Isaiah 5: The Importance of the Vine

 

Isaiah 5

It’s not hard to find references to vineyards in the scripture. In I Kings Jezebel had a man killed over his vineyard so her husband, King Ahab could possess it. In Deuteronomy Moses reminds the owners of vineyards “not go over” their vines a second time but leave for the fatherless a portion. It is a perfect metaphor for God and His people, whether Israel or the ‘grafted in’ Christians after Christ’s resurrection. “I am the vine and you are the branches” (John 15:5). So it’s safe to say that grapes and wine and everything the vineyard represented was important to the people of Israel.

Isaiah begins verse 1 with a detailed description of cultivation “My Well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it; so he expected to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.”

The first thing I notice is the effort put into making this a world class crop. He uses the “choicest vine” and puts a tower in it. Why put a tower in a vineyard? I had to look this one up because it seems odd phrase unless I just really don’t know anything about agriculture. If you think of vineyards as wealth then make efforts to guard them. One source I read says enemies might burn it to the ground in a dispute, slash and burn agriculture is a warfare tactic to starve your enemies. So the tower is a watchtower for protection. 

We guard what’s important.

But this vineyard produced “wild grapes”. So what gives? All this effort and expense and the produce grows wild?  This is a picture of the God’s people and their behavior. He provides them with land and vineyards, protects them with towers and hedges and they fail to produce. Or more accurately, they produce of their own imaginations. The seeds of rebellion were not placed within the crop originally so something has gone wrong. 

Next comes the appeal “What more could have been done to my vineyard that I have not done in it?” (verse 5)

The next few verses describe the destruction of the vine by its creator. Even though we realize this represents the Children of Israel who have lost their way, we still want to know how. How did it all go so terribly wrong? How did something designed to produce fruit become corrupted along the way? Isaiah never gives us a clear answer or a direct blame, but there are clues sprinkled throughout that suggest to me greed is to blame.

 This being the Old Testament there is the usual list of Woes. “Woe to those who join house to house; they add field to field, till there is no place where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!” I think this means buying up excessive land, forcing people out of homes and squeezing every crop for profit—like um…a grape.

“Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may follow intoxicating drink; who continue until night, till wine inflames them!” (verse 11) these aren’t people who know how to have a good time, they live to party and they revel in excess. What is at the heart of the matter here? This is what is meant by “wild grapes”. Their purpose is to produce a specific type of grape, specified by the instructions contained in the seed’s code. But they reject their inherent creation and grow according to their own understanding, pleasing the senses.

It’s interesting to me that Isaiah mentions drunkenness a few times in this chapter, presenting a perfect picture of how vineyards get abused. But the drunkenness and anomie of his day are symptoms of greed. They don’t exist as often in a society wrecked by famine or those coming out of a long war. Party culture requires a wealthy base first, but it quickly goes off the rails if the core issues aren’t addressed.

In Isaiah’s day and probably ours as well, greed explains a lot of the excess living. Greed is trying to get more out of a thing than it’s able to produce. The result is uneven growth and wild behavior. But God who is gracious and unrelenting calls out to His people to change. He still uses prophets, but now we have the Holy Spirit. We receive our sustenance from the vine and nowhere else.

Taiwan's Uncertain Future

 

Among the many leaders around the globe, Tsia Ing-Wen will certainly miss Trump.

On the day of Joe Biden’s inauguration the Chinese military flew jets into Taiwan’s airspace. The size of the fleet made it a much bigger provocation then the usual fighter jet sortie. It was probably an aggressive ‘show of force’ display meant to see how Biden’s team would react. In other words, can we trust Joe to interfere?

The State Department did issue a pro forma statement of support for Taiwan but those don't carry weight.

For those who need a quick refresher on Taiwan, here is the 2 cent version. After World War II the nationalist government was run out of China by the Communists and Mao Ze Dong. The United States supported the nationalist government of the Kuomintang (KMT) and their leader Chiang Kai Shek. But the better organized Communists pushed the nationalists out in 1949. Chiang Kai Shek’s forces were no match and key members of the court were moved to Taiwan.

Taipei became the seat of the government of China. The United States recognized this group as the official government of China in exile but abandoned the position in 1979 under Jimmy Carter. The Communist Party were as good as rebels, but as the years went on in became difficult to pretend the real leaders of China were in Taipei. So who was in Beijing? A policy called “One China” became the framework for diplomacy with the United States. It recognizes that China or the PRC (People’s Republic of China) is a sovereign state and the only government of the Chinese people. The US stops short of saying that Taiwan is part of China, putting them in a difficult situation.

Imagine if Hawaii had a government that didn’t answer to Washington DC and had independent arms deals with foreign countries? This is how Beijing sees Taiwan, as a member of the motherland that’s acting rebelliously. I’m not completely sure how modern Taiwanese see their country in relation to China, but the old KMT wanted eventual reunification. Newer parties like the DPP, of which current president Tsai Ing Wen leads, prefer distance if not actual independence from Beijing.

The Biden administration will certainly favor closer ties with Beijing, if not only because it’s closer to the Washington consensus. In other words, that’s how it was before Trump came in and realigned the posture towards China to an adversarial one. It was necessary to get tough with the Chinese. They’ve been belligerent toward our navy in the Straits and all over the South China Sea, which despite the name is within the territory of the Beijing government. Those are international waters. Early last year they sunk a Vietnamese fishing boat and harassed others by bringing their navy as escorts to commercial fishing vessels. China claims the whole (nearly) of the South China Sea, but no one else does. Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines also have territorial claims to at least what surrounds their coastlines.

Anyone can make a claim to anything but if there is no force to back up the claim? Well., sorry but it’s not yours. This is what’s at the heart of so many diplomatic disputes over territories, not just in China but all over the world. Might is always right. For all of the talk about international organizations and treaties, without a strong country like the US underwriting the liberal views it all goes away. The International Criminal Court in the Netherlands ruled against China’s claims to the sea. “Oh No! not the ICC at the Hague! I guess we’ll rethink our actions now!”

China’s reaction was exactly how America would have responded. They ignored it.

Without an assertive navy who would ensure the laws of the sea and free navigation? International courts are joke because they lack an enforcement mechanism. But we’ve told ourselves for too long that the world is now governed by these agreements--would that it were true. The Biden administration won’t likely change policy toward Taiwan on paper. All the regular agreements will be there, but they won’t resist Beijing’s encroachment. This is what I think the recent ‘show of force’ was, a test case for a new administration with a much softer take on Sino relations.

Why will Tsai miss Trump? Because he kept an assertive China on their heels by sending envoys and diplomats to Taiwan. In the last days of the administration they even sent the UN ambassador to Taipei, angering the Chinese even more! That’s likely more about sticking the new Biden administration with another potential row though. I guess I’m going to miss Trump too.

Tumultuous Times

 

This feels like a tumultuous time in the country right now. 

Only one day left until Joe Biden takes over as the country’s executive. I don’t think I like the sound of the phrase “country’s executive” much. Not because it’s Joe but because it feels business-like instead of public service like. There is nothing about the leader of the armed forces in it either. Presidents wear many hats and probably have a lot more power than ever before. I’m not sure when this changed dramatically but there can be no doubt that president’s since FDR (best guess) wield much more authority relative to their congressional counterparts.

I mostly side with Congress in generic terms, because bills originate in the House. But these last few years have shown me what a populist president can get accomplished even with a recalcitrant House. Trump had an incredible amount of pressure from both parties in his first two years. He was under investigation which gave cover to politicians to not work with him. Lest we forget how much the despicable Mueller Report cost in time and money.

 Reports in the press on a nightly basis with the lead phrases like ‘It’s all starting to unravel” or “It’s just the tip of the iceberg” became exhaustingly normal. Even then they managed to put a tax cut through. He cut regulations dramatically and took a very hard line against illegal immigration. He forced the Chinese to sign new trade agreements with quotas to buy agriculture from the US. He reimagined NAFTA even if the fixes were minimal.

I’m not too keen on Congress being the big dog anymore. The legislative branch writes the laws and the executive enforces them. But Congress is all too happy to surrender their proper role to a big daddy in chief, whoever he happens to be. They can run home to their voters and complain about big government while raising money on stopping the president. They’d rather not bother with laws. That’s a lot of work. Better to exploit cultural issues and try to get on TV. Besides, lobby groups really write these laws anyway. Even the sharpest elected representatives can’t wade through all the pages and restrictions. These bills are monstrous. I’d rather they not do anything for a year. I’m usually the one rooting for shutdown at the end of the year when they need to raise the debt ceiling. Just everyone in government, minus the military, stay home for a year and stop working.

The back and forth between the two branches of government was inevitable. The founders knew how to play these strongholds off against each other. The genius of the Constitution is in allowing for ambitious men to pursue their interests, while setting up ways to hem them in. How best to hold back a bully? Appeal to his sense of decency and restraint? No chance. You get another bully and make them play in the same yard. This is how the two legislative branches keep each other restrained. The divisiveness doesn’t bother me as much as others. I’m an agreeable sort of guy, but a smooth running government means we’re all getting screwed. I worry very much about the increasing talk of forced vaccines. 

I’m not particularly bothered by vaccines as a method of controlling viruses; but a lot of people (my mom included) want the ability to take care of their own health. America has never restricted religious liberty in this way and to do so now would be a step too far. I would probably refuse to take them on the basis that forced medical treatment is slavery.  I don’t care if it seems nutty to refuse a vaccination. An individual’s health is a private matter. Besides, in the case of Corona we are talking about a flu bug. It’s another strain of flu but instead of calling in flu 19 we call it Covid 19. We never locked down or told people to wear masks during the swine flu outbreak. Something else is up and I suspect it’s political. We’re all conspiracy theorists now.

I’m for following the constitution and letting both bullies jostle for space. But if both groups disregard religious liberty, personal freedom and right to privacy than we’re all in trouble anyway.

The written document’s that’s governed our lives since 1789 only works on a moral people. When the majority is crooked than only God can fix the mess and the best laid plans of mice and men are for naught.     

Isaiah 58: Restore the Breach

 

Isaiah 58

The Hebrews in Isaiah's day are engaged in the ceremonial duties like fasting but without the humility. They care for themselves at the expense of their neighbors but still manage their routines and sacraments. 

I’ve come to loathe the word tolerance. In our modern usage it means ignoring destructive behavior until it overwhelms you. We are tolerant about drugs among other things. Oregon just became the first state to decriminalize possession of hard drugs. This article calls them a pioneer. This was unthinkable 20 years ago but it started with loosening marijuana laws and then finally full legalization.

I’m convinced that all we’ve done is create additional problems that play out in our crowded homeless population. I used to take a more libertarian approach to these things, it isn’t my business what anyone does in their free time. But it becomes our business when our addiction starts costing society in other ways. Families split first and then communities fracture. Cities eventually get overrun with tent cities and violent crime. How much do we spend on recovery programs, counselling, incarceration?

Tolerance starts to look like avoidance.   

There are Christian organizations that get it. Plenty are doing hard work, clothing and feeding the desperate and providing counseling. An immoral society will eventually get overrun with zombies no matter what the law says. People are responsible for their choices in life and strong resistance to truth produces it’s own hell.

Isaiah writes this from the position of God talking to His people. “Why have we fasted, they say, and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ (verse 3)

Another way to say this might be, we’re doing the stuff from the law and not being blessed, what gives? Americans might say why is all this destruction and waste filling up our cities like a landfill? I’ve never seen so many churches around the country, there hasn’t been a time with easier access to the best teachings, sermons, classrooms, and communities with the purpose of growing in Christ. Teachers of the Word offer their material for free online. Why are we not in a renaissance of growth and freedom and Godly wisdom?

The answer isn’t as one dimensional as we might think, but at the core is our ability to put ourselves first. Nothing is wrong with money and increasing wealth, our families and communities depend on it. It’s such a blessing to live in a country where wealth is possible and even likely for so many.

But we’ve shoveled off our spiritual responsibility for the desperate.

 The government takes care of the street dwellers we figure, so let them run the shelters and the recovery programs. Also the spiritually homeless are all around us and they need our direct influence. Too often we pass them up, even people in church, and get on with our lives. It takes time so we don’t bother. We are busy and investing in others takes time, it’s miserable and often not appreciated. It’s easier to let others do it, or not do it.

We do fast though. We call for God’s mercy. We call for God’s blessing. We ask Him for healing and deliverance and restoration. He answers us. But it feels like we aren’t seeing the real sweeping revival we’d like. We are too satisfied with promotions at work and financial increase, all good things.

Maybe the Heavenly Father is saying stop going through the motions. Begin to honor me with your time and money and efforts. Bear the burdens of the lost and addicted and lonely. Restore the broken and set them free from the mental restraints of depression. God answered the children of Israel in much this same way.

“If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” (verse 10-11)

That sounds a lot better doesn’t it? The wreckage and misery I see all around is the result of bad politics to be sure. But politics are a result of a culture that doesn’t think much of human life. It ignores what we’ve known about human nature since the Garden of Eden, man is a sinful being whose only path to redemption is through Christ. Because of this we need restraints that reinforce ideas about fallen man. A society that throws off restraint opens itself to ruin.

The promise from God is the same as it was during Isaiah’s time, honor Me with your lives and I’ll take care of the rest. “Those from among you shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.” (verse 12)

Our streets need some restoration. There isn’t a city in America that doesn’t have problems with homelessness and it isn’t because we are in a famine. It’s because we tolerate and ignore, instead of caring and restricting.   

   

Golf Dumps Trump

 

Everything is politics.

 I’ve mentioned numerous times that I’m off sports for a while. In a less political time, when corporate brands like the NFL and MLB aren’t so woke I’ll tune in. I put the golf channel on at work because it’s the least political of all. During this season the pros are all over the world playing in warm locals like Hawaii and Bermuda. No matter the time of year there always seems to be a tournament or a camera crew covering some club course on the ocean. Golf isn’t even a favorite sport of mine, but the commentary is mostly focused on the sport. Yesterday the head of the PGA announced via zoom that they were terminating the agreement to play the PGA Championship at Trump National in Bedford, New Jersey in 2022.

I guess the crackdown has begun in earnest.

Everywhere I look I see weakness in the face of opposition and I’m sick of it. It doesn’t affect my life where the event is played and most people probably don’t care. But that’s another thing, even the minor stuff gets the Jacobin treatment. No event or issue is beyond the censors, or avoids cancelation due to wrong think and wrong deeds. What kills me is that too many leaders of organizations don’t get it. They aren’t willing to draw lines around their industries and tell everyone else to pound sand. They give and give and give until the company isn’t theirs anymore. Of course with these corporate entities running everything the idea of true private business with decision making ability is mostly gone.

Most are subsidiaries of this conglomerate or that global brand.

Last year Chik fil A pulled a similar move. They were brave stalwarts in the fight against left wing mobs trying to keep them out of large cities. But even they changed their policy on donations just a bit. You probably didn’t even notice. Instead of those icky Christian ones with traditional notions of marriage they opted for ‘approved’ ones instead. Salvation Army was left in the wind, isolated by their faith and left to fend for themselves when the chicken magnet moved on like a jilted lover.

Every company above a certain size is subject to intense pressure to conform to either bullshit mask mandates or social distancing craziness. The news keeps reporting “surging” cases while the fear factor grows ever stronger in the minds of already fearful people. There are cases of local restaurants in states that have ordered businesses closed of pure rebellion. Thank God for locals with courage. My cousin told me about a café in Illinois that’s so far rejected calls to close up. People get cold and flu and even Covid and still manage to get by. I had it. I was quite sick too. I could never imagine asking others to wear a mask around me.

My health is my responsibility; ditto to you and yours.

How much corruption did the dirty crooks in DC get up to while we were all worrying about social distancing? 

Something tells me it was a lot. Trump was a rock amidst a sea of sand castles. Sticking your neck out is costly as Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley are about to find out. But Senators braving the mob is one thing. We almost expect the left wing ascending pricks to go after them and their families. We don’t, until this year, expect private citizens and TV hosts and bloggers to be de-platformed for expressing contrary opinions. Not racist opinions either, but regular conservative or Christian ideas about religion and sex and identity.

The lack of stones among every corner of industry and government means I’ve been praying and trying to sort out my own spiritual walk with the Lord. I need to get some issues in order in my own life or become a slave for all time. Maybe exposure is at the heart of this reluctance from these leaders to stand against the rising tide of oppression.

Their past might get some unwanted attention, suddenly they become the victims of their own bravery. I wouldn’t be surprised to find some unpleasant revelations about both Cruz and Hawley. If you have to surrender this much though why bother? What benefit could you possibly get from abrogating your soul to this evil woke mob? The professional class is going to have to re-think their chosen career in the coming months or suffer some kind of rejection of Trumpism, conservatism, Christianity.

 I’d rather shovel shit in a labor camp then be told, in a free country, what I was allowed to talk about.

Sports used to be a healthy distraction but no longer. Maybe it’s time we all spent more time paying closer attention to the world around us and quit patronizing the industries that hate us.

2021 and Run

 

What can I say about running in the cold that I haven’t already said? I’ve been fortunate so far with the weather. The wind hasn’t been a serious issue even when the temps are below 40. It’s wind more than anything else that dampens a hopeful jog. I’ll even run in the rain if it’s a steady light shower, no storms or monsoons. Last year I had a rain day in March with my group. We went 11 miles too, one of the longer ones of the season. The first few miles were miserable but after I got wet it didn’t matter. Everyone else was wet too. Rain days are more common in the spring, which is still a few months off.

I run on the treadmill during the week and outside in my neighborhood on the weekends. I say weekends because I’m never sure if Saturday or Sunday is going to work better. It’s not only weather dependent, sometimes I’m up late and I’d rather sleep in. 6:20 feels at least an hour too soon. Nothing says “go back to bed” like a chilly January morning before the sun comes up.

Two goals I have this time. First, I need to keep a slower pace to avoid injury. My foot has been a nagging problem since last year on two separate occasions and for different reasons. Supposedly the slower pace ensures less stress on your joints reducing the chance of getting hurt. I’m determined to give an honest try but so far it feels about the same, my foot I mean. The second goal is to put more effort into stretching. You don’t really stretch out your feet but your tight leg muscles can lead to foot problems. At least that’s what I think is causing the inflammation. So I stretch before and after the run and even at work during slow moments. I stretch while watching TV and roll out my legs. I have a Styrofoam roller that’s basically a ‘poor man’s’ massage. It’s one of those items you buy and wonder why you never thought about buying it before.

This being the new year and all I need to lose a few pounds. Any exercise helps a little but real weigh loss starts with food. For me less is more. I’ve done this successfully before by just cutting out certain sugary foods. Oh, and maybe not load up on seconds and thirds of every dish. That’s a tough habit to break after a workout. Anyone who lifts weights and wears themselves out knows how hungry you get when leaving the gym.  

I had a scary moment this last Sunday. I hit a patch of ice going a little too fast and slid down a hill a few feet. I got off the road as quick as possible because the ice patch was longer than I realized. I didn’t fall even though I expected to. I just don’t see ice enough on my runs to even think about it. The temperature was just below freezing though so I should have thought about it. Next time I’ll look down more often.

 

Swamp Ruckus

 

Today supporters of the president stormed the security zones around the Capital building and broke in. This was a critical day in the election process, January 6. The Vice President is also the president of the Senate and as such presides over the electoral vote submission. Most of the time this is a moot point because election challenges are completed before the electoral college meets. In most states recounts were not done and nearly every state official responsible for looking into valid complaints has dragged their feet. The election official in Georgia even released transcripts of his phone call to the press. That’s a real FU to Trump. So it’s been a difficult election to undo because the courts have ignored the challenges.

Trump gave a rousing speech to his supporters just before Pence agreed to receive the electors from each state. Trump was hoping he would reject the fraudulent ones like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia. He didn’t, which reminds me why we elected 45 in the first place. There just isn’t the will to call fraud what it is and back up your words with action. Pence is a nice man. He’s Christian who probably cares more about process than doing the hard thing. The problem is you’ve lost a good number of patriots who don’t see the point of voting anymore. Trump brought a lot of patriots into the Republican Party who want to see the country thrive again. He didn’t make apologies for promoting American interest and he didn’t care who thought he was a racist. He isn’t of course, but such is the time we live in. Because of that, all of Washington hates him and can’t wait till he leaves.

I saw a picture of some of the Trump supporters that stormed the Capitol and posed for a snapshot. Those guys didn’t look like Trump people to me at all. They look like hippies who you’d expect to see at an inner city riot-more like left wing rent a mobs. I won’t say real Trump supporters didn’t do anything but already I’m starting to question whether or not this ‘storming’ business was really spontaneous. I kind of doubt it. This type of takeover of a country can only be stopped by prayer.

I heard what I believe was something from the Holy Spirit today. He said that non-political problems require non-political solutions. In other words the lawlessness, assault on truth, murder of the innocent is a spiritual problem and not a political one. First comes the spirit and then comes the action. This is true for good and evil, we respond to the spirit that impacts us. It affects our mood and opinions and behavior. Whether you realize it or not we are at war in the spirit for the soul of the nation. The stuff that plays out on TV is staged in a lot of cases to sell a point of view. No I don’t mean to say that nothing is real and that we’re in some kind of “matrix” program.

Once you realize that protestors often get paid to show up and hurl bricks through windows it changes your perception on everything. In cities where riots are frequent, we’ve seen bricks being conveniently left lying near storefronts, pallets of them. I saw one video outside of Portland where the rioters had row after row of tents to sleep in when they weren’t breaking and burning. This tells me that a small army of rebels is being paid to conduct mayhem. I think it was from Project Veritas but I’m not sure.

We know how this game is played and that’s why I’m not ruling out that the actors in today’s debacle were not what they appeared to be. I’ve been praying since the end of the election for God to show up. He fights our battles after all. I’m encouraged by the intercessors and their constant pressing in to God’s purpose. We want to see this nation be restored to Him and deal swiftly with the scoundrels that stole the election and tried to run a coup on Trump. American elections will continue after Trump whatever happens to his 2^nd term. What will be the state of them? Will patriots seize back control and ensure free and fair elections, or are we done with all of that honesty business? I’m confident that America will recover her freedom and accountability.  

Another benefit to this craziness is that Church is getting stronger. I heard Lance Wallnau say this yesterday and it made so much sense. The struggle we are in now is a time for churches to get strong in intercessory prayer. They were too weak to fight this upcoming battle (spiritual) but today they’ve gotten stronger. You can’t grow without adversity.

 

Mood Music

 

I wrote this a few days ago.

It’s snowing in Oklahoma right now. Actually it’s “Oklahoma Snowing” which means it’s some kind of mix between rain and snow. I see scattered wet flakes falling slow amidst the heavier rain droplets that threaten to overwhelm the lighter stuff. I’m trying to keep myself busy on this Saturday in which I have more time than I really should. I’m avoiding painting the kitchen because it’s a lot of work and I can be pretty lazy. Last year I at this time I painted both the dining room and the TV room. Most people call that the living room but the house is pretty small and everything kind of blends together.

I put on a Kenny G streaming station on Prime music because I like music light and easy when I write or read. You know how those stations work, plug in an artists’ name and get back similar styles one after the other. It’s never a perfect formula but how does anyone best evaluate a ‘style’ of music. The resulting mish mash is collection of smooth jazz instrumental and soulish groove with deep throaty singers. For me it’s either instrumental or not. I don’t like when the stations mix it up. I don’t even like the Kenny G tracks with famous singers like Aaron Neville and Michael Bolton, Toni Braxton. Those turn the great saxophonist into a side prop because the strong voices overwhelm the horn. 

Not to mention I can’t focus on writing when I’m distracted by lyrics. I start listening much closer and lose my place.

There is a default station called “Lo-Fi-Hip-Hop Chill” that offers slow paced beats and piano melodies. I’d put emphasis on the latter half (chill) of that since it’s what really piqued my interest. Chill to me is either no singing or singing but with a very light touch. The hip hop part comes to it through slow rhythmic beats, punctuated by sampled sounds. A lot of the tracks feature various different sounds introduced as the track moves along. Most are electronic and strange, is someone talking or this some feature that dopey regular guys like me don’t get? Whatever, I like it. Bring the peace and bring the chill.  I rarely check to see who the artist is. I don’t think I’d buy anything unless I noticed a pronounced trend of great stuff over and over. The advantage with listening to music this way, by letting the algorithm pick the selection, is the lack of effort from the listener. Don’t like a track? Click the thumbs down icon and move on.

This attitude likely puts me in the category of non-music aficionado, a dope with no taste or knowledge of the creative professionals. After all a true collector/fan would patronize the industry and support the artist. Side bar—aren’t these DJ’s and EDM music creators more programmer than musician? I don’t say it as an insult. It’s a different genre that doesn’t lend itself to the word “musician” very well. I wouldn’t argue it in either case but it’s interesting just the same.

The tricky part in all of this is answering the question “Who do you listen to?” Well um. . . Pandora is great. Prime is also a solid favorite. I don’t know who or what to patronize because music for me has become a mood driven affair. There are exceptions to the rule of course. I mentioned Kenny G at the top. I’ll select the Rolling Stones station over a lot of others because of the regular dose of Mick, Keith and the boys. I’ll search Bethel for the worship and Social Distortion for the punk.  I do feel bad for bands that can’t play clubs anymore due to these ‘getting long in the tooth’ restrictions on gathering. It’s also impossible to make money when it’s playing free on some streaming service. But life is tough is all over. I went to school to work in government or as a traveling businessman and ended up working retail. I might have saved a little money on the educational side of things but it wasn’t so. Some industries are a scratch and claw operation with little chance of success, that’s life.

So whether doing yard work to thrash metal or dozing off to instrumental lullabies, mood drives my music choices. I don’t worry much about which artist/musician/programmer’s track is up next. Like it or hate it I know how to tell the ever important algorithm how to steer my choices. Snowy days feel like Kenny G and smooth jazz right now.

Become Complete: 2 Corinthians 13

 

2 Corinthians 13

Paul’s final letter to the Corinthians sounds to me like a frustrated coach whose players are giving half measures. There was a football player here a few years ago that died early. I can’t remember the details of his tragic death but I’m sure drugs were involved. He was typical of kids his age who’ve shown talent at an early age. Most people who knew his name, I’ll call him Tim, expected great things. His size and speed were light years ahead of others around him. Everyone knew he’d play Division I football and maybe even get to the NFL. He died his senior year of college just as his team was set to dominate the conference.

 I work with a lot of current and former coaches. One of them had Tim in a summer skills camp. This coach saw what Tim could do on the field before he was even in high school.  When asked how to describe him, the coach had the usual talent laden descriptors but added, “kinda thick”. He didn't mean heavy either. 

 I took it to mean he didn’t value his gifts. It’s easy to dismiss this as a high school kid just being a kid. Who isn’t a little slow to understand that life is precious and talent should be nurtured? Most of us never had a lot of talent so the question is moot. In chapter 13 Paul emphasizes the ‘talent’ at the heart of their salvation in Christ. “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.” (verse 5-6)

He is careful to point out that the latent might and power are found in Christ. How much more can they be found in them, the Corinthians? It helps to remember that the Corinthians were sceptics and many didn’t like Paul. His letter addresses weakness as strength because it forces us to rely on our Creator Who makes us strong. The subtest of the whole chapter seems to be “You are so much greater through Christ than you realize”.

Paul encourages a kind of new commitment in the faith. Like a star athlete needing a new purpose, Paul suggests improvement toward living in peace and dedicating even more to the gospel. “And this we also pray, that you may be made complete.” (verse 9) As Christians we should always perfect and increase, the purpose of which is to be like Christ and attract those outside the faith. But also because a Christian isn’t complete without the understanding that their efforts are rooted in victory. Our completeness is already assured if we walk it out.

Again he repeats in verse 11 “Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete.” It’s like he isn’t going to let that thing go. Every coach has a thing don’t they? A specific bugaboo that irritates them more than anything else; it’s easily recognizable to the athletes under their authority as THE ISSUE to watch out for. For some it’s effort. Many players have felt the sting of a good ass chewing if they weren’t giving 100%. I think for Paul it’s this idea of completeness. It’s not really a striving though the way it is for players on a team. It’s not a gut check, or a heart issue. It’s a recognition that our completeness is found in Christ only. It’s the understanding of this principle he wants to get across. Understand Him and be complete. Our weakness is His strength.

The comparison to sports isn’t a perfect one, but anyone who has improved over a season knows the power of a new mindset. Athletes understand that hard work and mental toughness determine success at every level. Christians need to understand that to grow we need to surrender and let the Spirit make us complete. In the end it doesn’t look much like physical or mental toughness because our strength is in Christ.

As someone whose been a follower of Jesus for almost 40 years I’ll admit, understanding this principle is a difficult thing. I’m wired for tasks and routine exercises that build on past performance. I’m a steady workhorse in the gym. I learn everything from habitual study and habitual technique. Surrender sometimes feels like failure. But Paul has a ready answer to this as well “For though He [Jesus] was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God.” (verse 4)

If Jesus, the perfect man, surrendered to His Father’s will how much more can we?