Understanding, clarity, and getting on with life . . .

Advice (aka direction) given me in the first year as an apprentice typographer . . .

“Johnny, you won’t learn anything by standing still. Get going and it will come to you.”

My then response; “Yeah right!”

You’ve guessed it; I’ve been ruminating on some possible connections; connections between building understanding, gaining clarity, and getting on with life, living, work, and all the great stuff of life’s journey.

Here’s my current summary . . .

• Understanding is ongoing

•  Clarity is progressive

•  Clarity is not always in the mind, it’s more likely to be in the journey

So to; “Johnny, you won’t learn anything by standing still. Get going and it will come to you . . .”

My now response; “Yeah that’s right!”

So far I have learned something, but I haven’t learned much by standing still, as I’ve gotten going; building understanding and gaining clarity continues to come in the journey . . .

Doubt and Doubts . . .

Today my long-time friend Leigh sent me a link to an article by Kyle Cupp, writing in Patheos. Leigh thought it was worth sharing; it is . . . 

Kyle writes honestly and clearly about doubt – click the word “article” to read it . . . I read the article, it got me re-ruminating through my past thoughts and presently growing valuing of “the blessings of doubt” . . .

I’ve been thinking about doubt and doubts for decades, so here goes me (and Jesus’) thinking on doubt. 

Firstly, three opening sentences . . .

Doubt and doubts are Divine gifts resonating within our humanity. Without which we can never continue faith journey’s “traverses.” Doubt’s ruminations serve to focus faith development’s specifics.

For example when I’m reading the “commonly conflated gospel story,” doubt in the narrative of the post-resurrection Jesus resonates differently than it does in the pre-Easter story. In post-Easter faith doubt mingles well as Jesus calls His disciples to resolution, revelation, reorientation and faith. 

Consider these two instances;

Luke’s recounting Jesus in a “locked room” . . .

• They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." Luke 24:37-39

Matthew setting the “great commission” . . .

• Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me . . .” Matthew 28:16ff

Jesus reads the “locked-down disciples” doubts, gives them steps to take in a new journey of faith; to the disciples at the mount who bought their doubts to worship and worshipped, Jesus commanded, comforted , and commissioned to reach others as they continued in their own faith-journey. Since Jesus clearly understands disciple-doubts are normal, His encouragement is; don’t deny them, process them.                 

Believers have doubts; without doubt there is no journey to belief.

BTW (by the way) understand clearly, doubt is not a synonym for unbelief . . .

• Doubt says “I know there are answers, so I keep journeying hesitatingly” while unbelief contends; “I now know an answer, I see its implications, and yes, I’m not about to embrace its journey.”

Examined doubt leads toward resolution, revelation, reorientation and faith . . . By all means have doubts, just don’t keep them in the dark; press and process them toward resolution . . .

• Unbelief is an enemy of your faith, unresolved it leads to dissolution . . . or, faithless faith (now there’s an oxymoron!!!)

To Chew or Not to Chew . . .

Just noticed have not blogged for almost two months; so what significant rumination should I engage in?

Question to self:

“What have I been doing lately?”

Answer: 

“Well, Dorothy and I have been on holiday with our overseas family in ole London town.  That’s occupied the last six weeks; experiencing in the city's locations, encounters and observations of its art and creativity. Some art-encounters were inspirational, interpretable, reflectable, some sub-intelligible, or downright bonkers. All such encounters encountered through our engaging the art-of-ambulant-activity (aka “walking from place to place”) . . .

So to summarise our activity in an artistic spirit I’ve “rattled off a rhyme” . . .

        Went into London for a walk,

        Not to eat a pie of pork,

        There to neither talk nor gork,

        Just to walk, and walk, and walk.

Question to self:

“So John, what’s the significance of a pork pie in your rhyme?”

Answer: 

“Good question . . .  I’ll ruminate on it and get back to you if something comes up . . .”

Next month I’ll really try to offer more by the way of depth and significance . . . 

Don’t get yourself down by winding yourself up . . .

Even got wound-up? As a kid I did. Got “wound up” about people who did things against me . . .  I’d wax eloquently (aka “rave on”) about their wrongs, and what should be done to them!

It’s called a tirade . . .

Interrupting my tirades, parents and their friends (aka “older people” - all of whom I am now much older than, they were then) would too often say;

        “Johnny, fret not thyself because of evil doers.”

Fret’s a funny old word . . . it was a common word, it’s one of those King James Bible words that has not been consigned to the “linguistic dustbin” (unlike “thyself” along with thou, and thee) . . . actually, it’s in most contemporary translations of the Judeo-Christian scriptures.

We still often use the fret-word as a descriptor for “worry” – but what kind of worry? Well, it’s “worry mixed with anger.” Get the picture? Maybe some synonyms will help; kindled, wroth, hot and angry, displease, fret, incensed, burn, earnestly, grieved, vexing . . .  a thinking-and-feeling word.

Here’s the bit-of-the-bible the saying comes from . . .

“Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.” (Psalm 37:1-2)

The psalm text’s voice “a preached proverb” says . . . 

“Hey, get a grip on things, get perspective, get direction, move on, move ahead” . . .

Its wisdom counsels . . . 

“fretting and vexing over the actions of others just gets you stuck. Telling us God validates the actions of trust, take and commit” . . .

• Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture (verse 3)

• Take delight in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart (verse 4)

• Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He'll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon (verses 5-6)

Thinking I’m getting the non-fretting message . . .                                                                              

Now to find someone who is evil and annoying to try out the “non-fretting formula” . . . methinks won’t have to wait long . . . 

Pentecost Sunday 2013 comes to us by 3 E’s . . .

No I haven’t been watching reruns of Sesame Street; though I still believe in “Big Bird” . . .

Today has been Pentecost Sunday 2013. Not only have I enjoyed the day’s significance and empowering; I got to preach! Celebrating with and inspiring others in Pentecost as historic event and ongoing reality.  

Journeying in the Pentecost texts, three E’s catch my attention. Not mere letters standing by themselves, but ones commencing three words; expectation, encounter, and expansion.

Expectation

• Prior to Pentecost the disciples gathered in obedience to Jesus’ last words with an expectation of their realisation; the coming of the Spirit for mission in society (Acts 1:4-8).

Encounter

• On “the Day” God is with His people in a new way, and by a definite experience. Not ecstatic experience, but obedient-rational encounter with the Spirit. God’s encountering presence empowered them for realisation. That day of Pentecost, a day of encounter, morphed into our present ongoing season of expansion of Kingdom and church in our world of multiple-societys (Acts 2:1-12).

Expansion

• God’s realised presence became the “centre of their expansion” (Acts 2:41-47), the Divine presence active and expanding in mission.

My exhortation in summary . . .

In the “tradition of Pentecost” gather with expectation to be encountered by “God the Spirit” accepting Divine encounter naturally leads to expansion.

So what’s changed?

Nothing!

Remembering to Remember . . .

Today is the 29^th April 2013; already ANZAC Day 2013 is four days past.

Over the last week we have been remembering. We have again been calling to mind past people; remembering them. Past responses to the historic and ongoing crises produced in our nation’s responses to wars, conflicts, and oppressions beyond our borders; remembering what and reflecting on why. We have been practicing remembrance; a remembrance we practice within our New Zealand cultural story. More that ninety-eight years after the defining ANZAC event we process the present in light of the past.

Remembrance is a practice that calls for more than recalling the past. It calls for learning, "being mentored by the past in the present”  

My father who served in WW1 was a mentor of men.  Both my brother and I, now in our seventies, are amongst the many men he mentored. We often reflect on the lessons we have learned, lived, and passed onto others from him. Though when “talking-over-life-with-our-folks,” the focus is “more upon what was happening than when it happened,” – that’s the difference between remembrance and reminiscence.

Remembrance which centers in what and why reflection, as practice is not fixed to April 25 – it’s a “huge key to mentored life” . . . 

• If we “remember to remember” . . .

Ongoing remembrance can build community-wisdom, shape and re-shape attitude, and provide us perspective  . . . 

• As we “remember to remember” . . .

 Here’s my favourite remembrance exhortation in the scriptures . . .

“Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.  So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:32-36)

Quit excuses, live by reasons . . .

As a boy there were times (quite often actually) I would seek to get out of “potential for discipline situations.” My default mode of communication was to offer my ‘ever loving father’ an excuse. It was a common move by me; just not a good one.

He also had a default mode, (a speech actually) which went . . . 

“Johnny, don’t offer me an excuse; an excuse is merely the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie. Offer me an explanation of the truth; it might work.”

So often robbed of excuses and searching for reasons, some of Isaiah’s Easter words (53:7 c.f.Acts 8:32) ‘reflected my reality’ . . .

". . . as a lamb before its shearers is silent, so  he did not open his mouth”

Silent as I searched for reasons (which had seemed good at the time of my actions), ones I just knew would not survive parental-inquisition. They got me into situations; but they would not get me out. I began to learn two truths; live life by reasons not excuses, and silence is a prerequisite for truthful speech. Truths Jesus modelled.

It’s Easter again, and I’m ruminating . . .

In Easter-season we give renewed focus to Jesus and His sacrifice for human sin. Jesus as an eternally-dynamic member of the Trinity was a participant in the creation of humanity, yet did not make excuses for His action in our creation or our repetitious failures. With the “rationale of the Divine” Jesus lived, died and rose again. Jesus lived by reason.

Here’s some of the things I’m chewing on this Easter . . . 

• In silence and reflection, I can engage in the processes of truthful reasoning

•  If I have clear reasons, I can be silent in situations as I structure truthful reasoning and reason 

• With silence-formed reason I break silence for the reasons of truth 

• “Johnny, don’t offer excuses; an excuse is merely the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie. Offer reasoned explanations of truth; it works” 

• Yes Dad, I still hear you . . .

Awake in church (again) and thinking . . .

Last Sunday, I was awake (again) in church. It happens. The preacher was graciously encouraging us how Christian people shouldn't only behave well, in many cases we ought to behave differently. No argument from me on that one; both Scripture and my “allegedly-renewed conscience” understand there are still many enduring-oughts.

So I’m awake and also into ruminating; no surprise.

I’m still listening to the preacher, but now it’s “through my ruminations.”

It’s a good sermon, its short, and good sermons generally have three points.

Well, at that point methinks; “having a good rumination here.” Its short, good ruminations can be done in three points.

So . . . here’s the chew . . .

• Recognise your behaviour is a product of your thinking, so

• Don’t merely stop your behaviour, change your thinking . . . 

• In short - "Perspective frames performance"

So . . . now I’m thinking . . .

• “What people see of our Christian behaviour performance is formed by our perspective of what my being a Christian is about.”

Oh, in case I forget, the preacher addressed a text;

“Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you.” Romans 12:2-3 (NLT)

My additions to an “if you’re 'way-over 35+' list” . . .

Recently I received (yet again) one of those “in-our-day-type-lists” forwarded emails  . . .

The headline stated; “Anyone over the age of 35 (methinks it ought to say 50ish+) should read this” . . .

So, being just on “twice over the limit” I had a sober read . . .

My thanks to the writers (or posters) Sean and Gaasedal, it’s good to qualify to read your post/blog . . . 

You’ve inspired a few additional ruminations from my world towards your “admirable reflections” (or are they responsive reactions?) . . . 

• We only took the bus if it was more than two miles (3.2km) 

• Boys in my neighbourhood didn’t wear many hand me downs, we had new clothes, but the colour always seemed to be “kaki” (long live the military production surplus of 1942). 

• Yes, we returned pop and beer bottles or collected them in “bottle drives” to raise money for others to get Boy Scout uniforms. But milk came to the house and was “ladled” into your own milk billy-can – “what’s a milk bottle?” 

• Mum didn’t provide a taxi service, she used one – I still hold open the car door whenever a “non-male person” is getting into a vehicle. 

• By the way – “what’s a plastic bag?” 

• Oh, we didn’t live in the country – we lived in Devonport (made and born there actually). 

• Only houses with a flushing loo had a TV (toilet vent) – our neighbourhood was fairly “posh”, so TV’s were everywhere! 

• The grass was green, paper bags and clothes were brown, the sky was blue, the bank balance though small was written in BLACK, and the New Zealand Herald newspaper was read daily – but not at the breakfast table! 

• When needing to access knowledge and data we had two 24/7 sources. A set of encyclopaedias, and a real live international consultant with unlimited/ un-challengeable, reflective, stored knowledge and opinion – my Australian mother!! The second data source had an under-pressure-default-setting, “go ask your father!” 

Cheers - JD

By the way, if you are looking for the deep reflective significance of this blog, don't!  There is none. I'm posting on a holiday (Auckland anniversary) and enjoying myself before going for a walk with my post-young girlfriend and eating an ice cream.