Yesterday was a full-on Pelican Day. What, you may ask, is a Pelican Day? I will (of course) tell you. A Pelican Day is a day like this:
You wake up in the morning and you realize you forgot to plan what you are going to wear to work. This means that you have to dig something out, spray it with wrinkle releaser, and throw it in the dryer. (Iron? What is this iron of which you speak?) You take it out fifteen minutes later, after spilling your orange juice on your pajama bottoms during breakfast, and discover that the shirt has a stain on the front. So you start over. And you are now officially running late. You get to work, and realize that something you really need has been left behind. So you do something other than what you really needed to do.
You go to a four-hour in-service meeting, which is great, actually, but all you can really think about is all the stuff that still needs to be done in your classroom. You finally get back to your classroom, but there is a problem. You are now so overwhelmed and exhausted that you really can’t focus. So, for the next five hours, you work almost non-stop, but since you have done a little bit of a lot of things, and actually finished none of them, you feel as if you haven’t done anything.
You finally give up and leave, stopping by the dollar store on the way home. Two hours later, you are lying in bed in your pajamas (not the ones you spilled orange juice on—they are in the hamper), and the phone rings. A stranger is calling to tell you she found your wallet. You didn’t even know your wallet was lost, but apparently you left it in the shopping cart outside the dollar store. You get directions to her house. Then, thanking the good Lord for the righteous remnant of the honest, you get dressed and set out to find a strange place in the dark. You pull into the wrong driveway, but fortunately those people aren’t home. You finally find the right place and pull into that driveway. While taking the key from the ignition, you accidentally punch the panic button, which causes the horn to honk wildly as you try to turn the stupid thing off.
The wonderful, honest woman comes out of her house, and you apologize and explain all the noise. She thinks this is hilarious. You, on the other hand, are just glad it’s dark. You thank her profusely, even giving her a hug. What do you have to lose? She already thinks you’re an idiot. You drive home and finally, mercifully, get some sleep.
And that is a Pelican Day.
Why, you may ask, is that called a Pelican Day? Well, I’ll tell you.
Have you ever looked at a pelican bobbing on the water, or crouched on a piling, and thought of how much it looks like a cartoon? It’s a ball of feathers with a ridiculously large beak. Standing or sitting, a pelican just looks kind of absurd. But then it takes off, and everything changes. The ball of feathers becomes a majestic pair of wings. The ridiculous beak stretches out into a long, graceful configuration of head and neck. And suddenly, that which was, only moments ago, a humorous creature has become an arrow in the sky. Most birds have a certain grace when they fly, but none can compare, in my mind, to a pelican.
The reason for this startling contrast is simple. Pelicans don’t belong on the ground—they belong in the sky. When earthbound, they look silly because the earth is not their home. We are the same. This world is not our home, either. We were created to be in the presence of God. Sin changed all that, and ever since, we have struggled here. One day, we will stand in the light of His glory and praise Him eternally. Until then, we’re stuck here. And I, for one, am fairly certain to spend a good deal of time looking like a cartoon.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
War and Peace: Strength vs. Weakness
And so, we continue to lose courageous young men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. More and more Americans are questioning the wisdom of this seeming waste of human life--and I have become one of them. We entered into both of these wars with good reason and good intentions, but no clear endgame. What, exactly, are we trying to accomplish at this point? Democracy--freedom--is a noble cause, but our narrow American interpretation of what that means, exactly, has caused us, once again, to run aground in our attempts to establish freedom in other countries. We assume that there is no such thing as a democracy within a theocracy, and that therefore we cannot allow these nations to establish theocratic governments. To my way of thinking, as long as said theocracy is not a threat to our safety, live and let live. My goodness, who do we think we are, anyway? We have made a return to imperialistic thinking, and we really need to get over it.
I sound like a liberal, don't I? Well, I'm not one--far from it--but this seems to just be common sense. If we are going to go around the world freeing people, then by all means let them be free from us, too. After 234 years, our own republic continues to strive and to stumble and to make mistakes. That is the nature of freedom, so let's allow other countries the same privilege.
In the meantime, while we fumble around in Iraq and Afghanistan, the sabers of Iran and North Korea are rattling more loudly every day. Am I the only one who hears them? Here's what I don't get: While we continue to waste time, resources, and precious, precious lives in countries we should be out of by now, we are playing wimpy mind games with nations that could be an actual threat. Our genius of a President wishes to "engage" with these countries by using diplomacy and the help of the U.N. Because that has always worked so well before, right? Is he kidding?
There are two things he seems to be missing here. One of them is a grasp of world history. Historically, appeasement has never, ever worked with despots, especially not the genuinely crazy ones (which is most of them, I guess). Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Great Britain before Churchill, negotiated the ceding of the Sudetenland to Germany in an attempt to satisfy Hitler. It was lost on him, apparently, that what Hitler wanted was access to the rest of Europe. He invaded Poland soon after, and few people were actually shocked, I imagine. Concessions to dictators don't work any better than giving in to the tantrum of a willful child. You may have temporary peace, but eventually you'll get another tantrum. We all tend to repeat the behaviors that work for us.
Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan knew a little something about peace through strength. Question Roosevelt's motivations all you want (yes, I know, he was an imperialist who wanted to protect American business interests abroad, etc.), but that Great White Fleet made a statement nobody could miss, and nobody messed with us as long as our leadership was walking softly and wielding a big, I-dare-you stick. Reagan simply realized that the Cold War needed to end and he ended it with a show of strength that was as much economic as it was military. These same principles work on the schoolyard bully or workplace harasser, and everybody knows it, or at least they should.
The other thing that seems to be lost on our current leadership is the simple fact that these despots are not normal people. They are crazy. They will not respond to negotiation, they will continue to increase their power in secret, and so forth, because they are insane. These are not countries who care about the United Nations' opinion of them, or their sanctions, either. For crying out loud, Iran hangs teenagers publicly because they are political dissenters. North Korea imprisons foreigners just for being in the country. Do these sound like regimes that give two hoots because the U.N. disapproves of their human rights violations? I don't think so.
So let's do our best to extract ourselves from the mire of Iraq and Afghanistan without looking too weak and foolish to the rest of the world, and concentrate on actual threats to world safety and stability. Let's re-grow our collective spine and stop worrying about whether the E.U. approves of us or the Middle East loves us to pieces, and start commanding some doggone respect, why not? We do not need to be buddies with the rest of the world, we need to be strong and fearsome. If we really do want peace, let's take a lesson from actual history instead of Pixie Hollow Fairyland, and get back to what works--standing strong and not taking any crap from anybody. Then we can all sleep peacefully at night, and the world really will be a better place.
I sound like a liberal, don't I? Well, I'm not one--far from it--but this seems to just be common sense. If we are going to go around the world freeing people, then by all means let them be free from us, too. After 234 years, our own republic continues to strive and to stumble and to make mistakes. That is the nature of freedom, so let's allow other countries the same privilege.
In the meantime, while we fumble around in Iraq and Afghanistan, the sabers of Iran and North Korea are rattling more loudly every day. Am I the only one who hears them? Here's what I don't get: While we continue to waste time, resources, and precious, precious lives in countries we should be out of by now, we are playing wimpy mind games with nations that could be an actual threat. Our genius of a President wishes to "engage" with these countries by using diplomacy and the help of the U.N. Because that has always worked so well before, right? Is he kidding?
There are two things he seems to be missing here. One of them is a grasp of world history. Historically, appeasement has never, ever worked with despots, especially not the genuinely crazy ones (which is most of them, I guess). Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Great Britain before Churchill, negotiated the ceding of the Sudetenland to Germany in an attempt to satisfy Hitler. It was lost on him, apparently, that what Hitler wanted was access to the rest of Europe. He invaded Poland soon after, and few people were actually shocked, I imagine. Concessions to dictators don't work any better than giving in to the tantrum of a willful child. You may have temporary peace, but eventually you'll get another tantrum. We all tend to repeat the behaviors that work for us.
Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan knew a little something about peace through strength. Question Roosevelt's motivations all you want (yes, I know, he was an imperialist who wanted to protect American business interests abroad, etc.), but that Great White Fleet made a statement nobody could miss, and nobody messed with us as long as our leadership was walking softly and wielding a big, I-dare-you stick. Reagan simply realized that the Cold War needed to end and he ended it with a show of strength that was as much economic as it was military. These same principles work on the schoolyard bully or workplace harasser, and everybody knows it, or at least they should.
The other thing that seems to be lost on our current leadership is the simple fact that these despots are not normal people. They are crazy. They will not respond to negotiation, they will continue to increase their power in secret, and so forth, because they are insane. These are not countries who care about the United Nations' opinion of them, or their sanctions, either. For crying out loud, Iran hangs teenagers publicly because they are political dissenters. North Korea imprisons foreigners just for being in the country. Do these sound like regimes that give two hoots because the U.N. disapproves of their human rights violations? I don't think so.
So let's do our best to extract ourselves from the mire of Iraq and Afghanistan without looking too weak and foolish to the rest of the world, and concentrate on actual threats to world safety and stability. Let's re-grow our collective spine and stop worrying about whether the E.U. approves of us or the Middle East loves us to pieces, and start commanding some doggone respect, why not? We do not need to be buddies with the rest of the world, we need to be strong and fearsome. If we really do want peace, let's take a lesson from actual history instead of Pixie Hollow Fairyland, and get back to what works--standing strong and not taking any crap from anybody. Then we can all sleep peacefully at night, and the world really will be a better place.
Friday, July 2, 2010
How Greed Changed My Life
I live on the Gulf Coast. In the summer, even if I am broke, I have always been able to drive the hour to the beach and enjoy sand, sun, and surf. No more. My beloved Fort Morgan Beach is a mess these days, as are Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. Even more devastating for me, Mobile Bay is being impacted, and soon the rivers and creeks of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta will be hit, as well. Though I love the beach, I have long been a woods wanderer and river traveler, so witnessing this is breaking my heart.
The Mobile-Tensaw Delta is where five rivers flow into Mobile Bay, and ultimately to the Gulf of Mexico. Like all such estuaries, it is a nursery for marine life, both saltwater and freshwater, and is vital to the survival of the ecosystem. Compromising this area will have consequences that may last for generations.
I am no tree-hugger. I believe God made this planet and put us on it. He gave us permission to use it. The idea that people don't belong here, and that if we just weren't here everything would be okay, is illogical, even a little stupid. But the naked greed that caused this disaster is inexcusable. It is possible to both replenish and subdue. That's what God told us to do. The oil spill is an example of what happens when the balance is lost. Many of the people who think that we should never cut down a tree, never drill an oil well, and never build a house are just as godless and just as misguided as those who caused this tragedy. Ironic, isn't it?
My dad used to say, "It's always the middle that holds things up." He meant that extremes are pretty much never right and never the answer. Reason and logic are usually somewhere in a middle ground, and most successful solutions to problems are born of compromise. The relationship here among the fishing, tourism, and oil industries is dynamic and complex. It isn't all that straightforward. And placing a moratorium on the oil industry in an already highly depressed economy is a stupid and callous maneuver.
My point is this: Nobody who doesn't live here can really understand what this means to us who do. If you have not spent long summer days looking for shells at Fort Morgan, or been swimming less than forty feet away from wild dolphins; if you haven't canoed these rivers, over and over, laughing with your friends and desperately trying to steer around deadfalls; if you haven't wandered these woods, fished these creeks, and watched herons in majestic flight--you do not understand, no matter how much you might want to. If one more government flunky, politician, or Hollywood celebrity tells me that they feel my pain, I might crack up. This place is not, for me, a cause. It is not a vacation spot. It is not just some pitiful place you see on the news. It is not just a means to promote an agenda. This is my home. You can come visit, cluck your tongue, express your sympathy, and then return to your life as it has always been. My life, and the lives of many others, have been irrevocably changed.
It has been changed, and is being changed, by groups of people who don't know what they are doing. Here's an idea. Give all the money to state and local governments and agencies, and let us clean up behind you. Let us decide the methods to use and whom to help first. Go away and leave us alone. You don't belong here. And long after you have gotten all the socio-political mileage you can get out of our suffering, we will still be here, still be surviving, and still be in love with our home.
The Mobile-Tensaw Delta is where five rivers flow into Mobile Bay, and ultimately to the Gulf of Mexico. Like all such estuaries, it is a nursery for marine life, both saltwater and freshwater, and is vital to the survival of the ecosystem. Compromising this area will have consequences that may last for generations.
I am no tree-hugger. I believe God made this planet and put us on it. He gave us permission to use it. The idea that people don't belong here, and that if we just weren't here everything would be okay, is illogical, even a little stupid. But the naked greed that caused this disaster is inexcusable. It is possible to both replenish and subdue. That's what God told us to do. The oil spill is an example of what happens when the balance is lost. Many of the people who think that we should never cut down a tree, never drill an oil well, and never build a house are just as godless and just as misguided as those who caused this tragedy. Ironic, isn't it?
My dad used to say, "It's always the middle that holds things up." He meant that extremes are pretty much never right and never the answer. Reason and logic are usually somewhere in a middle ground, and most successful solutions to problems are born of compromise. The relationship here among the fishing, tourism, and oil industries is dynamic and complex. It isn't all that straightforward. And placing a moratorium on the oil industry in an already highly depressed economy is a stupid and callous maneuver.
My point is this: Nobody who doesn't live here can really understand what this means to us who do. If you have not spent long summer days looking for shells at Fort Morgan, or been swimming less than forty feet away from wild dolphins; if you haven't canoed these rivers, over and over, laughing with your friends and desperately trying to steer around deadfalls; if you haven't wandered these woods, fished these creeks, and watched herons in majestic flight--you do not understand, no matter how much you might want to. If one more government flunky, politician, or Hollywood celebrity tells me that they feel my pain, I might crack up. This place is not, for me, a cause. It is not a vacation spot. It is not just some pitiful place you see on the news. It is not just a means to promote an agenda. This is my home. You can come visit, cluck your tongue, express your sympathy, and then return to your life as it has always been. My life, and the lives of many others, have been irrevocably changed.
It has been changed, and is being changed, by groups of people who don't know what they are doing. Here's an idea. Give all the money to state and local governments and agencies, and let us clean up behind you. Let us decide the methods to use and whom to help first. Go away and leave us alone. You don't belong here. And long after you have gotten all the socio-political mileage you can get out of our suffering, we will still be here, still be surviving, and still be in love with our home.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Eat Turkey and Be Nice
One November morning a number of years ago, I was leading a chapel service at school. I asked if someone could tell me what they did at Thanksgiving. A little girl named Skyler raised her hand, and I called on her. "What do you do at Thanksgiving, Skyler?"
The first-grader's answer was succinct. In her pronounced southern drawl, she answered, "Ya eat turkey and be nice." I was struck with the thought that this may have been the most apt description I had ever heard of what most of us do at Thanksgiving.
Everyone has experienced this kind of Thanksgiving, haven't they? Some of us do it every year. You just go, or receive guests, whether you actually like them or not, grit your teeth, smile insincerely, and "be nice". Once after a family wedding, one of my sisters coommented about the newest member of the family, "Well, there's another person we don't like that we have to be nice to on major holidays." Somehow, I think the meaning of Thanksgiving has become lost in all of this.
I'm not suggesting, obviously, that we should be rude to anyone, or refuse to have certain people over for Thanksgiving. I'm not even suggesting that there isn't a place for the insincere smile and the reluctant hearty handshake. Certainly, nothing is accomplished or gained by hurting feelings or causing family disunity. What I am suggesting is that we stop looking at Thanksgiving as a pain-in-the-butt holiday where we have to be polite to people we don't care for, and start remembering what the purpose of the holiday is.
Anybody who goes shopping in America knows that the Christmas season now begins, at least in the commercial sense, at least two weeks before Halloween. Many may not know that Halloween itself is now second only to Christmas in terms of consumer spending. Somehow, Thanksgiving has become the day between these two big money-makers that gets largely lost. It isn't as easy as one might think to find a Thanksgiving centerpiece, say, or a pack of Thanksgiving plates or napkins. Halloween and, unfortunately, Christmas as well, have turned into major "gimmee" holidays. Gimmee some candy, gimmee some presents. Ever and always, we want more.
But what about what we already have? Arguably, I am the poorest person, financially, that I know. All my friends live in nicer houses than mine. Most of them can afford clothes that I can't. Some drive better cars, and many seem to have a whole lot more disposable income than I do (which isn't very hard, since my disposable income at the moment is, like, zero). However, I have long since ceased to feel any obligation to keep up with or impress anyone. If I want to compare my situation to somebody else's, there are plenty of people, here and abroad, who are a lot worse off than I am. So what if I can't afford the new sweater I want? I already have a lot of sweaters. Can't afford to go out to eat? I have plenty of food in my pantry. Can't afford a vacation? There are beautiful places with spectacular views and cheap fun within hours or less of my house.
Millions of people around the world went to sleep hungry last night. I didn't. Many, right this moment, are listening to the sound of gunfire nearby as war or civil unrest approaches their very doorstep. I am listening to music. Right now, there are people huddled in makeshift shelters trying to stay warm. My house ain't much, but I'm not freezing. I could go on for quite some time, but you get the picture.
God blesses some people more than others materially speaking, and I don't know why. I only know he loves each of us, and that I am more blessed than many people in regards to material wealth. So is anyone who is able to read this, I suspect.
So, when you're shaking the hand of the brother-in-law you can't stand, thank God for your marriage. When you are hugging the aunt whom you know, before the day is over, will have hurt someone's feelings, say a prayer of thanksgiving that you have food and enough to share. When you're slapping the back of the annoying neighbor you invited because you know he would be alone if you didn't, be grateful for your friends and your family.
So, yeah, eat turkey and be nice. It goes with the territory. But be thankful, too. When you say the blessing before the meal, don't just give a stock prayer. Think, really think, about what you have to be grateful for, and about the One to whom the gratitude is due. But be careful; the list, you will find, is very long. And nobody likes cold mashed potatoes.
The first-grader's answer was succinct. In her pronounced southern drawl, she answered, "Ya eat turkey and be nice." I was struck with the thought that this may have been the most apt description I had ever heard of what most of us do at Thanksgiving.
Everyone has experienced this kind of Thanksgiving, haven't they? Some of us do it every year. You just go, or receive guests, whether you actually like them or not, grit your teeth, smile insincerely, and "be nice". Once after a family wedding, one of my sisters coommented about the newest member of the family, "Well, there's another person we don't like that we have to be nice to on major holidays." Somehow, I think the meaning of Thanksgiving has become lost in all of this.
I'm not suggesting, obviously, that we should be rude to anyone, or refuse to have certain people over for Thanksgiving. I'm not even suggesting that there isn't a place for the insincere smile and the reluctant hearty handshake. Certainly, nothing is accomplished or gained by hurting feelings or causing family disunity. What I am suggesting is that we stop looking at Thanksgiving as a pain-in-the-butt holiday where we have to be polite to people we don't care for, and start remembering what the purpose of the holiday is.
Anybody who goes shopping in America knows that the Christmas season now begins, at least in the commercial sense, at least two weeks before Halloween. Many may not know that Halloween itself is now second only to Christmas in terms of consumer spending. Somehow, Thanksgiving has become the day between these two big money-makers that gets largely lost. It isn't as easy as one might think to find a Thanksgiving centerpiece, say, or a pack of Thanksgiving plates or napkins. Halloween and, unfortunately, Christmas as well, have turned into major "gimmee" holidays. Gimmee some candy, gimmee some presents. Ever and always, we want more.
But what about what we already have? Arguably, I am the poorest person, financially, that I know. All my friends live in nicer houses than mine. Most of them can afford clothes that I can't. Some drive better cars, and many seem to have a whole lot more disposable income than I do (which isn't very hard, since my disposable income at the moment is, like, zero). However, I have long since ceased to feel any obligation to keep up with or impress anyone. If I want to compare my situation to somebody else's, there are plenty of people, here and abroad, who are a lot worse off than I am. So what if I can't afford the new sweater I want? I already have a lot of sweaters. Can't afford to go out to eat? I have plenty of food in my pantry. Can't afford a vacation? There are beautiful places with spectacular views and cheap fun within hours or less of my house.
Millions of people around the world went to sleep hungry last night. I didn't. Many, right this moment, are listening to the sound of gunfire nearby as war or civil unrest approaches their very doorstep. I am listening to music. Right now, there are people huddled in makeshift shelters trying to stay warm. My house ain't much, but I'm not freezing. I could go on for quite some time, but you get the picture.
God blesses some people more than others materially speaking, and I don't know why. I only know he loves each of us, and that I am more blessed than many people in regards to material wealth. So is anyone who is able to read this, I suspect.
So, when you're shaking the hand of the brother-in-law you can't stand, thank God for your marriage. When you are hugging the aunt whom you know, before the day is over, will have hurt someone's feelings, say a prayer of thanksgiving that you have food and enough to share. When you're slapping the back of the annoying neighbor you invited because you know he would be alone if you didn't, be grateful for your friends and your family.
So, yeah, eat turkey and be nice. It goes with the territory. But be thankful, too. When you say the blessing before the meal, don't just give a stock prayer. Think, really think, about what you have to be grateful for, and about the One to whom the gratitude is due. But be careful; the list, you will find, is very long. And nobody likes cold mashed potatoes.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Empty Boots: The Terrible Consequences of Political Correctness
Today is Veteran's Day, a day we remember and celebrate the service of all those who have offered themselves up in the cause of freedom. It seems the least we can do to honor the men and women who have been willing, over the centuries, to serve and even to die so that you and I could enjoy the privileges of liberty. No matter what one thinks about any particular war, this is always the ultmate cause--freedom.
But there is a saying, an old one: "Your freedom to swing your arm ends where my nose begins." Have we so misinterpreted what it means to be free in this country that we have crossed that nose-hitting line? I believe so. The line was crossed in a huge way last Thursday, with the murder of thirteen innocent people who were only going about their business as their nation had called them to do.
I could not watch yesterday's memorial service. One look at those empty boots, and I was a total basket case. I wasn't just sad; I was infuriated. This was completely preventable. That becomes more evident each day, as more information comes to light about the perpetrator. This guy should have been booted out of the military, and probably arrested for treason. It makes me sort of sick to think that there were people who knew, and did nothing.
There is no such thing as a "benign" communication between a member of the U.S. military and a militant jihadist. Even if the communications were only one way, this is a bad, bad sign. And there were people who knew; but in the name of political correctness, nothing was done. Since when was the fear of offending somebody greater than the value we place on human life, or on the protection of our country? There are things that I know most of our soldiers would be willing to die for, but I doubt that this kind of misplaced "tolerance" is one of them. Political correctness has finally come to its final, logical conclusion at Fort Hood. We would rather risk having people die than risk offending someone.
Interestingly, it's perfectly okay in this country to offend Christians. It is done every day. But Muslims? No. This has been true since shortly after 9/11, when public schools began teaching students tolerance for Muslim beliefs. I realize that there are peaceful Muslims, but we have to recognize that, increasingly, those Muslims are being converted to extremism. We have to start caring more about our safety and the safety of our country than we do about offending someone. The deaths of the people at Fort Hood were tragic, but they were also flat-out stupid. I doubt that any one of them would have been willing to die in such a senseless, predictable, and avoidable manner, had they been asked.
To our military and government leaders, I say this: If you fear the loss of diversity, if you fear a backlash against Muslims, then don't ever let such a thing happen again. Be the leaders you have been called to be, and have the courage to call a spade a spade. Your spineless political correctness was the direct cause of last week's massacre. Learn from it.
But there is a saying, an old one: "Your freedom to swing your arm ends where my nose begins." Have we so misinterpreted what it means to be free in this country that we have crossed that nose-hitting line? I believe so. The line was crossed in a huge way last Thursday, with the murder of thirteen innocent people who were only going about their business as their nation had called them to do.
I could not watch yesterday's memorial service. One look at those empty boots, and I was a total basket case. I wasn't just sad; I was infuriated. This was completely preventable. That becomes more evident each day, as more information comes to light about the perpetrator. This guy should have been booted out of the military, and probably arrested for treason. It makes me sort of sick to think that there were people who knew, and did nothing.
There is no such thing as a "benign" communication between a member of the U.S. military and a militant jihadist. Even if the communications were only one way, this is a bad, bad sign. And there were people who knew; but in the name of political correctness, nothing was done. Since when was the fear of offending somebody greater than the value we place on human life, or on the protection of our country? There are things that I know most of our soldiers would be willing to die for, but I doubt that this kind of misplaced "tolerance" is one of them. Political correctness has finally come to its final, logical conclusion at Fort Hood. We would rather risk having people die than risk offending someone.
Interestingly, it's perfectly okay in this country to offend Christians. It is done every day. But Muslims? No. This has been true since shortly after 9/11, when public schools began teaching students tolerance for Muslim beliefs. I realize that there are peaceful Muslims, but we have to recognize that, increasingly, those Muslims are being converted to extremism. We have to start caring more about our safety and the safety of our country than we do about offending someone. The deaths of the people at Fort Hood were tragic, but they were also flat-out stupid. I doubt that any one of them would have been willing to die in such a senseless, predictable, and avoidable manner, had they been asked.
To our military and government leaders, I say this: If you fear the loss of diversity, if you fear a backlash against Muslims, then don't ever let such a thing happen again. Be the leaders you have been called to be, and have the courage to call a spade a spade. Your spineless political correctness was the direct cause of last week's massacre. Learn from it.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Titus and the Unlovable
So there's this little book near the back of the Bible--the book of Titus. I sort of re-discovered it a few years back when I was looking for a creative idea for a chapel at school. I ended up developing a first-person dramatic presentation which has gone over pretty well each time I've done it. But here's the thing: Titus may be bigger than we think. You almost never hear anybody preach from it, or even talk about it; and yet, it contains one of the most important messages that we can hear.
Titus was probably an educated, rathe erudite young man with an upscale sort of background. I can imagine his somewhat intellectual approach to the faith, and I figure that he very quickly thought he had things all figured out. He must have been pretty excited when Paul invited him to go along to Crete, and even more excited to arrive there. Crete is, after all, an island in the Mediterranean. Imagine this kid standing in the prow of the ship as it approached, the clear blue water all around, the white sand of the beach in sight. He must have thought he had arrived in Paradise--until he got out of that boat.
Once he began to move among the people, I can picture Titus' disgust as what he was seeing. The Scripture is pretty plain about these Cretans. They were lazy, gluttonous, violent, and downright barbaric. Even today, the word "cretin" is not a compliment. No one wanted to be around these people, and of course they must have been amazed at hearing the Word. Unconditional love was not really in their repertoire of ideas, after all. These were people who fought and argued because they liked it--it was a way of life.
The Gospel changed all that, of course. Or did it? If you read Paul's letter to Titus, it seems pretty evident that most of the Cretans did not change overnight just because they were converted to Christianity. Is that really a surprise, though? Almost nobody really changes dramatically overnight just because they accept Christ. We are all works in progress, or at least we should be. If we aren't moving forward and growing all the time, we are stagnant in the faith.
So here's young Titus, probably quite appalled at the behavior of these disgusting folks, and shocked that their conversion hasn't immediately turned them into--well, him. I mean, most of us think that everybody would be fine if they were just more like us. Can you imagine Titus' reaction when he realized that Paul was leaving Crete and leaving him, Titus, behind? I can hear him, I think. "Paul, no. Are you kidding? I can't stay here with these people. Not alone. Please, take me home." Or something similar to that. But leave Paul did, with Titus remaining behind to contend with these unruly folks.
I have a picture in my mind of Titus running to the beach to meet the boat that brought that precious letter from his mentor and friend. I imagine him excitedly unrolling the scroll and beginning to read. He was probably expecting to be ordered back to Greece, but instead, he received instructions on how to teach these people. He must have thought that Paul was joking! THESE people? Temperate and self-controlled? Subject to authority? HUH??????
But Paul wasn't kidding. He really meant for Titus to teach these things. To do that, thought, Titus had to do something else first. He had to learn to love them. For me, this is the heart of the whole book. As a teacher, I believe teaching of all kinds is relational. Kids and adults alike will listen to, respect, and obey people they know care for them. Separate from a relationship, teaching doesn't work all that well. So Titus had to learn to love these exceedingly unlovely and unlovable people. These Cretans who, quite frankly, probably grossed him out, had been given to him by God to love. What a stretch that would have been for him.
We all, at some point, are called to love somebody it isn't easy to love. We all have those times and moments when we simply want to turn away or run away from somebody we just don't like or don't relate to. But that's not what Titus teaches us.
Paul ultimately reminds Titus that he was once a sinner, too, unsaved and unlovely in the eyes of God. And yet, God loves us all enough to save us anyway, in spite of ourselves. Our love toward others is to be an echo of that love; that sacrificial, intentional love that Christ showed the world from the cross. "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they are doing." If Jesus, on the cross, could pray for his tormenters, ought we not to love in the same way? The lesson of Titus, I think, is to love when love is difficult; to teach by example whether people want to learn or not, and to be always aware of our own shortcomings and original condition.
My challenge to myself and anyone who reads this is this: Love until it hurts. Love when it is hard. Love when love is not returned. Love no matter what. People will listen once they are convinced of your love for them. But be advised--some people are hard to convince. So above all, love with great persistence. The payoff may be the rejoicing of the angels.
Titus was probably an educated, rathe erudite young man with an upscale sort of background. I can imagine his somewhat intellectual approach to the faith, and I figure that he very quickly thought he had things all figured out. He must have been pretty excited when Paul invited him to go along to Crete, and even more excited to arrive there. Crete is, after all, an island in the Mediterranean. Imagine this kid standing in the prow of the ship as it approached, the clear blue water all around, the white sand of the beach in sight. He must have thought he had arrived in Paradise--until he got out of that boat.
Once he began to move among the people, I can picture Titus' disgust as what he was seeing. The Scripture is pretty plain about these Cretans. They were lazy, gluttonous, violent, and downright barbaric. Even today, the word "cretin" is not a compliment. No one wanted to be around these people, and of course they must have been amazed at hearing the Word. Unconditional love was not really in their repertoire of ideas, after all. These were people who fought and argued because they liked it--it was a way of life.
The Gospel changed all that, of course. Or did it? If you read Paul's letter to Titus, it seems pretty evident that most of the Cretans did not change overnight just because they were converted to Christianity. Is that really a surprise, though? Almost nobody really changes dramatically overnight just because they accept Christ. We are all works in progress, or at least we should be. If we aren't moving forward and growing all the time, we are stagnant in the faith.
So here's young Titus, probably quite appalled at the behavior of these disgusting folks, and shocked that their conversion hasn't immediately turned them into--well, him. I mean, most of us think that everybody would be fine if they were just more like us. Can you imagine Titus' reaction when he realized that Paul was leaving Crete and leaving him, Titus, behind? I can hear him, I think. "Paul, no. Are you kidding? I can't stay here with these people. Not alone. Please, take me home." Or something similar to that. But leave Paul did, with Titus remaining behind to contend with these unruly folks.
I have a picture in my mind of Titus running to the beach to meet the boat that brought that precious letter from his mentor and friend. I imagine him excitedly unrolling the scroll and beginning to read. He was probably expecting to be ordered back to Greece, but instead, he received instructions on how to teach these people. He must have thought that Paul was joking! THESE people? Temperate and self-controlled? Subject to authority? HUH??????
But Paul wasn't kidding. He really meant for Titus to teach these things. To do that, thought, Titus had to do something else first. He had to learn to love them. For me, this is the heart of the whole book. As a teacher, I believe teaching of all kinds is relational. Kids and adults alike will listen to, respect, and obey people they know care for them. Separate from a relationship, teaching doesn't work all that well. So Titus had to learn to love these exceedingly unlovely and unlovable people. These Cretans who, quite frankly, probably grossed him out, had been given to him by God to love. What a stretch that would have been for him.
We all, at some point, are called to love somebody it isn't easy to love. We all have those times and moments when we simply want to turn away or run away from somebody we just don't like or don't relate to. But that's not what Titus teaches us.
Paul ultimately reminds Titus that he was once a sinner, too, unsaved and unlovely in the eyes of God. And yet, God loves us all enough to save us anyway, in spite of ourselves. Our love toward others is to be an echo of that love; that sacrificial, intentional love that Christ showed the world from the cross. "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they are doing." If Jesus, on the cross, could pray for his tormenters, ought we not to love in the same way? The lesson of Titus, I think, is to love when love is difficult; to teach by example whether people want to learn or not, and to be always aware of our own shortcomings and original condition.
My challenge to myself and anyone who reads this is this: Love until it hurts. Love when it is hard. Love when love is not returned. Love no matter what. People will listen once they are convinced of your love for them. But be advised--some people are hard to convince. So above all, love with great persistence. The payoff may be the rejoicing of the angels.
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