I have issues with moving. I've moved 5 times in 5 years all in the same city. Yeah. I know. Anyway, I am moving this blog to
http://danielhauser.wordpress.com
you can continue to come to this page and stare at it though. Have a good time.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Be a neighbor
Being a neighbor is tough these days. Sure we can be connected on Facebook, Twitter, and texting. But life is too busy. What does it look like to be a good neighbor today? My neighbors are as busy as I am, so the points of connection are few and far between.
Like everything else today, we need to be INTENTIONAL. Yeah, I know. That word is way overused. The reason is because we are so A.D.D. we don't go through life slow enough to do the things that really count. We have to be intentional. Another way of putting it is we have to slow down long enough to see the world around us.
So what is being a good neighbor? For starters, try going outside for a second when you go home from work. Just look around. Is anyone out? If not, let the kids play in the front yard and sit there and wait. Waive to a car as it passes by. I know, this seems earth shattering for some of you, but honestly, has it really come to this? Maybe someone should write the book "Neighboring for dummies."
1-Don't pull into your garage and see how fast you can shut the garage door behind you.
2-When you see people walking outside, don't look down or at the imaginery airplane in the sky to avoid eye contact. Just smile, and say, "Hello."
3-Find out their names.
4-Make sure they're not dead.
5-Stop being an antisocial wierdo-jerk.
Okay, so maybe we're not that bad. But we all need to work on it. When my wife and I lived in our first home 6 years ago, we lived there for an entire year without ever speaking to the person living immediately to the left of us. It was our fault, it was their fault. Bottom line, it was WIERD when you think about it. And way dysfunctional. Many of us are terrible at being neighbors. The one thing we DO notice about each other is how well the lawn is taken care of...wow.
In addition to the above try these:
1-Host a party/cookout.
2-Actually attend your association meeting and have some positive input into the neighborhood.
3-Wave, smile, and say hello.
4-Look for people who may need companionship. (ie widows, single parents, loners-not the scary ones though)
5-Don't do it for yourself, do it for them
What are some other ways we can be better neighbors?
Like everything else today, we need to be INTENTIONAL. Yeah, I know. That word is way overused. The reason is because we are so A.D.D. we don't go through life slow enough to do the things that really count. We have to be intentional. Another way of putting it is we have to slow down long enough to see the world around us.
So what is being a good neighbor? For starters, try going outside for a second when you go home from work. Just look around. Is anyone out? If not, let the kids play in the front yard and sit there and wait. Waive to a car as it passes by. I know, this seems earth shattering for some of you, but honestly, has it really come to this? Maybe someone should write the book "Neighboring for dummies."
1-Don't pull into your garage and see how fast you can shut the garage door behind you.
2-When you see people walking outside, don't look down or at the imaginery airplane in the sky to avoid eye contact. Just smile, and say, "Hello."
3-Find out their names.
4-Make sure they're not dead.
5-Stop being an antisocial wierdo-jerk.
Okay, so maybe we're not that bad. But we all need to work on it. When my wife and I lived in our first home 6 years ago, we lived there for an entire year without ever speaking to the person living immediately to the left of us. It was our fault, it was their fault. Bottom line, it was WIERD when you think about it. And way dysfunctional. Many of us are terrible at being neighbors. The one thing we DO notice about each other is how well the lawn is taken care of...wow.
In addition to the above try these:
1-Host a party/cookout.
2-Actually attend your association meeting and have some positive input into the neighborhood.
3-Wave, smile, and say hello.
4-Look for people who may need companionship. (ie widows, single parents, loners-not the scary ones though)
5-Don't do it for yourself, do it for them
What are some other ways we can be better neighbors?
In what sense is the Bible "living"?
People say the Bible is living. As in, alive. This is going to be hard for some people, but I think this is a terrible way to describe the Bible. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Bible is not valuable, even infinitely valuable. But when I stop and wonder how people get to biblical idolatry, (a phrase I heard a friend of mine use recently) I think the words we use makes a big difference.
If what we mean to say is that God uses the Bible to speak truth into the world and into people's lives over time in a variety of settings and in a variety of ways, like he does the Church, then say that. When we talk about the Bible as being alive, well meaning Christians turn to it like Harry Potter turns to his magician's book. The purpose, the focus, is not on the book. The nature of reading it is a most delicate and careful exercise. This is a very subtle yet substantial difference in outlook in my view.
Some will immediately say, "but the Bible says the Word is Living and Active, so nyeh!" My response is the Bible in its current form, as well as its current usage (as a body of knowledge, or viewed as a body of propositions) was not around at the time this statement was made. So what this statement really MEANS for us does not translate too well. (translation=this verse is not obviously talking about a book, but about the 'word of God')
Again, I'm not saying the Bible is dead or something wacko like that. I am just saying we need to come up with better ways to describe what it is, to help people from sliding into Bible worship.
What do you think?
Do I have the right problem but an unrelated and false proposition?
How would you interpret Hebrews 4:12?
What other ways reinforce people's Bible worship?
If what we mean to say is that God uses the Bible to speak truth into the world and into people's lives over time in a variety of settings and in a variety of ways, like he does the Church, then say that. When we talk about the Bible as being alive, well meaning Christians turn to it like Harry Potter turns to his magician's book. The purpose, the focus, is not on the book. The nature of reading it is a most delicate and careful exercise. This is a very subtle yet substantial difference in outlook in my view.
Some will immediately say, "but the Bible says the Word is Living and Active, so nyeh!" My response is the Bible in its current form, as well as its current usage (as a body of knowledge, or viewed as a body of propositions) was not around at the time this statement was made. So what this statement really MEANS for us does not translate too well. (translation=this verse is not obviously talking about a book, but about the 'word of God')
Again, I'm not saying the Bible is dead or something wacko like that. I am just saying we need to come up with better ways to describe what it is, to help people from sliding into Bible worship.
What do you think?
Do I have the right problem but an unrelated and false proposition?
How would you interpret Hebrews 4:12?
What other ways reinforce people's Bible worship?
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
I have to turn away now
When I consider the current state of politics and civil service in our government, I lean over and take a hit from my crack pipe. Escape is all thats left. Foolishness is the biblical term for the blah blah blah that is goin on in this "debate" tonight. More colorful terms come to mind.
To be a current politician you must: Be a man or woman who takes credit for things you can't take credit for (as in, you are no where near causally related to) blame people for things they couldn't really control, and pander to the American public as if they aren't part to blame for the mess we're in.
So, with this mentality in mind, I am sorry to say that George Bush's stint is up. If nothing else, he gave us plenty of laughs. This was the only positive thing left in American politics. If nothing else, George Bush gave America the needed mentality that our politicians are just people who float words into the universe that are mostly without meaning. Stop looking to the government to solve...anything. But since we won't be able to laugh at them, I'm afraid we'll just be left scowling. Prove me wrong Obama. I know you're in by a landslide...so please, prove me wrong. I have zero faith in you, but just maybe you'll produce in me the 'audacity to hope.'
To be a current politician you must: Be a man or woman who takes credit for things you can't take credit for (as in, you are no where near causally related to) blame people for things they couldn't really control, and pander to the American public as if they aren't part to blame for the mess we're in.
So, with this mentality in mind, I am sorry to say that George Bush's stint is up. If nothing else, he gave us plenty of laughs. This was the only positive thing left in American politics. If nothing else, George Bush gave America the needed mentality that our politicians are just people who float words into the universe that are mostly without meaning. Stop looking to the government to solve...anything. But since we won't be able to laugh at them, I'm afraid we'll just be left scowling. Prove me wrong Obama. I know you're in by a landslide...so please, prove me wrong. I have zero faith in you, but just maybe you'll produce in me the 'audacity to hope.'
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Trusting down deep
Remember in that movie, Seven, where the killer stuffs the gluttonous man with food, and he literally dies from overeating? Well, if you were to look at all 140 pounds of me you would not immediately think I had a problem with compulsive overeating. And you would be right. I don't.
I'm feeling like a glutton of a different sort. Physical food isn't the thing I've been consuming. No, I have literally gorged myself on a smorgasbord of half-truths, frosted feel-goodisms, and the pleasantries of rationale justification. About the only thing I haven't been consuming is anything that smelled of the supernatural. But for some reason, my dinner isn't sitting too well, and every pithy idea I have crammed down my throat is about to be vomited up. I can't do it on my own....God, I need my stomach pumped.
My soul can no longer stomach this duality. Its not even a duality, really. I am basically wholly defined by my lack of real faith. I daily choose to live in shallow water, for fear of going off the deep end. Yeah..I don't wanna be too radical and over spiritual. I don’t want to appear fanatical. I don’t want to go off the deep end. I like it here, where it's shallow. Yes, nice and shallow. I like shallow faith. Um..honestly, it hasn't ever left me agonizing; it has never made me feel isolated…or alone, in my…justifications.
Why is it so hard to let go of things? In Scripture, stories show us that those that walk with Jesus, if nothing else, act as if they took Christ and God’s promises at face value.
How deeply embedded is my inability to trust him? Where does it come from? What are the games I play? What boundaries do I place on God? Is he really God to me, or just an idea in my mind that I at some deep level have to keep in check, because somewhere down in my subconscious, I honestly doubt he’s even there…So there’s no sense in getting too crazy with this trusting thing. After all, why needlessly make myself uncomfortable? There really isn’t a God to take care of me, so I am just not gonna go there.
At work, at coworker was making a passing or joking comment about going to confession. Another coworker, not involved in the conversation just blurted out from three cubicles away, “Confession?...(chuckle chuckle) Confession? What’s that?” the other person just said, “yeah its what we Catholics do to get rid of our sins.”
“Ha, well, I confess too, every day. Yeah, I talk directly to God.”
This response was awkward to say the least. Even though I technically agreed with this theologically sound correction, it was just SO WRONG. What was the purpose of the exchange if not to protect an “ego of beliefs.” Clearly, this person’s preoccupation with declaring, (rudely) their view displays how small and ungrounded their faith really is. The more we need to control the less we truly believe what we pompously tout.
But back to running the risk of looking like a fool. In my conscious mind, I fight my self delusion, I tell myself things like “God gave me a brain” or “God lets me work out my life”. Maybe I don’t even really think it through, but just float along, accepting whatever cultural norms are affirmed by my two greatest producers of personal truth: the media, and my ‘cooler friends.’ After lip service prayers, the logical conclusion is that whatever idea I have in my head (my own cost/benefit analysis) is not only the best thing for me, it magically becomes God’s Will.
So, trust, whatever it is, starts with confronting what I really believe about God. To get below the surface, I have to think about what were the last few decisions I made that took some justification before I made them. They could be as simple as where I shop or as complex as what I do for a living. Think back to the last time you had to take control…and ask yourself why. Confess that you did it. Don’t pretend that you didn’t. Confess that you just couldn’t …let…go…of..that.
Dig deeper…why don’t I trust God in my finances? Why do I put a limit on my gift?
What lesson do I take from Ananias and Sapphira? Am I any less delusional? Perhaps I have accepted the lie for too long. My test for truth is “Does it make me feel good? Or Does it look weird? Or Can I fit it into a box that has been formulated at my Christian country club?
These words echo that Christ spoke to the rich young ruler, “Trust me…sell all you have…one thing you stil lack….this one thing you lack…one thing I lack.” I lack trust. I refuse to accept God.
We chatter about the ideas, but we don’t really trust our Christian truths. Like the one, "The last shall be first," doesn't really work out in the long run, does it? At least let SOMEONE see my humility. At least let SOMEONE recognize my efforts.
When you finally realize you aren’t as trusting as you like to believe, this whole discipleship thing really falls apart. At what point do you stop trusting? Sure, I realize there is a gray element to this, but is it really right to play it as safe as you are playing it?
Time to finally let go, and continually, wrecklessly, confront my inability to trust God.
I'm feeling like a glutton of a different sort. Physical food isn't the thing I've been consuming. No, I have literally gorged myself on a smorgasbord of half-truths, frosted feel-goodisms, and the pleasantries of rationale justification. About the only thing I haven't been consuming is anything that smelled of the supernatural. But for some reason, my dinner isn't sitting too well, and every pithy idea I have crammed down my throat is about to be vomited up. I can't do it on my own....God, I need my stomach pumped.
My soul can no longer stomach this duality. Its not even a duality, really. I am basically wholly defined by my lack of real faith. I daily choose to live in shallow water, for fear of going off the deep end. Yeah..I don't wanna be too radical and over spiritual. I don’t want to appear fanatical. I don’t want to go off the deep end. I like it here, where it's shallow. Yes, nice and shallow. I like shallow faith. Um..honestly, it hasn't ever left me agonizing; it has never made me feel isolated…or alone, in my…justifications.
Why is it so hard to let go of things? In Scripture, stories show us that those that walk with Jesus, if nothing else, act as if they took Christ and God’s promises at face value.
How deeply embedded is my inability to trust him? Where does it come from? What are the games I play? What boundaries do I place on God? Is he really God to me, or just an idea in my mind that I at some deep level have to keep in check, because somewhere down in my subconscious, I honestly doubt he’s even there…So there’s no sense in getting too crazy with this trusting thing. After all, why needlessly make myself uncomfortable? There really isn’t a God to take care of me, so I am just not gonna go there.
At work, at coworker was making a passing or joking comment about going to confession. Another coworker, not involved in the conversation just blurted out from three cubicles away, “Confession?...(chuckle chuckle) Confession? What’s that?” the other person just said, “yeah its what we Catholics do to get rid of our sins.”
“Ha, well, I confess too, every day. Yeah, I talk directly to God.”
This response was awkward to say the least. Even though I technically agreed with this theologically sound correction, it was just SO WRONG. What was the purpose of the exchange if not to protect an “ego of beliefs.” Clearly, this person’s preoccupation with declaring, (rudely) their view displays how small and ungrounded their faith really is. The more we need to control the less we truly believe what we pompously tout.
But back to running the risk of looking like a fool. In my conscious mind, I fight my self delusion, I tell myself things like “God gave me a brain” or “God lets me work out my life”. Maybe I don’t even really think it through, but just float along, accepting whatever cultural norms are affirmed by my two greatest producers of personal truth: the media, and my ‘cooler friends.’ After lip service prayers, the logical conclusion is that whatever idea I have in my head (my own cost/benefit analysis) is not only the best thing for me, it magically becomes God’s Will.
So, trust, whatever it is, starts with confronting what I really believe about God. To get below the surface, I have to think about what were the last few decisions I made that took some justification before I made them. They could be as simple as where I shop or as complex as what I do for a living. Think back to the last time you had to take control…and ask yourself why. Confess that you did it. Don’t pretend that you didn’t. Confess that you just couldn’t …let…go…of..that.
Dig deeper…why don’t I trust God in my finances? Why do I put a limit on my gift?
What lesson do I take from Ananias and Sapphira? Am I any less delusional? Perhaps I have accepted the lie for too long. My test for truth is “Does it make me feel good? Or Does it look weird? Or Can I fit it into a box that has been formulated at my Christian country club?
These words echo that Christ spoke to the rich young ruler, “Trust me…sell all you have…one thing you stil lack….this one thing you lack…one thing I lack.” I lack trust. I refuse to accept God.
We chatter about the ideas, but we don’t really trust our Christian truths. Like the one, "The last shall be first," doesn't really work out in the long run, does it? At least let SOMEONE see my humility. At least let SOMEONE recognize my efforts.
When you finally realize you aren’t as trusting as you like to believe, this whole discipleship thing really falls apart. At what point do you stop trusting? Sure, I realize there is a gray element to this, but is it really right to play it as safe as you are playing it?
Time to finally let go, and continually, wrecklessly, confront my inability to trust God.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Avant-Garde toddler
"Crust, Corn, and the Blueberry"The only thing he has to work on is pretending not to care about his work. That's important for all artists for some reason. But on the flip side, can you imagine if this is the face an artist had at an art debut...just standing there...next to his painting...cheesing it big time...lol... that's funny to me. Way to go Jack...so proud of you.
Monday, July 14, 2008
3 wishes
I don't get into the hard core economic number crunching. But as I read the headlines every day, I am getting pretty annoyed at the Fed and Treasury. While I realize that fiscal conservatism is an intellectual pipe dream of the past, I am simply blown away and the complete disregard the current officers have for a level head.
If the Fed turns on the money spigot one more time, I think I might just have a nuclear reaction inside my body. (like in Heroes, when Peter Petrelli blows up New York)
If I could rub the bottle and speak to the genie (Paulson and Bernanke) I would request:
1. Stop artificially offering money to financial institutions at low rates.
2. Stop talking about regulating corporations, hedge funds, etc. You (or Greenspan, your forefather) screwed up the financial markets to begin with...you got no right to come in now and start handing out spankings.
3. Stop talking about shoring up the dollar and actually back up your tripe.
Each of these "wishes" would be painful. Perhaps very painful in the short term. But like much of what our government has done in the past 75 years, it needs UNDONE. Of course, this won't happen in today's political climate. It would take WAY too much conviction. I am wasting my breath. But who knows, maybe GW and the boys have me as one of their feeds. Yeah, that's likely.
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