Anything is Worth a Shot

God speaks to us in subtle ways.  After church the other Sunday, a member stated that he and I had something in common.  He kind of surprised me with his statement as I had no idea what he was talking about.  Then he pointed to his midsection.  Yeah, yeah, yeah . . . I know, I could lose a few pounds.  Then, while visiting with my fifteen month old granddaughter I discovered that she liked to pat my belly . . . sort of the Jello-efffect . . . you know, watch it wiggle, watch it jiggle, and watch the granddaughter giggle.  I could use a little work on getting the ol’ Dunlop down.  I guess that I should be thankful that God is a little more subtle in getting the message to me, and I appreciate that God did not come right out and call me a fatty . . . the world does that enough!

                                                                                       

I get the point!  I need to lose weight!  The only problem with that is in the fact that it entails dieting and exercise . . . two things, which in these later years of my life, I am not really thrilled with taking on.  They are both work . . . hard work . . . and, I have gotten used to my lazy existence.  So, what is a middle-age, overweight guys supposed to do?  Well, surf the net apparently!

According to an article I read on MSN Living using Twitter can actually help those of us who are overweight lose weight.  You can read the article here: http://living.msn.com/tech/social/how-twitter-can-help-you-lose-weight.  Basically the article talks about a study that was done with two groups of people attempting to lose weight.  One group went about the business of trying to lose weight  primarily on their own; the other group was set up using the social media of Twitter.  Those who used Twitter lost more weight.  Why?  Because they had a natural support group from which they could receive support, encouragement, and motivation.  The old adage is that misery loves company, and Twitter was providing the company . . . and, it could be done fairly anonymously.

I will be honest, when I went to read the article I was hoping for something a little more miraculous.  You know, something like I could hold my belly up to the screen of my computer or cell phone, and it would be zapped with fat melting ability . . . that I could watch the fat slowly disappear.  Something without much effort . . . but, no!  No, the work still has to be done.  The dieting has to take place.  The exercise has to take place.  This wasn’t much of a diet at all . . . just a bunch of “let’s all feel good about suffering together” stuff that I did not want to hear.

I didn’t want to hear it because . . . well, because it is work.  I am tired.  I don’t want to work that hard.  Also, because I am an introvert . . . this little support group means that I have to do this with other people.  I have always appreciated the Job model of suffering . . . alone!  I don’t want someone else lamenting more than me . . . I want my lament to be number one.  If I have to share it with others, well there is always someone who thinks they are worse than me.  And, I thought technology was supposed to make one’s life easier and more efficient . . . I think that this is false advertising.  Diet, my butt!

The results shared from the research are good . . . using social media to find support and encouragement while trying to defeat the battle of the bugle does work in losing weight.  True, it still involves dieting and exercise, but there are positive results.  Since the Twitter diet is not some miraculous save the fat man method . . . doesn’t even melt the fat sort of thing . . . but just one part of a successful weight loss program, it might be worth a try.  But, I must also admit, my number one solution to this problem still works—denial.  The only problem with that is that I keep getting these subtle messages . . . when the granddaughter gets to the talking stage is she going to call me “jelly belly” as she pats my mid-section?  I sure wish they would hurry up and invent an app that really does create weight loss . . .  

And, To Think . . .

. . . all I needed to sustain my life of introversion was a human-sized hamster ball!  I don’t know why I did not think of this sooner!  I want to thank my friend, Sara Bowker Belden, for sharing this story on Facebook: http://themetapicture.com/how-to-interact-with-the-introverted/.  If you have an introvert in your life, this is a good little infograph for you for gleaning a little insight into their behavior.  I just wish I had seen it a little earlier in my life.

Who would have thought that by placing myself in a gigantic hamster ball I could have avoid some of those uncomfortable moments in my life when I really did not want to have any interaction with others . . . I could have just rolled off into the sunset by myself. 

The information shared in the infograph explains that it is all about energy.  Introverts create their own energy; extrovert gather their energy from others around them.  Introverts like “alone” time as it is when they are re-energizing themselves; extraverts like “people time” because that is where they gather their energy.  Introverts tend to seem to be stand-offish; extraverts are party animals soaking up the energy of those around them.  Introverts really do not care for this and see such behavior as invasive, obnoxious, and rude . . . but, that is just the way that each is wired, and it is sure draining on introverts. 

Thus, introverts attempt to protect their energy by sealing themselves off in a great big hamster ball that is practically impenetrable.  Ever attempt to cozy up to someone who was an introvert and hit a brick wall?  Yeah, that is that hamster ball.  It is all about the personal space . . . where an extrovert knows very little about personal face as they are always right there within inches of everyone, the introvert carries a yard stick to keep the space.  It is not so much to measure what is a safe distance as it is to whack someone when he or she gets into that personal space.  A human-size hamster ball would negate the need for carrying a yard stick around all of the time.

I work in an office in which I have let everyone know that I am an introvert . . . they don’t believe it.  They kind of see me as being extroverted . . . but, that is because I have come to find that the majority of them are pretty nice, safe people who I enjoy . . . in spurts.  With them I can be talkative and appear to be extrovert . . . but, I am not.  I am a sneak attacker . . . I pick and choose those moments when I want interaction.  They are moments when I initiate the contact . . . that I step out of the hamster ball into the world of the extravert . . . those moments when I feel comfortable.  The bottom line is I am pretty happy sitting in my office doing my own thing.  It is my choice, not theirs.  It looks extrovert, but it is really introversion at work . . . it is a choice I am making.  As they often say, a good offense is the best defense.

The infograph goes on to share a method to interact with introverts . . . if that is something people want to do.  It is simple, open the door . . . leave the door open . . . and, wait.  Wait to see if the introvert will walk in and interact.  Say hello . . . be friendly, polite, and relaxed . . . then go back to whatever else it was that you were doing.  This is basically setting the trap and a good portion of it is waiting to see if the introvert takes the bait.  If the introvert feels that you are safe, that he or she will be safe . . . they will walk in the door.

I appreciate what the infograph concludes with . . . things folks need to remember about introverts:

• ·        Respect personal space (that invisible human-size hamster ball no one but introvert see).

• ·        That energy is limited . . . and, introverts guard that energy with their lives.

• ·        Don’t demand energy spent on you from introverts when you don’t need it . . . don’t be an energy sapper . . . an energy sucking vampire!

• ·        Don’t take silence as an insult—it isn’t!  We introverts will let you know when we don’t like you.  We will run over you with our hamster balls.

• ·        Introverts get lonely, too.  Yeah, we do.  Like all humans, we need a little human touch to make it through the day.  Just ask first, otherwise you might get your arm broken when you attempt to give us a hug that we are not prepared for . . . that would be terrible!

There you have it . . . a short little primer on introversion and how to crack through the elusive hamster ball of introversion.  I will be prepared for the onslaught . . . but, it sure would be a heck of a lot easier if I could just find out where they sell those human-size hamster balls!

Well . . .

It dawned on me the other day, in all places—a church, that Jesus never did his ministry inside of a church building.  He did all of his ministry outside, or inside of people’s homes, anywhere, but a church building.  Those times he did happen to be in the sanctuary, he seemed to irritate those who were gathered to the point that one congregation wanted to stone him to death.  I’ve preached a few of those sermons.  But, it hit me like a ton of bricks . . . Jesus never did his ministry within the walls of a church. 

In W.P. Kinsella’s novel, Shoeless Joe, there is a line that is spoken to a hidden voice to the main character about building a baseball field in the middle of a Iowa cornfield: “If you build it, they will come.” (Actually it was, “If you build it, he will come”.  It alluded to the main character’s deceased father.)  This quote pretty much sums up the game plan of the “church” for the past several hundreds of years . . . if you build it, they will come . . . if you program it, they will come . . . if you entertain them, they will come.  Everything is focused upon the people coming to the “church”.  This plan worked for a while, but it hasn’t had much success lately . . . as quick as people are coming in the front door, just as many—if not more—are heading out the back door.  The scary thing about this attitude, even as it continues to fail, is that it is still a prevalent attitude among a lot of those who serve within the church.  Where did this model come from . . . it is not a truly biblical model as best as I can ascertain from my understanding . . . though, I must admit, I have fallen for it through the years in my own ministry.

I know that most people think that I am joking when I tell them that one of the reasons I went into the ministry was that if I was going to have to go to “church” every Sunday, I might as well be the one doing all the preaching.  I seem to enjoy hearing myself talk.  The truth is, I am not real big on going to “church”—at least organized “church” as it is today—if I am not the one leading the experience. Trust me, I am no pulpit giant by any stretch of the imagination . . . I don’t think that what I have to say is any more important than what anyone else has to say . . . I’m not the gatekeeper to the kingdom; but, I do think that it is one way to get me into “church”.  “Church”, as it is primarily practiced today, does not work for me . . . didn’t work thirty years ago either . . . thus, I became a minister.  

Actually, I received a call to follow Jesus.  I thought that Jesus was within the walls of the “church”.  That is what I was led to believe.  I should have been listening more closely, because that is not what was being said.  Trust me, Jesus has led me lots of places and few of them have been within the confines of the four walls of a building called a “church”.  Most of my deepest and most touching experiences of Jesus and his call upon my life have been outside the walls of the “church” . . . in fact, they didn’t involve buildings at all, but people.  It has been through people . . . relationships with people . . . that I have experienced Jesus the most prevalent within my life.

Because of that, why is it that the “church” continues to buy into this idea that ministry is a series of programs or projects within the confines of its structure that will bring people to Jesus?  I mean, Jesus did not minister within a “church” . . . no, Jesus was among the people.

There is the little children’s ditty about “here is the church . . . here is the steeple . . . open the door and see all the people.”  Problem is . . . there are no people!  I was taught that the church was the body of Christ in the world.  I was also taught that whenever two or three people gathered in Jesus’ name, he would be present.  In the presence of Jesus, is that not the body of Christ . . . is that not the “church” as Jesus understood it?  I think so.  I have heard countless clergy . . . countless ministers . . . countless laypeople . . . all say, “Church is not a building, but the people.”  They say it, but do they believe it?

Now, do not get me wrong.  I love the “church” . . . I enjoy my time that I spend in “church” each week.  But it is not because of the building.  It is not because of the worship service.  It is not because of the study group.  It is not because of the Bible study.  Not because of any fellowship groups or program we might have.  No, I do not enjoy my time because of the “church” as most folks understand it; but, because of the people.  I love the people I get the opportunity to share with each week . . . I love the fellowship . . . I love the sharing . . . I love the intimacy . . . the care and the love.  It is when I am among them . . . relating to them . . . that I come to experience the “church” . . . that I experience Jesus.

The “church”, as most of us know it, is on a nexus . . . either towards extinction or of becoming what Jesus intended it to be.  I doubt seriously if it will die tomorrow, but from the pulpit I serve, the “church” is struggling.  It is struggling with the reality that they have built it and no one is coming.  And, why should they?  Jesus came to the people.  Jesus ministered among the people.  Jesus taught among the people.  There were no “walls” hemming him in . . . and, so it was in the early church.  Somehow, we strayed away from the path of Jesus.

The “church” as we know it is not the answer.  The words of Shoe, in the comic strip above, are truer than any of us really want to admit.  Jesus knows the answer . . . but, are we going to listen?  To really listen and follow?  As always, Jesus is the way. 

Remember To

“This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

(Psalm 118:24, NKJV)

Time seems to slip away lately.  Life has been pretty busy.  Feels as if I run from one place to another from the crack of dawn until my head hits the pillow at night.  Work at the university has me running . . . the church keeps me busy . . . and, family has its fair share of requests on my time too.  It is busy, busy, busy as life seems to have been a blur for the past couple of months.  I imagine that it is not much different for most of you who are reading these words, especially as we gear up for the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Life is about to jump into hyper-drive.

All of this busyness is no fun.  I haven’t really had the time to enjoy the blessings, gifts, and opportunities of life that have come my way.  I am either too busy or too tired.  I think we all are.

On Facebook I have noticed a trend lately . . . a trend of “giving thanks”.  It started around the first day of November, and from what I understand, it will continue through the month of November until the 30^th.  What is happening is that some folks are taking each day and posting something or someone that they are “thankful” for.  Some days it is for the beauty of the sunrise or sunset, other days it is for a member of their family, while on others it is that they avoided getting a traffic ticket.  Whatever the case, each day a word of “thanksgiving” is given as a means of acknowledging gratitude.  It is a nice discipline in awareness for those blessings, gifts, and opportunities in life that are experienced by all of us.  Apparently some of us do it better than others.

I think I fall into that category of needing a little more daily awareness in giving “thanks”.  Now, don’t think that I am not a person of gratitude.  My parents raised me to be respectful towards others, and I always say “thank you” whenever I receive a gift from another or if someone does something for me.  Trust me, I let people know that I appreciate their gifts in my life.  If someone tells me, “God bless you” after I sneeze; I say, “Thank you.”  But, that is not the sort of gratefulness I am speaking about here . . . nor, is it the simple act of writing a little note on Facebook either.  No, where I am lacking is in that awareness of the fact that I woke up this morning, my name wasn’t in the obituaries, and a whole new day fill with all sorts of adventures, opportunities, and lessons lay before me as being a gift . . . the gift to just be alive!  I need a little more practice and awareness in living within the blessing of the moment and thanking God for it.

That is a lot tougher than people think it is.  In a simple exercise, I can ask you to name things and people you are grateful for.  Odds are you could probably reel off five to ten things or people in a snap; but, after that . . . well, it gets a little more difficult to name things.  I think that that is one of the reasons that it is sometimes so difficult to actually spend a month (like November) offering a daily word of gratefulness.  It starts out easy and proceeds into silliness or sappiness.  There is an “A” for effort, but is this a real act of gratefulness?  I am not sure . . .

     . . . I am not sure because the psalmist in the Book of Psalms tells us that each and every day is a day that the Lord has made.  Because it is a day that the Lord has made, we should all rejoice and be glad in it.  I don’t think the psalmist was writing these words in the 21^st century.  If the psalmist had been writing those words now . . . well, I am not so sure that he or she would have been so quick to tell us all to rejoice and be glad in the day.  The psalmist never had to endure a commute to and from work.  The psalmist never had to put up much of what many of us experience in our daily lives.  The psalmist never experienced the frustrations and disappointments we have in our lives.  When was the last time the psalmist had to deal with a virus on the computer?  Maybe the psalmist’s words are obsolete.

Nope.  The words that the psalmist spoke thousands of years ago are still relevant today . . . this is the day that the Lord has made, and we should rejoice and be glad in it.  Whether the day is good or bad, exciting or boring, frustrating or exhilarating . . . it is still a day which God has created and blessed us with . . . there is much to be grateful for.  The problem is not the day—no matter which generation the words are spoken, but in the awareness of the gift, blessing, and opportunity that the day really is.  That lack of awareness can be from being too busy to being too tired . . . whatever it is, it is just the fact that way too many of us—especially me, are not conscious of the presence of God in our lives.

An act of giving daily “thanks” on Facebook might be one means of creating the discipline of daily awareness and gratefulness . . . if we carry it out beyond one month to be a daily part of who we are . . . people of gratefulness and thanksgiving.  But, like New Year’s resolutions, this discipline is quickly forgotten as we march into the adventures of the next holiday season—Christmas.  No, the awareness needs to be deeper than that if it is to become a part of who we are . . . it needs to become a heart practice.

I know that I need more of this awareness in my life.  On those days, good or bad, that I start the day reminding myself of the gift of the day . . . reminding myself of God’s presence in the day . . . things have gone a whole lot smoother.  Oh sure, there were those days when anything and everything went wrong, but I was never alone . . . God was with me.  I think that is the gift of every day that we need to remember.  We are never alone, God is always with us . . . the problem is, we are not always with God.  When we are not with God the gift of the day . . . the gift of the moment . . . is lost.

I am not going to start posting words of gratefulness on my Facebook each day . . . I could only come up with a couple anyways.  But, I am thinking seriously of posting the words of the psalmist on the mirror in the bathroom so it is the first thing I see every morning when I get up . . . at least the first thing I will see in the morning once I get my glasses on.  Those words will serve as a reminder . . . I am alive . . . it is a new day . . . there is hope . . . and, there is always the presence of God.  No matter how busy my life might get, those are words I should engrave upon my heart.  I am thankful . . . the Lord is with me each and every day . . . and, I rejoice.