A Christian Worldview from Silicon Valley

When I was in high school about a hundred years ago, my grandfather said I should take typing and shorthand, courses rarely taken in those days by boys. His real reason might have been to get me to meet girls, but he said it was because those skills would be useful all my life. I looked around and noticed that my dad needed to type for his job, that papers often had to be typed, and so I took typing.

I got to be pretty good, but I never in my life learned to type like this:

The artist, er, typist of this piece was a man named Paul Smith, who was born in 1921 with severe cerebral palsy. You can read more about him, and see more of his amazing typing, at this web site.

Mr. Smith passed away in 2007, but he continues to inspire today. Seeing what he did, reading about his life and spirit, inspires me, in fact. Maybe it will inspire you to be patient with yourself as you work on your gifts and “keep on keeping on.” Maybe it will inspire you to not think of someone with an illness as less than they are. Maybe it will inspire you to glorify God with your life and gifts. Or maybe you’ll just look at this amazing work and wish you still had a typewriter.

In case you were wondering, the Sun has been going through a quiet phase this year.  Most news agencies ignore things that are working well preferring instead to report on the stock market, or some natural disaster. It turns out that every 11 years the Sun’s magnetic field sorta re-configures itself.  We are in the midst of a very quiet period of time right now. For the Sun.  That means there are very few sunspots and solar flares happening.   Most people go along and take for granted this star that our lives depend upon and never give it a second thought.  But, if you look a little closer, you will see the wonder of the thing right before your eyes, well at least those people reading this during the daylight hours.  Oh, and I suggest you use something safe to view the sun, like the internet.

Solar Picture

I’m a fan of quiet.  I’m glad our sun is a warm star, not too hot, and not too cold, but just right.  It would be more interesting if we had a double star, but then our solar system probably wouldn’t have nearby rocky planets to live on, so we have to live with our boring quiet medium sized star.  Still, I find it quietly speaking to me.  Psalms 19

Yesterday we had a power outage for about 10 hours, from mid-afternoon until after midnight.  This had an impact on our family life in several ways, including what we had for dinner, what we did after dinner, and what time we went to bed.

The absence of electrical power was definitely noticed in my household.  My 12-year-old son in particular missed his computer time and emailing his friends.  My 9-year-old daughter made do with the Nintendo DS.

What do you notice when it’s missing?  And is that good or bad?

I read somewhere (maddeningly, I forget where), what if the Bible and everything it said were suddenly to disappear?  What would life be like?  (Or something like that.)

At the Pepperdine Lectures last April, one of the teachers asked, if the Holy Spirit were missing in the time of the book of Acts, what would have been the difference in what the apostles did?  In contrast, if the Holy Spirit were missing in the life of many churches today, what would be the difference in what the church leaders do?

Shane Claiborne said,

As my teacher Tony Campolo used to ask, “Even if there were no heaven and there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus?  Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?” … No wonder the early Christian church was known as the Way.  It was a way of life that stood in glaring contrast to the world.

What difference does His power make in your life?

Rocco needed more rocks. David picked up five smooth stones and used one, Rocco brought at least a dozen dimpled Callaway balls and 14 clubs, but they weren’t enough. After it was over, Rocco said he threw everything he had at him, including the kitchen sink, but even that wasn’t enough. He said, “I just about got him.”

What does all that say to us? Do David’s usually lose? From my perspective, David never loses. Sure, Tiger Woods won and got the U.S. Open title and the trophy, Rocco Mediate got the runner up check and the respect and admiration of lots of people, and life goes on. But David, the shepherd who became the king, put his trust not in specially forged weapons of steel and not even in his sling and stones, but in the Lord.

Put your trust in the Lord, and you, too, will prevail. You may die along the way, but you will prevail.

Back in some year long, long ago, a shepherd boy named David slew a giant named Goliath. As I write, a journeyman golf professional named Rocco has the advantage over a giant named Tiger.

Rocco Mediate vs. Tiger Woods. The 158th ranked player in the world vs. the number 1 ranked player in the world. A 45 year-old who has never won a major against a 32 year-old who has won 13 of them. Lots of people are rooting for David (Rocco), but not many people have been betting on him to win.

In the press room the day before this playoff for the 2008 U.S. Open championship, Rocco said he was looking forward to the match. He noted that they were just playing golf, not fighting. “If we were fighting, I’d be in big trouble.” Most observers figured he was in big trouble anyway, but with just two holes left to play, Rocco is not only not in trouble, he has a one shot lead.

It’ll be a compelling story if he wins, but is it really David and Goliath? David was risking his life for the Lord and for Israel, and was relying on the Lord for help. Goliath was trying to help wipe out or take over the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people. Rocco and Tiger are playing for a big title, for big money, and for a place in history.

But maybe, just maybe, as the media folks keep talking about David and Goliath, people who are watching Rocco and Tiger will think about the originals.

Stay tuned…

Cough! Cough! Cough! GASP!!

That’s how I feel about now. And, if someone else can think of a better way of expressing the sounds of coming up for air, please let me know.

For the past couple of months, SamW has been a slave driver. Uncharacteristic of many such drivers, he has no whip. He’s right down here in the trenches with me. We have been trying to get a project done by an unbending deadline.

We did it. But, in the end, as hard as we worked and planned in advance, it still took more than 40 hours of work in less than 3 days with time out for worshiping God in the middle on Sunday. (more…)

It’s almost always easier to discern God’s will, His direction, His hand in our daily lives AFTER the fact. That is, we can often more easily see how God worked things out for the good when we reflect back on the way things unfolded in our lives.

But what about BEFORE or DURING?

How can we see God working now, today? If things are going well, we say God is blessing us. If we perceive things to be going badly, we begin to wonder. No? Or is it just me?

(more…)

I am not an activist.

I don’t do picket lines, marches, or sign petitions outside Trader Joe’s.

The Roe-vs-Wade decision was remembered a couple of days ago.

The anniversary of ML King’s birthday was celebrated earlier this week.

There’s a war going on Iraq.

Business as usual for me.

So, what gets me riled up? When do I feel compelled to act, speak out, join in, carry a sign?

I’m thinking hard about this, but can’t come up with an answer.

(more…)

My wife dislikes the word blog, which all of you astute readers will know is derived from combining the words Web and log, then removing “we.” There is something ironic in that.

But blog it is, and bloggers we will be, those of us who are part of PACC. Several people will contribute to this page, and if you follow it and pay attention you will be entertained and educated and maybe even edified, all in one fell swoop. Or at least all in one place.

-Lewis