Two Bugaboos

Two Bug-a-boos (1,172)

June 9th, 2011

Religious and secular.

We are always trying to create a two-world system—when it is completely obvious that the planet earth has a single reality—and that reality is really quite simple.

Seed time and harvest.

In other words, “What you sow, you reap.”

Of course, you can imagine how popular that principle is among individuals who are constantly looking for a short-cut to their short-cut.

So religion created grace. Better phrased, religion promotes grace above all else. Grace is a reality—it is what the Bible says God gives to the humble, though He most certainly resists the proud. What would God consider humility? People who submit to his wonderful system of seedtime and harvest without demanding to reap without sowing.

And for those who don’t want to mix God into the equation, there’s the doctrine of self-esteem. This philosophy inundates us with the contention that “we are just fine the way we are, we just need to believe in ourselves more and encourage others to believe in themselves, and pretty soon—just like in the Peter Pan story—if we all think we can fly, then doggone it, we’re gonna fly!”

Let me summarize it for you.

Secular self esteem: “It’s not your fault. You’re just fine.”

Religious grace: “It is your fault a little bit, but halleluiah, God took care of it. So now you’re fine.”

I would not point these two bugaboos out to you if they were proving to be highly successful, producing contented, intelligent and industrious followers. But what they have created is a discontented rabble, blaming everyone else for inconsistencies while constantly being frustrated by the lack of results.

Is there any truth to grace? Is self-esteem viable? Let me make one thing clear to you immediately: neither grace nor self-esteem have any footing or place in the natural order. The earth and all of its properties do not care that you have superior self-worth or a membership card to your local church. God has made nature to have an even playing field for anyone who is willing to learn the rules and participate fairly.

So how to we achieve grace, acquire grace or receive grace if the world we live in basically ignores its presence? Jesus said it well. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

Nature, unlike people, is willing to adapt to practices that have proven themselves to be effective. In other words, if I can show mercy, life has an example of what it is like to be merciful, and therefore can reflect it back to me. You do know there is no reflection in life without first shining a light. Likewise, if I am willing to afford other people the dignity of free will without condemning them—granting them the chance to achieve their own happiness—nature has the privilege and joy of reflecting back to me an equal amount of courtesy and latitude.

So it’s not nearly so much that we’re “saved by good works” as it is that good works give us a light, which nature—and therefore people—can reflect back our way, making our journey much more pleasant.

Otherwise, if you’re religious, you’re waiting for heaven to receive your pay-off of grace, and if you’re secular, you’re hoping to run across someone who agrees with self-esteem so you both can acquire that status.

Unfortunately, I believe that the doctrine of grace and the promotion of self-esteem have done nothing to improve our world, but rather, have turned us into lazy, complaining, dormant vessels, waiting for redemption and approval instead of a good reaping of what we’ve sown.

Do I believe in God’s grace? Absolutely! But I do not take it for granted by ignoring His earth processes and refusing to achieve my own responsibility.

Do I think self-esteem is important? Undoubtedly! But self-esteem is an arrogant presumption if I am not willing to extend the same mercy equally to others as I desire myself.

As these two bugaboos have grown in our society, our productivity has dropped. Our initiative and creativity have taken a severe dip. Our churches have become sources of repetition and religiosity instead of fellowships of challenge and change. And our society has turned into a collection of spoiled brats, demanding candy instead of vegetables.

So what can you and I do to help reinstate mercy and achieve well-deserved self-consideration?

1. Stay humble. That means we understand that God moves as we move. As the Bible says, “Draw close to God and He will draw close to you.”

2. Stop expecting a harvest without a planting. Don’t complicate it; just understand that nothing moves until we move.

3. When you finally decide what you want, make sure you extend that same vista of possibility to others—just as you want to receive it yourself.

I am not a preacher against the bugaboos, but I do teach myself and anyone who has an ear to hear that in a world of seedtime and harvest, the worst place you can be is sitting in the barn on a bale of hay, waiting for your crop.

Pop Quiz

Pop Quiz (1,171)

June 8th, 2011

It had been an immensely successful week of practice. The football team was excited, the coaches were pumped and everybody was jumping in the air at the pep rally, completely confident that our team was going to win. We looked good as we went through our paces. People even stopped complaining about wind sprints and tried to run faster. We were totally enthralled with our excellence and convinced that we were going to give a thumping to Marion Catholic, the team in our division at the top of the ranks. We even got off the bus at the field in Marion with a certain pomp and circumstance. Yet two hours later, we left that same field, having been thoroughly beaten up and destroyed—64 to nothing.

We obviously had over-assessed our potential.

There are quizzes in life. We keep trying to cram for a final exam which never comes, but instead, we discover that the grade we make is based upon little, pesky tests that come up without our preparation.

For let us be honest—you can’t judge a football team by its practices. That’s why we play games. You can’t judge a musician by the quality of his instrument. They why they conduct recitals and performances. You can’t judge a writer by the number of books he or she has read, but rather, by the unfolding of a story.

And you can’t judge Judaism by how well the synagogue service goes or the fine execution in precision for the circumcision. Judaism is judged by how well they decide to treat the Palestinians. Folks may disagree, but our religious practices do not determine our true worth. It’s how we play the game.

I do not judge the Muslim religion by the consensus of the Koran, but rather, by the interpretation and the world-view of the followers—in our present day—of the prophet, Mohammed. If you Muslims and Jews both share the same father in Abraham, then please don’t talk to me about anything at all until you resolve your family squabble.

Buddhism is not judged by how many Hollywood stars adhere to its tenets, but rather, by what the Buddhist is going to do when the removal of pleasure doesn’t solve every problem.

It is the pop quiz that determines if what we believe works in life or whether it’s just another passing philosophy—to either sell books or stimulate conversation over a boring dinner party. Because Christianity cannot be evaluated by whether great liturgy, communion services, baptisms or scriptural interpretations have been faithfully achieved. No, Christianity has to be assessed on three criteria:

1. Have we separated ourselves from Judaism enough to be followers of Jesus instead of being confounded because we are hauling the Old Testament along with our new vehicle? I have nothing against the Old Testament, nor against Jews. But Christianity is not the off-spring of Moses and Abraham. It is the new creature, translating God into everyday life and make the Divine wishes as practical as humanly possible.

2. Do we love our enemies? If we’re going to treat our adversaries with as much contempt, anger, frustration and revenge as the rest of the world, then Christianity has nothing to offer to the great conversation except dreams of a crucified leader. If the whole population of the planet earth insists on attacking those who attack us, then we need some spiritual ointment that soothes the burning sensation of vengeance. If the church is not going to provide that balm, then the church needs to die out with its aging members.

3. Hold ourselves to a standard and therefore be the light of the world to those who do not share our perspective. I do not expect Jewish people to act any better than Palestinians, nor do I anticipate Muslims to be any more responsible than Jews. I have no particular desire to place responsibility onto anyone else but myself. Having the mission of being the salt of the earth and the light of the world demands that I bring flavor and illumination to a world that has become bland and dim. I do not expect the rest of my brothers and sisters to perform the mission that God gave to me. Rather, I am asking myself to be Jesus.

Perhaps in the pursuit of this pattern of behavior, we can establish a record of success that gains the attention of those souls who might be more interested in progress than in tradition. Without the example, we merely have the meanest bully controlling the playground. I do not wish to live that way, thank you.

Like our football team so many years ago, simply practicing one’s craft does not guarantee success on the field. The game must be played. And the game requires two very distinct procedures: (a) Faithfulness to the plan, and (b) Evolving the plan towards greater faithfulness.

The church will be quizzed over the next year as this country tries to disembowel itself once again over issues of “conservative and liberal.” Are we going to join the Internet buzz of infernal babbling and accuse one another of non-patriotism and false doctrines, or are we going to step up to the plate and say, “Caesar can have what Caesar demands. But God should get His due.”

And God’s due is that we should love our enemies.

How do we do that? First, by acknowledging that doing anything else is less than adequate. And secondly, by believing deep in our hearts that our enemies do not determine our destiny. We do.

There are pop quizzes all the time. And the only way to make the grade is by being aware that they are destined to be—so we can know where we are in the great classroom of life.

Brain Charming

Brain Charming (1,170)

June 7th, 2011

I am not a doctor. I am not a neurologist. Actually, I am not an expert in anything at all. What I do possess is forty years of experience in working with people.

Drawing from those encounters, I have discovered some simple, universal applications. One of those is that the human brain can be short-circuited by over-activity or it can be turned into mush by laziness. The mind loves to have a balance somewhere between mental mayhem and brain dead. It is important to find that balance.

To discover that niche, the brain—like every other living thing on earth—needs nourishment. Otherwise, it will begin to cringe back in horror over confusion or go into a deep coma through lack of use. So what is the food? What is “grub” for the brain?

Consistency.

Now, I’m not talking about routine. Routine is what other people ask you to do and consistency is the barometer you place on yourself. Routine can cause you to become resentful and therefore drop all standards of quality. Consistency is the realistic expectations we place on our own pursuits, guaranteeing us a repeated result that provides for soul satisfaction. Without consistency, the brain wakes up wondering if anything is going to happen at all.

I do believe this is why some people think they need a jolt in the morning because they are not early-rising individuals. If the brain doesn’t know you have a job to accomplish, it will often require a jump-start to get electrified.

My suggestion to any intelligent person is to select three different projects to pursue consistently every week. Once the mind knows that it has an appointment, it will begin to keep a more orderly book. The Bible talks about “girding up the loins of our minds”—tightening our thinking with an appointment, causing the brain to know that it will be required to participate. Often we describe someone as “slow.” Well, not so much slow as uninvolved in any activity that demands they show up to do a certain thing at a certain time.

If you do find these three projects to do consistently in your life, you will be surprised at how much sharper your brain will be—even during the down times. Let me tell you my three:

1. I write a daily essay of at least 500 words called jonathots. I am fortunate that it is blessedly read by thousands of people. Sometimes I get my idea for the message the night before. Often I am awakened early in the morning with the notion. But occasionally, I do not know what I’m going to talk about until seconds before I begin to write. But my brain knows that we’re going to do it every day—1,170 days in a row, counting this morning. My brain calls it food. “Food for thought.”

2. I send an individual weekly email to many, many friends and family members. I catch up on details of the week and a word of exhortation to each and every one of them. I do it faithfully. Each person has a day and a time—the same every week. Each individual receives a certain space of consideration in my schedule and they know that for that particular moment, I am thinking only of them. My brain likes it. Fortunately for me, this also gives me the ability to stay in contact with lots of folks, and to let them know the feelings of my heart.

3. And finally, I work on being prepared to be entertaining and inspiring whenever I go to some location to present my program in front of a gathering of souls. I don’t care if it’s eight, eighty or eight hundred. Attendance does not concern me. My consideration is that my brain recreate the music, stories and talent granted to me through the good graces of spirit. I refuse to give less than my passionate best, and therefore have the privilege of receiving the same back from others.

Now, because I keep these three projects flowing consistently through my gray matter, my mind is alive enough to be prepared to on-point for other occasions. It is amazing how much power you gain in your life by simply being able to give preeminence to the important things at the right moment, over and over again. I can recommend it. It is literally brain-charming.

For after all, that’s what they say: When you’ve completed it and have done it right, the third thing is always the charm.

Humble Confidence

Humble Confidence (1,169)

June 6th, 2011

As I write this particular essay, I am driving on the freeways of Illinois en route to Chicago, with a final destination of Kalamazoo, Michigan. I just finished a tremendous week in the state of Illinois, culminating yesterday with the blessing of being with the fine folks of Tremont and Eureka.

While embracing my audiences of the week, I also took a moment to look at them carefully. I asked myself a very important question: “What is it that I like about human beings?”

Now, don’t leap ahead and think I am connoting that there are human beings I DON’T like. Unfortunately, there are people who don’t like themselves and therefore don’t leave many doors ajar for fellowship. With them, you have to do a lot of knocking to gain entrance. But as I finished up in Central Illinois, I decided there are two things I enjoy about folks—and I don’t think I’m too far off the beaten path of the normal.

I like humble brothers and sisters. Now perhaps I have a different definition of humility than you do. Humble is not acting like you can’t do anything and then going ahead and proving it. No—that’s what we should call inept. Humble is when you are completely capable and have proven that, but rather than prancing around seeking approval and praise, you deflect the unnecessary diversion and just want to move on to the next exciting project.

Jesus said that God doesn’t receive any glory unless His followers do glorious things. In other words, folks have to see our good works before they’re interested in how we might have fetched the water from the well.

I admire true humility—people who have just proven that they know how to perform a task or manifest a talent in an excellent way, but choose not to make a big deal about it, but rather, rejoice in the fruitfulness of the labor. They don’t need to blow the trumpet, you see, because they’ve already tooted out a really nice solo.

And speaking of tooting, this leads me to the next group I deeply enjoy—confident people. Now, in our society we consider that to be a contradiction. Normally folks we deem to be confident are not deemed to be humble. But actually, nothing is further from the truth. Confidence makes this simple statement. “Something needs to be done and I will be needed to make sure it gets accomplished.” That’s confidence.

The lack of confidence is killing progress in our society because we commiserate over problems much too long and lose valuable time to work on the solution. We don’t really believe that God has given us the resources and the provision to accomplish our jobs. Big mistake.

Confidence is when we don’t look right and left, but instead, look straight ahead to what the project before us is going to be and we step into it instead of stepping back, waiting for the committee report.

Do you see how these two go together? Because if you believe you can do something and do it pretty well, you don’t have to go bragging about it. The by-product is evidence enough to give you position. And the fact that you have the position should grant the confidence to know that you will be needed if the mission is going to be achieved.

Those are the folks I just love to hug around the neck.

You know the interesting thing? They aren’t the ones that need my hug. Life gives these folks a big hug every day. The people who need my hug are the ones who aren’t truly humble, but rather, insecure about being able to accomplish anything.

Let me tell you this—I grow tired of a religious system that tries to make people feel useless so that God will look bigger. God is big enough that He’s not afraid to have a little competition. That’s why Jesus said, “Greater things will you do because I go to the Father.” I could never be a follower of anyone who is afraid that I might do too well.

And by the way, the other people who need my hug are those travelers who want to study their problems until they get real scared instead of stepping out with what they’ve got to see if it just might work.

So in conclusion, what we have decided is spiritual is really frustration masking itself as reverence.

So to all the wonderful people I met in CherryValley, Ottawa, Tremont and Eureka—little towns that most people may never hear about again—let me tell you:

Be humble by doing something great and not requiring a party because you actually showed up.

And be confident that nothing is going to happen without you—and that God is at the door of the concert with two tickets in His hand, waiting for you to arrive.

I love you all, but I can’t lie. I am certainly drawn to those with humility . . . and confidence.

Do You Get It?

Do You Get It? (1,168)

June 5th, 2011

It is once again the season of pre-election bantering and posturing—although I’m not sure it ever stops. Because I am apolitical and do not favor any party stance, I can listen with a sense of both interest and neutrality. At least I think I do.

One thing seems to be universal: all candidates feel they need to tear down what is happening in our country so they can ride in on white horses, to save the lost and dying serfs. It becomes tiring.

If we are really on the Titanic, why is everyone jockeying to become the captain? Do we really think it’s necessary to destroy the fiber of this nation in order to provide a plan for a better meal? I don’t get it—do you? On the other hand, whoever is in power feels compelled to defend their administration’s little list of accomplishments instead of admitting that there is still much to do.

I think we are one grown-up short of being able to throw a party—and here’s what I think it means to be a grown-up. It’s a three-fold process:

1. “I have actually come to terms with what I’m good at doing. It doesn’t mean I can’t learn more. It doesn’t mean I am totally inept at everything else. But it does mean that given the opportunity, under normal circumstances, I can deliver a pretty good job in my particular area.” A good start.

2. “Since I do know what I can do, it also means I have taken a very good assessment on what I am not able to do and therefore am not only open to suggestion, but am prepared to move out of the way and allow those who are better than I am to lead the way on any adventure.”No one would ever go into the wilds of Africa without a guide. Maybe it’s because we’re afraid of the lions. But many people will go on a trip without a map, start a project without doing any research or run for political office without knowing the history of the United States of America. I don’t get it. Do you?

Which one makes me look more stupid—admitting I don’t know, or having it proven by my ridiculously inept actions? We need each other. If we don’t need each other, then we are preaching a gospel of self-sufficiency, which, by the way, happens to be against the precepts of the original gospel.

3. And finally, every adult should live by this slogan: “I will improve this wonderful situation.” There are so many subtleties in that statement that I don’t know where to start. First, we are admitting that it is a wonderful situation. America may have problems, but the country is still a bustling factory of possibility. We do not achieve anything by diminishing the quality of the nation under the notion of uplifting its people. But there is a power in recognizing necessity and anointing of improvement. I will often tell my friends and family that the time immediately following a disaster is no time to argue about change. Rather, it is the time to heal. The best time to change is when you’ve just experienced a success. Then you can take a deep breath and evaluate how to improve, while simultaneously celebrating the fact that you don’t have to do it over again.

Yes, I think if we’re going to choose a leader for this country, the major criterion should be: is he or she a grown-up? In other words, do they realize what they can do and what they can’t do? And do enact the slogan, “I will improve this wonderful situation?”

I never come into an engagement in a church thinking that I am there to rescue the lost or save the world. I look for the wonderfulness that is already available, and just add my little tidbits to sweeten the pot. It makes my message powerful instead of threatening.

No, I don’t get it. What will cause us to finally shake off the gossiping spirit that has rendered us incapacitated instead of empowered? When will we stop our criticism long enough to improve instead of deteriorate?

I don’t know. But I, for one, am going to try to be a grown-up today. I will tell you what I can do and what I can’t do, and I will improve this wonderful situation.

Six Opinions

Six Opinions (1,167)

June 4th, 2011

I had the pleasure of being present at the conception of four sons and the delight in adopting three others. As many of you know, one of the fine lads was struck by a car and suffered a severe brain injury that left him challenged for his remaining years until pneumonia took him from us. That left me with six surviving gentlemen, each one now pursuing his own desires and dreams.

The fascinating thing about this experience of fatherhood and raising children is that all six of those sons—each in his own way—has a different opinion about me. Even though I feel the most important part of being a good parent is consistency, that does not mean that your children will interpret your actions in an equally balanced way.

Case in point: I have one son who would say he loves me very much, but that I’m kind of a hard ass—extremely focused on my own concerns. He would say that I’m usually highly successful but that I lack some of the “people skills” he would prefer in his own dealings with others.

I have another son that would insist that I have the wisdom of Solomon. He would also contend that I possess the poetic skill of David. He would consider me a confidante and a source of knowledge and understanding in times of need.

Yet another one of my offspring would gladly inform you that I was an amazing combination of Johnny Appleseed, the Apostle Paul and Mick Jagger. He thinks I’m funny and a bit bawdy—and in the process, he quietly garners little nuggets from my life that he chooses to apply in his own way.

How about the next one? He thinks I’m a quiet, creative force of nature with the soul and depth of Gandhi, and that I have an intrinsic ability to ascertain information from all corners to determine the best path to choose. Although he probably thought I was a little hard on him when he was growing up, he now proclaims the wisdom of my choices and would tell you that without them he would have been in trouble.

To the fifth one I would be a set of ears, with a word of encouragement—probably not present enough for his taste, but never absent too long in the hour of need. He possibly doesn’t share all of my faith nor beliefs, but quietly respects the success of my ventures and the energy of my convictions.

And the final dear heart would probably tell you that I’m a little old fashioned, too religious and a bit out of touch with what the present generation considers to be fun. He likes me personally and treasures the times he has to be with me, but would rather I keep many of my ideas to myself, so that he doesn’t have to contradict them with his lifestyle.

Six different opinions.

Oh, three are things they all would agree upon. I think they all think I’m funny. They all think I’m reasonably nice. They all would probably concede to my generosity and to my creativity. But as far as their personal representation of who I am—well, that would differ considerably.

At last count, there were over three hundred and fifty different denominational interpretations of the teachings of Jesus. (It’s not getting less, by the way.) Three hundred and fifty different children expressing their opinion on what their Father is like. Could they all be right? Or are they all sufficiently wrong enough that their opinions are at least subjective, if not erroneous? Is the truth a conglomeration of all their thoughts, or the careful subtraction of many of the misguided concepts to the uplifting of the greater ones?

It’s hard to tell because no one ever sits down in a room with all three hundred and fifty at a time to come to a consensus.

Matter of fact, this same would be true if all six of my sons were gathered in a conference room to derive a common understanding of my personality. It would start out in conversation, move on to debate and culminate in a fierce argument.

So if I—being a mortal man—appear to be so complex to my own children, who slept in the same house with me, what are we to do with a Nazarene who lived two thousand years ago, whom we never actually met face to face?

No, I guess we should be grateful that there aren’t millions of denominations in our world. Are there things that we can agree upon in the discussion? I don’t know. What do you think my six sons would find irrefutable about me? How about this?

I am their dad and I love them very much.

That’s a good start.

Surprised

Surprised (1,166)

June 3rd, 2011

The human race … no one finishes it standing.

That’s a powerful thought. It also makes you wonder. We’ve been told for so many years that God loves us. Well, if He loves us so much, why is He bound and determined to kill us? I’m sorry—sometimes that’s just the way it feels.

Now, religion tells me that the reason for our demise is so that we might enter a portal and cross a great river to a promised land which is much better than our present existence. I have no objection to that. I am not disagreeable to the concept. But there is an instinct in my human thinking to contend that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. In other words, breathing now feels much better than losing breath, even to gain eternal life.

Some people say they’re not frightened of death. Of course, that’s much more easily stated when you’re vertical, with a bit of color in your cheeks. Having been on the brink of death, I would not describe my feelings as fearful—rather an itching wonder which I just didn’t seem to be able to scratch. What is this heaven that people talk about?

I tuned in a television show the other day and some preacher was talking about what heaven was going to be like. After a few minutes I grew disgusted and threw a dirty sock at the screen. For after all, no one knows. The Bible says “eye hath not seen nor ear heard what God has prepared.” I guess that would include everybody, right?

Being human, I have fleeting doubts about whether anything goes on after my death bed departure. Don’t you think there is a bit of arrogance in thinking that we mere mortals have any cosmic possibilities beyond earthly time? But it is intriguing.

All we do know is that one day we will depart this body of flesh. For some people, that’s enough to know, so they just kind of struggle, grunt and groan, tolerating their particular allotment of time so that one day they might live forever with Jesus. That just makes me fussy—because when Jesus describes the greeting we will receive when we get to the other side, he says it begins with a salutation of, “Well done.” Am I to assume from that that my doings are being reviewed and considered? I think so.

So before I leave this body of flesh, I’d like to leave three other bodies behind: a body of life, a body of love and a body of work.

· My body of life consists of the talents I have been given—making sure that I multiply them to the benefit of myself and others.

· My body of love is to take the people who come my way and enrich their journeys, encourage their dreams and lighten their loads.

· My body of work is to make sure that the gifts and the people I encounter link together—to bear fruit that is evident long after I exit stage right.

Let me tell you a story. A courtly gentleman came to my table last night in Ottawa, Illinois. He had tears in his eyes. He told me that one of my stories had particularly touched him because he had a daughter who had gone through a season of struggle in her teen years, but had found herself and was now a missionary in Ethiopia. He was so proud of her, missed her, wished she was here and was glad she wasn’t—all at the same time. It was so beautiful.

I looked at him and realized that he had a body of life. He had taken his talents and multiplied them through the life of this other precious vessel, who was now multiplying her own talents to the benefit of the needy.

He also possessed a body of love. He had prayed for her with no particular prospect of prosperity—but kept up the vigil anyway, waiting for the miracle.

Now he had a body of work—that delicious realization that there was fruit being born through his life and love, and even though he yearned to spend more time with his daughter, he admired her for pursuing her dreams.

He had it all. His tears were not sadness, but the spiritual mingling of joy and longing.

I don’t know what happens when we die. But I do know this—it will be a surprise.

It reminds me of the little boy who was promised a trip to Disney World, woke up and looked out his window and saw that it was pouring rain. He was depressed and began to cry into his pillow. His father entered the room and asked him what was wrong. So distressed that he couldn’t speak, he merely pointed out the window at the pelting rain. The father gradually realized what the problem was, gave the boy a big hug and pulled him to his feet.

“I guess you didn’t know—Disney World is under a dome so you can play night and day, rain or shine.” The little boy rejoiced.

You see, that’s what the afterlife is to me. Even though Disney World is NOT under a dome, heaven would be. You see, I think I know what God has planned, but it won’t be that at all.

God has many tricks up His sleeve . . . even though He really doesn’t wear a long, white robe.