When reading chapter 2 the first time (many moons ago), I thought that the language Screwtape used to lecture Wormwood about what to do with his patient's recent decision to follow Christ carried not a sense of urgency, but rather a sense of smug confidence. Screwtape does have good reason to be confident of the wisdom he imparts to Wormwood: many new Christians come into the faith and follow Jesus for a time...and then for one reason or another fall away.
One major cause of this phenomenon is not so much the terrible vices which many believers in church communities regard as terrible sins (gluttony, alcoholism, smoking, drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, profanity, and so forth), but rather the more subtle sins involving such slip-ups as hubris (excessive pride), a lack of charity or giving without thought of gain, a lack of compassion, violent and perpetual anger at everything and everyone, and other such mistakes which almost all people make at one time or another in their lifespan. This is not to say that vices are not bad; all sins may be seen as equally bad, especially when we consider God's view of sin. What Wormwood is to do with his patient is to press forward with his temptations, since many would-be saints of the faith were brought to "our Father Below", Screwtape calls him, through relentless attacks over an entire lifespan which eventually caused their complete downfall.
I am certain that Screwtape does not believe the cause lost with Wormwood's patient. Indeed, the initial conversion is only the beginning of a very long struggle for our souls.
Considering much of the second half of the chapter, I almost chuckle at times at the little imperfections of the congregation in which the patient is situated. Small things to be upset about, really. Yet the chuckle is often rueful, since I'm often guilty of what Screwtape is encouraging Wormwood to tempt his patient with: the sort of pride which makes the Pharisee praying at the temple in the Gospels sniff and mutter, "Oh Lord, thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there". I'm serious; no getting off the hook on this one, as I have done so as recently as two Sundays ago. This part of the book is actually a very good gut-check: deny that oneself is looking down one's nose at the very imperfect individuals praying and singing hymns on either side, and any individual may be certain that he or she is walking in pride (I am ducking my head and raising my hand to say I'm guilty at this moment).
Perhaps I might take this a step further. What about looking down one's nose at the workplace? If this is considered, I am guilty every day. Perhaps even hour, if I am completely honest. The thought is quite discouraging, but I believe that Christ died for our sins, especially for the sins of prideful thought that truly do plague every man at some point.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
The Screwtape Letters, chapter 1
If anyone has gone out and purchased a copy of the Screwtape Letters and loved reading the first chapter, hooray! If you have not yet done so, please do and join in the reading.
One of the principal things which I was struck by upon reading the chapter again was the strategy Screwtape outlines for Wormwood regarding the patient's current situation and doings. Chiefly, the senior tempter instructs his nephew to carefully use the suggestion that reality trumps any silly notions concerning God and eternity in order to distract and deter the patient from thinking on these things. Insidious, is it not? Screwtape's example involving a former patient gives the impression that not only are the suggestions so seemingly harmless, but also that the suggestions are not even suggestions at all but rather flights of human thought and therefore of no consequence. To make delays on spiritual matters seem to be our own doing rather than attacks by the enemy who might not even be there...
There is also the matter of the "materialist" friend which Screwtape points out to Wormwood. I did not draw out a lot of deep theological meaning from this one, but I was reminded of the old adage "choose your friends wisely". In other words, the patient receives quite a bit of influence not just from Wormwood's suggestions but also from the company he keeps. Perhaps it's time to do a gut-check on the friends I've got? Oh, and just to be clear, co-workers are often a much different category than friends.
Questions? Comments? Be sure to leave your thoughts on this post and get some discussion if you wish to further delve into this chapter with me or others.
One of the principal things which I was struck by upon reading the chapter again was the strategy Screwtape outlines for Wormwood regarding the patient's current situation and doings. Chiefly, the senior tempter instructs his nephew to carefully use the suggestion that reality trumps any silly notions concerning God and eternity in order to distract and deter the patient from thinking on these things. Insidious, is it not? Screwtape's example involving a former patient gives the impression that not only are the suggestions so seemingly harmless, but also that the suggestions are not even suggestions at all but rather flights of human thought and therefore of no consequence. To make delays on spiritual matters seem to be our own doing rather than attacks by the enemy who might not even be there...
There is also the matter of the "materialist" friend which Screwtape points out to Wormwood. I did not draw out a lot of deep theological meaning from this one, but I was reminded of the old adage "choose your friends wisely". In other words, the patient receives quite a bit of influence not just from Wormwood's suggestions but also from the company he keeps. Perhaps it's time to do a gut-check on the friends I've got? Oh, and just to be clear, co-workers are often a much different category than friends.
Questions? Comments? Be sure to leave your thoughts on this post and get some discussion if you wish to further delve into this chapter with me or others.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
The Screwtape Letters, part 1: a preface
No, I will NOT post the entire book online, chapter by chapter. To do so would be an insult to the intelligence and reading abilities of you folks who are reading this blog.
Instead, I will be highlighting a few parts of each chapter and providing either a thought about the key phrases or an interpretation of Lewis' statement. A quick disclaimer: if someone sees something different than what my interpretation offers, that reader should immediately post their thought.
Having said that, here's a few reasons to read the Screwtape Letters.
1) C.S. Lewis, perhaps the best Christian author of the 20th century, wrote this book.
2) The book is cleverly written, and is an absorbing read if nothing else might be said about it.
3) Looking into the life of a very average man who makes the commitment to be a believer of Jesus Christ provides a chance to look at ourselves in much the same circumstances.
4) We take a glimpse at the war which is fought for our very souls every second, every minute, every hour of our lives and of the final victory which comes only through choosing to follow Jesus, who has called us to follow.
A look at chapter 1 will be in the next post, along with any news and thoughts about other subjects.
Instead, I will be highlighting a few parts of each chapter and providing either a thought about the key phrases or an interpretation of Lewis' statement. A quick disclaimer: if someone sees something different than what my interpretation offers, that reader should immediately post their thought.
Having said that, here's a few reasons to read the Screwtape Letters.
1) C.S. Lewis, perhaps the best Christian author of the 20th century, wrote this book.
2) The book is cleverly written, and is an absorbing read if nothing else might be said about it.
3) Looking into the life of a very average man who makes the commitment to be a believer of Jesus Christ provides a chance to look at ourselves in much the same circumstances.
4) We take a glimpse at the war which is fought for our very souls every second, every minute, every hour of our lives and of the final victory which comes only through choosing to follow Jesus, who has called us to follow.
A look at chapter 1 will be in the next post, along with any news and thoughts about other subjects.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Overtime, fog, and balance
I have been working twelve hour shifts for the past three days and have not possessed a lot of time to pour into writing, so please forgive me if all you readers out there wanted to smack me around with a nerf bat for not posting sooner.
Today on the way back from work, there was quite a lot of fog on the highway. I was reminded that the past few days, I had been operating in something of a mental fog. The long hours, combined with the type of work that I do and the fact that I did not really have a decent way to wind down after work before needing to go to bed, took a toll on my mind. I am able to take stock of myself and my surroundings more accurately. Stock of self: not running on a regular basis (MUST be corrected), drinking far too much alcohol (gotta cut back), and not able to tend to my personal budget and Christian disciplines of Bible reading and prayer. Stock of my surroundings: the local school districts are looking for substitute teachers (I'm qualified), one of my friends is going through a time of searching and job-seeking, the church where I am a member and regular attender is beginning a transition, my apartment has a lot of cleaning and tidying-up which must be done, the car needs to be cleaned...the list goes on, as you might guess.
I will not deliver a mind-blowingly deep philosophical treatise; indeed, such things are far beyond my capacity, much less my interest and patience. But here is a bit of truth: God gave us twenty-four hours in every day. How we spend those hours indicates whether or not we have balance in our lives. When we commit to one thing for too much time in a day, we begin operating in a mental haze.
I experienced this sort of thing when I was doing student teaching. Oh, I was fine during the time I spent in the classroom actually teaching and working with the students. Once school was dismissed for the day, my brain began operating at 10,000 RPMs, constantly trying to remind me of all the things that I had to do. I found that I was multi-tasking many different chores and trying to write out lesson plans and worksheets and find a chance to grab some down-time to relax and, and, and...not getting anywhere fast. I have since learned that balance (and a more disciplined approach to time management) are necessary no matter what the occupation is.
Perhaps this is why I do not mind overtime, but I do mind when work becomes all that I do in any given day. After all, when else can I read my bible, practice guitar chords and riffs, or write on this blog, eh?
Today on the way back from work, there was quite a lot of fog on the highway. I was reminded that the past few days, I had been operating in something of a mental fog. The long hours, combined with the type of work that I do and the fact that I did not really have a decent way to wind down after work before needing to go to bed, took a toll on my mind. I am able to take stock of myself and my surroundings more accurately. Stock of self: not running on a regular basis (MUST be corrected), drinking far too much alcohol (gotta cut back), and not able to tend to my personal budget and Christian disciplines of Bible reading and prayer. Stock of my surroundings: the local school districts are looking for substitute teachers (I'm qualified), one of my friends is going through a time of searching and job-seeking, the church where I am a member and regular attender is beginning a transition, my apartment has a lot of cleaning and tidying-up which must be done, the car needs to be cleaned...the list goes on, as you might guess.
I will not deliver a mind-blowingly deep philosophical treatise; indeed, such things are far beyond my capacity, much less my interest and patience. But here is a bit of truth: God gave us twenty-four hours in every day. How we spend those hours indicates whether or not we have balance in our lives. When we commit to one thing for too much time in a day, we begin operating in a mental haze.
I experienced this sort of thing when I was doing student teaching. Oh, I was fine during the time I spent in the classroom actually teaching and working with the students. Once school was dismissed for the day, my brain began operating at 10,000 RPMs, constantly trying to remind me of all the things that I had to do. I found that I was multi-tasking many different chores and trying to write out lesson plans and worksheets and find a chance to grab some down-time to relax and, and, and...not getting anywhere fast. I have since learned that balance (and a more disciplined approach to time management) are necessary no matter what the occupation is.
Perhaps this is why I do not mind overtime, but I do mind when work becomes all that I do in any given day. After all, when else can I read my bible, practice guitar chords and riffs, or write on this blog, eh?
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Continuing to work, even when you don't feel like it
I am employed on a temporary basis by a steel tool-fabrication factory in a town 25 minutes away from where I live. Now, the work which I do is not necessarily the most glamorous. Let's face it, assembling the toolholders and boring bars with the hardware necessary for the customers to use our products is not much fun. However, this job allows those parts to be shipped out, and when parts are shipped out, the plant makes money. That money pays our bills, pays for new raw steel to be shipped in, pays for the machines which we use, pays for machine tooling to replace worn-out or damaged tooling, and pays us all for the hours we work. It is important to keep this concept in mind for myself, as I would not want to show up for work otherwise. This is disregarding the fact that if I don't work, I'm homeless.
Having said that, I remember an incident only two weeks ago where a fellow temporary employee showed up for work, worked for an hour and thirty minutes, then said he was feeling tired, clocked out, and left.
I seem to recall a few things about the state of the national economy: unemployment stands at 9.1%, employers are hesitant to hire people who may not have the right job skills, pay-rates have been slashed for some sectors, and although manufacturing industries are slowly expanding, overall jobs growth is anemic at best. The employee that I am talking about is in his late teens/early twenties. I am in my late twenties.
Besides the generational gap between us, there is a definite work ethic gap between us. I suspect that this is what enabled me to return to full-time university studies while working full-time four years ago, survive on less than $500 a month while attending university full-time three years ago, pull off the best academic year I have ever had two years ago with barely enough money to pay for all expenses without a full-time job, and then finish up my senior year without enough money to pay for all education costs last year...and that was with student teaching.
Thinking back, there were several nights and days when I just did not want to continue working on the paper, lesson plan, journal, article, reflection paper, or assignment that was due the next day. Gritting my teeth and continuing to push through the fatigue and grogginess has given me teaching license eligibility, a bachelor's degree in history, and a coaching certificate in addition to this job which pays the bills and allows me to save a bit of money every month.
This stands in stark contrast to many people my age and younger who just don't feel like staying for the entire shift or showing up to work because of _______ (you may fill in the blank with any terrible excuse you might think of; legitimate family emergencies are not included, obviously). I think of the many low-paying jobs that I have had to share with these folks. I have wonderful references and a good work history because of my work ethic because I stayed and stuck it out when others decided not to show up. What does this say about them?
What does this post say about you? Are you someone who has taken several days off because you felt like it? Or because of poor decisions you made before you got to work that day, like consuming drugs or alcohol? Are you someone who has done tough work and seen other co-workers come and go? Are you a student set to graduate after this term? Are you wondering if you should have worked harder in school? Share your past experiences and what you have learned about yourself or others as a result. Just leave a comment below this post!
Having said that, I remember an incident only two weeks ago where a fellow temporary employee showed up for work, worked for an hour and thirty minutes, then said he was feeling tired, clocked out, and left.
I seem to recall a few things about the state of the national economy: unemployment stands at 9.1%, employers are hesitant to hire people who may not have the right job skills, pay-rates have been slashed for some sectors, and although manufacturing industries are slowly expanding, overall jobs growth is anemic at best. The employee that I am talking about is in his late teens/early twenties. I am in my late twenties.
Besides the generational gap between us, there is a definite work ethic gap between us. I suspect that this is what enabled me to return to full-time university studies while working full-time four years ago, survive on less than $500 a month while attending university full-time three years ago, pull off the best academic year I have ever had two years ago with barely enough money to pay for all expenses without a full-time job, and then finish up my senior year without enough money to pay for all education costs last year...and that was with student teaching.
Thinking back, there were several nights and days when I just did not want to continue working on the paper, lesson plan, journal, article, reflection paper, or assignment that was due the next day. Gritting my teeth and continuing to push through the fatigue and grogginess has given me teaching license eligibility, a bachelor's degree in history, and a coaching certificate in addition to this job which pays the bills and allows me to save a bit of money every month.
This stands in stark contrast to many people my age and younger who just don't feel like staying for the entire shift or showing up to work because of _______ (you may fill in the blank with any terrible excuse you might think of; legitimate family emergencies are not included, obviously). I think of the many low-paying jobs that I have had to share with these folks. I have wonderful references and a good work history because of my work ethic because I stayed and stuck it out when others decided not to show up. What does this say about them?
What does this post say about you? Are you someone who has taken several days off because you felt like it? Or because of poor decisions you made before you got to work that day, like consuming drugs or alcohol? Are you someone who has done tough work and seen other co-workers come and go? Are you a student set to graduate after this term? Are you wondering if you should have worked harder in school? Share your past experiences and what you have learned about yourself or others as a result. Just leave a comment below this post!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Next Phase in Life
Believe it or not, many folks come to a point where the road of life does not fork so much as turn into a free-way of a hundred or more exit ramps all branching off from the same highway. Now, I am sorta kinda past this point myself as I have tossed the dice on a career (teaching) and am preparing for my first few days of being a substitute teacher this month.
I do believe that many of my peers in the United States and also the rest of the world ages 25 to 34 are at something similar to the metaphor I have described above. The first career did not work out, the family business turns out not to be the dream that it seemed, an internship has just ended, work with an overseas mission agency is starting to wrap up, the harvest is over on the farm, or there just has to be something better out there than the current situation; whatever the case may be, I listen to the news and talk to friends in my age group and sense a general movement towards...
Towards what, exactly? A 50,000/year salary, a retirement/pension fund, a house to call home, a spouse and beginning family? Or to something else entirely, such as a life devoted to the faith, a life dedicated to serving others as a volunteer, a life doing something that you truly have a passion for rather than a life doing just enough to get by?
The book of Jeremiah offers some encouragement for any of you readers who are raising your hand and saying "Yes, that's me." In the 29th chapter at verse 11, God says through the prophet: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
I'm not exactly "saint" material, nor am I a very Biblically-educated Christian by any stretch of the imagination. Goodness, I only started seriously reading the Bible a month or so ago! I will not force anyone to conform with my beliefs using this blog or try to shove Christianity down a person's throat. I do want to allow readers to see some of the things which keep me going and draw from them if they will. If you object to anything I have written...well, you may always leave a comment under the post.
I do believe that many of my peers in the United States and also the rest of the world ages 25 to 34 are at something similar to the metaphor I have described above. The first career did not work out, the family business turns out not to be the dream that it seemed, an internship has just ended, work with an overseas mission agency is starting to wrap up, the harvest is over on the farm, or there just has to be something better out there than the current situation; whatever the case may be, I listen to the news and talk to friends in my age group and sense a general movement towards...
Towards what, exactly? A 50,000/year salary, a retirement/pension fund, a house to call home, a spouse and beginning family? Or to something else entirely, such as a life devoted to the faith, a life dedicated to serving others as a volunteer, a life doing something that you truly have a passion for rather than a life doing just enough to get by?
The book of Jeremiah offers some encouragement for any of you readers who are raising your hand and saying "Yes, that's me." In the 29th chapter at verse 11, God says through the prophet: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
I'm not exactly "saint" material, nor am I a very Biblically-educated Christian by any stretch of the imagination. Goodness, I only started seriously reading the Bible a month or so ago! I will not force anyone to conform with my beliefs using this blog or try to shove Christianity down a person's throat. I do want to allow readers to see some of the things which keep me going and draw from them if they will. If you object to anything I have written...well, you may always leave a comment under the post.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Autumn is here!
I'm nothing if not excited about the sudden plummet in temperature and the cold rain which has descended upon the valley between an outlying mountain ridge and the greater mountain range where I live. Autumn means many things that I love: the excitement of American football games played at local high schools and between some of the most prestigious American universities, the changing leaves of trees in my neighborhood, a crisp dry smell that lingers in my nose every time I breathe in (in general, just not today), barn parties, apple cider, pumpkins carved into jack o'lanterns, Oktoberfest beer by Samuel Adams, deer-hunting stories both true and fictional, and the anticipation of a bountiful harvest and Thanksgiving weekend.
If you have something to be thankful for, take the time to write it down somewhere. Should your keyboard be the closest thing to a writing utensil, go ahead and leave a comment on this post. Keep the language clean as children and grandparents may be reading this, and give thanks!
If you have something to be thankful for, take the time to write it down somewhere. Should your keyboard be the closest thing to a writing utensil, go ahead and leave a comment on this post. Keep the language clean as children and grandparents may be reading this, and give thanks!
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