A Week Gone By...

I have been so lazy lately. It's pathetic really. It's not that I haven't had anything to write about...I just haven't managed to discipline myself enough to write in a witty and eloquent manner. Because I'm still not feeling particualrly witty, I'll just share in list form a few of the things on my mind this past week. This is a blog after all. I'm allowed to do that, right? Well, here goes.

1. We had our first week of softball on Sunday evening. Somehow I'm never as talented as I remember being the previous year. Curious. We took one out of two and I batted 'just ok.' If you want to see the team's stats, you can check them out here. What you won't see is my strikeout count. I have a mean underhand spinner, that leaves hitters as clueless as Johan Santana's changeup. Ok, maybe it's not quite that good, but I still struck out 5 batters over the two games.

2. I like the Twins. Even when they suck. Which they haven't lately. Kyle Lohse only gave up one run yesterday. I was surprised. Torii Hunter is on a ten game hitting streak. I like the Twins.

3. The new Snow Patrol album is tasty. Pretty standard rock album, but there's enough in there to keep it high in my playlist. Good riffs, surprisingly intelligent chord progressions and a shoutout to Sufjan Stevens.

'Put Sufjan Stevens on
and we'll play your favorite song
"Chicago" bursts to life and your
sweet smile remembers you...'

Who could ask for more. OH, and it has one of the best digital booklets iTunes has ever seen. It's like 30 pages--most of which are photos of the band in the studio. The rest of the booklet includes explanations about the creative process behind each song. I really dig that kind of stuff.

4. I'd like to continue with my series on Mythology. I have a few ideas, but I don't want to force it. I think it stifles the creative process when I force myself to write on a particular subject. For those of who that have enjoyed it so far, there will be more--I promise. For those who haven't enjoyed it--stop reading my blog and go make me a sandwich.

5. Speaking of Sufjan, I ran across this quote of his and thought it was absolutely stunning.

"On an aesthetic level, faith and art are a dangerous match. Today, they can quickly lead to devotional artifice or didactic crap. This would summarize the Christian publishing world or the Christian music industry. If you are an artist of faith (a Methodist or a Jew), then you have the responsibility to manage the principles of your faith wisely lest they be reduced to stereotype, which is patronizing to the church and to the world, and, perhaps, to God."

Any thoughts on this? Call me a bandwagoner. This guy can do little wrong in my mind.

6. I might change the look of my blog if I can figure out how to do it. I'm not what you would call "Technologically Literate." I'm hardly literate at all. If I do change the template and you like it, let me know. If not--yep, you guessed it--you can go and make me a sandwich.

Exposing Mythology Part 3: Cooling Off

I love pizza--especially when it's really good restaurant pizza. Some of my favorite memories from high school involve eating pizza, most notably the first time I ate at Giordano's in Chicago.

For those of you who have never partaken of the legend and ultimately euphoric cheesy-goodness that is Giordano's Stuffed Pizza, you have not yet lived.

The first and only time I went there was en route to a high school youth conference. The youth group had been aimlessly wandering the streets of Chicago for about four hours and all of our stomachs had begun to growl. We arrived at Giordano's at 6:30, and learned there was a problem with our reservation. After some pastoral finagling (or 'holy peer pressure') we got in, sat down and ordered. By this point it was nearly 7:15 and the creature in my stomach was itching to make an appearance, a la Alien 1.

By the time the much anticipated stuffed pizza arrived at our tables, a hungry lion wouldn't have stood a chance with any of us. Each person in the youth group grabbed a piece and greedily jerked it onto the waiting flatware.

And there I was in the midst of the chaos asking myself that most important of questions: Do I wait until it cools or bite now?

With all the wisdom that a starving sophomore boy could muster in such a situation, I thrust the pizza into my mouth and bit down into the oily, cheesy and meaty goodness. As you can probably guess, the pizza's temperature was hovering somewhere around 10,000 degrees at that point. Brilliance.

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I often feel like Peter in Luke 5--awaking to the reality of the miraculous and life-giving person of Jesus Christ. But I frequently find myself lacking the same kind of follow-through that Peter displayed in that story. Whereas Peter immediately dropped to his knees and engaged the divine, I am unwilling do the same.

There is a myth that rules my life in these situations--the myth of cooling off. In this fantasy realm, my all too frequent response (continuing along the lines of Peter's story) is to haul the fish into the boat and wait for a few days until the stark reality of my own depravity has lost some of its sting.

How could I, after all, engage with the Almighty when I am so dark, depraved and ugly. How can I, when my clothes are torn and tattered, present myself to the Father that I want so desperately to be proud of me?

I can't let him see me like this.

And so I let it subside for awhile, treating my Father as if he were some tyrannical, tempermental dictator that is more to be feared than loved. In reality, this is nothing other than pride masquerading as humility--"I'll just deal with this problem myself. It really only affects me." How foolish to assume God is too hateful to love, or too angry to forgive. How silly to think the passing of time lessens the load of guilt or heals the relational fracture. Time does not heal all wounds--it simply aids the spread of gangrene.

Cooling off is a myth, and I'm not going to live that way anymore. This is the true story with which I will replace it.

Hebrews 4: 14-16

14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we donot have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

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Looking back on the situation, I was the only one to bite the pizza right away. I bit boldly, with confidence trusting in the ultimate goodness of the pizza. And as I walked away from the retaurant that night with a burned mouth, I knew I would never be the same again.

Exposing Mythology: Guest Blog Interlude

Just a short note to point out that others are exposing their own myths. It's healthy. But, as Jerod pointed out to me, exposing and slaying our mythological dragons is only good if they are replaced by true stories. Live in truth, everyone. Read Jerod's blog.

Exposing Mythology Part 2: The Ideal Person

Who is it?

You know...the person you've been waiting for--who is it?

Where is that person? When are they getting here?

You know exactly what you'll do when they arrive. After all, you've spent years developing your theology--how to think about, how to love and how to care for him/her when they finally show up.

But are they ever going to get here?

Does that person even exist?

This is an excerpt from what has become an ongoing conversation with myself. The 'person' I am referring to, of course, doesn't exist. Oh, I will probably still be waiting around for him/her to show up--and I'll be ready when they do. But that person is a myth.

At this point you may be wondering what on earth I am talking about. Let me give you a few examples and descriptions of the ideal person(s) for whom I have waited, am waiting and will continue to wait:

The ideal homeless person: He shows up at a time when I have nothing better to do than help him with his problems. Fortunately for me he is kind, semi-clean looking, doesn't smell of body odor and doesn't have awkward social habits that make him uncomfortable to be around. What's even better about him is that his problems are easy to solve. All he needs is five dollars, and I have empirical proof that he will use it for bus fare. I give him the money, and he gives me a quick embrace--which I rather enjoy because he smells like soap, shampoo and lightly-fragranced moisturizer. Within two minutes of meeting him, he is on his way to the bus station. After he steps off the bus, he will get a job, rent an apartment and begin living a life that contributes to society--did I mention I have empirical proof for all of these things?

The ideal friend in crisis: This guy has had real problems lately. But, fortunately for him, he ran across my path today. In a matter of minutes, he describes an easily solvable problem. All I really have to do is give him a bit of the wisdom I have been storing up for this occasion. The situation isn't messy at all. I hardly even have to pay attention to solve the problem. He leaves--incredibly grateful for my wisdom, vowing to pay me back at a later date.

The ideal friend in sin: He is living in a way that is profoundly harmful to himself and others. Lucky for him, I enjoy confrontation--I don't even have to pray about it. There is nothing else on my calendar, so I go to his house and explain the error of his ways. He immediately affirms the factuality of what I've what I've noticed in his life. In a not-too-emotional kind of way, he quickly repents of the error of his ways and begins to live differently. He never again is tempted by the same sin and credits me with changing his life. The great part is that it only took ten minutes out of my day.

You get the idea. I'm sure everyone has people like these for whom they have been waiting. Today, we can be free to stop waiting--the ideal person is a myth. You are more likely to find a unicorn in your backyard than any of the three people I described above.

The world is full of messy people. When I say that, I don't mean that you can find a messy person in just about any city. I mean is that everyone is messy. Everyone. There are no people that escape the debilitating effects of the fall, much less its practical consequences. So what will I find if there are no ideal people?

The person in front of me. The person in front of you. At the Starbucks, in the grocery store, at church/school/work. Those people are real, and they need all of us to love as Jesus did regardless of the personal cost. Today I vow to stop looking for the unicorn in my backyard.

Exposing Mythology Part 1: Arriving

My high school band director was a sarcastic and cynical man. I loved him for that. The routine of high school band often caused us to take (long) trips on uncomfortable yellow buses, and the comedy routine was almost always the same en route. It would go something like this:

Student: Mr. Larson, are we there yet?! (As bus speeds along the freeway at 65 mph)

Mr. Larson: Yes, get out.

It made me laugh every time.

.........

Lately I've been guilty of an unhealthy focus on the future. "What will I be doing when I'm finally done with this?" What does God have for me out there? What will life be like at that point? Will I be well known? Will I be esteemed? What opportunities will there be?

Perhaps some of you have found yourself asking some of the same questions. They all operate under the presupposition that what I am doing now is somewhat ancillary--the goal is what's important. When I finally arrive, then I will be affirmed, respected and valued. The things that I do now are only stepping stones. The relationships I am forming are likely temporary. Once I get there things will be as they should. That will be the important thing. Once I get there, I will begin really living my life.

All of that, of course, is garbage. Not only is it a false understanding of reality, it negatively affects all aspects of the life I'm living now. What a terribly self-centered and fatalistic way to live.

After all, there really is no there. What seems like there, will always be here, because when I get there--it will still be here from that perspective and at that time. Or said much more simply, I cannot really arrive. There is no future event where I will feel like everything is firmly established and I can begin my life. Arrival is a myth--I'm calling it out. As much as the word 'journey' has been co-opted lately, I think it works. On a journey, everything along the way is of crucial importance--I need to begin viewing my life as such.

Thus, this morning's conversation with God went something like this:

Tim: God, am I there yet?! (As life speeds along at 100 mph)

God: Yes, get out.

Exposing Mythology: Introduction

Everyone has a story from which they live their lives. You may not think so, but you do. By story I mean that there are certain presuppositions that influence the way we live our lives. I am a male, I am a Christian, I am married, I can't see without contacts or glasses. I lose my breath from climbing the stairs, though I used to be able to play outside all day without affect. All of these things contribute to the overall picture of reality in which I associate with others and deal with myself.

The idea of story has been really helpful to me on a lot of levels, but that is only somewhat related to what I wanted to post about. The main thing that's been on my mind lately is this:

What if there are aspects of the story from which I live that are completely mythological?

Here I mean mythology in the purest sense (not C.S. Lewis' version of it) meaning complete fiction. An expectation, if you will, of something that has no real basis in objective reality--akin to having Harry Potter show up in the Lord of the Rings. It just wouldn't happen.

It profoundly disturbs me when I realize one of these myths has been given free reign to ape reality in my life. Whenever this happens, I need to just call it for what it is, dismiss the fiction and begin living from truth.

Thus begins what I hope will be a continuing series on this blog called "Exposing Mythology." I will expose myths because I am tired of living by them. I hope this will also create opportunities for others to share parts of their own stories that have given way to mythology.