Evil shall be called evil.

If I was peddling melodies with tongue-twisted falsehoods,
You'd still buy my lies, and you'd swear they were real good,
Because you're just another puppet in the dark domain,
And you need a real rescue, from all that's profane.
Calling evil good and good evil the same,
Making a mockery of the Lord and saying you call on His Name,
But, you stand sparse, with no fruit, in shame,
Pretending you love him, but it's really the devil you claim,
Turn, brother, turn, escape the coming Day,
When the bronze feet step down, and the blazing gaze penetrates.
Turn, brother, turn, put away your false gods,
The Lord is not mocked, a Shepherd bringing his rod.

One last chance.

The depths of despair knuckle-wrapped around the wheel,
An air of no care, directing us to seven seals,
When it's finished, they're no deals.
When loves diminished, they're no appeals.
So wakeup and turn around before you're broken to kneel.

Daily dip

Page flip, pen dip, dark blots drip off my pen's tip
Before I scribble scrawl my thoughts on the dead tree's skin,
Reminding me that writing requires inspiration.

While the war cries rise from Israeli skies,
And Hamas leaders die, still Intelligence lies,
You remain unmoved, all is before Your eyes.

Three-line musings like headlines, eyeball magnetic,
This mind's restlessness,
Like a journeyman, poetry gone peripatetic.

Grumble, humble

Sand in between my toes, rash-rubbing as I go, got that itch deep beneath my shoulder blade.
Grumbling in my heart, stomach rumbling day and dark, hand-me-down cloak, not tailor-made.
I can hear the other families, same questions, same concerns, did we all just leave to burn in the heat?
There was food, there were homes, there were friends, no moans, no new laws to learn or dumb sheep.
But I'm no troubler, I keep my lips shut, tongue closed in its cage
Because I saw the works that no man can make, they cannot be unmade,
I saw the miracles.
And, reminding you is reminding me, so I experience a special kind of relief,
Because God leads my people, and my stomach is full with each word that He gives,
I've got work to do now that supplies my stomach.  He brings light to my eyes by His
Washing them with spittle and dirt, clumped and cleansed to reveal that which was hidden before the earth.

Rivers flow for a reason

No tears from the river split like a rock,
Fountain-sprayed spirit hit hard without talk,
Ready for the pain coming never blinked or balked,
This is the sacrifice.
Open the door. Just walk.

Preparing the crowd,
Fever pitch loud.
Deceit spreadin',
Wheat lump getting leavened.

Invisible Chaff-staff laugh at the misery,
But, indivisible, this was planned from pre-history.
He never missed a beat.
Full allegiance to the mission,
Amazing hate-crime crowds with an invulnerable decision.

Standing fast, then lifted to the sky,
Held by the will of God,
Jesus Crucified.
But, it was a fight that wasn't ever even.
He disarmed all opponents,
To death's captives He is Freedom.
So He leads them.


Moments pass when anger swells in the stomach pit,
You want to fire shells, and yell how your sick of it.
Injustice flows like it runs the show,
But then you're called back to remember for Whom you hope:
Jesus. He reigns. Repent. He is coming again.


 

Talked to death

I'm positive that he brushed me walking by,

Snickering as he passed, whispering "you're mine; you're gonna die."

I thought nothing of it,

I dismissed the slight, to divert my attention from it,

I mean, nobody wants to die, or even think about it.

But, in reality I was living the popular lie.

Easily, I slipped under the covers at night

With no time to reflect because I was too tired,

Worked to the bones.

Sleep meant escaping the groans,

The groggy feelings.

But, all that diverted attention kept me from seeing the end of these actions.

I was living for false satisfaction.

Even the money I made couldn't be spent

Except to assist my poor attempt to reshape the life I'd bent.

I was a sad sight for the soul-seer,

Even though on the outside you may have thought me top tier.

But he knew, and he told me the truth.

He told me the end was death for my days wasted slaving for praise tasted,

Tasting like sand in my mouth, like held gold turned oil,

As if the feast you stored up suddenly spoiled.

The end of my actions was no good, and he knew.

But what he never told me was what I should do.

He left me with no hope.

He gave me no rope.

He offered no help.

He just laughed at my sorry state.

Then came the Samaritan who had compassion.

He saw my hollow life and didn't wait for me to ask him.

He just busted right in, seeing me, the emergency,

Analyzing my wounds, assessing my injury.

He saw that I was helpless, and he just graced with His care,

I had faith that this man was bearing a burden none else would bear.

I was a wretch when he found me, 

Waiting to die aside the road of life.

But, he found me, and instead it was death who died that night.

My people

Crushed, smashed, bruised, beaten, twisted,
Kicked, punched, stopped, slapped, evicted,
Dissed, tripped, blocked, bullied, afflicted,
Pushed, bloodied, dropped, teased, restricted.

That's the way we roll, prayer and preaching as the vehicle,
Getting the message told, by means of great miracles,
Planting fields of gold, by the Spiritual,
Bringing new from old, God's word framed lyrical.

Gene Edwards's "Living Close to God (When You're Not Good at It)"

In fascinating Edwards fashion, this book is written with the majority Christian in mind.  By "majority" I mean the uneducated Christian, the Christian who, likely, would be unable to read the book because he or she is illiterate.  At least, that's the majority Christian pre-1600 as that was the world majority pre-1600.  Edwards addresses the question:  How did brothers and sisters live close to God if they couldn't read the Bible, and if most towns didn't have more than a couple Bibles if they had any at all?  His point is that these brothers were close to God, and so this belief that elevates educated Christians above uneducated Christians is partiality-employed fiction.  It's spiritual elitism.  But, the Way, Edwards explains, is a little more palatable by the end, and so if you think he's contra biblia, there's no need to worry or put on your armor and unsheathe your sword.

Edwards is a storyteller at heart - a great one.  It only makes sense that this teaching would come by the story of his life, his testimony of quick success in ministry and a rise to prominence in the American evangelical scene.  His dilemma, however, was that he didn't have a true intimacy with Christ that was living.  He knew Christ, but as if from a distance, or through a window.  He was searching for that abiding presence.  He hungered and thirsted, and this book tells what he found, why it could be found the way he found it, and the practical steps Christians who aren't predisposed to spirituality can take to encounter God.

The primary point Edwards makes is that Jesus Christ is near, and you can encounter Him daily.  And, this entire experience is tethered to the Word of God.  It's not just written about in the Word/Bible.  It fundamentally relies on the Bible.  The Bible is the foundation for his teaching and the Bible is the foundation for its practice.  This teaching is that you meet God through His Word.  And prayer, which he semi-rails against (not true prayer, but a false kind of prayer that is only about lists and wants and requests divorced from relationship) in the first part of the book, is actually the method and means of touching Christ and knowing God.

If you're a theologian, this book will probably frustrate you to no end.  Edwards is too poetic and prophetic.  His style and content will likely drive you into criticism mode.  I think you'll end up agreeing with most of what he says, but the process will be painful because you'll be searching for ways to reconcile what he says with terminology he is unwilling to employ.  This book is truly for the believer who doesn't have a clue what it means to know God deeply or "spend time with the Lord in prayer."  Those are just "Christianese" words and phrases that make people think you're a fanatical weirdo who doesn't know right doctrine.  Edwards isn't a fool, he graduated college at 18 and had an M.Div by 22.  But, the accolades and fame were empty and couldn't fill him like Christ does.  Give his teaching a chance, and leave whatever chaff you find.  It's a short 110+ page read.

EXCERPT

CHAPTER 1

NOTE:  I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Double-posting

I just double-posted four (4) new wisdom application articles.  Check out WisdomApp for more posts like these.

Knight no more

The former head of The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is being stripped of his knighthood because of his failed leadership – complicit in running the bank into the ground. I gave a hearty “bravo!” to that before finding out that he holds many titles.  I wonder whether this act of public dishonor will impact his future employment opportunities or leadership decision making.

Here’s a little background (from Wikipedia article) on his rise to prominence and the results of his aggressive leadership style:

• December 2002 - Forbes (global edition) "Businessman of the Year", which described him as an original thinker with a fast-forward frame of mind who had transformed RBS from a nonentity into a global name.
• 2003 - 2006 - No.1 in Scotland on Sunday's Power 100
• December 2003 - "European Banker of the Year" in 2003
• June 2004 - Knighted in the Queen's 2004 Birthday Honours list, for services to banking (annulled in 2012 for playing a major role in the banking crisis)
• June 2004 - awarded an honorary doctor of Laws by the University of St Andrews
• July 2008 - awarded an honorary fellowship by the London Business School

….

From the time that Goodwin took over as chief executive until 2007, RBS's assets quadrupled, its cost-to-income ratio improved markedly, and its profits soared. In 2006 pre-tax profits climbed 16% to £9.2 billion with significant growth coming from its investment banking business. By 2008 RBS was the fifth-largest bank in the world by market capitalization. One of the factors in its rise was its enthusiasm for supporting leveraged buyouts. In 2008 it lent $9.3bn, more than double its nearest rival.

….

In August 2011, Goodwin moved out of the family home in Colinton after being asked to leave by his wife. The move followed media reports of an extra-marital affair with a colleague at the Royal Bank of Scotland.”

It just so happens that:  “once a year he would go on shooting trips to Spain with Santander chairman Emilio Botín.” 

In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly. (Proverbs 13:16)

Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored. (Proverbs 13:18)

One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. (Proverbs 14:16)

The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. (Proverbs 17:24)

Who can you trust?

The big battle will continue to rage between these industry giants.  This article explains how the settlement related to former CEO of HP’s leaving and joining Oracle as President included a clause (in one form of the draft) that required continued support by Oracle for HP’s server technology (of which HP was the only provider in the industry).  Well, Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems and wants to look to its own.  Thus, it tried to break that [shaky] contract.  Both sides are spinning the information to make them look positive in the public eye (Oracle – ripping the veil off HP’s scheme to make money with a dying technology that IBM wanted killed 20 years ago but didn’t because of a half-billion dollar payment by HP; HP – revealing the ulterior motives of Oracle to break agreement and steal its customer base and sabotage its customers running the HP technology by limiting support). 

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” (Proverbs 18:17)

Which organization do businesses support with their investment as the partners turn competitive:  the company that keeps critical information from you about the capital intensive investments that it wants you to buy from it or the company that doesn’t want to honor its word because its bottom-line can fare better without your involvement?  Both seem untrustworthy from where I’m standing.  And, their arguments are equally strong/weak.  Hopefully forthcoming evidence elevates at least one side’s integrity.

Hiring Hints

A couple weeks back I discovered a short and helpful article by George Anders, the author of The Rare Find: Spotting Exceptional Talent Before Everyone Else while looking into an HR offering that Monster.com provides.

The key takeaways for those who hire are to:

• Reduce their “must-have” lists to a few crucial criteria (i.e. “Compromise on experience; don’t compromise on character”).
• Be “willing to embrace unconventional views of what job skills are truly needed in each specific field”
• Not be neutral in assessment:  “The best insights into candidates’ potential come from leaders whose own life experiences speak to the traits they are seeking.”
• “The process of getting to know candidates is defined far more by questions involving ‘why’ and ‘how’ -- and less about ‘what’ or ‘when.’”

The search for significance

David Weidner who covers Wall Street for MarketWatch posted this article about the recent Davos gathering, and it reveals an important truth about men, purpose, and frailty.  Weidner laments the fact that 70 of the richest people in the world gathered for a lauded purpose, but what they accomplish remains fairly invisible.  He points out that business deals are made and the networking environment is phenomenal, but the marketed purpose for the gathering is pretty much abandoned.  Sure, lots of talking takes place, but that leads only to poverty (of thought) when untethered to action.  So why do these men keep returning and participating in similar gathering?  Or, what is the true value business leaders find in such gatherings?  Weidner writes,

“There are very few truly exclusive clubs that make you feel special. Davos remains one of those clubs.” 

The answer is in self-worth and personal significance.  When men will not glorify God they must glorify something else (including their selves).  We are creatures created to praise, and we will praise Him or something in His place.  Some men are surely finding temporary pleasure in this self-worship, enjoying the event like an enthronement festival celebrating their financial godhood. 

And, Weidner explains why the intense media bias results in any news about the gathering being relatively worthless.  He comments:

All of the financial media love Davos. We’re underpaid and insecure. A junket to Switzerland, even with the grueling work of regurgitating financial baloney, most of us would take the assignment. And why not? We may not be important, but we feel important for a few days. Davos looks beautiful. Sometimes Bono shows up. It beats working. 

So, though Weidner has never heard anyone report back in private that the gathering was worth its salt, he has always heard glowing public reviews.  With finality, he writes a sarcastic response to this rhetorical question of why these egos meet:  

But if attendees really cared about any of that, they’d have done something about it.

No, Davos is a place to be seen, to feel special, to cut a deal. It’s the global system’s way of telling the citizens of the globe that everything’s working.

Obviously, the servant leader has a much different approach to life, leadership, networking, deal-making, etc.  While he needs encouragement, it cannot ultimately come from those things that are insufficient in themselves.  Because God alone is self-sufficient and inexhaustible in the overflow of his attributes that amaze/humble, sustain, and grow us, He alone is the One who can offer us the purpose we need to motivate and charge us for selfless living and effective, servant-work.  Practically speaking, such gatherings often cause the unbelieving leader more anxiety and stress, because he’s comparing his godhood to that of another.  He’s thinking about his net worth, his influence, his looks, his future, his legacy, his experience, his accolades, his education, etc.  These things direct a man’s attention to things that he feels make his worthy of praise.  The believing leader is subject to the same temptations, but he can use these for his sanctification, self-identifying with the frailty of his barns, the brevity of his days, the extent of his kingdom and the judgment for how he stewards his influence, the imminent death of his aging and failing body, his inexperience and arrogance, etc.  The godly leader can turn to the Rock “higher than I.”   He is where mental, spiritual, and emotional stability come from.  Thus, the believing leader should find his purpose in God, not stuff or people or activities, and so he can do things without that pretense of serving (when in fact the temptation is to appear with the flowing robe and benevolent blessing but inwardly rejoice in others’ perception of your apparent greatness).  He can truly serve – God and the people made in His image.

Alternatively, there is also the caution the godly leader needs:  to not disdain the position of authority he’s been given, as if it didn’t have significant purpose in God’s plans.  It does, and to pretend that the position he holds is not important can be just as dangerous as self-worship because of the position.

Joshua Harris's "Dug Down Deep"

The final word first:  Harris's shot at a creative systematic theology is a winner.  His style is easy to read, and the plethora of stories helps keep a reader engaged in material that is important and rich but sometimes plays dry.  The theological framework he erects was familiar to me, and so I navigated his landscape fairly well, but I think the ease and enjoyability of the work had more to do with how well he kept the storyline together than with my experience.  I don't know of many systematic theologies that give you one long case-study to follow outside of the Bible with Paul or John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, and neither are "systematic theologies."  Thus the format was unique and appreciated.

The chapters follow a progression from observation and experience of a broken world and God's existence to a search for truth that makes sense of it all:  in essence, "why?"  He takes us into his life journey from cultural Christianity to dirty, stinky, wash your feet salvation by grace alone.  He looked for a foundation.  What do you build your life and faith upon?  If the person and work of Jesus Christ, why?  How do you know?  Harris looks to the Bible and finds clear and hope-full answers.  God is transcendent and imminent.  The Bible accounts for why we're messed up:  because we messed up and we continue to manifest it through mess-ups.  But, hope is not lost.  Through Jesus' dying, the corruption of men and women like us, Harris explains, is undone.  Jesus didn't just die.  He took part in a cosmic judgment, standing in our place as the defendant in which the punishment reserved for us for being broken and continuing to prove our brokenness when such ways were/are clearly broken and another way was identified as right and good was placed on His account - not as if he did the wrongs, but as one who was willing to pay for the wrongs done.  But that's not the whole story.  Harris teaches a lot more, following his and his family's growth in sanctification, explaining aspects of the Trinity when he dabbled in charismatic worship practices at one point in his life.  There were aspects of the book that I wasn't fond of.  In a way of humor, Harris says a few distasteful things that could have been left out.  He didn't; I'll get over it.


So, what Harris really did was write a "my Gospel" theology in which the truth of the Gospel and the terms of systematic theology were woven together.  It was his testimony told through the teaching of trustworthy beliefs, or the foundation of a "humble orthodoxy."  It's definitely a book worth giving to a friend, especially someone who was or is a cultural Christian, playing Church but not living for God and by God, or someone who has left the church, which for them was just a Christian culture, because they never had a foundation in the first place and were blown away when one of their misconceptions burst.  Of course, others, maybe like you, can and should enjoy the book as well.  If you do or already have, let me know your thoughts.

• Author's Web site
• Joshua on Facebook
• Joshua on Twitter
• More Info
• Read Chapter One
• Author Bio

NOTE:  I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Take-out wisdom

Remove the imperative to get what you need,
And all you get is greed, all that grows are weeds.
Suffocate the purpose, drowning by the means;
User made the used, and the useful made king.
Nightmare turned dream, confused beyond belief,
Given all you have, but nothing will you receive,
Because this world has nothing to give
That you would want to be given,
When this life putters out
And all that's left is Heaven.
You cannot take it with you, but that's beside the fact that
Nothing here is worth taking; and even if it was you'd have to give it back.

So get for yourself what must be handed down,
Get those first things that come from the crown.
First, get that fear by which wisdom is first found,
Then go about growing wise so that justice abounds.
You need to learn much truth, the knowledge of God,
Get it in your youth so that evil you avoid.
Add in as much understanding as you can as a boy.
Grow in observance of the righteous around,
Walk the upright upward path and never return down.
Keep the commands that goad you the right way.
Tie them on your hands, and keep evil at bay.
Avoid loose-moral'd women, and don't run after them either.
That pleasure will be pain; they change like the weather.
And you'll die, buried alive in the grave you enter willfully,
Rejecting these words written for you carefully,
So determine your way prayerfully,
Hearing all of God's words, not just opening it sparingly.
If that's what you do, it says you're a fool for not hearing me.