daily life as life goes on . . .

In my early years (which I can now say are my teen years), I was the friend of a great enthusiast and passionate evangelist.  He hasn’t really changed – Ron Pearce continues to reach out around the world.  He has a great passion for Bible distribution and indigenous evangelism. 

I ran across a podcast he was a part of talking about the Marks of Revival (on his website at https://ronpearce.org/podcasts?dir=39).  He just reiterated what I have heard him say for a half century.  To me that is wisdom that lasts.

A revival includes people that are re-enthused and getting back into the Bible.  There is a practice of aggressive evangelism, strong discipleship and a stream of new believers.  The unsaved are getting hungry to know God.  AND there is generally a catalyst event that pushes people in their desire for a deep knowledge of God.

I wonder if the last two years – from COVID to unequal wealth to a pending “world war” – we are ready to think more about God?

A tidbit from Gil Langerak (thrown in at the end of a recent podcast I did with him):

“Words do not create reality.  Words can only describe reality”.

Fiction is the making of reality within a prescribed, bounded setting.  The author sets that boundary and challenges you to enter into that space.  I’ve read and watched some Science Fiction where I would love to have made the boundaries more believable.  Is that reality?  It is a construction of reality without the necessity of verification or authentication within “the world in which we live in” (a tip of the hat to some musicians from previous decades).  In this case, words do create the environment of reality.  Or are they merely describing a hoped for reality? 

When you come before a judge in court you are expected to describe what happened.  That is evidence.  Beyond that is the need to conjecture motive and to create a narrative which describes this sensibly.  Once again, words create the picture of reality.  Or are they merely describing the reality as it may have been?

OK, here’s the thing.  Our world today is not so much about whether words create or describe reality.  We are about creating words.  Someone has realized that words can create a new sense and emotion and definition related to the previous understanding of a word.  Take the word “gay” or even the interpretations of the word “Christian”.

So, take a step back before we deal with the question of words creating or describing reality.  The real question is, what do the words mean that are being used to create or describe reality?  And are both the communicator and the one being communicated to reading the same dictionary?

We used to say “one day at a time”.

I’m becoming more used to saying, “one moment at a time.”

Yesterday my calendar had a number of booked in appointments.  One was moved to next week hours before it was to happen.  Another was a mistake in inputting in the calendar – easily remedied but kind of threw me off.  The weather was foreboding so I rescheduled a meeting to Zoom instead of in person. 

I’ve added to the inconvenience of this day and age – the problem of contacting people.  For the Zoom call, I went to Slack, then to Gmail, then to cell number, . . . until I finally figured out the link to the Zoom call.  I wanted to contact another person, but again – which communication channel to use?  Interestingly I can’t remember the last time I opened the telephone white pages – the first place I would have looked a few decades ago.

Once again the old adage proves true – “Blessed are those who are flexible for they will not be bent out of shape!”

Not long ago there was a Netflix movie called “Don’t Look Up”.  An apocalypse based movie, such topics as scorn for main stream media and the immediacy of climate change are addressed.  The final scenes see an ex-evangelical young man pray a surprisingly honest prayer – whether this was a nod to God or a real entreaty is debated.

The idea for “don’t look up” comes as a space object is about to hit earth.  People can see and feel this is going to happen.  One of the leaders of the “don’t worry” group tell a large gathering of people to not look up (implication:  you might find out what’s going on).

This movie has triggered some of my own thoughts on looking up.

I’d like to propose a further thought on “looking up”.  The Christian Scriptures talk about looking up to mountains, sun, and moon, the skies above is futile.  At least as far as saving ourselves.  I imagine if we were to bring this into contemporary writing we would be told to not expect salvation from climate change or other current maladies by trusting in our mere efforts, or the efforts of a combined global system of remedial action, or even from being spiritual and calling on some ethereal being.

Rather, the scriptures talk about looking up to the creator of heaven and earth – the beyond creation.  And when it comes to knowing that creator we are reminded that God is here in our midst (I like to say that God mingles amongst us) and God has not been silent (witness the presence of Jesus as God in flesh).

I’m trying to take that physical action of looking up into account as I get up in the morning.  

I can see power poles, and steam from furnaces.  I can see airplane trails and clouds and heavenly objects.  I push to look further, beyond what my eyes can see.   I’m looking up to remind myself that God is in control.  What I see when I look down at the world around me is not a surprise to the one I look up to. 

Some days I just need a reminder!