Downwardly Rich “He’s a success.” “She’s a winner.” “He’s got it all.” These are the words that we most long to hear. Like “I love you.”, they validate, and seduce. There is something deep in each person that longs to be admired by others. How do I know that? Honestly, I’ve only to look in a mirror, or out a window. This desire is in us, and surrounds us. It’s the water we swim in, and like most fish, we don’t really notice until we’re yanked out of it, do we? Then we can't breathe. We're on alien turf. We're not swimming the way we've been taught—up, and to the right. Everything's changed. Maybe we can then move in a new direction, to where the real riches lie. Among the least of these.
Posts
The Shortest Trip We’ve all said it. And if we’ve been parents for more than a year or so, we’ve all heard it: “Are we there yet?” My third brother, Scott, held the world’s record for consecutively asking this question during our annual family vacations to Lake George. The trip between our suburban Philadelphia home and the lake lasted about eight hours. Scott’s interrogation ra 7:59:30. Kids are always in some kind of a damn hurry. They’ve got stuff to do, and it’s all out there somewhere beyond the present. Why walk when you can run? Why think when you can just go for it? From launch pad of infinite youthful immortality everything is possible, and nothing has ever happened. Yet. I know. I’ve watched it, and I’m convinced that the shortest distance in the universe is that between toilet training and graduation.
Repost Sunday, March 12, 2006 hurting Current mood: crappy The toughest thing about life isn't hurting. The toughest thing is seeing people you care about hurting. Seeing it and knowing there isn't much of anything you can do about it. God, what I wouldn't give for a magic wand that could take the pain away, but that ain't gonna happen. All that's left is listening and prayer. Not that those are useless. in fact they're more powerful than anything that might feel more actively productive. I need to embrace that. The reality of attentive prayer. Activity, just doing SOMETHING holds such attraction, but it's nothing more than tilting at windmills in the end. It's easier to do than to trust, though. Love's tough.
Repost Tuesday, April 18, 2006 Time Current mood: contemplative Whoa. When did a week start feeling like a day? I've always has a sense that my experience of time was colored by whatever was filling that time. A forty minute lecture that's boring can feel like 3 hours. Assuming you stay awake. A great touch football game after school? Ten minutes, tops. Even if we played for hours. The basic rule? If you're doing something fun, time flies. Boring, stupide stuff. Time goes backwards. So, if I'm experiencing time at such an accelerated pace at this point in my life, it must mean I'm having a blast. Uh oh. This is where the axiom breaks down. Cuz I am not ALWAYS having ...
Repost from Tuesday, June 27, 2006 “New Friends ” Current mood: calm I met five new friends in just a few days. Three are from Texas, and connected with DTS (Dallas Theological Seminary) by way of graduation or enrollment. And the other two are a young writer from Indianapolis and his lovely wife. The couple decided to check out Portland after corresponding with friends of ours. The author's name is Pete Gall (his wife's name is Christine), and he's written a book entitled "Gall" It's a spiritual diary of sorts in the mold of Don Miller and Anne LaMotte. Pete's writing exhibits the witty insights and judicious use of explitives that variously characterize Miller and LaMotte. There's laugh-out-loud funny stuff in his book. And ot...