4.27.2011

“Only Boring People Get Bored"

Or so said my driver’s education teacher sophomore year of high school. Somehow, along with the progressive “10 and 2” steering wheel handling methodology, this idea has stuck with me for a decade now. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Generally speaking, boredom can be circumvented, but willingness and creativity on the part of the individual are the required ingredients.

We all can plow right through boredom by creating or unearthing interesting events, circumstances, thoughts, conversations, etc. when none are conveniently at hand. You choose to either passively accept boredom or actively change it. My choice reflects something about me. It reflects my own self concept, feelings of self efficacy, as well as the way I interact with the world. Do I expect entertainment, change, novelty, growth, and other “newness” to simply arrive on my lap? Or, conversely, am I a force to be reckoned with that seeks and discovers those things among the seemingly commonplace? As members of the Information Age, replacing boredom with learning and discovery can be as easy as a few clicks of a mouse and as time consuming as saying your ABCs.

So recently when the word “boring” came out of my mouth as a descriptor of my spiritual life in this season, red flags of self efficacy waved across my mind. The problem is not found extrinsically with our very adventurous and creative God, as I like to selfishly assume, but with me. Only boring people get bored. Only boring people get bored living as children of a beautiful and mysterious Father.

I’ve developed some theories on when this boredom snuck in and via what means, but the point is that only a boring person would stop there. “Behold, I make all things new,” God says. There are ebbs and flows of activity and quiet contentment, but walking with God was never meant to be boring. Heeding the advice of my husband, I’ve resolved to battle the boredom by adding some risk and diversity to my spiritual rhythms.


The most immediate ideas revolved around prayer:


1) Embarking on prayer walks to keep my mind alert and my heart turned toward others


2) Convening with neighbors at Richmond Hill to pray for this city


Some other ideas include:


1) Continuing the discipline of sacrifice I observed during Lent by giving up an activity, food, or object I enjoy in order to constantly remember that “God so loved the world that he gave…”


2) Inviting my neighbors over in an effort to better know them


3) Reserving a precious free spring Saturday to serve people I don’t know- building a home, serving food, delivering a care package


That’s plenty of boredom-busting ideas for now, unless you are willing to comment with some other suggestions. Only boring people get bored, so allez-viens!

4.24.2011

Easter Weekend

Blinded by fog as intense as the Caribbean sun, I crept up Afton Mountain Friday just as the gray rainy day surrendered to a dark rainy night.  On the way to visit my sis at the end of a big day for her, I afforded my mind the chance to roam freely- no agenda, no to-do list, no conversation to analytically pick apart.  Instead, I thought and I watched.  I watched as road signs jumped out of seeming nothingness to my right and brake lights pleaded the existence of their invisible owners through the dense fog ahead. 

How apropos for Good Friday.  That three hour expanse of road proved dreary, difficult, hazy, and somewhat hazardous.  So too, I couldn't help but think, was Jesus' last day in flesh.  How dreary the painstaking walk to Golgatha.  How difficult the spikes fiercely hammered through muscles, tendons, and bone.  How hazy the understanding of the followers in helpless attendance.  How hazardous the title "Christ follower" as they scattered.

But for the drive back home, any trace of fog was replaced with a beaming ray of sunshine.  Road signs proudly announced their information from yards away and nuances of the mountains on either side boldly displayed their subtle beauty.  Instead of being swallowed by Friday's dense cloud, I looked to my right to find miles upon miles of exuisite crystal clear valley.

What a perfect scene for travel in anticipation of Resurrection Sunday.  The drive home was clear, invigorating, beautiful, and peaceful, just as I imagine the day Jesus rose from the grave.  How clear was God's victory once the weighty fog of confusion and chaos dissipated.  How invigorating was the evidence of freedom from death.  How beautiful was the sight of the empty tomb and hours later, the resurrected Friend Himself.  How peaceful to know that the all-powerful Father is who He says He is and does what He says He will do. 

I think the Easter Weekend lesson is that those same truths prevail both in blinding fog and clear blue skies.  The difference is not what is actually present, but our sight.  And so, we develop faith as we persevere to believe in what we cannot see.  For as the veil was torn and the fog was lifted, God graciously gave clarity and a fuller picture of the beauty that was and is and is yet to come.

4.20.2011

A Confession and Meditation for Passion Week

The week leading up to Easter is often referred to as the Passion Week. I love this title for all the instruction and emotion packed into it. The word passion literally means to suffer. As I read through Luke’s account of Jesus’ Passion this morning, I found Jesus’ suffering that last week undeniable, beautiful, and overwhelming.

Undeniable also was my intense conviction that I have made little of Jesus’ suffering- in my head, in my conversation, in my heart. I’m part of a church that speaks the Gospel daily to each other in small and large community gatherings. While I love the commitment to the most central aspect of our faith and life, I’ve let the repetition dull my response. As with familiar news stories, I tune out when the information is not new. “Got it,” I lazily think, thus avoiding the work of listening and processing. Jesus suffered much so we could have abundant life. I don't know about you, but I for one need to meditate on this a bit.  This Passion Week, I refuse to let “Yeah, I know” or “Got it” be my response. Passion prompts a passionate response.


Jesus suffered…

Betrayal

Trickery


Mocking


Alienation


Abandonment


Loneliness


Incarceration


Injustice


Beatings


Asphyxiation


Death






So that we could be…

Redeemed


Secure


Reconciled


Free


Restored


Forgiven


Instruments


New


Ambassadors


Generous


Purposed



God, help us to remember who you are, what you've done, and who you've made us this Passion Week.

4.15.2011

A Superhero Jesus?


Seriously?  I came across this a few months ago in a game store in Carytown.  There was even a similar Moses action figure beside Jesus that I wasn't able to snag in a photo.  (The sales clerk was lurking too close for comfort).

I can't quite make up my mind about it.  Funny or insulting?  Teaching toy or trash?  Not sure. 

If we follow the line of thinking in Hebrews, Jesus is a superior version of every symbol of strength, power, beauty, and grace the Bible and the world has depicted for us.  This certainly includes man-made action heros.  Yet, when we read the Gospel of John, we are reminded that Jesus is absolutely holy, set apart, other- not to be considered in the same realm as plastic action toys.  God became like us in Jesus, yet never ceased to be God as he lived among people. 

Months later, I'm still perplexed.  There are not many things that leave me speechless, but this sight did it.  Any thoughts on Jesus as an action figure?  Would you let your kids play with him?

4.13.2011

Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris

It wasn't until probably the fifth or sixth time I heard someone raving about the rare Picasso exhibit at the VMFA that I was finally moved to plan a visit. Not much of a disciple of art, I had Picasso pinned as much older than a twentieth century phenomenon and could have articulately described his style as “crazy.”

Obviously, I know very little about art and even less about Picasso. Nevertheless, I enjoy venturing out to exhibits occasionally, probably because there is no particular objective or goal required of the experience other than enjoyment, and enjoyment defined as you like it. You can leave fascinated, confused, enlightened- it really doesn’t matter. But did you enjoy? Did you laugh or learn?

I didn’t know how to rightly appreciate Picasso’s lines, shapes, and colors, but I did enjoy learning about the man’s approach. The nonconformist stance Picasso took to his art communicated a bold fearlessness that was free to explore and reinvent. He was nonconformist not just in the way he painted and sculpted in comparison to others, but more so in the way he painted and sculpted in comparison to himself. Surely it was a safer career move to gain momentum in one style or market, but Picasso’s absolute refusal to conform is what earned him recognition and distinctive praise.

The commentators agree, explaining, "Picasso's long and productive career is marked by an unflagging spirit of exploration and discovery. Informed by his native Spain and France-where he spent most of his life-Picasso devoured influences and spat out innovations one after another."

So I left the exhibit invigorated and inspired by this adventure of dynamic innovation Picasso embraced in his work. He recognized the status quo’s tendency to suffocate creativity, and like a skilled physician, refused to let his patient die due to conventionalism. I’m at a loss for the specific application that my type-A mind yearns to draft from this. But then I remember the goal: enjoyment.





Here exemplifies just a small sample of the variety of styles Picasso explored, including Cubism and the Blue Period.

4.06.2011

A Word on Technological Mishaps

First, my apologies for the unfulfilled promise in my previous entry of videos capturing entertaining and laughable moments from the weekend retreat. Any depiction of the combination of a moon bounce and middle schoolers really must be shared with others, and I’m disappointed my posting and reposting on Monday proved inevitably fruitless.

Some of you saw a large blank expanse under the first few pictures while others might have noticed pixilated and warped versions of the original videos. My sister claims they uploaded on her computer and of course, they appear as such when I review the post from the back end. Frustrating! I laugh at myself as I utter that word, because I am well aware this is THE DEFINITION of Not a Big Deal. Still, it reminds me of a card trick that keeps me stumped while the “magician” smugly smiles, knowing the simple secret in full. I can almost visualize the arrogant smile on the face of the little gremlin inside of my blogger account.

I cannot understand the problem, nor can I see the issue, and so it frustrates me because I can’t do anything about it. I am reminded of a battle I thought myself to have conquered in 2009 during my Brussels tenure, the battle to find contentment in being rather than only in doing. It appears a little more discovery and work remains for this busybody in that area.

The mysteriously warped and disappearing videos visible to some and not to others also translate to the communication God initiates with us. Certainly user error is not responsible in this case, but doesn’t the same thing essentially happen? The message is sent out, but our unfamiliarity with the sender, our crazed and busy days, or our personal hurts and prejudices cause the message to be warped upon receipt or disappear from our radar all together.

What obstacles keep us from hearing God? Is it our environment? More often, it’s the environment in our hearts. The shallow path of our discipleship, the rocky heart absent of emotion, the thorns of our bitterness. All these inflict more costly ramifications than the little gremlin that stole my videos. So once you identify and understand the barriers blocking or warping God’s message(s), how do you climb over them and listen to God?

No, it’s not a rhetorical question. I love hearing from others on this subject: How do you listen to God?


Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. Mark 4:3-8.

4.04.2011

The Weekend Via Media

Did I mention I was headed to Providence Baptist Church in Northern Virginia this past weekend to lead a small group of girls for their annual Discipleship Now Retreat?

No, you're right, I didn't mention it.  That was probably because Friday afternoon as I entered a busy 95 North instead of heading home it was drizzly and cold and I was tired, had a headache, and wanted my couch, a blanket, and the 6:30 news more than anything else at the moment.

Somewhere between the Stonewall Jackson Shrine just south of Fredericksburg and busy Tyson's Corner, I was reminded of what was in store for the weekend and thankfully God prompted an an attitude switch.  The weekend turned out to be a blast and the group of girls I led were sweet, talkative, receptive, and thoughtful (see two of them below).  Not much of a sacrifice there.  I also got some good belly laughs in with my best friend, Natalie.  Priceless. Since I couldn't capture pictures of my group's conversations about calling, sacrificing control, and following Jesus, I've included some pics and movies of the fun we had including, but not limited to: an up-and-coming game called 9-Square, a gigantic moon bounce, youtube sensation sing-a-longs, and adorable children.  Enjoy!