Before I get started, I want to mention that I'm not writing this blog on my computer. Right now I am sitting on my back patio, smoking a cigar, eating cookies, and drinking and orange soda. I've also got a pen in my hand and a pad of paper on my lap. It will just have to be transferred onto the computer later.
Now, why on earth do I feel the need to do something like this? Bizarre behavior for someone who claims to be a normal guy. First of all, who said anything about me being normal? I just said that I'm nothing special, or overly spiritual. I'm just a guy who is just living his life and stumbles across answers and truths. Second of all, I felt it more... personal. More real. more... human.
People have asked me on several occasions why society is in the crapper. Why no one cares about anything but the satisfaction of their own desires, and their own entertainment. Well first of all I want you to admit that, at least to a certain degree, you too are like that. Every single one of us, no matter how altruistic we may be, still has a certain part of ourselves that is exactly as I described above. Well, there's my answer. Because if you take the little part of you that is selfish and whatnot and add it to the 300 million Americans, all those little selfish attitudes add up to one big problem. In addition to that, there is a reason we have been getting more selfish and increasingly consumeristic. The simple answer: convenience.
We now, for the first time in history, genuinely don't have to leave the comfort of our own home if we choose. With Fed Ex, online shopping, and that yellowish truck that looks like an ice cream truck but without the fun song otherwise known as the Schwan's guy. With a simple phone call, you could get a person to come and install a big screen TV, Internet, computer, and a satellite dish bringing you hundreds of channels of televised entertainment, unlimited access to the world of information, and be thrust into artificial community such as Facebook or Myspace.
Now before the heathens reading this start tossing the "H" word at me (hypocrite), I realize that A) I'm posting this on the Internet (though keep in mind that I am writing this on paper) and B) that I currently have a job designing and installing home theaters and other entertainment systems. Let me establish something. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of this stuff. The problem comes when these things are used as a substitute for reality. Secondly, my involvement with these things makes me, at least partially, qualified to comment on them. Lastly, with the proliferation of the Internet and new affordable communication and information technologies, it is becoming more and more popular for companies to encourage their employees to work form home this limiting office/cube space, but at the loss of personal interaction with other people. (By the way, working from home like this is the way that a person can pay for all the above mentioned conveniences without ever actually leaving home).
Have you ever wondered why Facebook, Myspace, Aim, and other such Internet programs are so popular? What about Reality TV? Sitcoms? Simple, because those shows are designed to bring us into the lives of others without exposing us to the risk that comes with personal interaction. We can see into the lives of others without actually having to let them see into ours. The networks, both on TV and the Internet have realized this, created artificial environments for low-risk socialization and then laughed their way to the bank as we bought into their created fantasies.
I realize that I've been seemingly all over the place so far but it all comes down to this: we've lost something as a society. Especially men. Now, I invite you to grab hold of your seat and prepare for the first "Sailing Preacher Rant".
At one time in our history, men were strong and courageous. Hard working and self-sacrificing. Now in this generation, things look quite different. Now, men have taken to seeking first their own entertainment and then those things that are the exact opposite of what we're supposed to be seeking. Our founding fathers are probably rolling over in their graves because of the men of this generation. If anyone wants to see what a real man looks like, instead of turning on your daily sitcom or referring to shows like "Gray's Anatomy" or even to reality TV like "Big Brother 47", watch the 2000 Mel Gibson movie The Patriot.
The main character is a farmer and plantation owner from South Carolina named Benjamin Martin (played by Mel Gibson). Benjamin Martin lives a few miles outside of Charlestown, South Carolina right at the onset of the American Revolution. He's a widower, a father, and a veteran of the French and Indian War. Without giving way too much of the plot for any of yo who have not yet seen it, let me compare Benjamin Martin with the average "man" of the 21st century.
Right away, we learn that Benjamin Martin is hard working. The movie begins with a scene where there is corn growing all over the place and the look of the house and fields is that of a farmer. About twenty minutes into the film, we see Benjamin plowing a field behind a team of oxen. Simply from the look on his face, it's unmistakable that what he's doing is hard work, yet he continues doing it. At the start of the film, we first meet Ben in a workshop, making a chair. Things don't work out so well for him, and he throws his failed attempt at a chair into a large pile of other failed attempts.
Compare this to a man of the 21st century. A man in today's society has an average lawn of about half an acre or less. He then then spends a large sum of money to get someone else to tend to it. Does he then use this extra time to do something productive? Does he work on his car? Does he play with his kids? Does he try and improve the world around him? Sometimes, but more often than not, he sits down in front of a large TV with an intoxicating beverage and tries to ignore everything but the glowing screen in front of him. Or, for the younger guys, he sits down with an XBox controller and escapes into a different kind of fantasy world. If a man of the 21st century actually attempts to make something like a chair, and fails... more often than not, he just gives up and buys one from a furniture company.
Secondly, Benjamin Martin is self sacrificing. As the film opens, a man on a horse rides up to the house and delivers a parcel of mail to Abigail, the house keeper. The man is post-rider. Now, keep in mind that at this time, mail was at most an every few weeks event, not a daily occurrence like it is today. When mail came at this time, it was a huge event. Anyway, at the end of the day, all the kids are in the house waiting for "dad to come back in". Ben walks in the door, over to the table where the parcel is placed, and instead of grabbing the mail, reaches for a glass and walks over to the fireplace. The next words out of his mouth were "So, what was in the mail?" The kids then race up and open the parcel. What Ben did there was comparable to letting someone else open his birthday presents.
Looking at the modern day, men seem only interested in their own selves. They sit in front of the best TV in their house and watch their favorite shows. 21st century men leave their wives and kids to use other TVs and if they are disturbed, it had better be because grandma died, someone just won the lottery, or dinner is ready. Their excuse: "I work hard to support this family, I deserve time to relax." Again I say, if the early Americans knew what men have become they'd kick the crap out of us then rub our noses on our TV screens like little dogs and say "NO!"
The last thing I'm going to compare specifically is the purpose that both men pursue. Benjamin Martin, though a veteran and hero of one war, was dragged into a second. he then leaves his kids with his sister-in-law and sets off to join the cause that would lead to American freedom. He then suffers many hardships, personal losses, and even the death of some of those closest to him, yet he never gives up. This is because he seeks a purpose that is beyond himself. Compare that to the men of the 21st century.
If you were to walk up to a man and ask him why he gets out of bed in the morning, the answer is usually one of three things: A) "So I can make money." B) "So I can enjoy the day" or C) (for single guys) "So I can get laid tonight". Along the same lines, modern college guys go through all that schooling just so they can get a job to achieve "A". It is very rare indeed that you'll ask a guy why he goes through it all and get the response "So I can make a difference."
That's all the comparisons I am going to make for now, but I promise that if you watch the movie and keep in mind what I've said, you'll see many more differences. Differences such as what kids are exposed to, personal glory, and dealing with tragedy. Not to mention courage, innovation, and perseverence to name a few.
Men and women alike should watch this movie, and my hope is that by pointing out some of this, you men will see the need to change a few things and you women will see how your man could be. For you ladies, I ask that you pray for your man and encourage him to live up to his potential. Single ladies, there are men out there that possess many of the same traits as Benjamin Martin, and I suggest that you seek one of them. They WILL treat you right and honor you as a man should.
Finally, Men, I say this knowing full well that I, myself, still have a logn way to go, but I will not stop seeking to become the MAN that I need to be. This, is a promise.
-The Sailing Preacher
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Entering the Unknown
A universal desire of people is for world peace. Millions of people have devoted their lives and Billions of people have invested money in humanitarian efforts in an attempt to further the cause of world peace. Why then are we still so far away from a utopian society? Simple, we're all too different. Each person sees the world through a different set of eyes, and many have a different opinion of how the world should look. Our individuality is the greatest hinderence to World peace but at the same time is our greatest asset as humans. Through our cultural differences, through our personal uniqueness, there is one unifying trait common to all humans: Fear.
Human fears can be bizarre indeed. A couple of the more common fears are: Acrophobia, a fear of heights; Arachnophobia, a fear of spiders; Coulrophobia, a fear of clowns; Isolophobia, the fear of being alone. Some of the more peculiar fears include: Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, or the fear of long words; metrophobia, a fear of poetry;Arachibutyrophobia, the fear of having peanut butter stuck to the roof of one's mouth; and one of the strangest of all, Zemmiphobia, fear of the great mole rat. One fear that I believe to be common to all people, to one degree or another is Xenophobia, or the fear of the unknown.
What is it about the unknown that makes us so afraid? Is it the fact that we cannot control what we can not be certain of? Is it the possibility that we cannot prepare ourselves for what we cannot predict? It's no small wonder to me that people spend so much money on TV psychics, and Magic 8 balls, and other things of the like. However, the unknown doesn't just refer to the future but instead also to things of the present and even the past which we do not understand. Why, for example, when my dog walks in front of a fan does he point his butt towards it and do a dance? I have no idea. Or why does he eat with his back right leg up? I have no clue. Or why does he feel the need every day to bark at the American Flag waving in the neighbor's yard first thing in the morning when he goes outside to do his business? I don't think I'll ever know. Those things are funny and don't really bother me. It's the other types of the unknown that scare me deeply.
A couple weeks ago, my buddy Jeff and I drove to Kansas City for two reasons. One, because my brother is going to school there and we wanted to visit him, and secondly because there's a top notch seminary out there and I wanted to investigate. When we arrived, I had amazing first impressions. Clean campus, nice part of Kansas City, friendly people, well organized, very welcoming, everything you'd expect and then some. We were immediately greeted and got to meet with an admission Representative who was able to answer every one of my questions, most of which before I even had the chance to ask them. We went on a campus tour and I fell in love with Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. After the tour was finished and Jeff stopped marvelling at the fact that the entire campus has WiFi (yes, even in the middle of the fields), we left and went to visit my brother at UMKC, some 10 miles south of where we were. We picked him up from his dorm and the three of us went to the Plaza. For anyone who's never heard of the Plaza, it's essentially a cultural center for Kansas City. It includes restaurants, theaters, shopping, apartments, and the like, and it's all very high quality stuff. Anyway, we walk around and do some window shopping, and as we emerge from a store, though I cannot remember which one it was, I suddenly felt overwhelmed. It dawned on me that I will be graduating from college in 6 weeks, and the prospect of moving to Kansas City was completely terrifying.
Interestingly enough, I have no problem entering the woods filled with a bunch of strange guys holding high powered rifles, and knowing full well that many of these men have been drinking. I can go to South America and talk to strange people about Jesus, often a sensitive topic. I find it fun to get into a rubber boat and go careening down a rocky river, just to say I did it. Why then does the prospect of moving to Kansas City fill me with such apprehension? It boggles my mind. So, on the way home, I asked Jeff about it. Both of us were stumped, so I did what I actually should have done in the first place. I prayed. I asked God why I was so afraid of the prospect of going to Kansas City, whether or not I should go there, and what I should do next. Then, I listened...
It's amazing to me how many people, when they pray, NEVER SHUT UP LONG ENOUGH TO LET GOD ANSWER!!! I mean, I've heard a prayer like this before: "Dear God, I want to thank you for today, and giving us good whether....." and they went on and on and on and on...... then they concluded with: "and if you would please tell me what I should do, that'd be great." Then they opened their eyes and began another conversation with the people in the room. I mean for crying out loud, they ask for God to answer and never give Him a chance to!
Well, before I go into a flippin' sermon here, what are you supposed to do when you desperately need direction and God is silent? When you cry out in the darkness for God to answer and you hear nothing in return? That is where I was on the return trip from Kansas City. I was not only entering the unknown, but I felt like I was trying to face it, completely alone.
Now, before I go on, this is going to seem scattered but I promise it'll all connect later on. The other night I was talking to a mentor of mine and he had asked me if I would be interested in possibly leading a chapter by chapter bible study at my old church once a week. I told him that I probably wouldn't be the best choice for that at this time because I am in what I called a "spiritual funk". I told him that no matter how much I pray, read the Bible, wait, do, say, or hope, I still hear nothing from God. I know He's there because the Bible says "I will never leave you nor forsake you" and that is absolutely true. I still see evidence of His hand in my life from time to time, but as far as direct instructions like the old days... a big fat nothin'. He then said something very interesting. He said, "What does God want you to become?" I thought for a second and gave him the answer that I was trained to give. "to become like Christ." I thought for sure he'd see through that and reprimand me for giving such a textbook answer, but instead he said "Right, now is Christ free or a slave?" I said "that's easy, He's free". He said "Caleb, you're free." I didn't know exactly what he meant at first, but he continued. "Caleb, you've proven yourself faithful to God, that you know what's right and wrong, and that you'll DO what is right. He no longer has to tell you what to do, you already know. God's basically saying 'You make a decision, and I'll bless you with whatever you decide'."
Wow, talk about a new level of realization, as well as responsibility. I mean, before, I didn't have to worry about making the wrong decision. If things went belly up, I could just claim I did my best to follow instructions, but now I have the weight of decision making on my own shoulders.
You know what's interesting, as I sit here and write this, I just realized that the last thing that I was told was "God will honor the decisions I make, and help me out. Strange to think that the God who knows each star by name because He created them all, that the God who holds the universe together, who imagined the colors of the sunset and made it happen, also knows my name and promises to "strengthen me and help me, to uphold me with His righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10) Why do I have to fear anything? Why do I need to be scared about venturing forth into the unknown? Why do I need to fear going to Kansas City? Why do I need to be afraid? I do not! I have nothing to fear! Then why am I still afraid.....?
This is a new experience for me, and I now have to do the most terrifying thing... going forward alone and trusting that God will take care of me.
A wave of peace just washed over me as I wrote that.
-The Sailing Preacher
Human fears can be bizarre indeed. A couple of the more common fears are: Acrophobia, a fear of heights; Arachnophobia, a fear of spiders; Coulrophobia, a fear of clowns; Isolophobia, the fear of being alone. Some of the more peculiar fears include: Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, or the fear of long words; metrophobia, a fear of poetry;Arachibutyrophobia, the fear of having peanut butter stuck to the roof of one's mouth; and one of the strangest of all, Zemmiphobia, fear of the great mole rat. One fear that I believe to be common to all people, to one degree or another is Xenophobia, or the fear of the unknown.
What is it about the unknown that makes us so afraid? Is it the fact that we cannot control what we can not be certain of? Is it the possibility that we cannot prepare ourselves for what we cannot predict? It's no small wonder to me that people spend so much money on TV psychics, and Magic 8 balls, and other things of the like. However, the unknown doesn't just refer to the future but instead also to things of the present and even the past which we do not understand. Why, for example, when my dog walks in front of a fan does he point his butt towards it and do a dance? I have no idea. Or why does he eat with his back right leg up? I have no clue. Or why does he feel the need every day to bark at the American Flag waving in the neighbor's yard first thing in the morning when he goes outside to do his business? I don't think I'll ever know. Those things are funny and don't really bother me. It's the other types of the unknown that scare me deeply.
A couple weeks ago, my buddy Jeff and I drove to Kansas City for two reasons. One, because my brother is going to school there and we wanted to visit him, and secondly because there's a top notch seminary out there and I wanted to investigate. When we arrived, I had amazing first impressions. Clean campus, nice part of Kansas City, friendly people, well organized, very welcoming, everything you'd expect and then some. We were immediately greeted and got to meet with an admission Representative who was able to answer every one of my questions, most of which before I even had the chance to ask them. We went on a campus tour and I fell in love with Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. After the tour was finished and Jeff stopped marvelling at the fact that the entire campus has WiFi (yes, even in the middle of the fields), we left and went to visit my brother at UMKC, some 10 miles south of where we were. We picked him up from his dorm and the three of us went to the Plaza. For anyone who's never heard of the Plaza, it's essentially a cultural center for Kansas City. It includes restaurants, theaters, shopping, apartments, and the like, and it's all very high quality stuff. Anyway, we walk around and do some window shopping, and as we emerge from a store, though I cannot remember which one it was, I suddenly felt overwhelmed. It dawned on me that I will be graduating from college in 6 weeks, and the prospect of moving to Kansas City was completely terrifying.
Interestingly enough, I have no problem entering the woods filled with a bunch of strange guys holding high powered rifles, and knowing full well that many of these men have been drinking. I can go to South America and talk to strange people about Jesus, often a sensitive topic. I find it fun to get into a rubber boat and go careening down a rocky river, just to say I did it. Why then does the prospect of moving to Kansas City fill me with such apprehension? It boggles my mind. So, on the way home, I asked Jeff about it. Both of us were stumped, so I did what I actually should have done in the first place. I prayed. I asked God why I was so afraid of the prospect of going to Kansas City, whether or not I should go there, and what I should do next. Then, I listened...
It's amazing to me how many people, when they pray, NEVER SHUT UP LONG ENOUGH TO LET GOD ANSWER!!! I mean, I've heard a prayer like this before: "Dear God, I want to thank you for today, and giving us good whether....." and they went on and on and on and on...... then they concluded with: "and if you would please tell me what I should do, that'd be great." Then they opened their eyes and began another conversation with the people in the room. I mean for crying out loud, they ask for God to answer and never give Him a chance to!
Well, before I go into a flippin' sermon here, what are you supposed to do when you desperately need direction and God is silent? When you cry out in the darkness for God to answer and you hear nothing in return? That is where I was on the return trip from Kansas City. I was not only entering the unknown, but I felt like I was trying to face it, completely alone.
Now, before I go on, this is going to seem scattered but I promise it'll all connect later on. The other night I was talking to a mentor of mine and he had asked me if I would be interested in possibly leading a chapter by chapter bible study at my old church once a week. I told him that I probably wouldn't be the best choice for that at this time because I am in what I called a "spiritual funk". I told him that no matter how much I pray, read the Bible, wait, do, say, or hope, I still hear nothing from God. I know He's there because the Bible says "I will never leave you nor forsake you" and that is absolutely true. I still see evidence of His hand in my life from time to time, but as far as direct instructions like the old days... a big fat nothin'. He then said something very interesting. He said, "What does God want you to become?" I thought for a second and gave him the answer that I was trained to give. "to become like Christ." I thought for sure he'd see through that and reprimand me for giving such a textbook answer, but instead he said "Right, now is Christ free or a slave?" I said "that's easy, He's free". He said "Caleb, you're free." I didn't know exactly what he meant at first, but he continued. "Caleb, you've proven yourself faithful to God, that you know what's right and wrong, and that you'll DO what is right. He no longer has to tell you what to do, you already know. God's basically saying 'You make a decision, and I'll bless you with whatever you decide'."
Wow, talk about a new level of realization, as well as responsibility. I mean, before, I didn't have to worry about making the wrong decision. If things went belly up, I could just claim I did my best to follow instructions, but now I have the weight of decision making on my own shoulders.
You know what's interesting, as I sit here and write this, I just realized that the last thing that I was told was "God will honor the decisions I make, and help me out. Strange to think that the God who knows each star by name because He created them all, that the God who holds the universe together, who imagined the colors of the sunset and made it happen, also knows my name and promises to "strengthen me and help me, to uphold me with His righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10) Why do I have to fear anything? Why do I need to be scared about venturing forth into the unknown? Why do I need to fear going to Kansas City? Why do I need to be afraid? I do not! I have nothing to fear! Then why am I still afraid.....?
This is a new experience for me, and I now have to do the most terrifying thing... going forward alone and trusting that God will take care of me.
A wave of peace just washed over me as I wrote that.
-The Sailing Preacher
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