Good News and Better News… February 6th, 2017

 

 Jonathots Daily Blog

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I thought I was going to watch a game–America’s annual gala event, the Super Bowl.

There were banners, bands, stars, announcers, hoopla, hot dogs, beer and two teams dressed up real special for the occasion.

At first, it appeared I was correct. The whole thing was playing out like a normal football game. Touchdowns. Turnovers. Terrible plays. Terrific catches.

And then, all at once, it changed.

Suddenly displayed before my eyes was the difference of participating and competing–and also the chasm between competing and striving.

First of all, every player on both teams showed up to participate. They knew their places. They were familiar with their assignments. They were in a position to perform very well, as long as nothing went horribly wrong.

A goodly portion of them were also pre-conditioned to compete. That means a fumbled ball would not send them into a depression, and they were ready to cash in on the trends of the game so as to gain an advantage.

But by the time the third quarter rolled around, it was obvious that there was only one player who showed up to strive.

He was not satisfied to have merely participated in seven Superbowls unless he could win the present one.

Although he initially had joined his team in having an “off day,” he removed the indignity of being the runner-up.

Yes, it is difficult to explain the difference between Tom Brady and everybody else on that football field. Quietly and with determination, he raised his game, increased his stats, and those around him who showed up to compete, joined him and defeated the participants.

I’m sorry–it made me think about the church.

We have exactly the same situation brewing in every sanctuary in America.

• We have those who participate: “I believe in God.”
• We have those who compete: “I believe in Jesus.”
• And we’re looking for souls who will strive: “I am a follower of Jesus.”

Many people consider all three to be spiritual profiles, but there’s only one mindset that transforms humans from being participants and competitors into individuals who strive for excellence because they know the purity, the joy and the domination of such a maneuver.

Tom Brady is a follower of the mechanics, the psychology and the mission of football. He will not be overcome by mere participants and competitors.

In this day and age, believing in God and even trusting in Jesus does not position us to be more than conquerors.

The good news is that Jesus of Nazareth came to set an example–in word, deed and sacrifice–of what it means to win.

The better news is, if you’ll do more than participate and compete, you can strive and overcome.

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Participate … June 17, 2013

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“Indifferent” literally means “not different.” It is a decision to be cool and uncaring about something that comes along, because it fails to conform to the present mold of the general pursuits of the populace. Yet all of us know that “different” things are necessary to our survival–to keep us from skidding off the road because we have fallen asleep at the wheel.

What we consider to be “different” today amazes me. For instance, church takes a terrible rap for being either an old folks home or an outpost of condemnation. We should never give up on the church–but we should never stop improving it.

Politics, on the other hand, has proven to be of little effect in our lives, and is often a stumbling block to human progress. But we spend inordinate amounts of time jockeying for our party or fussing about the details of some sort of party issue.

We tout that our children are the treasure-house of the nation, even as our schools teeter on the brink of bankruptcy and our teachers struggle with depleting budgets to handle increasing class loads.

When should we participate? When is it important to jump in with both feet and be among them that are counted? And when is it better to stand back and let the clowns of the parade pass by, waiting for the real talent at the rear?

As I stood before the amazing people of Vincennes, Indiana, I realized that this was a major question which they would have to answer–whether they were just starting kindergarten or reaping the benefits of their IRA.

Where do I put my energies? Where do I participate? Where do I let my two cents be invested by offering the additional penny of my thoughts?

Here are three guidelines for me. Yours may be different and equally as powerful. My guidelines consist of three questions, which allow us to determine what to chase and what to ignore.

1. What are we doing with God? If all we are doing is worshipping God, we are wasting His creative potential. If we’re trying to find ways to ignore God in deference to more intellectual pursuits, we are not tapping the greatest intelligence. God is valuable if you’re able to bring His spirit to earth.

2. And speaking of the earth, what are we doing with it? Stop taking a political position on matters of Mother Earth just because your particular party has decided, for the time being, to either be overwrought on an issue or under-concerned. Here’s the truth: Mother Earth is one of the easier things to understand. She complains and lets you know exactly where there is need. Just pay attention. What we do with the earth is important, because “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”

3. What are we going to do with humans? I continue to tout the six-word philosophy of “NoOne is better than anyone else.” Why? Because every other approach to humanity breeds some form of nasty, unusable prejudice. What we decide to do with the human race is essential for ensuring that the earth is full of sensitivity and God is being revered as the Father of us all.

What I watched yesterday at the St. John’s church was an evolution. Because the people did not know us, there was a certain amount of carefulness upon our arrival. Honestly, I don’t mind a bit of carefulness as long as it does not degrade  into suspicion. If people will just give each other a chance to bring forth their gifts and share their talents, and THEN evaluaate the exerience, we will be just fine. We don’t have to be leaping around hugging each other in order to leave the door open to tenderness. But by the same token, to express suspicion or animosity just because we are dealing with someone who is not a part of our inner circle is to create a barrier which is insurmountable.

Where do I participate?

• Is God being honored without being turned into a religious monster? I will be there and bring a bag of ice.
• Is the earth being studied so we can gain wisdom on how to better handle our planet and the lives of the people around us? Mark me down as an RSVP.
• And finally, are humans being given a chance to establish the fruit of their labors without being judged by the color of their skin or dismissed because they are aliens? I will donate to such a cause.

The next seven years will tell us much about the future of mankind. Basically, it will boil down to whether really wise people are able to become “diferent” enough from the society around them to include God, earth and humanity.

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 Jonathots, Jr.!

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Alabama Allegations… September 26, 2012

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Alabama is not my “sweet home,” but I have always enjoyed my numerous visits to the state.

It is located on about the third notch of the Bible Belt (even though with me being blubbery, I prefer an elastic waist). As is often the case in many of the communities in our southern regions, people in Alabama go to church a lot, respecting God and country with tremendous personal fervor. So when I arrived with my proclamation that “NoOne is better than anyone else,” I found myself greeted with a small smile, only partially disguising a wince. My Alabamian brothers and sisters immediately offered two allegations to potentially contradict my theorem:

Allegation One: “Jonathan, isn’t the Jewish nation the chosen people? Doesn’t that make them better?”

I would like to introduce each and every one of you–and also re-acquaint myself–with the power of reading the Bible to discover a consensus. Facts are, it is easy to find a single verse in the Bible to back up almost any notion, perversion, lifestyle or inclination. But when you pursue further, you will discover that many other verses not only temper that particular assertion, but sometimes update or flat-out contradict it.

Since we are Christians and not followers of Moses, we have to go to the words of Jesus to find what he thought about this concept of the Children of Israel being “chosen.” Matter of fact, I will guarantee you on this fine morning that the main reason he hung between earth and sky, suspended by nails, was that they did not favor his opinion on their manifest destiny. He told the Jews bluntly that they took “great pride in being the children of Abraham” but that God had every capability of taking a common rock laying beside the road and turning it into a “child of Abraham.” You can imagine, considering the nationalistic pride frothing at the time, that this particular teaching was met with quite a bit of resistance.

We are also clearly informed that God is “no respecter of persons,” so even though there are those who would love to propagate the notion that Israel and the Jews are a chosen people, favored by God, and therefore they are unique by birthright, the general consensus of the Bible, which we call the Word, is that God has opened His door to include everyone equally.

So as not to get a bunch of emails from people suggesting that I am anti-Semitic, I will tell you that I believe that Israel has every right to exist, be respected and honored for her traditions. It’s just that since  the time that Jesus walked the earth, Jewish people are not preferred above Arabs or anyone else.

Allegation Two: “Jonathan, you certainly believe that Billy Graham is better than Charles Manson, right?”

You see, this is the idea that we are unique by salvation. I can always tell when people are desperate to win an argument. They either bring up their pet dog, Hitler or Charles Manson. They mention their pet dog because they want to create sympathy; Hitler, to prove how bad people are, and Charles Manson when they want to convince you that some people are beyond hope.

So let me tell you what I told these fine folks from Alabama. Actually, thief that I am, I borrowed the sentiment from Jesus. Talking one day to a group of gossiping Galileans, he asked them if they thought that the people who had recently been killed by Pilate were worse sinners than those who didn’t die. And after all, we do the same thing. If someone survives a hurricane, we insist that “God was with them,” which, whether we like it or not, connotes that the people who perished were at least secretly somewhat dastardly.

Jesus’ response to his own question about this “worse sinner” possibility was, “Except you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

You see, folks, it’s basically a PR situation–life comes along and the first thing you need to do is participate. It is true that there are greater benefits if you indulge in earthly activities by following the rules, but when you don’t, you get a second crack, which is called repentance. If you repent, you are blessed with a clean slate to participate again with a little bit more wisdom.

It doesn’t matter whether you are Billy Graham or Charles Manson–the same rules apply. Participate and repent. If you don’t choose to participate, don’t expect anything to happen. If you do participate, make a mistake and stubbornly refuse to repent, don’t expect to be able to participate anymore. It’s really that simple.

Many people were shocked when Charles Manson was the murderous propagator of so many slain, innocent people. I, too, was appalled, but I awaited the great miracle of repentance. It never came. So righteously, Charlie-boy doesn’t get to participate anymore.

But honestly, folks, if we found out something bad about Billy Graham tomorrow, most Christians would abandon him. I, instead, would wait for the repentance. And once my dear brother repented, I would welcome him back into the family of man, to participate.

Do I believe that Billy Graham is better than Charles Manson? Not by creation. He gains footing on earth’s soil because he repents–and if he didn’t repent, like Mr. Manson, he would find himself perishing one miserable day at a time, in a tiny jail cell.

So participate, and if you don’t, please understand that nothing will happen. After you participate, take note of the quality of your efforts and repent where stupidity has clearly been pointed out to you. It gives you license to participate again. There is no such thing as “worse sinners.” Just terrible repenters.

So this ended my little excursion into Alabama, where people tried to establish that we are unique by birthright, or, as in the case of Billy Graham, unique by salvation. But after I had a friendly conversation with these lovely folks, I made it clear to them that God is no respecter of persons, and that the key to human life is participating and repenting.

I moved on down the road and landed in Missouri, which they refer to as the “Show Me” State. I was certainly not going to escape their scrutiny with my new-fangled phrase.

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