Deliberate Divergence

Mainstream: it is the common and current thinking of 

the majority. It happens.  Some choose otherwise.

Abandoning the mainstream ... and doing so without criticism or judgement; just looking for a better way. 

So, is there an adequate reason to go along with the crowd? Any reason?

It's a troublesome question. 
If I say no, then there's a whole lot of work I have to do instead of just letting the mainstream decide for me.  

Status quo?  or change.  

"We all know something's wrong.

At first I thought it was just me. Then I stood before twenty thousand Christian college students and asked, "How many of you have read the New Testament and wondered if we in the church are missing it?" When almost every hand went up, I felt comforted. At least I'm not crazy."   ~ Francis Chan


Seven Questions:

1. The disciples asked, "who then can be saved?" What was the answer? What does it really mean? 
2. Why is Christianity so unpopular in the western world, especially with younger folks? 
3. How much of western Christianity is the real thing? What parts?
4. What are the criticisms of Christian thinking now? Why?
5. What effect does wealth have on relationships? (this is huge!)
6. If you were to pick an activity to fulfill your purpose, what would it be?
7. Who do you admire? Why?

Gut check.

Your goals are chosen.  They're well established.  Those are the targets you'll hit.

Either by convention and social norm or perhaps by deliberate choice, we focus our lives on a particular set of results.  If we're careless, our goals are the same that everyone has.  The common path is easy to find and follow.

The gateway is open and the path is wide and many find and follow it; it's the one that leads to ... well, you know.

The common path:
My life, My friends and school,
My family and house,
My education, My job,

My career and advancement
possessions and wealth
retirement and end

In it all, we hope to find happiness for ourselves, perhaps.

... but we can choose.
There are nobler goals.

If you have ...

In the background, those are our friends.     

It takes awhile to understand how many stunning truths there are in such concepts as these.  Seeing and not turning away is difficult.

Turn away, like everyone does from TV shots of hungry kids, and you're normal.  Or perhaps typical.  But if you were to decide to change the world, where would you start?

Go see for yourself.  Or ask us.

Qayin and Havel

Qayin, so the historical account tells us, killed Havel.

There's no record of the weapon used or of any interest in what it might have been.  At issue is not the weapon but the killing.  It was perhaps because of jealousy, but we don't really know.  After Qayin (Cain) killed his brother Havel (Abel), no one lamented over the weapon.

Our deeper  question, why might he have done it? What was the real reason?

Heart issues remain the more important ones, but they're hard to face and even harder to address effectively.  It's perhaps understandable that we might move on to less relevant targets and focus our efforts there.

The Arab Spring, Tahrir Square, Egypt - Christians
guarded Muslims, and Muslims guarded Christians
during the violent times.

 

 

In any endeavor, the hard questions are often the more important.

Falling back on gun control as an easier solution ignores the obvious, that murderous behavior is not brought about by the available weapon.

Not wise, but certainly understandable.  Tackling the actual cause would require of us a measure of greatness, of courage, of nobility, would it not?

Above average

Above average..?  But of course we are!

Folks in the job market today find themselves being examined and ranked for intelligence, education, experience, talent, ...
... competitive criteria for comparing one against another, perhaps.  It's as though there's a scale upon which you might find yourself, and it's tempting to believe there's something significant about your position on that scale, too.

In a given business circumstance, talent could make the difference.  Or intelligence might do it.  Or education, perhaps, will make the critical difference in the marketplace.  Is that what we want or need?

When was the last time employers thoughtfully considered wisdom, courage, or integrity as criteria for hiring.  Three decades, perhaps?  These traits are present or absent; it's not a competition, not a scale.

Meaningless innuendo unless you're a geek.  :)

But do we need these traits any more in our western world?

• Would a wise man press ahead here?  
• Would a courageous woman back down from that roadblock?  
• Would a person of integrity accept tasking along those lines?  

We struggle with these questions, hoping to go beyond the requirements of law to those of conscience and virtue.  It's the difference between deal makers and world changers.

Short version; when it falls to you, you're on your own; do the next right thing!

The above is a condensed extract from a few years of struggle.  Do I do what I'm told?  Yes, but only if ....  Do I follow the well-worn path others have created?  No, unless research supports ....  Am I being pig-headed or restrained by conscience?  To both, yes, but the guiding principle ....  Unfortunately, there are few simple answers.  
Did we expect it to be this difficult?  :)  OK, ok, ... wait a minute; this is really hard!  Nuts.

blessed/cursed ... blessed?

How do you like the 21st century so far?  

Everything on an even keel?

Which is it????

Sometimes we're told that those blessed with house and car and food and happiness are the ones favored by God.

And by extension, those without such blessings are perhaps without the same favor.  Or maybe they have  been robbed by the devil.

Can we make sense of that?

Wealth equals blessing and favor from God, the best of life ...

And ...
Poverty equals the worst ... it's where none of the blessings show up.

The favored of God have all these blessings; they don't need to pray 'daily bread' prayers.  They have no occasion of begging for help or crying out for justice.  They won't need to take a stand against the world.

Their children, those of these 'favored folks'; they have everything they need and more.  They're blessed with free schools and lots of television shows and places to go with their friends.  They have no worries about whether they'll go to high school and maybe college too.  They have little need to participate in feeding themselves or the rest of the family.  They don't need to tend a garden or understand why a crop might succeed.  They're the favored of God, they are.  For sure.

How's our world doing?
Right-side up?  Or not.

Dad grew up on an Oklahoma farm during the
Depression.  His perspective on pigs was from
first-hand experience.  'Happiness is for pigs',
he'd say and smile.  'Joy, however,

is divine!'

Realistically, quality of life as viewed from inside a western perspective seems to be a blessing in direct relationship to the level of wealth and luxury involved.  Is freedom from hardship truly a blessing?  Does a biblical worldview offer more information?

Can I give myself to a western lifestyle and be a true believer at the same time?  Where are the conflicts?  Can I invest most of my days for most of my life in accumulating possessions and net worth?  Is there a conflict between that and some other purpose or calling?

We wonder why faith might be ridiculed.  Perhaps it's because what's visible is, like much of western thinking, just a bit upside-down.

Is there a right-side up perspective?  What might the foundation pieces be?