Last week at RoP we focused on the idea that we are more than what we produce.  This week we’ll be exploring an idea that is woven together with production: we are more than what we consume.  According to the New York Times the average city dweller (and by that the Times is referring to NYC) is exposed to around 5,000 ads a day.  Most of us who live outside of NYC are exposed to just over 3,000 per diem.  Think that’s bad?  Studies estimate that we’ll spend 3 years of our lives on this planet watching TV ads.  (Read this post for a great perspective)

3 years is a long time.  Thank heavens for Tivo, right?  What if we defined ourselves according to what we’ve managed to be sold?

More later…

As I do not currently have an official job, the idea of  being “too busy” is both fantasy and reality.  I mean, I’m plenty busy; I have a couple little jobs, lots of responsibilities and some ideas that I’m pursuing.  Having no job is a very interesting experience.  It makes everything seem like work.  This surely isn’t something that I imagined to be true before I landed on the downside of our economic situation.  So I guess I am saying that I wish I were busier in a certain respect.

On the other hand, being without a job forces one to find out who they really are.  You cannot hide behind a title.  It was easy to describe the purpose of my life when I was being paid to pastor people.  Ryan = pastor.  I think men probably wrestle with this “identity = job” thing more so than women, but I may be wrong.

Here’s what I’ve learned through this time: Ryan = pastor, it’s true.  Not because I have a job, but the thing that I can’t stop doing is moving people toward the cross.  Pastor is probably the wrong word.  Most of them are warm and fuzzy.  I’m kind of prickly.  Most pastors attempt to make people feel better about themselves, while I find that method often ineffective.  I’ll attempt to explain.

There is a certain false safety that exists when we attempt to move ourselves toward God.  It feels good, but that idea begins with self as the key component.  God, at Jesus’ baptism in Mark’s Gospel, is described as “tearing” (schizo – Greek) through the heavens.  God interrupts.  Someone described it as all heaven breaking loose.  Rather than beginning with self, we must start with a bigger, truer, longer existing reality, who happens to be here whether we like it or not.  Thereby God is the key component, who simply extends an opportunity for humans to be grateful.  We call this gratefulness – worship.

A motivational poster says, “Character is who you are when no one’s looking.”  It could say, “when no one is paying you.”  As the “too busy” week comes to a close, I hope you’ve discovered something about the nature of God and how you relate to him apart from your accomplishments.

Sorry for the personal nature of this post.  I thought it might help someone out there in reader land.  I will post on this week’s topic later in the day.

Grace.

There are some daylilies jamming their way through the final layer of the Earth’s crust in my backyard.  I once heard some advice that asked me to – “Consider them.”  So I did.

These are some of the things I was told I must consider: consider reading the whole post…

Who do you say that I am?

“Who do you say that I am?”  It’s a great question.  This famous Biblical exchange between Jesus and Peter is cited as the birth of the church by some, the installation of the first Pope by others.  I don’t think Jesus was fishing for a compliment.  Regardless, Peter’s answer seems to excite Jesus’ sense of enthusiasm, like a teacher whose class has just advanced miraculously into the next area of study.

Though this question is asked by and about the Messiah, I wonder what might have happened had Peter answered and then asked back, “Okay, now who do you say that I am?”  Maybe Jesus discover who you really are; keep reading.

Some mornings you just don’t know what to expect from a day.  Most mornings are like that even when the day is approached with a fool-proof plan and to-do list.  I just had breakfast with a friend for about 3 hours.  A 3 hour breakfast is ridiculous. find out what i ate for breakfast

Last Saturday my daughter and I got an early start on our garden.  While the seed packets promised 8-10 days till we began to see life, many of our seeds have already sprouted.  We’re having a great time watching things begin to emerge from the tiny peat clumps.  When things are young, growth is easy to spot.  It’s later when things become a bit more mature that we began to question the whole growing process.

When we live too busy, as I contend many of us do, we tend to miss the growth, and we grow discouraged.  One of my favorite how does your garden grow?

Well this week the Ream of Paper Lent practice is simple: quit working when the sun goes down (or when you get home, for those of you on the night-shift).  Nothing has changed my life more than the laptop.  I’d have to say this wonderful device has allowed me to become as productive off the clock as when I am on it.

It’s a funny thing about technology.  It allows us to maintain unreal levels of productivity or waste as much time as we see fit over the course of a day.  Hey, production is great and addicitng.  Who doesn’t love the accolades and the sense of accomplishment that comes with fulfilling keep on workin’