Donut le Chic

Who is Rachael Ray's designer, and what was he/she thinking??

The kaffiyeh looks like it covered a scratching post for a cat. Arafat must be rolling over in his grave!

And that handbag-- tsk tsk. It just has to go!

Guilt and Drama

Here's the post I promised.

I was thinking as I was driving back to New Lenox from Detroit, reflecting on a conversation with fellow circuit visitors about addiction. Many different points of view were offered, and we discussed many types of addiction. One that we don't think of very often is internet addiction. This is not necessarily an addiction to pornorgraphy, but a pervasive craving to be perpetually online. That's an interesting phenomenon in and of itself, and could be worth looking into. But I couldn't get away from wondering about the nature of addiction. How and why does it happen?

First, we must all admit that, to a certain extent, we all, without exception, have addictive personalities. Put bluntly, everyone is addicted to something. Certainly everyone is addicted to breathing. If you don't believe me, try holding your breath for 20 minutes or so.

Usually when we think about addiction we almost automatically think in the direction of substances, such as drugs and alcohol, or sensory things, such as porn and the internet. After thinking about my own addictions (yes, I have a couple, and if you were brutally honest you will admit to such as well), I'm beginning to think that people aren't really addicted to substances. Not really. Something far deeper is at play that is exacerbated by sensuality and substance. These are the things that either get our adrenaline flowing or make us comfortably numb.

I'm not a psychologist and I don't play one on TV (or in my office, for that matter), but I think there are things we can't tolerate but have been conditioned to believe that we can't do without them. One of them is drama. We're addicted to drama. We've been trained to believe that life is supposed to be exciting and titillating, like an ongoing sugar rush. So we seek things that offer us a reality that is elusive but seemingly very rational. They make sense, and we are absorbed into something that is not of our own making. It's a fantasy land and we actually believe that we are completely engaged in it. Think about how people are drawn into movies and theatre. The task of the actors, on stage or screen, is to create an illusion of reality, as if there is a transparent veil between them and the audience. The parts are played in such a way as to draw the audience across the veil right into the middle of the action to make them believe they are actually participating and experiencing the action. The audience knows that it isn't real, but somehow a switch is flipped and the action has rings of truth to it. Or so it seems. That's why it's called an illusion of reality. It's live action but it's not authentic. The audience is swept up in the moment and, in their minds, the action is real and authentic. That's the nature of entertainment. People are taken outside of themselves into an illusion. We live for it. We're addicted to it. The illusion is then etched on the mind and is then subtlely projected onto the outside world which we experience, called reality, and we continue to live in an illusion. You would be very surprised how many people live these complexities, and then wonder why life doesn't make much sense at all. You don't necessarily have to be clinically diagnosed with a histrionic disorder to experience this. Everyone has a preconditioned story, fueled by drama, entertainment, and amusement, that is projected onto life.

And then there's guilt. There's an underlying but unspoken assumption that we are all supposed to be ashamed and/or guilty of something. Try this-- think of something that you did that was embarrassing or wrong. I'll bet it didn't take you long. Then riddle me this-- why was it embarrassing or wrong? Who wrote the rules? You? Me? Others? Does it matter? The guilt and accompanying feelings were there. Why?

We're addicted to guilt. We can't live without it. We must be ashamed of something; our own guilt-ridden environment dictates it. In shame, we hide from the accusing eyes that are upon us. Sometimes we're the accusing eye. That's what guilt and shame does.

Now we've come full circle-- guilt is produced by drama. One feeds the other, and vice versa. To assuage guilt we head for drama (or things that are seemingly dramatic, like substances and sensuality), which then produces more guilt. It's a vicious cycle. Can the circle be broken?

I don't have a step-by-step process, but one thing I believe is absolutely necessary is to realize that our preconditioned stories, as much as we love them and cling to them voraciously, are pure, unadulterated lies. We are not who we think we are, and we aren't the megastarts we wish ourselves to be-- until, of course, we are (which rarely happens). Knowing this cuts right into the merry-go-round and applies the brakes.

We come to know this by intense interrogation of our stories. Byron Katie astutely observed that whenever we're experiencings stress, overwhelming guilt, or anxiety, we're believing a story that isn't true. These stories constantly move through our minds like garbage on a conveyor and are played on perpetual repeat.

What if we started to question the validity and truthfulness of the drama we witness and the stories we cling to? This actually make Biblical sense. If we are justified by grace through faith in Christ, we are truly free. So, why keep going back to the Egypt of drama and guilt? Instead, what if we question the strength of "Egypt's" hold on us. What if we are really free from the guilt of slavery and the drama of having to make bricks without straw?

Just thinking. How about you?

Release the Penguins

I apologize for not posting very much lately. I've been out of town and attending to other things while back in town. But I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled (or not) blog post to rejoice that the Detroit Red Wings are going to the Stanley Cup Finals!! Pittsburgh is going to be tough, so it should be an exciting series. Release the Penguins!!

When I get more time, I'm going to post a rather long entry about addiction in terms of guilt and drama. As I see it, these two things feed each other in a vicious circle. More later.

Go Red Wings!!

The Secret Message of Jesus

I'm currently reading The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren. I know that, as an LCMS Lutheran, I'm not supposed to like him very much. But I do. I find McLaren's writing to be compelling and insightful. I don't always agree with him, but that doesn't mean he has nothing of value to say to all of us. We can learn a thing or two by listening to him.

In the book I'm currently reading, McLaren offers a picture of the Kingdom of God that many of us aren't used to, yet it somehow rings true. He presents a pursuasive Scriptural case for his reasoning.

One of the salient points of this book is a stark criticism of what people normally think of when they hear the phrase "Kingdom of God" or "Kingdom of Heaven"-- two ways of saying the same thing. Most Christians, when asked, will say that the Kingdom of God is "the place we go to when we die". This is patently false, as the Kingdom of God is never presented that way in Scripture. The post-mortem understanding has led to a mentality of individualist escapism and disengagement among many Christians.

Actually, the Kingdom of God is a reality which gently invades and pervades our existence in the here and now. Its citizens engage the society as God's ambassadors by lifting up the societal rejects and losers. McLaren uses the Biblical images of yeast in a batch of dough and seeds planted in the ground very effectively. They work quietly, covertly, and productively, producing a loaf or a crop, never seeking the limelight but always working to bring the grace of God to everyday situations through their given vocations.

This sounds correct to me. We have some rethinking to do.

Hymenaeus and Philetus

But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.-- 2 Timothy 2:16-18

Remembering that 2 Timothy was written in the 1st century, and not the 21st century, why would Hymenaeus and Philetus say that the resurrection had already happened? I think this is weird, not to mention the fact that I see none of these people who were supposedly resurrected walking around today. I know it's because they really weren't resurrected, but that doesn't answer my main question: Why would Hymenaeus and Philetus say that the resurrection had already occured when it obviously hadn't? Were they blind? Were they stupid? Were they tabloid columnists?

If resurrection meant "the physical rescusitation of dead bodies that would live forever", then they were obviously a couple of buffoons. All people had to do was look around and see that it wasn't true. Did Hymenaeus and Philetus really believe that they could fool people into believing that the resurrection already had taken place as defined above? If that's the case, then the jokes on them. But I have a hard time believing that these guys were that dumb. If they were just fooling around, then Paul wouldn't have made such a big deal of it. It almost sounds conspiratorial on their part.

I don't know. What do you think is happening in this text? I'm being led to believe that something else was meant by "resurrection" than what we normally believe it to mean.

Funeral Today, Confirmation Tomorrow

What a weekend I have planned!

Today I attend a memorial service up in Berwyn for a fellow pastor. He passed away back in March. He was creamated, but the funeral was delayed until today because he wanted Martin Marty to speak at his funeral and Marty wasn't available until today. Interesting. Marty couldn't clear his calendar for the funeral of a friend? Well, I don't know the ins and outs of Marty's schedule. I know he's in demand in many circles and is lecturing somewhere just about every day. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Not that he needs it, mind you. It's strictly for my benefit alone.

Tomorrow is Confirmation Sunday. Trinity has 24 confirmands this year (I think that's the most Trinity has ever had, but I'm not sure. It's certainly the most I've ever confirmed in one service). Most of these kids I'll never see again, except I might bump into them every once in a while. I don't know what to do about that, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Perhaps instead of expecting them to keep in touch with me I should make arrangements to keep in touch with them. I don't know.

Gotta go sign some certificates. I better get the Active-On ready for the writer's cramp I'll inevitably suffer.

Momentary Future Meditation

Here comes the future. See it?

Here it comes... get ready!

Aaaaaaaaaaaannd...there it is!! Get it!!

Aw, you missed it. It's gone!

Wait! Here comes the future again!! See it?

Don't let it slip away this time.

Closer, closer... Grab it!

It got away again.

Boy, this is pretty exhausting, ya think?

Every fleeting moment sends future to past. There is no present except the one right now. And now. And now. And now....

Why I Like Byron Katie

This is a letter that is found on Byron Katie's blog:

Hi,
My name is Jennifer, and I found The Work while online searching for a way to "unstick" my life. I didn't quite understand at first, but then I read the book Loving What Is, and followed the counsel, I found a new person inside me. I have begun applying The Work to many areas of my life, but tonight I hit a most poignant false story that I wanted to share.

As I did The Work tonight, on underlying beliefs that were triggered by frustrations at my sister, I unearthed a powerful story inside me. I had been telling myself that I should not commit sins, when in fact I have and I do. I have been plagued in my life with anxiety and being overly careful about everything, censoring every area of my life. All of my thoughts went to picking over what I'd done and what I could do in the future that was wrong.

When I realized that it's not true that I shouldn't commit sins, my eyes were opened and I can now see. I can see that I keep God's commandments because I love him, and that fear is not necessary for me to be obedient. When I discovered this, I put down my pen and just cried, because I could feel the love that God has for me, and I could feel the love I have for him, free of fear.

I was afraid that the fear in my former story was what was saving me. But when I considered for a brief moment that it wasn't true, I realized that my love for the Savior and his love for me are what really save me each and every moment of every day, and it brought me to tears.

And it's funny because in the moment that I knew that I should commit sins, the very things that have always tempted me seemed to disappear, forever.

God bless you, and thank you,
Jennifer

Couldn't have said it better myself!! Forget about being enlightened by a New Age guru. Most of us just need to wake up!!

The Work of Byron Katie