Virtual Simper

Leetle Beet of Chaos

2008-10-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

For reasons I'll not go into here, I've found myself alone in various eateries over the past few days. Without fail, a table near me has been surrounded by 3-5 middle-aged men, dressed business casual, sitting around sternly conversing regarding the economy, the 'housing bill,' real estate, mortgages, etc. Sometimes they're trying to explain to one another what is happening. I'm not sure where they get their definitions or understanding (Rush Limbaugh? CNBC? FOX News?) but it's interesting to see their disposition. Right now I'm listening to NPR and Terry Gross is treating us to some Wall Street history. Anyway, it seems like everyone agrees on one thing: things will never be the same. Is that a bad thing?

Mostly, I'm just throwing up this post because it's been over a month since I've posted anything. But I'm also thinking to myself that it's been a long, long time since American and Americans were really into building a Country as opposed to building an Economy. It's like so many are more into development (technological, industrial, agricultural, political, cultural) that has an ultimate goal of wealth as opposed to true self-sustaining systems on a global scale - or even on a national scale. Quite simply, Christ and the kingdom of God which he announces and indeed ushers into this world (along with the likes of John the Baptist, Paul and others) had and has the answers to these things. That may sound like an over-simplification but it's true. If the amount of time, energy and money spent inventing all of these different, creative, innovative investment vehicles, opportunities, companies, etc. were to have been spent cleaning, healing, helping, developing, serving, creating something that is real and tangible - that could have really been something. Instead - what we have to show for it are a bunch of homes. A bunch of empty homes. We're fooling ourselves when we think that we're making any sort of "progress" when the penultimate example is not some revolutionary invention or way to eradicate disease, some development which curbs the over-consumption of the earth's resources or bringing stability to mankind. Instead, we have some very creative people who know how to trade paper - in effect: gamble. When that paper looks thin - what we've got to back it up is (once again) NOT any phenomenal, revolutionary development.

Today is the 14th anniversary of my wedding day. That was an awesome day - a long awaited and forever favorably remembered day. I couldn't have told you anything about the economy in those days. I didn't care. I just needed enough money to make the rent payment on our 1 bedroom apartment. Those were the days! I think we both figured that it didn't matter what we had or where we lived or what we didn't have, as long as we were together. Now, 14 years later in these times of uncertainty - I still feel the same - it really doesn't matter, where or what or how - as long as we're together in a such a way that we can continue our God given purpose of raising our kids as citizens of the kingdom. If this financial mess teaches me anything it's that I don't want to miss the point - I don't want to congratulate myself for becoming a professional paper-trader. Instead, I want to learn to let God bring true progress, growth, transformation to and among our family - in such a way that it isn't just an empty (albeit good-looking) shell. I should like that our relationship and our family would become an effective force for true God.

I love you babe and even though I'm hopeful we won't have to ... I'd be glad to live in a shack out back as long as it was with you. You're all that I think about - and I still can't believe you're mine. I'm forever yours!

Party Shuffle Party

2008-08-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

So, I thought I'd join bucky's party and post the results of a Party Shuffle refresh...

Apparently, Party Shuffle isn’t something I ever do. If it was, DELETE is something I would probably do more often.

The Happy Song – Delirious

-yes, it is happy

God of Wonders (live) – Caedmon’s Call

-good version of a good song

Love Is Blindness – U2

-a favorite, the live version rules

Bushfire – The B-52’s

-is that Phil Hartman singing?

I Think I’m a Clone Now – Weird Al

-Celebrity Death Match: Tiffany v. Debbie Gibson

Golden Years – Bowie

-Not my favorite Bowie song

Walk On (Single Version) – U2

-ATYCLB was released 8 years ago? Whoa

Wish I Could – Norah Jones

-my wife hates her

Harelem’s Nocturne – Alicia Keyes

-my wife loves her

Every Breath You Take – UB40

-sweet cover

Remember Me – Bo Bice

/me hangs head and walks out of the room

Bossy Boots Song – Spongebob Squarepants

-this makes up for Bo Bice, IMO

Waiting for the Night (sonic) – Depeche Mode

-their remixes are always cool

Love Song – Third Day

-one of the first songs I tried to play on guitar (still trying)

Every Breath You Take – Police

-I guess iTunes prefers the original

November has Come – Gorillaz

-these songs get stuck in my head

Love Can Make You Sin...

2008-08-19T14:32:00.001-07:00

We've all done it (at least it makes me feel better to think that we have), and my singinest sister (Heather Lynn) is a master at it -and it is messing up the lyrics to a song. I'll leave the humorous anecdotes for others who are more witty than I. My discovery wasn't all that funny in any way - made less so by the fact that my discovery was made alone - mostly it made me feel like more of a dolt than usual.

A sort of eclectic song that's been in my play list since 1988, "Breakfast in Bed" which has probably been remixed and re-done 10 different times caught my attention yesterday. I'm most familiar with UB40's version but the song showed up again on the soundtrack of 50 First Dates a few years back too. Anyway, it's a sinful sort of song which has a hurt fellow running to the arms of his some-time lover for "breakfast in bed" where she tells him, "you don't have to say you love me." The original was written with different words - but UB40's rendition ends the little chorus with "...love can make you sing..." I actually had always thought that the lyric was "...love can make you sin..." So, I was wrong ... I guess it's "love can make you sing" not "sin" but no matter that my epiphany was based on a mistaken lyric.

I started thinking ... love can make you sin? Isn't that a strange thought? Is it valid? I guess it depends upon how you define love (not to mention how you define sin). In the moment that song was playing yesterday - it just seemed like a profound idea to share with my up-and-coming children (2008 is the year Sierra becomes a teenager). The idea that true love can never make you sin - not when it is properly understood and properly placed. The Greatest Commandment is to love the Lord our God with everything we are and have - that is true love. Acting out that sort of love cannot lead to sin. He loved us first and He is love - and there is no law which stands against love. If that's true then ... the practice of true love cannot possibly lead to sin.

If we find ourselves stepping into sin it cannot be on behalf of love. If we call it that, we are deceived - or simply using a word to describe something other. The same thing that inspires a definition as given in 1 Corinthians 13 cannot also inspire one to sin, no matter the circumstances.

I suppose this is all semantics. But I guess I fear that young folk (since I no longer qualify as one) find some comfort in justifying their promiscuous dalliances by claiming love. I want to at least remove that comforting justification. Call it what it is: attraction, desire, lust, self-seeking, pleasure, infatuation, but stop short of calling it love if it causes you to sin. And really, not even with young folk - but with whomever might follow the missives of the heart when the heart itself can be the most deceitful of things.

Anyhow, seemed as though I needed to slap some thoughts up in cyberspace - might as well be these. It's true, Love can make you sing! (too bad the characters portrayed in this lyric aren't practicing true love).

Welcome to IB, now go home

2008-07-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

Here in Southern California we have beaches. Miles and miles of beaches. Some of them have sand, some of them have rocks. Some of them have sand and rocks. Some of them have sewage draining from nearby Tijuana River Valley into them. Some of them have sand-castle contests. This is what it looks like at the ones with the later:

It was fun to be with family - and a nice day with the sun masked by just a bit of afternoon haze. The kids perferred this action to the sand-castles:

Breaking a record I set about 8 years ago, I've been to the beach like twice this summer. It really is the best way to completely drain the kids - there can't be a better way to have fun. It occurs to me that we should go more often. If we do go more often - we're opting for the beaches without ongoing sand-castle competitions, a high ration of sand to rocks and a low ratio of sewage-borne bacteria (if we can help it) and a high ratio of space to people. Imperial Beach only meets one of the criterea (nice sand) ...

what is 35?

2008-07-10T05:52:00.000-07:00

sounds old to me

maybe it's "too young to reason, to0 old to dream"

Per a book I read - I was thinking of starting/joining a Global Unterror Network (GUN) where:

...groups of seemingly disparate people defect and band together in the way of Jesus, they form what we might call unterror cells. They secretly plot detonations of hope. They quietly conspire to set off explosions of spontaneous kindness. They plan gentle coup d'etats to replace regimes of domination and oppression with movements of empowerment and service. In a complete overthrow of violent terrorism, they fly airplanes of generosity into towers of need and plant improvised encouragement devices by roadsides and in neighborhoods everywhere, seeking God's kingdom and God's equity.

San Diego Specifics

2008-06-12T10:24:00.001-07:00

I wanted to post a couple of numbers specific to San Diego for the month of May. (See my last post for info on California and the foreclosure market lingo).

NOD: 3,362
NTS: 2,801

So, there are nearly 3,000 REO's that can potentially hit the San Diego market this month and in the months to come, each month. Not to mention other homes that are already for sale or homes that will come on the market that are not REO's. As a reference, the local MLS shows around 2,200 units sold in San Diego in April, 2008. Note that April, May and June will probably have some decent sales numbers due to seasonal trends. However, once we get into late summer and fall - it is going to be dismal. Not only because sales will slow but because REO's will just keep piling into the system.

If you want to buy a home in Southern California right now - choose one that you will be happy with for the next 10 years. Also, resolve that you won't panic and freak-out when the value of your home continues to fall for the next many months - it will come back, but not for awhile. For my part - I'm not interested in trying to catch falling knives (a popular euphemism in this industry) - I would not buy a stock that was nearly guaranteed to go down in value for the next 12 months - the only difference with a house is that it can be a home, and there is always value in that (even if it isn't always directly monetary).

Check out this screen shot:

What you're looking at (sorry it's so small) is an area that is maybe 3/4 of a mile square. This is in Oceanside -the 76 going right through the middle of some neighborhoods. Everyone one of those flags is a property that is either NOD, NTS or REO. In that relatively small area - there are 206 homes that are in some stage of foreclosure. Good luck trying to sell your house in this area ... you're competing with people that are just walking away from their homes or banks who need to get their property sold ASAP. Not all of these homes may be for sale ... on the other hand, these images don't reflect homes that are for sale but aren't in distress (some stage of foreclosure).

Below is another example ... this frame catches what is most of San Elijo Hills in San Marcos:

This depicts another 200+ homes in trouble in a relatively small area.

In both of these cases the majority of the homes are quite new (less than 5 years old) and they're not inexpensive, run-down, dumps ... a photo of what these homes typically look like:

Hope this helps. Stats from foreclosureradar.com and sandicor's MLS

California RE woes

2008-06-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so most everyone is aware of the major real-estate debacle going on throughout the nation. Things are pretty bad here in Southern California. We're probably only slightly better off than Floirda and Las Vegas. A few counties in Northern California are getting especially hammered and Riverside County (just North of us here in San Diego) is getting totally brutalized due to the compounding effect of crazy-high fuel prices (Temecula/Murrieta/Wildomar/Hemet - a large percentage of people who live there drive 30, 60 or even 100 miles one way to work).

Anyway, I just wanted to document a few components that bring some of this into perspective. A week doesn't go by that someone doesn't ask me if now is a good time to buy a home. Just last night I had a conversation with a fellow that wanted my advice as to whether he should buy some homes or purchase an apartment complex. Regarding buying a home (or homes) I told him that prices were going to continue to drop for many months and that he should not be in any hurry to rush out and buy a home - prices would probably continue to lower for the next 12 months (at least). The following are some statistics that inform my opinion.

First of all - you need to know a few things (and forgive me if you already know this). A Notice of Default (NOD) is what a bank/lender issues to a borrower who has not made payments on their loan (they are in default). Banks typically issue these once someone is 3 or maybe 4 months behind on their payments. This time-frame is actually in flux a bit right now becuase lenders are so inundated with people who are defaulting on their loans that it may be longer before an NOD is issued. Once the NOD is filed - the borrower has 90 days (in California) to cure the default. If the defualt is not cured (by making up for unpaid payments, or some other arrangement with the lender) within 90 days the lender can file a Notice of Trustee Sale (NTS). Once the NTS is filed, an auction (foreclosure sale) date is scheduled - this date is (by law) at least 21 days after the filing. If the borrower does not somehow cure the default, file bankruptcy or figure out a way to forestall the auction/foreclosure sale - the property is auctioned off to the highest bidder at the county court-house. Individuals may bid on this property. Typically, the bank simply wants to get back what they have lent on the property. If no one bids on the property, or no one bids as much as the bank is willing to accept - the property becomes owned by the bank (we call this type of property Real Estate Owned or REO). The bank can accept less than it is owed. If someone bids more than is owed ... the surplus goes to pay off other loans (if any) or the proceeds could actually go to the borrower/former owner. However, once the bank owns the property, that's it - the bank owns it and they are in complete control as to what they do with teh property. Ok, so now you know about an NOD, NTS and REO's.

Let's start with NOD's in California for the past few months:
March - 42,700
April - 44,100
May - 43,011

Now, even though there were less NOD's in May - there was an increase of NTS filings for the month of May at 34,564. Remember, the NTS filings in May are a result of NOD's filed in or before February, 2008. There were 37,362 NOD's filed in February, 2008. So, check out those numbers - look at the number of NOD's in February and the number of NTS' in May (3 months later) - a very high percentage of February's NOD's are being foreclosed upon. Now, this isn't entirely accurate because many of May's NTS filings could be from other NOD's prior to February and perhaps many of February's NOD's were cured. However, it is still indicative and there is a definite correlation - even if it is a bit indirect.

What that tells me is that we are going to continue to see over 1,000 homes per day in foreclosre in the State of California for the next several months (at least).

Also, it is worth noting that over 97% of all properties that go to auction/foreclosure sale end up being owned by the bank (in California). As this trend continues the banks become owners of huge inventories of properties. The banks don't want to own these properties and so they are trying to liquidate - which means lower prices. But what happens when over 30,000 properties per month come into the market-place? There is an over-supply and this equals lower prices.

Anyway, there's a bunch more to be said about the fact that a large number of these properties do not show up as listed for sale on your typical Realtor® listing service/website. Instead the banks may use other means to try and unload the properties or may simple keep the inventory under wraps. Because of this factor (and others) it is very difficult to tell just how much inventory there actually is out there - and how much it is worth.

The post is getting too long now ... I'll post more about San Diego, specifically later on...

*stats from foreclosureradar.com and sandicor's MLS.

Credit Crises

2008-05-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know - I'm in the Real Estate & Mortgage Industry. I live in Southern California. The combination of those two items means that my business closely resembles poop, after it's been stepped in. A big, fresh, clean dookie might somehow in some sort of way look pleasing - it at least represents the relief of some living creature. Hit that pile with a sledgehammer and now it's just a big mess. That pretty much sums up my industry over the past months. Lots of fun. But I digress...sorry to be so vividly picturesque.

I'm not sure that any of you care - but a lot of home-owners are wondering what is going on. And many who don't own homes wonder about all of the fuss. I know more than a few who have lost their homes. I'm aware of others who will likely suffer that fate in the near future. And there are others who are wondering if now is a good time to buy a home. The House is approving plans to save home-owners and the Oval Office promises to veto those same plans. The National Association of Realtors says that prices will pick back up soon and that now is a good time to buy (actually there isn't a moment in history when it's NOT a good time to buy according to NAR). The Fed thinks there's still some serious problems. Still others predict that we are a long way away from the bottom of the market.

My next door neighbor got laid off months ago - I think he finally landed a job that was worth doing this week. Another neighbor of mine who worked doing design work for Chrysler's California Studio is suffering from their down-sizing. I know things are tight for another neighbor who is a custom home-builder as new construction is at a stand-still around here. Bummer-ness.

Anyway, I've heard so many crazy explanations. Listening to the regular news - it is evident that most of those talking heads have no real idea about what is happening - they seem to be content to fill the time with different buzz-words combined with sensational images. If we weren't having so many earthquakes and tornadoes and cyclones and other disasters around the world you can be sure that we'd see endless images of people who make <$2,500.00 with >$400,000.00 mortgages sadly walking away from their homes because they can no longer make the payments. Unfortunately, many "real journalists" who might work for reputable publications or even tenacious public radio personalities just can't seem to come up with answers that make sense to me. Perhaps that is because I'm in the business myself ... but in California it's like every 4th person has a real estate license anyway - so I don't think I'm particularly unique.

I've spent a goodly portion of hours perusing a number blogs and subsequent commentary by a wide variety of society members. Some professionals, some not. Some representations of how we got into this current mess have been amusing. Some proposals as to how to solve it are down-right scary.

As usual - I didn't mean to write this much. I would rather you spend your time listening to this presentation put together by This American Life (click Title of this Post for additional linkage). It is a bit longish - and you'll need to be able to listen all the way through but it is entertaining and informative. The bit doesn't really address the issue of how long we may languor in this recession, if it'll lead to a quasi-depression or qualify the various proposals for resolution. However, it is a good bird's eye view of how we got to this point - and it zooms in for a close-up view as well.

I'm regularly reviewing half-a-dozen different sites and each of them link to dozens of other resources. If you're at all interested, let me know and I'll post some of those links too. I find this stuff fascinating and I'm hoping that it's a learning experience that we can benefit from while so many are going to be trying to run from the memories only to commit the same mistakes a short time from now.

Playlist

2008-04-09T15:54:00.001-07:00

You know, it's sort of depressing when you have a really cool playlist that is over 12 hours long and by the end of the day you realize that you've listened to the whole thing. 13-hour playlists are supposed to last more than one day, no?

Speaking of playlists - I am terrible at discovering new music. I've got about 7,000 tracks crammed into my brain and I don't think I can fit anymore. Of course, remembering every word of every track on the Colors soundtrack (1988) is probably unnecessary. Anyway, the best 'christian' music back then was Stryper (which was a little contrary to my tastes back then and sort of still is). The alternative was Acappella or AVB - our very own church of Christ version of gettin' down. Anyway, I still mainly listen to Depeche Mode and U2 ... thankfully, I've picked up on some more contemporary artists and now that we're starting to play a number of songs with some regularity - I really appreciate the new music. Still, any one style seems to get over-used. Charlie Hall, Chris Tomlin & Matt Redman start to sound the same (minus the accent). As do Jeremy Camp, Casting Crowns and even Third Day...

I guess if I blogged with any regularity at all I could ask readers to direct me to kewl new music ... but I think I'll just have to get out and look for it myself. If you happen to be reading - I'd love to hear about what you like & it doesn't have to be 'Christian' music...

/me goes off to think of another reason to blog

Glory of Easter

2008-03-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

First off, just wanted to thank my parents for taking the whole family (that's 17 of us - we left the babies at home) out to dinner and a cool show up in Garden Grove. We had a great time driving up there together, eating and then watching a 2 hour production which surveyed Jesus' ministry and focused especially on the event leading up to his arrest and crucifixion.

The performance was loud and spectacular. The building where the performance took place is rather dazzling - if you've ever watched the 'hour of power' on TV you'll know what I'm talking about. Live animals, fire works, drama, singing - it was very well done.

The climax is where Jesus is standing up high, above his followers ... smoke envelopes him, lights begin to flash while his disciples gather below ... all the while Jesus' words echo throughout the edifice, reminding his people of all that he said. And then - this gigantic window (must be 3 stories tall) hinges open, revealing the starry-night, letting in cool air, dissipating the smoke that had enveloped the ascending Jesus ... and he has vanished.

I thought: Ah! look at that, Jesus has left the church! You don't have to go to some special, 25th anniversary Easter production at the Crystal Cathedral to see that - it can be witnessed in any number of churches in any number of places. Oh, I know he is spoken of. I know that people that go to church know all about him. We sing praises to him, we bless him, we invoke his name at certain times and places, we have reminders of him in the form of crosses and pendants, paintings and symbols. But where is he? He is me, he is you - we are (supposed to be) one with him and the Father. He is the way, the truth and the life ... have you seen him? Instead of collectively staring out that window, waiting for him to return magically - we need to be him. Be what he was to others and in so doing be what he is for the world.

Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus?
...well, yeah - how can I be him to you?

Planes, Trains and Autobúses

2008-02-04T11:03:00.000-08:00

Surprise, surprise - I'm not dead. I'm sorry that I haven't been updating this at all for months. But, in the meantime, my wife has been putting up some really cool anecdotal stuff (love ya hon!) - check out here link to the right. I do sorta feel like I left the planet - all sorts of craziness has been happening in the past few months - a lot of which I'd like to forget, some of which I'd like to relive and all of which pushes me on toward the future.

ydidudoubt.com is back online - and while it make take some time to get users of a common mind/purpose I hope that it becomes a useful outlet, even community for those who feel as though Christendom as manifested by church as we know it is woefully inadequate. There are so many things to say - thoughts to share, thoughts yet to be had - and maybe ydud could be a place where some of us that know and trust each other could engage in dialogue about this and other topics.

so - nothing exciting to report (yet) - but there will be, oh yes, there will be!

Oh yeah - about the post title ... in the relatively near future I will be traveling to London in order to act as liason between a publishing company and potential investors residing in the UK. Should be interesting - I'll give more details whenever it is that I return.

Still Burning

2007-10-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've all seen the news and such. I really don't have much more information than what they're broadcasting nationwide. KPBS will probably continue to have 'round the clock coverage of what all is happening in San Diego - you can listen live there. Also, you can check the interactive Google map on the KPBS site. The winds have died down for now and that allows the various agencies to mobilize all sorts of airborne assets which should help.
Haven't heard of anyone we know who has lost their home. Janae and Kenny Kramer (Bubba and Robynn Martin's daughter & her husband) evacuated and their whole mobile home park went up in flames - except for two homes, Janae's being one of those two!
School will not resume until mid-week next week. All county services, courthouses, etc. are closed for the remainder of this week. It was like a ghost-town Monday and Tuesday around Escondido. A little more activity yesterday. This morning it is still pretty smoky in Escondido - it's just hanging in the air since the wind has died down. There's a bit more activity, but it's still pretty quiet for a Thursday morning.
I've been back in my office keeping normal hours since Tuesday - but it's still difficult to get much work done. Continued prayers are appreciated. If you've got any questions that I can answer - let me know.

Fire Update

2007-10-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

We're back at home now ... I think we'll be able to stay here awhile. There are still fires in Escondido and also two other fires that are both just a ridge or two away from our homes - however, the winds are beginning to die down. Several other friends and a few family members have also had to evacuate and are either staying in homes or just camping out in various parking lots.
Your continued prayers are appreciated - it's still so smoky everywhere that one really can't tell what's going on. I'll try to keep this updated. At this point they're reporting nearly 1,500 homes have been destroyed. And around 500,000 people have been evacuated to date.

Fire!

2007-10-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

So, it's been crazy Santa Ana's out here all weekend which is usually a prelude to some pretty serious fires out here SoCal. One of my neighbors called us at 3:00 AM to tell us that mandatory evacuations were underway for our area. So, we got up, packed our precious stuff (like home videos, pictures and stuff), enough stuff to get by for a couple of days and headed over to Heather's sister's house (Jay & Tara's).
A bunch of the county is on fire - it's incredibly smoky everywhere and we've been getting calls all day (since about 5:30 AM) from friends and family making sure we're OK. Throughout the day some of those same friends and family have been forced to evacuate their homes as well - at last count more than a dozen homes have burned in different areas throughout the county.
We're fine, of course. It'd sure be a hassle to have all of our stuff burn up, but hey - it'd certainly give us a chance to exercise some real community over the next few months. We'll be headed home tonight and hopefully not greet the morning as we did today.
Thanks a bunch to Mike and Mary for coming over at 3:30 or 4:00 AM, thanks for my folks for always being ready to take us in - and thanks to Jay and Tara for allowing us to invade their home. As fortunate as we are to have such friends and family, not everyone does - and not everyone avoided losing their home - keep the many families all around California in your prayers.
I'll try to keep you updated.

Thou Mayest

2007-09-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

Ah, has a month passed already? Goodness me but it's been a month unlike any other. I Mike Shackelford and I sat side-by-side on the way to work together today, I couldn't help but smile and even laugh at where we were, what we were doing and what we were thinking 6 months ago - and how different life is now. Amazing

Well, I think I'll keep posting excerpts of various kinds. Today, a little something from John Steinbeck - I love going back through books I've read and stopping at the places I've marked. This is one of them. Difficult, really to set up the context for this particular passage - but I find it quite interesting. A couple of fellows are talking to one another, among them a Chinese cook named Lee. The other two are Samuel and Adam (Adam employs the cook, Lee). Lee begins, telling a story:

"Do you remember when you read us the sixteen verses of the fourth chapter of Genesis and we argued about them?"

"I do indeed. And that's a long time ago."

"Ten years nearly," said Lee. "Well, the story bit deeply into me and I went into it word for word. The more I thought about the story, the more profound it became to me. then I compared the translations we have-and they were fairly close. There was only one place that bothered me. The King James version says this-it is when Jehovah has asked Cain why he is angry. Jehovah says, 'If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.' It was the 'thou shalt' that struck me, because it was a promise that Cain would conquer sin."

Samuel nodded. "And his children didn't do it entirely," he said.

Lee sipped his coffee. "Then I got a copy of the American Standard Bible. It was very new then. And it was different in this passage. It says, 'Do thou rule over him.' Now this is very different. This is not a promise, it is an order. And I began to stew about it. I wondered what the original word of the original writer had been that these very different translations could be made."

Samuel put his palms down on the table and leaned forward and the old young light came into his eyes. "Lee," he said, "don't tell me you studied Hebrew!"

Lee said, "I'm going to tell you. And it's a fairly long story...

"...I went [to San Francisco] because in our family there are a number of ancient reverend gentlemen who are great scholars. They are thinkers in exactness. A man may spend many years pondering a sentence of the scholar you call Confucius. I thought there might be experts in meaning who could advise me

"They are fine old men. They smoke their two pipes of opium in the afternoon and it rests and sharpens them, and they sit through the night and their minds are wonderful. I guess no other people have been able to use opium well."

Lee dampened his tongue in the black brew. "I respectfully submitted my problem to one of these sages, read him the story, and told him what I understood from it. The next night four of them met and called me in. We discussed the story all night long."

Lee laughed. "I guess it's funny," he said. "I know I wouldn't dare tell it to many people. Can you imagine four old gentlemen, the youngest is over ninety now, taking on the study of Hebrew? They engaged a learned rabbi. They took to the study as though they were children. Exercise books, grammar, vocabulary, simple sentences. You should see Hebrew written in Chinese ink with a brush! The right to left didn't bother them as much as it would you, since we write up to down. Oh, they were perfectionists! They went to the root of the matter."

"And you?" said Samuel.

"I went along with them, marveling at the beauty of their proud clean brains. I began to love my race, and for the first time I wanted to be Chinese. Every two weeks I went to a meeting with them, and in my room here I covered pages with writing. I bought every know Hebrew dictionary. But the old gentlemen were always ahead of me. It wasn't long before they were ahead of our rabbi; he brought a colleague in. Mr. Hamilton (Samuel), you should have sat through some of those nights of argument and discussion. The questions, the inspection, oh, the lovely thinking-the beautiful thinking.

"After two years we felt that we could approach your sixteen verses of the fourth chapter of Genesis. My old gentlemen felt that these words were very important too-'Thou shalt' and 'Do thou.' And this was the gold from our mining: 'Thou mayest.' 'Thou mayest rule over sin.' The old gentlemen smiled and nodded and felt the years were well spent. it brough them out of their Chinese shells too, and right now they are studying Greek."

Samuel said, "It's a fantastic story. And I've tried to follow and maybe I've missed somewhere. Why is this word so important?"

Lee's hand shook as he filled the delicate cups. He drank his down in one gulp. "Don't you see?" he cried. "The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. The King James translation makes a promise in 'Thou shalt,' meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word, the word timshel-'Thou mayest'-that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if 'Thou mayest'-it is also true that 'Thou mayest not.' Don't you see?"

"Yes, I see. I do see. But you do not believe this is divine law. Why do you feel its importance?"

"Ah!" said Lee. "I've wanted to tell you this for a long time. I even anticipated your questions and I am well prepared. Any writing which has influenced the thinking and the lives of innumerable people is important. Now, there are many millions in their sects and churches who feel the order, 'Do thou,' and throw their weight into obedience. And there are millions more who feel predestination in 'Thou shalt.' Nothing they may do can interfere with what will be. But 'Thou mayest'! Why, that makes a man great, that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice. He can choose his course and fight it through and win." Lee's voice was a chant of triumph.

Adam said, "Do you believe that, Lee?"

"Yes, I do. Yes, I do. It is easy out of laziness, out of weakness, to throw oneself into the lap of deity, saying, 'I couldn't help it; the way was set.' But think of the glory of the choice! That makes a man a man. A cat has no choice, a bee must make honey. There's no godliness there. And do you know, those old gentlemen who were sliding gently down to death are too interested to die now?"

Adam said, "Do you mean these Chinese men believe the Old Testament?"

Lee said, "These old men believe a true story, and they know a true story when they hear it. They are critics of the truth. They know that these sixteen verses are a history of humankind in any age or culture or race. They do not believe a man writes fifteen and three-quarter verses of truth and tells a lie with one verb. Confucius tells men how they should live to have good and successful lives. But this-this is a ladder to climb to the stars." Lee's eyes shone. "You can never lose that. It cuts the feet from under weakness and cowardliness and laziness."

Adam said, "I don't see how you could cook and raise the boys and take care of me and still do all this."

"Neither do I," said Lee. "But I take my two pipes in the afternoon, no more and no less, like the elders. And I feel that I am a man. And I feel that a man is a very important thing-maybe more important than a star. This is not theology. I have not bent toward gods. But I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed-because 'Thou mayest.'"

This whole book is basically John Steinbeck's midrash on Cain and Abel. You may remember reading it in school - it is worth another read if you have the time. The last spoken word in the novel: Timshel!

A Curriculum for Christlikeness

2007-08-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

Dallas Willard is an author that I've not been reading for too long, even though some the stuff that moves me so was written 10 or 20 years ago. Citing a passage is difficult - because there are so many worth considering. I'll just offer a bit from what I've recently been reading. I'd say that if you have the time and the will - go and read "The Spirit of the Disciplines" as well as "The Divine Conspiracy" ASAP.

This is an excerpt from The Divine Conspiracy:

Four Things We Must Not Take As Primary Objectives

To correctly form a curriculum for Christlikeness, we must have a very clear and simple perception of the primary goals it must achieve, as well as what is to be avoided.

Two objectives in particular that are often taken as primary goals must not be left in that position. They can be reintroduced later in proper subordination to the true ones. These are external conformity to the wording of Jesus' teachings about actions in specific contexts and profession of perfectly correct doctrine. Historically these are the very things that have obsessed the church visible - currently, the latter far more than the former.

We need to wait no longer. The results are in. They do not provide a course of personal growth and development that routinely produces people who "hear and do." They either crush the human mind and soul and separate people from Jesus, or they produce hide-bound legalists and theological experts with "lips close to God and hearts far away from him" (Isa. 29:13). The world hardly needs more of these.

Much the same can be said of the strategies - rarely taken as primary objectives, to be sure, but much used - of encouraging faithfulness to the activities of a church or other outwardly religious routines and various "spiritualities," or the seeking out of special states of mind or ecstatic experiences. These are good things. But let it be said once and for all that, like outward conformity and doctrinally perfect confession, they are not to be taken as major objectives in an adequate curriculum for Chrislikeness.

Special experiences, faithfulness to the church, correct doctrine and external conformity to the teachings of Jesus all come along as appropriate, more or less automatically, when the inner self is transformed. But they do not produce such a transformation.

The human heart must be plowed much more deeply. Thus these four emphases are good in their place, and even necessary when rightly understood. But when taken as primary objectives, they only burden souls and make significant Christlikeness extremely difficult, if not impossible. With respect to these four emphases, we need to say loudly and repeatedly, to every one concerned, "You cannot build your house on the rock in this way."

What else is there besides these items in our church today:

External Conformity to the wording of Jesus' teachings
Profession of perfectly correct doctrine
Faithfulness to the activities and routines of the local church
"Spiritual" experiences

I'll not take the time or the space (or further infringe upon the publication rights) to post more of what Willard proposes - but so far - it makes perfect sense to me. But I'm left to think and hopefully leaving you to think about what is it we as Christians would do if we weren't worrying ourselves about which eye to gouge out or how to "sell all of our possessions and then come and follow" Jesus? What is it we would study if not the systematic dogma that has been handed down to us -if we didn't spend our time preparing and debating the significance of the co-eternal essence shared by the Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Furthermore, how would we occupy our time if it were not used in adherence to the schedule of activities and programs offered by the church?

In an astute observation - Willard says elsewhere that the results that are produced by the church (think of most any cross-section of church members - I'm talking about results as in ... the type of people/members & their lives) are not in spite of the church's efforts but likely because of the church's goals and objectives. We do not have churches full of benign, nominal, stagnate - still struggling with the same old problems, don't know when the last time they've had some 'growth' sort of people for any other reason than because of the fact that this is the sort of people our churches typically produce. Because of the goals, objectives, planning and execution our churches are producing the very thing they hope to eradicate: lukewarm shurshtians. Gosh, that's harsh. I certainly made the statement as though it is true ... I'm sort of hoping it's not. What do you think?