My Granddad is the patriarch. A Godfather type aura surrounds him. He’s so dignified, so proper; he’s modern day nobility.
I’m the airport chauffeur. It was his turn this morning. So I woke up early and fought the morning traffic down to the south side of Atlanta.
I haven’t figured out how far off of normal I am yet. I communicate differently than others. I don’t have the standard inner filter that most are born with, so there’s nothing to keep me from talking about the most random things. On the other hand, I think I can make people feel a little awkward because I don’t mind silence. Everybody moves so fast; conversations can’t have silence. I like it a little bit. I like people that I can share that with.
So I’m on the way to the airport with the Godfather.
"How’s that nice young lady your brother was spending time with?"
"Actually," I had to decide very quickly how much of the information I should make known, "they aren’t really seeing each other anymore."
"Was that something she decided or he decided?"
"He did."
The buzz of his electric shaver snapped on once it was clear my answer would be brief, and I listened to it consuming stubble. It snapped off after ten seconds.
"It’s really starting to look like a nice day," he said.
I look as though I’m participating in the conversation but no words come out. Maybe some sound, but no words.
Snap. The buzzing consumes all the faint sounds outside of the car for another ten seconds. Snap.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Artist...
Artists should not be trusted. If an artist is not deceitful every so often in the cause of his art, then he is a poor artist. No one will listen to what you have to say unless they are convinced you have mastered it. Only one who has mastered a tradition has a right to attempt to add to it or rebel against it. As an artist, you are responsible to no one and to nothing, except to yourself and the truth as you see it… an artist is responsible to his art.
The artist should have a powerful will. He should be powerfully possessed by one idea. He should be intoxicated with the idea of the thing he wants to express. Every great artist is a man who has freed himself from his family, his nation, his race. Every man who has shown the world the way to beauty, to true culture, has been a rebel, a "universal" without patriotism, without home, who has found his people everywhere.
The artist should have a powerful will. He should be powerfully possessed by one idea. He should be intoxicated with the idea of the thing he wants to express. Every great artist is a man who has freed himself from his family, his nation, his race. Every man who has shown the world the way to beauty, to true culture, has been a rebel, a "universal" without patriotism, without home, who has found his people everywhere.
Monday, November 12, 2007
HOLY EXTRAVAGANCE BATMAN
Last week Senator Charles Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on Finance, decided to take a deeper look into the finances of six media-based ministries. Since non-profit organizations, including the various ministries of Benny Hinn and Joyce Meyers, receive very significant tax breaks, Grassley is simply making sure that these benefits, as he states in his letter to each ministry, "are being used for the tax-exempt purposes of the organizations." The Committee on Finance has a recent interest in uncovering the truth because of many complaints from the public and recent news coverage which portrays a less-than-ideal image of these organizations.Letters were faxed to the ministries of Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Eddie Long, and Randy and Paula White with intentions of explaining how the leaders of these "non-profit" groups are living the high life with outstanding salaries, choice automobiles, lavish mansions, private jets, and anything else to catch their eyes. Initial responses to the letters all portray a sense of openness, integrity, and extreme adherence to all laws. However, with specific price tags including gifts as hefty as $2 million, "layover trips" made during business travel, a $30,000 conference table, jewelry donations, a $1.4 million real estate transaction, "love offerings" given to visiting ministers (sometimes in the form of convertible Bentleys), a $23,000 "commode with marble top," and credit card charges made for cosmetic surgery and clothing, (Michael F. Haverluck of CBNNews.com) it can be hard to view these individuals with the same integrity and piety that they see in themselves.
The common denominator among these six ministries is that they preach the "prosperity gospel," the promise that God will reward those who give to the church with material wealth. Never mind the fact that this is completely anti-Christian and has no Biblical grounds, people who seek material wealth are buying a winning lottery ticket. "There's little fear of donor backlash when your donors see opulence as a sign of God's blessing," said Ted Olsen, managing editor for news and online journalism at Christianity Today.
Combine God, capitalism, and a charismatic leader and you can rake in the dollars. It’s actually a great business model, and there’s plenty more than six organizations who have put it into practice. MinistryWatch is an online database that profiles over 400 of the United State’s largest church and parachurch ministries in order to help donors be informed and responsible with their giving. According to MinistryWatch.com, there are twenty-seven current organizations that are not being transparent with their finances, a major red flag to donors. Additionally, MinistryWatch is devoting special attention to the Trinity Broadcasting Network, who didn’t get a letter from Senator Grassley yet continually urges their audience to give more and more despite the abundant savings it has stockpiled away in short term and long term investments. Paul and Jan Crouch, founders of TBN, each have salaries well into the six-figure range, and the organization’s program expenses are at 46%. That means less than half of the money they bring in goes into use for actual ministry; compare that to MinistryWatch’s database of organizations whose average program expense is 80%.
"It is looking more apparent that [Randy and Paula White] are the 21st century version of Jim and Tammy Bakker," commented one reader in response to an online article by the Tampa Bay Tribune.
In an online survey by the Saint Louis Post Dispatch, 60% felt that the Joyce Meyer Ministries did not handle their finances properly, with the other 40% being slightly more inclined to answer "I don’t know" than give the organization their approval. If you take time to read long lists of comments and reactions to this situation, you’ll find an astounding majority of people who have been looking forward to the day that someone would/could do something about these "blatant frauds." Even more surprising than the viewpoint of these reactions is the point of view they come from… Christians. Nobody wants to be thrown out with the bath water. The small majority who wish Grassley would mind his own business hide behind Separation of Church and State issues, but according to Senator Grassley, "I'm not interested in doctrine, just the tax laws."
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Thoughts on the 3rd Commandment
Once upon a time, a sports caster said "boo-yah," and the world has watched the term grow. Years back, an "m" and a "c" were strategically placed in front of others words to associate them with the common fast food restaurant. On any given day, words are used that are not exactly words. It will start on a whim, become a trend, and before too much time, you will find it in the latest version of Webster’s. Look up the newest words added to the dictionary and you’ll find a list. I remember them being slang, and now they’re words in the dictionary. Go ahead, get out your dictionary. You’ll find some. My guess is, these words probably don’t even mean what they were originally intended to mean. Here’s one. An individual named Alan, who was referred to as Ollie by his friends, and who happened to be a skateboarder, developed a new trick in the late 70s. To make a long story short, an ollie is no longer a skateboarder from South Florida, it’s the most basic trick for any modern skater. Our culture shaped the term into something more than it originally was and forever altered what we think of when we hear the word "ollie."
During the first few centuries AD there was a group called "the Way," and they were Christians. In fact, they were the first Christians. The average person could tell there was something different about them, and when they found out that this strange behavior was because of Christ, they were termed Christians, which of course means, "little Christ." But these pioneers accepted this insult as a compliment. The insult was a badge of honor for those who gave all in the pursuit of Christ. And after all, being associated with their Savior was a compliment for them, even if others laughed. So the term "Christian" was coined as "someone who does what Christ did."
Ah, yes… Christian. I am a Christian. Except for some reason, I don’t really care for that title.
After hundreds of years of use, a change has occurred. Gradually, the term morphed. For whatever reasons, "Christian" no longer refers to "someone who does what Christ did." In fact, people who call themselves Christians don’t even try to do what Christ did, at least the ones I know. So what is a modern Christian? Here’s a few guidelines:
1 Go to church. Details don’t really matter here, you just show up.
2 Follow rules. There’s a lot of room to elaborate on this one. They don’t have to be relevant, and you can follow them completely blind, but you have to emphasize them, especially towards other people.
3 Say the right thing. The important thing here is that you say what sounds right, but don’t worry yourself about doing the right things, just sound good.
If that’s what a Christian is in my world, and sadly, that’s most of what I see it as, then I don’t think I want to be a part of it. Our culture has shaped the way we hear the word Christian. I prefer the original definition. But there are a lot less people doing that than there are "Christians." "Christian" has become the new Pharisee. It’s ironic, because "Pharisee" used to mean, according to Webster’s, a member of a Jewish sect of the intertestamental period noted for strict observance of rites and ceremonies of the written law and for insistence on the validity of their own oral traditions concerning the law. Basically, they were intensely pious religious leaders. They were their culture’s pastors. But the term changed over time. The reason Pharisees have such a bad reputation is because, for the most part, they were hypocrites. They made themselves look like they had everything together, but they were just following the rules and saying the right things. They weren’t doing the right things, and they weren’t even following the right rules.
But not us, we’re right. And we want to know we are right so we just keep following rules. We aren’t satisfied with needing and with thinking for ourselves so we get guidelines to follow. It’s because rules are comfortable. If we follow the ten commandments then we win. What about the third one; You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. "Christian" rules tell us that we shouldn’t use God’s name irreverently. We shouldn’t, but how about using that dictionary again.
Vain:
1 an improper or irreverent manner
2 excessively proud of, or concerned about one's own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc.; conceited
3 ineffectual or unsuccessful; futile
4 without real significance, value, or importance; baseless or worthless
5 senseless or foolish
6 proceeding from or showing personal vanity
7 without effect or avail; to no purpose
Christians got the first one covered. The second and sixth both sound like Pharisees. The third, fourth, and seventh are all similar. It means, if we use God’s name, but nothing really changes. We have broken the commandment. And that’s what most modern Christians are doing. They categorize themselves as being among God’s people, yet there is no change. They go to church, yet they sing to an unknown God (like the pagans in Athens). They follow rules passed down from generation to generation, yet they do not seek to follow the heart of God. They say the right thing, but when it comes time for action, they are unheard and unseen. I know it, because I am among these Christians. At one time or another, I think anybody would have to admit the same.
Where are the Christians that will once again "do what Christ did?" There are masses of people who, for centuries, have taken the name of God and used it in vain. Culture has seen and concluded that this (foolishness, futile, worthless, senseless, conceited) vain effort is all that Christ has to offer. There’s no way for me to show the world that "Christian" means something completely different. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything I can do to tip the scale, but I’m standing on the scale.
During the first few centuries AD there was a group called "the Way," and they were Christians. In fact, they were the first Christians. The average person could tell there was something different about them, and when they found out that this strange behavior was because of Christ, they were termed Christians, which of course means, "little Christ." But these pioneers accepted this insult as a compliment. The insult was a badge of honor for those who gave all in the pursuit of Christ. And after all, being associated with their Savior was a compliment for them, even if others laughed. So the term "Christian" was coined as "someone who does what Christ did."
Ah, yes… Christian. I am a Christian. Except for some reason, I don’t really care for that title.
After hundreds of years of use, a change has occurred. Gradually, the term morphed. For whatever reasons, "Christian" no longer refers to "someone who does what Christ did." In fact, people who call themselves Christians don’t even try to do what Christ did, at least the ones I know. So what is a modern Christian? Here’s a few guidelines:
1 Go to church. Details don’t really matter here, you just show up.
2 Follow rules. There’s a lot of room to elaborate on this one. They don’t have to be relevant, and you can follow them completely blind, but you have to emphasize them, especially towards other people.
3 Say the right thing. The important thing here is that you say what sounds right, but don’t worry yourself about doing the right things, just sound good.
If that’s what a Christian is in my world, and sadly, that’s most of what I see it as, then I don’t think I want to be a part of it. Our culture has shaped the way we hear the word Christian. I prefer the original definition. But there are a lot less people doing that than there are "Christians." "Christian" has become the new Pharisee. It’s ironic, because "Pharisee" used to mean, according to Webster’s, a member of a Jewish sect of the intertestamental period noted for strict observance of rites and ceremonies of the written law and for insistence on the validity of their own oral traditions concerning the law. Basically, they were intensely pious religious leaders. They were their culture’s pastors. But the term changed over time. The reason Pharisees have such a bad reputation is because, for the most part, they were hypocrites. They made themselves look like they had everything together, but they were just following the rules and saying the right things. They weren’t doing the right things, and they weren’t even following the right rules.
But not us, we’re right. And we want to know we are right so we just keep following rules. We aren’t satisfied with needing and with thinking for ourselves so we get guidelines to follow. It’s because rules are comfortable. If we follow the ten commandments then we win. What about the third one; You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. "Christian" rules tell us that we shouldn’t use God’s name irreverently. We shouldn’t, but how about using that dictionary again.
Vain:
1 an improper or irreverent manner
2 excessively proud of, or concerned about one's own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc.; conceited
3 ineffectual or unsuccessful; futile
4 without real significance, value, or importance; baseless or worthless
5 senseless or foolish
6 proceeding from or showing personal vanity
7 without effect or avail; to no purpose
Christians got the first one covered. The second and sixth both sound like Pharisees. The third, fourth, and seventh are all similar. It means, if we use God’s name, but nothing really changes. We have broken the commandment. And that’s what most modern Christians are doing. They categorize themselves as being among God’s people, yet there is no change. They go to church, yet they sing to an unknown God (like the pagans in Athens). They follow rules passed down from generation to generation, yet they do not seek to follow the heart of God. They say the right thing, but when it comes time for action, they are unheard and unseen. I know it, because I am among these Christians. At one time or another, I think anybody would have to admit the same.
Where are the Christians that will once again "do what Christ did?" There are masses of people who, for centuries, have taken the name of God and used it in vain. Culture has seen and concluded that this (foolishness, futile, worthless, senseless, conceited) vain effort is all that Christ has to offer. There’s no way for me to show the world that "Christian" means something completely different. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything I can do to tip the scale, but I’m standing on the scale.
Friday, September 7, 2007
There is a massive presence, an unspoken…
I’m being attacked. Uncertainty, doubt, stress, isolation… I miss all the comforts which had become the norm. My life feels empty and dark, but on the move. I am sacrificing comfort for growth. I no longer seek the next comfort or positive feeling in a series of "pick-me-ups." So many live in that pattern. I want so badly to break the habit. It is costing me.
"Is your love declared in the darkness,
Your faithfulness in Destruction?
Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
Or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?"
I’ve been described as a "jack of all trades, master of none." I’m a bit quieter around my family, but then again, that’s when I spare no wit. I get plenty of opportunities to be the jokester, and I have a lot of fun playing that role. At work, I end up being friends with everybody, but then again, I do take things seriously enough to know when to quit with the fun and games and get things done. I have so many personalities that surface when I’m around different groups of friends. Sometimes I try to be the quiet, serious thinker, other times I just goof off and act like a complete idiot. One friend describes me as a poser, not in the sense that I’m a fake, but that he always catches me in some dramatic stance, like the catwalk is lit and cameras are snapping. I think it’s more of a joke than anything. Another friend always wants me to recite some joke that she’s heard a hundred times, but apparently, "you tell it so perfect."
There are many things in this world that I love; many things which I can give my heart to. I am absorbed in music, art, sport, literature, exploration, history, you name it. Yet I realize that I lack the one great passion of my life. I observe others who have given everything up in the pursuit of their great passion. Yet, like a warrior in times of peace or a performer with no audience, I find no outlet to discover and exhibit the passion of my life. I am not hopeless, just homeless.
I’m like Jonah: the guy in the Bible that runs from what God wants him to do. He eventually realizes that he can’t escape from God’s purpose for his life. Except for me, I haven’t figured out the purpose yet, so I get to unsuccessfully try to escape from monotony.
I’ll go to work and go home. Not that life is boring, not at all, but everything gets too easy sometimes. Unfortunately, I’ve found that I tend to fall into that tedious life that necessitates change. That is, I let myself get stuck in the pattern of life every so often and I have to shake things up.
I think there’s something to be said about people who take initiative. It’s not always the most logical path taken, but when everything in your life becomes normal and vague, dominated by a schedule that doesn’t leave room for spontaneity, something has to be done. It’s those moments of purpose and boldness that I realize where I am and where I am not.
I’m being attacked. Uncertainty, doubt, stress, isolation… I miss all the comforts which had become the norm. My life feels empty and dark, but on the move. I am sacrificing comfort for growth. I no longer seek the next comfort or positive feeling in a series of "pick-me-ups." So many live in that pattern. I want so badly to break the habit. It is costing me.
"Is your love declared in the darkness,
Your faithfulness in Destruction?
Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
Or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?"
I’ve been described as a "jack of all trades, master of none." I’m a bit quieter around my family, but then again, that’s when I spare no wit. I get plenty of opportunities to be the jokester, and I have a lot of fun playing that role. At work, I end up being friends with everybody, but then again, I do take things seriously enough to know when to quit with the fun and games and get things done. I have so many personalities that surface when I’m around different groups of friends. Sometimes I try to be the quiet, serious thinker, other times I just goof off and act like a complete idiot. One friend describes me as a poser, not in the sense that I’m a fake, but that he always catches me in some dramatic stance, like the catwalk is lit and cameras are snapping. I think it’s more of a joke than anything. Another friend always wants me to recite some joke that she’s heard a hundred times, but apparently, "you tell it so perfect."
There are many things in this world that I love; many things which I can give my heart to. I am absorbed in music, art, sport, literature, exploration, history, you name it. Yet I realize that I lack the one great passion of my life. I observe others who have given everything up in the pursuit of their great passion. Yet, like a warrior in times of peace or a performer with no audience, I find no outlet to discover and exhibit the passion of my life. I am not hopeless, just homeless.
I’m like Jonah: the guy in the Bible that runs from what God wants him to do. He eventually realizes that he can’t escape from God’s purpose for his life. Except for me, I haven’t figured out the purpose yet, so I get to unsuccessfully try to escape from monotony.
I’ll go to work and go home. Not that life is boring, not at all, but everything gets too easy sometimes. Unfortunately, I’ve found that I tend to fall into that tedious life that necessitates change. That is, I let myself get stuck in the pattern of life every so often and I have to shake things up.
I think there’s something to be said about people who take initiative. It’s not always the most logical path taken, but when everything in your life becomes normal and vague, dominated by a schedule that doesn’t leave room for spontaneity, something has to be done. It’s those moments of purpose and boldness that I realize where I am and where I am not.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Fatal Flaw
There's a stale smell about the air I breathe,
Like I've done nothing more than make the best out of what I've been given.
More than "recieving the hand you're dealt," you must play it.
In the past, I haven't been so lucky... or maybe, clever,
Which is why I'm where I am.
To be in a state of discontent, I'm not troubled,
But I'm troubled by something I see in me.
There's a way about me that I can't forgive.
There's something in me that begs for more.
What point is there in lying to a soul?
It is my great void, and my great adventure.
To merely exist, to do no more than react,
Whether other or self inflicted, I have felt this on many occasions,
And in such a condition, my only optimism,
Can be found in the truth behind consistency.
I can ignore singular acts and emotions,
I have learned to ignore so much more,
But with tall stacks of evidence in my past,
I see the void which must be filled in my soul.
My hope, my great attribute... it is my fatal flaw.
Mine isn't one which destroys, but one which drains.
Like all my other longings, I long for the sea...
I crave the smell and mist and motion when a boat is on the water.
I find myself in exploration of the unknown.
To be in motion is fulfillment.
It's a craving for what I lack, or more aptly,
It's a craving for obsession.
Perhaps I find myself not in the sea nor mountain nor escapade,
But perhaps, to be found with true obsession is sufficient.
Like I've done nothing more than make the best out of what I've been given.
More than "recieving the hand you're dealt," you must play it.
In the past, I haven't been so lucky... or maybe, clever,
Which is why I'm where I am.
To be in a state of discontent, I'm not troubled,
But I'm troubled by something I see in me.
There's a way about me that I can't forgive.
There's something in me that begs for more.
What point is there in lying to a soul?
It is my great void, and my great adventure.
To merely exist, to do no more than react,
Whether other or self inflicted, I have felt this on many occasions,
And in such a condition, my only optimism,
Can be found in the truth behind consistency.
I can ignore singular acts and emotions,
I have learned to ignore so much more,
But with tall stacks of evidence in my past,
I see the void which must be filled in my soul.
My hope, my great attribute... it is my fatal flaw.
Mine isn't one which destroys, but one which drains.
Like all my other longings, I long for the sea...
I crave the smell and mist and motion when a boat is on the water.
I find myself in exploration of the unknown.
To be in motion is fulfillment.
It's a craving for what I lack, or more aptly,
It's a craving for obsession.
Perhaps I find myself not in the sea nor mountain nor escapade,
But perhaps, to be found with true obsession is sufficient.
heaven on earth
----this is old, but i had a problem having a blog with nothing written yet, so i added a little, but most of it was written a couple years ago----
If you've never seen the Shawshank Redemption, there's something wrong with you. I don't want to be offensive, so make up for it by getting it and watching it immediately. Enjoy it. But finish reading this first. I think I'll put that movie somewhere in my top seven, not exactly sure where, only because all seven are that good, but I think I've said enough to make my point. It's a good movie.
There are so many great things about it. I love the comment at the end concerning what went through the warden's head... I love the quotation about hope... I love retribution... I love how Andy always does the most random things to make life better despite the circumstances... like when he scores some beers for the guys while they're working on the roof or when he locks himself in the library and blasts music over the loud speakers. Everybody in the yard stops what they are doing just to enjoy the music, the escape from their less than desirable environment. It's amazing to watch someone's face when they are set free. It's like heaven has come down to earth for that moment.
We live in a dark world, and forgetting the darkness in our lives only brings us happiness while our memory is lapsing, while we imagine light. But the problem with imagining light is that there is no miracle in imagination. We simply "snap out of it" and return to our dark world. We live in that "shadow of death" and look forward to those moments of imagined light. Like the prisoners at Shawshank, we can escape from the present circumstances while the music is playing, but then we realize we are still prisoners.
We want something lasting, but in our world, all we really look for is the momentary joys of that imagined light. For some people its doing something ridiculously extreme, for some people it has something to do with music, for some its buying something new, others play video games or waste time doing something equally pointless. Everyone has their own brand of "imagined light." And anyone can understand that need to escape, but we have so much more at our fingertips.
I don't know anybody that wouldn't include romance in their list of "things that make me happy." And when it's true love (whatever that is) it doesn't just interrupt the darkness for only a few moments. When we experience love, we are lifted from the darkness. I don't think it has to be limited to romance. I think of seeing a friend of mine hold his newborn. But I find myself satisfied with my imagined light.
I take a good, hard look at my life, at the situations and circumstances I find myself in presently, and specifically, at the darkness I look forward to imagining-myself-out-of... when I take it all in and understand it, only then can I really appreciate the fact that God has made the imagined light a miracle, a reality. All of His love was channeled and concentrated into a single act of bringing light to earth. Think about all the darkness you and I live in, and then imagine Christ dying so that you could live above the darkness. It turns out, salvation isn't the only thing that results from Christ's sacrifice.
Despite the common idea that the only thing worth living for is dying and going to heaven, or maybe not going to hell, there is more to life. The powerful work of Christ on the cross allows us to live above the darkness, not just in our imaginations, but in reality. I'm not suggesting that life is always happy because Jesus came to earth... this isn't Sunday School and I know it doesn't work that way, but there is something bright about living a redeemed life. It's not because I'm specifically blessed, though I am (God sends rain on everybody), it's not because I get anything out of the deal, though somehow grace provides. It's a conscious realization that I need Him, and I have Him. That's the light I live in.
What more is heaven than the communion of God and man.
Think about that part in Shawshank Redemption when that music blasts over the prison yard. Think about the relief and the joy that comes over a person when they are lifted from darkness.
A.W. Tozer said, "When the eyes of the soul looking out meet the eyes of God looking in, heaven has begun right here on earth."
If you've never seen the Shawshank Redemption, there's something wrong with you. I don't want to be offensive, so make up for it by getting it and watching it immediately. Enjoy it. But finish reading this first. I think I'll put that movie somewhere in my top seven, not exactly sure where, only because all seven are that good, but I think I've said enough to make my point. It's a good movie.
There are so many great things about it. I love the comment at the end concerning what went through the warden's head... I love the quotation about hope... I love retribution... I love how Andy always does the most random things to make life better despite the circumstances... like when he scores some beers for the guys while they're working on the roof or when he locks himself in the library and blasts music over the loud speakers. Everybody in the yard stops what they are doing just to enjoy the music, the escape from their less than desirable environment. It's amazing to watch someone's face when they are set free. It's like heaven has come down to earth for that moment.
We live in a dark world, and forgetting the darkness in our lives only brings us happiness while our memory is lapsing, while we imagine light. But the problem with imagining light is that there is no miracle in imagination. We simply "snap out of it" and return to our dark world. We live in that "shadow of death" and look forward to those moments of imagined light. Like the prisoners at Shawshank, we can escape from the present circumstances while the music is playing, but then we realize we are still prisoners.
We want something lasting, but in our world, all we really look for is the momentary joys of that imagined light. For some people its doing something ridiculously extreme, for some people it has something to do with music, for some its buying something new, others play video games or waste time doing something equally pointless. Everyone has their own brand of "imagined light." And anyone can understand that need to escape, but we have so much more at our fingertips.
I don't know anybody that wouldn't include romance in their list of "things that make me happy." And when it's true love (whatever that is) it doesn't just interrupt the darkness for only a few moments. When we experience love, we are lifted from the darkness. I don't think it has to be limited to romance. I think of seeing a friend of mine hold his newborn. But I find myself satisfied with my imagined light.
I take a good, hard look at my life, at the situations and circumstances I find myself in presently, and specifically, at the darkness I look forward to imagining-myself-out-of... when I take it all in and understand it, only then can I really appreciate the fact that God has made the imagined light a miracle, a reality. All of His love was channeled and concentrated into a single act of bringing light to earth. Think about all the darkness you and I live in, and then imagine Christ dying so that you could live above the darkness. It turns out, salvation isn't the only thing that results from Christ's sacrifice.
Despite the common idea that the only thing worth living for is dying and going to heaven, or maybe not going to hell, there is more to life. The powerful work of Christ on the cross allows us to live above the darkness, not just in our imaginations, but in reality. I'm not suggesting that life is always happy because Jesus came to earth... this isn't Sunday School and I know it doesn't work that way, but there is something bright about living a redeemed life. It's not because I'm specifically blessed, though I am (God sends rain on everybody), it's not because I get anything out of the deal, though somehow grace provides. It's a conscious realization that I need Him, and I have Him. That's the light I live in.
What more is heaven than the communion of God and man.
Think about that part in Shawshank Redemption when that music blasts over the prison yard. Think about the relief and the joy that comes over a person when they are lifted from darkness.
A.W. Tozer said, "When the eyes of the soul looking out meet the eyes of God looking in, heaven has begun right here on earth."
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