I have put down the ground work in the previous post at least the basics... about the issues we have to deal with in that sort of situation. In this next section we will be looking at dealing with it in our own hearts and in dealing with others that are offended at you - as well as offering advice (in love) to others that are offended and desire to move passed it.
Ourselves. I have had numerous occasions to become hurt upset offended and so forth... yet I would imagine the person I aspire to be or hope that I am... to not be the type of person that has hate and anger towards others. I mean who in their christian walk does want that sort of thing to hang on to them?
The bible teaches us to use Jesus for our template on our character - our behavior - and our actions... no I will not quote the standard WWJD at you... oops I think I just did.
Sorry - Anyway with that in mind - let us examine ourselves and think of anyone and everyone you have ever met - heard of - dealt with over the course of your life.
Is there anyone in your minds eye you are now beating with a stick or kicking over a cliff? That my friend is the key to spotting the people that have hurt you and you have issue with still.
Joking aside... it may be a regret about how things were left between the two of you - pain and hurt in a small to great way when you think of them or even their name.
That is what your looking for. "Joe..." your saying to your computer now... "How in the world do I deal with that issue, its been years... or I just cant face that person."
The first part is easy, it sounds like a Jedi Mind trick but its more simply called Faith and Forgiveness.
As a christian you have a thing called faith... its a muscle some people seldom use. Well this issue amongst all others will get more workouts dealing with this sort of issue that even believing for most else in your life.
You need to take your faith... and believe by faith that you forgive them. Go to God in your prayer time and ask for help working things out in your heart over the hurt and pain and say "By Faith - I forgive XYZ and the hurt that was caused Right or Wrong. I want to forgive them" If you deal with that every single time you go to God in prayer until you really find that you can forgive them and leave the issue in your mind and have peace about it... then you can truly forgive them and move on.
Forgiveness is not just words.
In my wife's family they have a tradition on dealing with forgiveness, say your sorry even when your not until you mean it... and even if you don't forgive someone right away tell them you forgive them.
I wont lie to you - even in simple cases of something small its difficult to do. Your hurt wants to cling on... My wife has nearly got me trained now... to accept her apology even if I don't want to at that moment and vice-versa of course.
So it may take time and a lot of faith and effort on your part but if you can start working on it... its like the Sycamine tree and its roots - you may have to dig down to sort them out and even turn over that soil a few times to make sure you got it all out... but if you can work on it you will find that it heals... something wonderful grows in its place.
The Un-offendable man...Its possible - just possible that you will learn to deal with these sort of issues early in life so that you end up becoming some sort of abnormal person that goes through life without getting hurt or upset by anyone. Yet it is very unlikely that even if that is your intention that you would succeed for long. People have a knack to rub anyone the wrong way given enough time. But in reflex if you train yourself you will be able to forgive people and move on...
The Pompous man... You have been probably imagining this person in your head the whole time... going around to every person that has ever even looked at him the wrong way and walking up to them - getting right in their face and saying "I forgive you for hurting me and being offensive" walking away while the other person is confused and a little angry. The act of forgiveness is not a blanket license to become Mr. Super Christian in everyones face and going over and telling people that so and so hurt you but you forgive them... then going to the next person and telling them the same thing... So and So hurt me but I forgive them.
That is not forgiveness that is spreading hurt and offense under the guise of forgiveness. IF YOU ARE A TRUE CHRISTIAN YOU WOULD NEVER EVEN MENTION TO ANOTHER ABOUT THE HURT AND OFFENSE SOMEONE CAUSED YOU IF YOU TRULY FORGIVE THEM. Sorry for shouting but seriously. Stop the pious Christian act and using forgiveness as a cover story for running around to everyone and vomiting on them your bile.
Proverbs 17:9 (King James Version)
9He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.
Proverbs 17:9 (Amplified Bible)
9He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends.
This is YOUR subject covered here... this is your example and help if you just pay attention.
To COVER a transgression is a Godly trait. to COVER IT.... COVER. It means to hide it - not to tell anyone else - work on it forgive it and forget it. COVER IT.
An offense or hurt right or wrong is a matter FIRST between you and God. You have to deal with it to even keep your relationship with God right. Secondly between you and the person that hurt you right or wrong. Go to them and talk to them if you so desire and need to (IF YOU DON'T NEED TO GO TO THEM EVEN BETTER) forgiveness can be done long distances and great gaps of time apart from the issues and people involved... if its real forgiveness.
Thirdly between you and your heart... forgive this person deep down so much that the next time you see them your more likely to bless them with a gift - a car - money - because you love them in your heart so much that you even want to show your outward man that you truly forgave them.
Lastly - in your mind forgive them. Do your best to forget even what was the cause or slight that made the offense happen in the first place. Cast Your Cares Upon the Lord. Cast away your thoughts of the hurt and offense and bitterness and think on good things about the person - think on ways you can move passed everything. Then and only then can you move on with your relationship with God and others.
"Some things are unforgivable." Really?!? Seriously?!!?
Jesus bore every sickness and sin on His body for your sake and you can't forgive someone for forgetting to say hello to you? Or forgetting to give you a card? You honestly can't get passed something someone said to you in love that you took for judgment against you?
Grow up.
If God who forgave the ultimate amount of offenses and transgressions against anyone EVER... can forgive us of our sins how much more so should we forgive others that hurt us... AND MEAN IT!!!
You baby. You infant. You simple minded fool. How arrogant are you to not be able to forgive any transgression against you by anyone else ever??
There are people in modern day ministry that were raped, molested, sold into prostitution, sold into slavery, and worse... that forgave people that hurt them and have the testimony of a fruitful life of serving God to back it up. They may share briefly where they came from but they use that to help others and bring them to the saving knowledge of God and His forgiveness. They do not go around repeatedly rehashing the crime or offense against them and their life like a broken record even in the guise of forgiving the people involved.
Worse yet - there are people that are so called christians that did these sort of things while wearing the name of a religion while they did unspeakable things to others. Do not hear me the wrong way. I wish that those sort of people were rounded up and burned alive on public display. Yet for you and your own growth and to get passed the injury you have to forgive them.
You did hear about the tribe of cannibals that ATE the christian missionary - then generations later they contacted the family of the missionary and asked for forgiveness from them because they wanted to move forward passed the major hurt they caused them.
If you forgive someone that hurt you - and they may have even hurt you on purpose. It gives you the grace to move on and not look back while they remain bitter and spiteful.
Now. I am talking to you now. You there reading this page by accident but curiosity took over and you can even feel the offense and hurt justified or not that someone else caused you. You do not own that hurt. Its not yours. It belongs to Jesus. You have to let it go and let God start dealing with you on how to move passed it.
Jesus bore our sickness and disease and was bruised for our transgressions... and by His stripes we are healed. That price was paid not only for our price we owed God - but one another. We were already sinners, what is a transgression? A hurt or offense caused by someone you trust. They transgressed passed a line. They crossed a boundary.
A sinner is on the unforgivable side already - yet God forgave them. The transgressions are for the things we do even after getting salvation. Offenses towards God and each other.
Isaiah 53:1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Let it go. Correct your behavior in the eyes and sight of others if you have used forgiveness as a blanket excuse to slander or spread hurt and offense in the ears of others. Then tell yourself that you want to by faith forgive the hurt done to you and grow up... move on. Get on with the things you have to do in life.
Then and only then will you be able to fulfill all that is in your lifetime to achieve.
The test may come suddenly one day when you run into that person. Or someone mentions that name or even the event. And if you can look them in the eye and say " I handled that situation all wrong. What happened hurt me because I took it the wrong way and I abused that hurt and spread it to others. Forgive me for what I did." Or better yet. If you can face them and smile with a genuine smile and shake their hand and not for a second remember even what it was that you were ever upset about because you dealt with it years ago then you can see now that you did forgive them honestly and truly.
If not...
Some young eager christian moving to a new country to do mission work will meet you on the train, chat and share about the amazing things God is doing in the world... and if they mention the place of hurt and bitterness in innocence to you... and you vomit and spew offense and anger all over him about it... its a good sign that you did not forgive. Perhaps then you need to start again with the first post.
To a point this post is not about anything specific or anyone specific. But I felt that I needed to write this out just in case someone somewhere may happen upon it and need this issue dealt with to some degree.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Hurt, Offense, Anger, Bitterness, never gets better on its own.
Over the last few months I have thought a lot about these sort of things. I know a few people that have had a chance to act out on these issues. They say that misery loves company - where does all of these things fit in with that adage?
Pastor Walter Hallam taught a series on all of this years ago. The scripture reference he used was about the sycamine tree, this tree produces a fruit similar to a fig only the taste was very very bitter. The Sycamine tree is mentioned only in Luke 17:6.
The point also is the type of roots that the tree grows. This particular tree has roots that are gnarled and twisted and a single root of which is capable of starting a whole new tree.
Luke 17: 6And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
I have met strangers - total random people that are christians. Once they hear I am a christian and then something happens - the strangeness vanishes and suddenly in a distant sense we know we are family.
The next thing you know we are catching up on how we got to where we are - through the love and Grace of God and the ups and the downs. One such time it was a man on the train in Ireland, myself and a friend Mark O'Mahoney were on our way to Dublin from Graystones. We had a wonderful time sharing testimonies and all the amazing things that God had done for us... so much so that the others on the train with us were leaning in to catch the conversation. That sort of thing happens when you start talking about healing and miracles and so forth. I always take note of when that happens cause its good to be able to turn the conversation... with that in mind i was disappointed to where the conversation went next.
So where you heading to in Dublin? the man asked us.
Well the long answer was I was going to meet up with my future wife at her church Victory Christian Centre... however I didn't go into all of that. Before I could speak Mark chimed in telling the man that we were heading to the church service at Victory.
Victory?! Victory??!!! Don't tell me your going to Victory Christian Centre!!!! Let me tell you about that place!!
And so the tirade began... volumes of bitterness and hate poured out where recently the praises of God came from.
After he finished he looked at us as if to see if somehow we were convinced not to go to the church then. I just said it was nice talking to you - and turned around. He made angry mad upset noises and harrumphed to himself and turned around as well. The man that was with Mr Bitterness was embarrassed as was I and Mark.... I was hoping to use what we had built up to - to share Jesus with other people around us... that was blown up fast.
Well we went to Victory and had a great time... I got to see my future wife and so on and so forth.... but back to the point.
James 3:11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
Bitterness and regret and hurt has a voice - its obvious to the people in the train that morning when it started talking - disgust and anger takes over a happy countenance and soon what was a quiet conversation has turned into a single person shouting and vomiting words of offense and hate all over you.
Bitterness and offense is an injury that is never allowed to heal. The human mind is a complex computer - things it cannot file away properly that are major events or thoughts get replayed again and again and again in the mind until it is dealt with and forgotten or remembered and rehashed until its a trauma to the psyche.
The Bible talks about David having these issues in Psalms 40:2 it talks about the Horrible pit that David was delivered from. In essence a echo chamber or room of noise. David is talking about his thoughts in his own head that God was able to deliver him from. Psalms 40:2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
Bitterness is like a bitter fruited tree that has roots that dig in deep and are hard to dig out.
Why deal with hurt and offense? Why not just ignore it and feel justified right or wrong in what you did, said, or spew on others? Matthew 18:15
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
This is Jesus talking about offense. He says to deal with it. Not let it fester and boil like a sore until its so painful and infected that it cannot be dealt with.
In my short time on the planet so far I have ran into too many bitter people... I swear they all put on the same voice and snarl at you in the same way regardless of the nationality and accent.
Pompous self Justification for holding onto the hurt and taking every opportunity to spread it. It is literally like peeling off the scab of a barely dried wound and making it bleed all over again.
5 years 15 years 20 years later you still have not moved on and grown past it... you mention the name of the person place or thing that offended you and the bitterness is fresh as the day you decided to keep it.
Yes, Bitterness is a choice. Its not justifiable to keep hurt and offense if Jesus tells you to deal with it. Old and New Testament also talk about how when you have an issue with a brother that God will not accept your prayers or sacrifice until you deal with the issue. Matthew 5:24 - Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
You hear that offended christian? Deal with the bitterness, deal with the issue - or God won't answer your prayers.... ouch!
Looking at a bit more of Matthew 5 - 22But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
25Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Some of the things - ridiculous things people make up as well to justify their bitterness in the secular world would be enough for a law suit for Defamation and slander - yet we overlook these things in the Christian world.
Worse yet are the people that listen to such nonsense and believe it. Believing every word out of the mouth of someone in such a case soon has you half offended at the issue as well.
Deal with the offense. Deal with the hurt. Years later the person place or thing has moved on and does not give you a second thought after dealing with the issue the right way - your still hurt.
Jesse Duplantis tells the story of a woman that came up to him after a meeting... She told him about how her father used to verbally abuse her and put her down and how she has never been able to get past those issues.
Jesse mentioned the fact that it could be termed as child abuse and there is no statute of limitations in the USA about that sort of thing and she should take him to the police - She stopped him and told him - No no... he died years ago. She was still being controlled by the thoughts and issues of her childhood because the hurt and offense was never dealt with.
Yes - Granted it is very easy to say Deal with it... Get over it... Move on.
However it is harder to get past and to grow from those experiences. In a very real sense it is an injury and a wound and a bruise when hurt - offense - and bitterness occurs.
Bitterness is what develops when the hurt and offense is not dealt with.
That Sicamine tree started as a seed. Before that - it needed a patch of ground to be cultivated to grow in. Before that - something had to happen to dig in to the ground to make the ground ready for seeding.
We humans in our ego and emotions and opinions put so much of ourselves exposed to others in our normal day to day dealings that it is easy to get our fair share of cuts and scrapes.
Lately I have found that if I am tired I will walk right into doors sometimes and not even realize it. Who is to blame? Just me not the door. Its my fault that I was overly tired and not paying attention.
When we get hurt we tend to blame others. Its human nature. Sometimes we don't even realize we are passing the blame even when its pointed out to us. At Kids camp this past year my wife and myself watched events unfold where one kid would accidentally trip and fall because they were not paying attention - only to hurt another kid by accident. When they one that caused the hurt looked around - he would quickly point to another kid that had nothing to do with the indecent and say "he pushed me its his fault"
These are traits that we picked up long ago as part of our fallen nature. We never want to blame ourselves for the issues and problems we have in life. Most every issue would be solved if only we dealt with them and talked them over with those involved... yet hurt and offense blind you to this simple solution and try to get you to cultivate the hurt even more. The "I am not going to talk to them about that... I did nothing wrong... they should come to me and on my terms to get that sorted out!"
We humans tend to wear our emotions on our sleeve when it comes to this sort of thing.
Ego steps in and makes it an issue so big that you cannot get passed the issues but can't deal with them either.
Just about a hundred years ago people used to duel with pistols if a slight offense occurred between to people. A fight to the death! I bet your ego would love that today. Thank God that sort of thing is outlawed now - with todays issues and incomprehensible ego trips and sensibilities we would have a fraction of the population in the world just from road rage - let alone person to person relationships.
So this hurt - how do you get rid of it before it festers?
Just like a real life physical injury - it has to be medicated and properly seen to.
The first step - right or wrong - is to forgive the person or persons that hurt you and caused the injury to your ego. Most often people don't even know they hurt you in the way that you feel you were hurt. The injury is yours.
The maturity side of things comes in to play at this point. Are you grown up enough to work out what happened - why you became upset at things and to deal with it in a responsible way? Or will you just like a child - point to the first person that comes to mind and say its their fault not mine.
But Joseph your saying now - I can hear you clearly thinking it even... "They did it on purpose" "I am right and they are wrong" "They should have known it would upset me" And so on and so on...
Our egos will hardly ever ever tell us we are wrong - Our conscience will always be overcome by our emotions and self justification.
So - the bible teaches us that if there is an issue between you and someone else to deal with it... get it sorted and move on - forgiving them and getting on with what you have to do. Do we do that in reality? Often times we do not.
Bob Yandian tells the story of when he first got settled in to being a pastor. He said the amount of issues and picking and squabbling that he heard was unreal. One such occasion he said he saw a woman who had stopped coming to church and just went over to say hi and see how she was doing. She eventually told him that the reason that she stopped coming to church was she didn't like the color of the carpet.
Offense and bitterness will grow over the smallest and silliest things - let alone deep down meaningful things. Often you will find that the big things people get upset about all started over small things that were never dealt with.
So your hurt - you didn't deal with the hurt and things got worse. Now your looking for any and every reason to find fault with a person place or thing. And if you look for faults you will find them - even down to the color of the carpet. And you let them add up and build up until something breaks inside you... your common sense usually.
At that moment you will find that things that matter deepest to you and you want to get them right... if things don't happen just the way you want it to or imagine that it will... you follow the hurt and offense to the next step and not your common sense.
The still small voice on the inside tells you one thing - but you follow the one that makes your ego feel good and your feelings hurt even more and you feed that anger and bitterness to the next progression.
Your sicamine tree grows fruit - and you have a bumper crop!
You know the hurt and offense so well now that you seek it out. You share your fruit with everything and everyone willing to even take a bite of it... and what do you know - the bitterness grows and spreads. People take your offense and are just as upset about it as you are and it didn't even happen to them! Thats a great product you have there. Too bad that it will keep eating away at you until you deal with it.
5 years from now... 20 years... mention the name of the person that hurt you or the event... its as fresh as ever. Bile and bitterness will spew forth like a drunk that had one too many. That my friend is the evidence that something is not right.
And until you deal with it. It will never get better.
( NEXT POST - DEALING WITH OFFENSE AND OFFENDED PEOPLE )
Pastor Walter Hallam taught a series on all of this years ago. The scripture reference he used was about the sycamine tree, this tree produces a fruit similar to a fig only the taste was very very bitter. The Sycamine tree is mentioned only in Luke 17:6.
The point also is the type of roots that the tree grows. This particular tree has roots that are gnarled and twisted and a single root of which is capable of starting a whole new tree.
Luke 17: 6And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
I have met strangers - total random people that are christians. Once they hear I am a christian and then something happens - the strangeness vanishes and suddenly in a distant sense we know we are family.
The next thing you know we are catching up on how we got to where we are - through the love and Grace of God and the ups and the downs. One such time it was a man on the train in Ireland, myself and a friend Mark O'Mahoney were on our way to Dublin from Graystones. We had a wonderful time sharing testimonies and all the amazing things that God had done for us... so much so that the others on the train with us were leaning in to catch the conversation. That sort of thing happens when you start talking about healing and miracles and so forth. I always take note of when that happens cause its good to be able to turn the conversation... with that in mind i was disappointed to where the conversation went next.
So where you heading to in Dublin? the man asked us.
Well the long answer was I was going to meet up with my future wife at her church Victory Christian Centre... however I didn't go into all of that. Before I could speak Mark chimed in telling the man that we were heading to the church service at Victory.
Victory?! Victory??!!! Don't tell me your going to Victory Christian Centre!!!! Let me tell you about that place!!
And so the tirade began... volumes of bitterness and hate poured out where recently the praises of God came from.
After he finished he looked at us as if to see if somehow we were convinced not to go to the church then. I just said it was nice talking to you - and turned around. He made angry mad upset noises and harrumphed to himself and turned around as well. The man that was with Mr Bitterness was embarrassed as was I and Mark.... I was hoping to use what we had built up to - to share Jesus with other people around us... that was blown up fast.
Well we went to Victory and had a great time... I got to see my future wife and so on and so forth.... but back to the point.
James 3:11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
Bitterness and regret and hurt has a voice - its obvious to the people in the train that morning when it started talking - disgust and anger takes over a happy countenance and soon what was a quiet conversation has turned into a single person shouting and vomiting words of offense and hate all over you.
Bitterness and offense is an injury that is never allowed to heal. The human mind is a complex computer - things it cannot file away properly that are major events or thoughts get replayed again and again and again in the mind until it is dealt with and forgotten or remembered and rehashed until its a trauma to the psyche.
The Bible talks about David having these issues in Psalms 40:2 it talks about the Horrible pit that David was delivered from. In essence a echo chamber or room of noise. David is talking about his thoughts in his own head that God was able to deliver him from. Psalms 40:2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
Bitterness is like a bitter fruited tree that has roots that dig in deep and are hard to dig out.
Why deal with hurt and offense? Why not just ignore it and feel justified right or wrong in what you did, said, or spew on others? Matthew 18:15
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
This is Jesus talking about offense. He says to deal with it. Not let it fester and boil like a sore until its so painful and infected that it cannot be dealt with.
In my short time on the planet so far I have ran into too many bitter people... I swear they all put on the same voice and snarl at you in the same way regardless of the nationality and accent.
Pompous self Justification for holding onto the hurt and taking every opportunity to spread it. It is literally like peeling off the scab of a barely dried wound and making it bleed all over again.
5 years 15 years 20 years later you still have not moved on and grown past it... you mention the name of the person place or thing that offended you and the bitterness is fresh as the day you decided to keep it.
Yes, Bitterness is a choice. Its not justifiable to keep hurt and offense if Jesus tells you to deal with it. Old and New Testament also talk about how when you have an issue with a brother that God will not accept your prayers or sacrifice until you deal with the issue. Matthew 5:24 - Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
You hear that offended christian? Deal with the bitterness, deal with the issue - or God won't answer your prayers.... ouch!
Looking at a bit more of Matthew 5 - 22But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
25Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Some of the things - ridiculous things people make up as well to justify their bitterness in the secular world would be enough for a law suit for Defamation and slander - yet we overlook these things in the Christian world.
Worse yet are the people that listen to such nonsense and believe it. Believing every word out of the mouth of someone in such a case soon has you half offended at the issue as well.
Deal with the offense. Deal with the hurt. Years later the person place or thing has moved on and does not give you a second thought after dealing with the issue the right way - your still hurt.
Jesse Duplantis tells the story of a woman that came up to him after a meeting... She told him about how her father used to verbally abuse her and put her down and how she has never been able to get past those issues.
Jesse mentioned the fact that it could be termed as child abuse and there is no statute of limitations in the USA about that sort of thing and she should take him to the police - She stopped him and told him - No no... he died years ago. She was still being controlled by the thoughts and issues of her childhood because the hurt and offense was never dealt with.
Yes - Granted it is very easy to say Deal with it... Get over it... Move on.
However it is harder to get past and to grow from those experiences. In a very real sense it is an injury and a wound and a bruise when hurt - offense - and bitterness occurs.
Bitterness is what develops when the hurt and offense is not dealt with.
That Sicamine tree started as a seed. Before that - it needed a patch of ground to be cultivated to grow in. Before that - something had to happen to dig in to the ground to make the ground ready for seeding.
We humans in our ego and emotions and opinions put so much of ourselves exposed to others in our normal day to day dealings that it is easy to get our fair share of cuts and scrapes.
Lately I have found that if I am tired I will walk right into doors sometimes and not even realize it. Who is to blame? Just me not the door. Its my fault that I was overly tired and not paying attention.
When we get hurt we tend to blame others. Its human nature. Sometimes we don't even realize we are passing the blame even when its pointed out to us. At Kids camp this past year my wife and myself watched events unfold where one kid would accidentally trip and fall because they were not paying attention - only to hurt another kid by accident. When they one that caused the hurt looked around - he would quickly point to another kid that had nothing to do with the indecent and say "he pushed me its his fault"
These are traits that we picked up long ago as part of our fallen nature. We never want to blame ourselves for the issues and problems we have in life. Most every issue would be solved if only we dealt with them and talked them over with those involved... yet hurt and offense blind you to this simple solution and try to get you to cultivate the hurt even more. The "I am not going to talk to them about that... I did nothing wrong... they should come to me and on my terms to get that sorted out!"
We humans tend to wear our emotions on our sleeve when it comes to this sort of thing.
Ego steps in and makes it an issue so big that you cannot get passed the issues but can't deal with them either.
Just about a hundred years ago people used to duel with pistols if a slight offense occurred between to people. A fight to the death! I bet your ego would love that today. Thank God that sort of thing is outlawed now - with todays issues and incomprehensible ego trips and sensibilities we would have a fraction of the population in the world just from road rage - let alone person to person relationships.
So this hurt - how do you get rid of it before it festers?
Just like a real life physical injury - it has to be medicated and properly seen to.
The first step - right or wrong - is to forgive the person or persons that hurt you and caused the injury to your ego. Most often people don't even know they hurt you in the way that you feel you were hurt. The injury is yours.
The maturity side of things comes in to play at this point. Are you grown up enough to work out what happened - why you became upset at things and to deal with it in a responsible way? Or will you just like a child - point to the first person that comes to mind and say its their fault not mine.
But Joseph your saying now - I can hear you clearly thinking it even... "They did it on purpose" "I am right and they are wrong" "They should have known it would upset me" And so on and so on...
Our egos will hardly ever ever tell us we are wrong - Our conscience will always be overcome by our emotions and self justification.
So - the bible teaches us that if there is an issue between you and someone else to deal with it... get it sorted and move on - forgiving them and getting on with what you have to do. Do we do that in reality? Often times we do not.
Bob Yandian tells the story of when he first got settled in to being a pastor. He said the amount of issues and picking and squabbling that he heard was unreal. One such occasion he said he saw a woman who had stopped coming to church and just went over to say hi and see how she was doing. She eventually told him that the reason that she stopped coming to church was she didn't like the color of the carpet.
Offense and bitterness will grow over the smallest and silliest things - let alone deep down meaningful things. Often you will find that the big things people get upset about all started over small things that were never dealt with.
So your hurt - you didn't deal with the hurt and things got worse. Now your looking for any and every reason to find fault with a person place or thing. And if you look for faults you will find them - even down to the color of the carpet. And you let them add up and build up until something breaks inside you... your common sense usually.
At that moment you will find that things that matter deepest to you and you want to get them right... if things don't happen just the way you want it to or imagine that it will... you follow the hurt and offense to the next step and not your common sense.
The still small voice on the inside tells you one thing - but you follow the one that makes your ego feel good and your feelings hurt even more and you feed that anger and bitterness to the next progression.
Your sicamine tree grows fruit - and you have a bumper crop!
You know the hurt and offense so well now that you seek it out. You share your fruit with everything and everyone willing to even take a bite of it... and what do you know - the bitterness grows and spreads. People take your offense and are just as upset about it as you are and it didn't even happen to them! Thats a great product you have there. Too bad that it will keep eating away at you until you deal with it.
5 years from now... 20 years... mention the name of the person that hurt you or the event... its as fresh as ever. Bile and bitterness will spew forth like a drunk that had one too many. That my friend is the evidence that something is not right.
And until you deal with it. It will never get better.
( NEXT POST - DEALING WITH OFFENSE AND OFFENDED PEOPLE )
Friday, October 23, 2009
Fox Network - A Republican Party Branch - and more ramblings...
I don't know if you have heard or not.
Pres. Obama and his staff have chosen to declare that Fox Network is a Republican Party Branch or under its direct control to some degree. This declaration is why they have chosen to refuse interviews, ignore invitations to even the morning chat shows and so on.
The strange thing is that even if it was directly controlled by the Rep. Party - its not the only network that is directly or indirectly controlled by a Political Party or slanted view of politics. The reason Fox tends to be so popular is its the one view that is different to 99 percent of the other media outlets.
Let me give you a real life example. As I live in Ireland I don't get to see a lot of American TV news shows and so on. However I do see what those same media networks portray over on this side of the world and what it says is happening in the USA and how it portrays public opinion and so forth.
In the airports here in Europe - if you happen to have seen any US news network while GWB was in office you would have heard gloom and doom and how the US disliked him and wanted him gone. A few hours later arrive in the USA for vacation with my folks and you here the same networks from inside the US telling everyone what a great job he is doing and so on and so forth.
So essentially the problem is that FOX tends to be the same when you here them here or there. CNN NBC CBS even Bloomberg Stock market channel tends to be two sided.
What I find strangest of all in the situation with Obama and Fox is that all of this was no secret - and even I tend to think Fox is VERY Republican and could very well be part of some Political party agenda... however that does not invalidate it completely for the primary reason that SO are all the other media networks.
Unbiased Journalism does not exist. The opinion of the journalist is part of every journalistic report ever done. The very point that a journalist found a bit of news worthy of being broadcast or published even adds to the bias before you even hear the news. The confusion comes in when one political party such as the current one in power - points to the media and refuses to talk to them anymore.
Some of the facts about Fox and why Obama chose not to like them is one thing... Fox was the network that broke the story early on when about half of the appointees for cabinet jobs turned out to be tax doggers. I can understand Fox not being liked because of that...Heck even I cannot stand half the people they give shows to. I am not a republican but I tend to lean that direction. I am not a democrat because I tend not to lean towards liberalism.
I even try to balance what I think and view in the political world because even biased as I am I would not go out of my way to rebalance things as these two parties do the moment they have some power.
- Changing Gears -
History will tell you that like the rings of a tree - politics and growth in a country comes largely from boom and bust - plenty and lack. The differences coming to view when both sides have power for longer than normal and even though a recovery and growth happens - so does the bust again. Both the Democrats and the Republicans have had great success and great failures.
That is the problem with a two party system - both views are mostly valid and mostly needed even.
This Yin - and Yang system is clear when you see things that are true even though they may be wrong seem to help growth and strength. The republican party is historically known for growth in business and international events. The Democrats are known for wanting to repair the damage to the country done by the Rep party and focus on the people.
Any Country needs both external and internal growth - and one party seems to be better at one than the other.
Both parties fail miserably when it comes to moral issues however.
Republicans prop themselves up on being heartland traditional standard families and so on - yet their policies tend to hurt the internal economy and favor big business.
Democrats tend to beat the drum of liberalism and reach out to the people that are not fairly being represented - take their money and pay their way into office and ignore them.
Obama has been strange in his initial policies - granted there is a mess that may take more than one democratic president to fix - but big business love him and he has been feeding them more than GWB did even.
While so far making great efforts to repair international relations with all the countries that GWB hurt or insulted when he pointed out political ties to terrorism... little effort has gone into changing Iraq, Afghanistan and other HOT topic issues that were addressed in the election run off.
Ignoring the people that put him into office - was the strangest thing that Obama did. While initial changes were made in key areas - I found it strange that Obama did not do more in some issues - and even now when its being pointed out in the liberal media... still nothing.
To me it seems like Obama is some strange conglomeration of GWB policies, and the Democrats agendas - favoring Big Business and making efforts internationally to repair relations - putting in strange policies regarding recovery and saying it will take a while to kick in. Am I the only one that sees that?
While I will be the first to admit that he did bring hope to an apathetic generation seeing the world grow steadily worse - I find it strange that his approval rating seems to be falling (a popularity poll) in both political camps.
A period of growth is needed to repair damage and it is very possible that we may not see any CHANGE to world events, free flowing cash and joblessness for some time... I think the best thing Obama could do is make friends on both sides of the fence by stepping up to the side of politics he is currently shunning and either ask for help to make bilateral policy changes that benefits people and business - or to at least address the issues with a bit more confidence than hiding away.
If you wanted to address the country - you tell your media guy - 30 min later and you have every major network in the world preempted to show your speech. If you want to rebuild bridges - start with the ones inside the country.
Obama should go sit for an hour with FOX and tell them to stop hitting at every attempt he has made to fix things and help with solutions. I feel addressing the bias would be better on the Fox network rather than off of it.
Historically Pres. Jimmy Carter had some of these same issues... and despite the major things he did for the world and the USA - he was taught even in public schools as fighting with a congress and senate that didn't like him and he refused to work with.
I would hope that internal change and healing would be this presidents legacy more than trying anything else. Its what democrats are historically known for - limiting the boom or fixing the bust after one or the other.
Now all of that being said.. I didn't vote for Obama or the other guy... or the other other guy. I didn't vote at all. I missed the chance to mail in my registration form in time. So just chalk me up to another voice complaining to no one in particular about the ills of the world - that did not even make an effort with my one vote to push a button. Am I complaining about things and not doing anything about it? No - far from it.
I believe in change and growth and healing and helping... but to be honest no amount of effort is good enough if it only comes from the top.
I think what people keep forgetting in politics and world events and economic downturns - is that it will always be the people that make a difference ultimately in their own world... NOT through politics alone - but by helping and caring for each other. If the government were to collapse tomorrow like all these SciFi movies love portraying - would it really be every man for himself?? Or is it just possible that we would work together - forget our differences and work on making our world a better place for all and not just the few. At this point in time we can only hope that such a simple thing as the people working and caring to help this world is the major hope of Change that will really make a difference.
- Just a thought
Pres. Obama and his staff have chosen to declare that Fox Network is a Republican Party Branch or under its direct control to some degree. This declaration is why they have chosen to refuse interviews, ignore invitations to even the morning chat shows and so on.
The strange thing is that even if it was directly controlled by the Rep. Party - its not the only network that is directly or indirectly controlled by a Political Party or slanted view of politics. The reason Fox tends to be so popular is its the one view that is different to 99 percent of the other media outlets.
Let me give you a real life example. As I live in Ireland I don't get to see a lot of American TV news shows and so on. However I do see what those same media networks portray over on this side of the world and what it says is happening in the USA and how it portrays public opinion and so forth.
In the airports here in Europe - if you happen to have seen any US news network while GWB was in office you would have heard gloom and doom and how the US disliked him and wanted him gone. A few hours later arrive in the USA for vacation with my folks and you here the same networks from inside the US telling everyone what a great job he is doing and so on and so forth.
So essentially the problem is that FOX tends to be the same when you here them here or there. CNN NBC CBS even Bloomberg Stock market channel tends to be two sided.
What I find strangest of all in the situation with Obama and Fox is that all of this was no secret - and even I tend to think Fox is VERY Republican and could very well be part of some Political party agenda... however that does not invalidate it completely for the primary reason that SO are all the other media networks.
Unbiased Journalism does not exist. The opinion of the journalist is part of every journalistic report ever done. The very point that a journalist found a bit of news worthy of being broadcast or published even adds to the bias before you even hear the news. The confusion comes in when one political party such as the current one in power - points to the media and refuses to talk to them anymore.
Some of the facts about Fox and why Obama chose not to like them is one thing... Fox was the network that broke the story early on when about half of the appointees for cabinet jobs turned out to be tax doggers. I can understand Fox not being liked because of that...Heck even I cannot stand half the people they give shows to. I am not a republican but I tend to lean that direction. I am not a democrat because I tend not to lean towards liberalism.
I even try to balance what I think and view in the political world because even biased as I am I would not go out of my way to rebalance things as these two parties do the moment they have some power.
- Changing Gears -
History will tell you that like the rings of a tree - politics and growth in a country comes largely from boom and bust - plenty and lack. The differences coming to view when both sides have power for longer than normal and even though a recovery and growth happens - so does the bust again. Both the Democrats and the Republicans have had great success and great failures.
That is the problem with a two party system - both views are mostly valid and mostly needed even.
This Yin - and Yang system is clear when you see things that are true even though they may be wrong seem to help growth and strength. The republican party is historically known for growth in business and international events. The Democrats are known for wanting to repair the damage to the country done by the Rep party and focus on the people.
Any Country needs both external and internal growth - and one party seems to be better at one than the other.
Both parties fail miserably when it comes to moral issues however.
Republicans prop themselves up on being heartland traditional standard families and so on - yet their policies tend to hurt the internal economy and favor big business.
Democrats tend to beat the drum of liberalism and reach out to the people that are not fairly being represented - take their money and pay their way into office and ignore them.
Obama has been strange in his initial policies - granted there is a mess that may take more than one democratic president to fix - but big business love him and he has been feeding them more than GWB did even.
While so far making great efforts to repair international relations with all the countries that GWB hurt or insulted when he pointed out political ties to terrorism... little effort has gone into changing Iraq, Afghanistan and other HOT topic issues that were addressed in the election run off.
Ignoring the people that put him into office - was the strangest thing that Obama did. While initial changes were made in key areas - I found it strange that Obama did not do more in some issues - and even now when its being pointed out in the liberal media... still nothing.
To me it seems like Obama is some strange conglomeration of GWB policies, and the Democrats agendas - favoring Big Business and making efforts internationally to repair relations - putting in strange policies regarding recovery and saying it will take a while to kick in. Am I the only one that sees that?
While I will be the first to admit that he did bring hope to an apathetic generation seeing the world grow steadily worse - I find it strange that his approval rating seems to be falling (a popularity poll) in both political camps.
A period of growth is needed to repair damage and it is very possible that we may not see any CHANGE to world events, free flowing cash and joblessness for some time... I think the best thing Obama could do is make friends on both sides of the fence by stepping up to the side of politics he is currently shunning and either ask for help to make bilateral policy changes that benefits people and business - or to at least address the issues with a bit more confidence than hiding away.
If you wanted to address the country - you tell your media guy - 30 min later and you have every major network in the world preempted to show your speech. If you want to rebuild bridges - start with the ones inside the country.
Obama should go sit for an hour with FOX and tell them to stop hitting at every attempt he has made to fix things and help with solutions. I feel addressing the bias would be better on the Fox network rather than off of it.
Historically Pres. Jimmy Carter had some of these same issues... and despite the major things he did for the world and the USA - he was taught even in public schools as fighting with a congress and senate that didn't like him and he refused to work with.
I would hope that internal change and healing would be this presidents legacy more than trying anything else. Its what democrats are historically known for - limiting the boom or fixing the bust after one or the other.
Now all of that being said.. I didn't vote for Obama or the other guy... or the other other guy. I didn't vote at all. I missed the chance to mail in my registration form in time. So just chalk me up to another voice complaining to no one in particular about the ills of the world - that did not even make an effort with my one vote to push a button. Am I complaining about things and not doing anything about it? No - far from it.
I believe in change and growth and healing and helping... but to be honest no amount of effort is good enough if it only comes from the top.
I think what people keep forgetting in politics and world events and economic downturns - is that it will always be the people that make a difference ultimately in their own world... NOT through politics alone - but by helping and caring for each other. If the government were to collapse tomorrow like all these SciFi movies love portraying - would it really be every man for himself?? Or is it just possible that we would work together - forget our differences and work on making our world a better place for all and not just the few. At this point in time we can only hope that such a simple thing as the people working and caring to help this world is the major hope of Change that will really make a difference.
- Just a thought
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Reactionary Economy
Although I have had several delays and setbacks recently in my side projects but I am still working hard at them.
Recently I started working on a few business ideas and trying to get them to solid ground so that I can think about focusing my energy less on making ends meet and more on the important things in life. Strange way to think while the world around you is screaming about job loss and recession and all that nonsense.
Personally I think the Gov. and Media play a big part in driving the world economy - not the people in the economy. The stock market is the best example of that. The stock market is based largely on a more socially acceptible theory of gambling than say black jack... and is perhaps a bit more stable an avenue to make money. However, all it takes is reaction to external stimulus to make the stock market bounce one way or the other. For example: Microsoft is in partnership with - owns or oversees several major news outlets. Rarely does this side of the tech world say ANYTHING positive about Apple Inc. Through its many mouthpieces (intentional or not?) they always slant against products, profit news, value for money and so on from Apple Inc.
PCMag, CNET, MSN, MSNBC, and several shows that are sponsored by MS... all have a history of this.
The end result is strange to see. Apple come out with a new product or news about a new product... Apple stock value goes up and trading goes up.
MS produces a "news report about it" the stock value goes down and trading goes up even more.
Apple counters by giving people the devices to review (outside the ms network) and the news comes out that the product is nice and does what it is supposed to do.
Stock goes up - trading goes up.
The Market is very reactionary - yet the thing that is is reacting to is very stable and has a history of being stable.
The Gov. warns about impending global recession - the media hype it up - key companies are investigated or reviewed to pay off debts - before they "know anything" they already know (?) the outcome of the investigations before it took place... that the company is unstable.
They pull the plug on these key companies so things go bad for all involved and start impacting the economy right away...
Then they rethink it and say that perhaps we need to support the economy to help the people out... they help the people out by giving money away to the same people that were stealing, mishandling or untrustworthy with money to start with... and the people pay for it. Yet say this was to help out the economy. Every expert everywhere says the economy will be bad for 20 years or more.
One year on and they stay everything is returning to normal.
What really happened was press and news and PR spin to make the change happen.
I would hazzard a guess that says as much as 40 to 50 percent have only seen a minor change in their lifestyle and spending habbits as a result of any recession.
In the church here in Ireland (one of the worst countries to live in for inflated cost of living) there has been only 3 people affected at all by cuts or cutbacks - in a sampling of people from the North and South - natives and imports.
The one job I heard of a reduced pay (to keep the company afloat) also had reports of the boss buying a brand new company car (Merc - what else?) after cutting pay of everyone in his employ.
The banks here in Ireland were payed off (sorry - supported) by the Gov. to ensure they kept giving out loans and mortgages. I went recently to get a new loan (paying off one now just fine) to get a replacement laptop. I was denied because I was now under the yearly pay rate they give loans to. I was making over this invisble line before... The Gov here in Ireland increased the tax on all wages by 5 percent. My net is now just under the invisible line by about 5 percent would you believe.
So if the Gov. increase tax and the people are paying for the bail outs (not the billions of Euro surplus we have here in Europe) why are only the rich seeing the benifits?
Keep in mind several things here... The world is not missing money.
Not one penny, euro, or gold brick went missing in all of this. It just changed hands. The Gov. response was to change MORE money to the same hands that it went into to start with.
People still need construction done, bricks stacked and houses painted, there is still work to be had. Money is still there... it was just taken (forcibly) from the people.
Something that involved BILLIONS and Trillions internationally that the people of democratic nations were paying for in tax and so forth were not even given a vote or say at all in the matter.
You want instant economic stability? Do you want instant prosperity in a nation??
Pay off the peoples debts, buy their homes for them and give them to them.
People in consumer nations will instantly be free of monthly payments and would buy new cars, improve homes, buy new electronics and shockingly enough - keep themselves in a job as a result.
In all the bailouts - with the debt covered - the companies had the change (if they wanted to help the people) to forgive debt - give away houses - donate cars.
It didn't happen.
As a result of saying a recession was coming, the media parroting the same words, causing companies to close, taking money away from the people, giving money away to big business, still charging people money for their houses and debts even though it was covered... it seemed for a while a recession did happen.
Yet a year later and everything is still going, money still being earned, debts still being paid people still working in jobs... the economy is fine. It may be tough in some places but over all - globally? Nothing happened that was not planned.
I firmly believe that there were people in this world that are not so blind as to react to the doom and gloom and kept on with life as normal. It was these people that helped things more than all the bailouts. It was hesitant at first but there were early reports that months after all of the events that things were not as bad as it was being said... yet in the media - a voice of strength and hope is hard to listen for.
Be a voice of strength and hope in this world... the doom and gloom has enough voice already. Hope is a rare strength in any situation. If it were a personal attack on your family or yourself you would man up and fight and keep things together. Yet as a whole we just seemed to sit back and take everything that was fed us.
Be strong, Stand strong on normal good budget principles and thinking and trust your gut. The World is not coming to an end. You will have no problem tomorrow if you are strong and plan and progress today.
Recently I started working on a few business ideas and trying to get them to solid ground so that I can think about focusing my energy less on making ends meet and more on the important things in life. Strange way to think while the world around you is screaming about job loss and recession and all that nonsense.
Personally I think the Gov. and Media play a big part in driving the world economy - not the people in the economy. The stock market is the best example of that. The stock market is based largely on a more socially acceptible theory of gambling than say black jack... and is perhaps a bit more stable an avenue to make money. However, all it takes is reaction to external stimulus to make the stock market bounce one way or the other. For example: Microsoft is in partnership with - owns or oversees several major news outlets. Rarely does this side of the tech world say ANYTHING positive about Apple Inc. Through its many mouthpieces (intentional or not?) they always slant against products, profit news, value for money and so on from Apple Inc.
PCMag, CNET, MSN, MSNBC, and several shows that are sponsored by MS... all have a history of this.
The end result is strange to see. Apple come out with a new product or news about a new product... Apple stock value goes up and trading goes up.
MS produces a "news report about it" the stock value goes down and trading goes up even more.
Apple counters by giving people the devices to review (outside the ms network) and the news comes out that the product is nice and does what it is supposed to do.
Stock goes up - trading goes up.
The Market is very reactionary - yet the thing that is is reacting to is very stable and has a history of being stable.
The Gov. warns about impending global recession - the media hype it up - key companies are investigated or reviewed to pay off debts - before they "know anything" they already know (?) the outcome of the investigations before it took place... that the company is unstable.
They pull the plug on these key companies so things go bad for all involved and start impacting the economy right away...
Then they rethink it and say that perhaps we need to support the economy to help the people out... they help the people out by giving money away to the same people that were stealing, mishandling or untrustworthy with money to start with... and the people pay for it. Yet say this was to help out the economy. Every expert everywhere says the economy will be bad for 20 years or more.
One year on and they stay everything is returning to normal.
What really happened was press and news and PR spin to make the change happen.
I would hazzard a guess that says as much as 40 to 50 percent have only seen a minor change in their lifestyle and spending habbits as a result of any recession.
In the church here in Ireland (one of the worst countries to live in for inflated cost of living) there has been only 3 people affected at all by cuts or cutbacks - in a sampling of people from the North and South - natives and imports.
The one job I heard of a reduced pay (to keep the company afloat) also had reports of the boss buying a brand new company car (Merc - what else?) after cutting pay of everyone in his employ.
The banks here in Ireland were payed off (sorry - supported) by the Gov. to ensure they kept giving out loans and mortgages. I went recently to get a new loan (paying off one now just fine) to get a replacement laptop. I was denied because I was now under the yearly pay rate they give loans to. I was making over this invisble line before... The Gov here in Ireland increased the tax on all wages by 5 percent. My net is now just under the invisible line by about 5 percent would you believe.
So if the Gov. increase tax and the people are paying for the bail outs (not the billions of Euro surplus we have here in Europe) why are only the rich seeing the benifits?
Keep in mind several things here... The world is not missing money.
Not one penny, euro, or gold brick went missing in all of this. It just changed hands. The Gov. response was to change MORE money to the same hands that it went into to start with.
People still need construction done, bricks stacked and houses painted, there is still work to be had. Money is still there... it was just taken (forcibly) from the people.
Something that involved BILLIONS and Trillions internationally that the people of democratic nations were paying for in tax and so forth were not even given a vote or say at all in the matter.
You want instant economic stability? Do you want instant prosperity in a nation??
Pay off the peoples debts, buy their homes for them and give them to them.
People in consumer nations will instantly be free of monthly payments and would buy new cars, improve homes, buy new electronics and shockingly enough - keep themselves in a job as a result.
In all the bailouts - with the debt covered - the companies had the change (if they wanted to help the people) to forgive debt - give away houses - donate cars.
It didn't happen.
As a result of saying a recession was coming, the media parroting the same words, causing companies to close, taking money away from the people, giving money away to big business, still charging people money for their houses and debts even though it was covered... it seemed for a while a recession did happen.
Yet a year later and everything is still going, money still being earned, debts still being paid people still working in jobs... the economy is fine. It may be tough in some places but over all - globally? Nothing happened that was not planned.
I firmly believe that there were people in this world that are not so blind as to react to the doom and gloom and kept on with life as normal. It was these people that helped things more than all the bailouts. It was hesitant at first but there were early reports that months after all of the events that things were not as bad as it was being said... yet in the media - a voice of strength and hope is hard to listen for.
Be a voice of strength and hope in this world... the doom and gloom has enough voice already. Hope is a rare strength in any situation. If it were a personal attack on your family or yourself you would man up and fight and keep things together. Yet as a whole we just seemed to sit back and take everything that was fed us.
Be strong, Stand strong on normal good budget principles and thinking and trust your gut. The World is not coming to an end. You will have no problem tomorrow if you are strong and plan and progress today.
Monday, October 12, 2009
A Role Model
Role Models, Mentors, Someone to look up to...
These are all needed in the times of growth and change in our life.
And can I say this as well... we should never stop growing and changing.
As part of our lifestyle and goal in life - the number one thing is that we should always have someone to look up to.
Now I am NOT referring to Idols or Film Stars or Pop Music Artists.
Real people need real people to look up to.
The people around you should see the goals and ideals that you have reflected from or based off the person you look up to. However many times in the shallow world we live in - we see more and more young people choosing fame over ideals. Fame will get you in the spotlight - ideals will keep you there. Now I am not suggesting that no-one famous qualifies as a role model. Certainly in the PR limelight Hollywood media we live in - people are adopting kids left and right and sending food over seas that they would never eat themselves - this does not discount them - nor qualify them either in my opinion.
Role models are people like teachers - who know that several kids in the class they teach probably have wished them dead many times over - yet still get up in the morning to try to influence more young minds every year.
The person that became a fireman because they wished one day to be a hero and save lives.
Real World Examples -
There was a couple at the turn of the century (1890's) that moved over seas and lived for some time in Tibet before moving to China. They were just settling in and working to start a school in the area when they noticed a need in the area.
They watched each and every morning as children were left to fend for themselves in the streets - whole groups of siblings were left by their parents and brothers and sisters had to care for the younger ones.
This couple had little themselves and thought it best still to do something rather than nothing. They brought the kids of the street everyday and never refused a single child... they started the first orphanage in the region.
They did their best every day to educate - feed - and encourage these kids - and they had such an impact on them that every boy and girl were changed by their love.
In the early 1900's when Communism was rolling across China everyone was pushing them to leave after hearing that the new regime was killing every foreigner they found.
This couple did not want to leave. Yet the did at the urging of their extended family.
People like that are selfless and seemingly out of place in todays world.
A modern reference to such acts would be the movie "The Children of Huang Shi" - Rent it if you can find it. Awesome movie. This movie is the TRUE story of a reporter that gets caught in the middle of the Japan China War and fall in the middle of an orphanage and become so attached to these kids that he is remembered by them even today for the help and effort he made to get them to safety.
I say all of that to say this... Are you someone that others can look up to?
All of us are flawed and fail and miss it from time to time...
Can your children look up to you as a role model, can your family and friends?
We don't all have to rush off to become the father to the fatherless or mother to the hungry in some far of lands.
But where we are... right now, realise that we can affect and influence and lead others in so many positive ways if we just tried.
Finally, who is your role model?
Is it your father, or your mother? A teacher or a close friend?
Who is your example and your goal - whose shoes do you wish you could fill... is it a person that is helping others or helped many? Perhaps they just helped you to get from one day to the next once upon a time.
And now yes here is the part you knew was coming all along... my role model.
Jesus.
In His humanity - He lead thousands to look beyond the persicution and occupation by the Romans and see beyond themselves and to help others around Him. He encouraged growth and change in people on a personal basis and taught that even though you can never be good enough to fulfill the law of their forefathers - if you loved one another enough and loved God enough - then that makes up the difference when you miss it.
He gave hope to thousands that heard Him speak but only a few hundred followed His request to gather and pray when He left them.
Roman Centurions, Jewish Leaders and the Rich and Famous of His day flocked to Him to know of this new way that was taught. His message was at its simplest - Love God and Love your fellow man. He was the example of the way any man should live - selfless and encouraging of those around you. He was God's sign post for the definition of a Role Model.
In His deity - He took our place and bore our mistakes so we don't have to.
I want to encourage you today... even if just in a small way... consider your role model. If you obtain all of what they obtained would it be enough? If you really did fill their shoes and lived their life would you be happy?
Hell is other people.
Jean-Paul Sartre
(A more liberal quote - linked to him) Is Hell is eternity locked in a room with your friends.
What a shock it is to some people to spend their life working toward a goal - only to find it hollow and empty and not enough.
Destiny is a good thing to accept when it's going your way. When it isn't, don't call it destiny; call it injustice, treachery, or simple bad luck.
Joseph Heller
I would hazzard a guess that few people are entirely satisfied with the way things are in their day to day routine - and the trick they use like most people to stay happy - is to use distractions to keep the thoughts at bay.
Why not try a higher goal and a larger target.
Just a thought.
These are all needed in the times of growth and change in our life.
And can I say this as well... we should never stop growing and changing.
As part of our lifestyle and goal in life - the number one thing is that we should always have someone to look up to.
Now I am NOT referring to Idols or Film Stars or Pop Music Artists.
Real people need real people to look up to.
The people around you should see the goals and ideals that you have reflected from or based off the person you look up to. However many times in the shallow world we live in - we see more and more young people choosing fame over ideals. Fame will get you in the spotlight - ideals will keep you there. Now I am not suggesting that no-one famous qualifies as a role model. Certainly in the PR limelight Hollywood media we live in - people are adopting kids left and right and sending food over seas that they would never eat themselves - this does not discount them - nor qualify them either in my opinion.
Role models are people like teachers - who know that several kids in the class they teach probably have wished them dead many times over - yet still get up in the morning to try to influence more young minds every year.
The person that became a fireman because they wished one day to be a hero and save lives.
Real World Examples -
There was a couple at the turn of the century (1890's) that moved over seas and lived for some time in Tibet before moving to China. They were just settling in and working to start a school in the area when they noticed a need in the area.
They watched each and every morning as children were left to fend for themselves in the streets - whole groups of siblings were left by their parents and brothers and sisters had to care for the younger ones.
This couple had little themselves and thought it best still to do something rather than nothing. They brought the kids of the street everyday and never refused a single child... they started the first orphanage in the region.
They did their best every day to educate - feed - and encourage these kids - and they had such an impact on them that every boy and girl were changed by their love.
In the early 1900's when Communism was rolling across China everyone was pushing them to leave after hearing that the new regime was killing every foreigner they found.
This couple did not want to leave. Yet the did at the urging of their extended family.
People like that are selfless and seemingly out of place in todays world.
A modern reference to such acts would be the movie "The Children of Huang Shi" - Rent it if you can find it. Awesome movie. This movie is the TRUE story of a reporter that gets caught in the middle of the Japan China War and fall in the middle of an orphanage and become so attached to these kids that he is remembered by them even today for the help and effort he made to get them to safety.
I say all of that to say this... Are you someone that others can look up to?
All of us are flawed and fail and miss it from time to time...
Can your children look up to you as a role model, can your family and friends?
We don't all have to rush off to become the father to the fatherless or mother to the hungry in some far of lands.
But where we are... right now, realise that we can affect and influence and lead others in so many positive ways if we just tried.
Finally, who is your role model?
Is it your father, or your mother? A teacher or a close friend?
Who is your example and your goal - whose shoes do you wish you could fill... is it a person that is helping others or helped many? Perhaps they just helped you to get from one day to the next once upon a time.
And now yes here is the part you knew was coming all along... my role model.
Jesus.
In His humanity - He lead thousands to look beyond the persicution and occupation by the Romans and see beyond themselves and to help others around Him. He encouraged growth and change in people on a personal basis and taught that even though you can never be good enough to fulfill the law of their forefathers - if you loved one another enough and loved God enough - then that makes up the difference when you miss it.
He gave hope to thousands that heard Him speak but only a few hundred followed His request to gather and pray when He left them.
Roman Centurions, Jewish Leaders and the Rich and Famous of His day flocked to Him to know of this new way that was taught. His message was at its simplest - Love God and Love your fellow man. He was the example of the way any man should live - selfless and encouraging of those around you. He was God's sign post for the definition of a Role Model.
In His deity - He took our place and bore our mistakes so we don't have to.
I want to encourage you today... even if just in a small way... consider your role model. If you obtain all of what they obtained would it be enough? If you really did fill their shoes and lived their life would you be happy?
Hell is other people.
Jean-Paul Sartre
(A more liberal quote - linked to him) Is Hell is eternity locked in a room with your friends.
What a shock it is to some people to spend their life working toward a goal - only to find it hollow and empty and not enough.
Destiny is a good thing to accept when it's going your way. When it isn't, don't call it destiny; call it injustice, treachery, or simple bad luck.
Joseph Heller
I would hazzard a guess that few people are entirely satisfied with the way things are in their day to day routine - and the trick they use like most people to stay happy - is to use distractions to keep the thoughts at bay.
Why not try a higher goal and a larger target.
Just a thought.
Keeping your heart right
No this is not a medical post although it should have many health benefits if you follow the suggestions.
I want to talk to you today just a bit about the real YOU. The one that in the midst of the storms of life and circumstances has to make the choices and decide which way to go in different situations. The You that chooses to react in emotions and feelings, or intellect and reason. The Inner person that feels deep down inside that given the chance they would and could make a difference in the world... Thats the You I want to talk to and about today.
Inside every person is a desire to do good and be well liked by others around them... if this is not visibly apparent due to negative behavior or irrational reactions - then finding it difficult to achieve positive feedback - the inner person will react and act out in an effort to gain negative attention and feedback - so long as interaction with others is the key result.
This motivation for good or bad is very visible in criminals who justify their behavior as a way to cope and settle into the world they made themselves by stealing in order to pay for the things in life.... good or bad.
Often this is perceived as a cry for help and a need to fit in or belong somehow in the world today. Yet I speak not of the negative aspects in this post - but the positive ones.
In your average everyday life you interact with a multitude of people and there is an inbuilt need for you to achieve a balance in your world with Work, Stress, Family, Friends, Politics, and so forth.
In those chance meetings with others they often take away from them a first impression.
According to a study by the University of Illinois first impressions happen in about 20 seconds of first meeting someone... the first impression that a majority of people take away from them are based on
55% Appearance and Body Language
38% Tone of Voice
7% What You Say
This is actually a troubling statistic - in looking at the negative side of things serial killers tend to be clean cut, trust-worthy people that do not alarm anyone internally in the first impression.
Only 45% of what people judge you on is really YOU. The rest is just Looking the Part? You can get anywhere in life then 55 percent of the time because you Look the part... and people will like you no matter what.
Well politics aside for a moment, lets talk about the issues on my mind at the moment that I wanted to share with you.
Family
Friends
Work
Social
General
In each of these areas we have a certain level of interaction - or inaction as the case may be.
Work tells us that WORK is most important.
Family tells us that Family is the most important
Friends wrestle for your attention from both
Certain social obligations dictate to us that we have to attend to some things over others.
And General is all those smaller things that seem to crop up and steal our time patience and money.
When you interact with each of these - the impression that people have of you is a lasting one. If you are a Christian and you are having a bad day and yell at the cashier at the bank because of some error on your account... walk away and the first thing the person next to them asks will usually be - isn't that a deacon at that church?
Or others in an effort to make their lifestyle and choices in life acceptable to all around them - cuss at others or even physically abuse those that don't see things their way (Insert any random political activist group name here) (Christians "so called" included.)
How I grow tired of seeing signs and banners spouting hate in the name of God (any religion) when its them judging not God.
In Christianity - I have a nagging doubt in my mind all the time fearing that someone will make a snap judgement on the first impression when they meet me on the street for the first time and miss what I am trying to offer them.
I don't like wearing a suit and tie when talking to people about God - for fear I look like some TV evangelist or a LDS mormon or something. Yet they have no fear of looking like me - and in fact love the clean cut image to help that (first impression) so they seem more trust worthy.
Anyway - I wandered there for a moment - sorry.
In these situations - what they don't tell you in many statistics is that second and third impressions have a better impact than the first one.
Growth and education on a personal level will tell the upset Christian at the bank to go back after a chance to rethink things and apologize to the teller, explain your frustration but make sure that she knows that you were in the wrong.
In your work and your daily life you can make a difference in every situation by being the cool level headed one that takes time to make sure the people around you know you a person they can turn to if they need.
Tell your family you love them in deed and not just words. Spending time and money on them are just some of the obvious ways this can be done.
In every situation - even in your comfort zones of life - keep your eyes open to the way others look at you and perceive you and do your best to change that impression in positive ways. Helping others and caring for them enough to listen (in a pay-it-forward kind of way) (Didn't like the movie by the way) ...
Without a doubt a little effort in this direction goes a long way...
However as with anything in life you will have setbacks and knock downs in this pursuit. Keep your heart right and your motivations pure and open and you will make progress and begin to change yourself - others around you - and will help make the world a better place.
The general attitude of the world however is not like this at all - it may have been once but that has long since changed.
The Golden Rule - as was drilled into us as school kids - Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
This is no longer taught... leaving moral growth for kids up to their parents.
For the most part - the rules found in the 10 commandments would be seen by most people to be very good ways to live by. Yet we still have to pass laws to keep people from getting away with murder, lying, cheating, stealing, hate and so on...
It was the goal by many groups to get that kind of teaching out of schools and court rooms. To me its a bit like the modern currency of any nation being backed up by nothing but a promise - instead of Gold or Silver as it used to be.
So we have laws against certain immoral things - but no teaching to our young about morality. As part of the way I keep my heart right in most situations (its a struggle to be sure)
I believe basic - honest - decency, chivalry, caring for your neighbor and the stranger, helping those in need, politeness and kindness to those you know and those you don't. All of that was taught to me by my father LONG before I became a Christian.
The foundation of any upbringing should be such in my opinion.
If you can manage to take all this to heart and work to be the best person you can be - I feel we can work person by person to change the world from the bitter greedy way it is today... back to a world we all would enjoy... regardless of race, creed, religion and so on.
Keep your heart right - this world wants to make you into it's image. I encourage you to find a better role model and keep working on shaping your life like that.
I want to talk to you today just a bit about the real YOU. The one that in the midst of the storms of life and circumstances has to make the choices and decide which way to go in different situations. The You that chooses to react in emotions and feelings, or intellect and reason. The Inner person that feels deep down inside that given the chance they would and could make a difference in the world... Thats the You I want to talk to and about today.
Inside every person is a desire to do good and be well liked by others around them... if this is not visibly apparent due to negative behavior or irrational reactions - then finding it difficult to achieve positive feedback - the inner person will react and act out in an effort to gain negative attention and feedback - so long as interaction with others is the key result.
This motivation for good or bad is very visible in criminals who justify their behavior as a way to cope and settle into the world they made themselves by stealing in order to pay for the things in life.... good or bad.
Often this is perceived as a cry for help and a need to fit in or belong somehow in the world today. Yet I speak not of the negative aspects in this post - but the positive ones.
In your average everyday life you interact with a multitude of people and there is an inbuilt need for you to achieve a balance in your world with Work, Stress, Family, Friends, Politics, and so forth.
In those chance meetings with others they often take away from them a first impression.
According to a study by the University of Illinois first impressions happen in about 20 seconds of first meeting someone... the first impression that a majority of people take away from them are based on
55% Appearance and Body Language
38% Tone of Voice
7% What You Say
This is actually a troubling statistic - in looking at the negative side of things serial killers tend to be clean cut, trust-worthy people that do not alarm anyone internally in the first impression.
Only 45% of what people judge you on is really YOU. The rest is just Looking the Part? You can get anywhere in life then 55 percent of the time because you Look the part... and people will like you no matter what.
Well politics aside for a moment, lets talk about the issues on my mind at the moment that I wanted to share with you.
Family
Friends
Work
Social
General
In each of these areas we have a certain level of interaction - or inaction as the case may be.
Work tells us that WORK is most important.
Family tells us that Family is the most important
Friends wrestle for your attention from both
Certain social obligations dictate to us that we have to attend to some things over others.
And General is all those smaller things that seem to crop up and steal our time patience and money.
When you interact with each of these - the impression that people have of you is a lasting one. If you are a Christian and you are having a bad day and yell at the cashier at the bank because of some error on your account... walk away and the first thing the person next to them asks will usually be - isn't that a deacon at that church?
Or others in an effort to make their lifestyle and choices in life acceptable to all around them - cuss at others or even physically abuse those that don't see things their way (Insert any random political activist group name here) (Christians "so called" included.)
How I grow tired of seeing signs and banners spouting hate in the name of God (any religion) when its them judging not God.
In Christianity - I have a nagging doubt in my mind all the time fearing that someone will make a snap judgement on the first impression when they meet me on the street for the first time and miss what I am trying to offer them.
I don't like wearing a suit and tie when talking to people about God - for fear I look like some TV evangelist or a LDS mormon or something. Yet they have no fear of looking like me - and in fact love the clean cut image to help that (first impression) so they seem more trust worthy.
Anyway - I wandered there for a moment - sorry.
In these situations - what they don't tell you in many statistics is that second and third impressions have a better impact than the first one.
Growth and education on a personal level will tell the upset Christian at the bank to go back after a chance to rethink things and apologize to the teller, explain your frustration but make sure that she knows that you were in the wrong.
In your work and your daily life you can make a difference in every situation by being the cool level headed one that takes time to make sure the people around you know you a person they can turn to if they need.
Tell your family you love them in deed and not just words. Spending time and money on them are just some of the obvious ways this can be done.
In every situation - even in your comfort zones of life - keep your eyes open to the way others look at you and perceive you and do your best to change that impression in positive ways. Helping others and caring for them enough to listen (in a pay-it-forward kind of way) (Didn't like the movie by the way) ...
Without a doubt a little effort in this direction goes a long way...
However as with anything in life you will have setbacks and knock downs in this pursuit. Keep your heart right and your motivations pure and open and you will make progress and begin to change yourself - others around you - and will help make the world a better place.
The general attitude of the world however is not like this at all - it may have been once but that has long since changed.
The Golden Rule - as was drilled into us as school kids - Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
This is no longer taught... leaving moral growth for kids up to their parents.
For the most part - the rules found in the 10 commandments would be seen by most people to be very good ways to live by. Yet we still have to pass laws to keep people from getting away with murder, lying, cheating, stealing, hate and so on...
It was the goal by many groups to get that kind of teaching out of schools and court rooms. To me its a bit like the modern currency of any nation being backed up by nothing but a promise - instead of Gold or Silver as it used to be.
So we have laws against certain immoral things - but no teaching to our young about morality. As part of the way I keep my heart right in most situations (its a struggle to be sure)
I believe basic - honest - decency, chivalry, caring for your neighbor and the stranger, helping those in need, politeness and kindness to those you know and those you don't. All of that was taught to me by my father LONG before I became a Christian.
The foundation of any upbringing should be such in my opinion.
If you can manage to take all this to heart and work to be the best person you can be - I feel we can work person by person to change the world from the bitter greedy way it is today... back to a world we all would enjoy... regardless of race, creed, religion and so on.
Keep your heart right - this world wants to make you into it's image. I encourage you to find a better role model and keep working on shaping your life like that.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Judging a man
(Continued from Previous Post)
The Flaw made visible...
The flaw in this line of thinking is that it gives justification and excuses and reasons without addressing the issue of the hurts and the stresses or even the positives of the past to shape us into who we are today... we find ourselves comfortable in the present state of self (mostly) that makes you not want to do the most obvious thing in the world when you are in just such a situation. Not for conformity sake but for the sake of growth and change that is needed in such a situation such as life and personality.
Growth, Change, Struggle of Identity and Existence coupled with the fundamental need to be completely happy with yourself and not settle for your present condition or state of affairs.
Does a person ever Arrive? Is there ever a point where they can look at every issue every corner of their life and say with truth and conviction that they are 100 percent happy with where they are and the way things turned out?
To be honest to say yes to the previous question invites argument and to say no invites debate. But why else are you reading this but to hear a line of reasoning and thinking. Blogging your thoughts is a bit like having a one sided debate and knowing your going to win the argument before you even start... at best you could comment on these statements on this site to give a response. But I win again if I just turn comments off. ANYWAY
Growth is the stretching and straining for something better, something more than we are. Setting goals, making plans and having aspirations are all part of the primary reason we keep fighting this fight called life. Yet in many areas of life, in ourselves we give up and stop caring to stretch any more. Due to setbacks, kicks or even pure offensive attacks on our person - we grow stronger because of them or weaker in those areas.
What do you do when you put yourself in a position to be hurt - by loving another person - you make yourself vulnerable to them - opening yourself up for attack, ridicule, abuse, or injury by a simple comment or even physical abuse.
To trust someone is much the same -
To become a friend - or even a casual acquaintance - social hurts and offenses also shape the way you react in future to much the same situations.
It is in these acts against or toward you that you shape who you are in response to overcome - or give in and let these acts change you.
When you get knocked down... do you grow or change or learn more and try harder to be a better person or do you give up?
Giving up is the easy option - it has been in every area of life regardless of the setting.
In Sports its easier not to run.
In Politics its easier not to vote.
In learning to ride a bicycle its easier to walk...
Personally I know people around the world that listen when I talk - understand that logic, knowledge and a bit of wisdom (i pray) is mixed into the batch. And Yes I can be long winded (these posts testify to that).
But I tell you these things to encourage you - as I have had to encourage myself recently in the last few months - its a continual growth thing...
When there is an obstacle in your path you go around it.
When you have a gap you cross it.
When you face a struggle you do not give up - you keep pressing in.
A runner runs a race to the finish... not to stop halfway through a lap because someone in the stands starts yelling at him to stop. If there is a hurdle - jump it. If there is anything in the way - overcome it, move on to the next one.
It puzzles me in life to see lots of people around you cheering you on and then seeing someone you thought was on your side come and try to get you to stop... and be happy about it.
Yet dear reader I am here to encourage you as any sane fellow human should do... to not give up and not surrender the heart and fire that is inside you no matter what the outside world tells you - no matter what the doubts and trials tell you.
Find your inner voice of peace and hope and strength and press in with that and do everything you can to keep that passion for what and who you are lit... cover it and protect it when the fierce wind blows... and add fuel to it every chance that you can.
As a Christian we have a passion that stays even when very strong pressure from the outside world tell us such things as -
Your just like the nuts on the TV trying to steal money or take advantage of people -
Your following a lie
It was all made up
Its not real
God doesnt exist
and so on and so on and so on...
If you can stand - even if you cannot take a step more... just stand... this is what the Bible encourages hurting - struggling - tired of fighting people to do...
Just Stand
If you keep your heart right - God will see
If you work on growing and getting better in the fight - It will get easier
Even if no one else knows the truth in the matter - God knows
I have not met a single person ever that will be open and honest with themselves and willing to talk - that will not by the end of the conversation start to realise and see the truth that God is real and can and will get involved in their life.
The strongest denier of God that I have ever met that discussed these things with me... though mad many many times in the conversation - even agreed with me on so many points that he had to change the subject just to keep from admiting out loud about God being real.
I always always alway strongly point out that I do not talk to people because of the things people usually expect - but because of the very real and true relationship and love that I found in Jesus is available to them and it can and will be more than they can even imagine.
LDS Mormons do missions and go out to spread their messages because they have to - its built into the system of the cult that they have to be "good enough" and earn rights and privilages in the religion to get status with God and so on and so forth.
JW's are much the same but not only do they have to earn status with God by work and effort (that never seems to be enough) they have to sell magazines ?? Or buy all the magazines themselves and give them out... they stop people out of fear that they are not doing enough God will not like them or some silly thing.
Christianity - Actual Christianity - not some random chain of buildings with the same names stuck on the side but no life inside...
I am talking about REAL Christianity... it is not a religion - its not false and made up... its not shiney flashy suits on TV and people getting slapped in the head.. its about the real relationship with Jesus not about religion.
- Religion is one of the most misused words in the world - and yes I misused it here to in ths very post - but anyway...
Lets look at the REAL deffinition of religion. If anyone can define the word properly it should be GOD Himself...
James 1:27 - Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
To be called a religious person is silly without knowing what anyone does with other people. If you help any random stranger pick up something they dropped or struggled with - if you have ever donated to a charity that helps people eat or live better lives... YOU are by God's rule... a religious person - religion is all about MAN helping MAN
God's part in that is the last bit in that verse... keep yourself unspotted from the world... all of the things mentioned before... the hurts, the wrongs, the effects from life... all change - shape and mold you into a different person than you even set out to be... its IMPOSSIBLE to keep yourself unspotted.
This same thing is visible with the Ten Commandments - NOT one man in the world could ever keep them all. Its not possible... but it only was there to play a simple role to point out that these are great ideals and goals but even in the simple sense of Being a Good Person - its not possible in this world.
It is not possible in this world to be a good person and obtain all of what you want in life without help.
If you stop to help someone that dropped something on the ground... you will more than likely get kicked or beat with a purse because they think your going to steal from them.
If you stop and help fix a flat tire either they think your going to mug them or they are about to mug you... is the thoughts that transpire.
If you hand out money to one person in charity - the person next to them will cuss you out for not helping them as well.
If you accept every person in every way regardless of race, creed, or color, they will shake your hand and pat you on the back and your wondering if your doing enough and are genuinely accepted - and they could be wondering if your overcompensating for some hidden hatred that you have inside.
At best as a person - a person without God - you hope to achieve some sort of balance in all the chaos and turmoil in your heart, your mind, your emotions and the world around you. To be well mannered and a good person is great - but its hard to maintain in today's world.
I have met genuine real people that think that is our goal in life - to be a good person and live a good life - and that's enough somehow to appease a god they don't know if there is one to be acceptable in god's sight.
I have asked athiests a retorical question before in this regard - if I went and handed them a gun - loaded and ready to use - and I had a gun and began shooting random people right in front of them and they had the power to stop me if they would do anything at all... they have all said no - there is no point.
Yet if you ask them what the number one complaint about their concept of god is... they say if he is real he does nothing and cares for no one. Yet they hold themselves to the same standard. They do nothing and care for no one...
Real Christianity should not be discounted just because of the flakes and nuts and morons that call themselves christians but don't even know what they are doing... there is a very big difference.
ALL AMERICANS ARE NOT THE SAME
Yet often we get judged the same.
Under Bush we were one of the most hated countries in the world... if you did not vote for him and you went abroad - you would not like for one second the abuse that would come along with being American and getting painted with that wide sweeping brush.
Why would anyone think for a moment that a moron on the street corner with a loud hailer shouting at everyone going by that they are going to hell has ANYTHING to do with the Real God. They might - its possible... but they don't have a clue and have the wrong end of the stick.
It has been a long long long long time since I watched anything on the so called "God channels" for the same reason that you don't. Its silly nonsense and jargon and showmanship with little redeeming value at all!
IF, if there is anything resembling real christian teaching on there then its so far burried in the mush that you would never know it to see it.
But you dear reader have a chance to know the REAL God.
Behind the multitude of people claiming to know Him, yet hating and spouting vile and shouting at others around them... usually far away from that in fact... will be a guy like me... standing talking to people - trying hard to make it clear that they are not with those morons. Don't judge that person the same please...
A Real Christian will tell a stranger things like -
God is NOT out to judge you...
God is NOT concerned with you being GOOD ENOUGH or making you WORK for favor...
God is NOT interested in your money...
God is NOT trying to sell you a magazine...
God is NOT about stained glass and hidden abuses...
God is only interested in ONE thing.
You and what you do with Jesus.
If you can understand that Jesus is the simple method of getting things right with God regardless of your lifestyle, your past, your present, or your plans for the future... Then Nothing matters but accepting Him and taking a stand on that belief.
You judge Jesus and God with the same brush that other people judge you - as christian like people and Real Christians get lumped together - as a person that didn't pay taxes and has a prison record would get lumped in with a convicted rapist.
People like me - go out because we know the Real God is not being represented properly by hardly ANYONE in the media spotlight... We talk to people because we know when they hear how incredibly simple it is and how easy it can be to get everything right in a single moment... few people ever pass up the chance to do it right there and then.
When you come to believe that there is a God and you come to believe that mankind does "miss it" and we need help - then you realise that He made a simple way to "un miss it" Every Religion in the world is Man attempting to get to God.
Actual Christianity is about God reaching man. Its a relationship He wants with us... as friends and family and closer.
He sent His Son as our substitute
and He was Judged in our place.
Man is worried about if there is a God that he will be judged by him for things they did or things they didn't do...
God judged Jesus in our place.
All you have to do is accept the substitution - say that you accept it... and then start the amazing path of learning about God and the new relationship you have available to you.
Judging a man is easy when you realize that they are just a man and make mistakes... we judge others and ourselves all the time - the world judges us... the Good News is - God does not judge us
He only wants us to accept the judgement He put on Jesus on our behalf.
Make sense?
The Flaw made visible...
The flaw in this line of thinking is that it gives justification and excuses and reasons without addressing the issue of the hurts and the stresses or even the positives of the past to shape us into who we are today... we find ourselves comfortable in the present state of self (mostly) that makes you not want to do the most obvious thing in the world when you are in just such a situation. Not for conformity sake but for the sake of growth and change that is needed in such a situation such as life and personality.
Growth, Change, Struggle of Identity and Existence coupled with the fundamental need to be completely happy with yourself and not settle for your present condition or state of affairs.
Does a person ever Arrive? Is there ever a point where they can look at every issue every corner of their life and say with truth and conviction that they are 100 percent happy with where they are and the way things turned out?
To be honest to say yes to the previous question invites argument and to say no invites debate. But why else are you reading this but to hear a line of reasoning and thinking. Blogging your thoughts is a bit like having a one sided debate and knowing your going to win the argument before you even start... at best you could comment on these statements on this site to give a response. But I win again if I just turn comments off. ANYWAY
Growth is the stretching and straining for something better, something more than we are. Setting goals, making plans and having aspirations are all part of the primary reason we keep fighting this fight called life. Yet in many areas of life, in ourselves we give up and stop caring to stretch any more. Due to setbacks, kicks or even pure offensive attacks on our person - we grow stronger because of them or weaker in those areas.
What do you do when you put yourself in a position to be hurt - by loving another person - you make yourself vulnerable to them - opening yourself up for attack, ridicule, abuse, or injury by a simple comment or even physical abuse.
To trust someone is much the same -
To become a friend - or even a casual acquaintance - social hurts and offenses also shape the way you react in future to much the same situations.
It is in these acts against or toward you that you shape who you are in response to overcome - or give in and let these acts change you.
When you get knocked down... do you grow or change or learn more and try harder to be a better person or do you give up?
Giving up is the easy option - it has been in every area of life regardless of the setting.
In Sports its easier not to run.
In Politics its easier not to vote.
In learning to ride a bicycle its easier to walk...
Personally I know people around the world that listen when I talk - understand that logic, knowledge and a bit of wisdom (i pray) is mixed into the batch. And Yes I can be long winded (these posts testify to that).
But I tell you these things to encourage you - as I have had to encourage myself recently in the last few months - its a continual growth thing...
When there is an obstacle in your path you go around it.
When you have a gap you cross it.
When you face a struggle you do not give up - you keep pressing in.
A runner runs a race to the finish... not to stop halfway through a lap because someone in the stands starts yelling at him to stop. If there is a hurdle - jump it. If there is anything in the way - overcome it, move on to the next one.
It puzzles me in life to see lots of people around you cheering you on and then seeing someone you thought was on your side come and try to get you to stop... and be happy about it.
Yet dear reader I am here to encourage you as any sane fellow human should do... to not give up and not surrender the heart and fire that is inside you no matter what the outside world tells you - no matter what the doubts and trials tell you.
Find your inner voice of peace and hope and strength and press in with that and do everything you can to keep that passion for what and who you are lit... cover it and protect it when the fierce wind blows... and add fuel to it every chance that you can.
As a Christian we have a passion that stays even when very strong pressure from the outside world tell us such things as -
Your just like the nuts on the TV trying to steal money or take advantage of people -
Your following a lie
It was all made up
Its not real
God doesnt exist
and so on and so on and so on...
If you can stand - even if you cannot take a step more... just stand... this is what the Bible encourages hurting - struggling - tired of fighting people to do...
Just Stand
If you keep your heart right - God will see
If you work on growing and getting better in the fight - It will get easier
Even if no one else knows the truth in the matter - God knows
I have not met a single person ever that will be open and honest with themselves and willing to talk - that will not by the end of the conversation start to realise and see the truth that God is real and can and will get involved in their life.
The strongest denier of God that I have ever met that discussed these things with me... though mad many many times in the conversation - even agreed with me on so many points that he had to change the subject just to keep from admiting out loud about God being real.
I always always alway strongly point out that I do not talk to people because of the things people usually expect - but because of the very real and true relationship and love that I found in Jesus is available to them and it can and will be more than they can even imagine.
LDS Mormons do missions and go out to spread their messages because they have to - its built into the system of the cult that they have to be "good enough" and earn rights and privilages in the religion to get status with God and so on and so forth.
JW's are much the same but not only do they have to earn status with God by work and effort (that never seems to be enough) they have to sell magazines ?? Or buy all the magazines themselves and give them out... they stop people out of fear that they are not doing enough God will not like them or some silly thing.
Christianity - Actual Christianity - not some random chain of buildings with the same names stuck on the side but no life inside...
I am talking about REAL Christianity... it is not a religion - its not false and made up... its not shiney flashy suits on TV and people getting slapped in the head.. its about the real relationship with Jesus not about religion.
- Religion is one of the most misused words in the world - and yes I misused it here to in ths very post - but anyway...
Lets look at the REAL deffinition of religion. If anyone can define the word properly it should be GOD Himself...
James 1:27 - Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
To be called a religious person is silly without knowing what anyone does with other people. If you help any random stranger pick up something they dropped or struggled with - if you have ever donated to a charity that helps people eat or live better lives... YOU are by God's rule... a religious person - religion is all about MAN helping MAN
God's part in that is the last bit in that verse... keep yourself unspotted from the world... all of the things mentioned before... the hurts, the wrongs, the effects from life... all change - shape and mold you into a different person than you even set out to be... its IMPOSSIBLE to keep yourself unspotted.
This same thing is visible with the Ten Commandments - NOT one man in the world could ever keep them all. Its not possible... but it only was there to play a simple role to point out that these are great ideals and goals but even in the simple sense of Being a Good Person - its not possible in this world.
It is not possible in this world to be a good person and obtain all of what you want in life without help.
If you stop to help someone that dropped something on the ground... you will more than likely get kicked or beat with a purse because they think your going to steal from them.
If you stop and help fix a flat tire either they think your going to mug them or they are about to mug you... is the thoughts that transpire.
If you hand out money to one person in charity - the person next to them will cuss you out for not helping them as well.
If you accept every person in every way regardless of race, creed, or color, they will shake your hand and pat you on the back and your wondering if your doing enough and are genuinely accepted - and they could be wondering if your overcompensating for some hidden hatred that you have inside.
At best as a person - a person without God - you hope to achieve some sort of balance in all the chaos and turmoil in your heart, your mind, your emotions and the world around you. To be well mannered and a good person is great - but its hard to maintain in today's world.
I have met genuine real people that think that is our goal in life - to be a good person and live a good life - and that's enough somehow to appease a god they don't know if there is one to be acceptable in god's sight.
I have asked athiests a retorical question before in this regard - if I went and handed them a gun - loaded and ready to use - and I had a gun and began shooting random people right in front of them and they had the power to stop me if they would do anything at all... they have all said no - there is no point.
Yet if you ask them what the number one complaint about their concept of god is... they say if he is real he does nothing and cares for no one. Yet they hold themselves to the same standard. They do nothing and care for no one...
Real Christianity should not be discounted just because of the flakes and nuts and morons that call themselves christians but don't even know what they are doing... there is a very big difference.
ALL AMERICANS ARE NOT THE SAME
Yet often we get judged the same.
Under Bush we were one of the most hated countries in the world... if you did not vote for him and you went abroad - you would not like for one second the abuse that would come along with being American and getting painted with that wide sweeping brush.
Why would anyone think for a moment that a moron on the street corner with a loud hailer shouting at everyone going by that they are going to hell has ANYTHING to do with the Real God. They might - its possible... but they don't have a clue and have the wrong end of the stick.
It has been a long long long long time since I watched anything on the so called "God channels" for the same reason that you don't. Its silly nonsense and jargon and showmanship with little redeeming value at all!
IF, if there is anything resembling real christian teaching on there then its so far burried in the mush that you would never know it to see it.
But you dear reader have a chance to know the REAL God.
Behind the multitude of people claiming to know Him, yet hating and spouting vile and shouting at others around them... usually far away from that in fact... will be a guy like me... standing talking to people - trying hard to make it clear that they are not with those morons. Don't judge that person the same please...
A Real Christian will tell a stranger things like -
God is NOT out to judge you...
God is NOT concerned with you being GOOD ENOUGH or making you WORK for favor...
God is NOT interested in your money...
God is NOT trying to sell you a magazine...
God is NOT about stained glass and hidden abuses...
God is only interested in ONE thing.
You and what you do with Jesus.
If you can understand that Jesus is the simple method of getting things right with God regardless of your lifestyle, your past, your present, or your plans for the future... Then Nothing matters but accepting Him and taking a stand on that belief.
You judge Jesus and God with the same brush that other people judge you - as christian like people and Real Christians get lumped together - as a person that didn't pay taxes and has a prison record would get lumped in with a convicted rapist.
People like me - go out because we know the Real God is not being represented properly by hardly ANYONE in the media spotlight... We talk to people because we know when they hear how incredibly simple it is and how easy it can be to get everything right in a single moment... few people ever pass up the chance to do it right there and then.
When you come to believe that there is a God and you come to believe that mankind does "miss it" and we need help - then you realise that He made a simple way to "un miss it" Every Religion in the world is Man attempting to get to God.
Actual Christianity is about God reaching man. Its a relationship He wants with us... as friends and family and closer.
He sent His Son as our substitute
and He was Judged in our place.
Man is worried about if there is a God that he will be judged by him for things they did or things they didn't do...
God judged Jesus in our place.
All you have to do is accept the substitution - say that you accept it... and then start the amazing path of learning about God and the new relationship you have available to you.
Judging a man is easy when you realize that they are just a man and make mistakes... we judge others and ourselves all the time - the world judges us... the Good News is - God does not judge us
He only wants us to accept the judgement He put on Jesus on our behalf.
Make sense?
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