NowTHINK!AboutIt

GO? To Church

September 14, 2009 by EnnisP 4 Comments

I visited a new church recently and was bored out of my mind. The most predominant sensation was stifling oppression. The second was embarrassment, for them.

The song leader apologized for being tired. I wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t said anything. They had no musicians but insisted on singing anyway. The choruses weren’t bad but if I were new to church and hadn’t known them, would have felt even more out of place.

The pastor was a better than average speaker but he said absolutely nothing new and none of it was relevant. There was no practical use for anything he said and there was nothing stimulating in the way it was presented. The only “do” point was attend church and he made the point by criticizing the cyclists he passed on his way to the service. Obviously, they couldn’t cycle without missing church. I guess it never occurred to him that service times are not God breathed and could therefore be changed.

The most interesting thing in the entire message was a joke about a preacher and a taxi driver both of whom went to heaven. The taxi guy was heavily rewarded and the preacher got nothing. The reason? When the preacher spoke people slept. When the taxi guy drove people prayed!” Sadly, that pretty much epitomized the service.

For those who live elsewhere, the largest percentage of taxi drivers in South African are black and known for excessively dangerous driving. So the comment was more of an racist point than a spiritual one.

[Read more…] about GO? To Church

Mourning Brings Comfort

September 9, 2009 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Painful But Useful

In Jesus’ famous sermon He mentions eight things not usually associated with happiness. Most of them are considered painful and all of them are thought difficult to achieve.

The first item on the list is “Poor in Spirit” and the second is “Mourning,” which is to say, it starts off badly and gets worse. Poor in Spirit we dealt with in the last post so we’ll talk about mourning now.

Remember that the common thread through the first section of this sermon is happiness and it seems very out of place. The eight things mentioned sound more anti-happy. We think happy people are those who avoid them and Jesus is suggesting something completely different.

The truth is every person experiences every item on the list and we see them as negatives to avoid. Jesus is suggesting they can lead to a positive outcome. [Read more…] about Mourning Brings Comfort

Poor In Spirit

September 3, 2009 by EnnisP 2 Comments

Poor In Spirit Is How You Feel
When Trying To Break Through Life’s Plateaus

The way to happiness, according to Jesus, is not only different from what we assume but the very opposite of what we think. The very thing we try to avoid is what Jesus says will generate happiness.

Jesus actually names eight painful, or at least uncomfortable, things that we must explore if we would be happy. On the surface, this doesn’t make sense. Jesus is teaching us to do what we have been culturally pre-conditioned to avoid and the first stop we must make is “Poor in Spirit.”

“Poor in Spirit” is a condition we must embrace, a choice we make, a place we intentionally visit. If this was processed involuntarily why mention it. That’s like saying everyone whose heart beats will live. The reward for embracing “Poor in Spirit” is the Kingdom of Heaven. Not citizenship but position.

The Kingdom of Heaven, which is here on earth, includes responsibilities and recognition. When we manage the responsibility well we can expect to be acknowledged. Every Christian is in the Kingdom but not all are equally achieving. Many faithfully go through the motions but disappointingly get nowhere, accomplishing little. We need to think about that. Being faithful is important but being effective is the point.

To understand this we must ask a couple of questions and the first one is what conditions or states of being are associated with “poor in spirit?” In other words, if a person is poor in spirit how do we describe them, what are they feeling? There are several words that answer the question:

Discouraged, frustrated, afraid, angry, fatigued, disappointed, disheartened and so on.

The second question, and probably the more important one, is when do these feelings occur? The answer? They occur when we move outside our comfort zone on the way up and forward.

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“Poor in Spirit” only occurs as we transition from one level of development to another. We usually refer to that as “Change” but we must be careful to differentiate this kind of change from fickleness. Changing clothes, hair styles, friends or adding to your tattoos doesn’t apply. Getting older and deteriorating as we all do, also doesn’t apply. These types of change express or result in unhappiness, sometimes bitterness. Style changes may be one way to mask your unhappiness so it is nothing more than a cover up.

The changes we should make produce a greater sense of confidence and self assurance, things that accompany a happy mindset. These types of changes make us better more capable people regardless of age of fashion.

Constructive change, rather than deterioration is the object. Developing in useful ways should be the intent of every person’s journey and should occur throughout life. As time goes by we should become better and more effective. If we don’t, we get worse. Leveling off is not an option.

The development process fails, however, when we become so comfortable on one level that we fail to move to the next, that is, we give up and quit. Constructive development in any person’s life requires focus and determination. Moving to the next level can at times be frustrating. It is natural to experience discouragement, fear and even anger during this process.

But the point is, Poor in Spirit is only experienced at or beyond the edge of our comfort zone. If we live mostly within the limits of our known abilities we will avoid it completely. Doing only what you know you can do easily is a way of avoiding the “poor in spirit” moments in life. Attempting things beyond our established adequacies is a scary proposition.

There are three different levels of ability in life’s journey:

Developed abilities. This should be constantly changing. Some do this well and continue to carry on. Others become despondent and settle in to a mundane life style that goes nowhere.
Potential abilities. This should be our constant target. Everyone has potential. To reach it requires an intentionally focused effort over an entire lifetime.
Impossibilities. This is more the achievements we attempt, which others think to be beyond our capabilities, than actually impossible.

Poor in Spirit happens when we aim to develop our potential and especially when we aim to accomplish what others say is impossible. People work through many discouraging moments to reach their potential. People who do the seemingly impossible live with the fear of public ridicule all along the pathway. Very few can bear the thought.

Discouraged and afraid are “poor in spirit” moments, which many people refuse to visit or live with for very long. Working through those moments, on the way up, is what leads us to “happy.”

There is a very broad gap between the things we can easily do (the status quo) and the outward limit of our potential. Public approval is highest when we aren’t trying to achieve. People who attempt to reach for their limits are thought foolish and trusting God to accomplish the impossible is considered fanatical. But, this is what gives a person recognition and position in God’s kingdom.

There are several examples in the Bible:

Joseph was poor in spirit when he was sold as a slave.

Moses was poor in spirit when he first attempted to deliver the Israelites from slavery.

Abraham was poor in spirit when he was trapped in a polygamous relationship. This was caused by his personal failure but even that when processed properly motivates us to a higher and better place.

David was poor in spirit while running from Saul.

None of these men gave up. They endured and were shaped by their experiences. Eventually, each one accomplished great things.

How are you doing? Where are you going?

THINK!AboutIt

Sermon on the Mount – Happiness

September 1, 2009 by EnnisP 1 Comment

Happiness Is Relevant In Every Era
Possibly In Every Situation

Jesus spoke to us as individuals but He spoke about issues common to us all. We are all different in some ways but very much alike in others and Jesus addressed Himself to the areas we have in common.

For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke to an issue that is universal…happiness. In most translations, the word used for “happy” is “Blessed” but the two words are synonymous and Jesus used the word nine times in the first nine verses of His sermon. Obviously, “Happy” is healthy and He was telling us that He is for it. Everyone wants to be happy and Jesus wants us to be so.

Show me the person who does not want to be happy and I will show you someone who is dead. People take drugs, drink too much, and attempt suicide because they are tired of being unhappy not because they wish to avoid being happy. They know that addictive, destructive behavior doesn’t make them happy but it can at least numb the pain of unhappiness.

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Jesus was not telling us how to avoid unhappiness, He was telling us how to achieve genuinely lasting happiness in spite of the unhappy things we experience. He wasn’t suggesting that we would not have moments of unhappiness. He was encouraging us to believe that the unhappy moments will never prevent us from being genuinely blessed.

Pedaling For The Less Privileged

August 27, 2009 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Amashova 08 - My First

On 18 Oct 2009, just a couple months away, I will be riding in a bicycle race, Amashova National Classic Durban, but I am riding for more than just the exercise.

I need the exercise, to be sure, but it seems a little self-centered to ride only for my physical well being, especially since I live in the presence of hundreds of thousands who have so little and need so much. Therefore, I am adding another dimension to this event, orphans. I decided to use the occasion to raise awareness of the problem in general and to promote one project in particular: The South African Children’s Resiliency Project.

The SACRP (locally known as CRP) is spear headed by a good friend and colleague, Dr. Bob Graham. I first met Bob in 1990 and since that time he has made numerous trips to South Africa and worked with us on many short term projects. Bob, however, doesn’t do things in a small way. His vision and dream involved helping the underprivileged on a long term basis and, therefore, the CRP was born. Bob is now living in South Africa developing orphan homes for those affected by AIDS.