Father

Last Monday father had a severe cough and went to the doctor.  Thursday he started bleeding tremendously and slipped into a coma.  What was at first thought to be pneumonia, turned out to be advanced lung cancer during examination on Sunday.  Last night his lungs, even on a ventilator, began failing.

So, I am headed for Denver, with the sickening feeling my father may well have blown that last chance to come to Christ as his Savior.  It just makes me sick.

Will post again as I am able.....  In the meantime all prayers are welcome.

Brave Dumb World

This week I have been at a software engineering conference and it was quite the experience! I fit in there about as well as an enraged bull at an egg factory.

Ratio of women to men – 1:10
Ratio of gender challenged – 1:4
Number of balding men – 1:3
Number of people with white hair – 1:10

Number of college graduates – 1:1
Number of masters – 1:6
Number of doctorates – 1:10

Number of people older than me – 0
Number wearing tennis shoes – me
Number wearing jeans – me
Number wearing tee-shirts – me
Number with hair touching their ears – me

Yeah, very interesting. Only four in the room were even alive when I wrote my first program in 1972. Only six had been born by the time I had created the first relational data base manager (in 1976). Only eight were even alive when the DeJong PC was invented (predecessor to the IBM PC). They were almost all younger than the personal computer…..

Yeah, a really young crowd! And everyone of them was a cookie cutter copy of the other! Short cropped hair, no part; single style of shirt and pant tailoring, however with color variations; shoes all the same, as were belts.

But the similarities between them went beyond just appearance, it went also to their way of thinking and doing business – they all rely upon others to help them do their jobs. Not a one of them seemed capable of research or thinking “outside of the box”!

OMG! Our technological capabilities do not seem to be able to continue with this next generation! Whereas I can talk to the importance of doing a well thought out functional design for a system; the concept of system is not even their vocabulary! They think in terms of program, not programs, nor even the interaction between programs. Abstract thought is an endangered activity!

Hmmm, this is really grim guys…..

The Photograph

This is a repost from 2008.  I found it was I have been searching through back up disks for a file I need.  Yeah, I got side tracked.  But, it is interesting to have read and my thoughts, after having done so, follow:

I picked up the old black and white photograph again.  I must have handled it a thousand times.  I knew every feature of every face.  My Aunt stood there in her safari outfit, pith helmet pulled low to protect her from the glare of the African sun.  Beside her stood a tall African man, dressed appropriately for the situation – grass skirt, beads, and headdress.  Behind them towered a set of ivory tusks forming the supports for the village’s gate; all so white – all so faded.

I fingered the photograph and wished I had known her.  She was a missionary to Africa in the 1920’s and that is all I know about her.  For some reason I think it must have been 1924, but have no reason to think so.  So strange.

But, there are other things I know and yet should not.  I know the village was Christian and she taught there.  I know that strangers were not allowed there.  I know I would like to meet my Aunt…  Too long I have been the lone Christian.

Suddenly I realize that I could go there.  I could find this village and visit it.  They would let me in; they would welcome me.  If only my Aunt could still be there.  But that is a time yet to come.

At the time, I had thought this a very odd dream for me but in rereading it, I now understood what my mind was going through.

My father’s family, with the exception of him, are all Christians.  And my aunts, very dear people.  In my immediate family, I am the lone Christian (save for having led my grandmother to the Lord) and that spiritual loneliness often weighs heavily on me. 

I long to be in a place where I am not the lone Christian, where I can be viewed as something other than, “that religious nut”.  And, I was at an emotional, physical and mental low at the time.  Life was hard and I was feeling it.

And in my longing, I somehow knew that there would be a reunion and there would be peace in my soul, but it was still a long way ahead of me…..

Are You The One?

I received an unusually long letter from my nephew asking me how he could tell if his current girl friend was the ‘one’.  The next day, an email arrived from his girlfriend asking how she could know if he was the ‘one’.

Now this situation is not unique to modern culture.  In ancient times, during either the winter or summer solstice, young Celtic women would write the name of eligible young men they thought suitable spouses onto hazel nuts and then place them by the hearth at night.  In the morning, the nut which had split was the guy for you!  Interesting to note there are no corresponding tales for us about guys worrying about this situation.  Hmmmm, wonder what the means….  The point is: finding your spouse is a common pursuit with all of mankind.  But, should it be a part of Christian culture?

So, my nephew and his girlfriend have demonstrated for this post the classic problem in modern Christianity: our culture’s egotism and vanity displayed through wondering if another person is the ‘one’ God would have for us as a companion in life.  Think I am being a little harsh?  Just read on.

Finding your spouse seems to occupy an unreasonable amount of our mental time and wasting of our lives through searching.  So many young women and women I know put themselves through all sorts of mental trips trying to figure out whether or not a certain guy is the ‘one’ for them.  So many young women waste their time searching for that perfect specimen, at least until they get desperate enough to marry a mere mortal.  So many young women end up compromising themselves by having put themselves into situations they never should have been allowed in – and then saying, “Oh what the heck, I love this guy!”  Though guys are no different in this regard, it is the young women I deal with through my ministry which seem to obsess the most and suffer the most in this area.

As, I do not wish to address dating at this time, I will end the scenario here, but rest assured we will talk about ‘dating’ and ‘love’ another time.

I am confident you wasting your time in such pursuits never was the desire of God.  Do we have a Biblical pattern for finding your mate? 

Well:

• One village raids the other village and carries away the young women.
• Small groups of girls out walking, you are allowed to take only one.
• You go to a well and wait for someone to draw water for you.
• You marry your half sister.
• You work for the father for several years to ‘buy’ one of the daughters.
• Your father finds a suitable family and makes all arrangements.
• Your father goes to the family of the girl you want.
• When young you visit and entertain the girl of your choice.
• God tells you to marry the town prostitute.

Ok, I think you are getting the point here: there is no one approach and often the finding of your spouse defies logic.  So, what is a single person to do?

I can tell you right now, he/she you are looking for is not the ‘one’ for you.  Why?  Because you are not the ‘one’ for ‘them’.  You are way too wrapped up with yourself to be of any use to someone else.  How do I know this?  Because you are worried about them being the ‘one’ not your being the ‘one’!

Yes, you are supposed to be the ‘one’, not them!  That means you have dedicated your life to making yourself the ‘one’ whom can be the compliment to someone else – not the other way around!

Basics

• Study God’s Word, know your Bible inside and out.
• Pray for God’s leading in your life and His Will to be done.
• Pray for God’s protection of your future spouse, if He has one for you!
• If you are looking for a spouse – STOP IT!
• Attend to your health.

Advanced

• Learn to be self-sufficient in home duties (listening guys?).
• Attend to your education and prepare for a life of work.
• Consider your need for a personal theology.
• Become involved with your church and its ministries.
• Work with your church’s youth ministry or Sunday school.

Expert

• Consider short term missions during vacations or school breaks.
• Learn to be happy in what ever situation God leads you.
• Be flexible so God can lead you easily.
• Fellowship regularly with others, not just your close friends.
• Do not compromise your Biblical beliefs, ever!

If you have attained these 15 points, you will be a better person than me!  But, seriously, the point is that you must learn to allow God to lead, while doing everything within your power to compliment and add versatility to God’s leading.  If there is no spouse for you – well you will have created within yourself the awesome witness for God you should be.  If there is a spouse for you, then you will be well able to compliment almost anyone! 

And, your eyes are on God – not the opposite sex…….

The 360

Several decades ago my last company came up with what they thought was a better way to decide if you got a raise or not – you had to have a ‘360 Review’. This entailed having comments submitted by your peers, customers, managers and customer’s managers. This was then sorted out to eventually end up with your getting the same peanut butter spread for a raise everyone else got. It never mattered how good or how bad you actually were, because it was just a popularity contest. Real workers generally have poor visibility with managers.

But, I have thought on this idea for many years. Is it possible that the concept of the 360 applies to each of us as Christians?

If I am to live a life set forth by the likes of John and Paul, or even James for that manner, then everything I do has an impact to all around me. Whether I know it or not, whether I like it or not, people watch, people think on what I represent, people respond to what they perceive.

On the one hand, you can be paranoid that you are being observed and measured by everyone around you, or you can live your life with your eyes on your Savior.

It is a thought, something rolling around in my mind, the idea of lifestyle discipleship, a full 360 degree area of observation, impact and hopefully a consistent witness.

We will talk more on this idea, but for now I just wanted to see if it spurs any ideas or reactions out there in Blog-land.

Dilbert Moment

 One of the funny memories from my last job:

We had a building called the “Black Box”.  First, it is black top to bottom.  But, it is also one of those places where top secret stuff occurs and people whom can not talk about their jobs work.  So, with that introduction, you may enjoy this Dilbert moment…..

I had a 9:00 meeting and was a little frustrated as I walked up to the building.  It was the “Black Box”, some place I am not supposed to be, some place I could get into real trouble - I did not want to deal with today.

I stopped just short of the door contemplating what to do.  I had to attend the meeting but they had poorly chosen a location for it.

“Kris, what are you doing here?”

I turned to see a co-worker from years ago.  “Have a meeting here.”

“Yeah, me too.”  He pulls out his pass and swipes it through machine.  Cool, I can follow him in!

“Say, aren’t you East German?”  Dang, caught!

“According the US Government.”

“You are from East Germany though, right?”

“No, never been there.”

“Then why are you East German?”

“The US Government decided I was because my father was.”

“Ah, you father is from East German?”

“No, he is Swiss.”

“How can he be Swiss if he is East German?”

“Someone in the government decided he was…”

“Well, where were you born?”

“On a US military base where my father was taking classes.”

“So, you are US then!”

“Yeah, if your father wasn’t East German anyways.”

We both laugh as he tries to get the door open.  It will not work, nor will it for the next two people.

“So, what are you then?”

“Well, born as a Swiss-German dual citizen and US naturalized 1975.”

“So you are US then!”

“Yeah, but try and get someone in government to understand that.”

Four more people have joined us; no one can get the door to open.  Finally, figuring I had nothing to loose, since no one else can get in – I swipe my card, viewing the three armed guards not smiling now on the opposite side of the door glass.  The door swings open and we surge forward to our meeting we are all late for.

But, the meanest looking of the guards blocks the way.  “You”, he says pointing at me “Can pass.  The rest of you over there…”  He is pointing to a holding area.

I quietly sneak past and find my meeting.  The others all joined about half an hour later.  My friend slid beside me and quietly commented, “Sure wish I was East German…”

Validity of Culture

By definition a civilization or culture must provide these efforts, if it is to succeed and prosper:

1. Ability to care for the young
2. Ability to educate required knowledge
3. Ability to pass on traditional values
4. Ability to protect national interests
5. Ability to care for the elderly

Yes, no rocket science here.  If you can not care for your young – your civilization will die.  If you can not educate your citizens – you will cease being able to care for yourselves and the culture will die.  If you can not pass on traditional values – someone else’s value will replace yours and the culture will die.  If you can not protect your national interests – you will be acquired by your neighbors and your culture will die.  If you can not protect your elderly – you will not share in their history and wisdom – thus you will not be able to acquire education, values, etc – you are already dead and just do not know it! 

Just plain common sense, of course I had to learn this for a major exam in college (politics – bleech!).  Obviously, you may already realize that today’s system of civilization, “western civilization”, does not hold to these 5 arguments.  So, there is a similar list for what will destroy a culture as well – from another test in politics I was forced to do.  However, this time it was interesting:

“The following five attributes marked Rome at its end:  first, a mounting love of show and luxury;  second, a widening gap between the very rich and the very poor;  third, an obsession with sex;  fourth, freakishness in the arts, masquerading as originality, and enthusiasms pretending to be creativity;  fifth, an increased desire to live off the state.”

Edward Gibbon, wrote this line between 1776-1788 in his book, ‘The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’.  What an interesting observation he made.  Was he correct?  Certainly, about the Roman Empire, without a question.  And you know as well as I, these five cultural conditions did not just ‘happen’ and then suddenly came the end of Rome.  Surprise!  No, it took time, it came gradually, across several generations.  But, none the less, the mightiest empire the world has ever seen, fell to a group of Visigoth invaders from central Europe.  It was not superiority of line commanders’ intellect, nor Visigoth weapon’s technology, nor did the Visigoth’s fielded a larger army, but it had to do with internal corruption within the Roman Empire itself.  The rot ran from the lowest peasant to the highest officials.

If this was what destroyed Rome, as Gibbon’s observed, then can this be true of other empires?  In other words, can we learn something here by looking at history?  Certainly, these attributes were true of the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Israelite Kingdom and all of the Persian empires.  The far flung British Empire, the 20^th century Fascist and Communist states and to an extent even China have not been exempt from these conditions.  And, they all fell due to their own internal failures as well as the predominant culture at the time of their conquests.  Apparently, with wealth and security comes the degradation of the standards for culture, morality, value of human life and then comes the end.

Sound like anybody we know?  I can think of quite a few candidates rather easily…..