Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts

Friday, September 5, 2014

Don't Assume the Preview is Anything Like the Movie


Have you ever decided to not see a movie because you were so unimpressed by the preview?

Marianne and I like to get to movies early so we can see the previews, and as we watch them we will whisper to each other whether or not we want to see the actual movie.



Sometimes, we just don't go to a movie because of the preview.

Sometimes, we go in spite of the preview.

Sometimes, we go because of the preview.

Over the years, I've realized that movie previews rarely do a movie justice. There have been some movies with terrible previews that became instant favorites for us. There have been some movies with amazing previews that turned out to be unbearable. I'm not sure why I would expect it to be differently. How can I possibly expect to understand the worth of a 2 hour movie after seeing only 30 seconds of mixed together clips?

Isn't life just like that?

We get a small taste of a situation and decide immediately whether or not it is for us. We see a brief encounter between two people and quickly draw a conclusion as to the nature of their relationship. We hear a snippet of information about someone and assume we are now qualified to judge them.

Proverbs says, "The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him."

Recently, I've been learning the importance of not assuming you have the whole truth until you've examined the matter yourself. The words of James have spurred me to be one who is "quick to listen" especially when I'm not sure I have the full story.

I don't want to miss something really good because I jump to a conclusion too quickly, and I don't want to find myself in the middle of something really bad because I believed a preview.

That's where I am this morning. If it's good for you, then great!
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Friday, October 21, 2011

Resolving Conflict: Five Questions to Help Evaluate Yourself

Perhaps I am overly optimistic, or have a “pie-in-the-sky” outlook when it comes to the degree of authority the Bible should have in our lives.

However, I do believe the Bible should be the primary authority for all believers in matters of life and faith. Whatever we are doing or not doing, the Bible should be governing us.


I realize this approach makes me appear a bit simple and naive, but in the words of someone, “it is what it is.”

So…

Here are five questions I think everyone should answer when attempting to resolve conflict or when discussing concerns they might have about someone or something (family, friends, job, church, etc.):
  • Is this about Christ?
  • Does the Bible speak clearly and specifically about this?
  • Does a clear and specific Biblical principle apply to this?
  • Do any Biblical passages or principles apply here?
  • Do you believe you are acting in clear obedience to God on this issue?
Honestly, if you find yourself in conflict with someone, and you can’t answer “yes” (and immediately articulate why) to any of these questions, I would suggest you may be in the wrong for this conflict. The other person may also be wrong, but your inability to answer “yes” to any of these questions probably indicates you are holding on to something you shouldn’t be holding on to.

Before you pursue that conflict any further, take a minute and evaluate yourself. Maybe you are the one who needs to change!

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Sunday, October 16, 2011

Understanding Spiritual Formation 3: Celebration as a Spiritual Discipline

S.D.Gaede writes in Belonging, "The Christian community derives its being from the fact that certain things are true. If they are not true, we have no reason for community."

We gather weekly to celebrate those truths. A list of the truths we celebrate when we gather might include: grace, redemption, creation, re-creation, etc...

In our celebrations we should be spiritually formed, because we leave as different people then when we arrived. We may be more convinced of those truths, we may be questioning the application of the truths, we may be anticipating our next gathering, we may feel more connected to the truths, we may have a greater sense of identification with the community because of the truths...

What should these kinds of truth-oriented celebrations look like? In no particular order, I would suggest:
  • They should be triumphant -- The greatest truth of all is that good has/will triumph over evil. In the Matrix trilogy, the scene of celebration at Zion gives us a feel for anticipatory triumph. Our celebrations should awaken in us a moving sense of the transcendence of God, and of our anticipation of His ultimate victory.
  • They should be meaningful -- The truths which bind us together should be proclaimed in a relevant way so that our celebration is informed. Some churches are so taken with the celebration itself that it has become disconnected from any meaning... this almost feels like idolatry.
  • They should be participatory -- We are all celebrating, we are all the community. I think of a pep rally for my MSU Spartans. Even though we may all be sitting in rows, we will be extraordinarily participatory. Why don't our celebrations look like pep rallys?
  • They should be reflective -- The truths we celebrate have particular meaning for us. We should constantly be weaving our story into the fabric of the communities truths. This requires honest reflection. We do a great disservice to ourselves when we celebrate without reflection.
So there you have it. Celebration as formative activity. I'd love some feedback, this is still a little heuristic.


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