Chilly Thursday in Pittsburgh...

So I left this morning for the National Youth Workers Convention in Pittsburgh. Which is where I am right now. I told the guy I rode with that I would be in all my Cleveland Browns garb. And I am. The first thing the valet guy did...he walks around the car, sticks his hand out to shake, sees what I have on and turns around and walks back around the other side. As I walked around the hotel, I got a number of glares. I was almost denied access to the fitness area. So I guess I'll be wearing my Browns stuff at least until Sunday when the Browns play again. Then I'll pull out my Tribe stuff.
So I'm walking around the hotel looking at the prices of food stuff. $7 for a piece of pizza. ONE PIECE! So I went back to my room. No microwave. So I call to the front desk. Is there one I can use? Nope, we don't have microwaves here. So I brewed some hot water in the coffee pot and made an Easy Mac. Tonight, I'll be brewing chicken broth to make chicken noodle soup. There's always a way around people's rules. I'm considering opening the window and making a fire on the window sill and grilling my hotdogs. My solution there is, I think I'll brew more water and sit the hot dog in the hot water until it's lukewarm. No microwave! Who needs it! It would be very easy to just go get a good meal. But since they've decided that they're too good to have microwaves in the room, I have an added motivation to find alternate means for meals. I already saved myself $10 that I would have spent on lunch. It will be $20 after dinner tonight.
So Monday and Tuesday I was at church camp for a leadership conference. Good stuff there. I get pretty uncomfortable around that many pastors, but the stuff I learned was very powerful. I really got one main thing from the two days I was there. The concept was, every organization has its own DNA. In people, we also each have our own DNA. That DNA determines who we are. What we are like. Our characteristics. In an organization, it has a certain DNA. In that group, their DNA determines what the organization is about. Its characteristics. Our Campus Life groups have their own DNA. I'm not really sure what it is. This is a new concept to me. The chore is to determine what our DNA is and if it is not consistent with what it should be, then begin doing some genetic engineering. There are a number of changes coming in the next 2 weeks. How will things turn out? We'll soon see. But our DNA is going to be becoming much more outward oriented than it even is now. Much more action oriented. I love change. Responsible, future oriented change is wonderful. Here we go!

Monday...Monday...You're so Good to Me...

Well, another week begins with the woodburner...burning. Back around mid August, I told Jeni, with this not-so-hot weather, I wonder if we're going to have an early and cold fall and winter. Sho-nuff, the cool weather is here. So I got a pretty good stock of wood to start the winter. Heading to Wooster tomorrow to spend the day picking up more wood and hanging out with my folks. Looking forward to that. Yay for mom and dad's house!

So over the weekend I shared with people what God was telling me from John 15 and from St. John of the Cross. This morning, I'm reading a passage from a catholic monk named Bernard of Clairvaux. The passage is called, Four Degrees of Love. He begins the passage with this quote: "True love is precisely this: that it does not seek its own interests." This is exactly the area that God has been working in me. I hate my selfishness. It's so powerful. He says, "Love is a natural human affection...that comes from God...but we are compelled to love and serve ourselves first...we love ourselves for our own benefit...for who truly hates themselves." "People can truly become slaves to our soul's enemy: lust. The love of self is held in check by the command to love our neighbor." That idea that selfishness or even lust is held in check is very essential.
I'm thinking of the clip from XMen 3 where Jean Gray has turned into The Phoenix. She is a raging ball of emotion and passion. Desiring to throw off all control. Professor Xavier tries to help her gain control again and she kills him. I don't think we're a lot different. If left to our own desires, we will purposely act to please ourselves. We don't want people to tell us what to do. We as rebellious humans want to do our own thing. We train our love of others when we choose to cast aside our own selfish desires/lusts and serve them.

But what about me? If I'm always taking care of others, what about my needs? In Matthew 6, Jesus says, "But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well." Our choice is to either say, "To heck with God and His way, I'm going to please myself." Or I say, "I'm going to serve God and do things His way. I will give to meet others' needs and I'll wait for God to supply my needs." That may mean that I don't get everything I WANT. But what happens when I start getting everything I want? I start down the path of self-corruption. I am walking away from God and I head toward pleasing my flesh; or my selfishness. God isn't working fast enough! He's not doing things the way I think they should be done! Well, la-de-frickin'-da. I guess you're not God! And neither am I.
Well, I can love people just fine. I don't need God to love people. Yeah? Take a look at your relationships right now. How many of them are built on what you want out of life vs. what you are wanting to give back to God? Anytime there is an arrogant tone to your attitude, just figure there is the presence of the enemy of your soul. And you are cooperating with him as he plants traps in your soul. And you become the sucker that helps him plant them in there.
A higher degree of love is to love God for what He can do for me. As we are baby Christians, this is a strong desire. I see how good it is to be blessed by God. So I want to remain close to Him because of what He's doing for me. An even higher degree of love is to love God for who He is. He has proven over and over how good He is so we begin loving Him just because He's awesome. He's good. He's beautiful. He's holy. He is amazing! There is a much higher state of love, but I don't know if anyone who may be reading this would be able to contemplate this level of love. So if anyone wants to understand it more, I can share it tomorrow. If not, I'll just move on to the next passage. Deep stuff today. 1 John 4 is the scripture passage that goes along with that work. I'm looking forward to Campus Life tonight. Who will be the next Campus Life Idol?

Chilly Wednesday...

It's just plain old chilly today. I actually considered firing up the woodburner. However, we have a long winter in front of us. We've got a good start on this winter's firewood. But nowhere near enough for the whole season. A better start than last winter, but much to get yet. So I've got the little space heater on and we'll make due.
So I have bible study tonight. Which I really look forward to each week. We're moving through 1 John. On my last post, I went through 1 Jn. 2:12-17. So we'll pick up in vs. 18. "...and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared..." When I was a kid, the study of the book of Revelation was in. Revelation was hip to read and understand. People would get all excited about who the antichrist might be. The rebellious thing was to write 666 on your notebooks or on your hand. The interesting thing is that there are so many people in our culture that are leading people away into destruction. Which entertainers are causing damage through what they support and try to influence? Are they the antichrist? No, but are they types of antichrists? If they are leading people away from God, then yes. Verse 22 says, "Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son." I would say that our entertainment industry is full of antichrists. They are about themselves and advancing mankind above God.
Who do you allow to influence you? What clothes do you need to wear? Who do you wait to listen to to find out what is hip? Are classmates antichrists to you? Coworkers? Actors/actresses? Athletes?
Time to get busy. Lots to do, little time to do it in! Have a great day, all!

Early Thursday...

What a day yesterday was. Needless to say, I didn't get everything finished I needed to. And today is shaping up to be the same kind of day. Appointments at 10:30, 1, 2:30, 6 and then karaoke tonight. Good thing I'm up early. It's a bad feeling when you wake up at 4:30 and your mind kicks in gear. There's no going back to sleep after that. So, time to get rolling...yessss....
So every Wednesday night is Bible study with the older people. There will end up being around 10 of us. Good time. We started in 1 John, which happens to be one of my favorite places to read. In chapter 1, we read, "This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."
For a long time in my life, there was an area of self-centeredness that was causing me to walk in the darkness. So I read here that if I say I hav fellowship with God, I cannot walk in the darkness. In fact, I'm flat out lying if I try to say this. Which I was for quite some time. There are so many areas that if we were living consistently, we would be operating like a machine. All of the pieces working together. But when we quit trying in this area or that area, or we are hiding in this or that area, all areas suffer. My greatest weaknesses will overpower my greatest strengths everytime.
I want to practice the truth. I'm at peace when I practice the truth. Yet I can't hide if I'm practicing the truth. I can't pretend. I must live in the reality of life. The realities that I have been damaged. That I am afraid. That I am overwhelmed and that I need help. To quit playing Christian and live Christ-follower.
On a lighter note, anyone that looks me in the face and says that cats are smart, I beg to differ. Cats are dumb animals. I just watched my cat use the litter box. Then, as it began trying to cover up it's mess, this stupid animal is scratching the plastic side of the box. This dumb animal doesn't push the actual litter stuff on top of its mess. It scratches the side of the box. With its eyes closed. This cat stinks up my kitchen. Wakes us up in the morning by crying at our bedroom door. Sharpens its claws on our furniture and carpet. It gets outside multiple times a week, which causes my children much panic. I'm really kicking myself that I gave in to my kids to get this stupid animal.
On another lighter note, the fundraising process for our Chicago trip next year is still going strong. We're up to $1450 from candy sales, Change for Change and pop cans. PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE, keep bringing cans in. Just had a small load yesterday, but I've got a jump start on next week. And I've got people donating other scrap metal to help out. So, please keep them coming. Later, y'all!

Wednesday morning... So much to do, so little time to do it in!

So I've been up early all week. However, the day that I have the most to do, this is the day I choose to sleep it. That was a bad choice. Oh well, such is life.
On Monday night at Post Grad Campus Life, we had an awesome discussion about shame. How powerful the emotion of shame is in our lives. Think of things that you absolutely hate about yourself. How deep do those hates go? I think often times, they go to the depths of making us ashamed of ourselves. To feel ashamed of ourselves is such an awful emotion. Mainly because we can't get away from ourselves. If we face up to the truth, there's something about us that isn't perfect. That doesn't match up to others. Or, there are things in our past that we can't change that we've done. This I know. The more I try to avoid the truth, the deeper I will go into emotional hurt. And oftentimes, continue unhealthy behaviors.Yet if I face the truth, I'm facing my shame. There's no more avoiding it. Which is less painful, since neither is good? Well, it depends on whether I want to continue the negative behaviors. I either become addicted to my pain medications or I pull the roots out and do away with my shame.
How do I do this? Well, shame is the ultimate self-focus. So to move past it, is to put my focus on loving God and loving others. If I can do this, I start seeing myself with value because I am seeing myself as others see me and as God sees me. Normally, others don't see me as negatively as I see myself. And I know God doesn't view me as negatively as I see myself.
I'm thinking of the Prodigal Son parable. As the young man is walking home after taking his inheritance from his father and blowing all of it, all that his father had worked for to present to his children when he died, I can't imagine the shame he was feeling. Then to stand before his father and have his father look him in his face. When we're ashamed of ourselves, it's hard to look someone in the face. Particularly when we have hurt someone we love greatly. I absolutely believe that's why God came to us in the person of Jesus. We weren't going to go to Him in our shame. So He comes to us in our shame offering us His love back. Amazing. Don't let your shame keep pushing you away from God and His love for you. His love overcomes our shame.

Relaxing at Panera on a Tuesday morning...

So I'm sitting here at Panera just relaxing after a great night of Campus Life. At least I enjoyed it. I'm listening to a cd that was left on my desk. Over these last couple weeks, I've had a Mr. G's blue raspberry slush, a Snickers bar and this sweet cd left for me by a wonderfully loving anonymous person. I'm going to begin calling you friend. Thank you, friend, for your generosity.
For several months now, I've been living in some very entrenched self-centeredness. It's turned me very numb. Very emotionally dead. Very little feeling. Very much hiding. God has been leading me out of this state of sinful isolation. As He's done this the last couple days especially, I've been an emotional basket case. I'm listening to the cd that my friend made me and the second track on it is very emotional. Not Hawk Nelson emotional (wink wink), but meaningful emotional. I had to skip the rest of the song because I'm bawling at my table in Panera. It's like all these emotions have been bottled up for months and months. Now the doors are being opened and they are beginning to spill.
So many difficult events happen in our lives. Often they are events that we bring on ourselves because we don't want to handle things the way God wants us to. After everyone left last night, Megan got a call that she lost a friend of hers. Please keep her in your prayers the next couple days. Much sadness. Sometimes while I'm out driving, I look around and wonder what's going on in the lives of those folks I'm driving past. I started doing this 3-4 years ago when Jeni and I were driving back and forth between our home and the hospital when Kaela was in with her tumor. I wondered how many other moms and dads were driving from their home to the hospital to sit with their child who had cancer. Or was in some kind of accident. When we don't deal with the sadness and frustrations in life, they kind of function like blisters. In July, we spent a week with my parents in Wooster. I spent 5-6 hours over a couple days cutting firewood. Much of that time was swinging my splitter. I got a couple blisters on my hands. The blisters really hurt for awhile. However, if I keep rubbing the blister over and over, it gets hard and callouses over. If I let it rest, it will heal and soften back up. Our hearts do this too. If we don't get healing from the things that hurt us, our hearts will callous. Our emotions get stopped up and our eyes turn inward. Self-focus and self-centeredness takes over. The longer we stay like that, the more we choose to quiet the voices that are calling for us to do something. To get healing. So many medications. So many more self-inflicted hurts that weren't necessary if we would just work through the pain.
Isaiah the prophet said, "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
I'm understanding more what this passage means. I grow weary and tired when I operate in my own strength. But if I truly wait on Jesus, my strength will be renewed. It takes awhile for my roots to grow deep into God's soil and really suck out His power. But once I do, mmmmmmhmmmmmm....

Hot Tuesday night at the Franks' Pad....

I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight. Our room gets really hot when it's been toasty outside. Jeni's all snuggled up under the covers and it's 75-80 degrees back here. I don't get it. So I sleep on the couch in front of the air conditioner.
So I just finished watching the Republican National Convention. I've begun taking more interest in world events and political things. It was very interesting. A former congressman named Joseph Lieberman was the keynote speaker tonight. Lieberman is a lifelong Democrat, only just recently has switched to an Independent. He talked about why he was breaking ranks to lobby for a Republican to win the White House. He said he wants to see things get done. Now, I didn't see the Democratic National Convention, so I don't know what the mood was. The mood at the RNC was one of optimism. Of service to country. Self sacrifice. Put the country before your own self interest. Lieberman echoed those sentiments.
People get excited when they have a strong cause to rally behind. Something to get involved with. I believe our world is so void of good, righteous causes. So many live in the swamps of self-serving motives. How sad it is for our world. And we are suffering for our self-serving attitudes.
So I've been thinking about something. We now have $1150 in our account to send people to Chicago. That doesn't count the can depost which will happen tomorrow. We'll add another $40 or so. After this trip is over, what if we were to continue collecting cans and change and we choose to put that to building wells to provide fresh water to villages in African nations that are ravaged with drought and AIDS. It only costs $1500 to dig a well. We're almost to the point where, just by collecting change and turning in pop and beer cans, we could sponsor the digging of a well to provide clean drinking water to an African village. We've raised almost $1200 in four months. Doing that math, that's $300 a month. Know how much it costs to sponsor a child? Yep, about $30 a month. That means at this clip, we could be sponsoring 10 children around the world a month. On what? Recycling aluminum cans and the change people use for coffee or Pepsi. I'm just now beginning to wrap my mind around this. For the money we're raising in people's aluminum cans and change they don't really want to carry around, we could be providing clean water. Which we just go to our faucets for.
Or let's keep things closer to home. What if there were 20 people doing what I'm doing to get cans. Promoting it among those they know. Getting others to respond. What could we do? What if 10 people cared enough to bring in $300 a month in pop cans? Could we do something like the Extreme Home Makeover and find people in our own community that are living in awful homes? Could we begin after school programs to build into our own Holland/Springfield children. Preparing them for futures in college? Providing scholarships for underprivileged students? Shoot, one of our church members is asking her place of business, which has two branches, to put garbage cans out next to their pop machines and give the cans to us. Could we fund other Youth for Christ chapters to open up in other schools?
I'm particularly fond of an after school program where churches could work together to help tutor children in our community. From there, we begin investing also in the lives of parents who have significant needs. Teach families how to be strong, values based families. Teach them how to handle money. Hold down a job. Train in basic job skills. Geesh! What a vision! This transforms our community!

So I spent today hanging out with my kids and doing stuff around the house. The day climaxed with a trip to Wal Mart and the purchasing of a shelf for my much maligned work area. My work area consists of a little Wal Mart wooden tray, a small bookshelf, a lamp, two Rubbermaid file boxes, and a trash can. And now a shelf that I keep the video camera, camera, all of our cords, coin rolls, calculator and guitar picks. Oh, and a screw that I put in the wall that I hang the mp3 player and my headphones on. So you haters of my work area can to take a long walk off of a short pier. I'll bet your homework areas are a disaster!
As I was saying, I put this shelf up. Which entailed getting the drill out and finding the studs to put the screws in. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. So as I'm looking around for things to put on my shelf, I realized that, I'm going to need another shelf. (This is not a devotional thought on having too much stuff. So don't try to read in to where I'm heading....) So much of our stuff just sits around because we have no room to store things. So as I saw the opportunities of putting things on my shelves, I began to get excited. Why? I was solving the problem of our family's disorganization. And instead of getting angry with Jeni or the kids because I've misplaced this or that cord, now I have a place to put them. And I just had a thought. If I get a second shelf, I can stretch my speakers up high and create surround sound in my little office area. Oh, the possibilities in a 6'x6' area! Haters, see the above suggestion in reaction to your opinions.
So as I'm putting stuff on my new shelf (and pondering the wonders and possibilities of a second shelf), I begin thinking of the problems in our area. So many to name. This morning alone, as Jeni and I were walking and picking up cans on Hill between Layer and McCord, we found a syringe and several beer cans. Seems that the drinks of choice for Holland/Springfield drivers are Bud Light and Natural Light. I think the world becomes like our home sometimes. Our home tends to get cluttered with stuff. There's just so little storage space. I have certain ideas on how to keep the place clean, Jeni has an idea and the kids just don't care. So often times, we kind of do our own things. Our world is in such a state of disaster. So many problems. We look at the mess and I think the enemy then whispers in our ears that it's just hopeless. It's just too big. We can't fix this.
Yet, if we look at our section of the world as a room, all we need is a vision of what to do and the people to get busy, what we couldn't accomplish! We have so many churches in Holland. And so few are working together. While the churches are in the room with the clutter, I think they are a part of the clutter. Why? Jesus said, "If you're not with me, you're against me." Jesus wants His room that we've messed up, cleaned up. And He's not going to clean it up for us.
In church on Sunday, I was announcing to everyone about how fundraising for the mission trip is coming. Btw, we now have more than $1000 in the bank. One person has actually given me money as a deposit to go. That is $1000 brought in through cans and the change for change deal at church and the candy sales. $50 has been already knocked off of the price to be paid by everyone. So, as I was announcing this, a newer lady in our church raised her hand. I thought that was odd. Her question was, why are we going to Chicago to do some work when we have such problems in Toledo. Great question. We're going so that we will know how to do something in Toledo! If we're not willing to start putting things on shelves and cleaning up God's room, things will never get better.
How are you doing? Are you cleaning your own house? Which, in turns, cleans God's house because one more person is not only NOT messing up the room more, they are cleaning up theirs and others' mess. I'm listening to some Dido stuff tonight. She does a song called Slide. I think it was on the Smallville show. Good song. It basically talks about the things that function as distractions to us. Boyfriends or Girlfriends. Anger. Pride. Frustration. Lust. Past decisions. All of these things distract us and take our eyes off of God and cause us to slide away from Him. We've got to decide to turn completely to Him and quit sliding. More coming soon....

Quiet Saturday morning at Panera...

So I'm reading a piece right now by a guy named Francis de Sales. He was a Catholic priest back in the late 1500's and early 1600's. In this piece he's talking about the difference between receiving God's grace, performing charitable acts and living in true devotion to God. New thoughts for me.
As he describes it, grace is like a spiritual leigh that is placed around our neck that God sees whenever He interacts with us. It enables us to continue a relationship with God. It's the Holy Spirit that comes inside of us that God sees when I sin. It satisfies His punishment against my sins. When I ask forgiveness of my sins and for God to come inside me and take over my heart and mind, God's grace is now placed around my heart.
This however, doesn't ensure that my actions are going to change right now. The longer I remain with Him and am changed day by day, something else begins to happen in me. My desires begin to change. My selfishness begins to be pealed away and I now start having a desire to do really nice, loving things for people. He likens it to birds. Some birds never fly. They remain on the ground their whole lives, yet they're still birds. The believer that remains on the ground is the believer that remains in grace and never moves forward in obedience. The believer that allows God to begin changing them and starts living in charity is like a hen or a wild turkey. They can fly short distances. But they are very awkward and they don't stay up very long. Their charitable actions are infrequent. Sometimes much inner fighting gets them there. However, the more we yield to God and live in obedience, the more we'll be like birds that soar in our actions. These people plan their loving actions. They do things frequently and promptly. Oftentimes before they are asked for help.
He also says that true, godly devotion is like sugar to the bitterness of discipline. God disciplines us often. And more times than not, it isn't pleasant because discipline isn't fun. But, devotion makes us want to endure discipline to grow closer to God. It tells us how to endure problems. It receives pleasure and pain the same. Devoted disciples of Jesus are full of humility and accept all things equally. Their purpose is to please God above all else. This is their motive in all they do. From getting up in the morning, eating, working, with family, with friends, etc.
As I was reading this, I think I'm somewhere in the category of charity. God is directing me toward devotion. Not there yet. It's still tough, oftentimes, to serve through my self-centeredness. It's still quite strong. He's still working, very hard actually. And I'm entering areas of obedience that I've never done before. But still a long ways to go. Where are you? What category are you in? Keep asking Him to move you along toward true devotion. It's better than where we're all at!

Can't sleep on a Friday night..

So I just got done watching My Cousin Vinny. Language is pretty rough, and that was the edited version! Beverly Hills Cop is up next. I LOVE THE 80'S!
So I had a very sad moment this afternoon. Kaela has a friend over and Jeni had to work. So we went to get a couple movies and pizza at East of Chicago at the corner of Dorr and McCord. Pepperoni and bacon & barbecue chicken. So as we're waiting on the pizza to get done, Kaela and her friend go back to the car to wait out there. I remember a time when whatever I did, my kids wanted to be there with me. But Kaela was with her friend. So they go out to the car. Isaac is left there with me. He looks at me, looks at them going out to the car and picks them. "Dad, can I go out to the car?" Sure buddy. It was interesting. As I watched him walk down the sidewalk to the car following his sister and her friend, it occurred to me that my best buddy in the whole world picked his sister to hang with over me. It won't be too long until he's regularly choosing friends over Jeni and me. The relationship that I've taken for granted more than any other relationship I have, I'm sure, is with Jeni. Yet, outside of my relationship with God, no other relationship in my life will last as long as my relationship with my wife. My kids will go off on their own. Every person I get a chance to build a relationship with will move on. I was sad watching my son walk away this afternoon. I love my God and I love my wife. As you look at the relationships you have in your life, weigh them out very carefully. How much emphasis do you place on people's opinions? On how people see you? For me, it's God and it's my wife. Hopefully we'll be together until we're 80 or 90 years old. I'd rather not live that long, but I'd much rather go first. Introspective day.

Last Friday of vacation...

So it's Friday, which means we're coming home tonight. I remember when I used to really look forward to leaving vacation to get home. Not so much anymore. I have really come to enjoy spending time with my family and with Jeni's family. I still enjoy Toledo. But it's hard not having any family around you. I know that many of the people around there have become like family to us. And that is nice. However, it is different than the family you grow up with. Almost all of both of our families live within a fifteen mile radius of each other. There's a stability that exists in that situation that doesn't when you're 200 miles away. Oh well, onward and northward!
So it's 5 am and my body told me it's done sleeping. So I'm waiting for mommy to come out. I left my bible and journal out on their porch. I can't go get it because they have an alarm set on any of the doors leading outside. I set it off once because I thought I knew the password. The sound of that alarm going off is like standing 3 feet from an ambulance siren. I'll wait for mumsie.
So it's been a very nice vacation. Often my method of vacationing in Wooster is to basically go into hiding. I don't want to see anyone or hear from anyone. This has always been a problem for me. When I get tired, I isolate. BAD CHOICE! Being by myself in the morning for my quiet time is one thing. Remaining by myself all day is quite the other. There is a refreshing that comes to my soul when I'm with people but have no responsibility for. This week, I went to the Cleveland zoo with my brother's family, took my family to watch Star Wars The Clone Wars (which I'll come back to in a minute), took Jeni's grandmother out for lunch, out to dinner with Jeni's mom, 2 sisters and our three nephews, hopefully we'll see her aunt today and my aunt and uncle tonight before we leave. Never done this before. Always too busy "resting" before to go see people. I feel far more rested and refreshed than I normally do after a week away. Almost sad to leave this time. But we'll be back one more time before winter to pick up more firewood from my folks house.
So last month I gloated a lot about seeing The Dark Knight on opening night. Again, such a powerful movie. In fact, I've put a couple joker cards in my bible to remind me who my enemy is. The personification of the devil in the movie Passion of the Christ wasn't as evil as the Joker was in this movie. So on the way back from the zoo, my brother and I were talking about the Batman movie and just how evil was so powerfully revealed in it. Outside of Hannibal Lecter in the Silence of the Lambs movies, I don't know of another movie that was so accurate in its depiction of the nature of evil. How the Joker continually turned people against each other was so powerful. This is exactly how evil functions. There's the scene where the Joker breaks the pool cue in half and drops it between the two guys and basically says whoever is still alive gets to be part of the team. Where all the bad guys kill each other at the beginning of the movie. How at the end when the people are forced to decide whether their ship is going to stay in one piece and they blow up the other boat. There's no other way to accurately describe evil besides creating a name only for it. That word is "evil". So I'm watching Star Wars and reminded of Episodes 1-3 and how Yoda over and over talks about how the dark side of the force clouds the good side's understanding. Evil is always one or two steps ahead of good. Evil is revealed for how bad it is in Star Wars Episode 3 when Anikan goes to the Jedi Temple and slaughters all of the younglings. Evil is very patient. It's in no hurry because a good plot takes awhile to develop. Evil also has no compassion for the weak, nor does it regard or respect the strong. Evil seeks to kill, steal and destroy. For no other reason than to spread death and destruction. I don't know if the enemy of our soul is showing his hand out of pride or a desire to bring others into his camp. But I think these couple movies are really revealing of the nature of evil.
The nature of good, however, is pictured as more powerful. Why? Because it is! Good thoroughly overcomes evil if good is true to itself. There are other movies where good really isn't good. Constantine is a God-Satan movie that couldn't be more ridiculous. John Constantine is "good", but his actions don't point to good. Good wins because the nature of good thwarts the purposes and plans of evil. If Luke Skywalker murders a defenseless Darth Vader, he becomes the Emperor's apprentice. If Batman kills the Joker, he takes his place as evil personified. But Luke puts down his lightsaber and resists the dark side. Batman lets the Joker live.
Well, mommy's up and the alarm wasn't set. If I would ask, I would know these things. So now, Bible in hand, I'm reading in 1 John 4, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love...God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him...Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love on another...There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen..."
The common thread to overcoming evil is through love. Love and compassion. Love for people unlike us. Love for our enemies. If God is truly expanding inside of us, our love capacity will be growing. We will be able to love people that we never could before. We will be taking risks that we never could before. We'll be reaching out to people in compassion that we never did before. This is how evil is overcome. It's never overcome with vengeance. If anger and hostility is met with more anger and hostility, the world burns. And evil has won. Because that was evil's goal. Are you living in love? If not, let God do a work in you. Open up and let Him in. Find someone to talk to that can lead you to Him. Later, gators!