Cogito Ergo Facere

I missed the chance to give away my Chacos today.

Shut up and read. Yes, you. Sit down, be quiet, and let your mind do the talking while your eyes catch up. Read. I know, they're brand new sandals. Good brand, good sandals. I still missed out.

I was on my lunch break, wandering over to the state office building to put something in the mail. On the way back, I was waiting at the crosswalk. There were two people waiting on the other side. One was a man who might have been a little warm. Lincoln's cooled down in the last couple days but mid- to high-eighties is still on the warm side for wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. It wasn't until I was halfway across the street that I realized what made the man noticeable. I'd seen him bend forwards and backwards before the light changed, but that was just stretching. It started when he stepped down onto the street. His first step was cautious, like a person stepping onto a frozen lake. After that, he strolled forward casually, but my mind had already catalogued an important fact: this man was walking barefoot.

If you've ever walked barefoot over gravel or concrete, you know it's not pleasant. Making it hot just reduces the pleasantry. Your brief "hello" in passing becomes a frantic head bob as you sprint past. But this man walked unhurriedly across the street and continued on his way.

Sadly, it wasn't until I was across the street that I realized I could have offered him my sandals. My second thought was an objection that the sandals cost $80. The third thought gave the second thought a fatal beating and reminded me that it would have been Jesus-like to give away my footwear, new or not.

I missed an opportunity to preach. Not sermoning, not lecturing, not 28-fundamentalizing--preaching. I will remind you of the words of St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach at all times. Use words when necessary."

I missed an opportunity to do. I'm a huge Star Wars fan and I've found that some of the lines are solidly true. For example, "Do, or do not. There is no try." I did not do today. I only thought of doing. The difference between the two is so massive that you can fit an entire universe between them. Let me illustrate. When the world ends and everyone is judged, Jesus will not say, "I was thirsty and you thought of bringing me a drink. I was hungry and you thought of making food for me. I was naked and you thought of clothes for me. I was in prison and you thought of visiting me." Doesn't work like that. The phrase, "It's the thought that counts," is a lie. If thought is all you offer, don't be surprised if thought is all you get. Action begets action. "Cogito ergo sum--I think, therefore I am." Not, "I think, therefore I do."

So let's stop thinking about doing and just go do. Instead of thinking of exercise, go exercise. Instead of thinking of food, go eat. Instead of thinking of chasing God, get your runners on (not your Chacos) and sprint down the street. He won't run too far ahead of you. Just far enough to keep you running.

Do you get it? Or do you only think you do?

Which did you take? The blue pill or the red pill?

Not sure how many people still keep up with blogs these days, much less read mine. That's okay. The real reason to write a blog is just to put my thoughts down somewhere. Some days, I just need to get thoughts out of my head. It doesn't matter if anyone looks over them and/or responds to them. As long as I know they're somewhere, I'll feel better.

I'm having a bit of a spiritual undermining lately. Theological ground has looked shaky to me in the last while. Not my personal spirituality, but general Christian theology. I heard a few years ago that a large percentage of young people were leaving the church (SDA) and that the church was having trouble retaining new converts. It seems that such problems are still around. Possibly they never left - possibly they got worse. And it troubles me on a personal level because I'm starting to realize that I know some of those people. Not necessarily converts, but young people. The other day, in a Facebook conversation with multiple people, a friend of mine casually mentioned that he was an atheist and I happen to know that he was an SDA a few years ago. I don't know what's happened to him. I can only guess. But it's hard to understand how someone who has some knowledge of how God moves in this world can suddenly decide that God doesn't exist.

It's almost as hard to understand how someone can believe that all life is predestined and we are all puppets dancing on strings because God has decided that we must suffer. That was a disheartening conversation. More of a debate, really. And my friend is very set on this idea. I don't remember all of what he discussed but his view on God disturbed me. Somehow, my friend has lost sight of who God is and what He stands for. In his eyes, life must be very bleak or very blissful. It could be blissful because in a predestined timeline, one never need worry; everything will happen as it has been decided. Simply put, insha'allah: if God wills it. Or to phrase it differently, "All is as God wills it" - Imad, Kingdom of Heaven. Or life could be very bleak - your future is already decided and there's nothing you can do about it. "The All-Father wove the skein of your life a long time ago. Go and hide in a hole if you wish, but you won't live one instant longer. Your fate is fixed" - Herger, The 13th Warrior. Granted, I left the last line out because it didn't suit my purpose. The quote finishes with the line, "Fear profits a man nothing". Still... if only life were that simple. If choice never mattered there really wouldn't be a need to worry.

But that's what life on Earth is all about. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy got this one right. There is an experiment happening on Earth. Or, rather, the planet Earth IS the experiment. And the universe wonders, "Do we really have choice?" Eventually, the planet will be destroyed. But it won't be the Vogons and the experiment won't continue. Hopefully, my friends will pick up on that. Before the mice get them.

Seeing God With New Eyes

I've been reading a book lately called See With New Eyes by Ty Gibson. The idea behind the book is to reset the reader's picture of God. You see, God has been misrepresented. Sometimes, a lot of the time, by the church. Now you're about to say, "Whoa! You're a Christian. How dare you say the church has gone wrong!" Well, my first loyalty should be to God, not the church. So let's get something straight here. The church has fucked up.

Start with this: have you ever heard a "fire and brimstone" sermon? They used to be more common approximately a century ago and previous. The modern day equivalent is the "Revelation and the End Times" sermon. The basic premise behind the sermon? Scare people into coming to church. By painting a picture of a horrible death and a harsh, destructive God, the church has tried to convert unbelievers. And look how well that's worked. Some years ago, I remember hearing some statistics regarding "Revelation sermon" converts. There was a lot of cheering because a number of people had converted. However, within a year, the majority (probably 90% or more) had left. The cause? Couldn't say for sure, but I can make a guess--things didn't add up. The church's message to the infidels and its message to the believers said two different things. "The end is coming! God is going to destroy you for your wickedness! Convert now!" vs. "God wants to save you. God forgives. God is love." Can you see a bit of a dichotomy? Can you understand why people would be confused? Why people might think that Christianity is full of crap?

And don't get me started on the Crusades. I'll just say bad idea.

But back to the original topic. The church has misplaced its picture of God. God really is love. And we need to reread our Bibles with that in mind. For instance (and I just read this a few minutes ago), let's revisit the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve have eaten the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. As a consequence for their disobedience, God curses both man and woman and kicks them out of the garden. Pause here. When you previously heard/read the story, did you ever imagine God being stern or angry? That's the picture that I grew up with. Creation had started fine, but once mankind screwed up once... punishment! But what if... what if that picture is incorrect? What if God wasn't angry at that time? What if He was sad? What if He was crying? Let's revisit the scene. God has just found His son and daughter hiding from Him. They used to run to Him, laughing. And now they cringe away at the sound of His footsteps. At the sound of His voice. He knows what they've done. He knows that the consequence must follow. But He doesn't want to do it. "This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you." You remember your parents telling you that just before a spanking? Where do you think they got that phrase from? I'd like to imagine that God was thinking something along those lines, if not saying it, at that time. With tears running down His face, the Father told his children that their lives would be difficult and painful. And then He gave them some new clothes and gently pushed them out of His garden and locked the gate behind them. Can you hear the "pit, pat" of tears falling to the ground? Those aren't from Adam and Eve. They've already gone over the hill. Who's left?

Does that change your picture of God a little? Do you begin to see? I like to think I have.