Roots of Discontentment

1Timothy 6:6 - But godliness with contentment is great gain.

In his book, Kings Cross, Timothy Keller cites Cynthia Heimel as one who's known a fair amount of struggling artists become famous. But when these people actually got the fame they became not only arrogant but unhappier.

She said, "I pity celebrities. No, I do. Celebrities were once perfectly pleasant human beings... but now... their wrath is awful... More than any of us, they wanted fame. They worked, they pushed... The morning after... each of them became famous, the wanted to take an overdose... because that giant thing they were striving for, that fame thing that was going to make everything okay, that was going to make their lives bearable, that was going to provide them with personal fulfillment and ... happiness, had happened. And nothing changed. They were still them. The disillusionment turned them howling and insufferable."

I don't doubt all of this is true but, of course, to assume it wouldn't be true of me as well is misguided. I probably demonstrate that every week. I say I want contentment. But as Henry Nouwen has remarked, I easily become discontented with contentment. Take a breath. Slow down. Lord, help me.

Navigate by the Son

A multiple choice quiz. Please complete the following sentence.

Phototaxis is...

A - the experience you have coming across multiple pictures of taxi cabs.

B - an electro-soul band based out of Israel.

C - the influence of light upon lower organisms.

If you answered C, you are correct. (By the way, if you answered B, apparently you are correct as well. But for our purposes we're going to expand upon answer C.)

Phototaxis is the influence that light has on a lower organism. Cockroaches, (they would populate anyone's "lower organism" list) are negatively phototactic. When the lights turns on they scurry away.

However, many flying insects are positively phototactic. They are drawn to light which has its benefits. Moths, for example, use moonlight to navigate. This light literally orders their world and gives them meaning. Of course, being guided by light has it's drawbacks as well. (Ask any of the bugs inside your light fixtures.) A moth will perceive an artificial light closer than the moon as stronger in one eye than the other. This causes one wing to beat faster than the other. The result is an ever tightening spiral around the wrong, misguiding light.

But, organisms on the low end aren't the only ones dealing with phototaxis. Humans (those are the high end organisms ) are positively phototactic as well. Yes, we're known for our astonishing attraction to the wrong lights! What kind of lights can we be misled by?

The limelight, preying upon our desires to be at the center of attention.

The nightlight, tempting us to be lazy and fearful.

The neon lights that promise exciting distractions from our problems.

The black light we use in scrutinizing and judging people.

What a sight... our industrious, distracted world navigating by the glow of a thousand artificial lights. Into this troubled picture Jesus says, "I am the light of the world."

What It's Like

An envoy of pine greets us. We grunt and groan, stiffly emerging from our vehicles unpacking legs and smoothing out shoulders. The river, crowned with light from a thousand refractions, falls over itself to wave. We shout back amused with so much attention.

Look around…

Under the mountain sky we’re kings and queens

Again drinking deeply of the royal breeze.

Behind us the clarion-screen door calls out names and like ants to a picnic, family members rush to greet us. We spin and run, pinecones under our feet tumbling and laughing into each other.

Many of us. Through a single doorway. One at a time. All together.

Inside, we lean into the strong pillars while the trip is discussed. There’s an old melody playing somewhere. Some of us hum along. Others smile. Everyone exhales. Preparing to unload some head back to the gravel parking lot. The rocks cough up dirt that won’t leave our shoes for weeks.

Look around…

We have arrived, anticipating.

We have landed, beginning.

Ha! I’ve made it. I’ve so much to look forward to.

Every Once in a Great While Advertisers Get it Right

Every once in a great while advertising gets it right. I love this one...

Chevy Commercial

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/11/sons-buy-back-beloved-chevy-that-dad-sold-to-pay-for-college/1

Loving is More Difficult

Loving is more difficult than controlling
Its tension
Tight rope walking
Waiting

Questions are more honorable than answers
It’s wondering
Open-ended
Furrowing

Giving is stronger than receiving
It’s hands-off
Letting go
Blessing

The Christmas Story was Written Slowly

The Christmas story was written slowly. For ages the Hebrew people waited for His coming. Which is why on this December day I find it strange to read James, who was writing to his fellow Hebrew believers say, “Be patient as you wait for the Lords return.” They had just spent centuries waiting for the Lords first turn.

Imagine being a devout Jew growing up in the 1st Century. You're well aware of your family's tradition and longing for the Messiah. You've prayed the prayers as a child. You've read the prophecies. You've dreamt about the possibilities. Then you witness Jesus' miracles, his teachings, his death and apparent resurrection. This is amazing. You decide to put your trust in this Jesus. This is what you and your entire family have been waiting for! Then Jesus leaves and James tells you, "wait for His return".

Patience, restraint, waiting... they're all synonymous. They're all indispensable. I've tried interacting with God without being patient. Humorous. I wonder why it is I believe God must hurry up? Am I that important? I would guess between the two options - me slowing down or God hurrying up - it would be more productive for me to slow down. But waiting doesn't come naturally to me. And restraint isn't something our society applauds. Which is a real problem... both that our society doesn't teach restraint and that I'm worried about applause. Maybe I should do as my ten-year old did recently. When asked what kind of vegetables he wanted to eat after his main course, without looking up he dryly replied in between bites, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Richard Foster says, "Waiting is hidden preparation." Every biblical character we read about needed hidden preparation. Every person of authentic faith I've ever met has had to become familiar with the concept. It's likely I need to as well.

This December, once again, our frenetic culture will wind itself up in an effort to find something, to get somewhere, to purchase something. Maybe the finding is in the waiting... waiting to be found.

Meanwhile, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return.

Being Thankful for what I Have... Not for what I Want

The most alarming sign of the state of our society is that our leaders have the courage to sacrifice the lives of young people in war but have not the courage to tell us that we must be less greedy and less wasteful. Wendell Berry