My list of responses that I would like to make, and yet I know they would serve no useful purpose. Here’s my list.
Be kind.
. . . and this changes or affects your life how?
This is more complex than your few words on a post. It’s worthy of a conversation.
Read your post. Read it again. It might not mean what you think it means.
Your post has multiple interpretations depending on your personal perspective. Consider someone else’s perspective. Then meet a person with that perspective and have a conversation.
You are missing pieces to this conversation.
What’s the rest of the story? Do you know?
Who else is involved? What do they have to say?
Why are you so outraged? Who is instilling fear into your life? your words? maybe your actions?
What is civility? Do we practice it. The Google Dictionary definition of civility is a formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech.
Let’s practice our civility even on social media. Is that possible?
I don’t respond. Maybe I should.
Here’s the dilemma. Proverbs 26:4-5 (NIV)
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
What to do? When to engage and when to scroll on?
Maybe just leave it as a blog post to consider another day . . .
Note that I listed way more questions than answers as a response.
you can’t believe it, and you don’t want to believe it,
it takes your breath away,
you can’t wrap your head around it or even any thoughts
it just doesn’t seem possible or probable
what are you going to do with it?
and then
you begin to process the news
what it means?
who it affects?
Worst case scenarios begin to emerge…
then trying to make sense of it so that you will feel ok about it
at least for the time being
and
we are back to “it is what it is”
life goes on
we manage, forget, deny, or whatever
until we begin to realize that it could be an
“…or is it?”
and it just might be ok?
Oh, how I wish I knew what the “news that stuns” was. I wrote these words December 31, 2012. I’m sure the “news that stuns” can’t compare to news of the last couple of years. Yet, here we are . . . carry on . . .
Some of these drafts were written recently. Ok, maybe 3 or 4. The rest were written several years ago. I went back to delete them and didn’t have the heart to put them in the trash. There are some precious moments there that I don’t want to forget, and yet I’m uncertain why I didn’t publish them.
Did I think that they were that unimportant in the moment? Important enough to write but not to publish? Perhaps I was going to polish them?
Did I think that they wouldn’t speak to anyone?
Looking back, I should have published them just for me . . . to keep a record of those ordinary moments for others that were extraordinary moments for me.
So, I’m thinking that maybe I can go back and publish them for me now even those those events are a distant memory but important enough to me that I took the time to write a few lines . . .
Thinking on this tonight . . . which also means that I now have 88 drafts to read over . . .
morning walks on the beach and observing the different looks of the water
waffles topped with fruit and whipped cream from the local coffee shop
rest after a busy week
writing. . . sometimes
definitely reading . . . always . . .
I have a book that I have been saving for this weekend. It’s almost time to start it.
clearing your head of all the “stuff” of the week
taking a slow, deep breath
sometimes housekeeping chores that have been put off . . . sometimes too long
Then other Saturdays are full of activity . . . visiting family . . . catching up on work for whatever reason necessitates that . . . planning a new week or month, trying to make everything fit . . .
This Saturday, though, is a restful Saturday for me.
Back to the original title of this blog when I first began writing to sharpen my writing skills for graduate school…
So much in my life, maybe your life, is more complex than when we first look at it.
We want easy and quick answers to make sense of our world.
And yet, there is always more to the story, more to learn, more we need to know before we can see what’s playing out before us…
Watch for simplistic answers to seemingly simple questions and consider is there more to this than I am hearing and seeing. Am I missing the complexity of understanding with the need for a simple answer to make sense of the world?
It is what it is…or is it?
What more do I need to know?
What questions do I need to ask?
What’s happening beyond the facts and stories that I consume?
Who are all the players?
Who is left out?
What is left out?
Am I dealing with a scenario, situation, belief, opinion that is much more complex?
Choose to dig a little deeper, think a little longer, read a little more, and discover what you hadn’t considered before…there may be just a little bit more that’s being left out intentionally or unintentionally…
Pause to consider…is it truly what it is… or is it???????
Here it is. A hastily handwritten note that has encouraged for 3 years…
This is the note I wrote to a DBA candidate who was ABD (all but dissertation) and creating a dissertation proposal.
I couldn’t remember what the words were that I provided for her. It wasn’t fancy paper obviously or even the most profound words. There is even a scratched out word. Editing at it’s best. It’s taped inside of a desk drawer to be read every day. The words resonated and lived on for 3 years all the way through a dissertation defense that ended in a new DBA. Congratulations Doctor!
The power of our words can
encourage,
cheer someone one for a long time,
empower to continue on and do the work,
to achieve their best,
attain their goals,
embark on a difficult journey…
When was the last time, you gave someone a handwritten note of encouragement…
Do you keep handwritten notes that other give to you? I have a few, but the one above speaks to me deeply.
“It is what it is” would say
this note was not well thought out
it wasn’t written on the best paper with the best handwriting
it’s not worth keeping
it’s just a plain piece of paper with scratchy writing
…or is it?
I say that we can be kind and offer words that encourage and empower
if we stop and pay attention to one another even for a moment.
I have been a long time reader/fan of Erwin Raphael McManus. I don’t remember the details, but I had read about McManus and also read one of his books probably in the early 2000s. When my son headed to LA, I encouraged him to visit Mosaic to “see” if McManus was the real deal or if he just knew how to write books well by capturing the hearts and minds of his readers. My son continues to this day to be a part of Mosaic, and I have visited Mosaic several times for services and Saturday Bible sessions.
His latest book, The Genius of Jesus, is another journey for the reader. McManus reveals…uncovers…provides an understanding…of Jesus in a way that most of his have never considered. Unlocking the genius of Jesus and what that means for me and for you.
“Jesus saw a new way to be human, a way to live each moment fully present and fully alive. Imagine if your every choice and every action only and always created the good and the beautiful and the true. The genius of Jesus is that he teaches us how to become human again.”
“He (Jesus) will awaken within you all you need to be fully alive.”
The above two quotes are from the first chapter of the book. To be fully alive. To create the good and the beautiful and the true. This possibility lies within each one of us as we encounter Jesus and his genius that is contagious. Whoever thought of using words like genius to describe Jesus, and yet that is exactly the word to convey Jesus. McManus provides a fresh perspective and what many of us may know but seek to live out well. With a fresh eye towards transformation, all of us get a renewed spirit to live fully alive. An incredible reminder of Jesus’ own words, “I have to come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10 NIV). This is book describes living life to the full and being fully alive.
Read the book. Explore the genius of Jesus. Be transformed.
I’m currently reading A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture that Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing. The book is about the church creating a goodness culture, and it got me to thinking what if everyone everywhere spread goodness wherever they went. How would
churches be affected…
communities be affected…
schools be affected…
countries be affected…
governments be affected…
politics be affected…
hospitals be affected…
stores be affected…
restaurants be affected…
nature be affected…
the court system be affected…
neighborhoods be affected…
our conversations be affected…
social media be affected…
people be affected…
What if one person spread goodness…who would be affected…would goodness spread to others…
Is it possible to create a culture of goodness? What does that mean for you and me?
so this is my current reading…I have started the first 5 books (but looking forward to the 6th book which is a series) and finished one which I keep going back to and thinking about…one quote or thought from each book…reviews later
“
I have finished reading The Genius of Jesus: The Man Who Changed Everything. This is the book that I keep going back to and thinking about. You will too.
“Jesus turned the world upside down when it came to power. His was a genius…How could they have known that power would never know its full force until it was used on behalf of others? How could they have understood that it was not beneath God to serve? That it is exactly like God to serve?...God is the greatest servant who ever lived…no feet too dirty…not life too broken…no soul too dark to forgive. Who does this with their power? Who would ever see this as an act of power? Who else but Jesus could make this choice?” (p. 109, Kindle, The Genius of Jesus, Erwin Raphael McManus)
“The world is bursting with wonder, and yet it’s the rare productivity guru who seems to have considered the possibility that the ultimate point of all our frenetic doing might be to experience more of that wonder.” (p.4, Kindle, Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman)
Matthew 9 When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
“Immediately after showing compassion for these desperate and hurting people, Jesus turns to his disciples and says, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Because there are so many wounded, Jesus says, we need a host of wounded healers. in other words, if you are a disciple of Jesus, you have been commissioned–not only to see and hear and believe the wounded, but also to care for them, to bind up their wounds and heal their afflictions.” (p. 121, Kindle, A Church Called Tov, McKnight and Barringer).
Peril – dictionary definition – serious and immediate danger
There are no quotes from this book. It’s a revealing narrative that you process the events that occurred from the author’s investigation.
“What is my Leadership Voice? It’s both a culmination and a reflection of who you are and what God has called you to do with your life while you are alive on earth. It’s also been inside you since you were born. You aren’t responsible for creating it because God already did that, but you are responsible for discovering it, strengthening it, maturing it, and using it when He calls you.” (p.13, Kindle, Find Your Leadership Voice in 90 days, Kadi Cole)
This is a time travel thriller, and this is book 5 of 6 released today. Let’s just say that book 4 did not end well in the story line, and it’s been a challenge to wait for this book to release. I will begin it after I finish the fiction book I am currently reading. I bought the paperback versions for my husband and told him to wait to read book 4, because he would be distressed that he didn’t have book 5 to continue reading.
It is what it is....or is it? 