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“You are going to feel like hell if you never write the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart — your stories, visions, memories, visions and songs. Your truth, your version of things, your own voice. That is really all you have to offer us. And that’s also why you were born.”
Anne Lamott

“You are going to feel like hell if you never write the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart — your stories, visions, memories, visions and songs. Your truth, your version of things, your own voice. That is really all you have to offer us. And that’s also why you were born.”
Anne Lamott

Category: Notes Anthology

Historic Events

George

Thie past week and, indeed, the past few weeks have been described as historic. The global financial collapse and the presidential election are at the center of our attention.

What I find interesting about myself is my unawareness of historic events. I have commented on this in the past. Now having the time as well as a different perspective on life, I have come to realize that for much of my life I lived oblivious to important and historic events going on around me. This unawareness extended in all directions, from world impacting events to personal historic events.  Most recently I watched American Experience about Lyndon B. Johnson. I was struck by the truly historic events during his time as president and how little I was aware of them.

The question for me is: Why? Why was so oblivious? Why am I now more aware?

Rob Bell shed some light for me on the why in two recent lessons from Philippians. Beware the Dawgs! and Blocks and Boards . In part, he talks about the lens through which we view ourselves and the world around us. He describes three lens or worldviews that characterize our human experience: egocentric, ethnocentric and worldcentric. Life viewed through an egocentic lens is all about self. Everything is seen and judged by what is best for me. Life viewed through an ethnocentric lens is all about the tribe to which we belong. Everything is measured by the norms and rules of our tribe and what will best preserve and protect the tribe. Worldcentric is a view that encompasses all the world around us. With this view we are able judge and act in ways that are in the best interest of all, not just our self or our particular tribe.

Today, I am more aware because the lens through which I see the world around me is changing. I believe the reason for my unawareness of past events, both world and personal, was because I was seeing through egocentric and ethnocentric lens. A significant aspect of my journey and transformation has been a slow but certain shift toward a worldcentric lens. This shift has come, not because I understood the need for a worldcentric view, but comes as a natural result of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit within.

Texas Visit

George

I am posting from the Abilene airport as we wait for our flight home. Our time in Abilene was good. We had a good time with Ann’s parents. Her mother is suffering a lot of pain but, as always, she does not let it stop her from whatever she sets her mind to. We played lots of 42. We ended tied for the visit. We need some older competition I suppose.

The week was highlighted the Abilene Christian University football game Saturday. We were guests of Ann’s brother, Lorin. ACU won the game and finished 10-0 for only the second time in school history. They are in the Division II playoffs and have a descent shot at a national championship. Saturday evening we attended a concert by Barrage. They are a musical group consisting of 6 violinists, two guitarists and a drummer. It was an outstanding performance. The local high schools have a similar but larger group called Revolution. They were equally entertaining. Their talent and energy was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole event. Check out Barrage from this UTube video:

Mission Impossible

George

I am currently reading Shaped By the Word by Dr. Robert Mulholland. As he writes about spiritual formation, he has this to say about being conformed to the image of Christ:

This aspect of spiritual formation also moves against the grain of our acculturation. Ours is an objectivizing, informational, functional culture. We are largely governed by a materialistic/humanistic worldview that perceives everything “out there” as something to be grasped, controlled, and manipulated for our own purposes or, even worse, for the purposes of God! This perspective is so deeply ingrained, as we shall see, that we determine our own self-image, our meaning, our value, our purpose by the effectiveness of our grasp, control, and manipulation of the world, of other persons, even of God. We seek to exercise our control by gaining information in order to manipulate what is “out there” for our purposes.

The very thought of “being conformed”-which clearly implies that we are to be grasped, controlled, and shaped by some one other than ourselves-confronts our deeply ingrained sense of being. “Graspers” powerfully resist being grasped by God. Controllers are inherently incapable of yielding control to God. Manipulators strongly reject being shaped by God. Information gatherers are structurally closed to being addressed by God. Information takers have extreme difficulty being receivers. Frenetically functional activists find it extremely difficult to be still, and know God as God (Ps. 46:10). Already we see something of the deeper dynamics of what Jesus meant when he said, “Whoever would save their grasping, controlling, manipulating false self will lose it; and whoever loses that false self for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:35).

As a “Grasper”, controller, manipulator, information gather/taker, frenetic functional activist, I am reminded of Matt 19:23-26

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Who then can be conformed?

With “Graspers”, controllers, manipulators, information gather/takers, frenetic functional activists it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Squandering Daylight

George

I suppose that we are now squandering daylight since we are no longer saving daylight. It was really nice this morning to get up with the sun coming up. I think I enjoy squandering the daylight. I was able to run and hit the hot tub (newly repaired and back in working order) before getting ready for church. As I write this post, Ann and I are enjoying coffee at Main and Maple Coffee Shop in Nicholasville. She is catching up on her lessons and I’m surfing. We will be headed to First Alliance shortly.

We had a very nice Halloween. The Hanauers came over and joined us at the Wilmore Halloween festival. Kylie and Jackson had a great time. After trick or treat, we were treated to some entertainment by Kylie and Jackson. Kylie sang and Jackson “preached”. They both have great potential. 

Yesterday we rode with Tanya to Meredith’s horse camp session. While she enjoyed riding we (Tanya, Blake, Grayson, Ann and me) hiked a local nature trail. It was beautiful and nice workout. The evening was capped off with a birthday party for our friends 1 year old son followed by the great football game between Texas and Texas Tech. 

This week we are traveling to Abilene. I am looking forward our visit with Ann’s parents and others in Abilene. Here are some pictures and videos from our weekend.