I just wanted to take a moment to check in and let any who may be curious that all is well. My wife and I just celebrated the birth of our first boy child. He has been named in the family tradition leaving him to be the fifth generation to bare the exact same name.
Watching the miracle of life being thrust into your home is quite a mind awakening experience and has given cause to much meditation of my part. In many ways it would be suitable to believe that I would gather an entire scrawling on my thoughts and emotions of the ordeal, however, for now I desire to remain silent. Some areas of thought and emotion are meant for the family and there it will stay.
I end with stating that I will come back with a storm of scrawlings soon enough and that I must thank God for this miracle.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
"God and Liberty"
In a recent reading of "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life" by Walter Isaacson I was overwhelmed with the length of knowledge to be had. In particular was the retelling of an incident that occurred between Voltaire and Franklin. The following is drawn from Isaacson’s account.
In 1778 Benjamin Franklin made a trip to see a dying Voltaire in hopes of receiving a blessing for his 7 year old grandson Benny Bache. Franklin, being the practical man he was, desired the blessing of a man that meant so much to the Enlightenment world. Voltaire complied and simply consecrated the boy with, “God and Liberty.”
This scene alone would have produced a scrawling from this author; however, it was the response of then Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson that invoked my inner wheels of thought. When news of this benediction made its way back to the governor he responded to the scene by stating, “difficult to say which of those words had been most used to bad purposes.”
This casual response from the governor to a dying man’s most basic blessing captures a spirit that has haunted civilization for centuries. Nearly every war that has ever been thought worthy of the fight has been in the name of either God or liberty. Many corrupt methods in business and government find their justification, wrongly so, in either God or liberty.
The reason I find these two words used in this manner so provocative is due to their nature being of a moralistically good bent, not the corrupted, violent bent that man has spun. God is a term used to represent a divine being that governs the world through his providence. Liberty, on the other hand, does not necessarily depend on a supernatural being, but does depend on an unnatural state for all adherents to live in.
Of the world religions that are in popular practice today a majority contain tenets of love and individual freedoms. They will preach of assertive, not aggressive, methods of the advancement of their beliefs. A call to assist the less fortunate and to sacrifice for the benefit of others becomes a common thread.
In liberty the rules are quite simple: no man shall impede the advancement of another. Adherents to this philosophy, which is the primary philosophy in the U.S., fully believe that we should only take action against others when the others have taken unjustifiable action on their neighbor. Essentially do no harm to anyone when no harm has been done.
In conclusion, I wish I could go into more detail but the words are becoming too great in number. It is time that we as a people realize a struggle that was discovered by Voltaire, recognized by Hutchinson, and revisited today. Our personal interests in a relationship with God compounded with our need for individual liberties should never become the source of our corrupted actions. We are, at the heart of all things, a corruptible people that act in ways that offend our neighbor. When such action occurs understand this is the natural state in which we exist, not the superior state in which we strive. God and liberty lie counter to us, yet through divine providence we are able to achieve both.
In 1778 Benjamin Franklin made a trip to see a dying Voltaire in hopes of receiving a blessing for his 7 year old grandson Benny Bache. Franklin, being the practical man he was, desired the blessing of a man that meant so much to the Enlightenment world. Voltaire complied and simply consecrated the boy with, “God and Liberty.”
This scene alone would have produced a scrawling from this author; however, it was the response of then Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson that invoked my inner wheels of thought. When news of this benediction made its way back to the governor he responded to the scene by stating, “difficult to say which of those words had been most used to bad purposes.”
This casual response from the governor to a dying man’s most basic blessing captures a spirit that has haunted civilization for centuries. Nearly every war that has ever been thought worthy of the fight has been in the name of either God or liberty. Many corrupt methods in business and government find their justification, wrongly so, in either God or liberty.
The reason I find these two words used in this manner so provocative is due to their nature being of a moralistically good bent, not the corrupted, violent bent that man has spun. God is a term used to represent a divine being that governs the world through his providence. Liberty, on the other hand, does not necessarily depend on a supernatural being, but does depend on an unnatural state for all adherents to live in.
Of the world religions that are in popular practice today a majority contain tenets of love and individual freedoms. They will preach of assertive, not aggressive, methods of the advancement of their beliefs. A call to assist the less fortunate and to sacrifice for the benefit of others becomes a common thread.
In liberty the rules are quite simple: no man shall impede the advancement of another. Adherents to this philosophy, which is the primary philosophy in the U.S., fully believe that we should only take action against others when the others have taken unjustifiable action on their neighbor. Essentially do no harm to anyone when no harm has been done.
In conclusion, I wish I could go into more detail but the words are becoming too great in number. It is time that we as a people realize a struggle that was discovered by Voltaire, recognized by Hutchinson, and revisited today. Our personal interests in a relationship with God compounded with our need for individual liberties should never become the source of our corrupted actions. We are, at the heart of all things, a corruptible people that act in ways that offend our neighbor. When such action occurs understand this is the natural state in which we exist, not the superior state in which we strive. God and liberty lie counter to us, yet through divine providence we are able to achieve both.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
To: Pastor Duane
The following story is adapted from a story as told by Benjamin Franklin who probably adapted it from someone else.
One day there was a man and his boy who were indebted to their master. Without fail they would go out and do as the master pleased as often as they were able. Daily they would be full of joy, for their master was good. In all his goodness the master declared that the man and his boy should travel to the next town over and help spread his good practices. Before they left they were given a gift to assist in their pilgrimage, this gift was a donkey so that it may carry their burden.
The man and his boy quickly set off in the early morning hours with father in the position of honor and respect by riding upon the back of their pack animal. It was not long on the road before a few passersby came to criticize the two, stating that the father was fairly inconsiderate by making his son walk the way to where they were heading. The man not wanting to offend any quickly came down off his gift and allowed his son to ride while he walked alongside.
They went on in this fashion for a short time before anyone else crossed their path. Then they came upon an intersection where there were many people. At this point many of the confused individuals who spent all their days at intersections began to call out to the boy. They would say, “How dare you young boy make your old father walk, you should be whipped,” or “Look at that dreadful character of a boy making his poor father keep pace by foot.” Fully complexed the father and boy looked at each other and the boy leapt from the donkey.
Standing next to the donkey they both thought long and hard and decided the only thing to do would be to both ride the gift from their master. The boy helped his father back on and the man helped his son. With both upon the back of their animal of burden they set forth once again.
It was not long before their next encounter, and once again it was none to kind to them. A man crossed them and was quite rude about it all. He complained of them both riding the donkey, stating that it was unfair to the animal. He made such a ruckus that before long there were a few in the crowd all saying the same thing.
Again, the man and the boy were not sure what to do so they both came down off the donkey and began to walk. They knew it was not much further now to the next town and decided it may be best to simply walk instead of harming their master’s name by using his gift for their needs.
With the destination in sight they thought they had finally done right when, suddenly, the master crossed their path. He looked upon the man and the boy and became quickly disappointed by neither of them using his gift. Calling both of them by his side he told them to turn back to whence they came, for they would not be allowed to enter this new town. When asked why, the master answered, "I gave you a gift to use; it was a gift just for you given by me. You were to use it along your way, instead you cast it aside. This gift that was given should have been used properly; instead you listened to the men on the road and stopped receiving what I had given. Only a man that has and uses my gift may enter my new town. You have but you do not use, therefore you must go back.”
The man and his boy turned back, leaving their donkey at the point in which they last met the master, and walked towards whence they came. To this day it is uncertain that they ever made it back to that town, but it is certain that their gift can still be found exactly where they left it: along the pilgrimage road.
This is entitled “To: Pastor Duane” in recognition of his always using his gifts and not altering because of critics. Pastor, you will be allowed into the new town and your gift will be found in the hearts of those you have TOUCHed and not sitting alongside the road.
One day there was a man and his boy who were indebted to their master. Without fail they would go out and do as the master pleased as often as they were able. Daily they would be full of joy, for their master was good. In all his goodness the master declared that the man and his boy should travel to the next town over and help spread his good practices. Before they left they were given a gift to assist in their pilgrimage, this gift was a donkey so that it may carry their burden.
The man and his boy quickly set off in the early morning hours with father in the position of honor and respect by riding upon the back of their pack animal. It was not long on the road before a few passersby came to criticize the two, stating that the father was fairly inconsiderate by making his son walk the way to where they were heading. The man not wanting to offend any quickly came down off his gift and allowed his son to ride while he walked alongside.
They went on in this fashion for a short time before anyone else crossed their path. Then they came upon an intersection where there were many people. At this point many of the confused individuals who spent all their days at intersections began to call out to the boy. They would say, “How dare you young boy make your old father walk, you should be whipped,” or “Look at that dreadful character of a boy making his poor father keep pace by foot.” Fully complexed the father and boy looked at each other and the boy leapt from the donkey.
Standing next to the donkey they both thought long and hard and decided the only thing to do would be to both ride the gift from their master. The boy helped his father back on and the man helped his son. With both upon the back of their animal of burden they set forth once again.
It was not long before their next encounter, and once again it was none to kind to them. A man crossed them and was quite rude about it all. He complained of them both riding the donkey, stating that it was unfair to the animal. He made such a ruckus that before long there were a few in the crowd all saying the same thing.
Again, the man and the boy were not sure what to do so they both came down off the donkey and began to walk. They knew it was not much further now to the next town and decided it may be best to simply walk instead of harming their master’s name by using his gift for their needs.
With the destination in sight they thought they had finally done right when, suddenly, the master crossed their path. He looked upon the man and the boy and became quickly disappointed by neither of them using his gift. Calling both of them by his side he told them to turn back to whence they came, for they would not be allowed to enter this new town. When asked why, the master answered, "I gave you a gift to use; it was a gift just for you given by me. You were to use it along your way, instead you cast it aside. This gift that was given should have been used properly; instead you listened to the men on the road and stopped receiving what I had given. Only a man that has and uses my gift may enter my new town. You have but you do not use, therefore you must go back.”
The man and his boy turned back, leaving their donkey at the point in which they last met the master, and walked towards whence they came. To this day it is uncertain that they ever made it back to that town, but it is certain that their gift can still be found exactly where they left it: along the pilgrimage road.
This is entitled “To: Pastor Duane” in recognition of his always using his gifts and not altering because of critics. Pastor, you will be allowed into the new town and your gift will be found in the hearts of those you have TOUCHed and not sitting alongside the road.
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