Friday Notes: Choice

It's amazing how much stereotypes are entrenched in our personal thinking, in our cultures, and in our communities. In Kenya, there are definite stereotypes that people hold for the different ethnic/tribal communities. Kikuyu are often seen as the educated businessmen and women. The Massai are often portrayed as the natural military leaders. And, depending on which community you're from, another community is either seen as lazy or as unhealthily obsessed with money, work, or power. In history and academia, this is often framed in discussions of "othering" in which we paint another group as strongly different from us. Frequently this othering is used to justify our abuse or subjugation of another group. It's often how we explain the Nazi view of Jews or Rwanda's militant leaders in the early 90's describing their enemies as "cockroaches". Stereotypes are prolific in our world.

Some of the stereotypes that consistently irk me are the stereotypes placed on guys. "Oh, he's just a guy. Of course he's going to make bawdy comments about women" or "He's a guy. All guys look at pornography and think about sex." These kinds of comments have driven me crazy for years - and continue to drive me crazy!

It largely stems from the experience of my own life and how my life, as a guy, is drastically different what these stereotypes say should be true of me. On one level, I hate being described by a stereotype that's not true of me. But, on a second level, I believe that by saying all or "most" guys act like this, guys then think that part of being a "real" guy is for this to be true of them. It becomes a self-fulfilling societal "prophecy".  Since I've never cracked jokes or made comments about a women's body or sexuality and because I've never looked at pornography, it follows that I must not be a "real" or "true" guy. This has then often led, in my own life, to others labeling me as gay - another label that's not true of me.

In Proverbs 4, a dad is sharing what he's learned about life with his son. The second half of the chapter deals with the father calling his son to enjoy the wife of his youth (a choice he must make) and to choose (again, a choice) to steer clear of the sexual choices that lead to death - adultery, sex outside apart from sex with your wife, etc. And what is so important about this section is that the writer's framework is one of chosen discipline. These are all choices and the father calls his son to steer clear of choosing sexuality promiscuity, adultery and the tempting woman. The young man to whom the father is writing has a choice. What we do in life cannot simply be dismissed as "I'm just a guy". The truth is we choose our actions and thoughts. So, if these stereotypes are true of us, it's because we have chosen to engage in "stereotypical" actions. The son is not given the option to excuse his actions as just what boys do. Rather, the father says, "No, you have a choice and don't let the 'typical' description of a sex-obsessed and adulterous guy be true of you."

The writer ends this chapter talking about the man who chooses the "strange" woman - the woman who is not his wife (whether in images (e.g. pornography) or in reality (e.g. an affair)) - whose infatuation with a forbidden woman and the "breast of a stranger" entraps him, entangles him, and leads to death. The chapter ends with, "He will die because there is no discipline, and be lost because of his great stupidity." (v. 23) How many men are lost in relationships in our world? How often do marriages end in divorce and life's drastically affected for the worse because men lack discipline and make stupid choices?

You see, living the life of the "typical guy" is a life of stupidity, incredibly dangerous, leading to death - whether the death of a wife's heart, physical death, the death (e.g. divorce/splitting up) of a family. The evil one seeks to destroy our lives and tempts us with things that look good, but in the end lead to death. Throughout my life, continuing to this day and as long as I'm breathing, the evil one will bring temptation my way. It's what get's him up in the "morning" - trying to convince me, and everyone, that what looks and feels good, what others say about us, don't have real, dangerous consequences.  Temptation to live in either stereotype - to be the 'typical guy' or, if I choose not to be, that I must be the 'atypical guy' who's gay - is and will always be a consistent feature of our lives. It doesn't end when you get married - as this chapter shows so clearly - even though far too many think this is the case. "I just can't wait to get married, then I won't struggle with [fill in the blank]." Too many men excuse their behavior in this way and too many women naively believe that after they get married, the man they are marrying will miraculously change. But neither is true. These are but mirages and false hopes. 

I, you, we "wrestle" against the temptations of this world and the wily work of the evil one who is seeking to destroy my life, your life, our lives and my marriage, your marriage, our marriages to the woman I love, you love, we love (Eph. 6:12-18).  I choose to push back against the stereotypes of this world that say I and others are one thing or the other. Not all Kikuyu are hardworking and not all men are sex-obsessed. Those of who these things are true have chosen to feed their desires, have chosen to be lazy and blame others, or have decided that they are [fill in the blank] and so [fill in the blank] has to be true of them - and they live up to those low expectations. 

I want to encourage you. The stereotypes that others say describe you - whether you are male, female, Kikuyu, etc. - do not have to be true of you. In fact, you have a choice. And I want to encourage you to choose discipline, choose life, choose to resist the things others say must describe you if you are [fill in the blank]. Choose the things God calls us to do, in the power of His Holy Spirit - no matter how contrary they are to what feels good, looks good, or sounds good. And we need to hold others up to a higher standard then the stereotypes our societies and world's have for them - dangerously low bars that lead to hurt and heartache.  I can guarantee you, for I have seen the fruit in my own life, that choosing what is right (that which is Biblical, that which God our Creator calls us to), choosing discipline, and choosing to not let others push you into unhealthy stereotypes, but rather choosing what God calls us to (lives of discipline and making God-directed choices) brings life and life abundant. 

There is always opportunity to develop discipline and change, if these have been true of you in the past. One of my best friends feasted on pornography at times in his life and it haunted his marriage, undermining his wife's confidence, her beauty, their relationship and his professions of love for her. But, he learned to discipline his mind and his life and for years now, his wife has been the sole source of his delight and thoughts. And it has made all the difference in their marriage and in his life and their lives together! 

Choice. You are always making a choice. And I encourage you to choose that which leads to life, rather than choices that will lead to death. Go against what the world things you ought to look like, go against that which feels good or right in your own mind, and pursue what God has said your life should look like. 

A great place to start, if you're asking, "How do I know what choices are right?", is to read Proverbs. The Creator of this world, the One who knows you inside and out and understands how this world works, has given great advice and direction through a father who followed Him thousands of years ago. And it is wisdom that is as applicable and rich today as it was then. Surprisingly little has changed in the way we as humans think, function and live. We always have been and always will be men and women who are offered choices and make our own choices - do we follow our desires, the stereotypes of this world, or do we follow God's call to discipline our minds, our bodies and our lives to enjoy the richest, the sweetest life we possibly can - the life He calls us to.

Friday Notes: And Everything Changes

This coming Monday marks the 37th week point for my pregnant wife. Along with a crazy 8-months that have flown by, it also means that our baby girl is "full term" and could show up anytime now. It means that nearly everything about our day to day lives could change at any moment.

Like so much change, I find that my anticipation for our daughter's birth is a mix of excitement and anxiousness. Big change seems to come in that combination for me. The anticipation of marrying Lauren and our wedding ceremony just over 2 years ago was characterized by this mix, as has every summer since then as we've prepared to move to another country, another apartment/home and make new friends. Excitement and anxiousness.

Perhaps, some of us naturally lean towards one or the other and ignore one. For example, maybe we tend to get anxious and stressed before a change. Any sense of excitement is drowned out by the overwhelming sense of the unknown. Or perhaps we're at the other end. We get so excited about change that we drown out the anxiousness. While on the surface, this second response seems preferable over the first, it might tend to lead to a lack of preparedness or appropriate understanding of what is on the horizon. But maybe not?

Paul does remind his readers in Philippi to not be anxious about anything, but in everything, to approach the throne of grace confidently and lay our worries before our Heavenly Father. Perhaps excitement and anxiousness need to be revisited.

Perhaps, excitement and forethought is a better goal to strive for. Scripture points out that a part of faith is the hope of things not yet seen. The unknown doesn't have to create anxiety. God is guiding and in control of this world - He is always sovereignly at work. There is an element to which we, as believers, are to be characterized by hope and joy - characteristics that, I believe, more readily come from an anticipation and excitement of what God has in store, then an anxiousness of the weight of what's to come.

But forethought is important. As a soon to be dad and mom, my wife and I have spent months thinking about what we need for our little girl when she arrives. Diapers. Clothes. Somewhere to sleep. Her birth certificate and US passport. etc. And, in the same way, as a husband and father, I've already had to secure housing in England, even though we won't need it until the end of September. Perhaps, mixed with excitement, forethought and forward thinking action is part of how we deal with anxiety? Just as we lay things at our Heavenly Father's feet, I think he - just as he called Adam to work - calls us to action to deal with the things ahead of us. There is no room for sitting on one's rear end, saying, "Okay God, you gotta take care of everything" if one has not faithfully done what God has given them the opportunity and ability to do. These opportunities and abilities are part of his provision.  It is the difference between lazy irresponsibility vs. faith that accompanies action. We not throw our hands up. We use the hands, the mind and what God has provided for us already, so that we might be found faithful in using, acknowledging and making the most of how God is working on our behalf.

Last night, a friend told our small group a story about his brother. He had given his brother a car and most of the money he had to help him get started with a job and providing for his family. Rather than take the opportunity to work hard, his brother simply sold the car and spent the money. My friend has had to come to a point where he realized he did what he could for his brother, but his brother also had a choice to use what he had been given. Similarly, God provides for us, but that provision requires our active work and toil - what God called Adam to before the fall.  We are made for work (but, just like God in creation, work accompanied by occasional rest).

Likewise, as we approach change, we have a choice. To choose anxiety or excitement. To choose anxiety or forethought. To choose faith or fear. May we choose to be excited for what God has around the corner of change. May we be faithful to think and plan ahead as much as we are able. And, having done these things, may we trust God all the way through that He has provided what we need now and will provide what we need then. That He will be faithfully journeying through the change with us and he just calls us to actively do the things that we need to do.

Because with every turn of life, it seems that everything changes.

Friday Note: Deserved Wages vs. Corrupt Practices

Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, 

for the worker deserves his wages. 

-Luke 10:7-

Nairobi Chapel, the church we attend here in Kenya, is currently in the middle of the second part of a series called "MKenya Halisi" - translated "the real/authentic Kenyan".  Earlier this year, they did a month long series on how Kenya - rich in history, resources and potential - is a country of which to be tremendously proud.  Having grown up here for 16 years, I couldn't agree more and it is a message all too rarely heard by many in Africa: that there is so much to take great pride in about where they are from.  This second part, however, takes on the parts of Kenya that are not so pretty: corruption, tribalism, etc. (Sermon series), but it addresses them from the individual's perspective. How do we, as individuals, contribute to the unhealthy aspects of Kenya's culture and society? The second week, Pastor Oscar spoke on "Kitu Kidogo" (a little something) - the phrase used when one is asked for a bribe. Oscar challenged the congregation that by giving that "kitu kidogo", we are contributing to corruption. Similarly, by renting/purchasing pirated DVD's and music, we are engaging in corrupt practices. It was a hard hitting sermon that Oscar did a great job with in speaking truth to an uncomfortable topic.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've found myself thinking along these lines and their application to Jesus' words as recorded in the Gospel of Luke. In this chapter, Jesus is sending out his disciples in pairs to do ministry - to heal the sick, to preach the Good News, etc. - and he tells them to not take anything with them (e.g. extra clothing, food, etc.). Instead, within the culture of the day, they would be invited in by those in the community, sheltered and fed. He tells his disciples to except this cultural hospitality, because the workman deserves his wages. Their work of preaching the Gospel is worthwhile, it has value and should be rewarded accordingly.

What does this have to do with corruption and dishonest practices (e.g. pirated movies/music?)? In the same way that an evangelist or missionary is deserving of wages, so are all who work - who engage in labour, that task God called Adam & Eve to even before the Fall. Hard work is a good thing! The writers, producers, actors, artists - even the  low person on the wrung who holds the boom mic or helps change lights - involved in making a movie or tv show is worth their wages. Every movie is a financial risk, involving the entire group - from the first pitch by the writer/creator to the company choosing to underwrite the production - making a gamble that in the end they will not only recoup their expenses, but will make a profit. They too are deserving of their wages.  And when we buy the 50/- (75¢) pirated DVD off the side of the road, none of those involved in the movie's actual production who took the financial risk will see any of that money. Only the guy who illegally downloaded it from the internet and burned it to a DVD. And while we benefit in enjoying the movie, we have not given the deserving "wages" to those who invested and risked so much for our enjoyment.

The truth is that everyone is deserving of wages for their work.  From the guy/kid who washes our car to our wonderfully sweet house help who comes and cleans our home once a week.  Part of a Christian's calling in their world and society is to pay deserving wages to those who work for them and to work for deserving wages for those being unjustly paid low wages. And when we go for the cheap option, the easy option, we are choosing to engage in unjust conduct and practices. We are choosing to withhold deserving wages from the movie writer who may only ever see 1 or 2 of their screen plays ever made into a movie in their lifetime. We are withholding just pay from the guy who washes our car that has a family to feed. 

Oscar was spot on when he connected the culture of "kitu kidogo" in paying a bribe to a police officer with other areas in our lives where we choose the easy way out. I even think about a PhD. It is hard work, but it is conceivable that someone could get a PhD by paying someone else to do the research for them or skating by on doing a less than thorough job. But either of those choices are unjust. The researcher is presenting their work as thorough and done with integrity, when in fact it was not. They not only undermine their own character, but they undermine the work of others who might - not knowing corners were cut - refer to their poorly done research.

As Christians, we are called to choose the costly, the difficult and the hard. We are not afforded the easy option, because the easy option cheapens ours or others work - that noble God-given calling. We are not afforded the cheap option, because it robs someone of their deserved wages. While Jesus did say his burden was easy and his yoke was light, Paul makes very clear that the Christian walk is still a difficult one that requires perseverance, sacrifices and trials. Our faith calls us to face life and make the right choice - no matter how difficult or costly. We are called to do the hard work involved in a PhD. We are called to pay the full price for a movie or song so that those who have done the work are paid for it. We are called to forego t.v. shows, movies, etc. when they're not legally available to us - even if they are available through illegal means - because it is the right choice, the choice of integrity that involves sacrificing our immediate desires for what's right. We need to be quick to forego our pleasures, if satisfying them would mean cheating another of their well-deserved wages.

We are called to stand against corrupt practices, to refuse to cheapen someone else's hard work and to forego pleasures and desires for righteousness sake.

Friday Notes: On History

"In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God."

~John 1:1~

The opening lines to John's Gospel, in pointing to Christ's eternal presence with God and as part of the Triune Godhead, also provides an illuminating perspective on history.  The Christian faith, the Biblical record, and the Triune God of which it speaks is a faith, a record, and deity that place a tremendous importance on history.  Weaved throughout Scripture and God's interaction of the world are two fundamentals: that history on this earth began at some specific point in time and that history is leading to some point in time - the culmination of all things.  There is a teleology to the Biblical narrative and Christian faith - that is, a direction of movement - that profoundly affects both how Christians should study history, as well as a deep importance Christians ought to place on the study of history (the "why?" of the study of history).

Before I go further, let me explain why this is the train of thought that has been on my mind recently and how it is important to where I am in my life.  One, it's important as I wrestle to understand the eternal significance of my vocational choice - the research, writing and teaching of history.  Second, it's important as I work out how my faith applies to that vocation.  In other words, as we all should be asking, I need to constantly be asking, "How does my faith, which is more important than my vocation, shape my vocation?"  Often times, it seems these two issues are either (a) separated in our practical lives or (b) "created equal" , as it were.  Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.  What we believe, which is foundational to the way we understand ourselves, others, our relationship to those others, and the world around us, shapes how we go about our work.  While our work, in turn, forces us to reevaluate and deepen our beliefs, fundamentally our work flows out of our worldview, not our worldview out of our work.

Part of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Ancient manuscripts with a history of
set in time past, both discovered and found in specific locations
and evidence of historical actors and actions. The history of these
scrolls is foundational to understanding their importance.

Returning then, to the practice of history and Christian faith.  Central to the Christian faith is: (1) the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (his Incarnation), (2) the written Word (i.e. the Bible) and (3) the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer in opening their eyes to the significance of Christ's atoning work (the Gospel) and the truth of the Word (the Holy Spirit as Teacher).  History plays a significant role in all of these.  As a result, history is both central to our faith and, thus, our "practice" (whether lay or scholarly) of how we understand this history is vitally important.

The reality and importance of history is at the heart of the Incarnation.  The affirmation of Old Testament prophecies of Christ's coming declare actions in the past, prior to his arrival - but looking forward towards his arrival.  In the same way, the Christian belief that God sent his Son in His timing is indicative of a God who believes that certain points in time - in which things have proceeded and others will follow - play a significant role in shaping the present and preparing for the future.  Christ was not sent at the flip of a coin and did not arrive at a different time, say during the activities of Alexander the Great.  Rather, Christ came at a time in the Roman Empire when the Gospel message could disseminate quickly, when Pontius Pilate and Herod were leaders in Judea.  Luke, the Doctor, opens his Gospel by setting the historical stage: "In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zachariah" (Luke 1:5).  Jesus took on the form of a man, was born, lived and died in God's timing.  To borrow a phrase from Paul's epistles, it happened in God's "proper time".  And Christ will return at a specific day and hour - a day and hour Jesus says only the Father knows. The Incarnation - Christ's life, death and the future hope of his return - is central to our faith and exists within a specific and linear concept of history.

Correct understandings of history, the remembering of history and the importance of history are stressed throughout Scripture, not just in the life of Christ.  The presence of the Bible's historical books are evidence of the importance the Hebrews placed on their own history. The stories of David, Samson, Ruth, Esther - these are declared as actual events that can be known and have been written down.  The prophets frequently refer to things which have happened, things which are happening and prophecies of those things which will happen.  The Bible also models the practice of historical writing.  Kings and Chronicles share similar stories, but with the narrative's shaped and details chosen to fit their specific purpose.  A historians limitations of knowledge, space and purpose of their writing continue to require these same editorial choices.  The Bible is also full of detailed and flawed figures - from all walks of life.  From the stories of kings to the story of two widows (Naomi and Ruth) and a businessman (Boaz) with which one of them falls in love.  This is significant - not because it tells the story of either the great or the "history from below" - but because it tells the history of individuals created by God in God's image.  Scripture affirms the historical significance of every life - something practicing historians continually wrestle with and seem to swing from one extreme to the other (biographies of great men vs. history of those who have no voice).  Rather, history indicates that the history of the rich individual, the poor individual, a group of people,  of men, of women, of politicians, of religious men, of thinkers, etc. are all important.  Contrary to some critiques, Scripture provides significant modeling to aid the actual practice of historical research and writing.

And lastly, the work of the Holy Spirit is of historical significance.  Whether in the Old Testament or New Testament, God's people are frequently called to "remember".  To remember what God had done (e.g. the crossing of the Jericho), to remember what they have learned (e.g. Paul's call to not forget what the believers were first taught), and too, in the way that Paul looks back to his Damascus Road experience, to remember that time when our eyes, heart and mind were opened to the reality of the Gospel.  Our Christian life is one framed within history. When we remember the depraved lives we lived before Christ, we remember our history.  When we remember what Christ has done in our life, we remember both our history before him and the history since accepting his atoning sacrifice, and in doing so, we compare two different periods of our history. An active of historical practice.

It's important to realize that at the heart of Christianity is the importance of history.  The affirmation that the Incarnation is a historical reality and occurrence.  The importance of history in the Biblical record.  And the importance of history in our own lives, in light of what the Holy Spirit has done in us and taught us.  

In closing, because history is so vital to our faith, how we understand, approach and understand the "realness" of history impacts our trust in Christ's atoning work, how we go about understanding studying Scripture (that there is a "then/there" in order to apply it to the "here/now" and that we can coe to understand this with a degree of accuracy) and how we understand the Spirit's sanctifying work in our lives.  Because of these things - recognizing this is a brief and quick overview - the study and practice of history is central to our lives as believers and rigorous and solid teaching about history and the skills of historical practice are absolutely essential to the believer's life and to their education.  We are a people of history and Christians ought to be leading the way in the practice and writing of history and Christian universities ought to be declaring to the world the centrality and essential need for the right practice and understanding of history.  History exists outside of ourselves - it points to a firm, knowable reality that is not ego-centric.  This, and so much more, is the response that a Christian perspective of history gives to a world of deconstructionism, postmodernism an doubt (a discussion to follow in a future "Friday Notes").