Taking a Break

Just wanted to talk about something not theologically loaded so, two items:

Item one: This link is via Christ and Pop Culture. Now, I had never heard of Ken Myers before watching this clip (which, by the way, is nearly an hour, so be warned) but after about thirty minutes, I would have bought every book he has ever written and probably his top ten recommendations. Thankfully for my wallet, he has written only one book and he has a podcast. In any event, the video deals with such dense topics that I wish I had a transcript of it (that's not true; I wish I could hang out with him, record our conversations, and make transcripts of that). He talks about specialization of information mediums (for instance, a hymnal allows you not merely to list songs but to pass on a tradition of worship as well as instruction on music; a projector allows for convenience but also displays the transient nature of worship), how forms convey information just as words/lyrics do (certain kinds of music, regardless of lyrics, encourage a particular type of physical reaction through dance as well as an emotional reaction), and a host of other things. I will have to listen to it again tomorrow and take notes.

Item two: I went on this opening today to let a woman into her home. Dad was not feeling great and my brother was busy so I got the nod. The call went fine and the customer was quite appreciative of the service. We got to talking, as customers are wont to do, and she told me about the various stresses that made locking her keys in her house almost inevitable. Her oldest son is a tech in the Army, supposed to be fairly safe, but he fell off a guard tower on a rainy day and was injured. The injury itself was not too bad (broke a bone I think) but what happened was that he got an infection (I forget what she called it but she described it as like staph but much worse; started with an "M," I think). The infection went untreated for over two weeks and so now her son is in ICU about to undergo his fifth surgery. On top of that, her husband is flying back tonight, she is flying out, and she needed to go pick up her youngest boy. Suffice it to say, she was under the gun.

I confess to you now that I have never been good with dealing with other people's suffering. The tension of being truthful without dismissive is never more present then when someone is in the midst of crisis. And so, as she is describing her situation (as well as the string of six calls that it took to get a locksmith out to her) I know that I am there for a reason and I know that prayer is at the heart of it. But in my fear of appearing to push religion on someone in need, I finished up and only said that I would be praying for her and her son. Now, I say only purposefully because I find that people prefer to be prayed with and prayed over personally but I panicked and so it did not occur to me to just ask if she would mind. I don't want to make more out of this than it is and God will do good regardless of my clumsiness. I just missed out on a chance to see something of what he was doing.

What kills me is that I was listening to Ravi Zacharias on the ride there. He was making an observation about the story of Jesus healing of Bartimaeus. And it got me thinking about the faith it took to cry out for mercy to anyone when so many would have treated him as invisible or un-helpable or even deserving of his current state. And yet he shouted, over the protests and the jeers in the hope that Jesus might take notice. To think that any stranger would be concerned, let alone one whom he called "Son of David," and therefore a king and much favored by God. Mercy…he wasn't owed anything, he didn't deserve healing, but he needed mercy.

Dear Lord, have mercy on me, the greatest of sinners, unworthy though I am of your attention. I can't see what you are doing or how you are accomplishing it. I don't know what you are doing in the life of that woman or her son or the rest of her family. And yet, though I cannot see, I know that you are good and gracious and abounding in love and faithfulness. I pray that You will be glorified in their lives. I beg that you would be glorified in mine. Forgive me of my failings in your service and equip me to do those works which You have prepared for me. You are better than I ever dare to dream and I will thank You forever for the love you have bestowed on me.