Cute VW commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0