Leaving the Media Bubble

Perhaps the one mistake we have in assuming is that the media mirrors all cultural aspects of our lives. What we see on TV and read on the internet must reflect on all of our attitudes and behavior.
Cable news, social media, and talk radio have created an angry right and left divide. Pundits on all sides yelling and interrupting each other on so called news outlets. From there, people in the streets trying to outdone another by shouting and holding up signs in street theater, vying for attention. If aliens obtained our digital signals, they would never arrive here for fear of landing in a war zone judging by what they seen and heard.


Sometimes, though, you just have to go outside, leave the digital bubble, turn off the TV, and put down you smart phone to see what is really happening out there.


I did that, disheartened after seeing more news about the anger brewing in our country. So I left the house and entered the daylight and went to a café of people of varying views and race. Laughter, debate, discussion, people making friends, but no yelling and casting aspersions. Just everyday people of different backgrounds who came together by happenstance and enjoying a communal environment together. I guess when you meet people face to face, you no longer see an enemy or stereotype created by other people or prejudice, but just another person just like you trying to navigate life's problems.


A good time, new ideas, fresh perspectives, and a reminder there is a life of kindness and tolerance beyond the digital world.

The Real Arrogance of Man

Creating or choosing our own religion.

Eternal truths: there's one God, no God, or many. You can't pick which one based on your liking. To say there are many paths to Heaven is saying in effect: "Hey, your religion doesn't suit me, I think I'll try the other guy," just like you can the diner down the street if the you're eating at now doesn't' suit your taste. After all, why is it just YOUR religion that is so special? What is comes down to is: Jesus is either the Son of God, or a mortal prophet, or a great teacher; He can't change what He is for a particular man's leanings.

 What if none of the current religions satisfy you? Create your own, a la L. Ron Hubbard and              Scientology? In today's climate, one, must be politically correct, and accept virtually all beliefs as valid. We want things are own way to suit us, and if it's not, the offending party is being disrespectful. We create a virtual reality for ourselves, and everything we want we do it now and whatever we want. Thus the "many paths to Heaven" line. It accommodates everyone. But, as Matthew &:13-14 states: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." And as John 14:6 adds: "6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 7"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."… There is no room to wiggle out of the "many paths" argument.

The teachings of the Lord are timeless through the eternal, and knows no manmade cultural or political limitations. To do otherwise is the real arrogance of man.

 

The Silent Sin

A pastor counsels a female parishioner alone in his office.

A man is seen entering a bar to get some food.

An unmarried couple go somewhere together.

What do these sins have in common The silent sin never talked about is gossip. Of course we don't want our brothers to stumble, so any of those actions can trigger "concern", and others are told about it in the process. We don't have all of the facts, or now all of the details, but it doesn't stop many people from repeating what they know, or don't know. Yes, I am curious as the next fellow, and can't claim I'm without sin here myself.

For instance, I enjoy the company of my female friends and coworkers, and can't imagine using a chaperone like a 14 year old whenever I want to have a business lunch, or have a chat in her office with her.

People observe this, and the transgressors' actions seemingly destroy their testimony for Christ. We talk about other sins without fear of disagreement: drunkenness or lust, for example. But gossip is one rarely mentioned in the pulpit, or anywhere else in the church, I'd venture to guess. If only we could address all sin, and not handpick certain ones.

We All Want to Belong (Team Nation)

As our technology has increasingly alienated us from one another, I think we still long to be part of something bigger than our own selves. We can do so much alone without the aid of or acknowledging, talking to, or listening to another person, from self service check outs, ATMs, and online chat rooms and social media. The result is further isolation and loss of social skills in dealing with other people.

Once in a store, there was a lady who walked around with her cell phone wedged between her shoulder and head, and oblivious to others around her. In face, she did not realize she dropped her credit card on the floor until I pointed it out to her. A look around around a bar, coffee shop, or any social gathering will show people fixed on their iPhone, tablet, laptop, or whatever new device that is out there checking texts, emails, videos, music, or video games. Most of our "friends" are now on Facebook, where actual interaction with many of them (you know, like meeting them in person and doing things with them), are in cyberspace.

In the end, though, a void has been created where inside us is a desire to be part of something larger, whether it be a family, club, country, or a cause. I think we want others to identify us as part of a group despite our penchant for individuality.

Thus started the trend of "(Insert your favorite person/movie character/sports hero) Nation," or "Team (Insert favorite cause, animal, or hobby)." Others may call it a community or tribe. But whatever you call it, I think it speaks of a longing for the comradeship of others. Accompanying such identifications are the obligatory tee shirts, since they're the most visible, or Facebook pages (again with the social media). Quiet time is good, and computers can be a gateway to entertainment and information, but if that is all we have, we can become pretty hollow.

The Obituary

I have a tendency to read the obituaries in the news. Not just to find out who passed away, but what is their life story, interests, and contributions. Supposedly ordinary people who fought wars, raised families, contributed time and money to charity, and other works that were unheralded. The everyday struggle of earning living, donating your time to charities, and raising a family are rarely noted or glamorized. That there was a life beyond the short printed death notice in a newspaper.



I often wondered about those with short biographies if they did more than reported. What were their ambitions, and what else would they liked to have done (who doesn't think that?). What were their hopes, dreams, and unfulfilled ambitions? Some obituaries are very personal, giving such information as favorite movies, fans of movies, special friends, pets, and funny anecdotes. Others are very sparse with detail, and some have very little or no family listed at all, a making me sad for them, where an obituary page is seemingly their only legacy.



It makes me wonder what my mark in life will be and what a legacy I leave behind. That's probably what is behind mid life crises: the feeling to accomplish what one wants to do is increasingly limited as time passes. In the end, I don't want to remembered as the number one Steelers fan or other such distinction, but rather the title of husband, father, and Christian worker. The number of people I made laugh, made their life better, and helped is a far better legacy to be remembered by that titles or money.

Are You a Kodak or an Amazon?

In 1975, Kodak developed the first digital camera. However, film was a huge revenue source for the company, and a digital camera would have dried up that revenue. So the prototype was place on the backburner for years until competition forced their hand to finally introduce to the marketplace. By then, the opportunity parade had passed by.

Amazon, however had a different philosophy. Whereas their service was selling books, they took the initiative to cannibalize their market short term for long term success. They seen the handwriting on the wall for print, and the advantages of e readers, so thus the Kindle was born. They also got a head start on their competition.

Blockbuster has a similar story. They created a national chain of video stores where their main product was renting videos where before consumers went to rent them from convenience stores, who provided them as only a part of their marketing plan, not primary one. When renting videos were a gold mine in the 80s and 90s, no one could see what technology could bring. Some even predicted the end of the movie industry as we knew it. So in 2000, a young start up called Netflix was presented as firm to be bought, Blockbuster executives declined their offer. Online movies could hurt the infrastructure invested by Blockbuster, so they ultimately declined.

The moral is technology goes on with or without us. We cannot hold it back, no matter how big we are. Beware of the hungry young dropout in their garage with burning ambition and know how. It is where the next revolution will begin.

Everyone is a (and has a) Part of the Body

Everyone has a part to play in the Body of Christ. That is evident in the unlikely people chosen by God to perform tasks that others seemed better suited to do that the Pharisees would find difficult to believe. Consider the following:

Moses, leader and delivered of the Israelis out of the bondage in Egypt, was known to stutter in front of, and uncomfortable, around a large group of people, and even told God so and was very reluctant of his assignment.

Rahab the prostitute assisted the spies sent from Joshua in destruction of Jericho, and was spared in its demise.

David, slight of stature and barely a teenager, slain Goliath the Giant.

Jesus chose from his disciples humble fishermen, and in Matthew's case, a tax collector (the most despised position in Judea).

Saul of Tarsus, persecutor of Christians, had a Road to Damascus moment, and founder of churches and creator of converts that was the genesis of the modern church.

Abraham and Sarah, although very old, bore the seed of a mighty nation.

Deborah, the only female judge in Israel, predicted victory over the Canaanites, despite the reluctance of Barak, and stated the credit for the victory will belong to a woman.

The Bible contains farming analogies to illustrate its lessons. Some Christians  are planters, tossing seeds in to the ground, where it will slowly spring from its roots. Others irrigate the crops by  watering them and pruning its dead branches. And yet others harvest the crops when they are matures and ready to be cultivated. Our witness can be like one of those jobs. Perhaps the results are not spectacular and immediate, but can produce long awaited, and worthy, results.

Don't get discouraged in your walk and wonder if you have made an impact with your faith. We are called to many offices: teacher, preacher, prophet, and evangelist. Each part of the body has to complement other parts, otherwise little will be accomplished. Find your gift, and don't be discouraged. Look at what you gifted at, and find those in need, pray in earnest, and let God do the rest.