Amy Winehouse. Norway. Light. Life.

Amy Winehouse. Norway. Light. Life.

by derekmaul

Fun assignment...

For several years - circa 1999 to around 2008 – I penned a weekly “op-ed” column that ran in anywhere from one to eight local newspapers. Twice – before staff writers decided freelance work should not qualify – I won top honors at the Florida Press Association’s annual awards banquet.

I especially miss the sense of ongoing conversation I developed with the entire Brandon community – and I still believe The Tampa Tribune made a huge mistake when they dropped the feature. But it’s a “state of the industry” reality that I don’t imagine will change any time soon. Now the only periodical where you can count on reading my “opinion” is FOCUS Magazine, one issue per month (page 95 in this issue if you take a look).

My slant was more connected to current affairs, news stories and social issues. I felt strongly that a faith-based perspective needed to be an element of the general conversation. And, thinking about it this morning, I realize that I still feel that way. I’m wondering about how I might reintroduce my voice to the mainstream media, beyond the limited reach of this blog.

Wire image from Norway

AMY WINEHOUSE AND NORWAY: I know I would have published a column about the sad story from Norway, plus a few thoughts about the Amy Winehouse tragedy. Because there needs to be a perspective that is spiritually astute without being moralistic or simply reactionary.

More than answers, and especially more than pat answers, what these stories require are better questions.

Nobody needs to hear another lecture about “The dangers of drugs and alcohol.” Addicts are some of the best informed people in the world, and the first alcoholic we try to hit over the head with the Winehouse story will likely go out drinking to get the sound of the lecture out of their head.

And we could speculate all day about political ideology, and global jihad, and where the lines need to be drawn regarding free speech, and how effective – or counter-effective – gun laws are, and if a free society is more – or less – susceptible to violence? There are a thousand details we could talk about and we still wouldn’t have a clue.

Because, the way I see it, the most dangerous trend in any part of the world is not so much a movement toward evil as the drift away from the Gospel of Light. And, by “the Gospel of Light” I mean the life-charged truth that we are – each one of us – created in the image of God, that our best source of light and life is an active relationship with the Creator, and that the only way to communicate such Good News is to actually live as if it were true.

So, here are some of the questions I’d like to raise in response to both Amy Winehouse and Norway:

1. Let’s be honest, what are the priorities and values that effectively guide us in our day-to-day lives?
2. How are these values and priorities acquired?
3. If we don’t think these are the best priorities to live by… then what are we doing about it?
4. Do we know, beyond a doubt, that we are loved unconditionally? And how do we communicate that truth to the people around us?
5. Do we know any people who tell the truth about the Gospel of Love, simply by being?
6. What can we learn from these folk?
7. Do we tell the truth about the Gospel of Love, simply by being?

Singer Amy Winehouse

There are more questions, of course, but I’m sure you get my drift. We can speculate all day about why terrible things happen, we can assign blame, and we can make moralistic judgements about “those people”, and “those societies”… But the only thing that’s going to change this world is going to be you, and me, living as if the Gospel we proclaim really is true.

We’ve all heard the classic observation, “I might believe in the Redeemer if His followers looked more redeemed….” But it’s more than looking redeemed – it’s actually living into the truth of that redemption.

So the question isn’t even about sharing our story with the world. We’re sharing the story we have chosen already. The way that we live tells the truth about what we believe. The way we are tells the real story loud and clear!

The best question that comes out of both the Amy Winehouse tragedy and the horror of Norway is this: What story am I living? If enough of us begin to live as if the Gospel story really is the source of light and life and redemption, then….

Peace – and I really mean that – DEREK

My Friends = the Present Grace of God

Most of our "POGs" group Sunday evening

It has been absolutely awesome to be back in our home church again! The atmosphere in worship at First Presbyterian is so affirming, and encouraging and (I believe this is theword for the whole experience) GENUINE….

I know its easy to quote songs instead of actually writing, but this old chorus jumped into my mind when thinking about Sundays at fpcBrandon, “There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place; and I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord. There are sweet expressions on each face; and I know that it’s the presence of the Lord…”

But it’s not the syrupy kind of sweetness. It’s the love kind of sweetness. Maybe the song would be more representative of my experience if it read, “There’s a genuine love that fills this place; and I know that it’s the love that comes from God. I see  peace and healing in each face; and I know that it’s the present grace of God…”

Yay Monday! I’ve said before how Sunday with my church family makes Monday not only possible but – in truth – a life-charged blessing. Well double the effect of that principle when there’s a small-group gathering Sunday evening. During the summer our POGs group (Parents of Grads) meet more informally and in homes rather than at church. Yesterday evening we swarmed the Dales’ new home again, did the usual covered dish, and caught up with joys and needs.

View from David and Karin's back patio

There are 19 of us (18 at the Dale’s yesterday) and that number represents eleven family unites and 24 children. Plus we’re beginning to add some grandchildren (just a trickle right now but you know that’s going to change!).

One family in our group is dealing with some gut-wrenching hurt that is quite literally too much to carry on their own. Small groups provide the opportunity to – physically and spiritually – be there for one-another.

I already had a partial “heads-up” about what was going on when the evening began, so I started our conversation with this short story from my week: The day I found out about the situation I immediately prayed for my friends and their son. In doing so I felt an unusual surge of connectivity with the Spirit – so I prayed through and then beyond the standard, “God bless so-and-so.”

My prayer quickly evolved into a more intimate interaction that worked its way into both my conscious self and much deeper places I cannot calibrate. After that it didn’t seem right to leave my friends’ daughter out of the conversation so I prayed for her too.

Naturally, I thought about the fact that all the members of my small group have children, and the Spirit led my prayers through every family in the circle.

• I prayed for the men, specifically and by name;
• I prayed for their wives in the same manner;
• I prayed for each of the children in my friends’ families, and I surprised myself by remembering all of their names and life circumstances easily.
• I prayed – with care and with different emphases depending on the individual on my heart in each moment – for ten married couples, one single person, and 24 young-adult children.

I make a point of spending time in prayer each and every morning; it’s how I start my day. Typically I’ve already been in some level of conversation with God before Scout and I even set out on our walk. But the experience is never rote or repetitive and I’m open to the direction God wants to take. This time my prayer became a deep, serious conversation that lasted 45 minutes and affected everything else about the balance of my day.

Sharing my story set off a chain-reaction of similar testimonies to how God has been working in and through our lives this summer. And by the time our friends were ready to share their burden with the entire group we did so in the context of a shared faith story that was – already – the Present Grace of God.

That’s life with my church family here in my home-town. Where:

• All the men are good
• All the women are full of grace
• And all of the children are (loved) above average.

"Disciple 'O' Campbell's Presbyterian Pub"

“DISCIPLE ‘O’ CAMPBELL’S PRESBYTERIAN PUB”

The new building at First Presbyterian Brandon, this morning, moving right along!

A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ – Luke 14:16-17

Early this morning I took a break from the big writing project to head downtown, where I’d been invited to talk with the men’s breakfast group at Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church. I spoke on “The Life-Charged Life”, which was kind of a no-brainer as I’ve been working furiously on “10 Life-charged Words for Men” all week-long.

Then, on the way back, I stopped by the construction site at First Pres Brandon to take a gander at what’s new and exciting. The answer is “windows and doors.” It all looks very promising, as you can see from the opening photograph. But what is even better is the choice for the temporary doors at the front entry. The contractor still had them from a recent remodel and I swear he couldn’t have done a better job for a “happening” Presbyterian Church like ours!

"Disciple 'O' Campbells Presbyterian Pub"

Yeah, that’s right, the old front doors from BEEF ‘O’ BRADY’S. I kid you not! Pastor Tim Black told me about it yesterday, then Bill Hellman sent me some pics this morning (featured at the end of this post). But I had to come see for myself, so I pulled out my telephoto for the shot you see here.

“BEEF’S”, if you don’t live around here, is the classic Brandon “Family Sports Restaurant and Pub.” It’s the best place for fish & chips and offers as close to a “pub” atmosphere as possible anywhere other than small-town United Kingdom, where there really is no better place for a casual lunch and a pint.

That’s why this is such a classic door for our church! I vote we keep it, and simply incorporate the idea into the design. Now I’m well aware that this new building is supposed to be, “The Campbell Discipleship Center”, but what would it hurt to keep the doors (and the concept) and simply call the place “DISCIPLE ‘O’ CAMPBELL’S PRESBYTERIAN PUB”…

Some churches have been putting espresso bars in their front lobby. I’ve even heard tell of bookstores and ATMs. So what could be wrong with a few pub tables, some old leather chairs and a couple of dart boards? Plus of course fish & chips and a pint…?

Photo courtesy of Bill Hellman

But then maybe there’s a good reason I’m not on the design team… or the session…!

“CHEERS” – Derek

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Seriously? Get Real!

A good morning's work

When I woke up this morning I went through my usual routine, with the exception of bringing Rebekah coffee in bed, (she’s in Connecticut). But The Muse was not with me when it was time to write, so spent the next couple of hours doing yard work.

I picked up a bunch of dead wood, removed some low-hanging limbs from the Amazon Rain Tree, rolled up the hoses, and was behind my lawnmower by 8:30. Being Florida, it was already pushing 90 along with enough humidity to spike the “feels-like” number well into uncomfortable.

But, bottom line, I really enjoy mowing. It’s good exercise, it clears my head, and it gives me a clear space in which to think. And I know I’m not alone in this. My brother-in-law Jesse put the following as his facebook status the other day: “I had a great time cutting the grass this morning. Love a job that allows me to see my progress and appreciate the accomplishment afterward. Can anyone relate?”

My back yard may not be 100% actual lawn, but it’s a nice mixture of grass and neatly scalped weeds – plus it’s the right color green when it rains, and it’s summer in Florida so there’s no shortage of that.

Mowing, to my way of thinking, represents real, honest, “look what I did” work. There are no subtleties or nuances when you’re running a new blade with 6.75 ft-pounds of gross torque through the grass in the back yard. It’s about sweat, walking three miles or so, cleaning up afterwards, and feeling good about what you’ve done.

I guess what I’m saying is that yard work is real. It’s about as authentic as work gets…

Or that’s what I used to think until I turned on one of those “The pressure is on to sell your house” shows the other day. There are several versions, involving everything from major remodeling to just a few bucks spent on creative staging. The idea is to help the homeowners by making the houses look more attractive to buyers.

Fair enough. New paint, clean carpets and eliminating clutter all serve to help potential buyers see beyond the mess and evaluate the house on its merits.

Landscaping works the same way. Cut back the bushes, add some flowering plants, fix the sidewalk, replace dead areas and weeds with new sod, paint the front door. It’s called “curb appeal” and it makes sense.

Fakery Alert! Imagine my surprise – and horror – when one of the TV teams included “re-sod the yard” as a priority, but then spray-painted instead to say funds for other stuff!

I kid you not, halfway through the episode this truck rolls up with a tank and a hose and the guy applies dye to the entire yard. He was done in 15 minutes, but hung around to talk with the hosts. “I’m making a good living here in Florida,” he said. “My clients are typically banks and realtors who don’t want to waste money on landscaping. So they have me come by with my truck. It helps the home show better, you know.”

What amazed me was that everyone was Okay with this! No ethics-based questions by the hosts, or the homeowners, or the realtor who was evaluating the project. “I’m impressed,” the show hosts said. “It looks just like healthy grass. Buyers will never know the difference.”

I turned off the TV in disgust at the blatant manipulation. But what was maybe worse than the deception was the fact that nobody seemed to see it that way. To them the charade was legit because “Appearance” is the name of the game.

The Real Thing!

Personally, I believe that there’s no substitute for reality. Authenticity, to my mind, is far more appealing than fakery designed to sell.

I believe this is a huge problem in the Christian world, too. In relationships, in institutions, in the presentation of the Gospel, in testimonials…. When appearance trumps authenticity, everyone loses.

But this post has gone long enough already. I’ll continue my thoughts in the chapter I’m writing for the new book. The chapter title? “Authenticity”.

- DEREK