Wrong

As I get somewhat older, significantly less smart, and considerably more wise, I am seeing criticism much differently.

When someone comes at me with their anger about my incompetence, heresy or foolishness, I have begun to see fear instead of rage. It's not so much anger that I am wrong- but fear that they are.
This creates a nicer scenario for debate and meaningful interaction. My goal becomes relieving their fears, instead of fighting their anger - replacing their nagging feeling that they might be wrong with the discontentment that everyone probably is.

Especially me.

~~~~
Tim Bailey

Mercy and Chaos

Ok, so my thoughts about chaos in the world range from anger to confusion to total helplessness.

The ridiculous pain that is experienced by humanity is often more than I can take, and a good dose of non-real western passivity is all I can do to keep sane.

But the question still haunts me. Why does God allow it?

It occurs to me that there might be a different answer than "it's the result of sin in the world"....

What if God's mercy is the reason? What if it could all be over if God would just put his foot down? Would we still want the chaos to end if it meant that God forced us to worship him- if we were forced to "bow the knee"? What if he is waiting? What if he is patient? What if true worship must be a choice?

God's mercy and patience has created a world where we are free to worship ourselves and our own creations.

Sometimes I wish he would put an end to it, but I think I'd be part of the "end".... His dominion will only be forced when he chooses- and love will rule. If we'd get it through our heads that his rule exists where love reigns, we'd be making it happen instead of whining about the chaos....

~~~~

Tim Bailey

Aaaaaargh.

Hey people. Too busy. Too many meetings. Too much.

I have a post about God's mercy and world chaos coming soon....
~~~~
Tim Bailey

Madness

On Thursday my friend Dan, who had ridden his bike to work to train for a bike race scheduled for today, called his children from work to ask them to meet him half way home. He wanted to ride with them. He wanted to help them be healthy. He loved being with them.

There is a bridge between his place of work and his home, about 5 miles from each. As he rode across the "bottoms", a flat and extremely windy plain by the ocean almost halfway home, his heart gave up. The doctors say he was dead before he hit the ground.

A friend happened to be going for a walk minutes later and tried to revive him. To no avail.

Meanwhile his kids are riding over the bridge. Stunned to find their father lying on the ground with emergency workers desperately administering CPR, they are whisked away.

All four children decided to ride in the race today. His oldest came fourth. The other two daughters rode well. His 12 year-old son got lost, then found his way, then got a flat tire and was found weeping on the side of the road, totally deflated that he hadn't made his dad proud and won the 20 mile race...

His mom - a widow of 2 days - has to go pick him up.

The thought of this sorrow is driving me mad today.

Suits

Sitting here waiting patiently in the Buffalo Airport, I am amazed at how many people still insist on wearing the "power suit".

Every second person walking by me seems to be dressed for a serious meeting with serious people about serious stuff. I saw one smile a while back, but most of them seem to be on a collision course with destiny.

I have always said you can tell a lot about someone by their shoes. I can tell if you have been forced to wear a suit for your job by what your shoes look like.

Most of the people walking by me today have chosen to wear a suit. Their shoes give it away.

Interesting. I have not worn a suit for approximately 13 years. That record comes to an end this summer- I have weddings to officiate.

I better buy some shoes too.
~~~~
Tim Bailey

Temporary

My oldest daughter turns 14 today. Seems like yesterday she was just 13.

I remember the fears of having a baby for the first time. I remember how good that sandwich tasted after not eating all day, waiting on a nervous stomach. I love that we have had 13 years together. I love that we love to hang out. I love that we still have life to live. I hate that one day we won't.

I have been reminded this week of how everyone reacts to the fact that life is temporary and death is forever. We can't deal with it. The very fact that we work against it all our "lives" is evidence that it was never supposed to be this way.

Life was supposed to be forever. But the only way for that to happen now is to make death temporary somehow...

Hmmm. I guess that's what the whole Jesus event accomplished.

~~~~
Tim Bailey

Domain and Dominion

When I think of a domain, I think of anything an owner owns and is responsible for. Dominion, on the other hand, is anything that serves its owners' purposes within his domain. If the purpose of a field is to grow corn, then although the owner has domain over every acre, his dominion only exists over the acres that cooperate. The rocky, thorny, compacted parts don't yield to the owners' purpose. Until such time as he clears and tills his domain, his dominion is frustrated.

Similarly, in a king's domain, he only has dominion over those who either willingly serve his purposes or are forced to do so. Depending on how he leads and what his purposes accomplish, his dominion will fill his domain, or he will be overthrown. He may create his dominion by force, or by shrewd leadership and manipulation. He may demand it without delay, or be patient and give options. He may demand honour without lifting a finger, or stoop to serve his people. Ultimately, the end result of his power is his dominion over all his domain, or the loss of his domain to another dominion.

In this way, all kingdoms are both now and not yet. They may be "now" in the sense of ownership, but they are "not yet" in the sense of total submission. There is always at best rebellion, at worst an attempted coup.

If Creator, God's ownership of the earth and all that is in it is without question. His dominion, as it relates to willing subjects or forced devotion is frustrated at best. According to the Scriptures, God has not forced complete submission (mercy), but has served his creation (grace), waiting patiently for it to willingly serve his purposes and experience life again. Wherever his purpose (love) is being fulfilled, life and his kingdom exist.

Because the kingdom of God is based not on fear and destruction, but on love and life, we live in the "now but not yet". Instead of forcing every knee to bow, love waits for submission. God's mercy creates quite a mess for a stubborn world. Having allowed another to have control for a time, his domain and dominion are not yet equal. Once they are, heaven and earth will be one...

In his kingdom, selflessness rules. The least are the greatest and the last are the first... This is the good news of the kingdom....

~~~~

Tim Bailey

Revealing

It seems to me that for people who believe in a Creator, we try pretty hard to return the favour.

Endless debates about what the Creator is like and who the Creator is usually end with some part of the Creator being "created".

If we have created even one idea of the Creator, we have denied our core belief. And if we think the Creator has been revealed precisely, it's probably more creation than revelation...

Eek.

~~~~
Tim Bailey

Patterns

Earn.
Pay.

I have been doing some thinking about how our whole system of existence is based on earning and paying- deserving.

We earn because we need. We pay because we need.
We earn more because we want. We pay more because we want more. We do this because we feel we deserve it.

Our self esteem is effected by it right from the beginning. Our concept of human rights is built around it. Our understanding of waste and destruction is influenced by it. Our committment to our jobs is driven by it.

We use phrases like "what goes around comes around", "you get what you give" or "I worked hard for it"...

And it's all "fine" until we realize that the most important thing in life- our relationships- are destroyed by this system. Wives wait until husbands earn the right to be respected. Husbands wait until wives earn the right to be loved. (As if love could be earned).

Love can't be earned or paid for. If it is, it isn't love. Love gets sweeter the less you do for it. We wonder why we "can't all just get along", while we try and make love fit the earn/pay pattern. (That's called "tolerance"...but that's a blog for another time)

The thing is, true life is found in love- yet we try and earn and pay for the kind of "life" we think we deserve.

Bring our relationships into that mixture, and we have some serious therapy to pay for...
~~~~
Tim Bailey

Power and the Monster

Humiliation is bad. Choosing humility is good.
Oppression is bad. Choosing to serve is good.
Discrimination is bad. Choosing to be last is good.
Exploitation is bad. Choosing poverty is good.

Power isn't something to take from people. It is something to neutralize. It's impossible to oppress selflessness. If I choose servanthood, you can't make me your slave. If I humble myself, you can't humiliate me. If wealth isn't my goal, you can't frustrate it.

When it comes to ending poverty, the starting point can't be "we can all be wealthy". (Sorry Mr.Sachs. You are a genius and your book is brilliance, but I can't agree with you on this point).

This monster we fight can only be conquered by draining its' power and neutralizing its' poison. Sachs says we are not in a zero-sum economy. Does it matter? Won't we always act as if we are?

The pattern of "give and take so we can get" still gives the monster power.
Oppression will still have its' whip and exploitation will still have its' lure.
We'll all just be a few more rungs up the wrong ladder.

Ending poverty is a noble cause. Let's do it.
But I have a feeling the only way we can end it is by choosing it.

Blessed are the...
~~~~
Tim Bailey