We Don't Drink Ketchup Competitively

I stand ready to be corrected on this matter, but I have been thinking about the ineffectiveness of drama as a means of communicating ideas. Before I am drawn and quartered by faculty and students of Julliard, I want to make a distinction between types of drama. I am not referring to professional drama or plays or musicals, but short…“skits”…shall we call them.

Perhaps I am simply not among the correct sub-culture, but when I think if skits, the only secular groups that seem to do them are anti-drug campaigns and campers. Presentations of DARE are usually as culturally up-to-date mullets and camps are intended for people who intentionally desire to leave their native culture and do things that are unacceptable within the norms of society, like walk around with a painted face and competitively drink ketchup.

With the effectiveness of these two groups changing our culture, perhaps it is time for the church to evaluate the usefulness of ‘the skit’ to impacting the culture with the message of Jesus. Sure, its cute for little kids to do skits, but isn’t that the point of skits? They are novel and cute, but no adult (outside the church, DARE and camp) performs a skit for fun or is challenged provoked by the skits he sees everyday-because no one in modern culture uses skits as a medium for presenting ideas.

Cute and novel are two adjectives that should never be used in connection with the Church or Jesus. To reach the culture around us, perhaps it is time for a new medium of expression.

External Appearance

Mercy and grace may easily be confused with injustice or weakness. To see a man walk away when he should be punished or given a prize he has not earned are examples of both virtue and sin. Discerning between the two is almost impossible by a party that only has third-person perspective.

Judgment between mercy and injustice comes only occurs within the relationship of the individuals involved. Recognizing the possessor of authority reveals whether goodness has been demonstrated or evil has prevailed.

Criminals who maintain authority or power in and receive zero punishment for their crime hold the power during injustice. A judge forced, manipulated, bullied or overcome by the transgressor to give freedom is not the wielder of power. He was weak or sentenced injustice.

A criminal who is given freedom based on the authority of a judge, without any hope of prodding or procuring his own escape has no power in the situation. Here we see grace distributed.

It is the same in everyday life for everyday people. To be manipulated, controlled or forced to grant a verdict of non-correction within a relationship is injustice and weakness at its greatest. Conversely, when no penalty is held against an individual, based only on the benevolence of the judge/harmed, grace and mercy are truly present.

No one can judge this interaction fully from the outside. The parties involved always know who has the power and authority. It is through the possession of the authority from Jesus that we are able to bestow grace on individuals who have wronged us, yet avoid injustice. Likewise, our authority in Jesus cannot be overcome unless we give up our possession of it to those who have wronged us.

Don't Cry for Me...

Continuing my thoughts on emotions…

Tennyson wrote “Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,” and unfortunately our tears may mean very little in actual repentance and changing our lives. Tears are an expression of the status of the heart, but not always of the soul. We may cry because we desire forgiveness and new action, but that does not ensure actual change in our lives. Here there is a great distinction between emotion and the spirit. Emotion, as the motivator for our desires, cannot result in lasting change.

Its Not What You Do, Its Who You Are...

At a recent missions conference, the main speaker engaged the audience with the statement, “God is good all the time,” and we would respond, ‘All the time, God is good.”

On one instance when this interaction took place, the speaker commented about our proclamation with the statement “Yes [He is good], it is in His nature.” This spurred my thoughts on to the nature of goodness.

People only do good things. God is far beyond us: He is goodness. I cannot comprehend what this means, although there are some obvious implications. First, God cannot do anything not-good, because that would go against his very being. Next, every action of God is inherently good for the same reason. Finally, it encourages me to know that there is no capriciousness in God. He does not feel like doing good things at times, or not feel like doing good things at other times. He is consistently, fully, and in essence good.

Humanity places value on being good. We act with goodness sometimes because we want to be seen as good. God is good all of the time and therefore his actions are good.

Can You Feel It?

Emotions are undeniably part of being human. Jesus was man as man was intended to be and he demonstrated emotions openly. Unlike Christ, all aspects of our nature have been corrupted and now work imperfectly.

Through observation and personal experience I have noticed two distinct applications of emotions: (1) as a tool for motivation or (2) as a tool for interpretation. The first seems more present in individuals who are not redeemed or submitted to the Holy Spirit.

Fear, anger, sadness, happiness or excitement cause decisions to be evaluated, are the main input when taking action or supply the drive for action. This is motivation. Here, we see emotions as the beginning and our response as secondary.

More healthily, emotions can be used to interpret life. In this manner all emotions are engaged to their fullest, including the painful ones. Through this response, life becomes more rich and it is lived more intensely.

Inhibiting emotions altogether cannot be right, since Jesus did not do this. However, Jesus saw beyond his emotions to the Father’s plan and Jesus knew his own purpose, even in day to day living. His life was not directed and motivated by emotions. I want to experience life deeply and therefore intend to use emotions as a tool and submit them to the Spirit in me, not have them direct my course of action.

Back in Action

I apologize for not haven written anything for such an extended period of time. You can be relieved that I have not stopped thinking (as some college students may be inclined to do) as spring is approaching. Simply, my thoughts have not made it as far as the internet. With that qualification, intend to be sharing a lot of what I have learned recently and what the Lord has been showing more regularly. Thank you for your patience and please enjoy.