Once upon a time, a rabbit was bounding down the path. Suddenly a bear came out of the trees holding a bunch of leaves in its paw. The bear asked the rabbit, "Do you have trouble with poop sticking to your fur?" The rabbit said, "No, why?" So the bear threw the leaves down, picked up the rabbit, and reached back...
I feel a lot like the rabbit right now.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Living with Regret
Please, cue the maudlin music...
The past couple of months have had more than their fair share of pain and disappointment. Far more than their fair share. Now I sit here staring at my monitor and wondering about all of those things that I wish had never been.
Do you know how some folks say that they live life without regret? In my opinion, people who can live life without regret have either never tried to live life and don't know any better or are so selfish and so far beyond self-reflection that they truly have no sense of regret.
As for me, this sense was overdeveloped and I regret much.
I have hurt people in my life, this is true. I too have been hurt. There are scars on my heart that wrench every time my chest beats. Sorrow and remorse fill me like Billie Holiday, and as she once sang, "Mama may have, and Papa may have, but God bless the child who's got his own."
But here's the thing about remorse. To say that you have no remorse is to say that you are without sin. To say that you have done everything to perfection is to say that you have no need for God. Not good.
Yes, regret is necessary. Regret says that you have failed, it says that you are human. Remorse recognizes we have hurt others, we have sinned against others. It opens the door for us to say that we need Christ in our lives. It opens the door to Christ.
There are a good many mistakes I have made in my life. I live with the consequences of them everyday. But two of these consequences are life in Christ and the love of my wife. Her love itself a gift from God.
These mistakes have made me the man I am today, both for better and for worse.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
The past couple of months have had more than their fair share of pain and disappointment. Far more than their fair share. Now I sit here staring at my monitor and wondering about all of those things that I wish had never been.
Do you know how some folks say that they live life without regret? In my opinion, people who can live life without regret have either never tried to live life and don't know any better or are so selfish and so far beyond self-reflection that they truly have no sense of regret.
As for me, this sense was overdeveloped and I regret much.
I have hurt people in my life, this is true. I too have been hurt. There are scars on my heart that wrench every time my chest beats. Sorrow and remorse fill me like Billie Holiday, and as she once sang, "Mama may have, and Papa may have, but God bless the child who's got his own."
But here's the thing about remorse. To say that you have no remorse is to say that you are without sin. To say that you have done everything to perfection is to say that you have no need for God. Not good.
Yes, regret is necessary. Regret says that you have failed, it says that you are human. Remorse recognizes we have hurt others, we have sinned against others. It opens the door for us to say that we need Christ in our lives. It opens the door to Christ.
There are a good many mistakes I have made in my life. I live with the consequences of them everyday. But two of these consequences are life in Christ and the love of my wife. Her love itself a gift from God.
These mistakes have made me the man I am today, both for better and for worse.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Mixed Emotions
Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army major who shot up Fort Hood ten days ago evidently was paralyzed when he was wounded during his apprehension. Sorry, I just can't get worked up over this.
This is it, I'm not glad he was paralyzed and I'm not sorry he isn't as dead as the thirteen victims he left in his wake. I just don't care that he was wounded. I just don't care. It's not as if these are his "just deserts" and it's not as if I'm not worried because "he'll get his."
But if this is being reported to get my sympathy, sorry, I don't care.
The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. I know Major Hasan will meet his maker, and on that day he will walk to the throne of grace and with the love of God, he will be disciplined. Like a parent disciplines children, Major Hasan will be disciplined. As will we all.
Lord, I confess my indifference. Please forgive me.
This is it, I'm not glad he was paralyzed and I'm not sorry he isn't as dead as the thirteen victims he left in his wake. I just don't care that he was wounded. I just don't care. It's not as if these are his "just deserts" and it's not as if I'm not worried because "he'll get his."
But if this is being reported to get my sympathy, sorry, I don't care.
The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. I know Major Hasan will meet his maker, and on that day he will walk to the throne of grace and with the love of God, he will be disciplined. Like a parent disciplines children, Major Hasan will be disciplined. As will we all.
Lord, I confess my indifference. Please forgive me.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Once More, This Time with Feeling...
I may have told this story before in this blog. I have had it on MySpace, and I know you can find it on Time Loves a Hero, but I want to share it again.
Long ago, I worked in a program to first generation help and poverty-stricken college students get a college education. It was a federally funded TRIO program, part of President Johnson's War on Poverty.
This story was told to a workshop at an ASPIRE meeting by Dr. Paul Thayer, then Director of TRIO Programs (The Center for Educational Access and Outreach) and Talent Search at Colorado State University. Dr. Thayer is now the Executive Director of Center for Advising and Student Achievement.
Every year, programs take TRIO students to DC to meet local congressmen. It helps give students a look at government and the government a look at the poor.
In the 80's, when the Democrats held the Congress and the Republicans held the White House, TRIO people heard the same rhetoric every trip up Capital Hill.
The Democrats would tell the visiting students how important their work was and how important it was that TRIO Programs be fully funded. “There should be more programs and the current programs should have more funding.”
The Republicans would always say that they had their own funding priorities, and while TRIO Programs were important, they weren't on top of the list.
This ended in 1992 when Governor Bill Clinton was elected President.
The TRIO people returned to Capitol Hill with all of the markers they had received over the years and this is what they heard:
The Democrats told them that they had their own funding priorities, and while TRIO Programs were important, they weren't on top of the list.
The Republicans told them how important their work was and how important it was that TRIO Programs be fully funded. “There should be more programs and the current programs should have better funding.”
The day I heard this story was the day I decided that there weren't too many Republicans in DC and there weren't too many Democrats.
This was the day I decided there are too many politicians.
Long ago, I worked in a program to first generation help and poverty-stricken college students get a college education. It was a federally funded TRIO program, part of President Johnson's War on Poverty.
This story was told to a workshop at an ASPIRE meeting by Dr. Paul Thayer, then Director of TRIO Programs (The Center for Educational Access and Outreach) and Talent Search at Colorado State University. Dr. Thayer is now the Executive Director of Center for Advising and Student Achievement.
Every year, programs take TRIO students to DC to meet local congressmen. It helps give students a look at government and the government a look at the poor.
In the 80's, when the Democrats held the Congress and the Republicans held the White House, TRIO people heard the same rhetoric every trip up Capital Hill.
The Democrats would tell the visiting students how important their work was and how important it was that TRIO Programs be fully funded. “There should be more programs and the current programs should have more funding.”
The Republicans would always say that they had their own funding priorities, and while TRIO Programs were important, they weren't on top of the list.
This ended in 1992 when Governor Bill Clinton was elected President.
The TRIO people returned to Capitol Hill with all of the markers they had received over the years and this is what they heard:
The Democrats told them that they had their own funding priorities, and while TRIO Programs were important, they weren't on top of the list.
The Republicans told them how important their work was and how important it was that TRIO Programs be fully funded. “There should be more programs and the current programs should have better funding.”
The day I heard this story was the day I decided that there weren't too many Republicans in DC and there weren't too many Democrats.
This was the day I decided there are too many politicians.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Damn, I'm Just Getting Older
I found this item on an AOL message board on how to improve the Jay Leno Show. One of the suggestions is to have Music Director Kevin Eubanks be quiet...
"That Paul guy?" "That Paul guy?" Oh, man, I'm not even 50 yet but I'm just getting older and that's all there is to it.
I like Kevin. I do not like that Paul guy at all on Letterman. I watch Leno--always wanted a late night show early--wish all programming was early like it is in the Central Time zone! Show could use some fine tuning but is better than all that (World?) Series crapolla.
"That Paul guy?" "That Paul guy?" Oh, man, I'm not even 50 yet but I'm just getting older and that's all there is to it.
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