Issues of Latent Anger

Once, when I was telling a few friends some of the odd things that I find humorous, they told me I might need counseling for some latent anger issues. They may be right... but I'm not the only one who thinks they're funny - it's in Hollywood, now!

There are several times when I will cheer in a movie when someone, who deserves to get beat (up) - and does - but, probably shouldn't b/c of their gender and/or age. For example, in the movie Dodgeball, when Joe's team is in their first match, and he hit's that girl right in the gut... I was like, "YEAHH!!!" The people I was with just kinda looked at me, as if I was weird. But, that was meant to be funny! Another example that I just watched in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, is when Jude Law punches Gwenneth Paltrow in the face to knock her out, so she wouldn't follow him into danger. I thought that was funny - I laughed out loud! I mean, he didn't hurt her really; and, if it was a guy of equal size and stature, we would think, "How noble of Jude, protecting his friend." But, because it was a woman, it's taboo. And, because it's taboo, when it's in the movie, it's comedy - that's the whole point of it all... it was supposed to be funny!

I tend to have very little pity for women and children. Perhaps I'm a product of the equality movements that have been lauded through society my entire life. If 'lesser' people want to be treated equally - as I believe everyone should be - then let it be. I see it as living life according to the "Golden Rule": Treat others like you'd like to be treated.
So, if someone is hurting, I'm not going to be coldhearted - I do believe in being compassionate. But, if someone's whining to me about their plight because they aren't being treated like a child, or if they're not being treated like the princess their parents did, I tend not to be sympathetic.

So, next time you're in a theatre, and a man and woman are fighting; and, when the guy decks the girl, and you hear someone in the theatre laughing - it's me... or someone like me.

Here's to women's lib, and anger latency!! :D

The Potter & the clay

This is a great post by a friend of mine, made on the discussion forum of my church (www.thecanopy.ca). I'm posting it hear with her permission b/c I think it'd benefit a lot of people. Thanks, Donloree!
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I have always loved the imagery in the Bible of us being the clay and God being the potter. On Sunday as I worked away on pottery I had some thoughts and so I decided to share them with you! The thing that most people don’t realize is that clay doesn't just get thrown onto the wheel and out comes an amazing piece, there is actually a lot of preparation that goes into the clay prior to being thrown.

I realized that we are more like clay than we would ever have realized. God has to work in us and make us usable clay prior to shaping us into what he wants us to be. Clay has to be malleable, but not too wet and not too hard. If the clay is too hard you can use it, but it takes a lot of work for it to be useable. The hard clay has to be broken apart into very small pieces and then soaked in water for some time so that it becomes soft enough to be molded back together. Then you have to knead it until it all of the excess water is worked out and the clay is uniform throughout. I think about when we are hard, how God has to break us and we need to soak in him to be usable again. The process seems painful and long, but if we don't go through it we will never be formed, rather we will sit on the shelf as a large lump of clay that is completely useless. Then while all the excess water is being squeezed out of us we think that we are being used again, when we are simply going through more of the preparation phase to be formed into what he wants to make us.

Clay has a certain amount of memory and needs to be worked into a new shape prior to being thrown. Usually it has been sitting in a box for months and needs to be worked so that it is all moving in the right direction. At first the clay is hard and stiff, but after awhile it becomes pliable and correctly shaped to be able to throw it. I would say that is true about us as well. When all we do it sit around not doing anything it takes a lot of work to make us even want to get moving and want to be shaped into something that God can use. We would rather stay in our square shape and think we are something that will be used than submit ourselves to the beginnings of formation.

The most critical part of throwing is the centering stage. The clay must be centered on the wheel perfectly for the piece that is being made to be well balanced and usable. The centering process is what takes the longest and the most focus. It takes a strong, stiff hand to make the clay centered. The clay is pushed and shoved into the center and cannot even begin to be shaped until it is centered. So often in life people want to be used, but refuse center themselves around God and take time to listen to what he is saying to them. If we continue to refuse to submit to God's centering we won't be shaped into what he has planned to make us. We will continue to fight against the stiff unmoving hand that wants to create something beautiful in us. When we submit we finally flourish and begin to be used by the potter.

Once the clay is centered the potter becomes gentle as harsh movements can cause damage to what is being created. Gentle prodding causes the compliant clay to simply fall into the shape that the potter desires. Also the potter continually pours water on the clay as it is being changed, stretched and shaped so that it won't dry out and will be able to be continually formed. God constantly pours grace out on us and the Holy Spirit keeps us soft and usable while we are being changed and formed. God does not desire that we dry out; rather he is patient, compassionate and full of mercy for us while his gentle hand works us into the shape he desires for our lives.

So let's refuse to be big, hard lumps of dirt! Let's submit ourselves to the almighty potter's hand and something beautiful will be shaped into our lives while he softens and makes us into something he can use - the very thing he desires us to be in the world!

Some more interesting Blog sites

I'm in Marketing & Advertising, so part of my daily routine is to scan the headlines to see what's happening in our world. This headline caught my attention:

Celebrities turn tables on tablois
Britney Spears announced her pregnancy on it, Rosie O'Donnel takes to verse in hers and last week Tom Green even used his to lash out at fellow comedian Martin Short and got fans to do the same.

The article wrote about a number of celebs & their blogs - maybe you want to check 'em out!

Keshia Chante - www.vikrecordings.com/keshia
Rosie O'Donnel - http://onceadored.blogspot.com
Bruce Willis - www.brucewillis.com
Melanie Griffith - www.melaniegriffith.com
Zach Braff - http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/gardenstate/blog

Other celebs mentioned in the article I read at www.canoe.ca were Jennifer Aniston, David Duchocny, and, Britney Spears, but their sites weren't listed.

Happy Blogging!

What About Bob?

But, my name isn't Bob - I just really liked the title of that movie. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it - very funny! But, that actually has nothing to do with what I want to write about.

This last week, I had the opportunity to take some time for myself - to do a few things I enjoy doing alone. Oh, wow! Do I ever miss them! For instance, I spent some time this week setting up a couple of new aquaria - something I haven't done for a while. I like to consider myself an aquatic gardener, so the choice and arrangement of plants is really what take the majority of time. I love to just sit in front of the tanks, looking at the arrangement, and visualize what it's going to look like in a week or so, as the tank grows.

The problem with this wonderful activity, is that it's not interactive at all. But, I've been giving so much over the last couple of months or so, that I feel like it's the only thing I want to do. I'm fighting the urge to take back all of the effort I've invested in building some great relationships over the past year. There's a part of me that just wants to recluse - forsake everyone, and just hermit in front of my fish tanks.
Now, I know there are some of you who'll say, "Good for you, J - or Bob, whatever you want to call yourself;" but, I don't want to lose the investment I have in some wonderful people - I don't even want to stop investing.
I think the trick, here, is to feed that hermit inside me just enough to keep him from taking over. I can cut back a bit on my socializing - or at least not add anything else to my schedule - and still spend time with the people that matter. Plus, with the way time is flying by, my vacation time will be here in no time! West Coast, sunshine, and a couple of AMAZING friends - all with one fantastic woman! Woo Hoo!

Blogging is so therapeutic. I think I really need to take time, again, to blog regularly. This is great. I'll have to get into the inspiration again, too, so that I can at least write something worth reading.
Thanks to all of you, who read my blog - even if I never talk to you, it means something knowing that a piece of me is touching others. Blessings!

Wedding Bells are ringing

Well this seems to be the year of the bride! I posted a while ago that my mom is getting married this fall, which has made me quite excited. I also found out earlier this year that another friend is getting hitched this summer - I was planning on heading to the Coast for that wedding, but plans changed, so I'll only be able to hit the reception here in Edm.
Then I found out that two good friends of mine are heading to Hawaii in about a week to tie the knot! How romantic! They're getting married on a beach at sunset! Can you believe it?! I'm sending a camera with them to capture the memories!
Now, just last weekend, I learned that my sister is engaged! Her beau proposed at one of her favorite places in the world, on their 6 yr dating anniversary! What a guy! He even took the time to have the Man-to-Man chat with our Dad before they went on the trip - had my sister in tears! I am so happy for the two of them!

With all of these weddings on the horizon has yours truly thinking a lot about his own singleness. I'm about ready for the single J to die, and for the married J to be born.
Life seems to be a series of rebirths. In evangelical Christianity, we talk about being Born Again when we 'invite Jesus into our hearts'. From then on, we're a new being - so our theology tells us.
However, I'm finding that, even in my own spirituality and life with God, I am constantly being Reborn. As I gain new revelation, and learn more about humanity, part of me is always dyeing, just as another part is being born for the first time, or maybe for the umpteenth time. I don't think we ever arrive.
That seems to be the arrogance of most of the major religions - each of us seem to think we've found God... and that's it. He fits in a box, and it's our box (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, etc.). It's folly to say that God fits only one box.
Oh, I believe He does fit in a box, alright. But, I think His box is all of us. When He breathed into Adam, He gave the first man His Spirit. And, this first man is at the head of every family tree - we all come from this first man's life - so, why wouldn't we all have this same Spiritual Life that God gave Him?
This is what I believe is the fundamental message of the Gospel of Jesus. Every religion believes that something has to be done in order for man to be in a right-relationship with God. So, Jesus did something! He gave Himself as the sacrifice for all time, so that men - no matter who they are, or where they came from - can know God. No penance, no sacrifice, no good deeds to earn our way into heaven.
No, God became a man, in Jesus, so that He could show the way - once for all - to Himself. If we follow Jesus, we'll find God. And, we don't have to wait until we die to do so! He's alive and among/within us even now. That is the hope of the Gospel. And, that is why we can continually be Reborn - it's God within us that is continually revealing Himself in the box of ourselves.

Crazy theology, I know. But, it keeps me going. I pray it's a blessing to you.