dealing with change

Change is an interesting beast to tackle, and tackle it we must since no one can go through life experiencing no change whatsoever. Change is neither good nor bad, right nor wrong; change however is inevitable. How we deal with change in our lives can alter our perceptions about the nature of the change, and that reaction can alter impact it has on our life for the future. For the purposes of today's ramblings, I propose that there are 5 ways which we all deal with change: we run after it; we run away from it; we embrace it; we fear it; or we ignore it.

I like dealing with polar opposites, the ideas are so converse to each other that it hardly seems there could be a link, but there always is. Whether we run away from change or chase after it, in my mind the reasons are the same - comfort. Running away from change is a bold statement about the fact that we would rather everything stay just the way it is, where it is what we are used to and feel most comfortable. Accepting change in that mindset means allowing discomfort into one's life for some amount of time, regardless of the possibly benefits - which of course could hardly outweigh the level of comfort one already has and would be giving up temporarily. Conversely, or inversely if you like, running after change displays an attitude of constant discomfort with the way things are, hoping and knowing that things will be better with that one more level of newness in life. The problem there is the lack of contemplation of one's present situation - how can you know things will be better with X, Y, and Z if you never stopped to evaluate life after you attained A, B, and C?

Of course, we can always choose to ignore change - and no I don't mean ignore and avoid, I mean ignore change whether it happens or not. This is probably the most difficult idea to grasp, that someone could completely ignore a change in their life or fail to grasp that change could have happened and didn't. I guess this would qualify as a sort of generic apathy about life. Obviously, this sounds horrid since essentially obliviousness to life's changes would seem to rob one of even the simplest pleasure. Imagine if you will, that day you first tasted what is now your favorite food or beverage. Would your life have been as enriched by your new-found flavor if at that moment you have thought, "Eh, it's food, it's different... whatever?" It's a tough thought line to follow, probably because our lives are punctuated by recognition of the various degrees of change we experience.

Another set of reactions on opposite poles would be fear and embrace. They are not far removed from my previous description of running after or away from change, but the reaction is not as severe. One could consider it more of a moderate optimism versus moderate pessimism. On one hand you have someone who accept change when it comes and recognizes that whether for good or bad, change will come and it is what we make of it that determines the quality of our live afterwards. On the other hand, you have someone who resists change when possible because they have come to think that where their life ends up after the adjustment is out of their control, but since they have recognized that some changes are inevitable they are not always unwilling participants.

Dealing with change is a fact of life, but how we deal with it is not written in stone. Certainly changing our perceptions of change is a difficult task, but that is why we are not alone on this earth. I am a firm believer that sometimes even the unvoiced prayer can be answered, many times in the form of an unlikely or unseen friend. Sometimes we encounter people in our lives who enter in at just that precise moment we need them most, which we always figure out in hindsight. They show up and help us patch up the messy parts or lend a hand through uncharted waters in life.

It's rough around the edges, but this has been my salute to change. May you recognize change when it confronts you, enjoy it when it appeals to you, and find comfort in friends when it frightens you.

finding unity through faith

I found an excellent article on unity in New Wineskins this morning, and I just had to share it.
Unity through Simplicity: A Future of Peace -- Chuck Monan

The entire article is worth the read, but while I could snip out many bits and pieces to share, I decided on just these two for now.

"We live at a time when many people are asking: what is faith? Faith is a simple trust in God, an indispensable surge of trusting undertaken countless times over in the course of our life."
-- Brother Roger Schutz, speaking about young people in their searching, praying, and doubting in life.

"He possessed something that we desperately lack: a love for one another; a desire to be together; a determination to be unified despite some of the differences of opinion and perspective that we have."
-- Chuck Monan, speaking about Brother Roger and the churches of Christ.

As a final bit of intrigue, for some reason that my brain refuses to clear up for me, I think I've met Chuck before. While I've never been to the church he currently speaks at, his picture and his name ring a bell but I can't quite put it all into context. My best guess at the moment would be that I met him while in college somehow.

Anyway, I highly recommend that you check out the article.

joy and sorrow

Taking a brief step out of the current thread of thinking and discussion
-- Happy Valentine's Day! --

However, on a sad note I must admit that my home computer has given up the ghost. It was the first computer that I ever built from scratch, but now it is relegated to spare parts. It appears that when my monitor went a couple of months ago, it was a precursor of things to come. The power supply failed late last week, causing a hard crash while I was listening to some music. That power failure (and probably my subsequent diagnostics) seems to have dragged the whole ship down with it. Currently the hard drive appears to be non-functional, which is somewhat painful as there was some data loss (but not completely catastrophic). However, on top of those 2 critical components (power and storage), the power supply appears to have taken out the motherboard and possibly even the processor. To put all that in non-technical-speak, I'll compare it to biology -- my computer suffered a massive heart failure, which was further complicated by permanent brain damage, pulmonary failure, and extensive nerve damage.

Oh well... the future of my home computing experience awaits, I just need to figure out which way to head. ;)

matt's 20 questions

Going into the weekend, I felt it rather appropriate to leave some tidbit or thought as I work on some deeper thoughts. However, since Matt Richie shared some ponderings that I share, I figured I'd drop a link over to his post instead. Enjoy!

Twenty Questions (or thereabouts)

My particular favorites are the following:

Who decided that...
…a message is a critical component of each gathering of believers?
…attending a weekly gathering in an auditorium is the primary thing that determines whether you are a legitimate Christian?

welcome to seeking

How very drastic of me -- well not really, I had been debating this move for a while now. The new title for me seemed to fit the purpose of the blog better, and there were a few cosmetic changes that I wanted to test on a clean slate which made the move easier. Anyway, welcome to the newly revamped site -- if you link to me please take the time to update your links, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Again, welcome and enjoy the journey!

taking stock spiritually

Last week, as I highlighted my first full year of blogging, I took time to do a quick checklist of where I thought I saw myself spiritually at this point in time. However, looking back I can see that a quick list really didn't help anything since it seemed to trivialize a few things. So today it's back to the list and time to flesh things out a bit.

Sporadic Worship Attendance
As I said, I am apathetic about changing the fact that I don't attend some kind of worship service on a regular basis. However, that doesn't mean that I don't miss the interaction and encouragement of being in community. The situation is more that I'm tired of going through the motions just to find a small fragment of the community that I yearn to be a part of.

Infrequent Prayer Life
When I say that I feel awkward at times, I'm not kidding. Certainly, I grew up hearing prayer all the time, but somehow lately that form of prayer for me feels inauthentic and cheap. Think about it, you are conversing with God - who knows your thoughts, desires, and needs - and you want to chit chat about the headlines and minutia of daily life? I mean, certainly one must convey your heart's concerns to God, but shouldn't it be conversational and personal? And so I continue to infrequently pray, often seeking some kind of confirmation that I am on the right path.

No Small Groups
Some people think small groups are the same as devotional groups or bible studies, but to me all 3 are completely separate entities. To me, a small group is a gathering of people (no more than 10) that meet for the sole purpose of encouragement and strengthening of each other's spirits. Certainly prayer would be involved, and perhaps scripture from time to time, but the main objective of a small group should be to help people make sense of everyday life and equip them to cope with the real world. Since I haven't found any to join within a reasonable distance, I've thought about starting one but the idea intimidates me greatly.

Indifference for Bible Study/Devotional
Ok, I get a bit temperamental about this topic, but perhaps justifiably so from my history. Here's my take - certainly one could spend their entire life studying scripture and meeting in groups to glorify God with mini-sermons and singing, but how does that spread the Good News? Both bible study and devotional are useful at times, but they are also highly uncomfortable places to invite people for their first taste of Christ's loving message. I am not writing them off entirely, as I said they are useful, but at some point someone from those groups has to cut the cord and venture out to interact with the world. I've been to devotionals, bible studies, college bible courses and seminars, and while I admit there is much I don't know and much I've continued to learn, I'm ready for something more.

Lack of church Involvement
In my past, I've served in a few areas of the typical Sunday morning worship, but as I said I'm not real keen on taking up those roles currently. I guess the problem I see is that I would like to be involved, but I don't see where the talents I think I should be using would fit into most church communities. Being a webbie by trade, I obviously could assist on websites, but I'd be more interested if someone was interested in starting a web-based outreach or ministry that goes beyond the online mission/beliefs statement and invitation to visit on Sunday.

Firming up Spiritual Relationships
The most obvious relationships I have been working on this past year have been the ones that I develop in the course of writing this blog and reading others. Yes, it is a somewhat limited spiritual relationship, but for the tech-savvy it is also cherished. I also have a handful very good friends that I talk to and email from time to time - with them I hope to perhaps start or expand on the idea of spiritual running partnerships. The last thing, and perhaps most important, is that there are a few that I am trying to help in their own spiritual journey. Whether I am providing a supportive and comforting ear or shoulder, or recommending scriptures and authors, I do so as a servant without motive -- except the hope that they find the answers they need and the love they deserve.

Idling Spiritual Health
I know it's cliché, but I do feel like I am at a crossroads - again. I can feel at times that there is something I need to be doing, but I am at a loss for what that something is. Perhaps the feeling is something that will continue to gnaw at me, waiting for the right moment for inspiration or recognition to come, or perhaps I am too darn stubborn to see the forest through the trees. Overall I feel like I am in a good place spiritually, but I know there is more I need to do - not for my satisfaction or benefit, but for God's will and the benefit of those He would send me to. I might look into getting seriously involved in a charitable organization of some kind, but I am not sure yet.

In the meantime, as long as you keep reading, I'll keep thinking and writing...
I hope your journey goes well for you, and that you find spiritual renewal and closeness to God.
Cheers!

self-restraint

This morning, in the course of perusing my usual blog-haunts, I came across a link to another new blog which was a satirical post about how some long-standing Christians can appear to outsiders (and that is a very brief overview, and probably leaves out much). However, the most intriguing thing was that I knew the blog's author - as in seen him, chatted briefly, and shaken hands with him. And while I have not chronicled all that has transpired in that church community's growth, he is the subject of one of my own posts. I was navigating around his relatively new site, when I saw his entry from yesterday.

Coming Full Circle -- Will Spina

-- Update -- it appears the page has been taken down. Through the magic of the Internet, I have retained a copy for my own records (a gentle reminder to myself if you will), but I will not be re-posting it anywhere. However, if you still wish to do so, please feel free to read my post from last Easter and let me know your thoughts and comments concerning the overall tone and content - i.e. was I harsh, critical, generous, neutral, etc?

Below is a link to the post of mine which the above entry talks about. I urge you to read them both, in which ever order you so choose, and please leave me a comment with your thoughts. I will say only this - in my entry, no where do I claim to be perfect, no where do I state anything other than my own observations and the reactions of those I personally spoke with.

highlighting the elusive blindspot

I need some outside perspective on this from those who read what I write on a regular basis. And in case you were wondering, no I do not intend to then take the reactions (however they turn out) and formulate some kind of response article.

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On a lighter note -- enjoy the Super Bowl, if that is something you plan to watch! I for one will be enjoying the game and the company of good friends.
Cheers!