To Reality, And Beyond…

One of the greatest draws of Pixar movies is their ability to arrest the imagination of adults and children alike. While they are each great, none of the movies have captured those common childhood fantasies as perfectly as Toy Story. In the world of Woody, Rex, Slinky, and Hamm, toys exist and live for the sole pleasure of their boy. Although there is a world outside of Andy’s house, the characters only care about one ultimate truth: They are Andy’s toys. This world creates a community where they share a common goal, they live to fulfill their only purpose, and they love their toy friends in a utopic society.

You know the story: One day a self-absorbed, rubber-headed space cadet arrives on the scene. Although they are all in Andy’s room, Buzz Lightyear lives in a different reality. Engulfed in his mission to defeat the Evil Emperor Zerg, Buzz dutifully ignores the signs that he is delusional. The other toys, impressed by the new-toy-on-the-block, become distracted from their goal and purpose. Even Woody, Andy’s most faithful toy, begins to lose his way.

At the low-point of the story, Buzz and Woody are lost. They wander away from Andy—one fueled by ignorance and the other by jealousy—and they are captured by the delinquent neighbor boy, Sid. Fleeing from the maniac schemes of Sid, Buzz finally discovers that his world is a farce. Realizing the lie (which he had believed from his inception), Buzz begins to self-destruct. All seems lost until Woody (realizing the same truth in a deeper way) begins to repeat message he had known all along: “You are Andy’s toy!” With this truth ringing in their ears Buzz and Woody embark on their unified pursuit to return to Andy.

The plot of the story speaks for itself but another contour must be acknowledged. Until the moment that Buzz realized his true purpose, he had been living an existence that was ultimately self-destructive and joyless. Afterwards, Buzz flourishes in his uniqueness as a toy and only then does he experience the intended fullness of life.

Twenty-three years ago, a baby boy was born. Although I was pretty cute (as babies tend to be), I was born into a life of ignorant delusion. Accepting a reality that fabricates personal value and purpose, I was enslaved to a fantasy that is ultimately self-destructive and joyless. As time went on I began to see that my pursuits were meaningless vanities made only to stroke my own ego. Until the delusion was shattered and the truth was shown, I could not pursue the intended fullness of life. Look to Christ. We can only taste and see the fullness of Life through the truth of the One who was in the beginning.

Toy Story Theology

Yes yes, cutesy names are just about as annoying as tantrum-throwing children being dragged by their ankles down the cereal aisle at the grocery store. That said, I am embarking on a several part (five as of now) blog series that explores my thoughts on this time of year. The newly-finished Toy Story Trilogy is a great story that I will use analogously for some of my musings. As a warning (or incentive, depending on what you think about my series title), half the posts won't have anything to do with Toy Story; it's just a vehicle. Please stay posted as I hope to publish a new part every two days or so. The first will come later today or tomorrow.

Finding Rest

Life often provides us with times of relaxation. Whether that means a weekend in the wilderness, a day at the beach, sleeping in on a Saturday, or a ten minute coffee break at work, we know what it feels like to relax. Lately, I've been confronted with the the fact that in my life those times of relaxation are often the times in which I find very little rest or peace. In those prolonged moments when my schedule offers a void, my head begins to race. All of my worries, insecurities, and irrational fears rise to the surface and anxiety gets a grip. But wait:

For God alone my soul waits in silence;

from him comes my salvation.

He only is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

Finding peace and rest are very different pursuits from the search for relaxation. We must find a way to lay our burdens down and quickly step away. We must loosen our grip and release the reigns. We must recognize the bigger picture. Our lives are significant but our actions or inactions are incapable of derailing the sovereign will of God. I have never found true rest while relying on my own abilities. However when I turn to God and affirm that "Your will be done," the waves beneath my feet become a solid and unshakable foundation. It is in that moment when I finally rush into the capable and loving arms of a Father who delights in my joy.

Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us.

I urge you each to find rest in this coming week. Finding true peace is contrary to our contentious soul and thus we must struggle to embrace it. Don't settle for cheap relaxation but instead find rest.

Taking a Second Look

I had a conversation recently and I must admit: I'm still developing my views on the subject. What should we do when we are confronted by a man or woman, destitute and asking for money. Conventional wisdom says that most of these poor and often-homeless individuals are victims to their own vices; they are addicts to the worst degree. In fact, I have been told that it is wrong to give them money because it only feeds their addiction.

It is true. Many of these poor individuals are slaves to substance abuse. Most of them are irrevocably damaged by their choices. It is true. They may use that money to buy alcohol or drugs. Also, I think we would all agree that an offer of food and shelter would be more beneficial. But what should we do when we don't have food or shelter to give? Indeed, we often don't have the necessary resources or time to give them food or shelter. Should we give them our money?

I say yes. Give them everything you have. Give them not only what you can spare but more! In regard to the poor, the hungry, and the destitute, Jesus tells us that "[a]s you have done to the least of these, you have also done to me." He clearly is not saying merely to serve "those who are unfortunate victims of external circumstance." By "least of these" I think and know that he means "the least": Those who are in prison for just cause; those who are poor because their bad choices; those who are hungry because they are unwise. Jesus did not love people based on pretense, he loved people and through that love earned the right to demand better of them. The prostitute of John 8 deserved capital justice but Jesus forgave her of her crime and demanded she live a redeemed life. We don't know, she may have returned to the streets that night. Ultimately, it does not matter. Every person is responsible for their own actions. We must show love first (after all, isn't that how we know love?) and use that care as a way to persuade others. So next time you see someone on the road with a ridiculous sign that pleads for help, realize that you are responsible for your actions, not theirs. We have been given a gift--Love--and we are responsible to give to others without pretense.

 "All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor."

The Bird's View

Have you ever noticed the limitation of perspective? This is what I mean: No matter how great your imagination or how out of the box you may think, your whole life is spent seeing from only one perspective. From the moment you wake to the moment you fall asleep, you can only see with your two eyes and perceive with your own five senses.

We can't truly say that "I know how you feel" and we can't say anything when someone writhes, "You just can't understand what I'm going through!" Even our emotions are limited and prescribed by our past experiences. This is one of life's greatest limitations and it produces most of life's greatest conflicts. Because we see and feel things so differently, we build values around different things. In marriages, families, and friendships, people are divided because they grasp onto their needs too tightly. It's true, a need is a need. I need food. I need to be heard. I need acceptance. I need to feel significant. These are all rational and reasonable needs that are often too evasive for the human soul. Alone they create no conflict but when two people grasp for the same thing, be it attention, acceptance, food, or significance, conflict arises.

Love. This is the prescription for all of life's problems: Love. When we Love, we lay down our own needs for the sake of others. Love doesn't call us to ignore our needs, it calls us to elevate the needs of others. In Love, we can postpone our own fulfillment as we seek to fulfill another. Often times Love goes unnoticed, but in a relationship this sacrificial Love elevates the needy and empowers the needy to fulfill the needs of others. Love. It is our call; a new perspective on Life. This is a bird's-eye view of Christian living.

High Ground in a Political Tsunami

The midterm congressional elections are tomorrow, 2 November 2010, and the world is watching. What do 'We the People' think about the state of our nation? What do we think about President Obama? Do we really like Republicans, Sarah Palin, or Christine O'Donnell? Did the economic stimuli help or hurt the economy? Is the Tea Party just another political fad (see: Ross Perot)? How do we make sense of the results?

I can't tell you all the answers but as an avid watcher of all-things-political, I can tell you what you should expect to see in the headlines of Wednesday morning. And just for fun, I'll tell you what I think it all means.

Predictions:
1) Republicans retake the U.S. House of Representatives by netting 65+ seats.
2) Republicans take control of 33-34 Governorships.
3) Republicans net 9 Senate seats, the U.S. Senate is deadlocked at 50-50.
4) In California, Proposition 19, Carly Forina (after recount), and Meg Whitman all lose.

What would this all mean? Ultimately, I believe that Nancy Pelosi, much of the Democratic House leadership, and 4-5 members of Obama's team leave their respective posts (mostly to "retire") between now and January. Republicans will reelect the same party leadership. This election should be seen as a dual referendum on both Presidents Bush and Obama and as such, a popular movement toward austere and frugal government. People are uncomfortable with the size of government and deficit spending. Most voters probably trace responsibility for these economic times to poor legislation and mediocre executive leadership over the past decade or two. The majority of people like President Obama and they want him to succeed, but they are getting this feeling that he is more interested in self-achievement then he is in popular leadership. The majority doesn't like Republicans, the Tea Party, Democrats, or any other political movement.

I think the mood of voters is this: They just want it all to go away so that they can live in the sunny nostalgia of yesteryear (whether that be the golden age of Clinton, Reagan, or the world your carefree childhood). None of those 'worlds' ever really existed but it is true that the problems we're facing now seem to be unfixable. As a nation, we've faced greater challenges and none of them had quick fixes. The Cold War took decades to defuse. The Depression cost our families years of blood, sweat, and tears. The sin of slavery was not removed by a simple proclamation. The struggle for independence was not won by the resolve of the minutemen. Please just remember that your vote tomorrow can not save the world, you must look to another Savior.

Something About This Blog

This is the first time I've ever blogged so please be patient.

The world is full of self-important people who are ever-ready to have their voices heard--blogging is a perfect outlet. I suppose I fall into this category. After all, I love voicing my opinion about everything and rarely do I have the same energy to listen as I do to speak. This is a way to satisfy both my opining personality and the burdened ears of my closest friends. You have a choice. You get to elect whether to hear me or not.

People want their voices heard and as I think about it, this stems from two urges. First, people are self-important. They want to matter and they want to be patted on the back for all of their brilliance. We live in a culture that has to reward every effort and action that we take. Our works are the most valued part of our existence; we are measured by our performance. We, however, don't want to be loved for our works. This flows into the second reason people want to be heard: The deepest and most sincere desire of every human soul is to be fully known and still deeply loved. This is true for every attention-seeking child, rebellious teen, crotchety old man, as well as the suited armies of faceless professionals who only work to make it to the nearest weekend (queue that catchy Loverboy song!). People wish to be known and loved deeply.

One August Dei is a blog that will explore all of the things that I find to be important. The title of this blog refers to the most important thing: God, who is the beginning and the end of every good thing, knows me fully and still He loves me deeply. The word 'august' is an adjective that describes majesty. Dei is the Latin term for God. So in one sense I'm just saying that there is only one God and he is majestic! In another sense, I'm just referencing the mundaneness of everything I'm writing about. There isn't anything special about an August day. They're usually sunny, peaceful and unmemorable. I hope that my words will convey both the eternal majesty of God and the very temporary importance of many of my greatest thoughts.

Thanks for listening.