Community

My wife last night reminded me of what a cornerstone community is in my life and living. Distinguishing the shadows cast by those closest to us are the best way to illuminate a life. Here are few reflections from this realization:

My first acknowledgement of community came at the lack of it I felt in junior high and high school. Somewhere in there I decided to start asking God to send me some people. It didn’t have to be an extensive assembly; it was probably better if it wasn’t. I just wanted some fellows who shared my values and my conviction for Christ. The brothers I instinctively knew I was supposed to have around me weren’t there. So I prayed long and hard for them. And waited.

Then came college and Brothers Under Christ, a national Christian fraternity whose chapter at the University of Oklahoma had just taken off. It was purely providence to landed alongside these men and spent 4 years of my life praying together, playing together, comforting, sharpening, and protecting each other; constantly pointing one another to Jesus Christ, our King who is unashamed to call us His brothers. It was with these men who taught me how to learn, lead, disciple, and love my brothers deeply.

Coming to seminary, being an adult, moving on... community didn’t’ come along as easily. And then I walked into Normandale Baptist Church one November and found spiritual family in a room full of short-term strangers. They’ve since grafted me in and granted me the privilege of serving them in leadership.

And then there’s my wife, Jenny, who teaches me more about my God, myself, and my fellow mortals than I could ever learn alone. She is my constant companion and community.

I don’t mean to be overly sentimental about this, but it’s true. These people are family. And this truth of community and its influence on the course of my journey waves like a banner over my calling and ministry.  I hope to encourage and engender community and discipleship in those God allows me to touch. 

Blue Lanterns Arrive Just in Time

DC Comics and writer Geoff Johns have delivered a super group for we melancholy/INFJ superhero fans. 

The Blue Lantern Corps was introduced a few months ago in the pages of Green Lantern, but

 this past week we got a real fleshing out of these guys and their purpose in GL # 36. 

The Blue Lanterns differ from the other Lantern corps in many ways. Whereas Green Lanterns draw from their willpower, Red Lanterns from their rage, Sinestro Corps (Yellow) from fear, and several others that operate along the same lines (Orange - avarice, Indigo - compassion, Sapphire - love, and the coming dreaded Black Lanterns -death); Blue Lanterns draw their power from that which is considered most powerful: hope. And the ongoing saga of the Lantern Corps forshadows the Blue Lanterns will play an integral role in the approaching War of Light. 

The other corps recruit their members by arbitrarily allowing the rings to seek out individuals that have the right stuff for each corps. The Blue Lanterns (like all great melancholys) take the personal approach and recruit one-by-one. These aliens from all different space sectors undergo three days of training and are then offered membership as a Blue Lantern if they so decide. 

 

Geoff Johns again displays his remarkable insight into myriad aspects of the human condition by focusing on the development of the Blue Lanterns as the INFJs of the universe. He gathers, slowly but surely, a group of individuals whose hope is great and who have the ability to channel that hope and use it to inspire others. 

The Blue Lanterns aren't the flashiest corps, and much in part to the absence of true understanding and grasp of hope in the universe, their numbers are small. But they serve an important function as their rings can heal wounds, neutralize the corruptive effects of the Red Lantern rings, and recharge a green power ring to twice its maximum power level. The blue rings are quite unique because, unlike the other power rings that draw from the willpower aspects of the wearer, they act on the psychosis of the individual targeted by the Blue Lantern.  

So thank you Geoff  for creating a corps to which we melancholys can really relate!

(end of geek-out post) 

"On Knowing Ourselves" - Thomas a' Kempis

Let's just call this one a "guest post."

Since one of the focuses of "Am I Blue" is to encourage and edify others in personal introspection and spiritual development and discipleship, this posting of a particular section of Thomas a' Kempis' The Imitation of Christ seemed quite appropriate.


--On Knowing Ourselves--

We may not overtrust too much in ourselves, for we often lack grace and understanding. There is little light in us, and even this we easily lose through carelessness. Moreover, we often do not realize how blind we are. We often do evil, and we do worse in excusing ourselves. Sometimes we are moved by passion, and mistake it for zeal. we rebuke small faults in others, but overlook greater faults in ourselves. We are too quick to resent and feel what we suffer from others, but fail to consider how much others suffer from us. Whoever considers his own defects fully and honestly will find not reason to judge others harshly.

The spiritual man puts the care of his soul before all else; and whoever diligently attends his own affairs is ready to keep silence about others. You will never become interior and devout unless you refrain from your criticism of other, and pay attention to yourself. If you are wholly intent on God and yourself, you will be little affected by anything outside this. Where are you when you fail to attend yourself? And when you have occupied yoruself in countless affairs, what have you gained, if you have neglected your soul? If you really desire true peace and union with God, attend to yourself, and set aside all else.

Keep yourself free from all worldly entanglement, and you will make good progress; but if you set great value on any worldly things, it will prove a great obstacle. Let nothing be great, pleasant or desirable to you save God alone, and whatever comes of God. Regard as empty comfort all things that derive from creatures. The soul that loves God regards as worthless al things other than God. God alone is eternal and immeasurable, filling all things; He alone is the true comfort of the soul and joy of the heart.

Are Animals People Too?

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have inundated the holiday airwaves with new ads featuring the music and persona of Sarah McLachlan. These seem to run each commercial break (often during the course of just one program) on major networks over the recent holiday season and into this new year. McLachlan's "Angel" or the sacred "Silent Night" plays over images of cute dogs and cats, making the commercial akin in spirit to those of organizations that help underprivileged or starving children.

While animal cruelty is a moral atrocity and a matter that should be dealt with seriously, these commercials are over the top. Simply by choice of music (especially "Silent Night"), the argument is made, however emotionally, that there is a spiritual tone in their plea to save these animals who have been left on the streets to die or have experienced abuse becuase their owners were inconvenienced or grew tired of them.

Might I interject and say there is an entire population of human beings who are being killed, not just left on the street, because they are considered an incovenience. I considered unborn children as I listened to the lyrics of Silent Night: "round yon virgin/mother and child/holy infant so tender and mild" played over images of dogs and cats! Does this make sense to anyone? How have we elevated animals to such lofty heights and yet kill unborn human beings so easily? The ad makes use of music meant to honor Christ's birth and majesty to further the idea of animal equality, however so subtle.

The commercial itself is really a tragic signal to me that two groups have now merged: the extreme left animal activists and the sympathetic animal lover. The message in this ad appeals to both. And its presentation and underlying message compliment much more radical attempts in recent years to give more and more rights to animals. Consider Britain's proposed "Animal Welfare Bill" of 2006, granting pets...oh, sorry, how un-PC of me...granting "companion animals" some of the very rights given to human beings.

It really says something about a culture when they continually devalue human life and dignity while simultaneously elevating the "rights" of animals. The recent ad by the ASPCA does highlight the very real and relavent problem of animal cruelty, but perhaps more critically, its delivery and tone show us that the radical animal rights movement is gaining ground.

'Flying in Iraq With Superman'

A cool story for you fans of Big Blue...

The Louisiana-based 1-244 Assault Helicopter Battalion is made up of superheroes. 

A-Company is named after Superman...B-Company is named after Batman, and then some.

Read 'Flying in Iraq with Superman' from the Times Online. 

Thanks to you guys in the 1-244 and all our brave men and women serving to keep us safe!