Better brace yourselves...
Of course, you know, an article like that is such a nice, reliable way to pad the statistics for next year's analysis as well. Self-fulfilling prophecy and all that. "The 24th is the worst day of the year? And it's on a Monday this year? Dangit." We should all give up now before the day arrives.
Or, you know, we could quit borrowing trouble and all that...
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Psalm 22
Studying Psalm 22 always makes me think.
Psalm 22 is the Psalm that Jesus quoted from the cross and in a class Curt was teaching a couple weeks ago, this thought struck me: whoever penned that psalm knew nothing about Jesus, didn't have a clue about the christology of the coming church and had no way of knowing what would be done with his words. But what hit me for the first time was this: somebody thousands of years ago sat down and wrote words that not only comforted Israel for thousands of years, but were the words that came to the mind of Christ in arguably the worst moments of his life.
The words of the lament of a man of flesh to his God came as comfort to the mouth and mind of the Word of God made flesh. It's an interesting chiasm.
Psalm 22 is the Psalm that Jesus quoted from the cross and in a class Curt was teaching a couple weeks ago, this thought struck me: whoever penned that psalm knew nothing about Jesus, didn't have a clue about the christology of the coming church and had no way of knowing what would be done with his words. But what hit me for the first time was this: somebody thousands of years ago sat down and wrote words that not only comforted Israel for thousands of years, but were the words that came to the mind of Christ in arguably the worst moments of his life.
The words of the lament of a man of flesh to his God came as comfort to the mouth and mind of the Word of God made flesh. It's an interesting chiasm.
The problem with Fred Phelps (as though there were only one) can be found in his own FAQ (not surprisingly). But most particularly, I find this to be telling (taken from his site):
He's obviously never read Romans 13. The man is a freakin' gong. Or, "... sound and fury, signifying nothing."
Have any homosexuals repented as a result of your picketing?
Yes, but this doesn't matter.
He's obviously never read Romans 13. The man is a freakin' gong. Or, "... sound and fury, signifying nothing."
Peacekeepers, huh?
"When I see people being tainted by the actions of those who've committed abuse, it demoralizes the mission, it destroys the trust that the Congolese have in the U.N'.s peacekeeping mission in Congo and in the effort of the United Nations. It is a big stain on us," Guehenno said.
It seems to me that if the UN peacekeepers wanted the trust of the Congolese, they should have been behaving in such a way as to deserve it. And what's more, while I agree that "it's a big stain[...]," ignoring it doesn't make it go away. The refusal to "name and shame" the parties and countries involved is a large part of why this sort of thing happens -- and not just in the international picture. It's symptomatic of a far more localized problem that's made repeat debut on the international stage.
If it were the "bad guys" who'd done this, we couldn't name them fast enough. We'd plaster their pictures all over national news and people would talk about "those evil [insert particular nationality here]" for decades. But when WE or any of "our guys" do it -- "shhhhh. This sort of thing is ... demoralizing to the mission."
I'm sure it's slightly more than demoralizing to the 13 year old girl who's forced to sell herself to some anonymous UN "peacekeeping" troop for a couple of eggs or a dollar in order to live.
And what's more, this is a problem that will endure and only worsen. It's a pattern that's been set in motion. This won't simply go away once the UN peacekeepers have withdrawn. This has set up an entire mentality and "acceptable" course of action for these girls -- and the adolescent boys (some as young as 8) who've played the pimp.
Thank you, U.N. You've given an already sickened area yet another cancer.
It seems to me that if the UN peacekeepers wanted the trust of the Congolese, they should have been behaving in such a way as to deserve it. And what's more, while I agree that "it's a big stain[...]," ignoring it doesn't make it go away. The refusal to "name and shame" the parties and countries involved is a large part of why this sort of thing happens -- and not just in the international picture. It's symptomatic of a far more localized problem that's made repeat debut on the international stage.
If it were the "bad guys" who'd done this, we couldn't name them fast enough. We'd plaster their pictures all over national news and people would talk about "those evil [insert particular nationality here]" for decades. But when WE or any of "our guys" do it -- "shhhhh. This sort of thing is ... demoralizing to the mission."
I'm sure it's slightly more than demoralizing to the 13 year old girl who's forced to sell herself to some anonymous UN "peacekeeping" troop for a couple of eggs or a dollar in order to live.
And what's more, this is a problem that will endure and only worsen. It's a pattern that's been set in motion. This won't simply go away once the UN peacekeepers have withdrawn. This has set up an entire mentality and "acceptable" course of action for these girls -- and the adolescent boys (some as young as 8) who've played the pimp.
Thank you, U.N. You've given an already sickened area yet another cancer.
2 Corinthians 5
Last Sunday at the home group Bible study, we studied 2 Corinthians 5. And it's a great passage on the new creation and longing for our eternal dwelling and living the life that the love of Christ compels us toward. It's a chapter on our transformation into the representatives, coworkers, and ambassadors of Christ to the world being fully aware that we're not "at home" here.
This, of course, led to a discussion of living Christlike lives. Boiled down, it can be expressed in the trite-but-oh-so-marketable slogan "What Would Jesus Do?"
Darn good question for a Christian to ask -- except it dawned on me that so many of us can't answer that because, as Phillip Yancey points out, so often we don't know who this Jesus is.
Too many of us have an image of an upper middle class white guy who wore a suit and his best pair of sandals to synagogue (on Sunday) and quoted strictly from the King James. This Jesus doesn't drink, doesn't hang out with "the wrong crowd" and looks down his nose at common sinners. This Jesus is an idol and a sham.
Jesus went to parties. Jesus hung out with smelly fishermen -- who were not on Miss Manners' A+ etiquette list. They flunked out of charm school. Jesus probably had stinky feet and B.O. This was, you know, before deodorant. Jesus likely heard more than his share of Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew curse words -- he did hang around with "those people."
And he loved them. Hated what they did, sure, when it was a sin. But, too, we get sin and "something I don't like" all screwed up as well. If I don't like it, if I'm not comfortable with it or if it makes me flinch, it's obviously sinful. NOT. Several of the commandments, when followed, will put one into often uncomfortable and flinch-worthy situations. "Love thy neighbor" ain't that stinkin' easy -- especially if he's a smelly Samaritan.
I guess before we start acting like the Jesus we hold in our heads, we should probably figure out whether that Jesus agrees at all with the Son of God we're told to emulate, to have this mind in us "which was also in Christ Jesus." Sometimes our Jesus looks a lot like ... us. A reflecting idol.
This, of course, led to a discussion of living Christlike lives. Boiled down, it can be expressed in the trite-but-oh-so-marketable slogan "What Would Jesus Do?"
Darn good question for a Christian to ask -- except it dawned on me that so many of us can't answer that because, as Phillip Yancey points out, so often we don't know who this Jesus is.
Too many of us have an image of an upper middle class white guy who wore a suit and his best pair of sandals to synagogue (on Sunday) and quoted strictly from the King James. This Jesus doesn't drink, doesn't hang out with "the wrong crowd" and looks down his nose at common sinners. This Jesus is an idol and a sham.
Jesus went to parties. Jesus hung out with smelly fishermen -- who were not on Miss Manners' A+ etiquette list. They flunked out of charm school. Jesus probably had stinky feet and B.O. This was, you know, before deodorant. Jesus likely heard more than his share of Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew curse words -- he did hang around with "those people."
And he loved them. Hated what they did, sure, when it was a sin. But, too, we get sin and "something I don't like" all screwed up as well. If I don't like it, if I'm not comfortable with it or if it makes me flinch, it's obviously sinful. NOT. Several of the commandments, when followed, will put one into often uncomfortable and flinch-worthy situations. "Love thy neighbor" ain't that stinkin' easy -- especially if he's a smelly Samaritan.
I guess before we start acting like the Jesus we hold in our heads, we should probably figure out whether that Jesus agrees at all with the Son of God we're told to emulate, to have this mind in us "which was also in Christ Jesus." Sometimes our Jesus looks a lot like ... us. A reflecting idol.
Nothing much...
Now that I'm feeling a little more perky, I think I might try to keep both this and my livejournal updated a little more regularly. Insanity abounds on LJ -- as it will here, only (I hope) to a slightly less degree.
I think I've decided that depression and that sort of thing (i.e. mental illness) is more like cancer than I'd noted before. In fact, if leukemia is a blood cancer, depression is (and its ilk are) chemical cancer.
Like other cancers, it's part biology, part environment, part lifestyle and part random, unapologetic and impartial luck of some cosmic draw.
And in the same way cancer used to be stigmatized and nearly always fatal, so too are many mental illnesses. But as education and research increase, so also do opportunities and options for care, treatment and even (someday) a cure.
There are ways in which one can live to reduce one's risk of cancer (and mental illness), but despite best efforts, some will fall prey to it anyway. Like most disease, it possesses a malignant pathology -- but knowing it exists and having hope is half the battle. Ignorance and apathy are part of its arsenal. It, like cancer (a body's cells against themselves), like AIDS (the body's defenses against itself), mental illness (the body's self against itself) thrives in ignorance.
Ultimately that perspective opened up the subject for me in a new way, gave me a greater understanding of mental illnesses --including my own --*as* illnesses and lessened the almost instinctual fear I have of certain types. I may someday lose my mind to mental illness, sure. But I may someday lose my leg to bone cancer or my life to lung cancer, too. I don't worry unduly about that, though, so why should I about this? Anxiety only increases my risk factors, after all....
Just been thinkin' bout random stuff lately, that's all.
I think I've decided that depression and that sort of thing (i.e. mental illness) is more like cancer than I'd noted before. In fact, if leukemia is a blood cancer, depression is (and its ilk are) chemical cancer.
Like other cancers, it's part biology, part environment, part lifestyle and part random, unapologetic and impartial luck of some cosmic draw.
And in the same way cancer used to be stigmatized and nearly always fatal, so too are many mental illnesses. But as education and research increase, so also do opportunities and options for care, treatment and even (someday) a cure.
There are ways in which one can live to reduce one's risk of cancer (and mental illness), but despite best efforts, some will fall prey to it anyway. Like most disease, it possesses a malignant pathology -- but knowing it exists and having hope is half the battle. Ignorance and apathy are part of its arsenal. It, like cancer (a body's cells against themselves), like AIDS (the body's defenses against itself), mental illness (the body's self against itself) thrives in ignorance.
Ultimately that perspective opened up the subject for me in a new way, gave me a greater understanding of mental illnesses --including my own --*as* illnesses and lessened the almost instinctual fear I have of certain types. I may someday lose my mind to mental illness, sure. But I may someday lose my leg to bone cancer or my life to lung cancer, too. I don't worry unduly about that, though, so why should I about this? Anxiety only increases my risk factors, after all....
Just been thinkin' bout random stuff lately, that's all.
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