Sunday, February 20, 2011

Don't just grow old, keep growing up

Ruminating again . . .
I’m at a point of life where I still have an annual birthday. 
According to the developmental psychologists, well one Eric Erickson (1902-94) in particular I’m still growing my personality. 
In case you haven’t heard of him, he was an “apprentice to one Sigmund Freud’s” school of thought.
  • Freud's theory of psychosexual development is one of the best known, but also one of the most controversial. Freud believed that personality develops through a series of childhood stages during which the pleasure-seeking energies of the id become focused on certain erogenous areas. This psychosexual energy, or libido, was described as the driving force behind behaviour.
Erik, in ruminating about Siggy’s system thought; “is it really all like that?”
  • The Freuds focused on the psychosexual aspects of development; but Erikson’s psychosocial theory identified how other/more influences helped to broaden and expand the field of psychoanalytic theory. Erik contributed to an understanding of personality as it is developed and shaped over the course of the lifespan.
Erik observed development is lifelong. It occurs in our world of social and self interactions. It has stages with characteristics, challenges, tasks, and expectations
  
I'm thinking about it this way . . .
  • Life expectancy is the length of life we may live
  • Expectancy life is the way we live for all of life’s length – expectancy is a synonym for hope.
Erik made this cool observation . . .
  • Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive. If life is to be sustained hope must remain, even where confidence is wounded, trust impaired. 
    Jeremiah communicated this cool observation from God . . .  
    • I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. (29:11)
    Paul who had seen a whole lot of "doing life" sums up on “expectancy-life” this way . . .
    • We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!  But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (Message Bible)
    COOL or what!

    Saturday, February 5, 2011

    There are advantages to staying awake in church


    For one, you can think with your eyes open

    Our pastor who is approaching middle middle-age says lots of good get-you-thinking stuff over a range of Biblical and life themes.  Some are central in his message, others passing comments . . .  over the last six months there’s been three bytes on the “order of life and death” – this morning’s is the third one . . . 

    • 100% of all people in any cemetery were once alive.
    • This week I visited my doctor; he checked my heart and assured me it would work for as long as I live.
    • Don’t over celebrate good health, it only means you are dying more slowly than other people.

    Cogitating on this morning’s “giveaway”; “Don’t over celebrate good health, it only means you are dying more slowly than other people.” Got me right into ruminating, yet another advantage of staying awake in church . . .

    Here’s my “think-train” . . .

    1. He’s told us already (constantly and nicely), that belief in and confession of Jesus gives us the gift of eternal life – our soul and spirit will live forever, so it’s life all the way on that one, no work needed here!                                                                   
    2. I’m going to die, it a human thing – just a matter of speed and time, so this is not a call-for-faith deal, just how it works.                                                                    
    3. Two lives here, well I’m not a cat, so hey, can’t complain; two are better than one – One settled, the other still open, running and can be worked on. It’s a no-brainer, “what am I doing with life #2?” The first one is gained by faith in Jesus; the second one is out-working my faith in and with Jesus. So it’s working to grow and not to gain, that’s how faith and human life works.

    Oh, by the way, he used this cool text . . .

     Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department." Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove. - James 2:17-18 (Message Bible)

    “So, what did you think last time you were awake in Church?” 

    If you weren’t awake . .

    • “What did you dream about, which now you are awake, should be outliving by your faith in and with Jesus?”