Theology Thursday: The Prodigal

So I have been struggling with what and how to post on Thursdays.  I don’t really want to change my writing style, but sometimes writing about theology or doctrine stuff can be a bit different.  (That is why today is late.)  Rather than go through a systematic theology discussion I’m just going to write what God is teaching me.  Hopefully it will be a blessing.

A few days ago a friend hinted at needing to be a part of “Legalists Anonymous” because of falling into that Pharisee trap.  I agreed and it got me thinking about a book I read recently, Prodigal God by Tim Keller.

The book looks at the story of the Prodigal son from a somewhat different perspective.  As Christ tells the story, we all agree and can empathize with the younger son because we can relate to being lost in our sin and needing rescue.  We can relate to the wonder and glory of the mercy and grace of the father because we have experienced the same from our Heavenly Father.

We see the reaction of the elder son, though, and we get upset, frustrated, and even angry.  How can he be so unforgiving?  How can he be so ungracious?  We don’t like the elder brother and are very offended by his reaction.  Boom!  That’s when it should hit us, we are the elder brother.  We started the story as the younger brother, and now as the focus shifts to the elder brother, so do we.  We are unforgiving of his attitude, we are ungracious with him, and we react poorly to him.  Generally, we are too caught up in our offense toward the elder brother to notice that we have shifted from being the younger son to being the elder son.

Then, boom again!  Christ turns the table and the mercy and grace that were given to the younger son are now granted by the father to the elder son.  That’s when we get to the real point of the story.  The grace and mercy of the father is abundant towards both of his sons.  He forgives their faults and failures and he graciously offers them entrance to the feast.

The Gospel is exactly the same.  God offers grace and mercy to us all, licentious and legalist alike.  He mercifully forgives our rotten attitudes and our disrespect of Him.  He graciously offers us a place at the feast He is preparing, a feast we have no right or reason to expect to attend.  But because of the “real” elder brother, Christ, and His work on the cross, we are granted the right and ability to attend.  Because of Christ, we belong at the feast.  Praise God for the glorious message of the Gospel.

~cc

Political Tuesday: Demons Among Us

Wow, so I can’t believe I’m really writing about politics.  I hate politics, but it is an almost unavoidable topic in our world.  As much as I hate politics, the decisions aren’t as cut and dried as they used to be for me.  So, with that in mind, I figured I needed to work through some thought processes and figure out what I need to know.

I figured I would start with one of my biggest concerns in politics.  No matter where you go, no matter who you listen to, and no matter what you read, when it comes to politics, you are going to find many who are demonizing their opponents.  From the presidential race to the local city council race everyone seems to think the best way to get elected is to make their opponent look like a baby-eating, grandma-beating, evil-loving villain who is bent on not only ruling your way of life, but also on corrupting your children beyond what is repairable.  Yes, this method works, as evidenced by a number of outcomes from our past election cycle, but how did we devolve to the point where this method is the most effective?

I think that, for the most part, we as a voting public are to blame.  I honestly believe that most of us begin with a pre-set idea about what side of an issue we “should” be on and we go from there.  Rare is the person who has grown up and come to voting age without those preconceived notions and many of us don’t dare shake those foundations.  But that is what puts us exactly in the position of being a target of those demonizing political candidates.  Because we don’t dare ask serious questions about why we are on a certain “side” of an issue, we don’t really want to hear from anyone who does question our position.  In part, I think we are afraid that someone may have an argument that we can’t answer.  But mostly, we have become too lazy to really want to learn about the other side of the issue and are comfortable with what we have always believed.

Add to the fear and laziness our lack of attention span and the candidate who tries to really focus on the issues is lost in a sea of yawning voters.  Throw in the cacophony of voices shouting about how their opponent wants to steal America from you or wants to enslave you in their rigid way of doing things and the issue-focused candidate is really never heard and never remembered.  It is much easier to demonize the opponent and stir up those in your own party or those with an ingrained opposing stand on the issues.  Why waste time trying to educate voters who really don’t want to be educated in the first place?  If you try, you will be forgotten by your supporters and remembered (complete with horns and pitchfork) by the supporters of your opponent.

I’ve personally made a commitment to never support a candidate who runs (or supports) an attack ad on their opponent.  Challenge your opponent’s stated stance on the issues all you want, but you will not get my vote by demonizing your opponent.  I am very thankful for the requirement that a candidate must add the “I approve” voice over to the ads run on their behalf.  Makes it much easier to see who is playing fair.  Also, I’ve made it a point to get informed about the issues that are important to me.  I’m still working out what issues those are, and I know that sounds strange, but that is where I am.  I’m going to examine my priorities as a Christian, a husband, a father, and a provider and decide what is really most important.  Then I’ll review both the candidate’s record and stand on these important issues.  So, I challenge you to do the same in these two areas. 

~CC

Sunday Praise: Psalm 61

Psalm 61

1 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer;

2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint.  Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,

3 for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.

4 Let me dwell in your tent forever!  Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!  Selah

5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

6 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations!

7 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

8 So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.

~~~~~~~~~~

I love and have loved for a long time the idea of God as our strong tower, our refuge.  Let’s face it, the world is a crazy and dangerous place.  We risk physical and emotional injury every time we wake up and all throughout the day.  It is such a blessing to be able to run back to our God, our Abba Father (Daddy, Daddy) and be sheltered and comforted from the dangers.  Praise God that He is our protection from the dangers of life.

~CC

Free-Form Friday: TRON Legacy

OK, so I was really unsure of what to write about for my first Free-Form Friday.  I mean, there are a lot of things that I feel passionate about, but I just wasn’t really feeling it today for any of them.  So as my thoughts meandered through the topics I’ve considered, I found one that has me really excited and anxious.

On December 17th, 2010, the new movie, TRON: Legacy will be released.  I can honestly say that there have been a number of movies I’ve really been excited to see over the past several years, but none has quite gotten me as excited as this one.  (If they ever do a sequel to Buckaroo Banzai, look out!)

The original TRON was released in 1982, although I don’t think I saw it until several years later.  The plot centers around Kevin Flynn, played by Jeff Bridges, who gets inserted into a computer system and has to fight his way out in both game scenarios and against the MCP (Master Control Program), an artificial intelligence program running on the mainframe.  What made this movie so iconic to me was that it incorporated so many different themes that were really cool to my 1980’s teenage self.  Kevin Flynn was a computer programmer and a hacker.  His goal in life was to write awesome computer games and found his own game company.  He ends up running an arcade that has many of the games he designed but didn’t get credit for.  He is zapped into the computer and actually has to play the games for real rather than on an arcade console.  Inside the system he has relative super powers because he is a “user” and not just a program.

So, yeah, programming, hacking, computer games, arcades, zapped into computers, super powers, everything that an 80’s teenage guy like me loved.  While my current self would have experienced a snap in my disbelief suspenders, the nostalgia of the experience when I was a kid makes it an enjoyable movie still.  (Kinda like watching the 1980’s version of Flash Gordon, which really creates its own category when it comes to so-crazy-bad-it-is-good cult movies.)  Overall, though, I really enjoy TRON and I am looking forward to the new movie, a sequel that focuses on Flynn’s son and his trip getting zapped into a computer.  Maybe not at the top of the list for movies I really wanted someone to make, but definitely in my top five on that list.

As I thought over the movies I’ve seen, I realized how much I really liked movies with Jeff Bridges in them.  Besides Kevin Flynn in TRON, he was Starman, Tucker, Michael Faraday in Arlington Road (one of the most awesome suspenseful ending twist movies I’ve ever seen), Dr. Mark Powell in K-PAX, and Obadiah Stane in Iron Man.  I also have heard that he is very good as The Dude in The Big Lebowski, which is making it to my “to watch” list now that I realize how many movies he has been in that I like.  Also in this movie is Bruce Boxleitner which, I know may not mean much to you guys, but he was in one of my mom’s favorite shows, Scarecrow and Mrs. King.  Then, of course, he was in one of the best sci-fi series of all time, Babylon 5.

So I’m really looking forward to the sequel to TRON.  It comes out on December 17th, which is my birthday weekend.  Yeah, having one of your top five movies-I-wish-they-would-make come out for your birthday is pretty cool.  Here’s hoping it lives up to my expectations.

~CC

Weekly Word: Rhyme

RHYME

verb

1. to end a word in an identical or near identical sound as another word.
2. to combine words into combinations that end in identical or near identical sounds.

noun

1. one of two or more words that have identical or near identical ending sounds.
2. a poetry composition in verse that rhymes.

According to the Wikipedia article on rhyme, the word can still also be spelled rime, as it was originally.  It comes from a derivation of a Germanic term meaning series or sequence.  The modern spelling arose from an incorrect etymological association with the Greek work for rhythm.

Wikipedia differentiates between perfect rhymes and general rhymes.  Strictly speaking only perfect rhymes are true rhymes, but general rhymes are often used in poetry and lyrical verse.

Perfect rhymes occur when the “final stressed vowel and all following sounds are identical”.  Perfect rhymes can be further divided into masculine, feminine, and dactylic rhymes.  Masculine rhymes occur when the stress is on the final syllable; feminine rhymes place the stress on the second to last syllable; dactylic rhymes place the stress on the third from final syllable.

General rhymes occur when there is a similar sound in words.  Generally, this refers to a similar ending sound, but, as in the case of consonance or alliteration, can also refer to other sounds in the word.  Super-rhymes have the “sound preceding the stressed vowel also identical”.  These rhymes are sometimes called “more than perfect” and therefore fall into the category of general rhymes.  Homonyms are considered a unique form of super-rhymes called identical rhymes.

The Wikipedia article also includes an interesting discussion on the use of rhyme in poetry in various languages.

Examples:

Masculine Rhyme:  breaks-takes, hike-bike-strike

Feminine Rhyme:  never-clever, grumbling-rumbling

Dactylic Rhyme:  gravity-depravity, hickory-dickory

Alliteration:  Suzy sells seashells by the sea shore

Find a rhyme at the Rhyme Zone

(Special thanks to Buck and Katie for their discussion of rhymes last month.)

~CC

Welcome back, Kott..Walker

Yes, I believe the time has come for me to start blogging again.  So, welcome back to Carolina Cajun’s blog.  I hope you enjoy what you find and that you read something that makes you think.  I’m not so concerned that anyone agrees with me, but if you think about what I post, that is great.

My plan for now is to write every other day or so, but I’m not sure how well that will work so bear with me if I’m not quite as faithful as I plan.  I have a few ideas and thoughts about what to write about, so topics aren’t going to be the problem.  However, I am working and still have four active kids.  That means while content may not be an issue, time to write may be an issue.  I will do my best to find the time to write.  I think it is helpful and therapeutic for me.  For my content, I’m going to try to be more structured with what I write.  Here is my day by day topic.  While I may vary this on occasion, I will generally stick to these themes.

Monday Dundy – I’ve never seen more than a few minutes of the TV show The Office, but I’ve been told that I would enjoy it.  From the ALLCAPS song about the show, I’ve learned that The Dundies is the annual awards ceremony for the company.  On Monday’s, I will give out an award for something.  Sometimes this will be serious, at other times this will be satire.  (Today, being Monday, I will award myself the Welcome Back award.)

Political Tuesday – Since election day is always on Tuesday, I figured that would be a good thing to write about on Tuesdays.  I’m not a very political person and I generally avoid (and detest) politics.  But, I’m also an American and politics is a part of who we are as a country.  So, even though I don’t like politics, I have to deal with this and come to some conclusions.  Maybe my journey through this will help someone else figure it out.

Word Wednesday – My wife suggested that I have a word for the day/week/two-week section on Wednesdays.  I thought it was a good idea.  Most of you probably have a vocabulary with much more depth than I do, but maybe there will be a word or phrase that you learn.

Theological Thursday – Theology has always been interesting to me.  I believe in God and because of that, I believe that both the physical and spiritual worlds follow an order and design.  Theology is the study of the design of the spiritual realm.  I am a Christian, but I hold that as different from either religion or non-religion.  True Christianity is something else entirely.  On Thursdays, I hope to both explore and share my beliefs.

Free-form Friday – Friday is a day to cover anything I want to talk about.  I know there will be tangents, rants, and just randomness that I want to delve into.  If it doesn’t fit anywhere else, I’ll spend Friday talking about it.  Sometimes if I need to follow up on something from one of the other days, I can use Friday to follow up as well.

Saturday Sports – Those who know me know that I really enjoy sports.  Saturday will be my time to talk about the New Orleans Saints, the Atlanta Braves, the LSU Tigers (baseball and football), and anything else about sports that I want to address.

Sunday Praise – In the past, I would post a Psalm from the scriptures on Sundays.  I will continue to do this, or I will post a song that has meant a lot to me.  Sometimes I may comment on these posts, but other times I will just leave the text of the Psalm or song to speak for itself.

~CC