It was a warm fall morning. Fall semester had just started on my 2nd year in bible college, and I was already running late for a class. I only had 2 classes that day and because of missed bus , I was not going to make the first one, "Oh, well" I thought as I walked into the library, which in my tiny bible college was more of a common room than the common room. Thats when I saw it for the first time, an image that will be ingrained in my head for years to come. Someone had placed a picture of the first plane striking one of the Twin Towers in New York.
Being a child of the 80's I thought someone had looked up a picture of the bombing that occurred in the late 80's and placed it as some sort of joke. As I grabbed a seat near some friends someone asked if we had heard the news. Having been on the bus and still living in the technological "dark ages," I was completely unaware. "A Plane crashed into the The Twin Towers!" my class mate mentioned. We had no idea what was going on. I remember saying that it must have been a small private plane that was malfunctioning and crashed then someone came in with a radio and turned it on. It was the only time I can remember when all the radio stations in Edmonton stopped their regular programming and were reporting on this great tragedy.
But as it happens with people who live through historic events, we didn't think much about it. We headed to our lectures and once they were done, I headed home, still believing it was just some minor accident, tragic, yes, but still just an accident. Once I got in I turned the TV on to see if anyone was reporting on the "accident" and thats when I saw the most horrific images.
The news stations reported speculations as to what happened and how. By this time the second plane had already hit the other tower and both were billowing smoke. I could not handle watching what I was seeing and turned the TV off. I could not believe that something could have gone so wrong. I could not believe that someone would choose to attack innocent people in such a manner. Fear gripped me and I frantically called my mother at her work to see if she was alright. I'm not sure why I thought she would be in danger, we're nowhere close to New York, but I guess the realization that someone could use a passenger plane as basically a missile made me afraid that it could happen here. Once, I was sure she was fine i headed back to the living room and turned the tv on just in time to see the first tower fall.
I started to weep. I collapsed on the floor and could not believe what I had just seen. There were people in those buildings! Firemen, Police officers! people with families and homes. People who just that morning had said goodbye to their loved ones who expected them home at the end of the day. There was so much pain. So much!
As the images of the dust settled I also saw hope. Men, women, rich, poor, black, white, did not exist this day. I saw people who had been strangers help carry the wounded away from the rubble. Officers and Firefighters bravely ran towards the cloud of dust while others were running away. I saw men and women who displayed real courage. That day heroes did not wear masks but were cloaked in a layer of dust and debris. Many lost their lives so that others might live. They left families and friends behind to help people they've never met. I saw hope.
That day something changed in the world I knew. Gone were the days when you could go on a trip and not worry over someone going nuts. Gone were the days of relative peace, because I knew that there would be great anger and an even greater call for retaliation. Gone were the days when you could look at a person across the aisle on a plane without suspicion. The innocence of the world I knew was gone.
This great tragedy did not affect me directly but it did get me thinking: "Would it be cowardice or courage that would reveal it self should I have to face such a tragedy?" would I be the one running into the cloud of dust to try and help others out? or would run away and hope the professionals can handle things? One never knows how we'll respond to this kind of trouble, and hopefully we never have to find out. Instead let us always remember the brave souls that did go into the towers. Those brave men and women who fought through falling debris and ash to help someone escape the collapsing buildings. Those whose sacrifice allowed many to see their families again, but would they themselves never see their loved ones again.
I ask you, dear reader, to not ignore what we remember today. Sometimes we want to avoid pain by forgetting about situations, but to do so would be an insult to the memory of the courageous few. Rather remember and pray. Pray for the families whose pain returns each year. Pray for those who will never feel whole again because of that missing loved one. Pray that if (heaven forbid) you are faced with a tragedy in life that you will stand tall and unmoving against it. That when the time comes to choose to reveal the true nature of our character that we will be able to live out the words written in John 15:13 "Greater love has none than this: that one lays down his life for his friends"
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Monday, May 26, 2014
Engage Uncomfortable
This past weekend, I had the privilege of taking students to our local youth conference (YC Alberta). Its the same conference that I attended as a teenager and it made such an impact in my life that I feel it important to share with my students. I always pray that somehow the Lord will use that event to either introduce himself to them in a deeper way or for them to grow closer to God. Its truly a blessing to have such an event close by! My friend Ron Powell wrote a great piece here where he talks about the benefits of a large gathering, which you should read.
As selfishly as it may sound, this post is not about how the conference impacted my students, but really how it impacted me. Its amazing that after 20 years of attending this conference, I still get something out of it! During a break out session presented by Brett Ullman, He said something that caught my attention and really got me thinking. His session dealt mainly with media, faith and culture, and during his talk, he brought up books.
Now if you've read my blog or know anything about me, I'm a book Junkie. I spend way too much time reading and buying books, so much so, that i've had to force myself not to buy anymore because i've ran out of room on my shelves. Plus, I'm trying to go digital. It saves trees. But I digress.
When he brought up books, he challenged us to not only read books by everyone's favourite Christian authors. That we should try and read books from authors we didn't like so that perhaps we would have our minds jogged and stretched into writing more original and deeper messages. He said "If I hear another "Crazy Love" sermon, I'm going to lose it!" Not because he dislikes Francis Chan or his books, but because so many people have been reading the same book and basically preaching the same thing.
This got me thinking "When was the last time I read a book from someone I disagreed with or simply didn't like for whatever reason?" all the books I own are from authors I enjoy reading, but predominately, I agree with what they are saying on a certain topic. Its why I bought their books. Reading my favourite authors has yielded great results in the way I follow through in ministry and I always read them expecting to find some nugget of practical truth that I may share with the people under my care.
I've always thought that reading a book from an author I didn't like or agree with was a waste of time. I had enough or reading books I didn't like back in my college days. When a particular book was assigned reading and I didn't like either the way the author wrote or the position he or she were taking on a topic, I just read enough to get through the assignment and then never read the book again. In fact, I believe they were "donated" to the recycling bin. It seems my young mind missed a key lesson! my professors were trying to teach me that: reading good books is good, but combining a book you agree with with one of the opposite view will sharpen your understanding.
Even the mere effort that it takes to read a writing style we don't like or a point of view that vehemently contradicts ours, can have a positive effect. It forces us to use our brains for something other than information sponges. It challenges our views and if they are not solid this will really put them to the test. The biggest benefit is that it forces us to listen to someones opinion. It is way easier to listen to someone we like or agree with than it is to hear the words of someone that rubs us the wrong way or holds an opposite view. Perhaps we've missed a priceless diamond because we decided not to search through the mound of coal, simply because we didn't like who did the digging?
Perhaps it is merely a kind of fear that keeps us from engaging the uncomfortable. A fear that the opinion of an author with a different point of view may prove that ours was flawed, and thus forcing us to reexamine our belief system for more imperfections and thus opening up the proverbial "Pandora's box" where all sorts of errors come out? Or it could simply be that we've gotten so comfortable in what we read that trying out a new writer or engaging in the writings of a different point of view or belief system will force us to vacate our cliche 'comfort zone'? thats really something each of us need to give some serious thought to, be it one or both or even more than these reasons.
What to do with this newly learned lesson? Well, I won't presume to tell you what you should do. That's for you to decide. Personally, I need to bite the bullet and get beyond not buying a book because I don't like the author and even pick up a few that disagree with my point of view. There are many writers that I don't know and perhaps I should start giving them a chance. Lack of notoriety should not determine what book is read. Thats unfair to the authors or many works and really limits the rate by which new knowledge is absorbed to the time my favourite writers release a new book. After all, it could take years between books and there is a limit of how many times you can read a book over before it loses its 'flavour,' Like chewing on a piece of gum for too long, eventually it stops producing flavour and its only benefit is giving jaw muscles a work out, and the last thing we need is pastors with stronger jaw muscles! we'll just keep talking for hours! (haha, preaching humour)
In music, some of the most beautiful pieces written need a little tension caused by some disharmony within the notes or instruments to flavour and colour a piece. Tension helps in taking the music from simple melody and evolves it into a grand symphony! Its all about a good distribution of tension and release, harmony and disharmony, smooth and rough. Perhaps adding a little disharmony to our reading may push our ideas and sermons into a whole new level! A little tension in our learning, now and again, is a healthy thing.
As always I welcome your thoughts.
As selfishly as it may sound, this post is not about how the conference impacted my students, but really how it impacted me. Its amazing that after 20 years of attending this conference, I still get something out of it! During a break out session presented by Brett Ullman, He said something that caught my attention and really got me thinking. His session dealt mainly with media, faith and culture, and during his talk, he brought up books.
Now if you've read my blog or know anything about me, I'm a book Junkie. I spend way too much time reading and buying books, so much so, that i've had to force myself not to buy anymore because i've ran out of room on my shelves. Plus, I'm trying to go digital. It saves trees. But I digress.
When he brought up books, he challenged us to not only read books by everyone's favourite Christian authors. That we should try and read books from authors we didn't like so that perhaps we would have our minds jogged and stretched into writing more original and deeper messages. He said "If I hear another "Crazy Love" sermon, I'm going to lose it!" Not because he dislikes Francis Chan or his books, but because so many people have been reading the same book and basically preaching the same thing.
This got me thinking "When was the last time I read a book from someone I disagreed with or simply didn't like for whatever reason?" all the books I own are from authors I enjoy reading, but predominately, I agree with what they are saying on a certain topic. Its why I bought their books. Reading my favourite authors has yielded great results in the way I follow through in ministry and I always read them expecting to find some nugget of practical truth that I may share with the people under my care.
I've always thought that reading a book from an author I didn't like or agree with was a waste of time. I had enough or reading books I didn't like back in my college days. When a particular book was assigned reading and I didn't like either the way the author wrote or the position he or she were taking on a topic, I just read enough to get through the assignment and then never read the book again. In fact, I believe they were "donated" to the recycling bin. It seems my young mind missed a key lesson! my professors were trying to teach me that: reading good books is good, but combining a book you agree with with one of the opposite view will sharpen your understanding.
Even the mere effort that it takes to read a writing style we don't like or a point of view that vehemently contradicts ours, can have a positive effect. It forces us to use our brains for something other than information sponges. It challenges our views and if they are not solid this will really put them to the test. The biggest benefit is that it forces us to listen to someones opinion. It is way easier to listen to someone we like or agree with than it is to hear the words of someone that rubs us the wrong way or holds an opposite view. Perhaps we've missed a priceless diamond because we decided not to search through the mound of coal, simply because we didn't like who did the digging?
Perhaps it is merely a kind of fear that keeps us from engaging the uncomfortable. A fear that the opinion of an author with a different point of view may prove that ours was flawed, and thus forcing us to reexamine our belief system for more imperfections and thus opening up the proverbial "Pandora's box" where all sorts of errors come out? Or it could simply be that we've gotten so comfortable in what we read that trying out a new writer or engaging in the writings of a different point of view or belief system will force us to vacate our cliche 'comfort zone'? thats really something each of us need to give some serious thought to, be it one or both or even more than these reasons.
What to do with this newly learned lesson? Well, I won't presume to tell you what you should do. That's for you to decide. Personally, I need to bite the bullet and get beyond not buying a book because I don't like the author and even pick up a few that disagree with my point of view. There are many writers that I don't know and perhaps I should start giving them a chance. Lack of notoriety should not determine what book is read. Thats unfair to the authors or many works and really limits the rate by which new knowledge is absorbed to the time my favourite writers release a new book. After all, it could take years between books and there is a limit of how many times you can read a book over before it loses its 'flavour,' Like chewing on a piece of gum for too long, eventually it stops producing flavour and its only benefit is giving jaw muscles a work out, and the last thing we need is pastors with stronger jaw muscles! we'll just keep talking for hours! (haha, preaching humour)
In music, some of the most beautiful pieces written need a little tension caused by some disharmony within the notes or instruments to flavour and colour a piece. Tension helps in taking the music from simple melody and evolves it into a grand symphony! Its all about a good distribution of tension and release, harmony and disharmony, smooth and rough. Perhaps adding a little disharmony to our reading may push our ideas and sermons into a whole new level! A little tension in our learning, now and again, is a healthy thing.
As always I welcome your thoughts.
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