Blind Calls

Well, the Oregon-OU game taught us many things, in the least, that life is not always fair. But I noticed an interesting trend.

As of 9:30 this morning, there were about 70 Facebook groups devoted to the OU-Oregon game. In those 70 groups, there were about 6,500 people (and growing). The groups ranged in composition---some were ref-based, some Pak-10 based, and many others were just sprinkled liberally with expletives.

One group in particular had close to 2,000 names. It was a petition to get the game's win over-thrown. Although that is unlikely, the thought behind that group and the 70-some-old others made me take notice.

The common link behind each of the groups was passion. Passion drives us to take action. We are passionate about the injustice, about the loss, about the unfairness of it all. SO passionate, we find out the email, phone, and address of those who are in charge. We form like-minded groups...we petition...we contact...we pursue justice.

The sad part of all of this is that it is about FOOTBALL. Now, don't get me wrong. I am a HUGE OU fan. I am mad about Saturday's loss. I think we did get robbed, and it was 100% unfair. It stinks!

Given that, though, it kind of makes me sad to think we can get over 7,000+ people to be so passionate ONE football game and yet these same people ignore other injustices each and very day. Are you more passionate about the injustice of a call in a football game, or are you more passionate about reaching the lost?

Which motivates you into action--a bad call on the field, or an abortion of an child? What issues invoke intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction in your life?

I am saddened that I can more easily get passionate about an injustice in football than about people going to hell. I'm disappointed that I'm more likely to sign a petition to get a football game score overthrown than I am to save an unborn child.

Hmm. Yes, the Pak-10 Refs were blind this week, but I think I am just as blind. I am just as guilty of allowing bad calls to stand even in the light of Proof.

Remembering

Well, it's been five years now.

Today I was thinking about where I was on September 11 when I heard about the world trade center crashes. I was not yet working at the BSU yet, but rather, Boise Cascade Office Products. I was on the team on the far corner of the building, which I loved. It was quieter and more private over there. So much so, the guy in the cubicle in front of me would listen to his radio during work. He heard it announced on the radio, and at that time we didn't know it was on purpose. It seemed like an accident.....until the second plane.

Before long most of the several-hundred person office was in the break room watching the TVs. After about an hour, we were actually sent home from work.....I have never heard of that thing happening before. I guess they figured we wouldn't work much with this going on. Plus, we were a national company and it affected the company everywhere--even Norman, Oklahoma. And I watched TV, like the rest of the world, for the rest of the day and days to follow.

That day reminded me so much of the OKC bombing in the shock of watching history unfold in front of your eyes. It's like the Kennedy assassination, too, I guess. They say everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing on that day too.

We never know when a normal day will turn into a historical day. We never know when we might be touched by acts of violence like this. We never know when our time here on earth is over. We never know.

Sweet Dreams

This quote was at the beginning of a book I read over the weekend. Although the book was pretty lame, this quote stood out to me.

"The division of one day from the next must be one of the most profound peculiarities of life on this plant. It is, on the whole, a merciful arrangement. We are not condemned to sustained flights of being, but are constantly refreshed by little holidays from ourselves. We are intermittent creatures, always falling to little ends and rising to little new beginnings. Our soon-tired consciousness is meted out in chapters, and that the world will look quite different tomorrow is, for both our comfort and our discomfort, usually true. How marvelously too night matches sleep, sweet images of it, so neatly apportioned to our need. Angles must wonder at these things being who fall so regularly out of awareness into phantasm-invested dark. How our frail identities survive these chasms no philosopher has ever been able to explain." --Iris Murdoch

Whistle while you work....

It's good to operate on full tanks. Wow.

This week, although super busy and crazy at times, I have been having fun. Today I was singing to myself as I worked on cleaning up the database. It just made me realize how much this summer refreshed me.

I love statistics. At the END of last year, we had 891 contacts in our database. As of today, we have 751 contacts. That is only after one event! I'm excited to see the students really go after it and invite people and really make them feel welcome. No, we are not perfect, but it is the heart behind it that excites me.

I am also excited about the changes we are making in the ministry at OU. I think we will be able to meet more and open the doors to more people than we ever had. That is not about numbers----but about getting to touch MORE people's lives for Jesus! We have 28,000 people to reach just on that campus! What a task!!

I know I need to update more. I will get back to normal soon (I hope). I even want to pick up KCW again. :)

Snapshots--in words

Below are some snapshots of what I have been learning. These are quotes from the talks, sermons, Sunday School lessons, speakers, and books I have been reading. If you want MORE explanation of one of them, just ask. I will try to expand on it if there is a desire for that.

• "Leading is putting people in the best possible position to succeed. If people don't believe that you have their best interests in mind, they won't follow you without some kind of reward."
• "It is easy to complain. It takes character to be thankful. Christ is the ONLY one who had a 'right' to complain and he never did."
• "You give glory to what you talk about."
• "A butterfly's wings are made of crystallized waste! That's God, though, taking our 'waste' and making something beautiful out of it."
• "Love is inconvenient. Love sacrifices for another. The greater the love, the greater the sacrifice must be."
• "Where did we get the idea there were no hardships in the Christian life? Jesus was killed! The apostles sufferer and even died. Why do we think we would be any different?"
• "It is easier to talk to God about men, than men about God. If we love people we must put legs to our prayers. Praying alone is not a substitute for obedience."
• "In 2006, $21 Billion was given toward 'missions' and reaching the nations with the Gospel. Another $22 BILLION was LOST due to embezzlement from Christian workers. More money was stolen from the cause of Christ than was given to missions. And we wonder why we see no fruit."
• "Corrie, do you know what hurts so very much? It's love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain. There are two things we can do when this happens. We can kill the love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies. Or, Corrie, we can ask God to open up another route for the love to travel. When we cannot love in the old, human way, Corrie, God can give us the perfect way."
• "Oh this was the great ploy of Satan in the kingdom of his: to display such blatant evil that one could almost believe one's own secret sins didn't matter."
• "Intimacy always comes through an invitation and a choice. Each disciple was as close to Jesus as they choose to be. The King has no favorites. To be in His inner circle is by our choice, not by lack of an invitation."
• "Our worldview is much like a frog in a kettle. If you put a frog in a kettle of cold water and gradually turn up the heat, the frog won't jump out because he becomes accustomed, slowly, to the new temperature. He will stay there in the water until he boils. In our culture, the heat has gradually been turned up--changed--and we, like the frog, haven't even realized it's a different temperature."
• "Does it trouble your heart when what you believe is not backed up by scripture?"
• "We many times spend so much time wrestling with God's will that we never really have the freedom to enjoy it."
• "Fear causes us to cover up; to lie; to conform. It is the greatest block to real relationship. Fearful people cannot truly commit, can't accept, can't be real....fear blocks real love."
• "When I am gone, I shall leave some grand men and women behind."

Blogspot Confessional

The last few days I have been in a weird mood. My heart is heavy and sad. It's hard to explain and when people ask what is wrong, I honestly can't say what it is that is wrong. I think God is just doing some pruning. It's not like huge limbs are falling, but through snip, snip, snip, snips....I am getting pruned.

Right now I am not who I want to be. I feel it is on the surface, waiting to spring out. I've been thinking a lot about my up-coming birthday. It's in December, so no one freak out and check facebook. It's not the date that is making me think--it is the age! On December 5, I will be turning....it hurts to type it.....30.

THIRTY! That is a grown-up age. That is old and adultish, even to me. I can't imagine what all you 21-almost-year-olds might be thinking. With this age, I am thinking about who I am, and if I am who I want to be by this age.

This whole 30 thing is probably prompted by my recent joining of "MySpace." I have been looking up high school "friends" and classmates. In some respects, some of the pictures have brought me joy. Like, "THANK YOU LORD, for not giving me who I thought I wanted to marry!" Or when I see the pictures and think, "Man! He looks OLD! I don't look that old (do I)"

For those moments, I am thankful. But when I look at me, I am not exactly perfect either. In some respects, I have done well. I am in a job I love, and have so many wonderful friends it makes me cry just thinking of them.

But my heart--my character--it has come up lacking. I haven't really allowed God to fully make me who He wants me to be. I have been lazy, apathetic at times.

I only have 155 days and counting until I hit the big 3-0. I want to make those days count....but will I let God do it? Will I put in the work and the effort? I know me, and I fear I won't...Romans 7:15 anyone? ("I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate.")

Sadly, I have a soundtrack to all of these thoughts. I heard it the other day, and over-played as it is, it still pricked my heart. "This is your life. Are you who you want to be?"

Today that answer is no. No, I am not.

Mercy me, no!

Last night we talked about Spiritual Gifts. Dave led us through it and we had a little test to take even. After the time, I gave the announcements, which included a little talk on volunteer hours.

Afterwards, I had at least 3 people come up and thank me for NOT having the gift of mercy. What I THINK they meant is--"thanks for telling us clearly and strongly our boundaries--even if we don't like them." I then also had a couple more people tell me I did a good job of explaining the why and what of volunteer work.

Apparently, I have the gift of announcements.

Really, though, I am thankful for their gratefulness. It is nice to know you are needed and appreciated. I think we all want that. We want to know people are glad for our differences--our strengths, even if they are different than our own.

I want to encourage all who read this to tell someone who is gifted DIFFERENTLY than you are why you appreciate their gift.