WE SAY: GOD SAYS:
"It's impossible."
"What is impossible with men is possible with God." (Lk. 18:27) (See Gen 18:14)
"I'm too tired."
"Come to me…and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28-30) (See Jer. 6:16; Heb. 4:1)
"Nobody really loves me."
"God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son..." (Jn. 3:16)
"I can't go on."
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor.12:9) (See Exo. 4:10-15; Josh. 1:9; Isa. 43:2; Jer. 1:6-9; I Cor. 10:13; Heb. 4:16
"I can't figure things out."
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Pro. 3:5, 6)
"I can't do it.
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:13)
"I'm not able."
"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 Cor. 9:8)
"It's not worth it."
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Rom. 8:28) (See 1 Pet. 1:7,8)
"I can't forgive."
"If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness…" (Psa. 130:3, 4) (See Matt. 6:14, 15; 18:23-35; Jms.. 2:13; Eph. 4:32)
"I can't manage."
"My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19) (See Psa. 23; 84:11; Isa. 40:31; 2 Cor. 4:7-10; 9:8; 1 Thes. 5:24)
"I'm afraid."
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Tim. 1:7 NKJ) (See Lk. 1:74, 75; Act. 20:24; Rom. 8:15; 1 Jn. 4:18)
"I'm always worried and
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (I Pet. 5:7) (See I Sam.
frustrated"
"I'm not smart enough."
"…You are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God…" (1 Cor. 1:30) (See 1 Chron. 22:1, 2; Pro. 2:3-6; 8:5; Jms.1:5)
"I feel all alone."
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Heb. 13:5) (See Dt. 31:6-8)
"IN ALL THESE THINGS WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US." Rom. 8:37)
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Conflict Steps, Anger, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation
Matthew 18:15, "If your brother or sister sins against you, go and show them their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over."
This one statement of Jesus is the key to resolving conflict in any human relationship. The manual for conflict resolution is right here and it's found in seven simple steps, easy enough for a child to follow. Instead of show and tell, it's go and tell. Go and tell the person who hurt you and make it right.
Sounds simple, doesn't it. The problem is we so often don't do it. We tell everybody but the person who hurt us. In fact, this one verse may be the single most violated command that Jesus ever gave. Why? Because at each point we face a crossroads. At each step there are powerful reasons to ignore Jesus and go the other way. So let's walk through the steps one at a time.
Step one is acknowledge the conflict, if there is a conflict. Jesus says if your brother or sister sins against you , but we could probably replace it with when your brother or sister sins against you because to be alive means to be in conflict. It's part of the Dance of the Porcupines. It's part of being slightly irregular, "as is" human beings. People aren't normal, but conflict is.
The first step sounds simple enough, acknowledge the conflict. But here's the first crossroad. Most of us would rather pretend that there is no conflict, that the conflict doesn't exist. Sometimes we think that lack of conflict is a sign of spiritual maturity, when really it could be a sign of denial or even apathy in a relationship. So when we're confronted we might say things like, "What's the big deal? Can't you take a joke? I was only kidding." And when we do that we can totally invalidate the person who wants to talk about the hurt.
So the place to start is to honestly admit that there is unresolved conflict that needs to be dealt with. There's been a relational meltdown that needs to be addressed. If we're going to live life in healthy community, unaddressed and unresolved conflict is not an option.
Step two is to own the responsibility of dealing with it. The word Jesus uses is you not the other person. He calls on every one of us to own the job of conflict resolution, which often brings us to another crossroads.
We don't want to do it. Instead, we want the person who hurt us to make the first move. "It's not fair that I should have to take the first step, I didn't hurt them. They hurt me."
In Matthew 18 the issue is going to the person who has hurt us, but in Matthew 5 Jesus says we need to go to a person if we realize we have hurt them. Matthew 5:23-24, "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."
You see, either way the first move is always ours. In fact, Jesus says it's more important to make a relationship right than it is to go to church. It's the most spiritual thing we can do. There is no hidden Bible verse that says wait for them to come to us. Jesus puts the burden on us in both cases. If we've done something wrong, take the first step. If the other person has done something wrong, we still take the first step.
Why? Because porcupines are stubborn, prickly little creatures. Because there's a surplus of stone throwers and a deficit of peacemakers in this world. And because people who value community are people who own the responsibility to deal with relational breakdown.
The third step is go. Don't avoid, but approach the person with whom you have an issue. This is a huge step in the process and right here the battle is often won or lost. At this crossroads we wrestle with thoughts like, "Just forget it, it's not that big of a deal." "I don't want to make them feel bad." "What they did really shouldn't of hurt me anyway." "Who am I to confront them?" "It could cost the relationship." "What if they come at me with all I've done to hurt them?" "What difference will it make anyway?" The evil one loves to use these thoughts and ideas to sabotage community.
But Jesus says, go. Don't wait. We can't wait until we've rehearsed our speech perfectly. We may stutter and stammer all over the place. It's not important that we do it flawlessly. It's just important that we do it. Avoiding issues of hurt kills community and causes resentment to fester inside of us.
Some of us grew up in homes where anger was never acknowledged. The only way we dealt with anger was to "stuff" it. That was the case in my home. And when you grow up in a family like that you can think, "I should never experience anger. Anger means I'm a terrible person. Anger is bad."
But that's a lie. God gave us with the capacity to get angry. God gets angry from time to time. Psalm 30:5 says, For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime.
Anger is like a smoke detector. It's good to have one on every floor of your house. When it beeps, it tells you that something's wrong. It's good to have smoke detectors. They can save your life. But it's not good to live with a smoke detector that's always beeping.
Anger is our God given smoke detector to warn us that something is wrong and needs to be fixed. Anger is meant to motivate us to do something. And this is what we're to do. Go to the person who has made us angry.
Now it may be wise to cool down first. Proverbs 14:17 says, People with a hot temper do foolish things. Wiser people remain calm. (GNB) You may need to buy some time just to allow the rpm's to slow down. That's okay. You may even want to do a self-check and ask yourself, "Why am I so angry? And what is it that I want that I'm not getting?"
Anger experts tell us that anger is not a primary emotion. Remember when you were in elementary school and learned about the three primary colors: red, blue and yellow. All the other colors are made from a mixture of those three. Well in that same way, anger is not a primary emotion. It is a mixture of emotions, such as hurt, frustration, or fear. Those are often the feelings that are underneath the anger. We get angry after we first get hurt by someone or after we first get frustrated trying to accomplish a task or first feel afraid of someone or something.
But once we've cooled down and thought things through we need to "go." The apostle Paul wrote these words to a community that was facing conflict. Ephesians 4:26, In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. We need to address it as quickly as possible.
Step number four is to go to the person. The crossroads here to gossip and go to a third party and tell them the hurt and anger we feel, before we go to the person themselves. Why? Because it's easier and frankly more fun to go to someone else and tear the other person apart. But when we do that we can just make things worse.
That doesn't mean we should never talk about our anger. We all need a sounding board that can help us plan to resolve the conflict. But if we're going to a third person, it should be with the goal of then moving towards the person who hurt us for reconciliation.
Step five is use sensitivity, go in private. One on one. Just between the two of you, Jesus says. The crossroads here is the temptation to go and let them have it. Make 'em pay. Hurt them back. Embarrass them in front of an audience. But Jesus says, "No." Instead, approach them the same way you would want to be approached. Sensitivity is one of the most important parts of healthy anger management.
We don't go to blow off steam or get it off our chest or let it fly. According to Ortberg, research done on anger management over several decades has failed to find a single study that demonstrates that catharsis, or letting your anger fly, is an effective way to manage anger. Instead, it just creates more anger inside us and in the person that we rage all over. The simplest guideline here is the golden rule: approach others the way that you would want them to approach you.
Step number six is to communicate directly, discuss the problem. Jesus says, Show them their fault. The temptation here is to beat around the bush and not be totally honest. Some of us around here talk about saying the last 10%. Often, after going through all the hard work of setting up a difficult conversation, we get afraid and we shrink back from saying the hardest but most important truth. We fail to say the very thing that caused us to meet in the first place, the last 10%. We get vague and fuzzy just when we need to be crystal clear.
Saying the last 10% sounds like this. "You weren't really listening to me which made me feel like I don't matter to you. That causes me to pull away in our relationship and I don't want that. I want us to connect more closely. That's why I was hurt." It's not easy to say that. But that's what Jesus means by showing them their fault.
And finally, step number seven is the goal of conflict resolution and that is reconciliation. If they listen to you, you have won them over. The goal is not to even the score or to make the other person pay or feel bad, it's to be reconciled to each other. Restoring the relationship is the goal of conflict resolution. Getting back into community is the aim. If it's not, all of the hard work is for nothing.
So those are the seven simple steps of conflict resolution according to Jesus. That's what keeps a community healthy. But sometimes even conflict resolution doesn't work. Sometimes we need a miracle. And God created one. It's called forgiveness. And we'll look at that next time.
There's a story told of Leonardo da Vinci, the brilliant artist, who was working on his famous painting "The Last Supper" when he got angry with a certain man. In fact, at one point he was so angry that he lost his temper and lashed out at the person with some very bitter words. Later on when he returned to the canvas to continue painting he tried to work on the face of Jesus. But he was so upset that he just couldn't pull it together to do that. So finally he put down his brush and went out to find the man he had blasted and asked his forgiveness. He reconciled the relationship. The man forgave him and da Vinci was able to go back to his studio and finish painting the face of Jesus.
The Last Supper is a painting of the Lord's Table, the table that we're about to enjoy together. Does it bring to mind a relationship that needs to be reconciled? If it does, then you need to make it right quickly. It's hard to spend time with Jesus and stay angry very long. He's always nudging us towards reconciliation.
there are two ways to live with hurt: the way of vengeance and the way of forgiveness. The first way leads to death, and the second to life.
Three Things that Forgiveness is Not ...
Forgiveness is not the same thing as excusing.
If a little kid is staring at the cereal in the grocery store and runs into you, you don't need to forgive him ... you simply excuse him. He's a little kid. He's enamored by the cereal boxes. It's excusable behavior.
But when there is no good rationale to explain why someone did something to hurt you ... that is when forgiveness is required.
Forgiveness is not forgetting.
We've all heard the saying forgive and forget. That might be possible when someone cuts you off in traffic. But it is impossible to forget when someone has deeply or repeatedly hurt us.
Forgiving is precisely what is required when we cannot forget.
Forgiving is not the same thing as reconciling.
I have a good friend who has always struggled with his father. I always just assumed it was because his father abandoned him and his mother and brothers and sisters ... leaving them in a very difficult situation to fend for themselves.
It wasn't until recent years that he confided in me that for years his father had physically abused him repeatedly in a tortuous, intimidating way. Nobody else in the family knew anything about it and if they did, they never did anything about it.
My friend is an adult now and still tormented by his feelings of hatred toward his father. One day we were talking about how difficult it is for him to get on with his life and I made the radical suggestion that he forgive his father.
I'll never forget the look of anguish that came over him as he shook his head from side to side and said over and over, "no, no, no!"
My friend thought that I was saying he needed to reconcile with his father. To run back to him and spend time with the man that struck terror into his heart. That is not forgiveness. Forgiveness only requires one human being. (forgiveness waits for reconciliation in my opinion. Waits for the other party to be ready) Reconciliation requires two willing parties both broken and sincerely sorry. So what does forgiveness involve?
What forgiveness is ...
Forgiveness begins when we give up the right to get even.
This is where you need to think about your personal situation. Who is it that you want to pay? Who is it that you want to punish? Who is it that you think about and dream of all the ways their life could be as miserable as they have made yours?
My friend is tormented day and night by thoughts of his father. Somehow, he wants him to pay. I was not asking my friend to excuse his father. I was not asking my friend to forget all the horrible things his father had done to him. I was not asking him to reconcile with his father and put himself in a position where his father might try to hurt him again.
I was asking him to stop trying to get even. Vengeance by its nature is insatiable. I was inviting him to be free ...
Forgiveness involves a new way of seeing and feeling.
When we have been hurt by another person we tend to stop seeing them as a person and rather only see the hurt.
When we forgive we begin to look past the hurt and focus on the humanity of the one who hurt us. We recognize that they do not live a perfect life ... they didn't have perfect parents ... they are lonely or hurting or weak just like me. But they are also created in the image of a God who loves them.
Forgiveness progresses when you find yourself wishing the other person well.
No longer do you fantasize about the pain that you would wish upon their life. You begin to hope for good things for them. You desire the peace of God in their troubled life.
Forgiveness is the very heart beat of God. It is His invention and the only hope for His romance with the human race. When we choose to forgive, we open the door to the miraculous. God is just waiting for us to express our faith and attempt the unimaginable.
God commands us to forgive because He knows that no human beings are more miserable than the unforgiving.
This one statement of Jesus is the key to resolving conflict in any human relationship. The manual for conflict resolution is right here and it's found in seven simple steps, easy enough for a child to follow. Instead of show and tell, it's go and tell. Go and tell the person who hurt you and make it right.
Sounds simple, doesn't it. The problem is we so often don't do it. We tell everybody but the person who hurt us. In fact, this one verse may be the single most violated command that Jesus ever gave. Why? Because at each point we face a crossroads. At each step there are powerful reasons to ignore Jesus and go the other way. So let's walk through the steps one at a time.
Step one is acknowledge the conflict, if there is a conflict. Jesus says if your brother or sister sins against you , but we could probably replace it with when your brother or sister sins against you because to be alive means to be in conflict. It's part of the Dance of the Porcupines. It's part of being slightly irregular, "as is" human beings. People aren't normal, but conflict is.
The first step sounds simple enough, acknowledge the conflict. But here's the first crossroad. Most of us would rather pretend that there is no conflict, that the conflict doesn't exist. Sometimes we think that lack of conflict is a sign of spiritual maturity, when really it could be a sign of denial or even apathy in a relationship. So when we're confronted we might say things like, "What's the big deal? Can't you take a joke? I was only kidding." And when we do that we can totally invalidate the person who wants to talk about the hurt.
So the place to start is to honestly admit that there is unresolved conflict that needs to be dealt with. There's been a relational meltdown that needs to be addressed. If we're going to live life in healthy community, unaddressed and unresolved conflict is not an option.
Step two is to own the responsibility of dealing with it. The word Jesus uses is you not the other person. He calls on every one of us to own the job of conflict resolution, which often brings us to another crossroads.
We don't want to do it. Instead, we want the person who hurt us to make the first move. "It's not fair that I should have to take the first step, I didn't hurt them. They hurt me."
In Matthew 18 the issue is going to the person who has hurt us, but in Matthew 5 Jesus says we need to go to a person if we realize we have hurt them. Matthew 5:23-24, "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."
You see, either way the first move is always ours. In fact, Jesus says it's more important to make a relationship right than it is to go to church. It's the most spiritual thing we can do. There is no hidden Bible verse that says wait for them to come to us. Jesus puts the burden on us in both cases. If we've done something wrong, take the first step. If the other person has done something wrong, we still take the first step.
Why? Because porcupines are stubborn, prickly little creatures. Because there's a surplus of stone throwers and a deficit of peacemakers in this world. And because people who value community are people who own the responsibility to deal with relational breakdown.
The third step is go. Don't avoid, but approach the person with whom you have an issue. This is a huge step in the process and right here the battle is often won or lost. At this crossroads we wrestle with thoughts like, "Just forget it, it's not that big of a deal." "I don't want to make them feel bad." "What they did really shouldn't of hurt me anyway." "Who am I to confront them?" "It could cost the relationship." "What if they come at me with all I've done to hurt them?" "What difference will it make anyway?" The evil one loves to use these thoughts and ideas to sabotage community.
But Jesus says, go. Don't wait. We can't wait until we've rehearsed our speech perfectly. We may stutter and stammer all over the place. It's not important that we do it flawlessly. It's just important that we do it. Avoiding issues of hurt kills community and causes resentment to fester inside of us.
Some of us grew up in homes where anger was never acknowledged. The only way we dealt with anger was to "stuff" it. That was the case in my home. And when you grow up in a family like that you can think, "I should never experience anger. Anger means I'm a terrible person. Anger is bad."
But that's a lie. God gave us with the capacity to get angry. God gets angry from time to time. Psalm 30:5 says, For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime.
Anger is like a smoke detector. It's good to have one on every floor of your house. When it beeps, it tells you that something's wrong. It's good to have smoke detectors. They can save your life. But it's not good to live with a smoke detector that's always beeping.
Anger is our God given smoke detector to warn us that something is wrong and needs to be fixed. Anger is meant to motivate us to do something. And this is what we're to do. Go to the person who has made us angry.
Now it may be wise to cool down first. Proverbs 14:17 says, People with a hot temper do foolish things. Wiser people remain calm. (GNB) You may need to buy some time just to allow the rpm's to slow down. That's okay. You may even want to do a self-check and ask yourself, "Why am I so angry? And what is it that I want that I'm not getting?"
Anger experts tell us that anger is not a primary emotion. Remember when you were in elementary school and learned about the three primary colors: red, blue and yellow. All the other colors are made from a mixture of those three. Well in that same way, anger is not a primary emotion. It is a mixture of emotions, such as hurt, frustration, or fear. Those are often the feelings that are underneath the anger. We get angry after we first get hurt by someone or after we first get frustrated trying to accomplish a task or first feel afraid of someone or something.
But once we've cooled down and thought things through we need to "go." The apostle Paul wrote these words to a community that was facing conflict. Ephesians 4:26, In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. We need to address it as quickly as possible.
Step number four is to go to the person. The crossroads here to gossip and go to a third party and tell them the hurt and anger we feel, before we go to the person themselves. Why? Because it's easier and frankly more fun to go to someone else and tear the other person apart. But when we do that we can just make things worse.
That doesn't mean we should never talk about our anger. We all need a sounding board that can help us plan to resolve the conflict. But if we're going to a third person, it should be with the goal of then moving towards the person who hurt us for reconciliation.
Step five is use sensitivity, go in private. One on one. Just between the two of you, Jesus says. The crossroads here is the temptation to go and let them have it. Make 'em pay. Hurt them back. Embarrass them in front of an audience. But Jesus says, "No." Instead, approach them the same way you would want to be approached. Sensitivity is one of the most important parts of healthy anger management.
We don't go to blow off steam or get it off our chest or let it fly. According to Ortberg, research done on anger management over several decades has failed to find a single study that demonstrates that catharsis, or letting your anger fly, is an effective way to manage anger. Instead, it just creates more anger inside us and in the person that we rage all over. The simplest guideline here is the golden rule: approach others the way that you would want them to approach you.
Step number six is to communicate directly, discuss the problem. Jesus says, Show them their fault. The temptation here is to beat around the bush and not be totally honest. Some of us around here talk about saying the last 10%. Often, after going through all the hard work of setting up a difficult conversation, we get afraid and we shrink back from saying the hardest but most important truth. We fail to say the very thing that caused us to meet in the first place, the last 10%. We get vague and fuzzy just when we need to be crystal clear.
Saying the last 10% sounds like this. "You weren't really listening to me which made me feel like I don't matter to you. That causes me to pull away in our relationship and I don't want that. I want us to connect more closely. That's why I was hurt." It's not easy to say that. But that's what Jesus means by showing them their fault.
And finally, step number seven is the goal of conflict resolution and that is reconciliation. If they listen to you, you have won them over. The goal is not to even the score or to make the other person pay or feel bad, it's to be reconciled to each other. Restoring the relationship is the goal of conflict resolution. Getting back into community is the aim. If it's not, all of the hard work is for nothing.
So those are the seven simple steps of conflict resolution according to Jesus. That's what keeps a community healthy. But sometimes even conflict resolution doesn't work. Sometimes we need a miracle. And God created one. It's called forgiveness. And we'll look at that next time.
There's a story told of Leonardo da Vinci, the brilliant artist, who was working on his famous painting "The Last Supper" when he got angry with a certain man. In fact, at one point he was so angry that he lost his temper and lashed out at the person with some very bitter words. Later on when he returned to the canvas to continue painting he tried to work on the face of Jesus. But he was so upset that he just couldn't pull it together to do that. So finally he put down his brush and went out to find the man he had blasted and asked his forgiveness. He reconciled the relationship. The man forgave him and da Vinci was able to go back to his studio and finish painting the face of Jesus.
The Last Supper is a painting of the Lord's Table, the table that we're about to enjoy together. Does it bring to mind a relationship that needs to be reconciled? If it does, then you need to make it right quickly. It's hard to spend time with Jesus and stay angry very long. He's always nudging us towards reconciliation.
there are two ways to live with hurt: the way of vengeance and the way of forgiveness. The first way leads to death, and the second to life.
Three Things that Forgiveness is Not ...
Forgiveness is not the same thing as excusing.
If a little kid is staring at the cereal in the grocery store and runs into you, you don't need to forgive him ... you simply excuse him. He's a little kid. He's enamored by the cereal boxes. It's excusable behavior.
But when there is no good rationale to explain why someone did something to hurt you ... that is when forgiveness is required.
Forgiveness is not forgetting.
We've all heard the saying forgive and forget. That might be possible when someone cuts you off in traffic. But it is impossible to forget when someone has deeply or repeatedly hurt us.
Forgiving is precisely what is required when we cannot forget.
Forgiving is not the same thing as reconciling.
I have a good friend who has always struggled with his father. I always just assumed it was because his father abandoned him and his mother and brothers and sisters ... leaving them in a very difficult situation to fend for themselves.
It wasn't until recent years that he confided in me that for years his father had physically abused him repeatedly in a tortuous, intimidating way. Nobody else in the family knew anything about it and if they did, they never did anything about it.
My friend is an adult now and still tormented by his feelings of hatred toward his father. One day we were talking about how difficult it is for him to get on with his life and I made the radical suggestion that he forgive his father.
I'll never forget the look of anguish that came over him as he shook his head from side to side and said over and over, "no, no, no!"
My friend thought that I was saying he needed to reconcile with his father. To run back to him and spend time with the man that struck terror into his heart. That is not forgiveness. Forgiveness only requires one human being. (forgiveness waits for reconciliation in my opinion. Waits for the other party to be ready) Reconciliation requires two willing parties both broken and sincerely sorry. So what does forgiveness involve?
What forgiveness is ...
Forgiveness begins when we give up the right to get even.
This is where you need to think about your personal situation. Who is it that you want to pay? Who is it that you want to punish? Who is it that you think about and dream of all the ways their life could be as miserable as they have made yours?
My friend is tormented day and night by thoughts of his father. Somehow, he wants him to pay. I was not asking my friend to excuse his father. I was not asking my friend to forget all the horrible things his father had done to him. I was not asking him to reconcile with his father and put himself in a position where his father might try to hurt him again.
I was asking him to stop trying to get even. Vengeance by its nature is insatiable. I was inviting him to be free ...
Forgiveness involves a new way of seeing and feeling.
When we have been hurt by another person we tend to stop seeing them as a person and rather only see the hurt.
When we forgive we begin to look past the hurt and focus on the humanity of the one who hurt us. We recognize that they do not live a perfect life ... they didn't have perfect parents ... they are lonely or hurting or weak just like me. But they are also created in the image of a God who loves them.
Forgiveness progresses when you find yourself wishing the other person well.
No longer do you fantasize about the pain that you would wish upon their life. You begin to hope for good things for them. You desire the peace of God in their troubled life.
Forgiveness is the very heart beat of God. It is His invention and the only hope for His romance with the human race. When we choose to forgive, we open the door to the miraculous. God is just waiting for us to express our faith and attempt the unimaginable.
God commands us to forgive because He knows that no human beings are more miserable than the unforgiving.
community level one and taking off mask
The apostle Paul says that in true community love is to be genuine. In the book of Acts we read that in the very first church people "met together with glad and sincere hearts." They were authentic. They were real. They learned to stop pretending to be something they were not.
Ortberg refers to a brilliant essay that C. S. Lewis once wrote called "The Inner Ring." In it Lewis says that in every society, every school, every church, every workplace, there are little groups of people who are on the "inside." And you can tell because they use nicknames and have inside jokes and get invited to certain events. And then there are those who are on the outside, those who don't get chosen at recess or invited to the dance or who get voted off the island. And all of us have the desire to be on the inside and the fear of being left on the outside.
The existence of these rings, Lewis says, isn't necessarily bad. We're all limited and can only maintain so many relationships. But the desire to gain status by being part of a high-status Inner Ring is a deeply dangerous one. It can lead us to constantly compare ourselves with others, to feel anguish when we're left out, and deeper anguish when someone close to us gets ushered in. It can make us compromise and do things that make us look good to those who are deeper in and higher up.
But the Inner Ring turns out to be like an onion. Once we make it to a certain circle, we discover there is another circle, and another one after that. And beside no inner circle can give us the worth that we want so badly to find, because inside each circle we discover that we're still the same person.
Jesus' disciples wrestled with this desire to be on the inside. Two of them, James and John, actually approached Jesus and asked if they could be in the Inner Ring when they got to heaven. They even had their mom lobbying for them. And when the other ten heard about it they flipped out, because if that happened that would mean, that even though they were apostles too, they wouldn't be on the inside. And Jesus just shook his head and wondered when these guys would finally get it that God's desire is to invite everyone into the Inner Ring. His church is not to be a community of exclusion, but a community of embrace.
One of the most penetrating stories about who's in and who's out is told by Matthew. If you have a Bible turn to Matthew 15:21-28. Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." 25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. 26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." 27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
So let's get real practical now and look at three stages of authenticity that will lead us into deeper levels of community in any relationship.
The first stage is guarded communication. Authenticity doesn't mean we tell everybody, everything about us. That would be unwise and unbiblical. There is a place for guarded communication. We need to be discerning in what we share with whom.
Proverbs 20:19 says, A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.
Don't be too quick to share something personal with somebody you don't know or somebody you can't trust. You can get hurt real bad. Most of us have had that experience and it's painful. I've been on both ends of that equation. I've had confidences betrayed and I've betrayed a few myself, which caused great pain. And when that happens it can shut us down for years in our attempts to build deeper community with people. And we can get real cynical and say things like, "There you go! What did I tell you? You can't trust anybody." When the truth is, "You can't trust everybody. But you can trust somebody."
So there's a place for polite, surface conversation. We all need that and that is a level of community, but it's not the deepest level. We were meant to go deeper.
The apostle Paul has a wonderful line in his second letter to the Corinthians when he writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18, And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
His point is that it's possible for people to live in community with "unveiled faces." We would say without wearing masks. He uses the line in retelling the story of Moses whose face glowed after he met with God on Mount Sinai. And everyone who saw him went, "Wow! What a man of God! He is so special!"
But one morning when Moses looked in the mirror to brush his teeth, he noticed his face wasn't glowing as much. He was losing his radiance and it scared him to death to think that people would see his fading glory and think less of him so he put a veil over his face. He hid his face because he wanted people to think he was more spiritual than he really was. Until his wife finally said, "Moses, take that ridiculous thing off you're not fooling anybody!" What a relief that must have been!
But we can do the same thing that Moses did. We can keep a veil over our face, or a mask, to hide who we really are. Some of us hide behind clichés. We're always "Top draw. Doing great. Never had a bad day." Some of us hide behind humor to deflect conversations that get too personal. Some hide behind their shyness or their busyness or their spirituality. You can impress people from behind the veil, but you can't make friends that way. The truth is we're drawn to people who live with unveiled faces.
If you want to be in a relationship where people share deeply with you, then you need to take the next step towards authenticity, which is appropriate self-disclosure. Someone has said, "Disclosure begets disclosure." It has enormous power.
The apostle Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 4:25, Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
How often I've seen this in small groups over the years. The group starts out with everyone being polite and having guarded conversations. But after a while there's this unspoken yearning to go deeper. And if the group doesn't people start to get bored with it and look for other things to do. Until someone has the courage to take the risk and share a struggle that they're having at work or at school or in their parenting or with their health or in their marriage and all of sudden the group dives into a deeper level of community. And often that's all it takes, one courageous person to lead them there, one person to risk being real.
Again, we're talking about appropriate self-disclosure. What may be appropriate to share one on one, may not be appropriate to share in a group or in a mixed setting of men and women. Nevertheless, this is the level where we take risks with those we trust and show our "as is" tag by revealing areas of failure or embarrassment or vulnerability, things that don't make us look good or that we're not particularly proud of. It's communication that goes beyond cliches and opens up the heart. It's the uncomfortable part of becoming real.
Jesus was the only person who ever walked this planet who was completely transparent. He never learned to hide. He let his friends see him in his unveiled moments of joy and sadness, anger and fatigue. At one point, shortly before he died, he said his friends, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Please pray for me (Mark 14:34)."
Every one of us carries hurts and scars and wounds. And our tendency since the garden is to hide as if our life depended on it. But that's exactly what we can't do. God wants us to come out from behind the bushes with him and with at least one other person. Our life depends on getting found. There's no healing in hiding only bondage.
That's even true at the physical level. Studies show that there is a real connection between self-disclosure and physical health. James knew that 2,000 years ago when he wrote in James 5:16, Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Which brings us to the third stage of authenticity that leads to the deepest level of community. And that is confession. Now there's an overlap between self-disclosure and confession. Self-disclosure can include confession, but it also includes sharing things that have happened to us, hurts and violations that were out of our control. Confession, on the other hand, is a moral term, and involves naming specific things that we've done that need repentance and reconciliation.
Guarded communication is telling people that you're fine when inside you're really scared to death because you just lost your job. Self-disclosure is telling people that you're scared to death about the future because you just lost your job. Confession is telling someone that you're scared to death about the future because you just lost your job and the reason you lost your job is that you were caught stealing from the company.
Confessing our sins to another human being is powerful and crucial to our own healing and sense of forgiveness. When people begin to open up at this level, then God can produce the kind of deep community that he intends for us to enjoy.
Sin thrives on secrecy. And the longer we keep our sin hidden in the shadows of secrecy, the greater its grip will be on our lives. But when we bring it out of the shadows and into the light it quickly loses its power. And we bring it into the light when we confess it to at least one other trusted person. Confessing our sin to one another is the only way we can be delivered from the power of an addiction.
Alcoholics Anonymous has known this for years. The Fifth Step of the Twelve Steps of AA is to admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. It's to come out of the shadows and into the light.
Proverbs 28:13 says, He who covers up his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Confession is a powerful thing because it puts us in a place where God can transform our lives.
Believe me, I know the fear that comes with confession. Someone has said confession may be good for the soul, but bad for the reputation. That's why we need to find someone we can trust whether it be a professional counselor or a trustworthy friend.
Never forget that Valley View first of all a community of sinners before we're a community of saints. No one needs to feel alone around here in their brokenness. All of us struggle. Some may hide it better than others, some may struggle in different areas than we do, but we all do battle every single day. We all carry a mat.
So today's love lesson is that community starts with being real. "Becoming Real," said the wise old skin horse, "is a process. It takes time. It doesn't come all at once. It will be uncomfortable. But once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who just don't understand."
Ortberg refers to a brilliant essay that C. S. Lewis once wrote called "The Inner Ring." In it Lewis says that in every society, every school, every church, every workplace, there are little groups of people who are on the "inside." And you can tell because they use nicknames and have inside jokes and get invited to certain events. And then there are those who are on the outside, those who don't get chosen at recess or invited to the dance or who get voted off the island. And all of us have the desire to be on the inside and the fear of being left on the outside.
The existence of these rings, Lewis says, isn't necessarily bad. We're all limited and can only maintain so many relationships. But the desire to gain status by being part of a high-status Inner Ring is a deeply dangerous one. It can lead us to constantly compare ourselves with others, to feel anguish when we're left out, and deeper anguish when someone close to us gets ushered in. It can make us compromise and do things that make us look good to those who are deeper in and higher up.
But the Inner Ring turns out to be like an onion. Once we make it to a certain circle, we discover there is another circle, and another one after that. And beside no inner circle can give us the worth that we want so badly to find, because inside each circle we discover that we're still the same person.
Jesus' disciples wrestled with this desire to be on the inside. Two of them, James and John, actually approached Jesus and asked if they could be in the Inner Ring when they got to heaven. They even had their mom lobbying for them. And when the other ten heard about it they flipped out, because if that happened that would mean, that even though they were apostles too, they wouldn't be on the inside. And Jesus just shook his head and wondered when these guys would finally get it that God's desire is to invite everyone into the Inner Ring. His church is not to be a community of exclusion, but a community of embrace.
One of the most penetrating stories about who's in and who's out is told by Matthew. If you have a Bible turn to Matthew 15:21-28. Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." 25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. 26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." 27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
So let's get real practical now and look at three stages of authenticity that will lead us into deeper levels of community in any relationship.
The first stage is guarded communication. Authenticity doesn't mean we tell everybody, everything about us. That would be unwise and unbiblical. There is a place for guarded communication. We need to be discerning in what we share with whom.
Proverbs 20:19 says, A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.
Don't be too quick to share something personal with somebody you don't know or somebody you can't trust. You can get hurt real bad. Most of us have had that experience and it's painful. I've been on both ends of that equation. I've had confidences betrayed and I've betrayed a few myself, which caused great pain. And when that happens it can shut us down for years in our attempts to build deeper community with people. And we can get real cynical and say things like, "There you go! What did I tell you? You can't trust anybody." When the truth is, "You can't trust everybody. But you can trust somebody."
So there's a place for polite, surface conversation. We all need that and that is a level of community, but it's not the deepest level. We were meant to go deeper.
The apostle Paul has a wonderful line in his second letter to the Corinthians when he writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18, And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
His point is that it's possible for people to live in community with "unveiled faces." We would say without wearing masks. He uses the line in retelling the story of Moses whose face glowed after he met with God on Mount Sinai. And everyone who saw him went, "Wow! What a man of God! He is so special!"
But one morning when Moses looked in the mirror to brush his teeth, he noticed his face wasn't glowing as much. He was losing his radiance and it scared him to death to think that people would see his fading glory and think less of him so he put a veil over his face. He hid his face because he wanted people to think he was more spiritual than he really was. Until his wife finally said, "Moses, take that ridiculous thing off you're not fooling anybody!" What a relief that must have been!
But we can do the same thing that Moses did. We can keep a veil over our face, or a mask, to hide who we really are. Some of us hide behind clichés. We're always "Top draw. Doing great. Never had a bad day." Some of us hide behind humor to deflect conversations that get too personal. Some hide behind their shyness or their busyness or their spirituality. You can impress people from behind the veil, but you can't make friends that way. The truth is we're drawn to people who live with unveiled faces.
If you want to be in a relationship where people share deeply with you, then you need to take the next step towards authenticity, which is appropriate self-disclosure. Someone has said, "Disclosure begets disclosure." It has enormous power.
The apostle Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 4:25, Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
How often I've seen this in small groups over the years. The group starts out with everyone being polite and having guarded conversations. But after a while there's this unspoken yearning to go deeper. And if the group doesn't people start to get bored with it and look for other things to do. Until someone has the courage to take the risk and share a struggle that they're having at work or at school or in their parenting or with their health or in their marriage and all of sudden the group dives into a deeper level of community. And often that's all it takes, one courageous person to lead them there, one person to risk being real.
Again, we're talking about appropriate self-disclosure. What may be appropriate to share one on one, may not be appropriate to share in a group or in a mixed setting of men and women. Nevertheless, this is the level where we take risks with those we trust and show our "as is" tag by revealing areas of failure or embarrassment or vulnerability, things that don't make us look good or that we're not particularly proud of. It's communication that goes beyond cliches and opens up the heart. It's the uncomfortable part of becoming real.
Jesus was the only person who ever walked this planet who was completely transparent. He never learned to hide. He let his friends see him in his unveiled moments of joy and sadness, anger and fatigue. At one point, shortly before he died, he said his friends, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Please pray for me (Mark 14:34)."
Every one of us carries hurts and scars and wounds. And our tendency since the garden is to hide as if our life depended on it. But that's exactly what we can't do. God wants us to come out from behind the bushes with him and with at least one other person. Our life depends on getting found. There's no healing in hiding only bondage.
That's even true at the physical level. Studies show that there is a real connection between self-disclosure and physical health. James knew that 2,000 years ago when he wrote in James 5:16, Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Which brings us to the third stage of authenticity that leads to the deepest level of community. And that is confession. Now there's an overlap between self-disclosure and confession. Self-disclosure can include confession, but it also includes sharing things that have happened to us, hurts and violations that were out of our control. Confession, on the other hand, is a moral term, and involves naming specific things that we've done that need repentance and reconciliation.
Guarded communication is telling people that you're fine when inside you're really scared to death because you just lost your job. Self-disclosure is telling people that you're scared to death about the future because you just lost your job. Confession is telling someone that you're scared to death about the future because you just lost your job and the reason you lost your job is that you were caught stealing from the company.
Confessing our sins to another human being is powerful and crucial to our own healing and sense of forgiveness. When people begin to open up at this level, then God can produce the kind of deep community that he intends for us to enjoy.
Sin thrives on secrecy. And the longer we keep our sin hidden in the shadows of secrecy, the greater its grip will be on our lives. But when we bring it out of the shadows and into the light it quickly loses its power. And we bring it into the light when we confess it to at least one other trusted person. Confessing our sin to one another is the only way we can be delivered from the power of an addiction.
Alcoholics Anonymous has known this for years. The Fifth Step of the Twelve Steps of AA is to admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. It's to come out of the shadows and into the light.
Proverbs 28:13 says, He who covers up his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Confession is a powerful thing because it puts us in a place where God can transform our lives.
Believe me, I know the fear that comes with confession. Someone has said confession may be good for the soul, but bad for the reputation. That's why we need to find someone we can trust whether it be a professional counselor or a trustworthy friend.
Never forget that Valley View first of all a community of sinners before we're a community of saints. No one needs to feel alone around here in their brokenness. All of us struggle. Some may hide it better than others, some may struggle in different areas than we do, but we all do battle every single day. We all carry a mat.
So today's love lesson is that community starts with being real. "Becoming Real," said the wise old skin horse, "is a process. It takes time. It doesn't come all at once. It will be uncomfortable. But once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who just don't understand."
Share before winter camp- including, value in what God values
This week I received a breathtaking e-mail from a teenager who went on the recent Young Life winter weekend. And in it she describes this kind of "roof crashing community."
She writes, "When I signed up for the winter weekend there was doubt hanging over me. Unlike all the kids who knew each other from Young Life, I didn't know anyone who was going ... So I climbed onto the bus and sat uncomfortably by myself for more than half of the trip to New York. Suddenly I was beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea. You know how you talked about feeling lonely in a crowded room? Well, that's how I felt sitting in that bus packed full of people. Finally, someone came up and sat with me. I don't think he realized how good that made me feel. I could have squeezed him to death. That's how happy I was. He then introduced me to his friends who introduced me to their friends. And as the weekend progressed, I ended up meeting tons of awesome kids that I never would have met ... I can honestly say ... the weekend proved to be one of the best things that has ever happened to me. For the first time ever, I felt the presence of God and I made the decision to hand my life over to him for good ... I continue to attend Young Life and Valley View High where I have experienced a community like never before!"
Dale Galloway tells the story of a young boy named Teddy Stollard. He wasn't the kind of kid who got invited to parties. He looked bored most of the time. He only spoke when spoken to and even then in one-syllable words. He never dressed right, looked right and wore smelly clothes. He didn't do well in school. In fact, when the teacher would mark Teddy's papers she got a twisted kind of thrill marking all the wrong answers and putting a big fat "F" on top of the page. She should have known better, because his history was on record.
In first grade, Teddy had been a good boy and showed promised, but had a poor home situation. In second grade, Teddy was quiet and withdrawn. His mother was terminally ill. In third grade, Teddy was falling behind. His mother died that year and his father was uninvolved. In fourth grade, Teddy was hopelessly backward. His father had moved away and he was living with an aunt and deeply troubled.
Christmas came and all the children in Teddy's class brought gifts to school to give to the teacher. They were all nicely wrapped, some with big, bright bows, except for Teddy's package. It was in a brown paper bag and not quite held together by tape.
One by one his teacher, Miss Thompson, would open the gifts for the whole class to admire. When she opened Teddy's gift she found a rhinestone bracelet with most of the stones missing and a bottle of perfume that was almost empty. The other kids started to laugh, but Miss Thompson caught herself. Snapping on the bracelet, she said, "Isn't it lovely, class? And doesn't the perfume smell good?"
At the end of the class, Teddy stayed after and said, "I'm glad you liked my gifts, Miss Thompson. All day long you smelled like my mother. And her bracelet looks nice on you, too."
After he left, his teacher put her head down on the desk and cried. She asked God to forgive her and prayed that God would help her to see what he sees when he looks at a motherless boy. The next day, when the children came back to school, Miss Thompson was a new teacher. She tutored the children who needed extra help, Teddy most of all. And by the end of the year he had caught up with most of his classmates and was even ahead of some. After that, she didn't hear from Teddy for quite a while until one day she received a note.
Dear Miss Thompson, I wanted you to be the first to know I am graduating from high school, and I am second in my class. Love, Teddy Stollard
Four years later came another note. Dear Miss Thompson, I wanted you to be the first to know I am graduating from college first in my class. The university has not been easy, but I liked it. Love, Teddy Stollard
Four years later, another note came. Dear Miss Thompson, I wanted you to be the first to know that as of today I am Theodore J. Stollard, M.D. How about that? I want you to come sit where my mother would have sat, because you're the nearest thing to family that I've had. Love, Teddy Stollard
The ability to assign worth and value is one of the rarest and greatest gifts in the world. May God help all of us to value what God values and to understand how much we've all been forgiven.
She writes, "When I signed up for the winter weekend there was doubt hanging over me. Unlike all the kids who knew each other from Young Life, I didn't know anyone who was going ... So I climbed onto the bus and sat uncomfortably by myself for more than half of the trip to New York. Suddenly I was beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea. You know how you talked about feeling lonely in a crowded room? Well, that's how I felt sitting in that bus packed full of people. Finally, someone came up and sat with me. I don't think he realized how good that made me feel. I could have squeezed him to death. That's how happy I was. He then introduced me to his friends who introduced me to their friends. And as the weekend progressed, I ended up meeting tons of awesome kids that I never would have met ... I can honestly say ... the weekend proved to be one of the best things that has ever happened to me. For the first time ever, I felt the presence of God and I made the decision to hand my life over to him for good ... I continue to attend Young Life and Valley View High where I have experienced a community like never before!"
Dale Galloway tells the story of a young boy named Teddy Stollard. He wasn't the kind of kid who got invited to parties. He looked bored most of the time. He only spoke when spoken to and even then in one-syllable words. He never dressed right, looked right and wore smelly clothes. He didn't do well in school. In fact, when the teacher would mark Teddy's papers she got a twisted kind of thrill marking all the wrong answers and putting a big fat "F" on top of the page. She should have known better, because his history was on record.
In first grade, Teddy had been a good boy and showed promised, but had a poor home situation. In second grade, Teddy was quiet and withdrawn. His mother was terminally ill. In third grade, Teddy was falling behind. His mother died that year and his father was uninvolved. In fourth grade, Teddy was hopelessly backward. His father had moved away and he was living with an aunt and deeply troubled.
Christmas came and all the children in Teddy's class brought gifts to school to give to the teacher. They were all nicely wrapped, some with big, bright bows, except for Teddy's package. It was in a brown paper bag and not quite held together by tape.
One by one his teacher, Miss Thompson, would open the gifts for the whole class to admire. When she opened Teddy's gift she found a rhinestone bracelet with most of the stones missing and a bottle of perfume that was almost empty. The other kids started to laugh, but Miss Thompson caught herself. Snapping on the bracelet, she said, "Isn't it lovely, class? And doesn't the perfume smell good?"
At the end of the class, Teddy stayed after and said, "I'm glad you liked my gifts, Miss Thompson. All day long you smelled like my mother. And her bracelet looks nice on you, too."
After he left, his teacher put her head down on the desk and cried. She asked God to forgive her and prayed that God would help her to see what he sees when he looks at a motherless boy. The next day, when the children came back to school, Miss Thompson was a new teacher. She tutored the children who needed extra help, Teddy most of all. And by the end of the year he had caught up with most of his classmates and was even ahead of some. After that, she didn't hear from Teddy for quite a while until one day she received a note.
Dear Miss Thompson, I wanted you to be the first to know I am graduating from high school, and I am second in my class. Love, Teddy Stollard
Four years later came another note. Dear Miss Thompson, I wanted you to be the first to know I am graduating from college first in my class. The university has not been easy, but I liked it. Love, Teddy Stollard
Four years later, another note came. Dear Miss Thompson, I wanted you to be the first to know that as of today I am Theodore J. Stollard, M.D. How about that? I want you to come sit where my mother would have sat, because you're the nearest thing to family that I've had. Love, Teddy Stollard
The ability to assign worth and value is one of the rarest and greatest gifts in the world. May God help all of us to value what God values and to understand how much we've all been forgiven.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Your Life Purpose/ Mission Statement and Values
Your Life Purpose and Core Values
I believe that we were all sent here for a reason and that we all have significance in the world. I genuinely feel that we are all blessed with unique gifts. The expression of our gifts contributes to a cause greater than ourselves.
What am I chasing after? Why am I chasing it? What is my purpose? Why was I put here?
Begin by listing all the things that are most important to you. Write down all the things you want to do. Create a personal mission statement. Decide that whatever venture you commit to must align with your personal mission, values and goals. For every new opportunity that comes along, ask yourself how it aligns with your mission, values, and goals. If the venture does not align with where you want to be, then do not pursue it.
“Writing or reviewing a mission statement changes you because it forces you to think through your priorities deeply, carefully, and to align your behavior with your beliefs”
Goals
1) Come up with your own personal mission/ life purpose statement
2) Create a list of your top 5 to 10 core values
Try one of these visualization exercises, writing down your findings when you are done.
Vividly picture the day of your funeral. Take a minute to visualize the details. Who is there? There are people giving speeches and talks about you and your life. What do they say? What do you hope they say? How do you want to be remembered? What do you want your eulogy to consist of? What would your lifetime achievements be? What would matter the most at the end of your life? Is it what you are doing right now?
Or
You are now 90 years old, sitting on a rocking chair outside your porch; you can feel the spring breeze gently brushing against your face. You are blissful and happy, and are pleased with the wonderful life you’ve been blessed with. Looking back at your life and all that you’ve achieved and acquired, all the relationships you’ve developed; what matters to you most? List them out.
Or
I would go beyond this and say, "you are living in the afterlife and are looking back on your life with Jesus by your side, what would you like your life to look like? What would Jesus like your life to look like? Why? What were the most significant things about who you were? What were the most significant things that you did? What were your most significant relationships?"
The answers to the questions are indicators of our key values and our life mission.
Creating a Life Purpose Statement (God made me in this way- created)/ Personal Mission Statement (I’m going to be who God made me to be- for good works)
Stephen Covey’s Mission Statement Builder is a good resource for getting started on our mission statement and values.
Or Steve Pavlina’s method on “How to discover your life purpose in about 20 minutes” is another simple way to get in touch with your own calling.
"If you want to discover your true purpose in life, you must first empty your mind of all the false purposes you’ve been taught including the idea that you may have no purpose at all.
So how to discover your purpose in life? While there are many ways to do this, some of them fairly involved, here is one of the simplest that anyone can do. The more open you are to this process, and the more you expect it to work, the faster it will work for you. But not being open to it or having doubts about it or thinking it’s an entirely idiotic and meaningless waste of time won’t prevent it from working as long as you stick with it — again, it will just take longer to converge.
Here’s what to do:
1. Take out a blank sheet of paper or open up a word processor where you can type (I prefer the latter because it’s faster).
2. Write at the top, “What is my true purpose in life?”
3. Write an answer (any answer) that pops into your head. It doesn’t have to be a complete sentence. A short phrase is fine.
4. Repeat step 3 until you write the answer that makes resonates deeply with you (or even makes you cry). This is your life purpose statement.
Core Values
What core values are:
· An enduring belief, an [often] unwritten assumption and a preferred choice
“a set of general guiding principles; not to be confused with specific cultural or operational practices; [and] not to be compromised for financial gain or short-term expediency.”
· They are non-negotiable, the essence of a person’s identity
· Values help to shape our decision making process and ultimately our actions.
If I have core values…how do I discover them?
Clarifying Your Core Values
Answering the following questions will help to identify implicit values and move you towards formulating an explicit values statement…
1. What activities do you consider of greatest worth?
2. When your mind is in neutral, what do you usually think about?
3. When you lead, what needs to take place for you to be satisfied?
4. The qualities of character you most admire and desire for God to shape into your life are...
5. The actions or qualities in others that really frustrate or annoy you – even if you don’t know why are...
6. What causes do you strongly believe in? Connect with?
7. If you could get a message across to a large group of people. Who would those people be? What would your message be?
Dark-Side Values
Do we have values God may need to reform; values that do not reflect the lifestyle of Christ? Just by living in the world we pick up worldly values. As we grow in our love for God and for His Word, we are challenged to recognize and let God heal our corrupt or unhealthy values.
What are some of my “dark-side orientations” that compel me to wrongly value or over-value certain things?(e.g. of corrupt values: I value keeping up appearances; I value being right; I value always winning; I value over-indulging myself through eating, TV, alcohol…)
Choose to ask for and seriously consider feedback from others who know us or who have observed us over time;
Choose to appropriately self-disclose our issues within proper safe relationships (and get prayer);
Choose to trust GOD for help!!!
I believe that we were all sent here for a reason and that we all have significance in the world. I genuinely feel that we are all blessed with unique gifts. The expression of our gifts contributes to a cause greater than ourselves.
What am I chasing after? Why am I chasing it? What is my purpose? Why was I put here?
Begin by listing all the things that are most important to you. Write down all the things you want to do. Create a personal mission statement. Decide that whatever venture you commit to must align with your personal mission, values and goals. For every new opportunity that comes along, ask yourself how it aligns with your mission, values, and goals. If the venture does not align with where you want to be, then do not pursue it.
“Writing or reviewing a mission statement changes you because it forces you to think through your priorities deeply, carefully, and to align your behavior with your beliefs”
Goals
1) Come up with your own personal mission/ life purpose statement
2) Create a list of your top 5 to 10 core values
Try one of these visualization exercises, writing down your findings when you are done.
Vividly picture the day of your funeral. Take a minute to visualize the details. Who is there? There are people giving speeches and talks about you and your life. What do they say? What do you hope they say? How do you want to be remembered? What do you want your eulogy to consist of? What would your lifetime achievements be? What would matter the most at the end of your life? Is it what you are doing right now?
Or
You are now 90 years old, sitting on a rocking chair outside your porch; you can feel the spring breeze gently brushing against your face. You are blissful and happy, and are pleased with the wonderful life you’ve been blessed with. Looking back at your life and all that you’ve achieved and acquired, all the relationships you’ve developed; what matters to you most? List them out.
Or
I would go beyond this and say, "you are living in the afterlife and are looking back on your life with Jesus by your side, what would you like your life to look like? What would Jesus like your life to look like? Why? What were the most significant things about who you were? What were the most significant things that you did? What were your most significant relationships?"
The answers to the questions are indicators of our key values and our life mission.
Creating a Life Purpose Statement (God made me in this way- created)/ Personal Mission Statement (I’m going to be who God made me to be- for good works)
Stephen Covey’s Mission Statement Builder is a good resource for getting started on our mission statement and values.
Or Steve Pavlina’s method on “How to discover your life purpose in about 20 minutes” is another simple way to get in touch with your own calling.
"If you want to discover your true purpose in life, you must first empty your mind of all the false purposes you’ve been taught including the idea that you may have no purpose at all.
So how to discover your purpose in life? While there are many ways to do this, some of them fairly involved, here is one of the simplest that anyone can do. The more open you are to this process, and the more you expect it to work, the faster it will work for you. But not being open to it or having doubts about it or thinking it’s an entirely idiotic and meaningless waste of time won’t prevent it from working as long as you stick with it — again, it will just take longer to converge.
Here’s what to do:
1. Take out a blank sheet of paper or open up a word processor where you can type (I prefer the latter because it’s faster).
2. Write at the top, “What is my true purpose in life?”
3. Write an answer (any answer) that pops into your head. It doesn’t have to be a complete sentence. A short phrase is fine.
4. Repeat step 3 until you write the answer that makes resonates deeply with you (or even makes you cry). This is your life purpose statement.
Core Values
What core values are:
· An enduring belief, an [often] unwritten assumption and a preferred choice
“a set of general guiding principles; not to be confused with specific cultural or operational practices; [and] not to be compromised for financial gain or short-term expediency.”
· They are non-negotiable, the essence of a person’s identity
· Values help to shape our decision making process and ultimately our actions.
If I have core values…how do I discover them?
Clarifying Your Core Values
Answering the following questions will help to identify implicit values and move you towards formulating an explicit values statement…
1. What activities do you consider of greatest worth?
2. When your mind is in neutral, what do you usually think about?
3. When you lead, what needs to take place for you to be satisfied?
4. The qualities of character you most admire and desire for God to shape into your life are...
5. The actions or qualities in others that really frustrate or annoy you – even if you don’t know why are...
6. What causes do you strongly believe in? Connect with?
7. If you could get a message across to a large group of people. Who would those people be? What would your message be?
Dark-Side Values
Do we have values God may need to reform; values that do not reflect the lifestyle of Christ? Just by living in the world we pick up worldly values. As we grow in our love for God and for His Word, we are challenged to recognize and let God heal our corrupt or unhealthy values.
What are some of my “dark-side orientations” that compel me to wrongly value or over-value certain things?(e.g. of corrupt values: I value keeping up appearances; I value being right; I value always winning; I value over-indulging myself through eating, TV, alcohol…)
Choose to ask for and seriously consider feedback from others who know us or who have observed us over time;
Choose to appropriately self-disclose our issues within proper safe relationships (and get prayer);
Choose to trust GOD for help!!!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Strengths overview
Strength. Sounds good, doesn't it?
Who wouldn't want strength?
As you might expect, strength is the desired outcome of strengths development. But exactly what is a strength? What are we striving toward?
When you see a strength in action, you see a person's ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific activity.
When you see him or her perform that activity, you think, "She makes it look so easy!" or "He's a natural!"
How can that be? How can they so consistently perform with such excellence? The answer is simple: It is easy for her.
He is a natural.
Each is performing at such a high level simply by building upon how he or she most naturally thinks, feels, and behaves: their greatest talents.
As unique individuals, we each have our own special ways of successfully approaching the people and events in our lives. And our greatest talents are always there for us. We instinctively use them in almost any situation.
An inner drive to compete, sensitivity to the needs of others, an inclination to notice patterns, and the tendency to be outgoing at social gatherings are good examples of talents.
For some of us, our talents make us great Relators or Arrangers. Others have tremendous talents in Adaptability or Belief. Look closely at your friends, family, and coworkers. You will see exceptional Learners, Activators, and Includers, and amazing talents in Ideation, Responsibility, and Developer. Within our natural selves, we each hold extraordinary potential.
Of course, the first step toward fulfilling that potential is to discover our greatest talents. That's where the Clifton StrengthsFinder comes in. You've probably already sensed that this assessment is not just another personality test. That difference is certainly no accident.
In fact, the idea behind the assessment is quite contrary to the focus-on-negatives approach that has long prevailed in our society.
In the early 1950s, Donald O. Clifton, who would go on to be named the "Father of Strengths Psychology," noticed a major problem: The field of psychology was based almost entirely on the study of what is wrong with people. He wondered if it would be more important to study what is right with people.
Individualization
So, over the next five decades, Don and his colleagues at The Gallup Organization took a very close look at the talents of highly successful people, focusing on the positive instead of the negative. Millions of in-depth interviews were conducted to determine the most natural thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of "the best of the best."
They quickly discovered that our talents do more than make us unique individuals. When we follow our talents – the ways in which we naturally think, feel, and behave - they also serve as our best opportunities for true excellence.
To help you discover your greatest talents and build toward strengths, Don and his colleagues created the Clifton StrengthsFinder. During your assessment, you gave top-of-mind responses to a wide variety of paired statements. Those instantaneous responses are valuable information. Why? Because they are clues to your talents in 34 areas directly connected to success in any role, whether at work, at home, or in the community. The Clifton StrengthsFinder has measured your talents in those 34 areas, or "themes." Now, to point you in the right direction, it presents you with a report of the five areas in which your greatest talents are found. And to help you further discover your talents, it provides full descriptions of those areas, along with "sounds likes," which are examples of what people with talents similar to yours might say. You will find your personal top five report and brief descriptions of the 34 talent areas measured by the assessment in the pages following this introduction.
Of course, your "top five" are just a starting point as you move from the potential of talent to the excellence of strength in action. Along the way, you can find many opportunities for discovery and development in your relationships with family members, friends, and colleagues.
If want to share that experience with the most important people in your life, or if you simply want to learn more, consider the latest book from the coauthor of Now, Discover Your Strengths.
Brief Descriptions of the 34 Themes of Talent
Measured by the Clifton StrengthsFinder
Achiever
People strong in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
Activator
People strong in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.
Adaptability
People strong in the Adaptability theme prefer to "go with the flow." They tend to be "now" people who take things as
they come and discover the future one day at a time.
Analytical
People strong in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation.
Arranger
People strong in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.
Belief
People strong in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.
Command
People strong in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.
Communication
People strong in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.
Competition
People strong in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.
Connectedness
People strong in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few
coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.
Consistency
People strong in the Consistency theme are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. They try to treat everyone in the world with consistency by setting up clear rules and adhering to them.
Context
People strong in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history.
Deliberative
People strong in the Deliberative theme are best described by the serious care they take in making decisions or choices. They anticipate the obstacles.
Developer
People strong in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.
Discipline
People strong in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure. Their world is best described by the order they create.
Empathy
People strong in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others' lives or others' situations.
Focus
People strong in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act.
Futuristic
People strong in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.
Harmony
People strong in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They don't enjoy conflict; rather, they seek areas of agreement.
Ideation
People strong in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
Includer
People strong in the Includer theme are accepting of others. They show awareness of those who feel left out, and make an effort to include them.
Individualization
People strong in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.
Input
People strong in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
Intellection
People strong in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.
Learner
People strong in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
Maximizer
People strong in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.
Positivity
People strong in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.
Relator
People who are strong in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
Responsibility
People strong in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
Restorative
People strong in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.
Self-Assurance
People strong in the Self-Assurance theme feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives. They possess an inner compass that gives them confidence that their decisions are right.
Significance
People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.
Strategic
People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.
Woo
People strong in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.
Who wouldn't want strength?
As you might expect, strength is the desired outcome of strengths development. But exactly what is a strength? What are we striving toward?
When you see a strength in action, you see a person's ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific activity.
When you see him or her perform that activity, you think, "She makes it look so easy!" or "He's a natural!"
How can that be? How can they so consistently perform with such excellence? The answer is simple: It is easy for her.
He is a natural.
Each is performing at such a high level simply by building upon how he or she most naturally thinks, feels, and behaves: their greatest talents.
As unique individuals, we each have our own special ways of successfully approaching the people and events in our lives. And our greatest talents are always there for us. We instinctively use them in almost any situation.
An inner drive to compete, sensitivity to the needs of others, an inclination to notice patterns, and the tendency to be outgoing at social gatherings are good examples of talents.
For some of us, our talents make us great Relators or Arrangers. Others have tremendous talents in Adaptability or Belief. Look closely at your friends, family, and coworkers. You will see exceptional Learners, Activators, and Includers, and amazing talents in Ideation, Responsibility, and Developer. Within our natural selves, we each hold extraordinary potential.
Of course, the first step toward fulfilling that potential is to discover our greatest talents. That's where the Clifton StrengthsFinder comes in. You've probably already sensed that this assessment is not just another personality test. That difference is certainly no accident.
In fact, the idea behind the assessment is quite contrary to the focus-on-negatives approach that has long prevailed in our society.
In the early 1950s, Donald O. Clifton, who would go on to be named the "Father of Strengths Psychology," noticed a major problem: The field of psychology was based almost entirely on the study of what is wrong with people. He wondered if it would be more important to study what is right with people.
Individualization
So, over the next five decades, Don and his colleagues at The Gallup Organization took a very close look at the talents of highly successful people, focusing on the positive instead of the negative. Millions of in-depth interviews were conducted to determine the most natural thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of "the best of the best."
They quickly discovered that our talents do more than make us unique individuals. When we follow our talents – the ways in which we naturally think, feel, and behave - they also serve as our best opportunities for true excellence.
To help you discover your greatest talents and build toward strengths, Don and his colleagues created the Clifton StrengthsFinder. During your assessment, you gave top-of-mind responses to a wide variety of paired statements. Those instantaneous responses are valuable information. Why? Because they are clues to your talents in 34 areas directly connected to success in any role, whether at work, at home, or in the community. The Clifton StrengthsFinder has measured your talents in those 34 areas, or "themes." Now, to point you in the right direction, it presents you with a report of the five areas in which your greatest talents are found. And to help you further discover your talents, it provides full descriptions of those areas, along with "sounds likes," which are examples of what people with talents similar to yours might say. You will find your personal top five report and brief descriptions of the 34 talent areas measured by the assessment in the pages following this introduction.
Of course, your "top five" are just a starting point as you move from the potential of talent to the excellence of strength in action. Along the way, you can find many opportunities for discovery and development in your relationships with family members, friends, and colleagues.
If want to share that experience with the most important people in your life, or if you simply want to learn more, consider the latest book from the coauthor of Now, Discover Your Strengths.
Brief Descriptions of the 34 Themes of Talent
Measured by the Clifton StrengthsFinder
Achiever
People strong in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
Activator
People strong in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.
Adaptability
People strong in the Adaptability theme prefer to "go with the flow." They tend to be "now" people who take things as
they come and discover the future one day at a time.
Analytical
People strong in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation.
Arranger
People strong in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.
Belief
People strong in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.
Command
People strong in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.
Communication
People strong in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.
Competition
People strong in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.
Connectedness
People strong in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few
coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.
Consistency
People strong in the Consistency theme are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. They try to treat everyone in the world with consistency by setting up clear rules and adhering to them.
Context
People strong in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history.
Deliberative
People strong in the Deliberative theme are best described by the serious care they take in making decisions or choices. They anticipate the obstacles.
Developer
People strong in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.
Discipline
People strong in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure. Their world is best described by the order they create.
Empathy
People strong in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others' lives or others' situations.
Focus
People strong in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act.
Futuristic
People strong in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.
Harmony
People strong in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They don't enjoy conflict; rather, they seek areas of agreement.
Ideation
People strong in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
Includer
People strong in the Includer theme are accepting of others. They show awareness of those who feel left out, and make an effort to include them.
Individualization
People strong in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.
Input
People strong in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
Intellection
People strong in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.
Learner
People strong in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
Maximizer
People strong in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.
Positivity
People strong in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.
Relator
People who are strong in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
Responsibility
People strong in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
Restorative
People strong in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.
Self-Assurance
People strong in the Self-Assurance theme feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives. They possess an inner compass that gives them confidence that their decisions are right.
Significance
People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.
Strategic
People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.
Woo
People strong in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.
Differences in Cultural Principles
Culture Scales
Concept of Self
Individualist- The self is the smallest unit of survival. Looking out for one’s self protects others. Personal fulfillment is the greatest good. Independence and self reliance are highly valued. Children are taught to stand on their own two feet. Workers don’t mind individual recognition. One’s identity is personal and individual, not a function of one’s membership or role in a group. (US)
Collectivist- The primary group, usually the family, is the smallest unit of survival. Looking out for others protects one’s self. Group harmony is the greatest good. Children are taught to depend on others, who in turn can depend on them. Employees don’t like to stand out, they prefer group/ team recognition. Identity is a function of one’s membership/ role in a primary group.(SE Asia, China)
Personal vs. Societal Responsibility
Universalist- What’s right is always right. There are absolutes which apply across the board. The law is the law no matter who one is, there should be no exceptions. Consistency is important. “Fair” means treating everyone the same and one should try to make life fair. (US, UK, Germany)
Particularist- There are no absolutes. What’s right depends on the circumstances. There must always be exceptions (esp. for in-group members). Consistency is not possible (life isn’t that neat). “Fair” means treating everyone uniquely and no one expects life to be fair.(Africa, China, Middle East, then India, Mexico, SE Asia)
Subjective and Objective
Logic of the Head- Favoritism is frowned upon. People should not let personal feelings intrude into or affect workplace/ professional decisions. Friends don’t expect friends to cover for them. People succeed because of what they do, not because of whom they know. To be objective is a positive thing, something to strive for. (same as PS vs. SR)
Logic of the Heart- Favoritism is the norm. Since the system isn’t fair, people have to look out for their in-group (or others). Whom you know, connections are more important than performance. Friends expect, and provide preferential treatment. One can’t and shouldn’t leave personal feelings out of professional dealings.
Concept of Time
Monochronic- Time is a limited commodity. The needs of people are subservient to the demands of time. Deadlines and schedules are sacred. Plans are not easily changed. People may be too busy to see you. People live by an external clock. (US, UK, G)
Polychronic- Time is bent to meet the needs of people. There is always more time. Schedules and deadlines are easily changed. Plans are fluid. People always have time to see you. People live by an internal clock. (India, Africa, Middle East, Mexico)
Time and Other People
One Thing at a Time- People do one thing at a time and finish one thing before starting another. People expect undivided attention. Interruptions are to be avoided. To be late or kept waiting is rude. People stand in line. The goal is to stick to the schedule. (US, UK, G)
Many Things at Once- People may do several things at the same time and may split their attention between several people/ tasks. To be late or kept waiting is okay. Interruptions are part of life. People don’t stand in line. The goal is to enjoy life. (Africa, India)
Locus of Control
Internal- The locus of control is internal. Fate has little or no importance. There are few givens in life, few things that can’t be changed and must just be accepted. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. One makes one’s own luck. Unhappiness is one’s own fault. People tend to be optimistic. Life is what you make it. (US)
External- The locus of control is external. Fate plays a major role. People believe they have limited control over their destiny/ external events. Many things in life must be accepted/ can’t be changed. Success/ lack of success is partly a result of good/ bad fortune. People tend to be realistic/ fatalistic. Life is what happens to you. (Middle East, Africa)
Degree of Directness
Direct- People say what they mean and mean what they say. There is no need to read between the lines. It’s best to tell it like it is. People are less likely to imply and more likely to say exactly what they are thinking. Yes means yes. (Germany, US)
Indirect- People don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say. You have to read between the lines. People are more likely to suggest or imply than to come out and say what they think. You can’t always tell it like it is (what if that upsets the other person?) Yes may mean maybe or even no. (Africa, China, SE Asia)
Role of Context
Low Context- People are individualistic. In-groups are not as well developed as they are in high-context cultures and people spend less time in them, hence there are fewer shared experiences and less shared understanding. One has to spell things out and be explicit. Words are the primary carriers of meaning. What is said is more important than what is not said. (US, G)
High Context- People tend to be collectivistic. In-groups are strong and people spend a lot of time together, hence there are more shared experiences and more common understanding than there are in low-context cultures. There is less need to spell things out. Words are not always the primary carriers of meaning. What is not said may be more important than what is said. (SEA, Africa, China, Japan)
Importance of Face
Face is Less Important- Telling the truth is more important than sparing one’s feelings. Honesty is the best policy. It’s okay to say no and to confront people. People don’t worry much about saving face. Getting /giving information efficiently is the primary goal of the communication exchange. (US, G)
Face is More Important- Preserving harmony and saving face are key concerns. The truth, if it threatens harmony or someone’s face, should be adjusted. One says what one thinks the other person wants to hear. It’s not always proper to say no, disagree, or confront (that disturbs harmony). Preserving/ strengthening the personal bond is the goal of the communication exchange. (China, Africa, SEA, Japan)
Power Distance
Low- Democratic management style. Power is not usually jealously guarded, managers share authority with subordinates. Subordinates take initiative and are not overly deferential to managers. Subordinates do not like to be micromanaged. Decision making tends to be consultative. Okay to say no/ disagree with the boss. Manager/ subordinate relations are fairly informal. Rank has few privileges. (UK, G then US)
High- Authoritarian- Power is centralized. One defers to authority. Managers hold on to power, not much delegation of authority. Subordinates do not take initiative but wait for explicit instructions. Decisions are made at the top. One does not openly disagree with/ say no to the boss. Rank has its privileges. Manager/ subordinate relations are formal. (Russia then SEA, Middle East, Mexico, India, China)
Attitude Toward Uncertainty
Positive- People are not afraid of taking risks or failing. Trial and error/ experimenting is how we learn and improve our products and services. What is different is interesting. Change is positive. New is often better. Tradition is not valued for its own sake. The “way we have always done things” is not necessarily the best way. What we don’t know can’t hurt us. (US)
Skeptical- Taking risks and failing have strong negative consequences and should be avoided if at all possible. One does not try something until one knows it will work. What is different can be dangerous. Change is threatening. New is not necessarily better. Traditions should be respected and are a good guide to the future. There’s a good reason for “the way we have always done things.” What we don’t know can be troubling. (Russia, SEA, ME, C, M, I)
Attitude Toward Work
Achievement- People are motivated by achievement. Ambition is rewarded. Being successful means moving up, getting ahead, and having greater responsibility. Professional opportunity/ the chance to make more money is more important than job security. If people have to choose between work and family, they may choose work. One lives to work. (Japan then US, UK, G)
Quality of Life- A better quality of life is what motivates people to work. A pleasant work setting and good relations with coworkers are as motivating as the chance to make more money and move up. Having time to spend with family is as important as the lure of achievement. More power and responsibility are not automatically attractive. Success means you are admired and respected by others. One works to live. (Russia, Africa then France, Spain)
Key to Productivity
Results- Focusing on the task ensures success. What matters most in employees is their productivity and output, which are related to technical skills and experience. Conflict is sometimes necessary to clear the air and move forward. Getting results is ultimately more important than how you get them. Employee/ employer relationship is often opportunistic. Employee loyalty is not as important as performance/ productivity. (G, US)
Harmony- Harmony in the workplace ensures the success of an organization. What matters in employees is their ability to get along/ work well with others, which is related to personal qualities (more than technical skills). Conflict should be minimized because of disruptive consequences. How you get results is as important as the results themselves. Employer/ employee relationship is like a family. Loyalty is expected and reciprocal. (Japan)
Source of Status
Achieved- Meritocracy- Rank, status, and respect must be earned and do not come with the position or title. Family name and social class do not confer automatic status. People are respected and promoted based on their performance and achievements, regardless of age or seniority. Age/ seniority do not grarantee respect or status. It is relatively easy to change your status (move up). People of higher rank/ status should not act superior to / better than those of lesser. (G, US, Russia)
Ascribed- Autocracy- Rank, position, and title confer automatic status and respect. Social class/ family name confer initial status (but it can be lost if you do not perform well). Achievements are important for promotion, but age and seniority are also highly valued. Age and seniority confer automatic status and respect. It is difficult to change your status (especially to move up). People should be careful not to behave above/ below their station in life. (Africa, Middle East, India)
Concept of Self
Individualist- The self is the smallest unit of survival. Looking out for one’s self protects others. Personal fulfillment is the greatest good. Independence and self reliance are highly valued. Children are taught to stand on their own two feet. Workers don’t mind individual recognition. One’s identity is personal and individual, not a function of one’s membership or role in a group. (US)
Collectivist- The primary group, usually the family, is the smallest unit of survival. Looking out for others protects one’s self. Group harmony is the greatest good. Children are taught to depend on others, who in turn can depend on them. Employees don’t like to stand out, they prefer group/ team recognition. Identity is a function of one’s membership/ role in a primary group.(SE Asia, China)
Personal vs. Societal Responsibility
Universalist- What’s right is always right. There are absolutes which apply across the board. The law is the law no matter who one is, there should be no exceptions. Consistency is important. “Fair” means treating everyone the same and one should try to make life fair. (US, UK, Germany)
Particularist- There are no absolutes. What’s right depends on the circumstances. There must always be exceptions (esp. for in-group members). Consistency is not possible (life isn’t that neat). “Fair” means treating everyone uniquely and no one expects life to be fair.(Africa, China, Middle East, then India, Mexico, SE Asia)
Subjective and Objective
Logic of the Head- Favoritism is frowned upon. People should not let personal feelings intrude into or affect workplace/ professional decisions. Friends don’t expect friends to cover for them. People succeed because of what they do, not because of whom they know. To be objective is a positive thing, something to strive for. (same as PS vs. SR)
Logic of the Heart- Favoritism is the norm. Since the system isn’t fair, people have to look out for their in-group (or others). Whom you know, connections are more important than performance. Friends expect, and provide preferential treatment. One can’t and shouldn’t leave personal feelings out of professional dealings.
Concept of Time
Monochronic- Time is a limited commodity. The needs of people are subservient to the demands of time. Deadlines and schedules are sacred. Plans are not easily changed. People may be too busy to see you. People live by an external clock. (US, UK, G)
Polychronic- Time is bent to meet the needs of people. There is always more time. Schedules and deadlines are easily changed. Plans are fluid. People always have time to see you. People live by an internal clock. (India, Africa, Middle East, Mexico)
Time and Other People
One Thing at a Time- People do one thing at a time and finish one thing before starting another. People expect undivided attention. Interruptions are to be avoided. To be late or kept waiting is rude. People stand in line. The goal is to stick to the schedule. (US, UK, G)
Many Things at Once- People may do several things at the same time and may split their attention between several people/ tasks. To be late or kept waiting is okay. Interruptions are part of life. People don’t stand in line. The goal is to enjoy life. (Africa, India)
Locus of Control
Internal- The locus of control is internal. Fate has little or no importance. There are few givens in life, few things that can’t be changed and must just be accepted. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. One makes one’s own luck. Unhappiness is one’s own fault. People tend to be optimistic. Life is what you make it. (US)
External- The locus of control is external. Fate plays a major role. People believe they have limited control over their destiny/ external events. Many things in life must be accepted/ can’t be changed. Success/ lack of success is partly a result of good/ bad fortune. People tend to be realistic/ fatalistic. Life is what happens to you. (Middle East, Africa)
Degree of Directness
Direct- People say what they mean and mean what they say. There is no need to read between the lines. It’s best to tell it like it is. People are less likely to imply and more likely to say exactly what they are thinking. Yes means yes. (Germany, US)
Indirect- People don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say. You have to read between the lines. People are more likely to suggest or imply than to come out and say what they think. You can’t always tell it like it is (what if that upsets the other person?) Yes may mean maybe or even no. (Africa, China, SE Asia)
Role of Context
Low Context- People are individualistic. In-groups are not as well developed as they are in high-context cultures and people spend less time in them, hence there are fewer shared experiences and less shared understanding. One has to spell things out and be explicit. Words are the primary carriers of meaning. What is said is more important than what is not said. (US, G)
High Context- People tend to be collectivistic. In-groups are strong and people spend a lot of time together, hence there are more shared experiences and more common understanding than there are in low-context cultures. There is less need to spell things out. Words are not always the primary carriers of meaning. What is not said may be more important than what is said. (SEA, Africa, China, Japan)
Importance of Face
Face is Less Important- Telling the truth is more important than sparing one’s feelings. Honesty is the best policy. It’s okay to say no and to confront people. People don’t worry much about saving face. Getting /giving information efficiently is the primary goal of the communication exchange. (US, G)
Face is More Important- Preserving harmony and saving face are key concerns. The truth, if it threatens harmony or someone’s face, should be adjusted. One says what one thinks the other person wants to hear. It’s not always proper to say no, disagree, or confront (that disturbs harmony). Preserving/ strengthening the personal bond is the goal of the communication exchange. (China, Africa, SEA, Japan)
Power Distance
Low- Democratic management style. Power is not usually jealously guarded, managers share authority with subordinates. Subordinates take initiative and are not overly deferential to managers. Subordinates do not like to be micromanaged. Decision making tends to be consultative. Okay to say no/ disagree with the boss. Manager/ subordinate relations are fairly informal. Rank has few privileges. (UK, G then US)
High- Authoritarian- Power is centralized. One defers to authority. Managers hold on to power, not much delegation of authority. Subordinates do not take initiative but wait for explicit instructions. Decisions are made at the top. One does not openly disagree with/ say no to the boss. Rank has its privileges. Manager/ subordinate relations are formal. (Russia then SEA, Middle East, Mexico, India, China)
Attitude Toward Uncertainty
Positive- People are not afraid of taking risks or failing. Trial and error/ experimenting is how we learn and improve our products and services. What is different is interesting. Change is positive. New is often better. Tradition is not valued for its own sake. The “way we have always done things” is not necessarily the best way. What we don’t know can’t hurt us. (US)
Skeptical- Taking risks and failing have strong negative consequences and should be avoided if at all possible. One does not try something until one knows it will work. What is different can be dangerous. Change is threatening. New is not necessarily better. Traditions should be respected and are a good guide to the future. There’s a good reason for “the way we have always done things.” What we don’t know can be troubling. (Russia, SEA, ME, C, M, I)
Attitude Toward Work
Achievement- People are motivated by achievement. Ambition is rewarded. Being successful means moving up, getting ahead, and having greater responsibility. Professional opportunity/ the chance to make more money is more important than job security. If people have to choose between work and family, they may choose work. One lives to work. (Japan then US, UK, G)
Quality of Life- A better quality of life is what motivates people to work. A pleasant work setting and good relations with coworkers are as motivating as the chance to make more money and move up. Having time to spend with family is as important as the lure of achievement. More power and responsibility are not automatically attractive. Success means you are admired and respected by others. One works to live. (Russia, Africa then France, Spain)
Key to Productivity
Results- Focusing on the task ensures success. What matters most in employees is their productivity and output, which are related to technical skills and experience. Conflict is sometimes necessary to clear the air and move forward. Getting results is ultimately more important than how you get them. Employee/ employer relationship is often opportunistic. Employee loyalty is not as important as performance/ productivity. (G, US)
Harmony- Harmony in the workplace ensures the success of an organization. What matters in employees is their ability to get along/ work well with others, which is related to personal qualities (more than technical skills). Conflict should be minimized because of disruptive consequences. How you get results is as important as the results themselves. Employer/ employee relationship is like a family. Loyalty is expected and reciprocal. (Japan)
Source of Status
Achieved- Meritocracy- Rank, status, and respect must be earned and do not come with the position or title. Family name and social class do not confer automatic status. People are respected and promoted based on their performance and achievements, regardless of age or seniority. Age/ seniority do not grarantee respect or status. It is relatively easy to change your status (move up). People of higher rank/ status should not act superior to / better than those of lesser. (G, US, Russia)
Ascribed- Autocracy- Rank, position, and title confer automatic status and respect. Social class/ family name confer initial status (but it can be lost if you do not perform well). Achievements are important for promotion, but age and seniority are also highly valued. Age and seniority confer automatic status and respect. It is difficult to change your status (especially to move up). People should be careful not to behave above/ below their station in life. (Africa, Middle East, India)
Spirit +
Pneuma (pnyoo'-mah) /Ruwach (roo'-akh)
spirit, ghost
From pneo; a current of air, i.e. Breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit -- ghost, life, spirit(-ual, -ually), mind.
Psuche (psoo-khay')/ Nephesh (neh'-fesh)
soul, life, self
From psucho; breath, i.e. (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from pneuma, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from zoe, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew nephesh, ruwach and chay) -- heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.
Zoe (dzo-ay') (Greek)/chay (khah'-ee)(Hebrew)
lifetime
From zao; life (literally or figuratively) -- life(-time).
Soma (so'-mah)
body
From sozo; the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively -- bodily, body, slave.
Sozo (sode'-zo)
heal, be made whole
From a primary sos (contraction for obsolete saos, "safe"); to save, i.e. Deliver or protect (literally or figuratively) -- heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.
spirit, ghost
From pneo; a current of air, i.e. Breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit -- ghost, life, spirit(-ual, -ually), mind.
Psuche (psoo-khay')/ Nephesh (neh'-fesh)
soul, life, self
From psucho; breath, i.e. (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from pneuma, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from zoe, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew nephesh, ruwach and chay) -- heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.
Zoe (dzo-ay') (Greek)/chay (khah'-ee)(Hebrew)
lifetime
From zao; life (literally or figuratively) -- life(-time).
Soma (so'-mah)
body
From sozo; the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively -- bodily, body, slave.
Sozo (sode'-zo)
heal, be made whole
From a primary sos (contraction for obsolete saos, "safe"); to save, i.e. Deliver or protect (literally or figuratively) -- heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
"These are the scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” --Jesus John 5: 39-40
"...a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” --Paul 2Corinthians 3:6
We need recipes, not rules. Creating tool books instead of rule books grows people's spirits. It allows us to be productively human. Tools can be used for the good of self and others. Rules rob people of their ability to think and act independently. Instead of manuals that lock people into dehumanizing behavior, we should focus on the reasons behind things and on the outcomes that we want. -Howard Behar, "It's Not About the Coffee"
"O send out your light and your true word; let them be my guide: let them take me to your holy hill, and to your tents." Psalm 43:3
"Make me know Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day." Psalm 25:4-5
"...a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” --Paul 2Corinthians 3:6
We need recipes, not rules. Creating tool books instead of rule books grows people's spirits. It allows us to be productively human. Tools can be used for the good of self and others. Rules rob people of their ability to think and act independently. Instead of manuals that lock people into dehumanizing behavior, we should focus on the reasons behind things and on the outcomes that we want. -Howard Behar, "It's Not About the Coffee"
"O send out your light and your true word; let them be my guide: let them take me to your holy hill, and to your tents." Psalm 43:3
"Make me know Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day." Psalm 25:4-5
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Revisions to bible study
Christians in every century have held the bible in high esteem and have accepted it as the word of God written. But few have made the rash claim that it is easy to understand. Yet, since the Bible was given to reveal truth and not obscure it, God surely intends that we understand it.
Digging into Scripture
Bible Studies
Derived from:
Rightly Interpreting the Bible
Ron Rhodes
Methodology
The word "method" comes from the Greek word methodos, which literally means "a way or path of transit." Methodology in Bible study is therefore concerned with "the proper path to be taken in order to arrive at Scriptural truth."
This clearly implies that improper paths can be taken. Of course, proper methodology is essential to many fields of endeavor. A heart surgeon does not perform open heart surgery without following proper, objective methodology. Improper methodology in interpreting Scripture is nothing new. Even in New Testament times, the apostle Peter warned that there are teachings in the inspired writings of Paul "which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest (distort), as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16, insert added).
This verse tells us that mishandling the Word of God can be very dangerous. Indeed, mishandling the Word of God is a "path" to destruction.
Contrary to the practices of some false teachers in Corinth, the apostle Paul assured his readers that he faithfully handled the Word of God (2 Corinthians 4:2). Paul admonished young Timothy to follow his example: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15, italics added).
A Foundational Truth: God Created Language for a Purpose
A plain reading of Genesis indicates that when God created Adam in His own image, He gave Adam the gift of intelligible speech, thus enabling him to communicate objectively with his creator (and with other human beings) via sharable linguistic symbols called words (Genesis 1:26). God sovereignly chose to use human language as a medium of revelational communication.
If the purpose of God's originating of language was for Him to communication with human beings, as well as to enable human beings to communicate with each another. This view of language is a prerequisite to understanding not only God's spoken word but His written Word (Scripture) as well. The Bible as a body of literature exists because human beings need to know certain truth to which they cannot attain by themselves.
Thus these truths must come to them from without - that is, via special revelation from God (Deuteronomy 29:29).
And this revelation can only be understood if one interprets the words of Scripture according to God's design.
Seeking the Author's Intended Meaning
Instead of superimposing a meaning on the biblical text, the objective interpreter seeks to discover the author's intended meaning (the only true meaning). One must recognize that what a passage means is fixed by the author and is not subject to alteration by readers.
Meaning is determined by the author; it is discovered by readers. Our goal must be exegesis (drawing the meaning out of the text) and not eisogesis (superimposing a meaning onto the text).
Cultists have this with Holy Scripture. They so skew the meaning of the biblical text that it comes out saying something entirely different than what was intended by the author.
Indeed, our method of interpreting Scripture is valid or invalid to the extent that it really unfolds the meaning a statement had for the author and the first hearers or readers.
There can also be related implications for a text or “related sub meanings”, but it is important to look first at the author’s original intended meaning first and to test these sub meanings against other places in scripture.
The Importance of Context
A woman entered the Democratic primary for governor of the state of Texas. She was convinced that the Bible had told her she would win the nomination. When she received the official list of names from the primary she saw her name printed last. Then she read in her Bible, "Many that are first will be last, and the last first" (Matthew 19:30). On the basis of that verse she thought God was telling her she would win. But she lost. This amusing story illustrates the need for interpreting Scripture in its proper context. Taken out of context, the Scriptures can be twisted to say just about anything.
Seeking the biblical author's intended meaning necessitates interpreting Bible verses in context. Every word in the Bible is part of a verse, and every verse is part of a paragraph, and every paragraph is part of a book, and every book is part of the whole of Scripture.
No verse of Scripture can be divorced from the verses around it. Interpreting a verse apart from its context is like trying to analyze a Rembrandt painting by looking at only a single square inch of the painting, or like trying to analyze Handel's "Messiah" by listening to a few short notes.
The context is absolutely critical to properly interpreting Bible verses. In interpreting Scripture, there is both an immediate context and a broader context. The immediate context of a verse is the paragraph (or paragraphs) of the biblical book in question. The immediate context should always be consulted in interpreting Bible verses.
The broader context is the whole of Scripture. The entire Holy Scripture is the context and guide for understanding the particular passages of Scripture.
This is why the E100 can be so valuable. It gives us the bigger picture for the broader context of God’s story. When we understand this we can even understand where we fit into the broader context of God’s story so we can interpret events in our lives.
N.T. Wright uses the analogy of the five act play to not only interpret scripture but to interpret our lives. The vast majority of Scripture consists not in a list of rules or doctrines, but in narrative: it tells a remarkably consistent story about God’s plan to restore the world back to God.
Act One: (Creation). Whatever means God uses to create the world it’s a crucial feature of the play that creation is good and that humans are in God’s image.
Act Two: (Fall) God’s good creation is full of rebellion: evil and idolatry become real features of the world.
Act Three: (Israel) The story of Israel as the covenant people of God for the world. This act begins with the Abrahamic covenant and ends with the Jewish anticipation of an event in which God will liberate Israel from spiritual exile and reveal himself as the world’s true King.
Act Four (Jesus) The story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. As the climax of the narrative it represents the inauguration of a new kingdom in which death and sin are being reversed throughout all of creation. As for the teachings of Jesus, these can be helpful, but we must realize that there is an important sense in which many of them (like the laws of ancient Israel) have played out their intended purpose.
Act Five: (New Testament and the people of God). The New Testament forms the first scene of this act. The church is the people of God, in Christ, for the world; their job is to act in character: to live out Act Five by showing the world the true way of being human and to bring about God’s victory over evil on earth. This largely involves improvising and retelling of God’s story and gospel – namely that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead to put the world to rights.
Notice that for Wright the five-act play is not just the grand narrative of Scripture, but also the true story that we are living out – more accurately, we are living out Act Five, which has yet to be completed.
As J. I. Packer puts it, "if we would understand the parts, our wisest course is to get to know the whole." We must keep in mind that the interpretation of a specific passage must not contradict the total teaching of Scripture on a point. Individual verses do not exist as isolated fragments, but as parts of a whole.
The exposition of these verses, therefore, must involve exhibiting them in right relation both to the whole and to each other. Scripture interprets Scripture.
First we determine the meaning of the passage and then we can ask ourselves how this passage and the principles behind it apply to our lives.
Bible study could (and perhaps should) be broken into this method:
Observation – what do you see?
Interpretation – what does it mean?
Correlation – where does it fit?
Application – how does it work?
In keeping this approach, I think it allows someone to grasp the text in a full way before moving ahead too quickly to Application.
The Importance of Literary Meanings
We must be aware of different literary genre. It’s important to understand and identify figures of speech in the Bible.
The Importance of Historical Considerations
Historical considerations are important in properly interpreting the Word of God because the Christian faith is based on historical fact.
Making a Correct Genre Judgment
A "literal" approach to Scripture recognizes that the Bible contains a variety of literary genres, each of which has certain peculiar characteristics that must be recognized in order to interpret the text properly.
Biblical genres include the historical (e.g., Acts), the dramatic epic (e.g., Job), poetry (e.g., Psalms), wise sayings (e.g., Proverbs), and apocalyptic writings (e.g., Revelation).
Obviously, an incorrect genre judgment will lead one far astray in interpreting Scripture. A parable should not be treated as history, nor should poetry or apocalyptic literature (both of which contain many symbols) be treated as straightforward narrative.
The wise interpreter allows his knowledge of genres to control how he approaches each individual biblical text.
In this way, he can accurately determine what the biblical author was intending to communicate to the reader. Now, even though the Bible contains a variety of literary genres and many figures of speech, the biblical authors most often employed literal statements to convey their ideas. Where they use a literal means to express their ideas, the Bible expositor must employ a corresponding means to explain these ideas - namely, a literal approach.
A literal method of interpreting Scripture gives to each word in the text the same basic meaning it would have in normal, ordinary, customary usage - whether employed in writing, speaking, or thinking.
Without such a method, communication between God and man is impossible.
Interpret the Old Testament in Light of the New Testament
God gave revelation to humankind progressively throughout Old and New Testament times. He didn't just give His entire revelation for all time to our first parents, Adam and Eve, or to Moses, the Lawgiver.
Rather, as time went on - as the centuries slowly passed - God provided more and more revelation that became progressively full so that by the time the New Testament was complete, God had told us everything He wanted us to know. In view of this, a key interpretive principle is that one should always interpret the Old Testament in view of the greater light of the New Testament. The Old Testament may be likened to a chamber richly furnished but dimly lighted.
The introduction of light brings into it nothing which was not in it before; but it brings out into clearer view much of what is in it but was only dimly or even not at all perceived before.
The Old Testament revelation of God is not corrected by the fuller revelation which follows it, but only perfected, extended, and enlarged. Again, then, the Old Testament should be interpreted according to the greater light of the New Testament. The Old Testament is much clearer when approached through the lens of the New Testament.
Dependence on the Holy Spirit
Scripture tells us that we are to rely on the Holy Spirit's illumination to gain insights into the meaning and application of Scripture (John 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-11). It is the Holy Spirit's work to throw light upon the Word of God so that the believer can assent to the meaning intended and act on it.
The Holy Spirit, as the "Spirit of truth" (John 16:13), guides us so that "we may understand what God has freely given us" (1 Corinthians 2:12). This is quite logical: full comprehension of the Word of God is impossible without prayerful dependence on the Spirit of God, for He who inspired the Word (2 Peter 1:21) is also its supreme interpreter. Illumination is necessary because man's mind has been darkened through sin (Romans 1:21), preventing him from properly understanding God's Word.
Human beings cannot understand God's Word apart from God's divine enablement (Ephesians 4:18).
This aspect of the Holy Spirit's ministry operates within the sphere of man's soulful capacity, which God Himself gave man. Illumination comes to the minds and hearts of God's people.
Since the Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13), He does not teach concepts that oppose scripture. In other words, "the Holy Spirit does not guide into interpretations that contradict each other or fail to have internal consistency."
The Example of Jesus Christ
Jesus consistently interpreted the Old Testament characters as being real people and not just fictional characters, including
The Creation account of Adam and Eve (Matthew 13:35; 25:34; Mark 10:6),
Noah's Ark and the flood (Matthew 24:38-39; Luke 17:26-27),
Jonah and the great fish (Matthew 12:39-41),
Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 10:15), and
The account of Lot and his wife (Luke 17:28-29).
In his book The Savior and the Scriptures, theologian Robert P. Lightner notes - following an exhaustive study - that Jesus' interpretation of Scripture "was always in accord with the grammatical and historical meaning. He understood and appreciated the meaning intended by the writers according to the laws of grammar and rhetoric."
Jesus affirmed scripture’s divine inspiration (Matthew 22:43),
Its indestructibility (Matthew 5:17-18),
Its infallibility (John 10:35),
Its final authority (Matthew 4:4,7,10),
Its historicity (Matthew 12:40; 24:37),
Its factual inerrancy (Matthew 22:29-32), and
Its spiritual clarity (Luke 24:25).
Moreover, He emphasized the importance of each word of Scripture (Luke 16:17). Indeed, He sometimes based His argumentation on a single expression of the biblical text (Matthew 22:32,43-45; John 10:34).
Correctly Handling the Word of Truth
Jesus said His words lead to eternal life (John 6:63). But for us to receive eternal life through His words, they must be taken as He intended them to be taken.
A cultic reinterpretation of Scripture that yields another Jesus and another gospel (2 Corinthians 11:3-4; Galatians 1:6-9) will yield only eternal death (Revelation 20:11-15).
Derived from:
Rightly Interpreting the Bible
Ron Rhodes
Methodology
The word "method" comes from the Greek word methodos, which literally means "a way or path of transit." Methodology in Bible study is therefore concerned with "the proper path to be taken in order to arrive at Scriptural truth."
This clearly implies that improper paths can be taken. Of course, proper methodology is essential to many fields of endeavor. A heart surgeon does not perform open heart surgery without following proper, objective methodology. Improper methodology in interpreting Scripture is nothing new. Even in New Testament times, the apostle Peter warned that there are teachings in the inspired writings of Paul "which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest (distort), as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16, insert added).
This verse tells us that mishandling the Word of God can be very dangerous. Indeed, mishandling the Word of God is a "path" to destruction.
Contrary to the practices of some false teachers in Corinth, the apostle Paul assured his readers that he faithfully handled the Word of God (2 Corinthians 4:2). Paul admonished young Timothy to follow his example: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15, italics added).
A Foundational Truth: God Created Language for a Purpose
A plain reading of Genesis indicates that when God created Adam in His own image, He gave Adam the gift of intelligible speech, thus enabling him to communicate objectively with his creator (and with other human beings) via sharable linguistic symbols called words (Genesis 1:26). God sovereignly chose to use human language as a medium of revelational communication.
If the purpose of God's originating of language was for Him to communication with human beings, as well as to enable human beings to communicate with each another. This view of language is a prerequisite to understanding not only God's spoken word but His written Word (Scripture) as well. The Bible as a body of literature exists because human beings need to know certain truth to which they cannot attain by themselves.
Thus these truths must come to them from without - that is, via special revelation from God (Deuteronomy 29:29).
And this revelation can only be understood if one interprets the words of Scripture according to God's design.
Seeking the Author's Intended Meaning
Instead of superimposing a meaning on the biblical text, the objective interpreter seeks to discover the author's intended meaning (the only true meaning). One must recognize that what a passage means is fixed by the author and is not subject to alteration by readers.
Meaning is determined by the author; it is discovered by readers. Our goal must be exegesis (drawing the meaning out of the text) and not eisogesis (superimposing a meaning onto the text).
Cultists have this with Holy Scripture. They so skew the meaning of the biblical text that it comes out saying something entirely different than what was intended by the author.
Indeed, our method of interpreting Scripture is valid or invalid to the extent that it really unfolds the meaning a statement had for the author and the first hearers or readers.
There can also be related implications for a text or “related sub meanings”, but it is important to look first at the author’s original intended meaning first and to test these sub meanings against other places in scripture.
The Importance of Context
A woman entered the Democratic primary for governor of the state of Texas. She was convinced that the Bible had told her she would win the nomination. When she received the official list of names from the primary she saw her name printed last. Then she read in her Bible, "Many that are first will be last, and the last first" (Matthew 19:30). On the basis of that verse she thought God was telling her she would win. But she lost. This amusing story illustrates the need for interpreting Scripture in its proper context. Taken out of context, the Scriptures can be twisted to say just about anything.
Seeking the biblical author's intended meaning necessitates interpreting Bible verses in context. Every word in the Bible is part of a verse, and every verse is part of a paragraph, and every paragraph is part of a book, and every book is part of the whole of Scripture.
No verse of Scripture can be divorced from the verses around it. Interpreting a verse apart from its context is like trying to analyze a Rembrandt painting by looking at only a single square inch of the painting, or like trying to analyze Handel's "Messiah" by listening to a few short notes.
The context is absolutely critical to properly interpreting Bible verses. In interpreting Scripture, there is both an immediate context and a broader context. The immediate context of a verse is the paragraph (or paragraphs) of the biblical book in question. The immediate context should always be consulted in interpreting Bible verses.
The broader context is the whole of Scripture. The entire Holy Scripture is the context and guide for understanding the particular passages of Scripture.
This is why the E100 can be so valuable. It gives us the bigger picture for the broader context of God’s story. When we understand this we can even understand where we fit into the broader context of God’s story so we can interpret events in our lives.
N.T. Wright uses the analogy of the five act play to not only interpret scripture but to interpret our lives. The vast majority of Scripture consists not in a list of rules or doctrines, but in narrative: it tells a remarkably consistent story about God’s plan to restore the world back to God.
Act One: (Creation). Whatever means God uses to create the world it’s a crucial feature of the play that creation is good and that humans are in God’s image.
Act Two: (Fall) God’s good creation is full of rebellion: evil and idolatry become real features of the world.
Act Three: (Israel) The story of Israel as the covenant people of God for the world. This act begins with the Abrahamic covenant and ends with the Jewish anticipation of an event in which God will liberate Israel from spiritual exile and reveal himself as the world’s true King.
Act Four (Jesus) The story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. As the climax of the narrative it represents the inauguration of a new kingdom in which death and sin are being reversed throughout all of creation. As for the teachings of Jesus, these can be helpful, but we must realize that there is an important sense in which many of them (like the laws of ancient Israel) have played out their intended purpose.
Act Five: (New Testament and the people of God). The New Testament forms the first scene of this act. The church is the people of God, in Christ, for the world; their job is to act in character: to live out Act Five by showing the world the true way of being human and to bring about God’s victory over evil on earth. This largely involves improvising and retelling of God’s story and gospel – namely that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead to put the world to rights.
Notice that for Wright the five-act play is not just the grand narrative of Scripture, but also the true story that we are living out – more accurately, we are living out Act Five, which has yet to be completed.
As J. I. Packer puts it, "if we would understand the parts, our wisest course is to get to know the whole." We must keep in mind that the interpretation of a specific passage must not contradict the total teaching of Scripture on a point. Individual verses do not exist as isolated fragments, but as parts of a whole.
The exposition of these verses, therefore, must involve exhibiting them in right relation both to the whole and to each other. Scripture interprets Scripture.
First we determine the meaning of the passage and then we can ask ourselves how this passage and the principles behind it apply to our lives.
Bible study could (and perhaps should) be broken into this method:
Observation – what do you see?
Interpretation – what does it mean?
Correlation – where does it fit?
Application – how does it work?
In keeping this approach, I think it allows someone to grasp the text in a full way before moving ahead too quickly to Application.
The Importance of Literary Meanings
We must be aware of different literary genre. It’s important to understand and identify figures of speech in the Bible.
The Importance of Historical Considerations
Historical considerations are important in properly interpreting the Word of God because the Christian faith is based on historical fact.
Making a Correct Genre Judgment
A "literal" approach to Scripture recognizes that the Bible contains a variety of literary genres, each of which has certain peculiar characteristics that must be recognized in order to interpret the text properly.
Biblical genres include the historical (e.g., Acts), the dramatic epic (e.g., Job), poetry (e.g., Psalms), wise sayings (e.g., Proverbs), and apocalyptic writings (e.g., Revelation).
Obviously, an incorrect genre judgment will lead one far astray in interpreting Scripture. A parable should not be treated as history, nor should poetry or apocalyptic literature (both of which contain many symbols) be treated as straightforward narrative.
The wise interpreter allows his knowledge of genres to control how he approaches each individual biblical text.
In this way, he can accurately determine what the biblical author was intending to communicate to the reader. Now, even though the Bible contains a variety of literary genres and many figures of speech, the biblical authors most often employed literal statements to convey their ideas. Where they use a literal means to express their ideas, the Bible expositor must employ a corresponding means to explain these ideas - namely, a literal approach.
A literal method of interpreting Scripture gives to each word in the text the same basic meaning it would have in normal, ordinary, customary usage - whether employed in writing, speaking, or thinking.
Without such a method, communication between God and man is impossible.
Interpret the Old Testament in Light of the New Testament
God gave revelation to humankind progressively throughout Old and New Testament times. He didn't just give His entire revelation for all time to our first parents, Adam and Eve, or to Moses, the Lawgiver.
Rather, as time went on - as the centuries slowly passed - God provided more and more revelation that became progressively full so that by the time the New Testament was complete, God had told us everything He wanted us to know. In view of this, a key interpretive principle is that one should always interpret the Old Testament in view of the greater light of the New Testament. The Old Testament may be likened to a chamber richly furnished but dimly lighted.
The introduction of light brings into it nothing which was not in it before; but it brings out into clearer view much of what is in it but was only dimly or even not at all perceived before.
The Old Testament revelation of God is not corrected by the fuller revelation which follows it, but only perfected, extended, and enlarged. Again, then, the Old Testament should be interpreted according to the greater light of the New Testament. The Old Testament is much clearer when approached through the lens of the New Testament.
Dependence on the Holy Spirit
Scripture tells us that we are to rely on the Holy Spirit's illumination to gain insights into the meaning and application of Scripture (John 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-11). It is the Holy Spirit's work to throw light upon the Word of God so that the believer can assent to the meaning intended and act on it.
The Holy Spirit, as the "Spirit of truth" (John 16:13), guides us so that "we may understand what God has freely given us" (1 Corinthians 2:12). This is quite logical: full comprehension of the Word of God is impossible without prayerful dependence on the Spirit of God, for He who inspired the Word (2 Peter 1:21) is also its supreme interpreter. Illumination is necessary because man's mind has been darkened through sin (Romans 1:21), preventing him from properly understanding God's Word.
Human beings cannot understand God's Word apart from God's divine enablement (Ephesians 4:18).
This aspect of the Holy Spirit's ministry operates within the sphere of man's soulful capacity, which God Himself gave man. Illumination comes to the minds and hearts of God's people.
Since the Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13), He does not teach concepts that oppose scripture. In other words, "the Holy Spirit does not guide into interpretations that contradict each other or fail to have internal consistency."
The Example of Jesus Christ
Jesus consistently interpreted the Old Testament characters as being real people and not just fictional characters, including
The Creation account of Adam and Eve (Matthew 13:35; 25:34; Mark 10:6),
Noah's Ark and the flood (Matthew 24:38-39; Luke 17:26-27),
Jonah and the great fish (Matthew 12:39-41),
Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 10:15), and
The account of Lot and his wife (Luke 17:28-29).
In his book The Savior and the Scriptures, theologian Robert P. Lightner notes - following an exhaustive study - that Jesus' interpretation of Scripture "was always in accord with the grammatical and historical meaning. He understood and appreciated the meaning intended by the writers according to the laws of grammar and rhetoric."
Jesus affirmed scripture’s divine inspiration (Matthew 22:43),
Its indestructibility (Matthew 5:17-18),
Its infallibility (John 10:35),
Its final authority (Matthew 4:4,7,10),
Its historicity (Matthew 12:40; 24:37),
Its factual inerrancy (Matthew 22:29-32), and
Its spiritual clarity (Luke 24:25).
Moreover, He emphasized the importance of each word of Scripture (Luke 16:17). Indeed, He sometimes based His argumentation on a single expression of the biblical text (Matthew 22:32,43-45; John 10:34).
Correctly Handling the Word of Truth
Jesus said His words lead to eternal life (John 6:63). But for us to receive eternal life through His words, they must be taken as He intended them to be taken.
A cultic reinterpretation of Scripture that yields another Jesus and another gospel (2 Corinthians 11:3-4; Galatians 1:6-9) will yield only eternal death (Revelation 20:11-15).
Monday, November 10, 2008
A Quiet time with God- from Nouwen's Way of the Heart
Quiet time with God is the furnace of transformation. Without it we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self.
In our quiet times with God we get rid of our scaffolding; no friends to talk with, no telephone calls to make, no meetings to attend, no music to entertain, nothing to distract, just me- naked me, and God. We may find in this empty quiet space confusing ideas, worries of the day, disturbing images, wild fantasies, and weird associations jump about in the mind like monkeys in a banana tree. Everything in us may want to run to friends, work, and distractions.
It is precisely in the midst of this struggle with our worldly self and its demons that our Lord comes to us. He is beside us in all of it.
We enter into solitude first of all to meet our Lord and to be with him and him alone. Our primary task is to keep the eyes of our mind and heart firmly fixed on Him. It is only in the midst of Christ's grace and healing that we can face our sin, show our wounds, and face our own true nature.
As we come to realize that it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in us, that he is our true self, we can slowly let our compulsions melt away, take off our masks, and begin to experience freedom as a child of God. We have freedom to be molded into Christ's image, freedom to mature in him, freedom to love and freedom from sin.
So what does this mean in our daily lives? The very first thing we need to do is set apart a time and place to be with God and him alone. The concrete shape of this discipline of solitude will be different for each person but will not remain vague or general. It must be as concrete and specific as daily life is.
Quiet time is a time of purification and transformation, the place of great struggle, and the great encounter. This time is not simply a means to an end. It's ends are met within it. It is the place where Christ remodels us in his own image and frees us from victimizing compulsions of the world. It is a place of salvation.
A heart of stone can be turned into a heart of flesh. A rebellious heart can be turned into a contrite heart. A closed heart can open itself up. A new self can grow in the loving encounter with Jesus.
Scripture should lead us into the presence of God. We must be careful to use that word not simply as an interesting or motivating word, but as a word that creates the boundaries within which we can listen to the loving caring, gentle presence of God.
Scripture should renew the mind as well as descend slowly from the mind to the heart. The crisis our time in scripture and prayer is that our minds are filled with the ideas of God while our hearts remain far from him. The word heart in the Jewish-Christian tradition refers to the source of all physical, emotional, intellectual, volitional and moral energies. From the hear arise unknowable impulses as well as conscious feelings, moods, and wishes. The heart too has its reasons and is the center of perception and understanding. Finally, the heart is the seat of the will: it makes plans and comes to good decisions. The heart is the central unifying peace of our personal life where we are totally one with no divisions or distinctions. It is the seat of our personality. It is where Christ dwells in us, the hope of Glory.
By it's very nature this kind of holistic, integral meeting with our savior transforms our whole being and opens the eyes of our soul to the truth of ourselves as well as he truth of God. This type of encounter challenges us to hide nothing from God and to surrender ourselves unconditionally to his mercy. In doing this we will unmask many illusions about ourselves and about God and we will be led into the true relationship we are purposed to have with God.
If we spend time with God in the beginning of our day he may slowly build a place in our hearts for that day so that even while studying, gardening, working, or building, the meeting can continue in our heart and keep us aware of God's presence, guidance and counseling, bringing us into a deeper meaning of what it means that God is our Shepherd. The Lord sends us out into the world and calls us back to be with him in a never-ending communion.
In our quiet times with God we get rid of our scaffolding; no friends to talk with, no telephone calls to make, no meetings to attend, no music to entertain, nothing to distract, just me- naked me, and God. We may find in this empty quiet space confusing ideas, worries of the day, disturbing images, wild fantasies, and weird associations jump about in the mind like monkeys in a banana tree. Everything in us may want to run to friends, work, and distractions.
It is precisely in the midst of this struggle with our worldly self and its demons that our Lord comes to us. He is beside us in all of it.
We enter into solitude first of all to meet our Lord and to be with him and him alone. Our primary task is to keep the eyes of our mind and heart firmly fixed on Him. It is only in the midst of Christ's grace and healing that we can face our sin, show our wounds, and face our own true nature.
As we come to realize that it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in us, that he is our true self, we can slowly let our compulsions melt away, take off our masks, and begin to experience freedom as a child of God. We have freedom to be molded into Christ's image, freedom to mature in him, freedom to love and freedom from sin.
So what does this mean in our daily lives? The very first thing we need to do is set apart a time and place to be with God and him alone. The concrete shape of this discipline of solitude will be different for each person but will not remain vague or general. It must be as concrete and specific as daily life is.
Quiet time is a time of purification and transformation, the place of great struggle, and the great encounter. This time is not simply a means to an end. It's ends are met within it. It is the place where Christ remodels us in his own image and frees us from victimizing compulsions of the world. It is a place of salvation.
A heart of stone can be turned into a heart of flesh. A rebellious heart can be turned into a contrite heart. A closed heart can open itself up. A new self can grow in the loving encounter with Jesus.
Scripture should lead us into the presence of God. We must be careful to use that word not simply as an interesting or motivating word, but as a word that creates the boundaries within which we can listen to the loving caring, gentle presence of God.
Scripture should renew the mind as well as descend slowly from the mind to the heart. The crisis our time in scripture and prayer is that our minds are filled with the ideas of God while our hearts remain far from him. The word heart in the Jewish-Christian tradition refers to the source of all physical, emotional, intellectual, volitional and moral energies. From the hear arise unknowable impulses as well as conscious feelings, moods, and wishes. The heart too has its reasons and is the center of perception and understanding. Finally, the heart is the seat of the will: it makes plans and comes to good decisions. The heart is the central unifying peace of our personal life where we are totally one with no divisions or distinctions. It is the seat of our personality. It is where Christ dwells in us, the hope of Glory.
By it's very nature this kind of holistic, integral meeting with our savior transforms our whole being and opens the eyes of our soul to the truth of ourselves as well as he truth of God. This type of encounter challenges us to hide nothing from God and to surrender ourselves unconditionally to his mercy. In doing this we will unmask many illusions about ourselves and about God and we will be led into the true relationship we are purposed to have with God.
If we spend time with God in the beginning of our day he may slowly build a place in our hearts for that day so that even while studying, gardening, working, or building, the meeting can continue in our heart and keep us aware of God's presence, guidance and counseling, bringing us into a deeper meaning of what it means that God is our Shepherd. The Lord sends us out into the world and calls us back to be with him in a never-ending communion.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
But if we didn't think of death as a result that was necessariy negative...
How would this change our thinking? After reading a Readers Digest article on After Death experiences this thought stuck in my mind. Would doctors go to such great lengths to keep people alive if we knew the consequences? If we really saw it as a new birth, a beginning of a new adventure, would it be so sad.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Government's purpose
Wikipedia- Basic security and public order
Additional
-Military Defence
-Security (internal)
-Economic Security (make sure money is worth something)
-Social Security
-Health Care
-Environmental Security
-Education
how can we governmentaly make decisions based on any one religion's principles and say that it is a seperate government and state or say that is a land of religious freedom if you could get penalized based on someone else's religous principles.
Is there a more foundational role to the government?
we can feed the poor and provide shelter for the needy and help with the healing of the sick through our vote as well, but I am not sure if these are things that the government should be in. I can't see why not.
I suppose if you have a Christian majority in a democracy they have the right to impose their principles on people who do not want them. It just feels a little more like controlling actions instead of changing hearts.
Is the government about rewarding and punishing the outward actions? But what actions?
Additional
-Military Defence
-Security (internal)
-Economic Security (make sure money is worth something)
-Social Security
-Health Care
-Environmental Security
-Education
how can we governmentaly make decisions based on any one religion's principles and say that it is a seperate government and state or say that is a land of religious freedom if you could get penalized based on someone else's religous principles.
Is there a more foundational role to the government?
we can feed the poor and provide shelter for the needy and help with the healing of the sick through our vote as well, but I am not sure if these are things that the government should be in. I can't see why not.
I suppose if you have a Christian majority in a democracy they have the right to impose their principles on people who do not want them. It just feels a little more like controlling actions instead of changing hearts.
Is the government about rewarding and punishing the outward actions? But what actions?
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Scripture and the Word
The word of God is bigger than scripture. It is God's will and heart (out of the heart the mouth overflow). It is Jesus. It is any time God speaks.
Scripture is an expression of God's word.
“In the beginning.. God said ____ and it was so” Genesis 1
“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host….For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.”
-Psalm 33:6,9
“The Word of God is living and active,
it penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit…
it judges the thoughts and intents of the heart. “
Heb 4:12
“In the beginning, the Word (Jesus) existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
-John 1:1
‘And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” -John 1:14
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” -John 6:63
“Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.” –John 6:68
”who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” -2Corinthians 3:6
“A person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that God speaks.” -Matthew 4:4
“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
-2Cor 4:6
“And that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God (God-breathed) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
-2 Tim 3:15-16
“For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” 2 Peter 1:16-21
“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
-Romans 15:4
The word of God is bigger than scripture. It is God's will and heart (out of the heart the mouth overflow). It is Jesus. It is any time God speaks.
Scripture is an expression of God's word.
“In the beginning.. God said ____ and it was so” Genesis 1
“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host….For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.”
-Psalm 33:6,9
“The Word of God is living and active,
it penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit…
it judges the thoughts and intents of the heart. “
Heb 4:12
“In the beginning, the Word (Jesus) existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
-John 1:1
‘And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” -John 1:14
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” -John 6:63
“Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.” –John 6:68
”who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” -2Corinthians 3:6
“A person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that God speaks.” -Matthew 4:4
“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
-2Cor 4:6
“And that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God (God-breathed) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
-2 Tim 3:15-16
“For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” 2 Peter 1:16-21
“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
-Romans 15:4
Monday, November 3, 2008
culture and the Gospel- a good tension
“This shaping always moves in two directions. On the one hand, the church understands that under the power of God, the gospel shapes the culture of a society – its assumptions, its perspectives, its choices. The church knows this because the gospel is always doing that to the very culture that is its own. … On the other hand, because the church is incarnational, it also knows that it will always be called to express the gospel within the terms, styles, and perspectives of its social context. It will be shaped by that context, just as it will constantly challenge and shape that context. The church lives in the confidence that this ought to be so, and that it is the nature of its calling for this to be so." -- Darrell Guder, “Missional Church”
Nouwen's In the Name of Jesus
When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, the three temptations he faced were...
The temptation to be relevant (to turn stones into bread)
The temptation to be spectacular ("Throw yourself from the parapet of the temple and let the angels catch you and carry you in their arms" ...the temptation to prove himself; to demonstrate that he had something worthwhile to say [to prove that he was somebody]).
The temptation to be powerful ("I will give you all the kingdoms of this world in their splendor...")
The Christian leader faces the same three temptations. In response to the first temptation, Nouwen suggests...
"The question is not: How many people take you seriously? How much are you going to accomplish? Can you show some results? But: Are you in love with Jesus?"If there is any focus that the Christian leader of the future will need, it is the discipline of dwelling in the presence of the One who keeps asking us, 'Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?'"
In response to the second temptation (to be spectacular), he suggests...
"When you look at today's church, it is easy to see the prevalence of individualism among ministers and priests. Not too many of us have a vast repertoire of skills to be proud of, but most of us still feel that, if we have anything at all to show, it is something we have to do solo."
"Somehow we have come to believe that good leadership requires a safe distance from those we are called to lead... But how can we lay down our life for those with whom we are not even allowed to enter into a deep personal relationship? Laying down your life means making your own faith and doubt, hope and despair, joy and sadness, courage and fear available to others as ways of getting in touch with the Lord of life."
"The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited and unconditional love of God."
"Confession and forgiveness are precisely the disciplines by which spiritualization and carnality can be avoided and true incarnation lived. Through confession, the dark powers are taken out of their carnal isolation, brought into the light, and made visible to the community. Through forgiveness, they are disarmed and dispelled and a new integration between body and spirit is made possible."Finally, in response to the third temptation (to be powerful), Nouwen suggests...
"What makes the temptation of power so seemingly irresistible? Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life."
The temptation to be relevant (to turn stones into bread)
The temptation to be spectacular ("Throw yourself from the parapet of the temple and let the angels catch you and carry you in their arms" ...the temptation to prove himself; to demonstrate that he had something worthwhile to say [to prove that he was somebody]).
The temptation to be powerful ("I will give you all the kingdoms of this world in their splendor...")
The Christian leader faces the same three temptations. In response to the first temptation, Nouwen suggests...
"The question is not: How many people take you seriously? How much are you going to accomplish? Can you show some results? But: Are you in love with Jesus?"If there is any focus that the Christian leader of the future will need, it is the discipline of dwelling in the presence of the One who keeps asking us, 'Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?'"
In response to the second temptation (to be spectacular), he suggests...
"When you look at today's church, it is easy to see the prevalence of individualism among ministers and priests. Not too many of us have a vast repertoire of skills to be proud of, but most of us still feel that, if we have anything at all to show, it is something we have to do solo."
"Somehow we have come to believe that good leadership requires a safe distance from those we are called to lead... But how can we lay down our life for those with whom we are not even allowed to enter into a deep personal relationship? Laying down your life means making your own faith and doubt, hope and despair, joy and sadness, courage and fear available to others as ways of getting in touch with the Lord of life."
"The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited and unconditional love of God."
"Confession and forgiveness are precisely the disciplines by which spiritualization and carnality can be avoided and true incarnation lived. Through confession, the dark powers are taken out of their carnal isolation, brought into the light, and made visible to the community. Through forgiveness, they are disarmed and dispelled and a new integration between body and spirit is made possible."Finally, in response to the third temptation (to be powerful), Nouwen suggests...
"What makes the temptation of power so seemingly irresistible? Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life."
Friday, October 31, 2008
searching for a place to flourish
At the time (44 years old)my passion and ability to motivate people and build a sense of community hadn't been enough to overcome the culture of a new management and their overriding drive to boost profits at the expense of their people.
I searched for a place where I'd flourish. - Howard Behar (before signing on with Starbucks International, of which he would later become president)
Don't resign yourself to working for a profits only company when there is a place where you would flourish. God did not mess up when he made you. He knit you fearfully and wonderfully. And you are made in and still bear his image. You belong somewhere. Where is it now? Where will it be tomorrow?
I searched for a place where I'd flourish. - Howard Behar (before signing on with Starbucks International, of which he would later become president)
Don't resign yourself to working for a profits only company when there is a place where you would flourish. God did not mess up when he made you. He knit you fearfully and wonderfully. And you are made in and still bear his image. You belong somewhere. Where is it now? Where will it be tomorrow?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Exponential effects
The butterfly effect is a phrase that encapsulates the more technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory. Small variations of the initial condition of a dynamical system may produce large variations in the long term behavior of the system. So this is sometimes presented as esoteric behavior, but can be exhibited by very simple systems: for example, a ball placed at the crest of a hill might roll into any of several valleys depending on slight differences in initial position.
The phrase refers to the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location. The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations of events. Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different. Of course the butterfly cannot literally cause a tornado. The kinetic energy in a tornado is enormously larger than the energy in the turbulence of a butterfly. The kinetic energy of a tornado is ultimately provided by the sun and the butterfly can only influence certain details of weather events in a chaotic manner.
Recurrence, the approximate return of a system towards its initial conditions, together with sensitive dependence on initial conditions are the two main ingredients for chaotic motion. They have the practical consequence of making complex systems, such as the weather, difficult to predict past a certain time range (approximately a week in the case of weather).
"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." Mother Teresa
The phrase refers to the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location. The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations of events. Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different. Of course the butterfly cannot literally cause a tornado. The kinetic energy in a tornado is enormously larger than the energy in the turbulence of a butterfly. The kinetic energy of a tornado is ultimately provided by the sun and the butterfly can only influence certain details of weather events in a chaotic manner.
Recurrence, the approximate return of a system towards its initial conditions, together with sensitive dependence on initial conditions are the two main ingredients for chaotic motion. They have the practical consequence of making complex systems, such as the weather, difficult to predict past a certain time range (approximately a week in the case of weather).
"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." Mother Teresa
Friday, October 10, 2008
More valuable than money and needs vs wants
We give money away because there is something more important than money.
There is more to life than money. Any time someone gives money away they are saying that there is something more important than money. What is it that is more important than money? We don't give to the poor because we believe money is the answer. We give to the poor because of something higher than money in us. Something is outweighing the money. What is it? We make choices based on values. What do we value more than money to give it away?
Let's give away that to other people too; rich and poor. That thing that is more important than money to us, is more valuable, needs to be given as well.
Life coach- What is a need and what is a want?
how much can you get by on? The misconception that a 200k home and 20k car are scraping by is not ok. What do we sacrifice in order to hold onto those things? Loose your house and gain your life. Let go of your car and grab hold of your family, God, dreams, hope, life.
We talk about what people should do like give to the poor, but do show them how? What lies are they holding onto? Can we show someone that they value a comfortable life more that x? Can we show them how to make cuts and changes in their lives in order to follow their own values? If they value the kingdom and the spirit and jesus and loving the poor, etc than it should be a joy to live for what they value. right?
Need- something you have to have
Want -something you would like to have
(Following is from frugal living)The difference between a need and a want is pretty simple -- until you set yourself loose in a store. Double chocolate chip ice cream? It's a food, so mark it as a need. That designer t-shirt that fits you perfectly? Well, you need more shirts, so why shouldn’t it count too?
Tally up the damage caused by a few justifications like these, and suddenly you've spent far more than you intended.
What's the solution?
A better understanding of what a need really is.
Needs
In actuality, you only need four things to survive:
* A roof over your head
* Enough food and water to maintain your health
* Basic health care and hygiene products
* Clothing (just what you need to remain comfortable and appropriately dressed)
Everything that goes beyond this – a big house, name-brand clothes, fancy foods and drinks, a new car – is a want.
Does that mean that you should only buy the things that you need? No.
We are supposed to follow God in riches and in want. And God knows the desires of our heart and will give us all these things too (usually after aligning our hearts with his we will see that we do not really want these things. We have freedom from material things. They do not own us. It is for freedom that Christ set us free and not to follow after the desires of the sinful nature.)
1Tim 6
6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
1Tim 6
17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
2 things are said here. One is to give it away now. And also that God is our security and that He richly provides for us for our enjoyment. He wants us to enjoy life and in fact he says that the only way to have life that is true life is to be rich in good deeds.
What is not said is that it impossible for the rich to get into heaven. Only those who love and trust money.
Job 23
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
Proverbs 30
7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.
Mat 6
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
Luke 12
30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
How powerful is that? Straighten up our hearts desires and God will give us food, shelter and all that we need and desire (with redeemed desires now in us)
The Father is pleased to give us the kingdom. What more could we want. That is much more than we could ever hope or dream for.
There is more to life than money. Any time someone gives money away they are saying that there is something more important than money. What is it that is more important than money? We don't give to the poor because we believe money is the answer. We give to the poor because of something higher than money in us. Something is outweighing the money. What is it? We make choices based on values. What do we value more than money to give it away?
Let's give away that to other people too; rich and poor. That thing that is more important than money to us, is more valuable, needs to be given as well.
Life coach- What is a need and what is a want?
how much can you get by on? The misconception that a 200k home and 20k car are scraping by is not ok. What do we sacrifice in order to hold onto those things? Loose your house and gain your life. Let go of your car and grab hold of your family, God, dreams, hope, life.
We talk about what people should do like give to the poor, but do show them how? What lies are they holding onto? Can we show someone that they value a comfortable life more that x? Can we show them how to make cuts and changes in their lives in order to follow their own values? If they value the kingdom and the spirit and jesus and loving the poor, etc than it should be a joy to live for what they value. right?
Need- something you have to have
Want -something you would like to have
(Following is from frugal living)The difference between a need and a want is pretty simple -- until you set yourself loose in a store. Double chocolate chip ice cream? It's a food, so mark it as a need. That designer t-shirt that fits you perfectly? Well, you need more shirts, so why shouldn’t it count too?
Tally up the damage caused by a few justifications like these, and suddenly you've spent far more than you intended.
What's the solution?
A better understanding of what a need really is.
Needs
In actuality, you only need four things to survive:
* A roof over your head
* Enough food and water to maintain your health
* Basic health care and hygiene products
* Clothing (just what you need to remain comfortable and appropriately dressed)
Everything that goes beyond this – a big house, name-brand clothes, fancy foods and drinks, a new car – is a want.
Does that mean that you should only buy the things that you need? No.
We are supposed to follow God in riches and in want. And God knows the desires of our heart and will give us all these things too (usually after aligning our hearts with his we will see that we do not really want these things. We have freedom from material things. They do not own us. It is for freedom that Christ set us free and not to follow after the desires of the sinful nature.)
1Tim 6
6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
1Tim 6
17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
2 things are said here. One is to give it away now. And also that God is our security and that He richly provides for us for our enjoyment. He wants us to enjoy life and in fact he says that the only way to have life that is true life is to be rich in good deeds.
What is not said is that it impossible for the rich to get into heaven. Only those who love and trust money.
Job 23
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
Proverbs 30
7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.
Mat 6
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
Luke 12
30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
How powerful is that? Straighten up our hearts desires and God will give us food, shelter and all that we need and desire (with redeemed desires now in us)
The Father is pleased to give us the kingdom. What more could we want. That is much more than we could ever hope or dream for.
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