Dirty Worldview

Our dishwasher received quite a workout over the holidays. Not just us because I read a column by Mary Hunt over the last week on how to properly care for and use a dishwasher. I thought I had a very good method of rinsing dishes before putting them in. I thought that was a step toward cleaner dishes.

I was wrong.

Ms. Hunt said to only rake off chunks of food and put dirty dishes in the dishwasher. This was because the soap was designed to release its full effect after interaction with the grease and grime. Putting mostly clean dishes in meant not very clean results.

Imagine: To get the cleanest dishes out of a dishwasher, one must put very dirty dishes in. We use the phrase, "counter-intuitive" for situations like this. What that really means is giving ourselves a break on being ignorant.

Don't let the rigidity of your worldview keep you from learning.

Tis the Season

"Feel good stories" like Dickens' A Christmas Carol are treasured for generations because they touch a spot in us that we like touched. That is to see social justice carried out. The Blind Side movie is another example. Social justice makes for great storytelling and inspires us to look for examples of social in-justice in our sphere of influence and do what we can to change it.

Pilgrims

A comfort zone can be a prison.

If we think we can just stay put, we are wrong. We're either growing or dying. I'm glad the Pilgrims and Separatists left their comfort to come to America.

Lost & Found

I am all too reminded of life's losses. The loss of perfect eyesight or hearing can be corrected. Bigger losses can come from relationships, such as betrayal causing the loss of trust. Loss comes in more flavors than Baskin Robbins' ice cream.

Losses throughout life are good (no, not bad) reminders of the large one that comes at the end of this life: Death.

If you can read this, you have not yet had the big loss. So use life's other losses as reminders to live fully before that last loss.

What does "worldview" mean?

Dave Ramsey gives a good word picture of the importance of worldview or paradigm:

"Your view or belief system is called your paradigm. Your paradigm is your filter system. If you receive information that does not match your belief system, you filter it out - and usually with it that kook that brought you that bad information. The scary thing about your paradigm is that it is based on your past and your feelings. What if it is wrong? What if your feelings and your past gave you a road map that sent you toward Maine when your goal was Florida? It could be a long trip...Acting on incorrect information, no matter how deeply held, can be catastrophic...What you don't know can kill you. If you don't know that tractor trailer trucks hurt when hitting you, then you can play in the middle of the interstate with no fear - but that doesn't mean you won't get killed."

Ramsey then gives an example of a "visual paradigm to show you how this works:"


IAMNOWHERE

If you see: I AM NOWHERE

that excludes you from seeing: I AM NOW HERE


Our personalities do not change much throughout life, but our worldviews can if we are willing to "keep an open mind. Allow your paradigm, your belief system, to drop and you just might learn something." pp. 67-69 Financial Peace (Revisited) chapter 8. Copyright by Viking Penguin 2003 www.daveramsey.com

The goal? To shape our worldview to align with reality!

Darwinism, Creationism, Intelligent Design, etc.

I've spent a lot of time reading all sides of this issue. My conclusion is there is not enough evidence to elevate Darwin's origin of species theory into fact / law. Nor is it science to say the world is only 6,000 years old by adding the ages mentioned in the Bible.

In the 150 years since Darwin published his theory, there is much more known about the inner workings of a single cell. If Darwin studied molecular biology today, he'd probably change his mind about his theory. Yet Darwin's followers keep alive a flimsy philosophy rather than admit there is a God. Academia doesn't fare well in Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed either.

Conversely, most of God's followers do not understand the science enough to form an educated opinion on the matter; relying instead on sound bite theology and mimicking.

All sides: Go to your corners and quit fighting over this until you're willing to use intellectual honesty.

Celebrity funerals have been in the news recently. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and now Sen. Ted Kennedy. The media coverage uses phrases like "rest in peace," "they are now at peace" and "their bodies lie in repose." This is a reminder that life is a fight. The apostle Paul certainly thought so. He uses that analogy in 2 Corinthians 10:4, 1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12 and 2 Tim. 4:7.

From watching and reading about boxing, I know it takes training to win. WHAT am I doing to train for life's fight and HOW am I doing?


Funerals are a reminder to the living of what is at stake in this "fight."

English

Abusers of syntax should pay a sin tax.

Life

Death is the total lack of life.

Love is the fullest expression of life.


The line from Moulin Rouge nailed it, "The greatest thing in all the world is to love and be loved."

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23

Fan or Player?

I was thinking about athletes today because college football kick-off is near. Until we get to see a game, all we can do is read about practice, injuries, schedules and off the field scuffles. Sports writers are trying to fill the column inches with stories on the above, but it's not the same as watching the game - and THAT is not the same as playing the game.

This made me think of churches. They seemed to be filled with "sportswriter" attenders instead of "players...the ones who do the work" attenders. Too much church seems to be aimed at becoming better sports writers, booth commentators and sidelines reporters than getting in shape to get on the field. The goal (pardon the pun) is to win, and that can't be done except by recruiting, training, scouting and executing the game plan. Most church goers seem to have bought into the lie instead that the goal is to get better at observing and critique.

"Speed" Vans

Why is there such an uproar over this device to catch speeders? Just don't speed and you have nothing to worry about. Plus, it pays for itself, frees up police for other crimes and makes money for the local government. I just don't get all the protests...

Why the name?

We all need to raise our head and look around to see what's going on every now and then. Don't stay buried in your routine and miss opportunities and dangers.