Election Coverage

Well, I'm watching election coverage, and it appears our next President will be Barack Obama. If you're reading this post, you know me, and you know what I think about that. I won't go into it sufficing to say, I'm a bit disappointed. Having said that, I want to call everyone reading this, especially you Christians, to begin praying for the President-Elect. The Bible is clear that we are to pray for our leaders, and there is no caveat for disagreement (1 Tim. 2:2). The same is true of our enemies. This can be a bitter pill to swallow, so remember that we are not only allowed to disagree with those in power, but in some instances, we are mandated. Some of you are undoubtedly excited about this. That's OK. We live in a robust democracy, where people do and will continue to disagree in good faith. In fact, it's necessary for the very survival of our country. It's important for all of us to remember not to be bitter when the other side's argument carries the day. Having said that, the debate will continue, and there are issues at stake that are of extreme importance to our country. It is important that we never stop fighting for what is right. No matter where you stand on the election, here is some scripture that will hopefully provide a broader perspective to this election.

Romans 8:28: We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.

Proverbs 8:15: Because of Me, kings reign, and rulers make just laws.

Luke 20:25: Render unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar, and render unto God, that which belongs to God.

John 14:27: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.

There are scores of relevant scriptures, these are only a few.

Life in the funhouse

Funhouse mirrors are funny things. They have a way of exaggerating some features and diminishing others. Standing in front of some mirrors will make a person look grotesque while others can be quite flattering. I tend to prefer looking in the mirrors that make me appear to be a bodybuilder as opposed to the ones in which I resemble Shrek. Neither, however, are accurate, and that's the point. The people in our lives are like funhouse mirrors. We look at them, and we see a reflection of ourselves we don't particularly like, or we see something that is indicative of only our positive traits. If you are anything like me, you tend to avoid hanging out with the former because it can be uncomfortable. I mean, who wants to be around someone who makes them feel badly about themself? These people don't usually intend to be a discouragement (from my experience), but they unwittingly mirror something in an area in which I need work and it irritates me. So, we surroud ourselves with those that only ever make us feel good, and everything works out fine. Except that we never grow. You see, God has placed all these different types of people in our lives for different reasons. We all need encouragement, and those that see the best in us certainly perform an important function. However, we cannot forget that there can be no improvement in our lives if our shortcomings aren't identified, and we are called to purify ourselves from everything that contaminates our body and spirit perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Corin. 7:1). It is also true that as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17). So here's the deal. We should find someone that forces us to examine our negative traits and spend some time with that person on a regular basis. Once we get over the initial discomfort, we can get to work on fixing our problem areas and will be happier, better people in the long run.

Sense of Wonder

I was sitting in the airport a week and a half ago waiting to catch a plane to Kentucky for my brother's wedding when a storm hit. An airport employee came over the intercom to inform all of us that our flight would be delayed until the storm passed and we let out a collective sigh. I sat in a chair facing a television with the news coverage of the weather front moving through our area. It was then that I noticed something interesting. Everyone in the room older than a teenager was watching the television intently to try and determine how long it would be before the weather passed and our plane was in the air. All the children were looking out the windows at the rain as if they thought as soon as the rain stopped coming down, our plane could take off. I laughed to myself. We eventually boarded and I situated myself in a window seat on the left side of the plane. We lifted up above the weather, and just as we broke the clouds, our plane turned north, and I saw the sun setting and shining gloriously halfway above the storm and half below. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I then looked around the plane and saw that all of those level-headed adults who had been prudent enough to watch the weather instead of the rain were now squinting to read some book or magazine. I wasn't sitting near any of the kids, but I'm sure they were reaching over their parents, wide-eyed and amazed at this miracle. Life is like that. We figure out how something works, and it stops being a miracle to us. We see it on a daily basis and are no longer astounded. We know that we are sitting on a giant ball rotating around a star at a perfect angle and a perfect orbit. It is simultaneously amazing and commonplace. Many people strive to recapture the nostalgia of childhood but fail to realize that the sense of wonder that made childhood so powerful never leaves us, we leave it.

Temptation

It has been said, "Mankind can resist anything......except temptation," and we are tempted in some way or other every day. I have a tendency to want to lose my temper while driving to work (anyone in VA Beach is probably fighting this urge right now too), and as always I struggle with the urge to be selfish in some form or another. The problem persists because just as I seem to get a handle on one form of selfishness, it takes a different form and the struggle continues. One thing that I have learned from this struggle is that we are completely unable to defeat temptation with willpower alone. Even the incredibly strong will succumb eventually if they only trust in their own strength. But there is hope. My Brother Dave (His picture is to the left) turned me on to the idea of fasting and prayer before making any big decisions. At first I was very suspicious of any real spiritual value in depriving myself of food, but I was intrigued by the challenge and decided to try it years ago before applying to law school. I was miserable during the fast, and when it was over, I felt no real difference. So I went about my business as if nothing had happened and I noticed something several days later. I encountered some temptation, I don't even remember what it was, that before that time, had been very difficult to overcome, but it's power was incredibly diminished at this encounter. I didn't know why until I realized, all that time I spent denying myself food, I was continually saying "no" to my flesh and depending on God's provision for me through prayer. The desire for food was stronger than the other temptation and I immediately went to God in this other situation instead of trusting my own strength. Scripture is full of people fasting in order to get closer to God. Christ himself fasted 40 days before beginning his ministry at which time He fought temptation putting all His strength with the Father. He obviously considered the fast very important preparation. The nation of Israel decreed countless periods of prayer and fasting as acts of contrition after which God would almost always forgive them. When we fast, we are saying to God, "We don't need anything but You," which is what He wants from us. I'd like to challenge anyone reading this who has never done it to try a fast of some kind. When you start to get hungry, have a drink and read the Bible. As you progress, you may actually enjoy it, and the meal you have at the end will be the best tasting one you've had in a while. As a sidenote, I still struggle with road rage and selfishness, but like the rest of us, I am a work in progress.

Reading

Sometimes I don't like reading the Bible. I get busy, there's something good on tv, or my latest excuse, the guitar hero video game. It's not as though I don't have access to a Bible. I think I own four and there's probably at least one copy in most buildings in America. I heard an evangelist tell a story, however, that made me realize how good I have it. When this evangelist was young, he spent time ministering to the people of Vietnam during the war. He had a young interpreter who translated the gospel to anyone that would listen, and the two did much good for the kingdom. When south Vietnam fell, the evangelist had returned to America, but the young interpreter was placed in jail where he was forced to read atheistic books by Carl Marx among others. The brainwashing caused him to doubt the existence of God until one night he told himself that he no longer believed in God and was now an atheist. The next day, the prison guard told the interpreter to clean the latrine, and in the process, he found a piece of paper with what appeared to be English writing. Any English was prohibited so he cleaned the paper and took it back to his cell where he read it after his cellmates went to sleep. This is what it said, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purposes," from Romans chapter 8. He was dumbfounded that God would give him this gift on the day he first professed his disbelief. The young interpreter asked to clean the latrines the next day with hopes of finding more scripture, and he found another page from Romans. This pattern continued for months as the young interpreter used the papers he found as the scripture for his daily devotions. The Bible had been given to one of the guards who was using it for toilet paper, and this young man would clean of the excrement just to read one page. Guitar hero is starting to sound pretty lame.

Identity Crisis

I remember hearing the term "identity crisis" as a kid and wondering what the heck it meant. The psychologist Erikkson said that an identity crisis occurs when something threatens a person's idea of their own sameness. Basically, something happens to a person that threatens how they see themselves. I never really gave it much thought until I came to law school. It was here that I realized that an identity crisis can cause otherwise good people to behave in a way that is completely contrary to their character. There are several examples, but I will stick with sports. In the intramural basketball league of which I took part my first year, there was a fight broken up in all but one game I played in. I was dumbfounded at why people at an exclusively Christian school would behave in such a way, and then it dawned on me. Most of the people here in law school are used to "winning" at things, maybe at everything, and many of them have in their own perception of being "winners." To threaten that is to cause incredible anxiety inside that person which inevitably leads to unsavory results. I saw evidence of this phenomenon in every aspect of life from the classroom to social situations and beyond. I don't have all the answers, but it seems pretty clear in this case. The world will tell you that you aren't important unless you look like A, B, or C, or you can do X, Y, or Z, but those are complete lies that even Christ followers can be sucked into. The truth is, your complete value flows from your identity as a child of God and a friend of Jesus Christ. Nothing else matters. It sounds simple, but apparently difficult to accomplish. The world can be persuasive and it tends to yell at us while Christ prefers to whisper. However, the volume doesn't matter if you only listen to Him.

Rules for living

I was recently asked by my Legal Ethics Professor to write a paper on my "Philosophy of Lawyering." I found this to be a big question and I began to ponder some other big questions like "who am I?" "what is my purpose?" "what is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?" (Monty Python). I started my discussion in the paper by synthesizing two rules from which all others flow. They are outlined below. I hope that they make sense to someone out there, and that perhaps they provide some help.
1) Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (Colossians 3:23) -- This rule is self-explanatory, although, like the second, difficult to apply.
2) Want nothing but to love and serve God and other people (Galatians 5:16-17) -- I find this one to be the most difficult and fail miserably at it every day. However, the first step in becoming more like Christ is in defining exactly what it is we need to do. If you can whittle away (with the Lord's help) a little bit more of what you want every day and replace it with what God wants for you, the result will be peace, purpose, and joy. As Christians, most of the time how we get into trouble is by sinning in order to "get" something we want. The object of our desires is usually not inherently bad, but the actions that we take in order to get that thing, objective, goal, person, etc. can be sins of the first order. The adulterous woman may just be seeking intimacy. The man who cheats on his taxes may just want to better provide for his family. The addict may just want peace. All of these goals are good things, but to want them is to allow oneself to be manipulated. I think that if we train ourselves to follow the above rules, we will be filled with a yearning to love and serve God, who in turn will give us His purpose for our lives -- the only path to fulfillment.