Am I "Going Through" Something?
Got side tracked on what I heard God tell me this morning. "Get ready, get dressed and go out.". "But where should I go?" I responded to the thought. "Just walk". I didn't question the "thought" anymore. Once I actually started to 'look' for God a few years ago I learned that the "thought" was actually God.
Yes I know that sounds a little strange, especially to those that used to know me between 1997 and 2004. Although it would be difficult for me to put together all of the scattered pieces of what I thought and did through my life, I can "nail down" the seven years that I was the Executive Director of Free Bytes. I met a lot of people during that time, and a lot of people got to know me. During the most of that time I think other looked at me as simply a guy that believed in recycling and technology. I could say a lot more things about that, words like; humanitarian, "good guy", a hard worker, etc.
So, now it might seem to some that I have "fallen off the deep end". What happened to this sensible guy that led a nonprofit organization with a good purpose to do things to help the environment and others? These were things that made sense. What happened to the guy that seemed to be going after "the example" of what our culture seems to describe as someone who is going after something good and worthwhile? Is this guy simply "going through" something?
I don't see myself as someone that is "going through" anything. Of course our popular psychology would teach us that no one who is having difficulty in life would be able to see it for him or herself. I submit my writings for you to examine in that case. I know that what I say shows a very contrasting paradigm shift to what I used to think and believe, however nothing in my thought process is erratic and unfounded in sensibilities. And I am not the first person to go through a complete paradigm shift, which resulted in a complete contrast in my previous behavior. However if the change in my thinking led me to become a millionaire then most people would only consider me "quirky" or perhaps a bit "eccentric".
Was Jesus crazy? Or were Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew or any of those other guys? Were they "going through" some things? Would they have passed the test if the science of psychology had existed at that time. I present to you the idea that "popular" psychology did in fact exist and that these ordinary men that followed Jesus did not pass "the test". No, of course it didn't exist in its current form. I doubt even popular psychology of today will exist in it's current form a few hundred years from now.
The "argument" might be that the certifications like we have today did not exist. Well in a few hundred years perhaps psychologist will need to pass a test that requires a computer output which measures a psyionic signature; who knows. The point is, that there have always existed "respected" members of the community whose opinion lead large groups in how other people were viewed and categorized. Just because someone can rattle off terms like "psychological profile", "behavioral studies", or so many others does not mean that the concept did not exist in various ways throughout history.
Jesus is my Executive Director. Buckle your seatbelts for more paradigm shifting travels. Perhaps that is something else that might rattle some reality cages. Allow me to take you on a tour. Because we live in different times and have varied experiences there is, I believe, a different language that each of us might use to describe the same thing. With my background and experience, an Executive Director is someone that; leads by example, does the work, calls the shots, and takes the credit or the blame for where the organization is going.
He is also the one that has spent the hours, days, and weeks on 'the plan'. A plan that, though summarized in fifteen to thirty pages in an executive summary, has so many facets to it that he/she would have to take a great deal of time to explain why they are making many of the decisions that they might have throughout the week. The major decisions would typically be explained to the board of directors and a few key staff. However it would be doubtful anyone would know the full reasons why an Executive Director would make every decision that they have to make in the course of a day or week. This requires trust.
That is why I call Jesus my Executive Director. Just as a worldly Director of an organization, you have to trust the plan and direction of the leader of that organization in order to follow the direction of that company whole heartedly. And, in the case of a worldly E.D. I would not be privied to every facet of that plan before I began taking the steps to follow their lead. For me Jesus is like that, though I know He is so much more. In the first century the terms of Lord and King meant much more than they do today to the masses, so Jesus being referred to as Lord and King had mor meaning at that point in culture. I have a friend that referrs to God as his captain. And as I understand more and more about what a Lord and King is, I use those terms also.
So when this 'thought' , which I have tested(1)(2) begins to tell me what direction to go, I don't question it anymore. Because I've already tested it, I'm already familiar with it, and I already trust it. If I have truly come to believe that what comes to me is the Spirit(3)(4) of the living God, then what authority do I have to question His decisions? I won't leave you falsely thinking that I do this perfectly however. There are plenty of times that "the Spirit" will tell me something and I let my own desire to do something get in the way. And I could come up with my own list of excuses why, but I would rather spend time on correcting that flaw inside of myself.
1) 1 John 4:1
2) Gal 5:22-23
3) Jn 14:25-26
4) Jn 16:13
Yes I know that sounds a little strange, especially to those that used to know me between 1997 and 2004. Although it would be difficult for me to put together all of the scattered pieces of what I thought and did through my life, I can "nail down" the seven years that I was the Executive Director of Free Bytes. I met a lot of people during that time, and a lot of people got to know me. During the most of that time I think other looked at me as simply a guy that believed in recycling and technology. I could say a lot more things about that, words like; humanitarian, "good guy", a hard worker, etc.
So, now it might seem to some that I have "fallen off the deep end". What happened to this sensible guy that led a nonprofit organization with a good purpose to do things to help the environment and others? These were things that made sense. What happened to the guy that seemed to be going after "the example" of what our culture seems to describe as someone who is going after something good and worthwhile? Is this guy simply "going through" something?
I don't see myself as someone that is "going through" anything. Of course our popular psychology would teach us that no one who is having difficulty in life would be able to see it for him or herself. I submit my writings for you to examine in that case. I know that what I say shows a very contrasting paradigm shift to what I used to think and believe, however nothing in my thought process is erratic and unfounded in sensibilities. And I am not the first person to go through a complete paradigm shift, which resulted in a complete contrast in my previous behavior. However if the change in my thinking led me to become a millionaire then most people would only consider me "quirky" or perhaps a bit "eccentric".
Was Jesus crazy? Or were Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew or any of those other guys? Were they "going through" some things? Would they have passed the test if the science of psychology had existed at that time. I present to you the idea that "popular" psychology did in fact exist and that these ordinary men that followed Jesus did not pass "the test". No, of course it didn't exist in its current form. I doubt even popular psychology of today will exist in it's current form a few hundred years from now.
The "argument" might be that the certifications like we have today did not exist. Well in a few hundred years perhaps psychologist will need to pass a test that requires a computer output which measures a psyionic signature; who knows. The point is, that there have always existed "respected" members of the community whose opinion lead large groups in how other people were viewed and categorized. Just because someone can rattle off terms like "psychological profile", "behavioral studies", or so many others does not mean that the concept did not exist in various ways throughout history.
Jesus is my Executive Director. Buckle your seatbelts for more paradigm shifting travels. Perhaps that is something else that might rattle some reality cages. Allow me to take you on a tour. Because we live in different times and have varied experiences there is, I believe, a different language that each of us might use to describe the same thing. With my background and experience, an Executive Director is someone that; leads by example, does the work, calls the shots, and takes the credit or the blame for where the organization is going.
He is also the one that has spent the hours, days, and weeks on 'the plan'. A plan that, though summarized in fifteen to thirty pages in an executive summary, has so many facets to it that he/she would have to take a great deal of time to explain why they are making many of the decisions that they might have throughout the week. The major decisions would typically be explained to the board of directors and a few key staff. However it would be doubtful anyone would know the full reasons why an Executive Director would make every decision that they have to make in the course of a day or week. This requires trust.
That is why I call Jesus my Executive Director. Just as a worldly Director of an organization, you have to trust the plan and direction of the leader of that organization in order to follow the direction of that company whole heartedly. And, in the case of a worldly E.D. I would not be privied to every facet of that plan before I began taking the steps to follow their lead. For me Jesus is like that, though I know He is so much more. In the first century the terms of Lord and King meant much more than they do today to the masses, so Jesus being referred to as Lord and King had mor meaning at that point in culture. I have a friend that referrs to God as his captain. And as I understand more and more about what a Lord and King is, I use those terms also.
So when this 'thought' , which I have tested(1)(2) begins to tell me what direction to go, I don't question it anymore. Because I've already tested it, I'm already familiar with it, and I already trust it. If I have truly come to believe that what comes to me is the Spirit(3)(4) of the living God, then what authority do I have to question His decisions? I won't leave you falsely thinking that I do this perfectly however. There are plenty of times that "the Spirit" will tell me something and I let my own desire to do something get in the way. And I could come up with my own list of excuses why, but I would rather spend time on correcting that flaw inside of myself.
1) 1 John 4:1
2) Gal 5:22-23
3) Jn 14:25-26
4) Jn 16:13
posted by Timothy at 6/02/2006 05:06:00 AM
1 Comments:
Oh, and just to prove my imperfection :-) , I ended up writng again today instead of going out and letting the force lead me. But that's ok I suppose. However I should have simply and obediently walked right out the door this morning instead of allowng myslf to be distacted.
What did I do instead? Well, in addition to writing, I also washed dishes, cooked breakfast and ate. Then I took a shower and got back to writing. ... Take Care all!
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