Making sense of "the weight of this world"

There have been a recent rash of breakdowns in my life. First the dishwasher went out, then the microwave, both having to be replaced. Not long after that we had a pipe burst and flood parts of the house requiring expensive process to dry out the floor and walls. This week the pump on our water feature died and has to be replaced. Then today, my car wouldn't start and I was 25 miles from home with a busy day ahead. The Cliffs bankruptcy also will place new financial demands.

lately i have had friends to die, some have struggled to keep a float financially to the point of losing everything. Some friends have serious health issues, some "friends" have betrayed me. I bear the burdens of others when I want to and have helped them in many ways as I could. Strangely, the more I give to others to help them, the more things in my life seem to break down and my own financial demands grow.

When peeps like me find themselves with significant headwinds, we often say we feel like we are carrying "the weight of the world".

The word "weight" can be an interesting word in this context. The Old Testament Hebrew word for something that is very "weighty" or has considerable mass is kavod. The New Testament Greek word doxa, which was used in a similar context, focused on the weight of one's opinion of another or the weight of reputation something has, the degree it is honored by us. Both words translate into the word glory.

Thus, might it be that when one feels "the weight of the world", what we are really experiencing is glorifying  the things of this world. We make things of this world carry "weight" with us. It demands our affection, we give it a place of honor in our lives. The result is anxiety, fear, disappointment, lack of fulfillment and sometimes pride!!.

God is jealous in the sense He doesn't want competition for His Glory. While He wishes us to not place the weight of honor on things of this world, He does wish to share with us His Glory. He wishes that we receive the weight of His provision and perspective. Instead of bearing His weight, He bears ours. This leaves us filled and joyful, and makes the things of this world ineffective in our soul's well being. Understanding that bearing the "weight of this world" is giving devotion to stuff, especially when compared to the deeper life issues many of my friends face, which I can help with freely when I glory in God's economy for my life.

"we have this treasure in earthen vessels. we are hard pressed on every side, we are perplexed but not in despair..... we do not lose heart. for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

So, when I(we) think or feel that our life's circumstances have brought down on us "the weight of the world", remember that is not the glory we were made to receive and enjoy!!

Resurrection Power - Chuck Colson

born on Oct. 16, 1931, in Boston, the only child of Wendell B. and Inez Ducrow Colson, His father was a struggling lawyer; his mother, nicknamed Dizzy, was an exuberant spendthrift.

He grew up at 15 different addresses in and around the city and attended eight schools.

In 1970, the president made him his “political point man” for “imaginative dirty tricks.”       

“Colson started talking about trampling his grandmother’s grave for Nixon and showing he was as mean as they come.”

Few played political hardball more fiercely than Mr. Colson.

Mr. Colson hired E. Howard Hunt, a veteran covert operator for the Central Intelligence Agency, to spy on the president’s opponents. Their plots became part of the cascade of high crimes and misdemeanors known as the Watergate affair.       

Mr. Colson served seven months after pleading guilty to obstructing justice in the case of Daniel Ellsberg, a former National Security Council consultant

In 1976, he founded Prison Fellowship Ministries, which delivers a Christian message of redemption
to thousands of prison inmates and their families.

Chuck Colson died yesterday at 80 years of age. Watergate felon or man of God?

His legacy is the lives he touched for the Kingdom, not his many human faults and mistakes.

The resurrection from the dead occurred before his bios died yesterday and continues for evermore!!

"The Lucky One"

My coach use to say, "luck is when preparation meets opportunity." While its common to associate luck with random good fortune or destiny, this saying reminds us that while luck has some component of "randomness," which we sometimes call destiny, it also reminds us that good fortune generally comes in combination of "random events" and our response to them.

Its is a bit difficult to understand luck, however, when one's good fortune comes at someone else's expense. Such it was in this movie where Logan's fortune of finding Beth came at the death of Beth's cherished brother. The challenge Beth had in responding to her love for Logan was that her borther's death made way for her love for Logan.

When we make sense of luck through the lenses of the carnal mind, we are constrained by "cause and effect." That is, the human nature is to make sense of ourself and the world around us thru the mechanism of "A because of B". Students make class scheduling choices for many insignificant reasons. Yet often I have a student whose life was signifciantly affected by the class. I ask, "why did you choose my class." The answer, no real reason, it just fit my schedule better. Yet a seemingly unpurposeful action resulted in "good fortnue" for the student. We are apt to call this luck or better yet, destiny.

God's ways are not our ways and He is working ALL things for His purposes. Thus, "event A" doesn't necessarily cause "event B". ALL events are under His Sovereign purpose. While we can never rationalize this in our minds because the constraints of our nature, we can accept His hand in our path because of our Faith in His goodness.

Yet, while we accept that the so called "random events" in our life are under His hand, we still must act for the purpose to be consumated. Logan walked from Colorado to Lousiana, he was patient with Beth and the circumstances of the place she lived, including her ex husband and fathjer of her son. Logan's action in concert with events brought about the good fortune of those involved.

If you really want to delve into God's sovereignty, you might ask why did Logan ever make the effort to pick up the picture when he saw it? What nurtured his heart of thankfulness for Beth. Why did he associate his good luck in Iraq with this picture? Was this all Logan's doings or was God unctioning Logan through all the moments of his journey and Logan was "constrained to act" according to these unctions?

Its possible that's where our good forthune comes from, our "response" to what he is doing in a complex network of lives and events. Something to ponder ......

SONrise

The sun shining through the fog and haze around Glassy Mountain was spectacular this morning. Somehow the brightness of the sun is even more beautiful when it is in contrast to darkness.

Such is my life, there seems to be many more headwinds than tailwinds. Other peeps don't notice us like we wish, peeps we trust betray us, we are not as rich, smart, good looking, good at golf, skinny or strong, etc. as we want. Things break, loved ones disappoint, we grow old, and on and on.

Yet, for some reason the really beautiful moments are when the SON shines His grace on me through the circumstances that make life foggy or even dark. My soul has the same response of delight that I had emotionally seeing the sun through the fog on the mountain when I know Jesus is delighting in me, regardless and in spite of my circumstances and the fallen world around me.

Something I pondered today ....

the end of a bios

"In every sunset awaits the promise of a SONrise"  (I took liberty and put O in sunrise)
This was the headline on a bulletin at a funeral I attended today. Just buried another golfing buddy. It must be my season. Life events always make me reflect. Don's bios was "put to rest".

Bios is the Greek word for physiological life, the life we experience through the five senses. It is the temporary, fragile dwelling place of our eternal soul. (the Bible calls it our tabernacle)

The tragedy of the carnal mind is not that our bios is temporary, but that we desire to "worship" it, which makes us seek our well-being through our circumstances. Thus, in order to be a "good person", we must take care of our bios by adhereing to rules and moral codes that make us accepatble to ourself and others.

The reason this is tragic is because good is not something we can do or be, that has been taken care of by the Author of our eternal existence, through the cross. The Kingdom mind tells us that "right living" is moving out "ruthlessly" loving and trusting Him who is the only source of our well-being.

"anything not of faith is sin (enmity with God)" - while God gave us our bios and it has purpose, don't take it so seriously that it becomes our end game!!  something to ponder today ...

Bullying

The "American bullying crisis" has become a big topic with our society. The recent movie "Bully" draws attention to the estimated 13 million kids who feel they have been bullied at some time. I hear that teachers now must write-up any activity considered bullying at school or face legal repercussions. One problem with this is that any behavior toward a person that is unwarranted is considered bullying and is making policemen out of our teachers. In order to better deal with bullies and their victims we should be clear about what it is and how to best respond when it happens. After all, bullying is not limited to kid-on-kid interaction. parents bully children and children bully parents. Bosses can bully workers and co-workers can bully each other.

Bullying invloves three basic components: (1) excercising power over another, (2) intent to harm, and (3) repetitive actions. Bullies exercise control that they and the victim perceive belongs to the bully, and the harm produced is generally the bully's demonstration to others of this power or to coerce the victim to behave the way the bully wishes. Repitition reinforces the bullying behavior and perpetuates the bully/victim relationship.

Who is hurt most when bullying occurs? Of course the focus is on the victim as excessive bullying can result in some devastating consequences for the victim. Teaching victims how to cope with bullies is necessary for the victim to maintain a sense of safety, emotional well-being, and functionality.

However, the bully is also damaged in signifciant ways. When a bully is allowed to succeed, their sense of value is equated to their power. Over time seeing one's self-worth in their power destroys any opportunity for realtionships. Bullies can never make themselves vulnerable to another and therefore can never experience intimacy, the source of joy. Bullies can never break the bondage of social exchange because they must make sense of themselves through the response of others.

Thus, bullies have a serious barrier to Grace and the Kingdom mind. While victims can have difficulties derived out of being bullied, bullies are forever lost in self exhaltation and self-gratification. If we have someone in our life that we love, such as parent, child, or friend, who is stuck in a lifestyle of bullying, allowing them to get away with bullying us is the most unloving thing we can do for them. Tell them we love them very much but we no longer accept the behavior. Diffuse the power perceived by the bully by refusing to be coerced by them.

Kingdom minded victims can see themselves as God sees them (strengthened by grace) and can withstand the power assault of bullies until the bully can see for themselves, they do not need power over others for well-being and the realtionship is far more valuable than demonstrating power and having one's own way.

A great gift to give to bullies we love :-)

reviewing the difference

carnal mind vs Kingdom mind

Social Exchange is the way of the world, the way carnally minded peeps operate.
God's economy is one of grace, not exchange. The world's system sounds like fairness, "we get in proportion to what we give". God accomplished fairness by paying our debt to Him with His son's penalty. The world's plan is "awful" because it is at enmity with God's plan.

making sense of Easter

Easter is a really feel good holiday. Financial markets close and girls buy new dresses and shoes and some even don bonnets. Its spring and the scenery is full of blooms. The mornings are still crisp but the days get warm. Many people go to church for the second or third time in the year, but they really don't know why :-)

Is Easter really relevant to the millions that celebrate it? Is there really something powerful that is contained in Easter that so many never realize? What is it about the Cross and then the Resurrection that means so very much more than many Christians embrace. How can anyone, believer or not, just pass through the holiday without being profoundly impacted?

The carnal mind values power. People of all kinds seem to want to collect and consolidate as much of it as they can. If the market were offering power for folks to purchase, peeps would make every effort to get as much as they could. In fact peeps exchange many things including their soul to get more power. So, its not the lack of interest in power that makes Easter a yawn for many.

Yet Easter is about power. In fact Easter is about the greatest power ever present in the world, the power of life over death. No matter how much power peeps gain, they cannot accumulate enough to provide them life.

Paul writes in Ephesians 1: 18 - 21

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."

How is it that peeps keep looking everywhere for power and God gives away resurrection power, freely and unconditionally? Those that know Jesus, who have available to them a Kingdom mind and harmony with the Heavenlies, should get together and do "the wave" this week in joy beyond expression because of the power they have received by Grace. Those peeps that seem to want to trust everything but Easter, especially themselves, to accumulate power but can only have power that is puny and fragile should seriously ask, " why wouldn't I want the power of life over death if it is available?"

BTW, for those who believe the resurrection pertains only to the power of life over our biological death, resurrection power of life over death involves power over fear, guilt, shame, pride, judgmentalism, anger, and so forth. This is not far off in our future, this is our very essence of existence, the life we live.

The message of Easter is profound to both those who believe and those who do not. Regardless of what one believes, the Grace extended by the Cross and the power made available by the resurrection is the ultimate reality whether we choose to rejoice over these or not!!!

At least ponder Easter, but better yet receive its joy!!!