Another Side of the Mountain

“There will always be another reality to make fiction of the truth we think we’ve arrived at.” ~ Christopher Frye

These words jumped from the page of the book I am reading. Frye is an English playwright and with this simple statement he caught my attention.

I love climbing hills and mountains. Hong Kong was a perfect place to do this. Newfoundland was another super place to climb as well. In both places I did this to kill time and get away from the roar of life below.

When I read the story of Jesus he did this as well. He withdrew to a quiet place, climbed a hill to pray – or be alone.

In Hong Kong there was one range that we climbed from time to time. When you arrived at the top you could see forever it seemed. There below you was another valley, then another valley leading up to another peak of the next mountain. Usually one peak was enough on a hot day with complaining teenage daughters.

But the feeling that I would love to see what is on the other side of the next mountain peak would never leave/has never left. You can see for so far, but when you arrive on top on the second peak you can see even further.
In Hong Kong this was especially true of Lion Rock Mountain(photo above) – which was right up and behind our apartment complex. As we climbed to the top and then faced East and a bit North, there was the next peak and the next part of a rambling range(below) that seemed to go forever. As we walked along that range the roar of the city was way down to the right side, the wilderness and more mountain peaks were to the left. To the left there were places that few Hong Kong residents had ever seen. It was truly a wilderness in the heart of Biggest Little country in the world.
In Newfoundland many of the small villages and towns were the same. The lower areas near the bay were settled….with roads lined with small houses. Sometimes the town would be two miles long and about 100 feet deep. It was like a string of Pearls from the top of the high hills that cuddled it.

At the top of these hills/ranges you could see forever…out to the open water and then to the far reaching wilderness inland.

My hill/mountain climbing always left me with the simple thought that Frye states… “There will always be another reality to make fiction of the truth we think we’ve arrived at.”

Life has been a little like that too. What I fear doesn’t happen. There is only another something up ahead that is different or the same than what was….but it becomes an “is”.

When you go through difficult times – it seems that it will get worse. When there are good times it seems it will always be good. But the perception of what will be will change when I get to that next peak… the next range top… or even the gorgeous valley floor.

In reverse I look back thinking that what if… Where is that one that we once knew... someone that was once close to us is gone? It never works… other than on FaceBook now…and people are different even there.

I think I am getting the idea now. The NOW is more important than what could have been, what might have been, or what was or wasn’t happening way back when. Happy or harsh memories – whatever they were… are only that – memories. Some will fade and others will resurface – but they are not included in my NOW. NOW is where I live… and NOW is what I need to deal with.

Some of the old memories will haunt me and even immobilize me.

I have an old Spark Coil from a Model T Ford Car that is from 1924. I held it the other day and it brought back huge memories of my very first car… my1924 Model T Ford… and my Dad and the age that I was and all the work that I put into the restoration of that old car before selling it for $125. Man what a rush. The thoughts were good and bad.

But I can’t live with holding that Old Spark Coil. I live holding NOW.

I can’t live holding “What If” either – NOW is more important…and NOW is slipping away so fast that I wonder what happened. I am almost afraid to go to sleep – because NOW will be gone.
A transition has an End, a Neutral Zone and a New Beginning.

WOW!

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Disengagement, Disidentification, Disenchantment and Disorientation

Can you imagine a kind of “Mind Virus” that incapacitates the individual for long periods of time? It robs the person of valuable relationships and stops them from personal growth. They desire nothing more and stop entirely from making new contacts.

It almost sounds like Alzheimer’s – right? Or maybe some major dementia that is taking so many of our community year after year.

Well the “Mind Virus” is not really a virus as we think of it…not is it a dementia that takes a loved one. It is a Mind Shift that takes place when a sudden transition is thrust upon us.

One minute you are laughing and happy… the next you are in tears. The words spoken to you were all that was necessary. The impact of what was said was so deep and so horrific to comprehend that it shook your world to its depths. The transition began.

In William Bridges’ book “the way of transition” he talks about the END, the Neutral Zone and the New Beginning.

The END is where the transition begins.

Few things prepare us for this to happen.

Last week I conducted a funeral service for a lady that was 63 years old. She was a loving wife. She was a care giver. She stood through thick and thin with her husband. To the three grandkids she was the central part of their existence. When Dad and Mom weren’t there grandma was.

The sickness was short and end was fast in coming. She was gone before she could see the specialist.

At the funeral her daughter was hugging a young lady who was sobbing. The young lady was a tall girl of 13 years old. This was grandma’s special ‘big’ girl. The relationship that this young lady had with her grandma couldn’t be described – they were way past best friends.

All of the 13 years of growing up no one had talked to her about death. Thinking that her grandparent – her friend – would be gone someday is not something that a 13 year old thinks about.

I have met “40 somethings”, young adults that have never faced this before either. Society doesn’t prepare us for the END. And it definitely doesn’t prepare us for the Neutral Zone and the New Beginning. Our happy world should stay the same – unchanging – not rocking – not rolling – just the same.

Well – let me tell you a secret – it has never been that way. Change began early in humanity’s history and hasn’t stopped.

Look at one of the old stories. Adam and Eve – perfect garden, perfect first family – whamo – a change took place. Eve messed it up and Adam followed along. Think of the next day after they exited the Garden of Eden. Think of what they saw on the outside of perfection and peace. When they looked back there was no way they were getting back in – there was a great big angel standing guard to keep people out.

In a heart beat they entered the stages of Disengagement, Disidentification, Disenchantment and Disorientation.

Here again I remind you of what William Bridges, author of Transitions, states. There are four stages we go through when we experience “Loss”. He calls them the four cardinal aspects of the experience of loss – which are…
Disengagement – which is the separation from whatever it is that you have lost.
Disidentification – or the way that the loss destroys the old identity you had.
Disenchantment – which refers to the way that the loss tears you out of the old reality you accepted unthinkingly.
Disorientation – is how, as a result of losing the object of your feeling and the identity you had together and the reality you shared, you feel bewildered and lost.

Flash Back…
In June 1987, one Sunday night, I was sitting on the platform listening to wonderful music and a powerful message was about to begin. Alida was sitting down in the front rows of the church with our two daughters, Dana and Anda. I had begun our new work at Scarboro Gospel Temple as the Youth Pastor. Everyone loved us. I couldn’t have been more happy.

From the side of my vision I saw a person walking quickly to the platform. They stepped up on to the platform and approached me, bent over and said, “There is a very important call for you on the telephone.”

Who knew I was there? Who would call me at that time? I puzzled about it all the way to the back of the church and into the foyer. The happy music followed me all the way back.

There on the telephone was my mother. She was crying. Dad had been rushed to the hospital and it didn’t look good. They had given her no hope – even for the night.

When I hung up the telephone and turned back to the service – everything had changed. The music didn’t make sense anymore and I really didn’t want to be there. But I had to go back and sit without saying or doing anything. Everyone was happy and I felt like “#*&&” – great place to have those feelings. Everyone was watching me as I sat down again. Alida was looking at me kind of oddly – “What was going on?” passed from her to me with that look.

Dad was dieing or was dead… and I was to play the role of a happy pastoral team player… Bull! This was crazy to sit there and do nothing! But what could you do but sit? The END had started and I knew nothing of what to do with it.

Yesterday I wrote about what happened after he died. Today I pause to reflect on what happens when you enter the horrific and then stall after getting there.

Disengaged, Disidentified, Disenchanted and Disoriented feelings are real. How we deal with it is real. The total affect and the lingering affect is the “Mind Virus” that I spoke of earlier. In the Neutral Zone as you work through it you can be numb, you can be angry and you can simply be nothing….

The same can happen when a good friend leaves. How about a separation or divorce? How about when a ministry changes?

When the END happens – it can be the hardest thing ever to handle. But the good news is – we can handle it. It simply takes time.

For Moses it took 40 years. Then he followed that one with another 40.

Think of the Children of Israel and the captivity that they were subjected to. They were broken and carried away to another land. Their city that had been their very core of existence was crushed as well… places of worship were destroyed and all was gone. Talk about Disengagement, Disidentification, Disenchantment and Disorientation.

Watch the Jewish people today standing at the Weeping Wall and bobbing back and forth as they cry out to the Lord mercy. An entire Nation has spent many life times in agony as they lost everything.

Disengagement, Disidentification, Disenchantment and Disorientation is the heart of most world conflicts as they begin… and particularly as they end.

The Olympics are on now – it has filled our attention almost day and night as it is beamed from Beijing, China continually. This Saturday Zach Bell will compete there against the best in the world. Zach is my nephew – I am little bit proud.

Four things are possible at every Olympic endeavor. The first three are GOLD, SILVER and BRONZE. The forth one is a bundle of possible Disengagement, Disidentification, Disenchantment and Disorientation.

If you haven’t come to grips yet with this – you will – you certainly will some day.

Hey I am pulling for you. And if you ever want to talk, my “Mind Virus” is somewhat cleared up. I have started to leave the Neutral Zone and have the possibility of a New Beginning. My telephone number is 705-760-9389 – call me. I will call back – I have free long distance anywhere in Canada! And my email is murray.lincoln@gmail.com

~ Murray Lincoln ~

The FIVE "Dis – es" – Maybe Even SIX

William Bridges, author of Transitions, states that there are four stages we go through when we experience “Loss”. He calls them the four cardinal aspects of the experience of loss – which are…
Disengagement – which is the separation from whatever it is that you have lost.
Disidentification – or the way that the loss destroys the old identity you had.
Disenchantment – which refers to the way that the loss tears you out of the old reality you accepted unthinkingly.
Disorientation – is how, as a result of losing the object of your feeling and the identity you had together and the reality you shared, you feel bewildered and lost

As I read these over and over, pondering the Losses that I have had in my life I was stunned. They made perfect sense. I placed them as a grid over a few of my losses over the years. I took out the loss from my memory banks and slipped these for words into the old experiences to see what would happen.

My Dad…
Dad had been a core of all our family happenings from my very beginning. He has always been there when I was a boy. He corrected us, stood with us, encouraged us and was simply a part of us. Life always included Dad. When I needed advice, even though it may have been in an area that he had never been in, I would run it by Dad. He would say something that made me think about my problem or task at hand, then it would make more sense. Or at other times he would conclude the sharing times, “Remember Murray, don’t be afraid to learn something new.” That one covered it all. It was one of those best advice thoughts that would never leave me.

Dad was there for 43 of my years. He was my help line, my counselor, my simple direction and my friend for 43 years. In 1987 that suddenly changed. He died suddenly with no warning. It was 9 months since I had personally seen him – but we had talked on the telephone often.

My brother summed it up for me at the funeral week in Regina. He was working on an Oil Rig in the far north and had taken three days to get home. He said, “Murray, have you thought of who you are going to call when you need some advice now that Dad is gone?” then his voice trailed off. It was the same for both of us. Dad had been a corner stone and he was now suddenly gone.

Disengagement – which is the separation from whatever it is that you have lost.
Disidentification – or the way that the loss destroys the old identity you had.
Disenchantment – which refers to the way that the loss tears you out of the old reality you accepted unthinkingly.
Disorientation – is how, as a result of losing the object of your feeling and the identity you had together and the reality you shared, you feel bewildered and lost

Man I was Disengaged, Disidentified, Disenchanted and Disoriented for months. He was gone and I was alone. I couldn’t even think of my mom, or brother and two sisters. I was dealing with this all by myself – they had to fight for themselves. What added to the mess in me was that my brother was in central B.C., my sister was in southern B.C. and the other sister was in the Yukon. My mom was in there home without Dad and without us.

With one whack the Four “Dis – es” had swept into an unprepared family and realities that had existed up to the point evaporated – POOF!

The Small Innismore School…
I had been attending this small school since kindergarten. The teachers were kind, soft and smelled different from my mom. Mrs. Adair had bangles on her arms – bright bracelets that kind of clunked together when she moved her arms. She wore lipstick and a tight wavy hair do. Her dresses were kind of big and flowed all around her. The colour of each dress was bright – later as I remembered her I thought of Hawaii. Mrs. Adair was my Kindergarten teacher, Grade One teacher and the Principal of the School. One other teacher was there to receive me into the Grade Two and then stay for my Grade Three class as well. I learned that I could really draw/create in this school and people loved it. They lit a fire in me that would never go out.

Then it was over. I was moved to the Haultain school – Kindergarten to Grade Eight. The Innismore School had only two class rooms and when you finished Grade Three it was time to move on to a bigger school.

It meant instead of walking two blocks to school – we had to walk about 12 blocks. To shorten the distance we would cut through the railroad yard – crossing over about twelve rows of tracks as this was the main shunting yard for the huge locomotives that frequented the rail yard. No thought of the dangers that we were facing each time we crossed the tracks – at all! Not even when the guy across the street had his leg cut off mid thigh when the rail car moved suddenly with a shunt.

My sister and I lasted a whole two years there – until the railway police caught us one day and forced Dad and Mom to make a decision to place us in another school – in a totally different community – even further from home. That move for me happened when I went to Thompson School from Grade Seven and Grade Eight.

Sounds easy doesn’t it – even adventurous? Nope it wasn’t! I was scared silly in Haultain School and my mom came to school over and over again as I was in the Nurse’s Office vomiting or with a feigned headache. The School was noisy and the kids were rough. It was a nightmare for a little boy from Innismore School.

Grade Seven was hard with my first Man Teacher. Grade Eight was more fun – then we messed that one up with a move to another community altogether – no more friends from Innismore.

Disengagement – which is the separation from whatever it is that you have lost.
Disidentification – or the way that the loss destroys the old identity you had.
Disenchantment – which refers to the way that the loss tears you out of the old reality you accepted unthinkingly.
Disorientation – is how, as a result of losing the object of your feeling and the identity you had together and the reality you shared, you feel bewildered and lost
…. All happened again and again….

The Four “Dis- es” were there again – over and over again in fact. Then with my work and ministry I have moved 15 Times – yes FIFTEEN TIMES. How many “Dis-es” have I had…? I was over whelmed when I looked back on the stress that was there – over and over and over again

But for the most part – I was excited about all 15 moves as they meant new and better opportunities for my family and ministries. But if you check with my wife and daughters they may see it differently. They are and were “Dis-ed” out I am sure! They were Disengaged, Disidentified, Disenchanted and Disoriented many times over!!!!!

But it doesn’t stop there. William Bridges shared how he felt after his wife died. He knew the Disengaged, Disidentified, Disenchanted and Disoriented stages well – he had authored these four steps.

His friend suggested that he may well add at least one more – maybe even two more “Dis-es” to his life before he came free of the “Four Dis-es”. One was “Disloyal” and the other was “Discovery”.

He shared how he worked through the Disloyal feeling stage as he started to become happy again after his wife died. Then he described what happened with the new Discovery stage.

Pause and Reflect on the NOW…
When you leave a job – like I did on June 22nd – after 34 years of being me – the Minister – and 10 years the Northview Pastor…there is Disengagement, Disidentification, Disenchantment and Disorientation – BIG TIME. Oh boy.

But in the more recent 10 years there were many friends and people that I ministered to that are left behind… as I walked from the building and pastorate. For a few the Disengagement, Disidentification, Disenchantment and Disorientation have been things they are working through.

If they fall in love with a new Pastor – they are Disloyal and the idea of a Discovery is way too soon.

Many of them are faithful readers of this Blog as well… this posting today is dedicated to their progress and future as well as mine.

I doubt that there has been another pastor that has stayed close and has catalogued the feelings the way that I have. Maybe if nothing else it will help others in the Pastoral – Ministerial Changes of Life… and their congregations as well.

They do not teach about Disengagement, Disidentification, Disenchantment and Disorientation – in Theological Schools. They only talk about “Discovery” and warn you about “Disloyal” – maybe that is why some are all screwed up with one or all the stages of the “Dis-es”. Hmmm?

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Recommended Reading - The Way of Transition by William Bridges

Getting Back the Giggle

When things go wrong and the world turns upside down you tend to stop giggling. The laughter that is generated is quick and then over. It is kind of like popping out of a cave to see the sunshine – then quickly retreating inside again.

Losing your position in life has that kind of effect as well.
Or add to that a loss of a life partner because of relational death – adultery does that in for sure.
Then there is the death of a spouse. Everything stops.
Humour can be quick and seem useless – even annoying.

Can’t these people see that I am miserable and I wish to be left alone in my misery? I am a miserable old f&#* - please leave me alone. Likely you won’t need to say that – it will happen after your first two reactions to their lighter spirits.

Yesterday I went for a long bicycle ride with my granddaughter. We went everywhere – probably covering about 20 kms before we arrived at her house – then I rode home. It was fun… she made me laugh and smile continually. Her pure smile and her silly statements were made for an old, unemployed grandfather that has lots of plans but not a lot of money (at the moment…)

I have watched the change this past week alone. The class I attended was made up of one Male (me), and one Female instructor, together with four more Female fellow students. For me it was a whole lot more femininity than I needed. At break times I wondered out and found a man to talk to.

At first it was very intense as each one described what they had been through. I was not as bad off as some of them. Some were moms with little kids and no jobs and no hope. Others were with very angry husbands that made life pure misery. There were not a lot of smiles or laughter – until the second day. A late student joined our class… she was a bubble about to burst. Her comments were very funny. She was alive.

From her very first statement she was afire... but others looked at her like she was nuts. Nope – she wasn’t. She was a young mom with three kids and had been turfed from a good job because she questioned the leadership of her boss’s decision. She had been hired to design brochures and other stuff for a popular business… she submitted them and then the boss – who was not a designer – changed it all to be her own design.
Her new boss likely couldn’t handle the fun in her.

By the end of the week we were all joking. I think it may have been this young mom – three kids and out of work – that had helped. It may have also been the fact that all of us took another look at the possibilities and then advanced from miserable to possible.

You may well be needing a boost from the ordinary misery that you sit in today. You may need to scrub up some attitudes… clean them off and then move on. I offer you one big giggle… then another to follow… once they take a hold…move on…

Suppose that you married people reading this suddenly are unmarried… for whatever reason. Read the Pick Up lines that Good Christians have developed – talk about FUNNY! Then if that doesn’t work try the YouTube links that is offered here…one will be only audio as the man describes what he sees….

If this doesn’t work – don’t call me… I will call you when I feel 100%. I don’t want to lose my giggle.

~ Murray Lincoln ~

YouTube
Angry Lady Drivers - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AurLW6ob2D8

Funniest Ever Angry Driver Beaten By Little Old Ladies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAKo-pntOBU

I found this in a Pastor’s page on the net…at
http://jonmf.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/christian-%E2%80%9Cpick-up-lines%E2%80%9D/

Christian “pick-up lines”
1. “Nice Bible.”
2. “Is this pew taken?”
3. “I just don’t feel called to celibacy.”
4. “For you I would slay two Goliaths”
5. “I would go through more than Job for you”
6. “You are perfect, except with all the sin.”
7. “You are so unblemished that I would sacrifice you.”
8. “Shall we tithe?”
9. “At points in my life I have been referred to as Samson”
10. “The word says ‘Give drink to those who are thirsty, and feed the hungry’; how about dinner?”
11. “I didn’t believe in predestination until tonight.”
12. “I believe one of my ribs belongs to you.”
13. “I went on a mission trip but all I ended up doing was mission you.”
14. “I can be your Boaz.”
15. “My spiritual gift is my good looks—it lifts peoples spirits”
16. “Is this the transfiguration… because you are glowing”
17. “Hey… I would work 7 years for your sister… but I would work 7 more years for you.”
18. “Hey good-looking, Ecclesiastes 4:11…”
19. “Marry me.”
20. “I’m one of the fortunate ones…Greek and Hebrew come pretty easily to me.”
21. “My favorite species of vegetation is the church plant.”
22. “Did I just have mud rubbed in my eyes?”
23. “Now I know why Solomon had 700 wives—because he never met you.”
24. “I used to believe in natural theology, but since I met you I’ve converted to divine revelation”
25. “I look after widows”
26. “Why don’t I have a Bible dictionary? Well, I don’t really need it.”
27. “Bathsheba had nothing on you”
28. “You put the ‘cute’ back in persecution…”
29. “Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Gilead”
30. “How many times do I have to walk around you to make you fall for me?”
31. “How would you like to join my Purpose Driven Life?”
32. “If you say no, I will rip out my hair and my beard”
33. “Unfortunately I can’t perform miracles and I’ve only got enough bread and fish for 2 people.”
34. “So, my parents are home, you wanna come over?”
35. “Let me remove my sandals before I come any closer…”
36. “Let’s say, hypothetically, you were married. I would send your husband to the front line against the Amorites”
37. “It’s obvious to me that you sprouted from the good kinda soil…”
38. "Feel free to meet me at the threshing floor.”
39. “You can lie at my feet.”
40. “I really like your spirituality, it goes well with that shirt.”
41. “You’re totally depraved but I’d still like to go out with you…”
42. “I’m a proverbs 32 kind of guy and you’re a proverbs 31 kinda woman.”
43. “I’m interested in full time ministry, and not only that… I also play the guitar.”
44. “If we were around with Noah… then you, me… pair.”
45. “I arrange the substantial Christian section of my bookshelf into alphabetical order. Coffee?”
46. “Let me sell you an indulgence because it’s a sin to look as good as you do.”
47. “Not a big fan of your last name, but that’s cool, I can change that.”
48. “Solomon had 700 wives. You can be my 2nd girlfriend. But bring your friends.”
49. “Me. You. Song of Songs: the remix.”
50. “When I read Philippians 4:8, I think about you.”
51. “I would leave 99 sheep to come and find you… and then I would carry you home joyfully on my shoulder”
52. “Who’s your favorite apostle?”
53. “You make the Queen of Sheba look like a hobo.”
54. “I have familiarized myself with all 5 love languages, in fact, I invented 4 of them.”
55. “Let’s go for a ride in my Zondervan”
56. “I like to think that I’m all things to all women.”
57. “Have you died before? Because that looks like a resurrection body to me.”
58. “You float my ark."
59. “As Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite protected the field of lentils, so I wish to protect you.”
60. “You make me want to be a better Christian.”
61. “I will never give you reason to hammer a tent peg through my skull.”
62. “If you were a leper, I would still hold your hand—even if it wasn’t attached.”
63. “I would have asked you out to dinner, but I just put all my money in the offertory basket.”
64. “Hi, I’m Calvin. You were meant to choose me.”
65. “Unlike the Israelites, who forgot the Lord, I will remember your name most of the time.”
66. “I mentioned you in my testimony.”

The Rest of Your Life Challenge

One full week has passed for me. We have walked through another one and succeeded. It has been good.

As we watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games being held in China I was blown away with the drumming corps – literally thousands of young men in perfect rhythm and together – what a spectacular presentation. It took my breath away and all that could be said was, “WOW!”
These young fellows had one chance to get it right – BILLIONS were watching world wide. Just one chance after practicing months upon months of togetherness. No wonder they were smiling and cheering when they hit the last beat!
A few years ago when China received the nod that they would get these Olympic Games – people wondered if it would be possible. Too many obstacles and too far above the heads of the Chinese… too much for them… I don’t think it will happen…. Were just some of the doubts that were expressed.

China has blown all of our minds! This may be the best Olympics ever!

What does it take to make it happen?

This week in a class that I attended I received a huge amount of support and encouragement. Our facilitator for the week was Sharon. She was good.

I have come to realize that the things that I have in my life are good. It is not as hopeless as it seemed 7 days ago… I can do it!

China’s Olympic Challenge and my own “Rest of My Life Challenge” are not all that much different! That is my conclusion anyway.

I came across these quotes that might help you too. Try them on for size and see if they fit.

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Did is a word of achievement,
Won’t is a word of retreat,
Might is a word of bereavement,
Can’t is a word of defeat,
Ought is a word of duty,
Try is a word each hour,
Will is a word of beauty,
Can is a word of power.

“To Achieve Your Dreams Remember Your ABC's.
Avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits.
Believe in yourself
Consider things from every angle.
Don't give up and don't give in.
Enjoy life today, yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come.
Family and friends are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches.
Give more than you planned to.
Hang on to your dreams.
Ignore those who try to discourage you.
Just do it.
Keep trying no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier.
Love yourself first and most.
Make it happen.
Never lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal.
Open your eyes and see things as they really are.
Practice makes perfect.
Quitters never win and winners never quit.
Read, study and learn about everything important in your life.
Stop procrastinating.
Take control of your own destiny.
Understand yourself in order to better understand others.
Visualize it.
Want it more than anything.
‘eXcellerate’ your efforts.
You are unique of all God's creations, nothing can replace YOU.
Zero in on your target and go for it!”

~ Wanda Hope Carter ~

“The Carpenter’s Story”…2008-08-08-08-08

The entire world is watching today and will be for quite a few days to come. Today is the Luckiest Day in China’s history. There has never been one like and never will be another either. It is NOW that matters.

Most Westerners will not realize how important today is in China as they open the Olympics on the Eighth Year(of this Century), the Eighth Month, the Eighth Day, at the Eighth Hour and the Eighth minute in China.

I am very impressed with what is taking place at this exact time in China. It is all about preparation. It is all about what you have placed into the building of your world that makes a difference.

It kind of reminds me of “The Carpenter’s Story” that I listened to again yesterday. How appropriate to hear just as the potentially biggest thing ever happens for China. Their country has bounced back – but there are many marks of the past as well.

Here is “The Carpenter’s Story” for those that have not read it yet.

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family.

He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."

Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.(Author Unknown)

Pause…
Is it all ‘roses’ in China and Beijing today at – 2008-08-08-08-08? How did they get to this place in time? Is it as wonderful as the Television Network’s will demonstrate it to be? Will the Chinese handlers that watch for the bad things that might bring out protests and blemishes of China? What will they do if something comes up that mars the World Show for their country? Will they allow anything to take place that will hurt their image?

I am not a good example of “Green Stuff” by any means. I have polluted my own space often enough that I am ashamed to say much.

But today in Beijing there is a haze hanging over the entire city – smog is heavy. Runners, cyclists, swimmers – all of our athletes of the world will have to suck in huge amounts of yucky air in order to win. Why? It is easy to say – a product of shoddy workmanship over many years.

For most Westerners there are the political issues of the past that hang like a smog over the country of China. Most will be struggling with the Constant Communist din that seems to control everything that China does.

But you need to know more…
The World had a great influence on building China the way that it is today. Much of the Communist power is in a direct opposition to the dominance of unbelievable leaders that could care less about the ordinary person. The Centuries upon Centuries of Emperors that had clouded the future for their people are a horrible legacy. The final years before the Communists upset that “balance” – the Emperors were in bed with the Capitalists of the outside world – that sought their own good rather than the good of these people – that were already subservient to unspeakable hardship by their own dictators. I will never forget standing in the quiet park of the 72 Martyr’s Shrine in Guangzhou, in Guangdung Province (Canton City in Canton Province) and reading the names of the young people that had died at the unmerciful hand of the Emperor’s men. They would not give their family names because they knew that after they were dead – every single member of their families would be slaughtered to the farthest family blood line – for simply having a political meeting that was against the Emperor and his horrific men.

No this was not a result of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 that was a massacre – it was long before that.

I saw this monument to these murdered workers in Guangzhou – 5 years before Tainanmen happened. There on top of the monument is a gleaming white Statue of Liberty. If you will have read or remember the scene in 1989 – the white statue was there again.

My emotions today is different from the Olympic High we will all be on. It is in a spiritual sense one of the greatest moments ever – for our Christian World. We can now focus on Praying for China like never before – that God will bless it immensely.

Did you know that God loves China – just like the rest of the world? Did you know that God’s love is not conditional on politics and human structures? Did you know that all of us had a great deal to do with what China is today? I hope you do now.

I drop this quote in again – from “The Carpenter’s Story”…
Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."

Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.
~ Murray Lincoln ~

Sources:
Tiananmen Square
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989

72 Martry's Shrine
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/2ed854/#p

Transition No. 3 - The Lobster Story

Sharon read the story of the Eda LeShan. How fitting for our class to hear this at this time. I searched the Net and found the following account of this story…

Eda LeShan, late author and family counsellor, talked of an encounter with an oceanographer who asked her, “Are you aware that lobsters know when they have to de-shell? They get really crowded inside their three-pound shells and are terribly uncomfortable. And it is not possible for them to go on living if they stay in those shells. Their whole, hard shell comes off, and the pink membrane inside grows and becomes a harder shell and a bigger one. In the meantime they must go out to sea unprotected, which is very dangerous because they might hit a reef or a large fish might eat them.”

“At first it didn’t hit me,” Eda LeShan responded, “but then I realized that I have followed that philosophy of life always, and certainly it is my philosophy now. I go to the reef, even if it’s dangerous. You have to be willing to change. You have to become more flexible. You may have to face painful crises. Courage and a sense of humor are what you need. You know if you stay stifled where you are, you’re dead before you’re dead. You need to have the courage of the lobster.”

As Sharon read the story to us it hit home. I was a Lobster in so many ways. I have shed the shell and am now waiting for a new shell to form.

In the Lobster’s case this happens once a year and takes 72 hours.

In human terms the shedding happens with the losses that we experience. It may be a job loss, loss of a loved one, or the loss of relationship – you name it and someone has gone through it. We are vulnerable to the max during that time.

Perhaps for that reason we stay away from people and things.

Yesterday I met with a man that has just lost his wife. She was 63 years old. Six months ago they were living quite happily and moving toward retirement and a future watching grandkids grow.

A cough developed in November and wouldn’t go away. The doctor said it was likely bronchitis and another time it was an allergy. They finally took some X-rays and found that the mass was inoperable. Her appointment with the specialist is next Thursday…but she kept another appointment this week with her Master.

As he spoke of what had happened he shared that he just wanted to be alone. His daughters were after him and around him all the time. Grandkids were buzzing too. They all missed mom and grandma. His next words were powerful.

“Murray, I just need to be alone and deal with this. Sure it is hard – but I will get through it. There is just too much noise in my house – I asked them all to go home.”

As we stood in the crowd of well wishers at the Funeral Home it was a quiet moment for him and me. For a second we were all alone in the middle of everyone. I nodded my head that I certainly understood. He smiled and said thanks, then he turned to the next group of friends that came to make more words and stand with him in this very busy room.

The one thing that is so powerful for me in the last weeks is the down time. I am not preparing the next sermon or running to the next meeting. I am off from being and doing. It is in this quiet time that I heal and rest. I accept it as a wonder of God.

Sure part of me wants to run and scream… but come to think of that… I haven’t had that feeling for days now.

I stop the Lobster story as he grows into his new shell getting ready for the next year – and wish him the best. He survived the long years and grows to about 5 to 7 pounds – then he is silly enough to go after the bait the trap… One success story was recorded lately – that big guy named Big Dee Dee was over 22 pounds. Good for you boy – that makes you close to 100+ years old.

But then there was the baity….that is another part of the story….

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Source Become a Late Bloomer