Spiritual appetite?

Having reflected on the blog post, Reactions to Pie, a reader queried: 

I was just wondering about those who seem to have no appetite at all for spiritual things? Your article did not address that, but it made me wonder whether or not you would "condone" it? 

I responded with the following:

  

God, taking the initiative and acting first, prepares a feast for His handiwork. Does He not know what to serve? If He knew much of His handiwork were plagued by no appetite, why go to all the trouble to put on the spread? "Let's just be content to watch the televised football game, instead." Why waste every one's time with useless food? (if indeed the food is useless, or merely discretionary.)

As His handiwork, it is helpful for us to occasionally reflect on whose part in the mystery of life is whose?  For me, the break down in Proverbs 1 clearly resonates:

Wisdom uttereth her voice in the streets--It's God's job to put on the feast.

If thou wilt receive my words--It's our choice to avail ourselves according to our own individual appetite...

They would none of my counsel--or not;  again, it's our choice according to our own individual appetite, or inclination.

So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices--Everyone is respectful of everyone else's choices. 

All choice's will be honored, even in the face of the Creator's clear declaration to all His handiwork that:

the prosperity of fools shall destroy them;  

and that those who hearken unto God shall be quiet from evil, shall understand righteousness, ... and every good thing.

Save us from our overly inflated selves.

Let God be God, and let us not try to be (God.)

However, if you find God to be a crappy cook and host, please feel free to do the entertaining.

It's our choice. 

Let me know how it's going.  We're all in this together...

Reactions to Pie

One thing I love about my Father is that He is not overly pushy.  He is a beneficent, loving provider, not a barking, unappreciated requirer.   I guess I am sensitive to this because on my 5th birthday, I had a "mildly" traumatic experience:  Mom served apple pie for dessert at lunch.   "What a treat!,"  she thought.  "And I gave you the biggest piece!" 


Well, as delectible as that apple pie may have been for her, I did not find it appetizing in the slightest.  And I did not touch it.  Long story short, I was to be kept at the table until I finished that piece of apple pie.  The kids went off to play, but I had to sit there until I woofed it down, and apologized for being such an unappreciative son.


Well, after a lengthy standoff, I was dismissed from the table and restricted to my room, having left the pie untouched.  "Whose birthday was it anyway?," I thought as I sulked....  It took me over 20 years to get over that episode, and actually sample a piece of apple pie.  I found it to be pretty good! 


One verse I love to consider, especially at Thanksgiving time is Matthew 5:6 where Jesus revealed a bit of the Father's point of view:
    Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.


I am not a bible expert, but I was taught that the standard of this filling was not a filling according to capacity, nor one which might result in overflowing, but a filling 'according to the standard of one's appetite.'  I love that.  Why?  Because our loving God allows for variations of appetite. 


I think about a wonderful piece of pie.  When offered to me as the the grand finale, after I have just stuffed myself at the Thanksgiving table, I usually say, "No, thanks.  Maybe later..."   However, were I to be offered that exact same piece of pie after a day of not having eaten, I would devour it, and lick off my plate.  My eating, or not eating, of the pie is no reflection on the pie.  It has more to do with my appetite.


Do you have a big spiritual appetite?  God says, Eat and be blessed.  Do you have a small spiritual appetite?  God says, Eat and be blessed.  Are you spiritually stuffed?  God says, That's Okay.  Food is ready when you are.  My Father's end game is to show His love and to bless.  I like what's on the menu, even when I'm not particularly hungry.  It's easy to love God, because He is so loving to me.  He seldom sends me to my room because I am not ready for His pie.


Maybe later....

Some things I know!

We generally tend to associate with people who look like we look, who dress like we dress, and think like we think.   Because we share some basic core element, we give such people a wider berth, a wider latitude of acceptance in our relationships.  We enjoy the company of people who vote like we vote, who worship like we worship, etc. There is an ease and comfort which fills the air whenever we are surrounded by such wonderfully like-minded souls.  No new story there.

The interesting part to me is, what happens within me when my comfortable world is interrupted by people who are not like me at all?  People who are blatantly (or sometimes even only slightly) different from me:  different in dress, different in thinking, different in values, different in needs, different in expectations.  Why should I even bother to care about them?  They do nothing to reinforce all that I hold dear in my life.

'You're just weird, stay away!'  I catch myself thinking.  'Not the style, nor behavioral choices I, or anyone I know, would have made.  Just plain weird.  There is a name for people like you:  Weirdo!  I don't get it, and I certainly don't get you.  What are you thinking?'

Then when I get back together with my like-minded souls -- we are in pretty constant contact -- Boy!  Do I have a discussion point for us to chew on!  You are not going to believe this!  There are people out there who are SO different from us, have you noticed?

We agree that the world is full of bizarros, and would be a much better place if everyone dressed, thought, and acted like we do....!

(Uh, ya know?  Somehow that thinking just doesn't seem to sound quite right either...)

Let me get back with you on the things that I know!

First things first

In the beginning, God....
With these words the potter talks to the clay.
When the clay was just a lump it didn't have much to say.
But after the potter had fashioned a masterpiece out of the clay, the clay began to notice its own beauty and usefulness.
"Am I not something special?" the clay thought as it was utilized and admired by others.  " I now have something to offer and I am in high demand.  I like being important and special."
"Pretty darned important and special, I'd say,"  the Potter mused as he considered his handiwork....


Does any one out there know how this story-line goes?
How would you write the ending?
(Make sure to include some drama...)

My Amateurish Views On Writing

Are you trying to reach out to a larger audience as a Book Writer?  Good on ya! There are things to keep in mind. Here are a few thoughts of mine:

1. It's fun to have fun! and writing should be fun!
2. I believe everyone has at least one good book in them, some many.  All who take pen to paper in order to express themselves ought to be encouraged.  "If thoughts were not penned, there would, unfortunately be much less to ponder," I've often heard myself saying. 
3. Recently, an authoress noted that "writing is often like calling out into the void."   True, true.  Sometimes we do write primarily because we seek a reciprocating response.  Like, say you are stranded on a deserted island, (or 'Is it really deserted?' you wonder?)  "Hey!  Anybody home!  ANYBODY OUT THERE?" you call....But other times we write simply to express ourselves, to get something off our chest, or just to blather away.  "This is my island!  And I am the king of MY island!"  
4. I figure that most writers write because they must, (oh, yeah, and because it's fun!)  And yes, it is an added bonus when someone shouts back "I hear you, brother!" or "Why can't you shut the (bleep) up?" And yes, any response is preferable to Total Silence, unless, of course, the island actually is deserted, and you ARE totally alone...

(Side notes:  What is the difference between a writer and an author?  Is either an actual "artist?"  Which, if either, actually has more fun?)

Writers need occasional diversion.  For literary diversion, I sometimes visit http://betsylerner.wordpress.com/   Betsy and her "writer posse" are both enlightening and entertaining.  Although their banter offers a rare glimpse into the struggling mind of aspiring writers, you eventually have get back to work and come up with your own material to blather about.  (Oh, but how come I'm not having as much fun as they seem to be having?)

For me, finding material is the hard part.  Writing is much easier, and so much more fun, when I have a "muse" to inspire me, and interact with.  Such a person not only notices what you have to say, but also "gets you," and takes the time to respond in like-kind, with encouragement and wit, (i.e., one's literary 'play-mates.')  I've been blessed to have two such in my life in recent years.  Each has been gold.

My hat is off to artists who go "Pro."  The expectations are higher, and of necessity must include the expectations of  business people whose interests are only marginally related to the "art."   "Art for art's sake!  Commercialism sucks!"  (Oops,I'm starting to sound like Betsy"s "posse.")  Any way, "Hats off to you, Pro writers!"

--keep writing and try to have a little fun!

Mom's - You've Got To Love 'em

An old acquaintance of mine is writing a book about the instrumental role her Mom played in her life.  It got me thinking.  Sure, we all have an historical narrative to reflect on, and to relate, relative to our mother.  Stories to tell, things that happened...  Memorable scenes, some good, some bad, come easily to mind. 

If more children expressed their sentiments and waxed poetic, they might come up with something dumb like this fine specimen which I wrote a few years back.  I asked my Staff to retrieve it from the archives for your consideration...

  My "Mom - Bomb"

            You are my "Mom - Bomb!"
            You blow me away with the things that you say...
                         You talk while I balk
                         You teach while I breach
                         You flower as I glower
                         You pray when I stray
            Hour after hour
            You've got the power
                         To rock my world!

            You are my "Mom - Bomb!"
            You blow me away with the things that you do...
                         You caress as I test
                         You supply when I cry
                         You love when I shove
                         You feed when I need
            Hour after hour
            You've got the power
                         To rock my world!

            Thanks for holding your ground
            When I brought to you a frown

            You - da - Bomb, Mom

            I love you, Chris


            -- to my Mom on Mother's Day 5/11/03
               (cheaper than a card)


These sentiments hint at the historical narrative my mom and I share.
For you, a narrative could fill volumes, but the tone of your relationship may take only a few lines.

Are there sentiments that you can share about your Mom?
How might you express your relationship with her to others?
It's hard, but worth a try.

Mom's?  You've got to love 'em.

Testing the Waters

There is one thing to know about me and that is the older I get, the more reflective I have become.  So much of who I am today is largely the continued unfoldment  and refinement of the boy I once was.  No new story there.


What is new for me is the dawning which comes with just-having-lived-long-enough-to-notice that there is a world of difference between a point of view which at its core is primarily theoretical, and one which has been tempered by the forge of life's experience.


It is my intention to occasionally blather away via this blog on topics I find interesting.


Feel free to Follow or Un-Follow as you deem fit.  I'm afraid I have much to say, but my appeal is admittedly limited...

My first Blog effort--What price would you pay?

This gal calls Dr. Laura detailing the sexual liberties a prominent family member was increasingly taking with her.  She tried to avoid him at all costs, but at family gatherings he skillfully finds a way to get her alone, and forces himself upon her.  She is embarrassed and humiliated, trapped and mortified.

Finally she speaks up about it, looking to enlist some family support.  She would no longer be able to attend family functions if the predator were attending, (of course, he denied all the claims,) and she wanted her other family members to do the same, until he "came clean," sought forgiveness, and changed his ways...

Dr. Laura broke in mid thought and said something like this:

Let me guess.  They did not come to your aid at all.  I'll bet they minimized and dismissed all of your claims, and hoped you'd change the subject.

        Now you know how important you are to your family!

What are you going to do going forward, now that you know that  they are willing to sacrifice YOU for the sake of preserving family unity..? 

The dilemma was clear.  Could she count on her family?  They apparently did not want to see, nor confront a speculative problem.  For them there was no problem.  The perceived benefits of family unity for them overruled the claims of victimization expressed by the weakest member...

What have you been asked to sacrifice, for the sake of family unity?  Have you been victimized by those who should have been looking out for you?  In your family?  At your work?  In your church?  With your pals?

What would you do if you were she?
Should she insist on rocking the boat? 
Or, go quietly into the dark leaving the family intact as if nothing had ever happened?

A price will be paid, one way or another.
What price should be paid? By whom?

Please weigh in and leave a comment; unless, of course, you don't see that there is a problem...