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Personal Exploration of People, Personalities and Meaning
Browsing All posts tagged under »Problem with Church«
Perspective Makes the Difference
Have you ever noticed that in life, perspective can make all the difference on how you act, react or judge a situation or person? I’ve recently rediscovered this principle at work in my life. I am not proud of the fact but when I see someone do something which I would not do or ‘not do’ something which I believe they should do; I have begun catching myself as my first inclination is to judge that action in such a way as to ascribe a negative motivation for the action or inaction.
The reason is that whether or not we consciously acknowledge it, we all have an internal barometer or scale which we use to assess ourselves and others against. The fact that all have such an internal measure guide is not wrong in of itself. The main problem with using our own scale to evaluate actions or inactions is that our scale is fundamentally flawed. There are two primary flaws with using our own scales to evaluate ourselves and others against.
- Our scale is flawed in that it is biased in favor of us and biased against others.
- Our scale uses the wrong measurement criteria.
Let me explain.
Modern Christianity: All Take and No Give
September 16, 2011
As human beings we all carry within ourselves a myriad of past experiences; some joyful and others painful, each uniquely shaping the way that we make sense of the world around us. All of our life experiences change us. Sometimes the effects are subtle almost imperceptible, while other times the influences are significant and life changing. We are changed, regardless of whether or not we are consciously aware of the impact or not. We live each day, we are altered and frequently, we are forced to develop more and more complex coping skills. These skill are employed on the hope that they can heighten our experiences of joy and lessen our experiences of pain.
Does It Really Require Much Discernment to Separate the Authentic from the Counterfeit?
September 3, 2011
Even a casual watcher of American Idol Season 10 understands that there is a qualitative difference between a gifted professional singer and a hack. My definition of a hack being someone who seeks to convince others, along with themselves perhaps, that they are gifted at something which they are not. This lack of talent in that arena does not stop them from exercising it and even feeling good about their effort.
Have We Have Become Comfortably Numb?
August 29, 2011
Comfortable. The most dangerous place for people (especially the Church) to be is when we allow ourselves to become comfortable…comfortable not just in our physical living conditions but in an attitude of acceptance or resignation that the tragedies occurring around us are just normal everyday things which will never go away. We become calloused; deaf to the plight and pain of others. How else could we ever become comfortable enjoying our ‘stuff’ unless we were able to quiet the voice of conscience within us?
Stop Cursing the Darkness, O Reluctant Leader!
August 26, 2011
This is the problem with modern church culture…perhaps with modern culture altogether. We talk and expect God or Bill Gates to do something about it. We are very good at identifying needs and problems, but we are very poor at looking for answers within ourselves. We prefer to point our finger at other people and organizations and cry out because they are not doing something that God has called us to do. The real question we should be asking is; why aren’t we doing what we were called to do?
Scripta Manent 
March 27, 2012
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