The Whirlwind

We've all been there. The to-do list is longer than the hours in the day, the bills are higher than the balance in the bank and our relationships are strained to the breaking point.

It feels like we're caught in a whirlwind, being blown to pieces by the pressures of life.

It's an idea I've been thinking about a lot this last week -- largely brought on by my purchase of a CD called The Whirlwind, by Transatlantic.

The title piece is broken into 12 parts spanning 77 minutes with this cohesive theme of the whirlwind. Some sample lyrics if you will:


And we got caught in the whirlwind
Torn by the storms of our lives
We counted - counted on something
That never could hold up our lives

...

And we got caught in the whirlwind
Torn by the storms of our lives
And just when we thought we had something
It turned into dust in our eyes

So curiosity got the best of me and I checked to see how many times the word "whirlwind" appeared in the Bible. And the answer I came up with was 15, all in the Old Testament.

Most often, whirlwind might bring to mind the story of Elijah being taken up to heaven in 2 Kings 2.

But primarily, the message these passages conveyed is the same as the lyrics above. For example, Isaiah 40:23-24:

He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

So what will we do when the whirlwind begins to blow us around? Attempt to cling to the things of this world or grab hold of something more substantial, something eternal?

The CD concludes with an idea that I believe Elijah found to be true:

There is in the heart of the whirlwind
One who has been for all time
And he was sent to deliver
And bring forth the river of life
And we are here in the wilderness
Seeking some shelter inside
And now that it's done
Out of the whirlwind
Comes forth the true breath of life

Snow White

The thing about being around a kids is that you often have the chance to go back and see games, books or movies that you haven't given much thought to in years. And along with that, you see those things from a wiser (maybe?), more jaded (likely) adult perspective.

Such was the case in watching Walt Disney's animated classic, Snow White. The story is a fairy tale that may be as old as the Middle Ages and was first put to print by the Brothers Grimm in the early 1800's. The tale has certainly had its fair share of revisions over the years, but nonetheless, in this most popular animated version, I observed a great deal of Christian symbolism.

Snow White is so good and perfect that when the evil Queen is told by her magic mirror that "Snow White is the fairest one of all," it enrages her. Like Lucifer, the angel of light, she seeks to destroy this perfect creation (mankind).

And, of course, the evil Queen does eventually appear to succeed with her poison apple -- OK, that one is a bit obvious.

There are seven dwarfs, a popular number for symbolizing completion/perfection in the Bible, that are Snow White's friends.

After she eats of the apple (sin), the dwarfs put Snow White in a glass coffin and mourn her death until the Prince arrives to unlock the power of that death with his kiss. Snow White is awakened and walks arm in arm with the Prince toward a golden castle gleaming in the clouds on the horizon -- a perfect picture of our resurrection and ultimate destination. And don't forget the dwarfs chased the evil Queen until she fell off the cliff to the bottom of a pit.

There's certainly greater detail that could be explored, but these are just some of the big picture highlights.

While none of this is breaking new ground, I was reminded once again that we can see God's hand many places if we only open our eyes.

And may we all live happily ever after!

Loss is gain

It's a funny thing. It seems like the moments of life we remember most often center around the loss of something.

When you're sitting around with family or old friends, you don't say, "Remember the time that lady gave me a stick of gum?"

No, you say, "Remember the time Junior tried to climb over the fence and lost his pants?"

Of course, many memories are more serious: a broken arm, the loss of family to divorce, the death of a loved one. But it all speaks to the fact that there is no satisfaction is what is given to us, but in what shapes us and molds us, even in the most difficult times. It's the reason that when we read a good book or see a good movie, there is always a conflict, a challenge, a hole to get out of.

Speaking of holes, my daughter has a new hole in her teeth -- right there in the front, bottom left center to be exact. It's the result of the loss of her first tooth. Now that's a memory.


So may it be for us as Christians. We don't think much about the times when life cruised along, but it's the times of loss that stand out. It's the reason why Paul wrote as he did in Philippians 3:7-9:

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."

And more simply in Philippians 1:21:

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Ode to Joy ... sort of

And now for a comedic, musical blog interlude:

Evil or Divine

I was recently listening to a song which posed the question, "Are we evil or divine?"

I found the question rather appropriate for these days in which our society is so polarizing.

So many times, which team you root for, which political party you support, which side of town you live on, what kind of music you listen to or even what's in your recycle bin is the difference between being labeled friend or foe, evil or divine.

And the correct answer for both our society and our spiritual lives is often: both. Just listen to Paul in Romans 7:19-25:

For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Evil or divine? No, evil and divine.

Peace that passeth understanding

If you're a parent, you know the look -- that cherubic expression on a child's face when they are asleep. A sort of smile that says all is well.

I saw it pass over my daughter's face tonight, and, for some reason, the phrase, "peace that passeth understanding" leaped into my mind.

The expression comes from Philippians 4:6-7: "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

I think that child-like contentment is the peace Paul is talking about. The knowledge that when I'm unaware of all the things swirling about me, and even when I am, I rest comfortably, peacefully ... past all understanding.

May you rest easy now -- peace.

More football

Blame it on the Super Bowl, but I seem to be stuck in a rut of ideas centering around football. I even put this post off a bit to try and break things up. No luck.

By now, it seems almost certain you've heard about the Super Bowl ad involving Tim Tebow and his mother promoting the fact that she did not have Tim aborted as doctors suggested after a being diagnosed with a medical condition.

Now, just for the record, put me down in the camp of people who have grown really tired of hearing how great Tim Tebow is, on the field or off. But also put me down for the camp that appreciates his honesty when it comes to faith and what he believes in.

An Associated Press article about this "controversial commercial" last week had a couple of quotes from people that rubbed me the wrong way, so here goes my latest rant:

Terry O’Neill, the president of the National Organization for Women, said she had respect for the private choices made by women such as Pam Tebow but condemned the planned ad as "extraordinarily offensive and demeaning."
"That’s not being respectful of other people’s lives," O’Neill said. "It is offensive to hold one way out as being a superior way over everybody else’s."


This just drives me nuts. Nobody's right and nobody's wrong, except the people who claim to be right, who are then declared wrong.

But hey, you want to throw yourself off a cliff? Go ahead. I don't think that's right, but if I try and stop you, I'm being disrespectful and demeaning. So have a nice fall!

OK, and one more quote:
A national columnist for CBSSports.com, Gregg Doyel, also objected to the CBS decision to show the ad, specifically because it would air on Super Sunday.

“If you’re a sports fan, and I am, that’s the holiest day of the year,” he wrote. “It’s not a day to discuss abortion. For it, against it, I don’t care what you are. On Super Sunday, I don’t care what I am. Feb. 7 is simply not the day to have that discussion.”

So let me get this straight. This is a perfect day to find 500 ways to entice people to drink beer, light beer, vodka and most any other form alcohol comes in. Alcohol that can damage your liver and your brain cells, including the ability to interact with other people responsibly. And don't forgot the drunk drivers that kill over 15,000 people a year in the United State.

But heaven forbid somebody take 30 seconds to suggest it might be a halfway decent idea not to kill people before they're born, trying to prevent well over 1 million abortions in the U.S. alone.

At least this crazy backlash comes as no surprise to Jesus, who in John 15:18-19 said:
"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."