Monthly Archives: March 2015

An article on our fame-shame culture struck me recently.  I’m still looking through it (in the latest issue of Christianity Today – Andy Crouch).

For a long time our society worked off the idea that what was right was what we should do.  Our laws governed our land.  As other cultures have continued to enter our land, our laws changed.  And we even run different laws in different parts of the country, or related to different cultural groups.

So, what really is governing our land.  The authority no longer seems to be in the hands of the laws makers, but more in the judgments of those who make the exceptions to the laws.

If the law is not longer the standard, then another “law” must prevail.  I would tend to think that the new law, when best administered, is grace.  When poorly and inappropriately used, this new law shames people into obedience.

The start of some thoughts.

In 2005 I was challenged to write a blog.  Blogs were just beginning to be popular, and many were writing but few were sticking.  I decided to write a blog only if I kept it up.

These past few months have seen me re-evaluate many areas of my life.  I’m looking into the final sprint, where my strength will be weaker and my dreams greater. 

Coming to the end of years does not mean coming to the end of days.  The reality is that what can be accomplished must be measured.

And so, I’ve been living in reality as colds, flu, hopes, emotions and sick days bring a close consciousness to my mind and body.

I hope in the next while to relate some of the thoughts of these missing months in this blog.  Perhaps I’m not alone!

In a past day and age, Canada had a political party called the progressive conservatives.  Sounds like an oxymoron – a cluster of words that are the opposite of each other.

I’ve been thinking on that over these past few months.  In times of transition, there is a tendency to jettison both approaches.

“Let’s be conservative,” you may say.  At first that sounds great – a return to the good old days.  But were the good old days what got you into a situation that has been exhausting and difficult?

“Let’s be progressive,” you may say.  At first that sound great – a forward momentum into the future.  But has dreaming a new reality brought you the stability to be able to live with wellness?

So, what if we combined both? 

I am still in the midst of the balancing act.  Thankfully today’s balancing is not tipping me too much!!

When I was young, I enjoyed the pictures of high wire actors crossing Niagara Falls.  Without a net.  Nerves of steel! 

Now-a-days, we tend to just have nerves.  And our balancing acts are not so much about physical feats of bravery, but mental feats of cowardice.  Fear is a plunger – right to the bottom!  We tend to lose perspective and move into a lose-based approach to life.

In the midst of much transition lately, I am trying to find balance that allays fear and pushes me forward into vision for the future.

One day at a time! 

Not a bad motto for today.