Ugly of uglies

The world around us is getting uglier and by that I mean, disgusting. 

Any person still in their right mind has winced at the plethora of photos and images plastered for attention by all the media sources. When evil is called 'good' and then put on parade the result is a society in chaos and Chaos comes somewhere on the timeline after Decline. It’s enough to create fear in the hearts of the faithful or worse—despair.

But a quick read through the New Testament epistles which were written, by the way, during Rome’s dominance, we can see that in that era of depravity and debauchery the Church went about their Kingdom building business without any hesitation. 

Apostles, Paul, Peter, and Jude never describe how armed or formidable the Gates of Hell might appear. Their confidence in the Gospel’s power is utterly childish. When it comes to their assurance in God they, in a word, believe.

The culture in which they lived and served God was much darker than ours—even though ours is rapidly catching up. But ugly didn’t faze them. 

And it is here where we find the power. When engaging the world around us we confess that we were ugly and still act ugly. We then tell them about the Ugly of all uglies. We talk about Jesus who was perfect and pure and innocent and good, and about His taking upon himself the sin of the world and becoming the most disgusting spectacle that will ever mar God’s green earth. 

We meet Depravity and Stench on the battlefield and out-ugly them with the Cross and with our honest confession. 

In a fallen world still falling, God got ugly in order to make the world beautiful.  

 

http://dougwils.com/s7-engaging-the-culture/this-crimson-carnage.html

Liturgy As Story

It would be simple to assign our loss of identity to busy schedules or to the lack of Christian education or to the lack of church attendance, and these certainly are contributing factors. Perhaps the larger problem is that we do not see Christ as the center of our story. We do not see Christ as the center of our liturgy, the place where His story—the story of the world—is told. Such a towering assertion goes against the grain of our postmodern sensibilities and expectations. Yet the history of the church testifys that, for centuries, our brothers and sisters in Christ invited those who did not share our faith to come to the Divine Service, where they heard the salvation story in its entirety through the rhythm of the liturgy. In our worship, Christ, the author of life, is present, telling that story through the words of the prophets and apostles and serving as host of a heavenly feast where the world’s story is given its heavenly reality.

                                                                        From: Heaven on Earth by Arthur A Just,   

Brother's Keeper Award

/http://78mag.com/2015/02/a-mans-perspective-on-yoga-pants/

Bacon Standard Time

“Why are you cooking bacon?” Angela asks as she passes by the kitchen.

I just looked up and then turned the strips over and listened to the sizzle.

What a strange question. Maybe she thinks it unusual since it is mid-afternoon.

Women…

Should I tell her about the jalapenos roasting in the toaster oven?

Back In Time

As some of you are aware, I have returned recently to social media.

I blog, have a page on Facebook, and will be podcasting soon.

I have found the experience so far to be fun but also a bit disturbing.

I guess that I was taken aback on Facebook by how old everyone is.

It is no small thing to ‘jump’ 30+ years into the future and see your friends with grown kids that also have kids of their own. I feel like one of those frozen astronauts that have been thawed out after years in space.

Of course one major exception to that sci-fi scenario is that, though I have aged too, it has been more gracefully.  

But, to stay with that time-elapsed theme for a moment: Why all the cat videos? Has the world gone insane while I was in cyber-sleep?

I suppose that had I started with everyone else that phenomenon would seem natural by now (meow) and would have affected me too (meow) but I think I’m okay since I haven’t been on social media but (meow) just a few weeks.

As you might have imagined being gone for so long and then suddenly appearing after all these years has surprised some of my old friends and acquaintances and they in turn have contacted me.

Just the other day I got a call from one of the teens that was in my youth department back in the early 80’s. This fellow whom I have not seen in 32 years called me up and we talked a bit about the ‘old days’.  

Now I have to tell you, as he talked I was scared. Back in those days when all this impressionable youth was under my spiritual care I had tons of zeal but little knowledge. I was out to save them and to save the rest of the world too. I have always wondered how badly I might have messed up those poor, unprotected, middle-class, white, American Christian teenagers. So, as he talked, I listened for clues for damage assessment. 

We talked for a while and as the conversation was wrapping up he made a statement that caused me to break out in a cold sweat. “Laurence,” he says, “I remember two things that you taught us that I have never forgotten.”

Oh no! I thought. I am so sorry, Lord! This kid, this now 40 Something, is going to share with me two ideals or two principles or two heretical statements that I impressed upon him with all the thermonuclear earnest I had back in those days!

He had gone to college, gotten married, worked for 30+ years, had children of his own, raised them to adulthood, his kids have had kids…how might I have screwed this all up?!

I was cringing as he continued, “You told us”

I listened in the fetal position…

“That if we guys shaved while in the shower, then when we got out, we were all done.”

Can you imagine how relieved I was?! Thank you Jesus! I almost started laughing and crying hysterically. 

“You also taught us…”

Oh no, right, there were two things…two things that he had always remembered. I had influenced his life, his family…they in turn have influenced others…what have I done…what have I done!

“…to never wear white socks with dress clothes.”

SAFE!

I came away from this encounter with a greater awareness of how we influence one another. Sometimes the intentional isn’t as strong as the peripheral but there is always some type of effect. No one ever leaves our care, our teaching, our friendships, our parenting exactly the same. And our influence, both intentional and peripheral, is a responsibility given us by our Lord and He wants us to always do well by others.

Still I am a little ticked that that was all he had ‘remembered’.

All that time? Seriously? Is that all he got out of those years of my giving all my heart and soul and…and life?  

But hey, maybe I have made the world a bit more beautiful. There is at least one guy out there wearing socks that match his slacks. Maybe he taught his boys that too and maybe they influenced others.

Come to think of it, I cannot remember the last time I saw anyone wearing white socks with dress clothes!

If only I would have also said something about cats on film…

Spice of Life

Pictured here with two 'over-medium' eggs

Incredibly, there were some jalapeño poppers left from last night's party. 

For the uninitiated:these are made by slicing jalapeños in half-lengthwise, filling them with cheese (in this case equal parts cream cheese & cheddar), and then finally wrapping them in bacon before baking. 

So this morning as I was contemplating breakfast it occurred to me that, chopped up, they might just be a great compliment to stone ground grits…and they were. I added some extra cheddar just for 'color'.

I know that oatmeal would have been a healthier choice but, hey, It's not like I am not going to live forever.