Quick diversion--The Voldemort in all of us.

Recently the Harry potter series came to a dramatic conclusion with the final confrontation between Harry and his super evil antagonist Voldemort coming to a head.  In light of this I recently read an interesting article in Psychology today about the "Voldemort in all of us."  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/grand-rounds/201107/the-stanford-prison-experiment-is-there-bit-voldemort-in-all-us
The basic premise was that we (humans) have a tendency to villify others who commit heinous crimes, but fail often to recognize or come to terms with the evil that is resident in all of us, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to rear its ugly head.  Case in point the Stanford prison guard experiment conducted 40 years ago that had students role play as prisoners or guards, and waited to see how their identities would be affected by their randomly assigned roles. 
It got ugly. 
The experiement had to be terminated because for ethics reasons, but essentially the guards were becoming abusive. http://www.prisonexp.org/
Many of the guards seemingly were surprised at their ability and even tendency to treat people with such disregard for their welfare.
So what does that tell us? 
Well according to the prophet Jeremiah writing some 3000 years prior to the Stanford experiment, the "heart is desperately wicked, who can understand it?" (Jer 17:9)
Understanding this, what can we do.  What if Voldemort is lurking inside all of us?
Clearly we need not merely an awareness of this potential for evil, but a way to overcome it.
For that I refer you to Romans 7:24.  "Who will save me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus our Lord!"
Even if your not a Christian you have to admit, that sounds a lot more promising than "Expelliarmus!"

Mahwagh Part 2--Power Pleasure and Praise defined

Part Dos

As we look at the kinds of things we worship we have to ask what forms this idolatry takes.
But before I assume you know what idolatry is, let me just clarify a little.
I am not talking about bowing down to a little statue of Budda located in your entryway or possibly a small shrine in the foyer. 
I am talking about the kinds of things that capture our hearts.  The kinds of things we will give up everything else to pursue because we think that thing will provide the satisfaction, fulfillment, joy, pleasure, whatever it is that we think we need to live a happy life. 
But instead of trying to identify each and every little thing (such as neapolitan sugar wafers--which I loooovveee) I like to think in terms of major categories. 
These are--drumroll please:  power, pleasure and praise.
Okay maybe that's decidedly anticlimactic, but let me explain why they are so important.
These three areas represent general categories under which fall almost all other forms of idolatry.  They are also the areas in which we are most likely to serve ourselves in, in opposition to God. 
For example I may value the praise of people not God.
I may want the power to do what I want, instead of trusting God.
And last I may seek pleasure that is only self serving, and not glorifying to God.
The irony is that when these three areas are in right alignment with our relationship to God, all is well--generally speaking. 
Why? 
These areas represent forms of worship that can draw us toward or away from God and man depending on how they are approached.
Let me give you an example.
Power.  What is power?  It is the desire for control over the situations, events, people, circumstances you name it, that I am confronted with in day to day life.
But who really has control?  God.  He alone is sovereign over all things and worthy of unmitigated worship.
So where do I want power in my life? 
Probably just about everything. 
In fact if you are a Christian, it was probably your recognition that you were powerless over the sin in your life that drove you to the cross in the first place.   
If you are not, then it is probably power which keeps you hesitant to give up control to a being who is outside yourself.
But Christian or non we all indulge in a healthy dose of control freakishness in our daily lives. 
We want to eat the food we like, we want to be with the people we like, we want to do what we like. You get the idea.
Now again, sometimes power, pleasure and praise are not always bad--I mean hey who doesn't enjoy the pleasure of killer Thai food once in a while.  But if you are willing to sin either directly or indirectly in order to get it or keep it, or you think that Thai food is going to be the source of ultimate fulfillment in your life, well then we have a problem.
So, having laid this groundwork, next time I would like to relate how these three areas impact our walks with God, our relationships others and our spouses in particular.

Mahwahg iz wot bwings uz toogever--Part 1

Alright I promised and did not deliver a series on marriage.  So let it begin.

Part Uno

First a little bit about me.  I have been married for almost seventeen years--in August I will have been.  The irony is that sometimes it seems both longer, and quite a bit shorter.
Why ironic?
Well I think people tend to view bad times as taking foooorrrreeevvvverr, and good times as flying by.  My marriage has been a little bit of both.  Well actually heaps of both. 
My wife and I are closer now than we have ever been, and I would say that I am still as "in love" with her as I was early on in our relationship.  The problem is that back then I was a self satisfied punk who probably had no idea what real love was anyway,  so what ever love I felt is probably not a good gauge for the love I feel now.
So let me rephrase that.
I love my wife more now that I ever have.  It is a deeper love matured like a fine wine that is now capable of far more flavor and delight than it was when it was young.
But it has not been easy to get there, and to be honest, its still not easy. 
Marriage, and indeed any relationship takes work.  But it is a labor of love that like a farmer tending his fields yields a wonderful harvest.
Not that I am comparing women to fruits or vegetables--though my wife's name does mean fertile valley, but you get the idea.
In this series, I want to deviate a little from the typical "man's role as husband" and "woman's role as wife" narrative that often permeates Christian marriage advice, and focus instead on three major forms of what I like to call relationship idolatry and how they impact our most intimate and personal human relationship--our marriage.
What are those forms of idolatry?
They are Power, Pleasure and Praise.
During the next post I will unpack what they are exactly, and how they relate to marriage.  

It has begun.

Missing a Friend

I know this post may seem a bit depressing, but it reflects the emotions I was experiencing at the time of the event.  The context is that  I was on my way home from out of town, when I received a call I had been dreading, and that was that a friend of mine who had been battling stage four liver cancer had died.  I am not entirely sure if there is a great "wrap up" to this particular post, but I think what I am attempting to communicate is that it is okay, even as a people who are looking toward something greater in heaven to struggle by the grace of God, with the reality of the now.

It is hard to know how to feel.
A friend of mine died last night.
He was not too old--28 but he had cancer--stage four liver cancer.
Not good.
I think I knew from the day he told me that he was going to die.
But I wanted to be suprised
I wanted to see him get well.
We prayed for him, anointed him with oil, and he took medicine.
But he died anyway.
I know God has a reason, has a plan, I was just hoping it would be for healing.
I know my friend would not argue with God's decision.
And I am not arguing either, but...
I still wish it was different.
I don't miss him yet, its too early.
But I will, and I guess its that thought that that most saddens me.
I will see him soon--after all, life is but a vapor, and eternal life with Christ is forever.
It is to this hope that I look, and try to find joy.
An eternity with God and his children.
For now, I feel the bittersweet grief of someone passing beyond my reach, but knowing they are close to God.
But all my emotions are still a bit of a mess.
Its hard to know how to feel.