I Love Technology, but not as Much as You, You See

We are beset by technology. It is inter-fused with every aspect of our lives. From the moment you wake to the sound of your alarm, to the turning off of the lights at night, we are enclosed in a technological membrane that encompasses our lives in circuitry, waves, bytes and joules.

I am a tech-junkie. I have been a "junkie" since I owned my first tape player that had a digital radio that I could present my radio channels. Very handy in a small Alaskan town with only 1 radio station.

I have an addiction which millions of Americans share in with me. I thank God it isn't illegal as our ratio of 1:100 Americans imprisoned would greatly increase. I am addicted to my cell phone. I feel completely naked without it. I wake up to the phone's alarm in the morning. I use it as my watch during the day. It is my calender for planning, my movie time resource, my GPS, my line of communication for friends and family, my link to news, my NFL Network connection for my football fix, my radio, my MP3 player and more and more.

So as I sit here having forgotten my phone at home, I am naked, disconnected, vulnerable and out of touch. I cannot figure out how I ever lived without it. How did I survive high school? How did I survive college in my early days? How did i survive living in Seattle my first few years there without it? I am going through withdrawals as I write this. I can feel the DT's starting - Not Delirium Tremens, which withdrawing addicts of certain drugs suffer from, my DT's are a side-effects of techno-withdrawal. I can't wait to get home to my phone!

Is this the kind of addiction you have towards God? He should invade your life. He should be involved in every moment in your day, from your morning alarm to when you rest your head on your pillow at night. He allows for your daily provisional and your next breath. He is involved in all your relationships and is with you in every failure.

When you walk away from Him do you feel the separation? when you choose to follow your own path to leave Him at His do you suffer DT's (Deity Tremors)? We should! Great loss should be felt and urning to return our addiction should be so considerable that when we depart, we ache, we hurt and we are desperate to return. If you are not feeling the desire to return, it must be asked...Were you His to begin with?

If you are devoid of missing Him, maybe you should let Him in your life for the first time. You will contemplate how you made it through life without the greatest addiction ever encountered.

This addiction is not only healthy- it provides eternal life!

Starbuck Serving Venti Implants

A second glance in a mirror during a morning rush to get out of the house all of the sudden I stop, and take note. When did this happen? Where went the smoothness of my face? Dark hair that once adorned the sides of my head are now peppered with ghostly flickers of silver. Glasses I once only needed occasionally find themselves perched on my nose garnishing my face for the entire day. Cheekbones formally exuding youth and vigor now give way to a fullness that inflates with my smile. I hardly recognize my eyes anymore. I see wrinkles and lines that are not my own, but my grandfathers whose years of life were written on his face. They are now being transposed upon mine.

This isn't an opportunity to loathe the years that wear on my face, but a moment to capture and appreciate. In a world of plastic and silicone, surgical improvements are soon to be ordered up with the ease of a Starbucks coffee. A barista will now use a scalpel instead of the steamer, a venti will be a new breast size, and superficiality will be served with a dollop of whip cream.

Our culture screams our imperfections at us, and we are measured up with every change of the channel, every flip of the magazine, and in musical lyrics which sing not-so-sweat nothings about how we will never have enough, be enough or do enough.

I think we need to start embracing the person we see in the mirror. Accept that the Creator made us beautiful and we were formed wonderfully. Look into the mirror and see the gray, the wrinkles and the wondrous changes you endured as you aged and count them as reminders of a life worth lived. Maybe we'll be thankful instead of disappointed.

I hope that the wrinkles around my eyes develop enough over time to tell the same story that my grandfather's did. He was a beautiful man...and he never once ordered from Starbucks.



Photo: Oscar Selmer, my late-grandfather

Feminism’s Accomplice to Killing Chivalry

Chivalry is the antiquated idea that came from the knightly system of the middle-ages for the virtues and qualities it inspired. These virtues included taking vows and keeping them. Other virtues included honor, and avoiding being offensive to women. The idea has evolved in our current culture to simple acts of opening the door for a woman, or holding an umbrella for a woman in the rain, even the boy-scout act of helping a woman across the street would be considered chivalrous.

The heartbeat of chivalry has all but stopped; its arteries are clogged with greed, selfishness, and ego. It languishes in a culture that despises it, and we would prefer to leave it to wither and die hoping to never think of it again.

We are in a society dominated by self-indulgence, self-worship, and an egocentric preservation of self-love. If we see a person fall, we stand and watch. Rarely do people offer a hand to help. Not too long ago I watched the news of an elderly man, well into or past his seventies being car-jacked and beaten while a group of people stood and watched not two cars away in the parking lot.

We are fed the perpetual baby food of indifference by media outlets and we are forced to seek refuge in a chivalry-less society in pawn shops and gun stores to self-arm. We are told by self-help gurus that no one will help you but yourself. This sentiment was echoed in Die Hard III, as Zeus played by Samuel Jackson speaks to his nephews, "Who's gonna help you?" "Nobody." Replied his nephew. Repeating himself Zeus says, "So who's gonna help you?" His other nephew chimes in, "We're gonna help ourselves!"

While helping ourselves, we fail to see the world around us that desperately needs help. People are hurting, but we pass these problems as if a diseased rat is begging for food.

As a member of society it is my responsibility to help assure that we will leave behind a greater culture for our future generations, not the decaying slice of ego we are currently serving up. As a Christ Follower I have a greater responsibility to every individual I come across to have a loving impact on their lives. This impact, is in essence the same age-old idea of chivalry based on compassion, generosity and self-sacrifice.

When was the last time you drove by someone disabled on the road? How about offering to call for help, or get them some gas? When was the last time you gave any of your time to help a good cause? When was the last time you expressed genuine concern for someone other than yourself? When was the last time you gave a gift anonymously?

The root of the problem isn't feminism, which got a bad rap as the lone source for the decline of chivalry. It has had a part in the problem, but it certainly isn't root cause. The root is me. It's you. We are the problem. Looking at society with self-colored glasses we missed the great happiness which accompanies the smallest acts of kindness.

So, I will strive to open the door, walk little old ladies across the street, giving without reward and be as chivalrous as I possibly can. I will try to be rid of self which hinders, and replace it with self-sacrifice which allows growth and amazing possibilities.

What will you be doing with your self?

Christian No More

I figure I've been writing this blog long enough to finally explore something very personal that only a select few people have been privy to. Putting it plainly, I am Christian no more. Those few words carry the weight of many implications, however with further investigation you might gain some understanding and insight into my beliefs, faith and my relationship with God.

My decision to distance myself from the label of Christianity isn't a knee jerk response, but comes from much thought and discussion that has lead me to this important conclusion.

Those who I have shared my revelation with have responded in some form of disbelief, either they assume that something has happened to me to alter the course of my beliefs, or they think I am kidding. Truly, neither has taken place.

The term Christianity over the years has lost the essence of it's original meaning, which is "to follow Christ." Followers of Jesus were first called "Christians" in Antioch (Acts 11:26). Now the term carries certain connotations, most of which are not so kindly received nor perceived.

First is the "atrocities" at the hands of Christians. Horrible wars have been fought under the banner of Christian-dom. Of course there were those of Christianity during the "burning-times" of the middle-ages involved in the murder of countless innocents. The list can go on and on of "atrocities" that Christians have had their hands in.

Next is the long procession of televangelist ministers who claim to have the "power" from the Holy Spirit, and are amazingly able to "speak" into your life with supernatural accuracy, only to be shown as frauds with earpieces not hearing from God, but their paid staff. Then there are those televangelists who speak so gently into your ear, and tell you about all the riches available to you because God wants you to be wealthy! The newest trend is to offer "miracle water" which has the power to heal...in trade for a few financial commitments.

Christianity carries on through the superficiality of countless others who claim to be Christians, only to say they don't believe in the Bible, or to even say they don't believe Jesus was the Son of God, creating a paradigm of confusion.

Christianity is host to scores of protesters outside of abortion clinics telling people that God hates them! Christianity is the name in which a group has been picketing during the funeral services for fallen US soldiers. It is the name that is used to scream to the homosexuals..."GOD HATES FAGS!!"

So, how do I feel about the "Christians" in the atrocities? Due to a state-run Catholic church that manipulated the people and prevented them from gaining any personal knowledge of God, people had been force fed "another gospel", one that was a far cry from Christ's teachings.

What about the ministers? I am not saying that all ministers are corrupt. Far from it as I know many ministers who have the love of Christ firmly planted within their hearts. However the ministers that are defrauding people such as Peter Popoff who was proved to be a fraud years ago, and ministers like Benny Hinn who manipulate scripture and people for their own gain will receive their just reward. To those that picket in hatred, stating they are representatives of Christ I shake my head in disgust and shame. They don't know Christ, or his message of love and offering of freedom from the cage of sin we are all enclosed in.

The entire issue can be likened to football. If you have a football play book, and watch all the football games at the stadium it won't make you a football player. You can call yourself a football player, make others around you believe you are football player, but it won't change the cold hard fact that you are not.

A real Christian is a person who has confessed with their mouthes and believed in their hearts that Jesus died for them...and follows Him. Since that definition no longer holds true in today's society, but my beliefs in Christ do...I will be Christian no more.

I am a believer in Christ. I believe in the Word. I believe in the teachings of God. When people ask me what religion are you, I will first tell you that I don't believe in a religion. Second I'll tell you that I follow Christ. It's about a relationship, not a rule book.

I am a Christ Follower. What are you?

Who's the Point?

The question ought not be what's the point but who's the point. Each day we wake up, we set our eyes towards the day to accomplish our own "honey-do" list. The question is who is the "honey" for which you do? Many of us, if not all, focus so much of our energy and talent for our self accomplishments that we forget that if you are a Christ Follower we have a great mandate to live our lives for much more than ourselves, but for each person we come in contact with.

If we focus our purpose on Him, then we'll find that we will become greater individuals that are no longer making ourselves the focus, but we will aim to accomplish for those around us. When we learn to set our sights on Christ, we will become better friends, lovers, family members, neighbors and yes…even better employees and employers.

I think it's time we figure out who's the point, don't you?

Making A Pancake

I am home today with my daughter as she is sick and was up most of the night coughing. So I get the privilege to stay at our abode together, sharing some laughter, smiles, and hopefully a nap at some point this afternoon!

This morning we made pancakes together. I put the mix in the bowl, and got sidetracked with a text message. When I finished with the text, I turned and saw that Jenna was sticking her finger in the bowl of pancake mix and licking it. First of all, I didn't need to tell her to stop because after the first dipping, the taste alone was enough of a deterrent.

As I continued to make the pancakes, I again received another text. Distracted yet again, turning my back to the cooking batter in the pan I ended up leaving it in too long and burned one side of the pancake. That really ruins the taste of pancakes...or really just about anything!

This morning, going through the simple process of making pancakes, I reflect on the process of sharing my faith as a Christ Follower and the balance that needs to considered when sharing. The seeker is likened to the pancake mix. Alone, the seeker will never find the true purpose of this life, and will lack the "taste" that God promises. The first step is to simply add some water, which is living your faith (showing love in all situations, following Christ's example in your life, etc) which gets noticed by the seeker. Next you mix the water with the batter, and that is the friendship that grows.

The next part is the delicate part of the process when cooking a pancake...leaving it in the pan for "just" enough time. This is the process in which a seeker is finding, and you need to be ready to give answers for why you believe, you need to be the friend, the minister, the counselor and most of all, a person in prayer. Eventually, with the right time, the right temperature, the pancake can be taken off the pan and is finished! The same is true for the seeker, but this is where we must be mindful of Christ's leading. A judgmental, condemning approach will burn seekers and soon all you say will fall on deaf ears.

An significant part of sharing your faith is the understanding that you might not be involved in the entire process! You might just be living your faith in front of countless seekers who see Christ in your life. You may only be involved in the final stage, answering questions, sharing the Word, and talking a seeker through the quagmire of obstacles that this life offers us instead of the acceptance and freedom that Jesus does.

So...when was the last time that you helped out in the kitchen?

The Crutch

Today I was ready to do part of a science project for my Biology class. I took the time to watch the instructional video last week and read the directions then as well. Due to a problem with my printer I wasn't able to print the instructions off. So today I sat at a computer at the school library and behold not one piece of instruction was available online. In fact, the attempt to open it crashed the computer. Frustrated, yet defiant I proceeded with this part of my project. However, I was forced to rely on others to help me get through it. I just didn't have enough information to rely on to get through by myself.

When it comes to rapport with God, there comes a point that we cannot rely on information we were fed a week ago. There are times that we cannot rely on others to walk us through. There are times that we need to get into the "notes" that God has prepared for us, and do it during the times that the instruction is needed the most.

Often during our spiritual saunter we find ourselves complacent in our relationship. We figure we can rely on our past experiences with God to get us through our future moments with Him without feeding the relationship with current and relevant understanding.

It's time to toss the crutch of relying on other Christ Followers, and the crutch of relying on old instructions. It's time to engage God and walk with Him freely and with abandon.

Maybe it's time to "bone-up" on some of His notes.

A Hole in Won

No, it's not a typo in the subject, just a play on words. This past weekend something profound happened to me and I have been thinking about it all week...now it's time to regurgitate this processed spiritual cud.

This past weekend I challenged my friend Lance to a game of ultimate skill, mastery of hand-eye coordination, and psychological warfare....miniature golf. We decided that we wouldn't play per shot, but per hole, so in other words whoever won the hole got one point, so 18 points were up for grabs.

I took the early lead of 2 holes ahead and carried it through nearly to the end, but I found that lead slowly slipping out of my grasp until eventually we faced off on the last hole. Hole 18. He caught up with me and we tied on a few holes. One hole would define who was man, and who was still a miniature golf youngling. Lance took the first shot towards the end of the green at a large box that said, "Hole in one". If he would have made it, it would have dumped his ball for a guaranteed hole in one. He hit just the side of the box sending his ball out of the green. He was forced to take a drop, which sent his ball well past the hole. Surely I could make this shot! Any infantile idiot could make it, proving once and for all that I was the King of Frankie's Funpark Miniature Golf!! I hit the ball for which time seemed to slow for, as it glided further and further from the mouth of the guaranteed hole in one, towards the opposite edge of where Lance shanked his ball...Nooooo! I shanked mine too! I had to take a drop as well...sending my ball just inches from his.

The next round of volleys was something like a death-match between two Titans on Mount Olympus. Back and forth, back and forth we tapped our golf balls until we both had 4 hits. Lance was close…so close to the hole. He lined up and hit the ball with the grace and ease of a demolition construction worker wielding a sledge hammer. Then that horrid sound followed...jingle...jingle. He knocked it in. Now it was my turn with an easy shot from just about 12" from the hole. No slope, no curves, no breeze. Just me and my uncanny ability to completely block out all external stimuli, something Spiderman would even be jealous of. I pull back my swing with precise execution, and swing with the fluidity of a pendulum, tapping the ball in the sweetest sweet spot ever. It was so beautiful it was as if the one perfect atomic sweet spot on my club hit the sub-atomic sweet spot of the ball. This was a connection fabled in the greatest romance books. The ball moved effortlessly towards its destiny. The ball sought out the hole like a heat-seeking missile screaming towards its target. Then....the sound....jingle...jingle...pop. Pop? What is this pop? The pop was divine. The "pop" was the ball literally popping back out of the hole, after it had gone in! Lance, I hate to say it, overcame and defeated me by...one...lousy...shot.

Since then I have been thinking about that one single solitary moment of my weekend. The moment that God smacked me in the head and said, "You're laughing, and I'm glad you are, but I plan on teaching you something from this." I have been in deep introspection since that moment.

In life we strive for perfection in so much of what we do. I might strive for perfection at school (getting A's), perfection at work (gotta earn that raise), perfection at home (don't let anyone know you might have problems), perfection with your kids (don't let your kids sully your name), and on and on. In life, we are going to miss those "holes in one" far more often then we get it in. Sitting there, mocking me with defiance, that ball reminded me that failures are inevitable.

Being a Christ Follower doesn't prevent us from failure. Following Christ doesn't always mean we are going to win our battles, nor does it mean we will live a perfect life. In fact, being a Christ follower guarantees that we will struggle, we will suffer. Being human guarantees that we will fail.

All that being said, I can tell you that Christ does make a promise that even through all these times, the failures, the lost battles, the imperfections in our lives, He will be there to make things perfect, He has won the war, and He conquered our imperfections when He died on the cross.

Be thankful when you are reminded of your imperfections. It's then that you are reminded that you are His, and perfected in Him.

Now as for me, it's time to play a game of basketball with Lance :)

Dehydration of Self

Well, it's been a long week of school, quizzes and tests. I am hanging in there though and I am really enjoying going back to school. It's a challenge but that's okay! It's good to be stretched and molded into something new. Hopefully if I continue on this path I'll be working as an RN in a few short years providing some stability to our lives. In order to do this however, sacrifices have to be made. Robin and I have discussed the changes we are facing as I am back in school. First we've changed is our spending habits. We have to focus on meeting our regular bills, and not go out to eat as often. We might have to stay in a few extra days a month instead of getting a babysitter. I have had to walk away from my business that I helped build from the ground up to have enough time to dedicate to school. It is like walking away from 5 years of my identity!

This all reminds me of something we are learning in Biology. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but in essence, it's all about dehydration! In a nut shell, small structures can join other small structures and become large structures, but something special has to happen...yes, dehydration. In other words, that small structure is losing a single molecule of water, but by doing so it becomes something soooo much bigger. It now has a greater function!

This is the process that I am going through right now. I am going through the dehydration of my selfish desires. The water molecule that I am losing is actually the sacrifice I have to make in order to reach my ultimate goal. In order to become something better, in other words, in order to have a greater function I may have to lose something in the process.

God does the exact same thing with all of us. If you are His, then He will use this exact process. He will continually break things off, in order to make you function better...in order to make you a better friend, husband, wife, brother, or neighbor. God may challenge you to walk away from your desires, so that others may desire Him.

Let go of the H20 in your life.

The Groundhog Day

This morning I was reminded that yesterday was the official Groundhog Day as I sat on my couch and watched Bill Murray (Phil) in the movie of the same name. It really is a great movie with an excellent theme within. As Phil is captured within the day, reliving it over and over, seemingly without end and ultimately what seems to be nearly of year of reliving the exact same day, he is finally released from his cyclical prison cell when he has transformed into something he was far from in the beginning of the film...a self centered ego-centric chauvinistic pig with a propensity of doing anything for his own gain. By the final moments of the movie he has been transformed, having tried all else within the vacuum of his time continuum including manipulating women for the sole purpose of "landing them in bed", abusing people that annoy him, and with constant failure he commits suicide day after day to end his misery. All of his attempts of removal from the land of the eternal 24 hours were completely in vain and he remained confined.

In reality we will never experience a day like Phil did in that movie. We won't get a "do-over" once we make a fatal relationship mistake. We won't get a "do-over" when we pass by the man on the corner begging for a meal. We won't get a "do-over" when we have lived our entire lives for selfish gain and self supremacy.

A life fulfilled, as Phil learned is a life lived for others. A life full of love and delight is accomplished when we turn from self, and turn towards God. When we see the world through "crimson-colored" glasses we will see a world that needs us to help feed the man on the corner begging for a meal. We will see a relationship needing invigoration instead of invalidation, and ultimately we will see our lives with the true worth that God deemed having absolute value, rather than our own valuation of life based on material ownership and ostentatious love.

I hope that when you have your Groundhog Day in your life, that the Creator of Punxsutawney Phil, the Ultimate Seer of Seers, the Perfect Prognosticator of all Prognosticators; you will see that Winter can soon end for you...that soon, Spring given through Him will bring new life and new direction to you.