A Christian Worldview from Silicon Valley

When Keith and I were first married, I read several books on what it would take to make our marriage strong and resilient. One of the comments that struck me was along the lines of “Love keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:5), the idea to not hold grudges, to let bygones be bygones. Our code phrase for this kind of negative memory was “file cabinets.” For the most part, Keith and I have done pretty well at not dredging up old history in order to shore up today’s arguments.

Recently I was reading a book that took this concept to new heights, under the heading, “Don’t Let Yesterday Hijack Your Attention.”

A retentive memory may be a good thing, but the ability to forget is the true token of greatness. Successful people forget. They know the past is irrevocable. They’re running a race. They can’t afford to look behind. Their eye is on the finish line. Magnanimous people forget. They’re too big to let little things disturb them. They forget easily. If anyone does them wrong, they consider the source and keep cool. It’s only the small people who cherish revenge. Be a good forgetter. Business dictates it, and success demands it. (Elbert Hubbard, as quoted in John Maxwell’s Talent is Never Enough workbook, p. 46.)

It takes energy to nurture memories of the past, especially painful memories. Besides distracting from what you would prefer to focus on, those kinds of thoughts can also cause a reluctance to try certain actions again. “Once bitten, twice shy” refers to a learned distrust of people, but will it benefit you more in the long run to “forgive and forget”?

History is a powerful teacher, sometimes too powerful. When is it best to remember, and when is it best to forget?

Here’s another thought-provoking quote from Shane Claiborne‘s book “The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical”:

“In my youth-group days, I had seen all too many wild would-be Jesus radicals fall by the wayside because they had never been trusted with the adventure of revolutionary living…. God forgive us for all those we have lost because we made the gospel boring. I am convinced that if we lose kids to the culture of drugs and materialism, of violence and war, it’s because we don’t dare them, not because we don’t entertain them. It’s because we make the gospel too easy, not because we make it too difficult. Kids want to do something heroic with their lives, which is why they play video games and join the army. But what are they to do with a church that teaches them to tiptoe through life so they can arrive safely at death?”

I have to confess that I tend towards tiptoeing rather than living on the edge, but that certainly isn’t the way Jesus lived.

What makes living out the gospel exciting to you?

If you haven’t already, go read Vivian’s post. Right now. And comment, too, because we live for comments. Anyway, the following thoughts were inspired by what she said, and it would be grossly unfair to her to start here just because mine is at the top of the pile for the moment.

Nearly two years ago, I read Why Men Hate Going to Church. It opened my eyes to several things that had been right in front of me forever, yet I hadn’t been able to “see” them before. The book made me wonder if some church practices (passive activities, sweet songs, and so on) had become unduly feminine. As I grappled with that thought (continuing to this day), I came across an oddly titled book, Jesus: Mean and Wild. I had to buy it — that characterization was so different from Jesus as I had understood him to be, yet I wondered what a “mean and wild” Jesus might look like. Confession: I tossed it on my huge TBR(ead) pile of books and didn’t read it for a long time. But I looked at it. And I talked about it. Every time I mentioned the title, I’d get that, “You’re crazy!” look. Okay, whatever. Some people don’t recognize hyperbole for what it is.

At Lewis’ suggestion, I agreed to co-teach the Sermon on the Mount with him, but I told him up front, “This is not my favorite topic. I don’t get it, and I don’t like reading lectures.” He told me, “That’s okay. You’re gonna love it when we’re done, because it’s my very favorite thing!” Okay, the gauntlet had been thrown, and I picked it up.

But I am so far from the “Bible is simple. All ya gotta do is open it and read it and do it. Done deal.” Maybe I’m just thick-headed, but a lot of times when I read the Bible, I’m like, “So? What did that mean? How am I supposed to do that?” Did Jesus really want me to pluck out my eye or chop off my hand? (Interesting how most of us do recognize the hyperbole here; at least I haven’t noticed any one-eyed, one-armed Christians running around, though I bet they have sinned through their seeing or touching.) Most of the Bible is told in stories. The stories reveal — obliquely!!! — the heart of God, his goals and purposes for people, his disappointments with their actions, his irrational love for downtrodden, ostracized, marginalized groups (like Israel). (more…)

While I was at the Pepperdine Lectures I heard about Shane Claiborne‘s book, “The Irresistible Revolution,” and I finally started reading it.  He reminds me of our friend Bill in including this quote from nineteenth-century Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard:

“The matter is quite simple.  The Bible is very easy to understand.  But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers.  We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly.  Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly.  My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined.  How would I ever get on in the world?  Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship.  Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close.  Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you?  Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God.  Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.”

Then Claiborne talks about going to work with Mother Teresa and meeting a fundamentalist (not a selective fundamentalist) who actually sold all he had and gave to the poor.

I’m looking forward to seeing what else this ordinary radical has to say, and contemplating what I might end up doing as a result.

Anything in the Bible you are trying not to understand?

Last weekend my husband reminded me of the recent spate of freeway shootings where, apparently because of road-rage, someone decides someone else’s time has come and acts on that decision.

That such a thing can happen is symptomatic of many problems (gun control, anyone?), but I’m extremely disturbed at the low regard for life.

In Nancy Pearcey’s book “Total Truth,” she says:

All these forms of cultural dissolution, [Francis] Schaeffer writes, have “come about due to a shift in worldview… to a worldview based on the idea that the final reality is impersonal matter or energy shaped into its current form by impersonal chance.”

If this is truly a product of the long reach of Darwinism, so much for the atheists who believe religion threatens the survival of mankind. In the case of road rage, I don’t think the fittest survives.

How different would our world be if we all viewed each person as someone created in God’s image, someone Jesus died for?

Someday, I want to visit The Hotel Utah in San Francisco, which hosts an open mic every Monday, featuring a scheduled musician and whoever else wants to play. Every week or so, host JJ Schultz sends me a note, subject line: “The Utah loves you…,” and saying something like: “Hello. Hope you’re doing good. I’m doing pretty good. Blah blah blah.* So-and-so gave a great performance and you can download it here….”

And one of my favorite music stations, KFOG, “World Class Rock,” emails a personalized note to registered Fogheads like me. The note goes something like this: “Dear Susan, Blah blah blah.* Love, KFOG.”

I like those notes. I appreciate knowing what’s waiting for me some future Monday, and it’s especially nice to get a weekly reminder that somebody loves me.

I was reading a couple of them the other day, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside when my brain kicked in — hello, “loves” me? Yeah, right. Me and thousands of other registered rock fans. Not! That is, the sentiment shown here is not even LIKE, much less LOVE. To love a person, one tiny prerequisite is that you know them, right? When I filled out the registration forms, I had to divulge some information, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t submit so much that they would truly know me, much less recognize me on the street.

Maybe knowledge isn’t the distinguishing factor. After all, what about Christians, who are called to love everyone, even strangers? Maybe what gives love its potency is not its label but its action. Y’know, like Jesus said: “If you gave a stranger food, drink, clothing, shelter, medical help, or encouragement in the form of a prison or hospital visit, it’s as though you had given it straight to me” (Susan’s down and dirty summary of Matthew 25:31-46). In other words, “Just Do It.”

In “Pagans, Christianity, and Charity,” Christopher Price cites examples of how Christians began showing a gritty kind of love that was unheard of in the ancient world, (more…)

Okay, so organic food is not new, but “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” a non-fiction book by novelist Barbara Kingsolver, was really eye-opening for me.

Kingsolver tells about the year her family spent eating home- and locally-grown food, rather than supporting the food industry. I was struck by the descriptions of how industrial farming is detrimental to the soil, unhealthy and inhumane to the animals being raised for food as well as the animals that live among the crops, and produces food of inferior taste and nutrition. Furthermore, the process from seed to grocery shelf consumes significant amounts of fossil fuels.

“If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country’s oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil every week.”

The impact of the food industry, in striving to make available to everyone any food in any season, illustrates one of my concerns with a capitalist society. We become accustomed to getting whatever we want, whenever we want it, whether it’s good for us or anyone else.

Where are our priorities? Perhaps it’s worth putting more investment in diversified farmers, in teachers, in what truly makes the world a better place. Sacrificing convenience and affordability for quality.

You get what you pay for. You are what you eat.

Does God care how we affect the world and all its creatures? I think so. I’m not saying I’m going organic tomorrow, but it certainly gives me pause.

What would the world be like if we were conscientious stewards of His creation?

Almost everyone has an appreciation day.

First one listed in a web search is System Administrator Appreciation Day in July (is this a high tech society or what?). Of course there’s Teacher’s Day in May, and Secretary’s Day in April (oops — now it’s Administrative Professionals Day). And today, January 28, is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day!

But is there a God Appreciation Day?

I suppose Sunday (the Lord’s Day) could be considered God Appreciation Day. But, do we really appreciate God?

Most of us appreciate God in the sense of this definition (from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language on Dictionary.com):

To be thankful or show gratitude for

In the ACTS model for prayer (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), thanksgiving and supplication are the easy parts. Most of us are very good at thanking God for all He does for us, and turning right around and asking for more. But God is a whole lot bigger than that. (more…)

I can’t be bothered to wear any perfume myself, but I enjoy the scents worn (in moderation) on other people. Florals, spices, fruits, and musks are all aromatically delicious to me. I’m not picky, although I confess to having gotten rather tired of the ubiquitous lavender water worn by Brazilian girls in the 1970s.

In his brilliant 1985 novel, Perfume, Patrick Süskind evokes the smelly atmosphere of 18th century France. Out of this unlikely setting is born a savant, one with such a keen sense of smell that he focuses obsessively on making a particular perfume. However, because Grenouille is so morally twisted and socially eccentric, he and his gift are unappreciated, until one day.

Director/screenwriter Tom Tykwer says, “It’s the story of someone who longs for recognition, puts on a fake aesthetic surface, and makes people, for a moment, completely fall for him, only to realize that that’s not what he wanted, and that’s not what he was looking for” (featurette “The Story of Perfume” on Perfume DVD, 2006, rated R).

So what about us? Do we long for recognition, to be truly known and understood? Or do we prefer to protect what lies within by shaping our looks, words, and actions in order to appease, seduce, or fend off others?

While it seems easier to wear a mask, it can get awfully heavy. And when I look at Jesus and people like him who can’t be bothered to wear one, they seem lighter on their feet to me. Their direct speech, disregard for social convention, willingness to question, and responsiveness allows them to be nimble in their dealings with others, to focus on what matters the most: relationship, truth, justice, forgiveness, responsibility.

What “fake aesthetic surfaces” do you see getting in the way?
What solutions have you found for becoming more genuine, honest, transparent?

I don’t have a cell phone, so I find them more annoying than anything else (although it’s reassuring to know that they’re so prolific, we cell-phone-less folks can always find one to borrow in an emergency).  Maybe they’re making better cell phones these days, but I often find it hard to hear the person on the other end.  The worst part is, they’re annoying even when you aren’t using one. 

Whenever you find yourself behind a bad driver, chances are they’re on their cell phone (yes, I’m looking forward to July 1, 2008 when hands-free devices are required in CA).  And if you’re with someone who has a cell phone, you can be put on hold when you’re not even on the phone (nothing like being prioritized in person).

But I wonder:  who are people talking to all the time?  Why?  Is the shower our only haven of solitude left (although I found waterproof cell phones on Google)?  Are we losing the ability to be alone with our own thoughts?

Worse yet, is God getting a busy signal?

In “Experiencing God : Knowing and Doing the Will of God” by Henry T. Blackaby & Claude V. King, the following statement struck me:

“If I have trouble hearing God speak, I am in trouble at the very heart of my Christian experience.” 

If we don’t give God a chance, how can we hear Him?

Why do we prefer to talk to “real people,” who often let us down, instead of God, whose love never fails?