Put that down!
Posted by TMP in Weekly Post on May 14, 2012
May 14, 2012
Put that down!
If you’re reading this Point of View on your SmartPhone, while driving, you should wait until you’ve come to a complete stop. Any use of any remote device while driving has just raised your odds of calamity by a 4x factor. You may be willing to take that risk… but have you asked the soccer mom driving next to you, with her car pool kiddos in the back?
Medical research has confirmed what’s called the “cocktail party effect;” it’s your brain’s ability to zero-in on just one voice while tuning-out the blaring background. Their findings have determined that 2.5% of the populace is capable of what we’ve dubbed “multi-tasking;” the rest of us are subject to diminished capacity when we try to portray commitment while distracted.
That’s a fact of life in the constant immediacy of life; it is equally important to consider when you ask – and, answer – the ultimate life challenge: who, exactly, are you?
Identity is no small issue. For some, it’s found in their gender. Others find their best answer in their ethnicity or mother-tongue. Every four years, many put their default answer aside and adopt a partisan profile. Some friends are forever stuck in their youth and claim their alma mater’s banner. Some women leave their family badge on everywhere they roam; many men never remove their workplace uniform, with their earned rank as their mirror image.
I live to help Christians discover – or, reclaim – the DNA that has eternal significance. I take my lead from the Apostle Paul, who described it this way: “…Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” (Philippians 3:12-17)
There’s no comfortable inactivity surrounding that segment: Paul’s urgency is in full view. He’s clearly in process… and he is far from satisfied with his own progress. Yet, he is so bold as to link his posture – the primary emphasis of “…one thing I do” – to a level of maturity that he desired for his readers. If they disagreed, it was because they lacked his insight… but God would bring them along in time.
His boldness was not arrogance when he challenged the Philippians to “… join with others in following my example, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.”
Our generation has come to believe that technology has given us the ability to spread our IQ crumbs across multiple initiatives with no loss in the weight of our contribution. Not so; the research has concluded that focused presence is necessary for full engagement…
So, what “…wins the prize” that Paul idealized? The bulk of his writings – 13 of the NT books; 14 if you give him credit for Hebrews – established the primacy of his Kingdom Calling at his greatest designation. He set aside his ethnic, institutional religious and professional marketplace nametags and called them “losers” (Philippians 3:7-8) in a face-to-face comparison.
Pull up that chapter of Scripture; let me ask an intrusive question: would you be able to write Paul’s words, directed toward less-mature believers, based on your discovery of your calling? Or, would you be the one Paul is writing to, encouraging you to make that discovery your next spiritual goal?
Here to help you along,
Bob Shank
Star Wars (the first of the six)
Posted by TMP in Weekly Post on May 7, 2012
May 7, 2012
Help!
Years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to convey my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack, and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.
That concise appeal – delivered via a hologram, projected by robotic R2D2, in Star Wars: Episode IV (the first of the six) – made Carrie Fisher famous, at age 21. It was the high-water mark of her acting career; it's the role for which she's most remembered…
She said a lot in eight sentences. She established her credibility through her father's history with Obi-Wan. She reported the circumstances of the conflict that was going on around her. She detailed the strategic Plan B that had come out of the battle… and then cited the urgency of her request. How important was Obi-Wan's reply? “You're my only hope…”
Leia's message got Luke Skywalker on the case; what followed was the storyline for six blockbuster movies over two decades. From her desperation came the response that became the basis for the game-changer in the rebellion against the Empire.
Dear Abby
Posted by TMP in Weekly Post on April 30, 2012
April 30, 2012
You just can't make this stuff up. Jeanne Phillips took over the keyboard from her mom, Pauline Phillips, on July 22, 2002 as the source of answers to the 5,000-10,000 people who issue pleas for help from Dear Abby. Yesterday's syndicated column had this earth-shaking query:
"My cousin 'Linda' loves her cats. Last year, one of them – 'Wookie' – got very sick and she had to take him to the animal hospital. She sent a mass text message to all our family members indicating she would be unable to afford Christmas gifts because she had to pay a couple of thousand dollars on Wookie's vet bills. She continues to send updates on his health and treatment. Last week, I received an e-mail from Linda about a website she has established soliciting donations to cover her cat's medical expenses. Every day since then I have received a text or e-mail from her or her mother asking me to donate and to tell my friends as well. I'm sorry Linda's cat is dying, but I don't feel comfortable soliciting friends to donate money for a cat who will not get better. How do I politely ask her to stop bombarding me with these requests? I think what she's doing is a little tacky…"
Rich Saul
Posted by TMP in Weekly Post on April 23, 2012
April 23, 2012
So… what are you up to, between now and “the end?” What are you planning to accomplish between here and heaven?
Is there anything more important – for a Christian – to ask… and to answer? Life's biggest issue is to clarify – and, then resolve – our need for a Savior. After you settle the matter of your eternal destiny (hell, or heaven?), living under the Lordship of your Savior is paramount. How practical is that?
For Paul, it was life's most important pursuit: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad," (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). He had tents to make, bills to pay, commitments to fulfill… but he knew what his priority was, every day, leading up to the Big Meeting.
Fusion – A La Carte
Posted by TMP in Weekly Post on April 16, 2012
April 16, 2012
Long, long ago – in an America far, far away – restaurants served American food. I had my family with me last week – for Easter Break – and we were far enough away from home that we were Yelp-dependent at a few mealtimes. With the “$$” limitation (I didn't want to be a “$” cheapskate, but there are 11 of us, and “$$$” was a little rich for the one-check patriarch), I did “close to current location” searches. The result? Ethnic foods were the dominant option; not much American food nearby.
These days, one of the most frequent compromises is fusion. Good luck finding “fusion” on a map; it didn’t exist 25 years ago. Technically, “Fusion cuisine combines elements of various culinary traditions while not being categorized per any one particular cuisine style, and can pertain to innovations in many contemporary restaurant cuisines since the 1970s…” (Wikipedia). Fusion puts tacos and dim sum on the same menu – or, on the same plate – with no culinary conflict.
It’s one thing to mix up your food; it's quite another to mix up your faith. What happens in the dining room will simply be a curiosity; what happens in the sanctuary could become an eternal disqualifier. Using a quirky buffet line for dinner is one thing; doing a creative hodgepodge of the holy is risking way too much to dismiss it as “personal freedom.”
Last week, Andrew Sullivan wrote the cover story for Newsweek: “Forget the Church; Follow Jesus.” Sullivan – self-described as British by birth, American by residence, politically conservative, Catholic, and openly gay – offers his perspectives as an author, editor, political commentator and blogger. His contribution to Easter Week suggested that the best approach to the Christian faith offer was to go a la carte: just Jesus, without church-on-the-side…
But God…
Posted by TMP in Weekly Post on April 9, 2012
April 9, 2012
Too frequently, I find myself defined by my pathology; sometimes, I think I’m pathetic. Voices that have been dead for decades still echo in my mind… when it’s quiet all around me. Does that ever happen to you?
Some phrases haunt me; here's one I heard from the heavies during my upbringing: "No 'Buts'! I don't want to hear any 'Buts.' Just do it!" That must have come into the heritage somewhere back in the shadows of history; somewhere between Eden and Orange County, "No 'Buts'" became a mandatory mantra to get me out of the debate mode and into action.
Maybe you heard the same thing (could we be – somehow – related)? Some words are marked, for me, for life; buts have a bad rap, based on my family history. But…
I've been learning something about my other family – the one that adopted me, spiritually, when I was just a child. In this Family of God environment, I've discovered that our Father – the One in heaven – has made the “But” word part of His affirming operating style. Whassup?
A Missional Community
Posted by TMP in Weekly Post on April 2, 2012
April 2, 2012
Getting started: Have you noticed how my Monday missive is “different?” It comes, in part, from my desire to offer something different to you on Monday than the rest of the incessant intrusions – portrayed as “news” – that are jamming their way into your e-box. The commitment: Point of View is an Election-Free Zone (EFZ).
Most news outlets are operating with an All Election/All the Time assumption. Latest Polls compete with Stupid Gaffes for lead story status. March Madness/Final Four gave temporary relief; the Mega Millions lottery scam was like a Super Bowl commercial, but now we’re back to the gridiron, watching the teams as they battle on the field. They call it “politics,” but in a courtroom, they would argue it as defamation of character…
This morning’s USA Today carries an editorial by Richard Land, President of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, under the headline, “Romney and the Evangelicals.” Rather than a group defined by purpose and passion, Evangelicals have become a voting block whose loyalty – from Primaries to General – is being polled and projected, sought and bought.
We’ve just come-off one of our culture’s big weekends: yesterday was both April Fools Day (that’s for Atheists) and Palm Sunday (an event for Christians). The term has no occurrence in the Bible; rather, it’s the heading given to the first day of Jesus’ Passion Week, marked by what we call the “Triumphal Entry” (another not-in-the-inspired-text designation).
The Clock is Ticking
Posted by TMP in Weekly Post on March 26, 2012
March 26, 2012
The clock’s ticking; can you hear it? At midnight tonight, you’ll only have 432,000 “ticks” left until the end of the first quarter of 2012. Midnight Sunday marks the moment of truth, for many…
In the Magic Kingdom of Corporate Life, time is punctuated on a fiscal clock. “Tax Years” take the place of real years, out in the “other world.” Kids are raised to get into the alternate reality through their classroom years; “Academic Years” break from the calendar confines to begin in September (or, thereabouts) and end in June (or May, if you’re closer to the Atlantic than the Pacific).
Fiscal Years are created in Board Rooms, under the influence of CFOs. An argument is made that the peculiarities of an enterprise make it better to reset the corporate calendar out-of-step with the ball drop in Time Square. Even when that re-alignment is made, it normally shoves the new reality into sync with a conventional calendar’s quarters. March 31 will finish a quarter; whatever its relationship to a Fiscal Year – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th – it incites an emotional reaction in the person who lives with one eye on the countdown clock. Up there – at the end of the field – is the Objective Eye that rules your life: points on the board, and seconds on the clock are the crucial factors in the formula of success.
Get a Room
Posted by TMP in Weekly Post on March 19, 2012
March 19, 2012
“Why don’t you get a room?” If you weren’t a student of the culture, you might not get the implications of that expression of disdain, most often pointed toward a couple who are caught with excessive PDA (that’s Public Display of Affection!).
It could have been the motto for the website Priceline – known for featuring William Shatner as the “Priceline Negotiator” until his character was killed-off in a fiery bus crash – in their effort to connect consumers with off-price hotel rooms from unreserved inventories.
With Spring Breaks underway across America, and Summer Vacations just over the horizon, people are in a planning mode for their short escapes. In the “good old days,” holidays meant climbing in the family car and road trips, with the middle of the front seat stacked high with fold-up maps and AAA motel directories. Sundown meant watching for motels at or near the off-ramp, offering teaser rates in neon… and the promise of a pool. We’ve come a long way…
Nowadays, folks don’t risk facing dusk without a reservation. Taking your chances for an overnight solution – especially when you’re in unfamiliar territory – is not a smart strategy in the internet age. Anticipating coming need – and exploring available options, complete with consumer reviews and objective ratings – can happen on your smart phone while waiting in the barista line for your morning latte. Reservations for a top-rated room – and for dinner nearby – are a point of assurance as you move through the day. Why take chances when you can make plans for paradise?
Revealed or Eternally Blessed
Posted by TMP in Weekly Post on March 12, 2012
March 12, 2012
Where is “Orange County?” That would be a killer question on a game show; the answers would be all over the map.
Reason: because Orange County is all over the map! New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Indiana and California would all be right answers. The Real Housewives of Orange County (California) could get lost on the way home from a “botox” clinic if they tried to abbreviate the address in their GPS…
For the last half century – before Housewives and Choppers broadened the brand – Orange County (California) was an incubator for new and innovative Christian ministries. Leaders rose from obscurity to celebrity as they told the old, old story in new and revolutionary ways… and neighborhood names became American – and, then, international – images of Christianity in a new era.
The last few weeks in Orange County (California) have been tough ones for some of those well-known notables. The newspaper inches have told stories that didn’t make the Sunday bulletin.
One pastor started a ministry in Orange County on the roof of the snack bar at the Orange Drive-In in 1955. His ministry built a church which subsequently became a landmark; recent financial challenges led to bankruptcy, the sale of the iconic campus to the local Catholic archdiocese… and as of this weekend, the resignation of the entire ministry staff of the remnant church, including the founder. Tough times never last, but tough people do…
Two couples launched a Cable TV network in Orange County in 1973. In ’75, one left the ministry to start their own network; but the other couple persevered. Organized as a church – they have no elders, but that means no 990 financial disclosure forms like “normal” ministries file – some of the broadcast behemoth details are now being exposed in court by a relative. Until last fall, she was the network’s CFO; she is now charging the ministry’s attorneys for complicity in allowing gross financial abuses by/for the leaders. They will all have their day in court…