I was not a fan of The Walking Dead when it started. I am not a horror, scary movie kind of person. As a matter of fact, I hate being startled. Just not my thing. But, I was looking for something to watch on Netflix and I thought, “Let me give this show a chance.” I didn’t know what to expect, but I started to really enjoy the characters and the story. Story is a such an important thing for me. If there is a good story I (usually) will watch or listen. Continue reading “4 Ways The Walking Dead Prepared me for the 2016 Election”
Tag: Wisdom
36 years + 1 day
Yesterday I celebrated my 36th year of life on this planet. I don’t remember the first few. I was learning how to eat, walk, talk, and not soil myself. Those were not very auspicious beginnings. And yet, here I am still kicking. Continue reading “36 years + 1 day”
The Anchor of Truth amidst the Storms of Tragedy
As I was perusing my Facebook feed one of the ministers I know asked, what I believe, is an important question. He was wondering if any of his pastor friends would be saying/addressing the tragedy in Charleston in some way, if at all this coming up Sunday. This is an ongoing conversation so, there is not consensus yet, but it is worth noting that there is no right answer here. At least in my mind.
Each pastor and, by extension, each person who hears about and considers the events at the Emanuel AME Church will respond according to how the news affected them. The range of human emotions is as varied as the faces upon each persons head. The reality is that how we respond is the cumulative product of our experiences and our beliefs. If there is anything I have learned in life is how true this is.
The key to navigating the waters of life is having a means of charting your course. For sailors it was the stars. They learned to identify the formations above them and then correct their direction. The same is also true for us. When we are adrift and in search of our bearings we have to look up and set our minds on things above. We have to take our eyes off what is front of us and around us to catch our breath and regain our composure.
Tragedy has a way of throwing our lives off-kilter. The only way to regain our balance is to put our hands on something solid, something sure. For me that is the Word of God. The word of God is the anchor of truth I rely on when the storms begin to rage. Turning to the truth of who God is and what he has done in and through Jesus is what provides the ballast and stability required to weather the storm.
Tragedy has a way of bringing issues and problems into greater relief. We all have an opportunity to grow wiser, become more loving, and extend greater grace when we turn to God rather than our own wisdom. My prayer is that I do not miss the chance to increase my sensitivity to what God is saying about himself and his word. The promise we have is that every storm will pass. The question is this: Will we learn from the present one to better prepare and handle the next?
Lent Day #23 | Wisdom
Solomon wrote these short and pithy statements as a way of remembering and training his children. When we consider this, we begin to see these wise words in a much more practical light.
There is an interesting verse in Solomon’s book of proverbs. We will get to it in a moment. What I find interesting about this book of sayings is this, it is considered “wisdom.” Solomon wrote these short and pithy statements as a way of remembering and training his children. When we consider this, we begin to see these wise words in a much more practical light. Their ultimate purpose was for those who learned these sayings to put them into practice somehow.
The verse that stands out to me is Proverbs 4:7. I have quoted it here in two of my favorite versions because it allows me to get a better sense of what Solomon was trying to say. Let’s look at them side by side.
| ESV | NLT |
|---|---|
| The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. | Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. |
In the first translation we are told that if we want to be wise we have to see what is wise. This is one of those “slap your head” moments. That does seem to make the most sense, if that was all Solomon said. We are supposed to get wisdom, but how do we know if what we are being given is wisdom of the kind Solomon is encouraging us to get? We find, almost as an afterthought the characteristic we need if wisdom is to have any value at all.
Solomon tells us that wisdom is useless if we are unable to put the wisdom we have acquired into practice through “insight” or “good judgement.” If you do not have the latter, the former is of no use to you.
Yes, we must pursue wisdom. Get as much as you can find, but the warning is to get wisdom in proportion to our ability to make the best use of it. It seems Solomon foresaw how we, as fallen and works-oriented beings, have a tendency to educate ourselves into ineptitude and ultimately idleness. We become satisfied in what we know rather than doing something with it.
Wisdom is good. But, wisdom plus good judgement is better.
World Vision, Guiding Principles and the Problem with Trial Balloons
World’s Shortsighted Vision
In a move to widen its base and deepen its coffers, World Vision attempted to wade out into one of the most politically and socially charged issues of our time on Monday. The humanitarian organization known for helping starving and uneducated children all around the wold decided to allow “legally married” same-sex couples from the United States to work for the international organization. This decision kindled a quick and pointed response from several large evangelical denomination leaders. By yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon, World Vision had reversed course.
There are several issues I want to explore. The first is the initial announcement. Why did World Vision, an organization focused on humanitarian aid, decide to make this decision public? Hiring standards are not typically discussed outside of the human resources department of an organization. So, we must assume the purpose for this public move was to measure the response, both among the base supporters and non-supporters of World Vision. The reversal and the explanation now ring hollow because it is difficult to make a principled argument when your first attempt was pragmatic.
The second issue with this entire saga is connected with the reversal. I take exception to the “biblical jargon” bandied about now that the uproar has been heard. If Richard Stearn did not anticipate this response from the more conservative supporters of World Vision, then he has to be one of the most naive people on the planet at best. I say at best because the other option is that this was an intentional and calculated decision to see what would happen in the public arena (a trial balloon discussed below).
The argument that the policy was an attempt to stay neutral in the discussion is about as believable as the moon being made out of cheese! For an organization of this size, and for the leader of this organization who has access to other leaders on the world’s stage, not to have consulted with them prior to the announcement is disingenuous. I am not one to be overly critical, but any thinking person would have to recognize the dangers of swimming in these dangerous waters.
So, what does this second decision really mean? It means World vision has opened itself up for attack on at least two fronts. This sentiment is exactly what Mark Tooley from The American Spectator has pointed out.
There are reports that after Monday several thousand World Vision donors, out of a reported more than 400,000, threatened ending their support. There’s also an indication that work with overseas missions partners, working in traditional cultures, was imperiled. The later was probably more persuasive than the former, although both should have been anticipated before Monday. Ironically, Wednesday’s policy may cost World Vision far more dollars than Monday’s.
Angry LGBTQ groups and their allies, who previously were unfocused on World Vision’s internal policy, furiously now may target it for boycott, demanding that government and corporations halt funding. Liberal supporters of Monday’s policy angrily denounced Evangelicals withdrawing support, with one declaring: “It’s astounding to me that Christians would take food from starving children because a gay person might have helped in getting it there.” Will that same professed concern for starving children inhibit liberal demands for corporations and government to defund World Vision? [Source]
The lack of critical thinking and discernment in this decision is mind-boggling. This reality leads me to the next topic in this entire conversation, the issue of guiding principles. What are they and how do they work?
Guiding Principles
The reality of this situation for World Vision is that they have done irreparable damage to themselves. The purpose of guiding principles is to guide you through the decision making process and provide you with a redoubt when the attacks come. In this case, Stearns and World Vision should have taken more time consulting the scriptures rather than the tea leaves of culture. What has happened in the process is that they have lost their “True North.” The reason being, guiding principles must make sense and must be worth the fall out. If the decision made on Monday was one of conviction and principle then why make the change on Wednesday? When I read the following words attributed to Richard Stearns they rang hollow.
“The last couple of days have been painful,” president Richard Stearns told reporters this evening. “We feel pain and a broken heart for the confusion we caused for many friends who saw this policy change as a strong reversal of World Vision’s commitment to biblical authority, which it was not intended to be.”
“Rather than creating more unity [among Christians], we created more division, and that was not the intent,” said Stearns. “Our board acknowledged that the policy change we made was a mistake … and we believe that [World Vision supporters] helped us to see that with more clarity … and we’re asking you to forgive us for that mistake.”
“We listened to [our] friends, we listened to their counsel. They tried to point out in loving ways that the conduct policy change was simply not consistent … with the authority of Scripture and how we apply Scripture to our lives,” said Stearns. “We did inadequate consultation with our supporters. If I could have a do-over on one thing, I would have done much more consultation with Christian leaders.” [Source]
As a supposedly Christian organization, their primary concern should be what they interpret the Scriptures to say, not the supporters or the detractors. It simply does not make sense to me to make a decision like this and not have counted the cost (Luke 14:28ff). If this was a calculated decision, then there was a terrible miscalculation on the part of World Vision and the Board of Directors.
The Problem of Trial Balloons
Wikipedia defines a trial balloon as follows: “A trial balloon is information sent out to the media in order to observe the reaction of an audience. It can be used by companies sending out press releases to judge reaction by customers….” It appears, on this side of the events of the last several days, this is exactly what World Vision did. Rather than doing surveys, focus groups or any number of tactics to gauge the response of this decision, World Vision decided to use the most public and volatile option. Even if they anticipated this reaction (which I highly doubt), World Vision has chosen the secular model of operating rather than the spiritual.
It seems this is the danger of organizations and individuals whose spotlight grows too large. The desire to create a “big tent” is foolish. This is not the way Christians and Christian organizations should make decisions. World Vision’s credibility and integrity is now in question. And they have hurt themselves because of their own choices. The lack of discernment in making this decision and then the reversal after the criticism is evidence of a lack of conviction. I would feel bad for World Vision if I felt this was an honest mistake. However, I don’t. I feel bad for the thousands of children who will be affected as support for World Vision wanes in the aftermath.
My hope is that Richard Stearns, the board of directors and World Vision would seek the God kind of wisdom we all need to navigate the ocean of life. Especially life in the public arena.
Word to the Wise | “Patience”
Have you ever become impatient over a life situation you believe you should have mastered by now? It is very frustrating. How do we learn to be patient? There are two basic ways.
The first way is to go through a lot of trials ourselves until we learn the lessons that produce patience. Or, second, we can learn patience by observing other people going through their trials.
Suggestion: Learn patience with other people’s mistakes. It is less costly.
Three thoughts come to mind. (1) Learn to “cast all your cares upon the Lord and He will carry them for you.” (2) Practice “trusting in the Lord in all your ways and He will guide you to your destination.” (3) Practice “waiting on Him and he will never disappoint you.”
Even an intolerable situation becomes a welcomed learning event when we depend on His love and grace.
Pastor Luis Scott
Ambassadors of Christ Fellowship
(03/17/09)