Something has just happened that deeply bothers me and convicts me greatly....
For those of you who don't know, I'm an avid comic book collector. I've got five active collections going right now, not to mention a Rubbermaid box full of miscellaneous comic books I've collected over the years. It's something that I've always enjoyed, and it's even been an inspiration for some ministry ideas that I've had.
But even good things can be harmful...
Moving to Fort Worth involved a lot of changes, the least of which is my address. Unfortunately, because this is the most obvious change, when it came to my ebay account, it was a change that was overlooked. So, somewhere around 10 comic books, some of them extremely rare, three of them gifts from my wife, are on their way to my old address in West Monroe, and may or may not be forwarded to my new address depending on the mail type. Needless to say, I became extremely worried. I've spent the past half hour pacing the hallway of my rent house, frantically calling the West Monroe Post Office and my old landlord to ensure that these mis-mailed items would be sent to me. Thankfully, everything seems to be set up so that they will arrive at the right place, albeit a little later than expected.
Now this is what bothers me. When I found out my comic books were going to the wrong address, my heart raced and I was overcome with worry. And yet, to this day I have yet to determine the spiritual status of my new neighbors here, and the thought of them dying without Christ barely raises my blood pressure. I have bags and boards and a special place in a banker's box waiting for these comic books, if and when they arrive. And my own Bible that I use for personal Bible study sits forgotten for days on a shelf, and when I think to read it, I usually have to spend several minutes trying to remember where I put it. I've spent over $50 on comic books in the past few weeks. And yet, even though I'm still in the process of visiting churches, 10% of my income hasn't yet found its way to any ministry of the Lord whatsoever.
Jesus asked, "For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life?" (Matthew 16:26) I would ask this: what does it benefit me if I gain every comic book I have ever desired but forfeit my relationship with Christ? What does it benefit me if I possess every material thing I've ever wanted and forfeit a life lived in service to the Lord?
I am broken for the materialism I've allowed myself to fall into. I ask that God would forgive me, and that He can use my experiences today to convict and draw you away from the trap I fell in. And may we all remember and take to heart the words of this classic hymn:
"Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise.
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart.
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art."
Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.
Keep Soaring,
B
Friday, July 3, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Gender roles, or lack thereof......
Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. The move took a little more out of me than I planned. But now we're finally settling. There is an odd reverse in gender roles, since Mandy goes to work everyday, and I'm staying home, doing the dishes and the laundry, and usually the one to cook supper (and no, that does not mean we eat McDonald's every night!!).
Interestingly enough, with Father's Day coming up so close, it's made me think about the subject of manhood. Technically, when you look at the traditional gender roles, one could say that I should feel my masculinity threatened by the situation. I'm not out working a 40/week job trying to provide for the family. Granted, I still get a teacher paycheck through August, but still. I wake up between 8 and 9 everyday, run errands, do chores, and whatever else comes to mind. Meanwhile, my wife is at work all day most of the week, learning new procedures for her hospital and taking care of people so she can bring home a paycheck.
But you know, oddly enough, I don't feel threatened at all. I realize that this is where God has for us now. He wants Mandy to pursue her ministry in the medical field, and He wants me to pursue my education at Seminary. And, as I'm sure most of you have heard, Seminary is a job in and of itself. So, as long as I'm doing what God has called me to do, then no, I'm not ducking on any responsibility.
Now this isn't an excuse for idleness. If I spent the entire day watching ThunderCats reruns and playing Freedom Force or Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and my wife came home to dirty laundry, dishes, and a hungry husband expecting dinner to be cooked, then yes, my masculinity should feel threatened. Because then I would not be providing for my wife in the way that God wants me to.
The day will be coming when Mandy will stay home with the kids (not to worry, they are still a long way off), and I'll be the one out and about providing for my family. That season will come, but for now, in this season, my place is to learn, to support my wife through acts of service, and leave the financial security to her and God.
So, until God calls me to do otherwise, I'll be the "happy homemaker husband."
Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.
Keep Soaring,
B
Interestingly enough, with Father's Day coming up so close, it's made me think about the subject of manhood. Technically, when you look at the traditional gender roles, one could say that I should feel my masculinity threatened by the situation. I'm not out working a 40/week job trying to provide for the family. Granted, I still get a teacher paycheck through August, but still. I wake up between 8 and 9 everyday, run errands, do chores, and whatever else comes to mind. Meanwhile, my wife is at work all day most of the week, learning new procedures for her hospital and taking care of people so she can bring home a paycheck.
But you know, oddly enough, I don't feel threatened at all. I realize that this is where God has for us now. He wants Mandy to pursue her ministry in the medical field, and He wants me to pursue my education at Seminary. And, as I'm sure most of you have heard, Seminary is a job in and of itself. So, as long as I'm doing what God has called me to do, then no, I'm not ducking on any responsibility.
Now this isn't an excuse for idleness. If I spent the entire day watching ThunderCats reruns and playing Freedom Force or Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and my wife came home to dirty laundry, dishes, and a hungry husband expecting dinner to be cooked, then yes, my masculinity should feel threatened. Because then I would not be providing for my wife in the way that God wants me to.
The day will be coming when Mandy will stay home with the kids (not to worry, they are still a long way off), and I'll be the one out and about providing for my family. That season will come, but for now, in this season, my place is to learn, to support my wife through acts of service, and leave the financial security to her and God.
So, until God calls me to do otherwise, I'll be the "happy homemaker husband."
Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.
Keep Soaring,
B
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Is it cheesy....or is it truth?
My friend Sean recently purchased a copy of Freedom Force for me. Basically, its a video game detailing the adventures of heroes born from exposure to Energy X. Together they must stop an alien invasion from destroying Earth. The plot is very much like a post World-War II Captain America comic book. The heroes are completely good, the villains are completely evil, and there is no mistaking who is on what side.
Most people today see that kind of story and groan. Some of us start twitching from memories of Adam West and Burt Ward running around with bad theme music and sounds effect words flashing on the screen. Today we want our villains to be sympathetic and our heroes to be flawed. We enjoy seeing the story of a villain who could have been a good guy except for this one incident. Or a hero who could have been a bad guy except for this one good trait he has. That's why movies like Ocean's Eleven and The Fast and the Furious hit the screen big. That's why Stan Lee was able to make the success that he did. We want to be able to relate to the characters.
But sometimes I wonder if that isn't a commentary on how the world has turned out. Could it be the reason that we like a flawed hero is because it makes us feel better about ourselves? If the hero of an epic battle has a few vices, then aren't we allowed to have ours? And could it be that the sympathetic villain, if we can feel sorry for his circumstances, gives us hope in the thought that maybe our darker side isn't that bad after all? Do we enjoy graying the edges between black and white because it makes us comfortable in straddling the line when it comes to following Christ?
Don't get me wrong. We need to be understanding of each other in our struggles. A man struggling with homosexuality is not the scum of the earth; he is a man struggling with a particular sin, just like the "little white" liar and the "window shopping" adulterer. We all are struggling with things in our hearts that keep us from the perfection that we were meant to be. And it would be wrong of us to stand in judgment of our brothers and sisters in Christ when we ourselves have flaws to deal with. But that doesn't change the fact the sins we struggle with are sins.
To keep with the hero/villain motif, Frodo in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings felt the pull and temptation of the One ring, and he therefore pitied Gollum. He saw in himself the propensity to become what Gollum had, and because of that passed on several opportunites to kill him. But in the end, the murdering and stealing and lying that Gollum did to obtain the ring was still wrong, and his own sinfulness led to his death.
I've always been a big believer in "love the sinner and hate the sin." But I think sometimes in our efforts to love the sinner we forget that the sin is still evil. 1 John 1:5 says, "God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." Christ is not a flawed hero, and Satan is not a sympathetic villain. Christ is complete and total perfection and holiness, and anything less than that is by definition evil. So while we are to love each other as much as we love ourselves, that does not mean to condone the evil that we do. We don't judge, but we do hold each other accountable. Sin is evil, evil enough it required Christ to die for us to be rid of it. Let us not cheapen His sacrifice by graying the edges of what is right and wrong.
So, the next time an old re-run of Batman comes on, instead of immediately flipping to the next station, I challenge you to take some time to watch it, and remember what it was like for good and evil to be clearly defined. Because that is how God views the world, and hence that is how we as His children should view it as well.
Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.
Keep Soaring,
B
Most people today see that kind of story and groan. Some of us start twitching from memories of Adam West and Burt Ward running around with bad theme music and sounds effect words flashing on the screen. Today we want our villains to be sympathetic and our heroes to be flawed. We enjoy seeing the story of a villain who could have been a good guy except for this one incident. Or a hero who could have been a bad guy except for this one good trait he has. That's why movies like Ocean's Eleven and The Fast and the Furious hit the screen big. That's why Stan Lee was able to make the success that he did. We want to be able to relate to the characters.
But sometimes I wonder if that isn't a commentary on how the world has turned out. Could it be the reason that we like a flawed hero is because it makes us feel better about ourselves? If the hero of an epic battle has a few vices, then aren't we allowed to have ours? And could it be that the sympathetic villain, if we can feel sorry for his circumstances, gives us hope in the thought that maybe our darker side isn't that bad after all? Do we enjoy graying the edges between black and white because it makes us comfortable in straddling the line when it comes to following Christ?
Don't get me wrong. We need to be understanding of each other in our struggles. A man struggling with homosexuality is not the scum of the earth; he is a man struggling with a particular sin, just like the "little white" liar and the "window shopping" adulterer. We all are struggling with things in our hearts that keep us from the perfection that we were meant to be. And it would be wrong of us to stand in judgment of our brothers and sisters in Christ when we ourselves have flaws to deal with. But that doesn't change the fact the sins we struggle with are sins.
To keep with the hero/villain motif, Frodo in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings felt the pull and temptation of the One ring, and he therefore pitied Gollum. He saw in himself the propensity to become what Gollum had, and because of that passed on several opportunites to kill him. But in the end, the murdering and stealing and lying that Gollum did to obtain the ring was still wrong, and his own sinfulness led to his death.
I've always been a big believer in "love the sinner and hate the sin." But I think sometimes in our efforts to love the sinner we forget that the sin is still evil. 1 John 1:5 says, "God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." Christ is not a flawed hero, and Satan is not a sympathetic villain. Christ is complete and total perfection and holiness, and anything less than that is by definition evil. So while we are to love each other as much as we love ourselves, that does not mean to condone the evil that we do. We don't judge, but we do hold each other accountable. Sin is evil, evil enough it required Christ to die for us to be rid of it. Let us not cheapen His sacrifice by graying the edges of what is right and wrong.
So, the next time an old re-run of Batman comes on, instead of immediately flipping to the next station, I challenge you to take some time to watch it, and remember what it was like for good and evil to be clearly defined. Because that is how God views the world, and hence that is how we as His children should view it as well.
Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.
Keep Soaring,
B
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)