More Appearances of Reality

To spy out the reality hidden in appearances takes perseverance. Virginia Stem Owens

The sacred is often lost in the growing shadow of the secular which grows, in part, as we pursue the appearance of a ‘thing’ rather than the reality of a ‘thing’.

· As Mary Jane obsesses on the skin-deep-perfection of Hollywood she increasingly is unable to see what is beautiful about her self. (The appearance is that the Hollywood crowd has it together, the reality is the more she thinks upon it she shortchanges her self.)
· As Billy Joe climbs up the corporate ladder he finds it more and more difficult to define himself as a person rather than a position. (The appearance is that success at work will bring happiness, the reality is power and position cannot provide it.)
· I have no idea why these examples need to have a first and middle name. I’m not really from the South. You’ll just have to deal with it.

The secular likes to make us think that the real world, the one we see, hear, feel, touch and taste is all there is. But that’s only a half truth and as one philosopher said, "The problem with half-truths is the other half." I’m not sure of John Mayer’s spiritual inclination but in his song, No Such Thing, he says, “I just found out there’s no such thing as a real world, it’s just a lie you’ve got to rise above.” Rising above is hard. It’s easier to believe the appearance. It's quicker... there seems less distraction. But character is forged in searching and maybe even more... Maybe even glory is forged in the search. A wise man once said in Scripture, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”

Is your life about the ‘glory of kings’? Or is it more just making it through one more day. Look beyond appearances.

Is your life about 'glory' or about something a tad less dramatic like, what's playing on the growth avoidance mechanism (t.v.) tonight? Search beyond the here and now.

The reality is so much more but it's hidden.

These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Colossians 2:17

rennovare, j

The Appearance of Reality

Between the idea and reality
Between the motion and the act
Falls the shadow
TS Elliot

Virginia Stem Owens* in her book, And the Trees Clap their Hands, says,
“The newborn is a natural spy. Only his inherent limitations impede him from consuming all the clues of the universe. Sent here with the mission of finding the meaning buried in matter, he goes about his business briskly. He is devoted to discovery. He has to learn the world from scratch, but the task seems nothing but a joy. Yet gradually, over time, something goes wrong.

The spy slowly begins to forget his mission. He spends so much time and effort learning the language, adopting the habits and customs, internalizing the thought patterns flawlessly, that somehow he becomes his cover. He forgets what he’s about. He goes to school, grows up. He gets his job, collects his pay, buys a house, and waters the lawn. He wakes up each morning with the shape of his mission, what brought him here in the first place, grown hazier. Then one morning he wakes up and only yawns. It must be there somewhere, buried in the brain cells, but at least superficially the memory is erased. The spy goes native.”

Colossians 2:17 - These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

*To learn more about Virginia Stem Owens check out imagejournal.org

Habits, Teeth Brushing

The most productive way to start a new habit is also the hardest thing to do… deciding. Not deliberating. Not more education. Not anything except a good, ole decision. Once we decide then we just treat it like a habit. Tidlen H. Edwards in talking of the habit of prayer said, “Brushing our teeth, once its a habit, is very simple. So is prayer time. If we leave open a crack for 'redeciding' every day, then it becomes complicated.” Secondly, when we feel resistance to whatever it is that we have decided to do we should probably just lightly acknowledge the resistance and move on with it. The more we ‘judge’ ourselves for our resistance the more we complicate the whole matter. Most of the time, even when I’m tired, I don’t think about whether I should brush my teeth or not. I just do it. (although you wouldn’t know it by talking to my dentist!) It’s simple. It’s a decision I’ve made. Edwards goes on to say, “Judgment complicates our resistance and turns what is simple into a heavy struggle.” That sounds like human nature. Taking what is simple and making it a struggle. Start a new habit today if you have to. Decide to. Don't try. Just do it. Rennovare, J

New Year, New Habits, New You

Ideas are abstract. Images are concrete.
Ideas tend to lack feeling. Powerful emotions accompany images.

As we face a new year the image you have of who you will be (physically, emotionally, financially, vocationally, etc…) plays a dominant role in you actually becoming. What image do you have of yourself? I think its okay to share this… I have a sister who is now in heaven. While she was still alive it became evident, in particular toward the latter part of her life that she struggled with her self-image. One time in the course of talking about it she was asked to identify a perspective of herself. The image she offered was one of a small, obscure, fragile plant. In many respects, in spite of all the support around her, she was never really able to get beyond that view of herself. I know for certain that that image for my sis was laden with feelings. When she thought of it, it made her feel a particular way. Unfortunately those feelings had to do with vulnerability and weakness. I'll never forget that because I loved her and wanted to help her change. If she could have ever begun to change her image of herself it would have made a huge difference in her life. (By the way - being vulnerable and weak are sometimes very good things images to have. But that's for a different discussion I think.)

So, one of the most important images we have is the one we have of ourselves. But an even more important image is the image we have of God. A.W. Tozer said, “A right conception of God is to practical Christian living, what the foundation is to the temple; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse.” (Of course leave it to C.S. Lewis to top Tozer cuz he said the most important perspective of all is not the one we have of ourselves or have of God but the one God has of us!)

All right… so what is the image you have of yourselves? How bout of God? Images are important. They evoke feelings. Now consider the image that Jesus left us with… the cross. It’s likely the all-time most powerful image in human history. I think He knows something about images. *

renovare,
J

* Oh and what was Jesus' perspective of God? How bout what He said as recorded by Matthew, "With God everything is possible."

(For more and much better thought along these lines check out Dallas Willard’s article called ‘Transformation of the Mind” at http://www.dwillard.org)