For years I've been toying with the phrase "At cross-purposes" as a name for my personal business and potential band.
I like the pun; cross as in against the grain and cross as in the big "C" Cross of Christ.
Now, after wondering about how to implement the expression, i have finally decided to use it as the title for my Blog; why I didn't think of it earlier, I'll never know, but the past is passed and here I am with my renamed writing and reflection space.
What is it all about? Why Crossed Purposes? Why go against the grain?
Well, I have good intentions; I want to serve Jesus with all that I do. I also have a problem: I don't always fulful those intentions. I'm not perfect; I am as much 'of the world' as I am Jesus' follower and servant. Because I I live in a world in which Jesus is not always recognized or appreciated,I often find myself facing resistance from the throngs, or bumping into my own shortcomings and mistakes.
And it's where my mistakes and the ways of the world I adopt are at Crossed Purposes with Jesus. That's one reason for my love of the phrase. Jesus wants me to go one way; my personal limits keep me from following fully; I cross paths with Jesus rather than going along with him.
The other reason I love the phrase is that it expresses how I view my place in the world when I do succeed in serving my Saviour: using the techniques and methods of society to accomplish Jesus' will, I am at Crossed Purposes with the very folks that reject, ignore or don't know Him; I use the symbols and lingo of the world to get His message across. I use the resources of the world to fulfill heavenly, Christ inspired needs; I am, for all intents and purposes, at crossed purposes with society, using its own ways to to go against the grain and promote the ways of Jesus.
And it's all for the Cross of Christ, the emblem of His death, and the sign of His resurrection; His Cross is my purpose; when I cross Him, He forgives through His death on the Cross; when I serve Him, I re-purpose the ways of the world to meet the needs of His Cross.
It might not be overly original; it might be a terrible pun; but it is who I am and what I am about; I am at Crossed Purposes, even if it means going against the grain.
January 20th Useful
Many organizations have specific mandates. Their mission statements say what the group is about and what it does. They are clear and, naturally, specific to the group. Here at St. James we state proudly that we ‘rejoice with those who rejoice.’ A clear Mission statement is a helpful thing, but sometimes, like the bit from St. James, the ideals are something less than practical. That’s not to say that we cannot indeed be happy for folks that are happy but sometimes it feels a little airy-fairy to say the least.
By contrast and as an example of something more ‘useful,’ I belong to an organization that actually has within its mandate, a statement about being ‘Useful’ to the community. This, to me, has a much more substantial feel; it’s a statement you can hold on to, something that says: this is a practical organization.
I think, if nothing else, Jesus would like to have been thought of as useful. He certainly served a purpose that was practical and helpful simply by loving us so much. His love, however, isn’t confined to a tear when we cry or a smile when we are happy. Jesus’ love manifests itself in going out of the way to make the lonely feel at home; He not only comforts those in pain, He heals them; when there is an injustice He deals with it. Jesus expresses His love in real, tangible and, yes, useful ways.
I would like to follow Jesus’ lead. My personal Mission Statement, if I had one, would read: I don’t just want to be different, I want to make a difference; I want to be useful. How about you?
By contrast and as an example of something more ‘useful,’ I belong to an organization that actually has within its mandate, a statement about being ‘Useful’ to the community. This, to me, has a much more substantial feel; it’s a statement you can hold on to, something that says: this is a practical organization.
I think, if nothing else, Jesus would like to have been thought of as useful. He certainly served a purpose that was practical and helpful simply by loving us so much. His love, however, isn’t confined to a tear when we cry or a smile when we are happy. Jesus’ love manifests itself in going out of the way to make the lonely feel at home; He not only comforts those in pain, He heals them; when there is an injustice He deals with it. Jesus expresses His love in real, tangible and, yes, useful ways.
I would like to follow Jesus’ lead. My personal Mission Statement, if I had one, would read: I don’t just want to be different, I want to make a difference; I want to be useful. How about you?
January 13th How’d that happen?
One of the duties of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Sèvres, France, is maintain the world standard for the Kilogram. The Bureau holds the International Prototype of the Kilogram, or IPK, which is used as a reference for all those needing to test their measuring devices. It is a very important item; proper and fair trading on a global level depends on it.
In order to maintain its accuracy, the IPK is placed in a sealed, air-free container. Human hands never touch it; all measuring and comparisons are done remotely in order to ensure that nothing alters its weight.
Oddly enough, despite the best precautions of the Bureau, for reasons logical but beyond the scope of this writing, the IPK has gained weight. That’s right, the world standard is heavier than when it was first cast in 1879. So, while the Bureau thought they were maintaining its integrity, it had “fattened up” all by itself. Now they have to figure out how to get it back to its proper weight.
Does this story sound familiar? Have you ever tried to keep someone from getting into trouble? Have you ever tried to stay virtuous and failed miserably? Sometimes we simply can’t avoid trouble. Despite our best efforts, we take the pure, perfect being God created us to be and mess it all up. It’s a frustrating but normal part of being human. Incredibly, it’s as easy to be forgiven as it is to mess up. Through Jesus, God readily restores us to our proper perfect selves. Sadly, our restoration might not last long. Then again, neither will our sin, because God’s forgiveness is always just a prayer away.
In order to maintain its accuracy, the IPK is placed in a sealed, air-free container. Human hands never touch it; all measuring and comparisons are done remotely in order to ensure that nothing alters its weight.
Oddly enough, despite the best precautions of the Bureau, for reasons logical but beyond the scope of this writing, the IPK has gained weight. That’s right, the world standard is heavier than when it was first cast in 1879. So, while the Bureau thought they were maintaining its integrity, it had “fattened up” all by itself. Now they have to figure out how to get it back to its proper weight.
Does this story sound familiar? Have you ever tried to keep someone from getting into trouble? Have you ever tried to stay virtuous and failed miserably? Sometimes we simply can’t avoid trouble. Despite our best efforts, we take the pure, perfect being God created us to be and mess it all up. It’s a frustrating but normal part of being human. Incredibly, it’s as easy to be forgiven as it is to mess up. Through Jesus, God readily restores us to our proper perfect selves. Sadly, our restoration might not last long. Then again, neither will our sin, because God’s forgiveness is always just a prayer away.
January 6th Lookin’ Good?
According to the wisdom of a “TV Ad” 80 percent of feeling good is looking good. Strange, but according to the wisdom that I’ve learned from experience that idea is 100 percent wrong. I know plenty of physically attractive people that feel far from good. Let’s face it: illness of the body, mind and sole is not the sole domain of folks that do not, for one reason or another, look all that good.
Apart from my own personal experience and tons of empirical evidence provided by science, we have a very good reason for not believing a word that goofy ad says: never, ever does the Bible refer to a person’s attractiveness as being important.
Yes, I will grant you that both King Saul and King David were noted for being good looking men, and there are times when human beauty if praised, but those are the exceptions rather than the rule.
The ultimate proof of the fallacy that 80 percent of feeling good is looking good is found in Jesus’ ministry. If you read Scripture even only casually, you will find that Jesus never, ever alters a person’s appearance. In fact, he never even comments on what a person looks like. Instead, He helps folks by healing them physically and spiritually. He then encourages us to love God and one another as the single best way to feeling good. Well, not in those terms exactly, but you know what I mean; Jesus’ route to our being one with God, which is the best feeling possible, is through nothing more, or less, than love.
Apart from my own personal experience and tons of empirical evidence provided by science, we have a very good reason for not believing a word that goofy ad says: never, ever does the Bible refer to a person’s attractiveness as being important.
Yes, I will grant you that both King Saul and King David were noted for being good looking men, and there are times when human beauty if praised, but those are the exceptions rather than the rule.
The ultimate proof of the fallacy that 80 percent of feeling good is looking good is found in Jesus’ ministry. If you read Scripture even only casually, you will find that Jesus never, ever alters a person’s appearance. In fact, he never even comments on what a person looks like. Instead, He helps folks by healing them physically and spiritually. He then encourages us to love God and one another as the single best way to feeling good. Well, not in those terms exactly, but you know what I mean; Jesus’ route to our being one with God, which is the best feeling possible, is through nothing more, or less, than love.
December 23rd Remembering Christ
On the eve of Christmas Eve, reading a church bulletin or email, perhaps even doing the former sitting in a pew, it’s easy to remember that Christmas is all about Jesus Christ. If that’s not enough, there are Facebook pages, emails, videos and even lawn signs encouraging us to, as the saying goes, ‘keep the Christ in Christmas.’
Usually I agree with the sentiment. Sometimes, however, I find that they are kind of heavy and sometimes even offensive. One supposedly helpful children’s song I heard the other day actually encourages, with a cute little melody and fun words, as I said, actually encourages kids to stay out of stores that don’t have Merry Christmas in the window or great you with those same two words. Apart from being very pushy, it’s also a sickly sweet song.Yuck.
I have a different approach to the problem. Instead of just keeping Christ in Christmas, why don’t we do our best to keep Christ in every part of our lives, every day of the year?
Why don’t we try to show him alive and well in everything we do, say and are? In other words, why don’t we try to reveal that our very existence is all about Jesus? After all, God didn’t send him to earth for just one day of the year. So why should we remember him just once a year, or once a week reading a missive about him in a church bulletin?
Usually I agree with the sentiment. Sometimes, however, I find that they are kind of heavy and sometimes even offensive. One supposedly helpful children’s song I heard the other day actually encourages, with a cute little melody and fun words, as I said, actually encourages kids to stay out of stores that don’t have Merry Christmas in the window or great you with those same two words. Apart from being very pushy, it’s also a sickly sweet song.Yuck.
I have a different approach to the problem. Instead of just keeping Christ in Christmas, why don’t we do our best to keep Christ in every part of our lives, every day of the year?
Why don’t we try to show him alive and well in everything we do, say and are? In other words, why don’t we try to reveal that our very existence is all about Jesus? After all, God didn’t send him to earth for just one day of the year. So why should we remember him just once a year, or once a week reading a missive about him in a church bulletin?
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