The Coloma Passion… August 24, 2013

Jonathots Daily Blog

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Faith without passion is dead on arrival, struck down in the street by a big yellow bus of reality.

Fact is, if you can’t get people emotionally involved with their faith, mental assent, physical presence and spiritual study are very poor substitutes. After all, our heart holds our treasure, and our treasure occupies our heart.

As I journey this weekend to Coloma, Michigan, this is fresh on my mind.

I want to place the fire of desire inside my life. Now, that is merely a clever phrase unless it is defined by saying that my journey needs to include a “dare to care” attitude. Caring is not natural. It is something we have to turn on like a switch and purpose to accomplish, otherwise we lull ourselves into a sleepiness of believing that we’re really compassionate.

Shake the earth. The best way for me to shake the earth is by actually following a simple concept: be the person you admire. Instead of sitting around commenting on virtuous behavior, turn into the biggest copycat that ever stole a good idea.

Also, I would like to start speaking the word of justice. That means I need to learn to talk about rights, because they change wrongs. No one has ever successfully preached against wrongs to make things right. I need to believe that goodness has appeal instead of contending that I’m on the losing team until I get to heaven.

And finally, I want to tell the folks in Coloma this weekend to try to become part of the “sane that remain.” Life is an expedition, so don’t think you’re going to come without provisions, water and patience and survive the safari. There will be a need to outlast your critics. And why do people criticize? Because right now it isn’t popular. That’s not to say it wasn’t popular in the past, or that a great breath of common sense will not bring it into vogue again. It’s just important to realize that if you’re going to have passionate faith, you will have to endure to the end.

So here we come, Coloma: faith with passion.

• The fire of desire—dare to care.
• Shake the earth—be the person you admire.
• The word of justice—it takes rights to change wrongs.
• And the sane that remain—be prepared to outlast your critics.

For in a world of dimness, a single candle can illuminate the path.

Hebrews 12:18-29

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Light a Candle, Set a Fire… November 10, 2012

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I thought I was in a good mood.

Matter of fact, I was pretty certain I was Mr. Mellow Yellow. Sitting in the parking lot of a Kroger

grocery store in Dayton, Ohio, I had even taken the time to jot down some lyrics for a new song and a couple of thoughts for upcoming essays for jonathots. The sun was shining, I had just enough money in my pocket to keep me from poverty, and life seemed to be heading in a direction away from the fiscal cliff.

Jan returned and informed me that the red raspberries that had been on sale were marked up and too expensive to buy. I thought I was fine with that. She had substituted strawberries, which were certainly to my liking. So I started up my van and headed out, when suddenly, to my right, a car came barreling through, moving very fast and forcing me to slam on my brakes. I honked my horn and said aloud, “What an idiot!”

It surprised me. I was alarmed by my own outburst, assuming that such a little misfortune should be taken in stride and handled with more grace. Was I more upset about the raspberries than I thought? Was my level of contentment peppered with a bit of arrogant pride? Did I feel good simply because everything was going well, and the minute an intrusion came on my path I reverted to a more carnal reaction? I don’t know. It got me thinking.

I asked myself a question: When should I light a candle and at what point is it appropriate to set a fire?

That’s pretty important.  If you don’t ever think about it, then reactions can come upon you which might seem foreign–but you feel like you have to support them, like unwanted, illegitimate children–because lighting a candle is a decision to trust your faith; setting a fire is the opportunity for you to” kick into doing.” Quite different.

I feel one of the reasons our nation is experiencing so much anger, frustration and accusation is because we have a waning of faith in the populace. When you don’t have faith in anything, it’s hard to trust–and when you don’t trust, you feel you must always defend yourself because no one else is on your side. When you get into that mindset, you protect your hunk of meat like a wild lion.

So even if there wasn’t a God, we certainly would need one in order for us to have faith in something other than circumstances, and trust in life to occasionally work out–instead of setting every situation on fire.

Yes, sometimes you need only to light a candle, so that on those other occasions, you can set a fire. It is necessary to choose moments to trust your faith so that you will know when it is time to “kick into doing.”

A car nearly hits me in a Kroger parking lot. Should I light a candle? Or set a fire? Should I shake my head and quietly say, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do?” Or should I honk my horn and chase them to the next stop sign? Should I turn to my friend and traveling companion and curse them for their stupidity?

Children are bored in church. Should I light a candle and say a prayer that things get better? Or should I set a fire and question why religion has become so irrelevant to the youth?

I can’t eat bologna and pizza and lose weight. Should I trust my faith and light a candle? Or set a fire of injustice in my soul that lends itself to further gluttony?

• My legs hurt when I walk.
• Syrians are dying in the street.
• Someone took my parking space.

What do you think? Light a candle? Set a fire? Should I trust my faith? Or kick into doing? Should I be an observer of what God is about to do? Or a doer, and watch my heavenly Father observe?

• I’m too fat, too bald, too old.
• Atheism is on the rise.
• I often lack money.
• I cut myself shaving.
• I need to drop pounds.
• I want to use my talent.
• I feel lonely.
• I feel cheated.

They mount up, you know. Maybe hundreds in a day–moments when we have to decide what to do with our flame–that bit of passion within us that determines our light in the human family. If you have no faith, it’s hard to trust. If you feel without strength, it’s difficult to move.

That’s why some people burn on the inside–the fires of hell in their bellies.

What should I do? Light a candle? Set a fire?

My mate is losing interest in me. Should I reach for the candle? Or set a fire to change the direction?

I am losing my faith. If I lose it, my trust goes out the window. If my trust is gone, I have to lean to my own understanding. And if I’m devoid of understanding, I am constantly on the verge of being angry.

America has problems. I am part of America. Do I light a candle and trust my faith? Or set a fire and “kick into doing?”

This is probably the most important question you will ever ask yourself. If you ignore it, you might just discover that you’re infuriated over an indiscretion by a poor driver in a Kroger parking lot, and because you couldn’t get them, you give life the raspberries.

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