Podcast Archives - Page 226 of 233 - Lisa Colón DeLay

Take the quiz-Are you hyper-Patriotic?

To be clear: I LOVE my country, and I’m so happy to have the privilege of being born here, and living here! I am indebted to those who’ve struggled, and died to keep us free. I know our freedom isn’t free. My support is fully behind all those who so bravely serve us, and our prosperous country, in the armed forces.

whoops! Van proves English IS a difficult language.

While it’s important to encourage fidelity to one’s country, sometimes what is termed “patriotism” can actually be the manifestation of other, less-than-worthy, vices. Selfish, exclusionary attitudes, callousness, malice, a favored political agenda, or certain policy of the moment can be masked by so-called patriotism. For instance, some say it’s patriotic to pay taxes, but others say it’s patriotic to free citizens from the burden of taxes. I’m not creating this quiz to espouse my political leanings, only to garner awareness that “love of country” shouldn’t be confused with self-interest. And, I hope to do so in an enteraining way. You can leave your feedback, or other entertaining questions, to think will tease out hyper-patriotism tendencies of visitors.

Take this quiz to find out if (so-called) patriotism is getting the best of you. (And, yes, it’s meant to be funny/amusing, at least mildly.)

-Answer True or False-

1. You own more than two pieces of apparel that includes the stars and stripes. (Bonus “True” if at some time in your life you had a matching flag shirt with someone else in your family.)

2. You have somehow thought of God as American.

3. You wear a flag pin, or tie clip more than once per month, or think about doing it, (especially when you see someone else donning one.)

4. You’ve practiced folding the flag into a triangle, just for something to do. (Bonus “True” if you like to see how perfectly tight and pointed the corners can come out, and engage in multiple refolds.)

5. When you see Old Glory at half mast, you imagine that it must feel sad.

6. Seeing seasonal flags, NASCAR flags, and the like, erected over a porch, makes you want to puke, because it seems the flag of the U.S.A. should be flown instead.

7. You make judgments about who should be allowed to sport a flag pin, and /or who is truly patriotic.

8. You think people who criticize the political side you oppose should move to another country.

9. You are strangely drawn to the Uncle Sam character, (even if you aren’t sure why.)

10. Your church says the pledge of allegiance to the flag, and you find that a great relief. (Or you wish your church would say the pledge.)

READY TO FIND OUT THE RESULTS?

First add up your all your True scores.

1-3 True answers means you have either a mild, healthy, or manageable level of patriotism. OR possibly you could be a commy. I would need another test to sort all of that out.

4-8 True answers means you’re in big danger of making a weird sign at a rally that you’ll likely be sorry for later, if you happen to progress as a person. Take some internal inventory, and check to see if your patriotism is misplaced, or there because you’re just a super insecure individual. There is hope for you to adjust your outlook, and grow into a deeper understanding of patriotism. Best wishes!

8-10 True answers means you are at the point of being delusional, and you probably suspect I’m a spy for Iran or Russia for even putting this “humorous self-test” out there. You’re wondering what the #@*% kind of American am I for ever questioning American patriotism in the first place. How could there be too much patriotism, you ask? This test is probably lost on you. But, it’s okay, God is in control. We’re all a bit afraid of you, but you help us draw more sufficiency in our Redeemer. Sorry if the premise upset you.

Did I miss anything? :)

What question/s SHOULD be in there? Thanks for playing!

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS WAS MEANT for the PURPOSES of HUMOR. My hope is that you have some.

God Bless the USA!

whoops. That’s still okay, right?

Well, anyway, peace out.

-Lisa

Artwork – Trinity (Holy Bible Mosaic)

This is a peek inside the NLT Holy Bible: Mosaic to one of the many beautiful artworks published inside. I was really drawn to this one. It’s of Jesus at his baptism, where the Trinity was recorded as all being present. (Visually, Audibly, and in the Incarnation of Jesus)

Perhaps this image could be used in your time with God, as you reflect on the gift of the Incarnation, in whom the Father was well pleased.

Leave any reflections you have.

The Riddle of Low Self-Esteem

I’m going to start by saying the “answer” I give to solving this riddle, is quite real, but is not easy. I don’t claim there is but one answer, but it is surprising how transforming this surprising tact can be. This situation might be like telling a person what they need to stay fit. Once they have the information, it doesn’t mean it will happen. It doesn’t mean transformation to fitness will take place. It only means, if they truly put the information into practice regularly, will they see true change and results. I also offer that just as in fitness, results do not happen in a day, a week, or a month. It is more of a lifestyle. Change and “state of fitness” happens over a period of time–like a journey. The same is true for what I share with you.

I have often heard questions like, “How can I help my self-esteem and low self-worth?” What most people fail to realize is the truly universal problem a low view of self is. People may see others as confident, and assume they don’t have many doubts, or that others aren’t really acting out of a place of a compromised view of self. I venture to guess many bad decisions we make, and possibly most destructive behaviors come from an attitude, or some form of self-loathing. Yes, it’s a real problem, and a big one.

In most primary education schools, the big push is to raise self-esteem in hopes that a better views of self will generate more socially appropriate behavior, and ethically developed character. The teaching goes something like, “Kids, remember, this in your mind when you take a test. Cheating on a test will make me feel bad about my self.”

This reveals the anthropocentrism (human development-centered) of our efforts to both fix our problem of poor self-image, and to make ethical decisions based our our view of the world from a decidedly human perspective. In both cases we are helpless–stuck making very little ground. Or, the progress made is inconsistent, and can fluctuate based on our particular selfish motives, and short-sighted view at that moment of our ethical choice.

Strangely enough, we cannot start with thinking about ourselves to reclaim our value, or raise our poor self-esteem. For that, we must thrust our focus away from the defect, to the Standard, the Creator, and work from the Source, or the Top down. It might seem counter-intuitive to not think of yourself when you are attempting to better yourself, and that not entirely what I propose. I propose that we allow God to be the source of our esteem, and the foundation of our value.

The best way I have found to help me in this area–to increase my fitness–if you will, is to thoroughly enjoy God in worship. In him we live and move and have our being. This is no small idea. This is another way to frame Reality. (I believe it is the way the Bible offers it to us.) It starts with God, and adds us into the picture as part of God’s supporting cast, rather than us as the star of the show. In reality, life is a Story about God, and his love and enjoyment of us. And then our response to him. Often, we live out of the premise that life, as author Donald Miller has said it seems, “…like a movie about me, and I can prove it because I’m in every scene.”

One of the greatest benefits to adjusting (or I should say re-adjusting) to a theo-centric worldview, is that the pressure for defining self, and for generating self-esteem is not our task any longer. The pressure is off. Our worth is in our God who loves us and made us, and gave all to save us, so we could be healed, and restored. So, we are brought back to rightly, and happily living, and loving him and others again. And we also have the hope of the restored world beyond this one, in which the problems, injustice, and turmoil we cannot fix will be made good and right. This is God’s promise, and it rests in his perfect nature–which must be all-good, and all-just. God is our hope of hopes, both now and in times to come. Though this truth is not completely fathomable, it is knowable because we can sketch the contour of a perfect God, who created us, and is, in fact, not a part of our world and lives, but indeed, the very center of Reality.

This topic makes a great small group discussion that can promote spiritual introspection and growth. Use this post to generate an interesting discussion by sending a few friends here to read this post, and then chat about it together. (Also pastry and coffee helps the experience. I’ve tested it out!) Please weigh-in with some of the thoughts you came up with while you were together.

And if you can, please list a suggestion/s for worship. Thank you for reading.

The Suffering Grape

Once I stepped on a grape, and it gave out a little whine. But never I did I imagine it had suffered.

I was watching a bit of a travel episode on Rick Stevens’ Europe show the other day. It does get a little annoying to see how much fun he’s having sometimes. As I was sweltering in my living room, he was sitting on a chair in a boat on the river, sipping wine, and the lovely breeze was blowing his hair. What a nice gig, I thought! as I wiped the upper lip sweat from face, and tried to get my hair up in a ponytail.

Rick went to a vineyard in the region of Burgundy. Wines in France are not named after the grape from which they are made, but for the particular region from which they come. Each area has a particular blend of soils that produces a unique flavor in the grape. Even a few hundred yards can create a whole different tasting grape.

When Rick remarked on the soil there, and he said, “This doesn’t look like good soil for growing.” I agreed. The soil was light brown, (much like the picture below) and looked nothing like the futile, jet black soil in the midwest bread-basket of the USA, like Iowa, where millions of acres produce abundant crops.

“No,” the vineyard expert said.

She said that the soil has to be bad. The grape has to work very hard to get the good from the soil to become its best, to become sweet, and to become just right for the most amazing and flavorful wine. She said, “The grapes have to suffer!”

It seems to be one of the most incredibly common notions that struggle and suffering is bad, or negative.I know I don’t like it much. Yet, when has anything truly good come to fruition without struggle? Putting someone through suffering is a wholly different matter, and I stress that we mustn’t ever assume the role of victimizer, to produce good in someone or not. Here, I speak instead about our personal perspective on our own suffering and struggle.

It’s easy to think, “Oh no ,something is totally wrong!” when we suffer, or that good isn’t being created in or around us, somehow, in the midst of it all. Some suffering is unavoidable, like sickness, or accidents. In those times, maybe we can remember the suffering grape who can never be a fine vintage without being planted in poor, harsh,ill-suited soil. It works hard to find the nutrients it needs, but alas, it does find the goodness to be healthy, and sweet. All this time I thought the only grapes that suffered were just the raisins!

Are you suffering? Take encouragement in this story. Leave a comment if you’d like.

The picture below is under a Creative Commons license from photographer “focalplane” at Flickr (image). Note the photograph’s interesting information from the artist below.

Photographer’s notes:

Within the Coteaux de Languedoc Cru “La Clape” near Fleury.

Geologically this is an interesting area with soils derived from both volcanics and limestones, so the terroir, also influenced by proximity to the sea, makes for interesting wines, both red and white.

These photos were taken on the road between Fleury and the coast.

"Is God Knowable?" (Response to reader)

Can we know God?

The easy answer would be to come out right away and say, “Yes!”

But, I won’t. I think the more honest answer is, “Yes and no.”

For one thing we can’t even know people that well. We can live with a spouse, or family member for years, and still find out new things about them, time and again. People are deep wells of information, experiences, natures, and characters… but through time and devotion, we can get to know them…. We never know them completely. What I mean is, we become thoroughly familiar with those we’ve spent plenty of time with, but it is naive to say we know them fully.

BUT- what about God? God is SO different, right? He is UNFATHOMABLE. He created everything, and is everywhere, all-knowing, all-powerful, so says the Bible, right? How can we REALLY REALLY possibly KNOW him, right? He is beyond language. Correct? Well, the short answer is “yes, kind of.”

God made it possible for us to have an amazing book in our reach called the Bible which talks all about him. It can’t capture him fully with words, but the narrative that runs like a river through the whole council of the Bible can loosely give a good contour of the Supreme Being that is all at once Almighty God, Father, Savior, Friend, and much more. We can’t sketch a sunset with pencil, but we can get some shapes down. We can’t use words to describe what tasting coffee is truly like, but with words, we can outline a bit what the aroma is like, and how good a warm cup tastes and feels when it is drank. One can imagine well what it is REALLY like based on a word description. So too with God. The reality of him can be known, but not fully grasped. He is knowable, but not fully comprehendible. It is limited knowledge, but entirely useful.

Let us not dismiss some of our best ways to encounter God by calling them shoddy when we use and trust language for so much else. It is on the basis of language, words, and propositions, that we first encounter all our initial ideas before they are incorporated into our lives. They are a starting point, not the end all be all to knowing God. Like any complex relationship, knowing God involves invests of time and devotion, not just mere research.

Do you know God? How have you encountered him? Feel free to leave your comments.