All posts by ljmonson

Culture, Motivation, Psycolog, Ramblings

Honor

Over the last couple of months, I have tried to grasp the characteristics or inner needs that drive our actions.  Again, actions are the results or responses we decide to make as we live out our core.  Our core is part and parcel of who we are.  We do not choose to be wanted and accepted, it is a part of our core or center characteristic.  Actions based upon this core have moral consequences.  Actions are never done in isolation.  Actions are what we do in response to our innermost.  These actions require an act of the will.  An example: I have an inner desire for consumption of food, but it is an act of the will to consume good food or not so good food.  Decisions carry with it consequences.  If someone would step on my toe in a crowded elevator, I would feel pain; no decision on my part it is a part of being alive.  But if I lashed out at the perpetrator of the pain and punched him in the nose, that is a decision and has consequences. Pain is part of being how I am. Purposely inflicting pain on someone else’s nose is a decision-making process.

So far in my list of inner wants or core needs I have covered acceptance, curiosity, consumption, and family. The next on the list is probably the most problematic.  Problematic in that our society seems to display the actions that would not express this characteristic.  That characteristic is honor.

Honor as defined in the Bible as kabod in the Old Testament meaning heavy or weighty.  To honor someone is to give weight or give respect and even authority over your life, and timao in the New Testament.  It is characterized as granting honor because of respect, courtesy, and reverence.  Both words speak of acts of honor. Never-the-less, I believe there is an inner desire to acknowledge others with honor.

An example of this characteristic is when I worked for Intel Corporation.  I was asked to go on a sales call with a large customer to be a technical advisor to the discussion.  I felt that I should give the honor to the customer to dress well and be on my best behavior.  I put on a fresh shirt and a moderate tie under my suit coat and went to the meeting.  At the meeting table prior to introductions the prospective buyers constantly asked me questions and almost ignoring the sales manager to which I was there to support.  The sales manager was not wearing a tie or for that matter acted disinterested in the goings-on of the meeting.  The company staff was referring to me because of my clothes and demeanor.  To the chagrin of my sales manager, he was being ignored and I was being honored.

For the most part, most do not act rudely.  Most take care not to offend.  Most react to the honor urge in positive ways.  It is an internal attitude of that should be nurtured.  It is only when we respect, and honor others will others do the same. While the reception of honor is a positive experience, it is not to be sought ( Luke 14:7-8 ). When honor comes from others by reason of position or status, it is not to be taken for granted. The recipients should seek to merit honor through godly character.

The granting of honor to others is an essential experience in the believer’s life. Christians are to bestow honor on those for whom honor is due. The believer is to honor God, for he is the sovereign head of the universe and his character is unsurpassed. The believer is to honor those in positions of earthly authority, such as governing authorities ( Rom 13:1-7 ), masters ( 1 Tim 6:1 ), and parents ( Exod 20:12 ). As a participant in the church, the believer is also called to honor Jesus Christ, the head of the church ( John 5:23 ), fellow believers ( Rom 12:10 ), and widows ( 1 Tim 5:3 ).

Honor, now that is deep!

Comments welcomed.

Life, Personal

I thirst.

People come in all forms, sizes, desires, and priorities.  Some live with a passion that simply burns them up and others seem to just simmer.  Some would rather let others do the talking and take it with a gross acceptance, while others accept nothing at face value.  Christians run the full gamut from great thinkers to great doers.   Some would prefer the music to move them as it wishes, others must know the time, key and meter of every song.

My aim for this blog has always been to promote my personal descriptions and insights into Christianity.  I make no pretense of knowing it all.  For that matter, I am learning every day as to the time, key and meter of my understanding of God in relation to man and the church.  I have espoused a practical theology.  A theology that often runs contrary from the path of the mainstream.  My hope is that someone may actually read this and be helped or at the least be motivated to look a little deeper into their own relationship with God.

It was once said it is not the rock-lined hole in the ground that the soul cries for but the cool quenching water it holds.  It is not intellectual knowledge that quenches the burning our souls, of heart thirst of our lives.  It is the very person an personality of God that slacks our inner burning.

Church History, Motivation, Worship

Lent

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This Sunday, Pastor reminded us that both Valentine’s day and the beginning of Lent was on Wednesday.

“What did you give up for Lent?” was asked of me several years ago and it really did not register what that meant.  I figured it was like a second chance at a New Year’s Resolution for those who had already abandoned theirs.

In Jesus’ day, the people gamely tried to obey the written law to win God’s favor. The scribes and Pharisees scrupulously taught the law to people looking for freedom from the Romans, adding many human safeguards so there would be no chance that someone might transgress a commandment by accident.

So why do we observe Lent in the Christian life today?  What are the reasons behind the tradition?  I really don’t find anywhere in the Scripture that admonishes us to observe a specific time and or season of fasting and personal supplication outside of admonishment to a continued and constant part of the Christians life.

Around the church, Lent and the Easter tradition has become an opportunity to bring us closer to God.  The Pastor is preaching on the great “I ams” of Jesus.  But in reality, it will be one more lost opportunity to be called of God to a higher place with Him. That’s surprising, especially since Lent is one of the oldest observations on the Christian calendar. Like all Christian holy days and holidays, it has changed over the years, but its purpose has always been the same: self-examination and penitence, demonstrated by self-denial, in preparation for Easter. Early church father Irenaeus of Lyons (c.130-c.200) wrote of such a season in the earliest days of the church, but back then it lasted only two or three days, not the 40 observed today.

In 325, the Council of Nicea discussed a 40-day Lenten season of fasting, but it’s unclear whether its original intent was just for new Christians preparing for Baptism, but it soon encompassed the whole Church. How exactly the churches counted those 40 days varied depending on location. In the East, one only fasted on weekdays. The western church’s Lent was one week shorter but included Saturdays. But in both places, the observance was both strict and serious. Only one meal was taken a day, near the evening. There was to be no meat, fish, or animal products eaten.

There has been many changes and interpretations to the length and scope of this season.  Never-the-less, Lent is still devoutly observed in some mainline Protestant denominations (most notably for Anglicans and Episcopalians), others hardly mention it at all. However, there seems to be potential for evangelicals to embrace the season again as a promoting fasting as a forerunner to revival. For many evangelicals who see the early church as a model for how the church should be today, a revival of Lent may be the next logical step.

Culture, Life

Be Still and Know

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I am quite taken by the changes in my lifetime.  I guess it is a part of getting old.  Please don’t call me a cynic, but I really don’t think it is much better.  My current mindset is about the society, our culture, the world itself seems to be more and more demanding of the individual to become less and the grandiose total is becoming more and more.  This attitude of public perfection is the greatest goal for man, is just taking over.  If we think like everyone else it will eliminate all conflict, pain, and want.  If the common politically demanded correctness is achieved, we will all “get along”. Every decision, act, purchase, relationship, in this new group think environment must be evaluated by the current wind of public opinion or popular cause.

Our current culture has no regulation or mandates.  All there is are options, attractions, temptations, seductions.  Duty is seen as an option, not a requirement.  Why should someone have to stand when the national anthem is played?  Don’t we have free speech? Shouldn’t it be an option?

An American philosopher Richard Rorty characterized this new society as, “Maximum material property for all, combined with an anesthetized culture of self-created individuals.”  It is a sheltered and inoculated society walking a zombie walk without worry and angst once bitten by the next big thing.  Let the next film be all that is talked about.  Let the digital death at the hand of a binary sniper remove all the queasiness of accountability.  All the great new things solve little. This beautiful promised world with its own pitfalls and dangers constantly pitch new and fulfilling choices.  And these choices are nothing more than a distraction.

From the lyrics of a song by Steven Curtis Chapman

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is holy
Be still Oh restless heart of mine
Bow before the Prince of Peace
Let the noise and clamor cease

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is faithful
Consider all that He has done
Stand in awe and be amazed
And know that He will never change

Be still

Be still and know that He is God.

Comments are welcome.

Culture, Life, Ramblings

The truth is, there is no truth.

The world, the public persona, the culture shouts to us from every screen and signboard is one of “not enough.” There is always one more improvement, always one more perfect solution, always “but wait, there’s more.”  Boiled down to a single phrase it could well be, “the truth of yesterday is not the truth today.” The truth is that there is no truth.  Our culture around us screams for the next big thing. The biggest and best of yesterday is nothing compared to the new and improved of today.  The common societal mantra goes even blatantly further with a wry smile, hinting that the best yet to come. The now is never enough. The truth of today is just a pale shadow of that new truth to come.

Technology promises a plethora of new and better.  Politics promise peace and prosperity.  Cars that can protect ourselves from our own stupidity.  Phones that will never get you lost. Better coffee, better food, better soda that tastes great with no sugar. Always a hopeful future.

Our society promises a kind of heaven on earth.  A world with stable ocean levels.  A world where all have access to clean water.  A world where everyone has free stuff.  A world where there is no money.  A world where the individual is not limited by anything.  Our culture promises a life of satiated desires and political correctness.  But this new world order has no meaning outside of the moment.  No current home will ever satisfy our personal homelessness. No current meaning of life will ever have meaning.  No hope of life now will ever be enough.  There is no joy of life in the now that is sufficient. Where is the satisfaction?

Our lives are bombarded by reality shows that nothing to do with reality.  There a talent shows that allow us to think, “that could be me.”  Commercials that proclaim the latest absolute bargain. We pay homage to the opinion of the latest celebrity for all our group-think. For the world, there is no “same yesterday, today and tomorrow.” Our culture says there is no constancy.

BUT THERE IS.  It is only when we realize that it is possible to be in the world and not be a part of it.  It is only when the constant of eternity is the foundation of our lives can there ever be true satisfaction in our nows.

Church, Personal, Psycolog

Family, family, family

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I have a grand-daughter that started a performance ritual a few years back.  Whenever an occasion arose to have all the relatives in one place, she would have all of us gather together in a big circle and hold hands. She would then start the swinging of hands repeating, “Family, Family, Family.” This little act of coming together as a family was from an inner desire to touch and feel a part of something more than herself.  I believe there is a need deep down within every human to want to be included in a family.  For adults, there is a need to create a family and within that an intrinsic feeling of love, of creation or a desire to leave something behind.

It would be easy for a secular family to put the family in a priority level from first to a much lower position.  Some people can’t have a bunch of kids.  Others simply don’t want children.  The social climate we live in seems to encourage family: deductions on our income tax, public support of schools for children, there is even special medical coverage for children that is not available for adults.

In the sphere of Christianity, where does this intersect with the family of God? Many Christians rightly say that God loves family. All throughout Scripture, families are given the task of rearing children in the Lord. Husbands and wives are commanded to be faithful to one another, and children to their parents. Paul writes that “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8).  Conversely, Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).

Following Jesus means belonging to two families, a natural family, and a faith family. Unlike His surrounding culture, what is most important to Jesus is the faith family: “Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother’” (Matt. 12:46–50).

Jesus’ call to join a new family generates an unavoidable loyalty conflict. Which family do I now owe my ultimate loyalty?  It is a dilemma which is not easily overcome.  We go through life as a Christian hoping that the test of our ultimate loyalty will not have to be faced.

So where does the Christian put the personal family and God’s family into the hierarchy of priorities?  Does the ranking and rating system of our beliefs require us to make a choice?  It is easy to put God first on our list: the issue arises when we must decide who to put in number two place: God’s family or my family.

While our natural families are still the most significant earthly relationships we have, we must learn to situate our natural families under an umbrella of the family of God—not as distinct social entities competing for time and attention but as members of the same family.

As Barna president David Kinnaman said,

Cultivating intergenerational relationships is one of the most important ways in which effective faith communities are developing flourishing faith in both young and old. In many churches, this means changing the metaphor from simply passing the baton to the next generation to a more functional, biblical picture of a body—that is, the entire community of faith, across the entire lifespan, working together to fulfill God’s purposes.

For those who don’t have a natural family, for those who choose not to have a natural family, for those who have lost their natural family, I have an invitation.  That invitation is to find a better family, a more important family, the family of God.

When we all gather together as a body of believers we need to grab and hand a repeat after my little grand-daughter and proclaim “Family, Family, Family.”  We should do it because there is no real separation between God and his family.

Life, Motivation, Personal, Psycolog

Transmission fluid and hamburgers.

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The only being that is completely self-sufficient is God, all others must and are driven to consume.  If you don’t, you die.  Whether it is good for you vegetables, or not so good for you half-pound hamburger covered with cheese and accompanied by greasy fried potatoes, you will consume.  Again, this is a motive or a decision point that you must come to order for you to live.  The desire to incorporate something outside of yourself is neither right or wrong, it is part of being God’s creation.  We come into the realm of good and bad is when we start making the decision as to how to satiate that desire.

I just pulled the bottom pan from a Dodge Dakota pickup transmission.  I was careful not to spill the slightly blackened, red fluid all over myself and the concrete behind my house.  It is my decision whether I pour it down the storm drain, or to pour it into the properly sealed container and take it down to the recycle center. It is my choice to do the responsible thing or the other way.  But it all boils down to what is my Christian responsibility.  What would God ask me to do with four quarts of used oil?

Sunday’s sermon, which did not include anything about used oil, helps me make the decision.  The preacher said, “I like the Savior part of Jesus, I have problems with the Lord part.”  I am saved by grace.  The Lord loves me, and I can’t stop Him from doing that act of love.  But, with my conversion, I have a responsibility to make decisions as He would have me make.  It is about who is in control.  It is about who is leading.  It is about who knows the correct path.  So what does this have to do with used petroleum products?  Two things:  Stewardship, and responsibility.

Adam and Eve’s first test before God, even before the forbidden fruit, was to take responsibility for the earth. It wasn’t an add-in later, it was not a sideline to be figured out when they had the time or the inclination.  It was a foundational understanding and requirement given to these two humans.  They were to be caretakers or stewards. Sometimes God limits Himself by letting his work become the responsibility of people. “I made this garden for you, it is perfect, it is filled with all kinds of animals, it has all that you need to consume, but it is your responsibility to keep it in order.” Or as the Message says, “God blessed them; Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!  Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”

The sovereign ruler of the universe and all human affairs gave Adam and Eve the job of a steward.  But more than that He gave them responsibility for the outcome. That responsibility for keeping a watchful eye over and active participation in the guarding and nurture of the world that they lived in.  We are, as Christians, directly responsible for the current state of our environment.

The earth and all life in it and on it are gifts from God.  They are to be shared and developed.  They are not there to be exploited.  Our actions have moral consequences.  The goods of the earth and the beauty of the world around us are to be enjoyed and even celebrated as well as being consumed. We have a responsibility, as much as lays within us, to be good stewards and take direct responsibility for the outcomes.  We must consider the generations to come when we make our decisions on consumption.

I will dispose of my used automatic transmission oil responsibility, not because I owe allegiance to a mother earth society, but because it is demanded of me by my Lord.

Comments.  Suggestions.  Rebuttal?

Bible Study, Life, Personal, Psycolog

Curiosity and the cat

What is so wrong with wanting to know something?  What is it that makes us have curiosity? Babies touch and place things in their mouths, all to know more about their small environment.  Curiosity is simply learning for learning’s sake.  It is wanting to understand ourselves and others.  It is wondering why things work.  Curiosity is a tendency to explore and know new things. We see people indulge in a traveling to look at new places, new things and new developments taking place outside their environment.

But it can also get us into trouble.  Eve could not resist eating of the fruit of the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden.  Lot’s wife could not stop herself from looking back on the destruction of the Sodom and Gamora. In Greek mythology, Pandora opened the box and let loose evil, sickness, and unhappiness. Early religious thinkers thought curiosity was sinful because a lust for knowledge was an attribute reserved for God.

Never-the-less it drives me.  I never seem to have enough knowledge.  I never seem to have enough information about a situation to decide on the alternatives.  And when I do make a choice of the viable options, I am not satisfied and continue to research and consequently second guess myself.  Frustrating.

Further, all this knowledge can well become a detriment to reasonable discussion.  I have been accused of being a know-it-all.  Even though I am constantly bombarded with questions, primarily because I usually have an answer, sometimes I just guess to display my mastery of all that is important.

Two ideas here in defense of the natural desire or motive of curiosity: It can open ourselves to God and it is a perfect solution to judgment.

Yes, curiosity killed the cat, but it does open the greatest discovery of all.  The New American Standard Bible states in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.”  Study of the Word of God can very well lead to the approval of God.  Curiosity can well point to God.

It is not as if God is standing well off our path of life and we must let our curiosity motivate a search hither and yon to find him. God is already at our door gently, patiently waiting for your curiosity to open the door.

The next time you start judging someone or some act, turn on the curiosity.  Ask yourself why that person or that act happened.  Put yourself in their shoes.  Ask questions of the why of the action or expression.  The very act of curiosity can well cause us to reassess our own judgmental attitude.

What do you think?  Add a comment.

Personal, Psycolog, Uncategorized

Acceptance

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“Larry, you are just too loud.”

People have said this to me constantly throughout my life.  I have been told that my brashness and overbearing attitudes need a little “softening”.  I tried to meter myself most of my life, but the same comments seem to be whispered where ever I go. It was OK to be a little loud as a kid, never-the-less as an adult it sometimes simply becomes too much.  Those around me, in meetings and gatherings, would simply interrupt my pontification and not let me finish my thought because I was monopolizing the conversation.  These efforts and comments seem to motivate me to get a little louder, a little more vociferous to make my point.

The older I get, all these gentle nudges, comments, and queues, the more frustrated I have become.  Why do my helpers always want to change me?  Do they think I can just flip a switch and become someone else?  Is there some magic button I can push to make myself more acceptable to those around me? If it were that simple.  I want to be accepted as I am.  I desire to be accepted.  I try to meter my speech sometimes just to get along.  But every effort to put on that mask for someone else, causes me to suffer.

I want to be appreciated.  I want people to include me. I want people to like me.  I want to be accepted for who I am.

Acceptance as a motivator or a desire has its good side and its bad side.  Acceptance as a desire or a motivator is a common thread in all.  We post on Facebook in the hope someone might just respond with acceptance.  We drive at or slightly above the speed limit because it is the accepted behavior.  It feels good when a compliment comes your way pertaining an idea or an effort of yours.  It warms your heard when someone goes out of their way to acknowledge your being a part of their lives.

On the other, more dark side, it can lead to judgments without examinations.  It can lead to shame used as a whip to bring someone into line with their expectations. Acceptance can be a very negative motivator when it becomes the only sign of self-worth.  Acceptance can be very negative when it is used against you.  Acceptance is terrible when it is the only thing that motivates you.  Acceptance by others can become the only measuring rod of your life, the only thing that marks your being loved.

So, hear me when I say to you:

You are a human being, you are an image-bearer of the Most High God.

You are accepted here.

You belong to this earth.

You belong at the feet of Jesus and are accepted.

You belong within and are accepted by a community of like-minded believers.

You deserve to be accepted for who you are.  Don’t let the rejecters and judgments of others tell you different.  Don’t buy into their schemes and lies.  You are accepted by God.

The Lord is my Shepherd, and that is all I need.

Comments?

Life, Personal, Psycolog, Ramblings

The why of the what.

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Why do you do the things you do? Why do you react to some people one way and others in another?  What causes me to want to go to a church that fills me with joy or even go to church in the first place?  What inner voice drives me to learn and share that learning?  Why do I write or even write about the subjects I do?  For that matter, why do I keep asking questions like these?  Others seem to ignore the why and are more concerned about the what.

To this end, I have researched and studied and digested numerous sources all the way from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to Herzberg’s two-factor theory. I have self-analyzed myself to a point of frustration.

In the next couple of weeks, I plan to address what makes me, and for that matter, you and everyone else, what seems to motivate our actions.  Further, I will include the direct relationship to each of our motivations to God and how we choose to serve Him.

Prior to addressing the nine motives or desires, I have set specific criteria to each.  First criteria for each motive or desire is that it is amoral.  That is there is no cause for judgment in having one of these motives or desires.  The desires of the body are morally neutral.  Second is that each of these desires or motives can and often lead to moral decisions.  The why will turn to what.  Thirdly, our moral decisions based on these desires can be good, holy, and Godly.  Conversely, our moral decisions can be bad, sinful and ungodly. Lastly, as humans, we all have these motives or desires to one degree or other.  To ignore any of them is to ignore what God has put in us and how God made us.

So this is where I am going:

  1. Acceptance
  2. Curiosity
  3. Consumption
  4. Family
  5. Honor
  6. Idealism
  7. Independence
  8. Order
  9. Love