Talofa

Life

"My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be a part of the show, find myself in such a violent reaction against it? A man feels wet when he falls in the water, because man is not a water animal: a fish would not feel wet. Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too-for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist-in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless-I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality-namely my idea of justice-was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just has, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be a word without meaning." (C S Lewis, Mere Christianity, 45-46)

Meaning?

The famed Danish philosopher and author Soren Kierkegaard uttered these famous thoughts in his work Fear and Trembling: "If there were no eternal consciousness in a man, if at the bottom of everything there were only a wild ferment, a power that twisting in dark passions produced everything great or inconsequential; if an unfathomable, insatiable emptiness lay hid beneath everything, what would life be but despair?

Consider the ramifications of these words, in a culture that is becoming increasingly void of meaning and purpose, in favor of relativism. Kierkegaard, I think, posits a very radical view or purpose and meaning, and in his book, these components are the result of one thing, faith. To arrive at an understanding of meaning and purpose, one would have, according to Kierkegaard, resign from reason, in order to capture the essence of faith. Now, Kierkegaard's view of course, is in stark contrast to that of another equally famous physicist, Stephen Hawkings, who boldly stated in an interview that, "[he] regards[s] the [human] brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark" (theguardian.co.uk, 2011).

These two competing views however, resurrect an interesting question: Is life meaningful? One would be hard pressed to find meaning in Hawking's assessment that life is basically all there is, and the idea of an afterlife is simply a 'fairy tale' and we are but mere computers doomed for destruction at some point. Kierkegaard would agree that if we are but mere computers passing through the world as a ' thoughtless and fruitless whim'--then life would be 'empty and devoid' of meaning and purpose. Incidentally, these two compelling views are some of the most discussed views among Christians and non-Christians. For non-Christians, life ends here on earth. For Christians, life here on earth is but a stepping stone; a journey designed to provide a glimpse of what the afterlife has to offer. Indeed, we long or heaven, our home, that our Christ has prepared for us royals (1 Pet. 2.9), mansions (John 14.2) galore. God provides hope...

Freedom?

One of the most profound statements by Paul is the one he shares with the folks in Galatians: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with teh yoke of bondage"--Gal 5:1. The liberty entailed in this verse is one amazing word, because it postulates this notion of freedom that can only be found in and through God, validated by His Son, Jesus Christ. There are several factors that pertain to freedom, indeed, there is the sense of freedom that is realized by considering the Cross more potent and amazing and revelatory in nature, over the law. Paul stressed this aspect emphatically in his letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor 3.1ff). He even went so far to emphazise that his main concern for the most part is being right with the Cross (1 Cor 2.2). Paul, in order to dispense the potency of the Cross over the law, shared that freedom is realized through the Cross. Second, Paul again shared that the cost of serving Christ is freedom, but now, in a different sense. It was articulated in the Roman epistle that "When [people] were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness" (Rom 6.20) essentially highlighting the cost of serving Christ is freedom--only in this sense, it is freedom from self and its pleasures. Finally, Paul espouses yet another aspect of freedom for Christians: freedom to serve Christ without fear of anything--: which the apostle reveals profoundly in several of his epistles (see. esp. Romans 14; 1 Cor 8). Consider this from Paul, "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak" (1 Cor 8.9)--reveals how Christians have been affecting and imposing their will and philosophies on others (see. Col 2.6-10). I love the fact that despite all of our differences, economically, interllectually, etc., we coalesce as one people freed by Christ--so we can be free of desires, and in turn, serve Him freely. How amazing indeed.

How 'bout 'em relationships

The Barna Research Group revealed in a recent research titled, "Teen Roles Model: Who They Are, Why The Matter, (January 2011), unearthed a reality that shouldn't surprise us. The initial question probed the teens to identify the person with whom they admire the most, other than their parents. The first question postulated was 'who' which was followed by another equally probing question, 'why.' Regarding the 'who'--the majority cited relations such as grandparents, sister, brother, cousins, aunts, and uncles (37%), followed by teachers and coaches (11%), friends (9%), and pastors/religious leaders (6%). The 'why' indicated the reasons for the answers, or why they named a particular role-model. According to the study, 26% stated that the most common rationale highlighted by the teens included traits such as caring about others, loving, polite, and being fun. Additionally, the 'why' also found that 11% cited encouragement as a vital contributing factor, along with helping them to accomplish their goals (13%), overcome adversity (9%), hard worker (7%), maintain strong faith (6%). (http://www.barna.org/) The interesting revelation from this study is simply a recognition of a known fact: Despite our varied backgrounds, or differences in how we interpret, translate, approach different things in life, the one thing that we can agree on is that at the heart of man, is a yearning for relationships. The study did show that the majority of teens pointed to people they most admire and were likely to emulate, are those whom they were able to maintain contact with, or personal connection. This revelation emphatically sustains the point that are relational beings despite what we may think. And if we cannot perpetuate a desire for relationships, we simply cannot expect to be in the midst of relationship minded folks. And when that materializes, how do we expect to connect with anyone? List to Paul, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, we are have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:7-10) So then, if we sow a sincere and deep desire for relationships, despite everything to the contrary, we reap closer connections, as the study revealed. So, let's perpetuate relationship building, because it may the last thread holding man together from disintegrating in this chaotic world of 'me, me, me' pursuits. Let's sow that which pleases the Lord, it makes for a super fun harvest.

Gas Effect

I'm sure you've noticed the steady rise in gas prices of late. And you are probably aware of the many reasons 'why' prices fall and rise, although the latter seems to be the standard of late. At any rate, I came across an article this week that seems to explain some of the intricate details of what determines the prices of gasoline/oil and I thought I'd share with you.

"Gas prices rise when oil prices rise, and fall when oil prices fall--except when they don't. What you pay at your gas station depends on an array of factors, from what happens on an exchange in New York to what the competition is charging...Unlike an iPhone or a pair of jeans or a Big Mac, oil and gas are commodities, and their prices can change every second at the New York Mercantile Exchange and other trading hubs, Those far-off changes affect the cost of the next day's commute...Sellers of commodities, like gas station owners and refineries, price their product based not on what it costs to produce it, but on what it costs to replace it...Oil prices can be moved by geopolitics, the value of the dollar, extreme weather or Chinese [and Indian] demands[s]. Gas prices can be moved by oil prices, refinery problems or even weather that might keep drivers at home." (By Jonathan Fahey, AP Energy Writer)

Additionally, federal and state taxes also contribute to the cost of the gasoline that is purchase at pump. However, there is another factor to add to long list itemised by Fahey in his account (he may have implied it somewhere, but nevertheless, it was not revealed explicitly) and that is fear. The reason prices rise and fall is because of fear powered by uncertainty. And whenever you exchange/sell/trade a commodity like oil, there is much uncertainty involved. The bottom line is this; fear of the unknown invariably drives the prices up or down. May I propose to you something that you and I can be certain of in a world driven almost exclusively by fear, and that is LOVE.

According to John, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18). How profound. How marvelous. How amazing. We unfortunately have little to no control over the uncertainties with oil/gas prices and the fluctuations therein. We can't control the fear that cripples traders' trading at New York's Mercantile Exchange. But we do control one thing, and this one thing is so much more than oil or any other commodity or product. This one, when it is not handled shared and exchanged with care, it could spell the end of mankind. What is it? It is love. Praise God. Love is the real 'effect.'

Funny Times

Earlier this week, I noticed that gasoline prices in our area were stable at 2.94 a gal. A day later, it had gone up to 3.09 a gal. And then today, Thurs. Feb. 24th, it had spiked to 3.22 a gal. Yikes! The forecasters are saying that it could go as high as 4.00 a gal. What's the point? Well, let's just say that the recent explanation given for the current surge is: 'Uncertainty' in Lybia. My only question is, wasn't the spike already in place before the Moammar Gadhafi fiasco escalated out of whack? Funny!

I saw on TV where a soccer player, desperate to give his team a free kick close to their goal line, deliberately used an opponent's arm to hit him in the face. I guess, desperate times = desperate measures. It was really hilarious, especially in slow motion. The only problem was, despite his efforts, the trickster's team lost anyway. Funny!

And what about the prank call that WI governor Scott Walker got from pretender Ian Murphy? Here, the governor thought he was talking to billionaire David Koch, a conservative, but instead, he was talking to a liberal organizer from Buffalo. I find it hard to believe that with all the power at the governor's disposal, along with the people who work for the governor to ensure that he gets the right information and the right people to talk to, something embarrassing like this could happen. Funny!

Funny times indeed!